Muscle Loss and Age

[Batya33]

I have consistently stayed above mu first Power personal best since I beat it. Today, I thought I was taking it easy, but I matched my second personal best. So, it seems I've definitely leveled up.

 

I don't know how to explain this, but I feel a deeper kind of burning in my legs. Not unmanageable at all. Not even painful. Just there.

 

I felt so centered after class this morning. For most of the morning I felt that way, but in the afternoon I was back in my usual mental frenzy. Exercise may be the key to relaxation.

I just love reading this!! Wonderful to hear. Especially the relaxation part. I feel the same about it.

[Jibralta]

oops.... wrong thread.

[Jibralta]

I wonder why I am craving cheese so much lately.

[dias]

I wonder why I am craving cheese so much lately.

 

Do you eat Greek cheese(Feta)?

[Jibralta]

Oh yes. It was a staple in our house growing up.

[IAmFCA]

Oh yes. It was a staple in our house growing up.

 

Us too. Dinner usually included iceberg lettuce with cucumbers & feta & oregano, with vinegar & olive oil & lemon & maybe honey for dressing.

 

My favorite feta memory (yes I have one) is sitting outside with a block of creamy not too salty not too mild feta, bathed in olive oil, with a bottle of evian. In the sun at some restaurant, somewhere in Greece. Over 30 years ago, no clue where, now. The feta was perfectly balanced.

[katrina1980]

Us too. Dinner usually included iceberg lettuce with cucumbers & feta & oregano, with vinegar & olive oil & lemon & maybe honey for dressing.

 

My favorite feta memory (yes I have one) is sitting outside with a block of creamy not too salty not too mild feta, bathed in olive oil, with a bottle of evian. In the sun at some restaurant, somewhere in Greece. Over 30 years ago, no clue where, now. The feta was perfectly balanced.

 

Yum, try adding olives! Delish!

 

I've spent time in Greece too, three months! The island of Crete, a town called Ierapetra..

 

Fell in love with a British guy, ah the memories. We stomped grapes for the wine to save the money we had.

 

Really awesome time and yeah the food was great!

[dias]

Yum, try adding olives! Delish!

 

I've spent time in Greece too, three months! The island of Crete, a town called Ierapetra..

 

Fell in love with a British guy, ah the memories. We stomped grapes for the wine to save the money we had.

 

Really awesome time and yeah the food was great!

Crete is one of the best places on earth. You only been to Ierapetra? Ierapetra is beautiful, but there are a lot of beaches you have to visit on Crete.

https://www.greeka.com/crete/beaches.htm

 

Don't answer, we digress from the title :)

[katrina1980]

Crete is one of the best places on earth.

 

***You only been to Ierapetra?***

 

Ierapetra is beautiful, but there are a lot of beaches you have to visit on Crete.

https://www.greeka.com/crete/beaches.htm

 

Don't answer, we digress from the title :)

 

LOL well you did ask me a question, but okay I won't answer.

 

Apologies to Jibralta for the short hijack, back on topic!

[Jibralta]

Not a problem.

 

I used to eat a big ball of mozzarella every day when I was in Italy. It was very cheap there. Somehow, I lost weight, too. Maybe I should go back on the cheese diet.

[Jibralta]

The downside of that fun night was that we both drank too much wine. I woke up this morning feeling like a big piece of poo. I skipped my 7:30AM spin class and probably lost the $25--we'll see if they credit me. I forced myself to go to horseback riding at 11AM because if I skipped that one it would cost me a lot more than $25.

 

So let's see.... I skipped my spin class on the 18th because I had a hangover. Fortunately, they did credit me the $25. That evening, I started to come down with a cold. So, I skipped my spin classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. I resumed my regular class schedule this past Tuesday (2/27), but I have not been as strong. The challenge I signed up for ends tomorrow, and I only accomplished one of the two goals that I set for myself. However, my membership doesn't run out until the end of March, so I can still accomplish that second goal.

 

I haven't skipped any of my horseback riding classes. I have been improving. I've also had a couple different teachers in the last few weeks. One of them is a very strict teacher. I've seen her yelling at her students in her classes. So when I got her, I was like uh-oh. But she was actually very complimentary of my riding, and said I'd be back up to speed in no time. She said my previous instructor from years ago did "a lovely job."

 

Today, they gave me a new horse so that I could get back to cantering. Cantering was like second nature to me once upon a time. But after five years of no riding, the idea of a new pace is a little scary. My nerves were definitely up, and it didn't help that the new horse spooked and started to buck the minute I got on. We're still having gusts of wind from yesterday's nor'easter, and this horse didn't like it when the wind battered the side of the indoor ring and knocked the snow down past the windows. He freaked out like that four or five times during my ride, but I kept control of him and he did calm right down.

 

This new horse was much rounder than the last horse I rode, and of course all horses have different personalities and preferences, so on top of my nerves-issue and the horse's spooking-issue, I had to adjust just about everything and "learn" the new horse. However, by the end of the class, I did canter a couple of times. I felt totally stiff and weird. But I'm glad I did it because it felt good to be able to do it again, and it wasn't terrifying. Just a wee bit scary, and that fear will fade with repetition.

 

I could use another lesson or two on that horse before I figure him out. He tends to pivot instead of bend, which I hate. But there's a way to get him to bend; I just have to work on it. He's half quarter horse and half thoroughbred. I find that quarter horses have a tendency to pivot like this. They are too smart and tend to anticipate the next move. They are usually correct about the direction but not the execution.

[Jibralta]

My spinning adventure is nearing its close. Last class is next Tuesday. I never hit my power goal, but I did exceed my calories goal. I had to skip a week of classes for some reason (was I sick?) and then I went away for a few days. After I returned, my performance really dipped. I wonder if it was because I smoked a few cigarettes while I was away (no more than four). It really could be that. I've noticed it before. A few smokes make a huge difference if you're not accustomed to smoking regularly.

 

Today, I was almost back up to par. I tried something new: relying on resistance more than speed. I graph all of my workouts and I've seen a trend where my best performance is associated with lower speed and lower resistance. In these last few months, I've also noticed that I can accomplish a lot in a single burst of power, but then I have to really recover. During the burst, I can breathe normally and my muscles aren't fatigued. It seems like I can go forever. But then it's like a switch is thrown and all at once I'm out of breath and I need to recover. I can keep moving, but it has to be slow. For the last few classes, I'm going to see how it goes using this high-resistance strategy.

 

I've decided to go back to crossfit. I've found a place slightly south of here that is less expensive than the local place. Plus, they have showers, so I can go to work right after my workout. I really enjoyed crossfit. The main reason I left was because the coach was like a mother hen who hovered over me waiting to correct every little mistake. That is probably the most irritating thing that someone can possibly do to me. I know he meant well, but I started to hate him. I couldn't figure out how to tell him to stop without yelling "F*CK OFF GODDAMNIT!!!" I was also afraid that confronting him about it would throw him into a fit of denial and possibly make him even more motherly in an effort to prove that he wasn't being motherly. So I never said anything, I just got more and more annoyed and finally used a minor injury as an excuse not to go back. I'd like to tell my new coaches not to mother-hen me, but I'm afraid I'm going to emphasize every sentence with "goddamnit" because just the the idea of it happening really makes my blood boil.

[Batya33]

So your story reminds me of a nurse who was in the room when i was trying to give birth naturally. She was like a cheerleader and loudly telling me I could do it, etc. Completely annoying (understatement) - in my pain I looked at her and said "you need to chill" - really slowly and deliberately. My husband said the other nurses turned to her and basically shushed her. She ended up being in the OR when I had my c-section and she apologized to my husband.

I would just say "thanks so much for trying to help - I know it's weird but I feel like I do better if I have a little more space to make mistakes and learn on my own -thanks!" The compliment sandwich.

[Jibralta]

So your story reminds me of a nurse who was in the room when i was trying to give birth naturally. She was like a cheerleader and loudly telling me I could do it, etc. Completely annoying (understatement) - in my pain I looked at her and said "you need to chill" - really slowly and deliberately. My husband said the other nurses turned to her and basically shushed her. She ended up being in the OR when I had my c-section and she apologized to my husband.

 

Hahaha I bet that statement made a big impact on her, coming as it did from a woman in the midst of labor!

 

I would just say "thanks so much for trying to help - I know it's weird but I feel like I do better if I have a little more space to make mistakes and learn on my own -thanks!" The compliment sandwich.

 

It was almost three years ago that this happened, and my memory is a little fuzzy. But now that you say that, I think that I actually did attempt the compliment sandwich. And one of the reasons I found him soooooooo aggravating and gave up altogether was because when I said I'd do better without the constant coaching, his response was that he knew better and he had to coach me or I'd get hurt. ARRRGH. I wanted to grab him by the shirt and shake him. I mean, dude. I've been operating this body in an athletic fashion for almost 40 years and haven't had a single major injury. I think I know what I'm doing here.

[Batya33]

Hahaha I bet that statement made a big impact on her, coming as it did from a woman in the midst of labor!

 

 

 

It was almost three years ago that this happened, and my memory is a little fuzzy. But now that you say that, I think that I actually did attempt the compliment sandwich. And one of the reasons I found him soooooooo aggravating and gave up altogether was because when I said I'd do better without the constant coaching, his response was that he knew better and he had to coach me or I'd get hurt. ARRRGH. I wanted to grab him by the shirt and shake him. I mean, dude. I've been operating this body in an athletic fashion for almost 40 years and haven't had a single major injury. I think I know what I'm doing here.

 

Oh my goodness. Total dealbreaker. I cannot stand people like that. Sure, if there was a particular way to do an exercise for you to avoid injury, he should find a way to show you for example but there are many different ways to approach people and part of the reason he's supposed to be a professional is he's supposed to be skilled in diverse approaches. My son takes karate and switched to the current place from another place only based on the different approaches and environment. Certainly his former teachers were skilled in the particular moves. I don't blame you one bit.

[Jibralta]

From my 23andMe result, I learned that I have two copies of the functional ACTN3 gene, which means that I can produce a protein called alpha-actinin-3.

 

23andMe presents this information in this super-flattering way, "Jibralta, your genetic muscle composition is common in elite power athletes."

 

Woohoo!

 

But if you look at the numbers, you'll see that 80% of the population have these "elite power athlete" genes. LOL.

 

http://i64.tinypic.com/2md5rup.png

 

Oy vey. Spare me the flattery, 23andME.

 

The only interesting thing is Europeans usually have the CT variant, and I have the CC variant. I also have an unusually high percentage of Neanderthal DNA in me. Fortunately, you'd never guess by looking at me.

 

Basically, all this means that I am better at activities that require power, than I am at activities that require endurance.

 

Well, no major surprise there!

 

But it is interesting to research the types of fast-twitch muscle and figure out the best ways to train.

 

I am eager to start Crossfit again. It was very effective when I did it years ago. I just have to NOT overdo it.

[dias]

Fortunately, you'd never guess by looking at me.

 

 

Lol!

What's the difference between CC and CT?

[Jibralta]

First, I should say that I don't think the ACTN3 gene has anything to do with Neanderthal genes. I just added that in there as a side thought!

 

According to the site, "The T version is non-functional, which means the ACTN3 gene can't produce the alpha-actinin-3 protein."

 

So I guess I produce double the protein, whatever it does.

[Jibralta]

I'm so sick of spinning, uggh. My membership runs out Tuesday--yesssssssssssss! But I won two free classes--arghhhhhhhhhh! So, I have three more chances to hit my goal. I'm back on track. Beat my personal best again this morning. Only 12 points away from goal (185).

[Batya33]

What do you think you’d like better?

[Jibralta]

I think I'm going to enjoy crossfit more. I just have to not get ahead of myself with that.

[thealchemist]

I like cross fit and those types of endurance workouts a lot.

 

I went to a spinning class once. That is all it took to know that it isn't for me.

 

I really like more power and endurance workouts as opposed to that kind of stuff.

 

I really want to try the 23&me test.

 

I've been curious about why I never seem to lose my max weights. My dad is like this too. He max benched 295 a few weeks ago and hasn't done bench in decades. He is also 64.

 

I broke 300 and I haven't worked out with weights heavier than 50 lb kettlebells in 5 years too.

 

My old work out partner came into town and we hadn't worked out in a couple years together and I could do all my max weights like I used to. He had regular muscular decomposition so he was at like 65%.

 

Now the next day I could barely move...

 

I just assume I have some genetic advantage that helps my muscles not decompose.

[Jibralta]

Maybe it's just your natural strength level. When I was in crossfit last time, it was interesting to see the different types of strengths that people had. Sometimes you think someone will be strong, but they're not. Or, someone looks like they're overweight and in terrible shape, but they can do a million chin ups. There was a girl like that in my class. She could do a lot of chin ups, but she was slow as a snail at running.

 

My superpower has always been heaving people up onto my back and running with them. I discovered this in relay races. Even if I fall down, I can get back up and go with the person still on my back. No idea why I am able to do this. I guess it's just my genetic predisposition!

 

23andMe is pretty interesting, and they apparently update their research often, so theoretically they will continue to test our DNA samples for additional genes as the tests become available. Right now, there is only this one ACTN3 muscle test, but in the future there may be more.

 

Even though it's cool to see the results, I kind of already knew that I had a lot of the traits that they told me I had. For example, it was no surprise that I prefer sweet tastes or have wavy hair. Being adopted and not knowing my family health history, I appreciate the genetic health risk reports. The carrier status reports are somewhat less important.

[dias]

I prefer sweet tastes

 

You and 99% of women on this planet :)

[Jibralta]

So, my spin classes ended today rather abruptly when I overslept. I skipped Thursday's class because I have an abscess under one of my molars and it was hurting like a mofo. That cost me one of the two class credits that I'd won. Then today, I overslept and it cost me the second credit. So, four remaining classes turned into zero remaining classes pretty fast! Beats paying $50 bucks for missing two classes. And I was sick of those classes, anyway. They were boring.

 

I arranged to have my first Crossfit class tomorrow. That was kind of an ordeal. I was communicating with the owner through email, and he would NOT give me a clear answer to my questions about registration and payment. He kept copy/pasting the same useless blurb of information as a response. It really aggravated me. My boyfriend tried to stick up for him and say that the guy was a jock, not a businessman, but I don't buy that mimbo crap. The guy runs a business. He's not an idiot. When I got to work and received the guy's third passive aggressively ambiguous email, I called him. Sure enough, he wasn't a mimbo. Perfectly intelligent guy. Kind of a pushy jerk, but I think I can work with him.

 

They have an "on-ramp" program where you have to take three training classes before you can join the regular WOD classes. And then you have to join the regular classes for a month at the introductory rate. I actually like this idea. He said if it's obvious that I know what I'm doing, I don't have to do all three training classes. But I want my money's worth, damnit!