April-May-June 2005: Full body workouts

[CF-OC_gal]

OK, this training period will be straight forward. I am doing the 8 week full body plan I did last fall. This time I'm keeping the cardio sessions to a minimum while I practise eating enough to cancel out any fat loss due to the extra activity. (If I win, I'll increase the intensity)

In other words I want to maintain my weight at least and gain 2 lbs at best. I don't care whether the weight gain is fat or muscle or a combination of both. I'll try to do it with an increase in what is generally accepted as "clean" food choices but don't expect me not to increase the saturated fat intake. (It's the only thing that keeps me from wasting away). Right now I fluctuate between 131 and 134 lbs over a month. I would accept going up to as much as 133-136 by June and still maintain the same level of cardio fitness.

Previous Journal Threads on DF
1. Aug. - Oct. 2004
2. Oct.- Dec. 2004
3. Jan. 2005
4. Feb/Mar. 2005

--------------------------------------------------------
Today's Workout (Apr.5)

WT: 132lbs

Week 1, Session 1
(the plan: 3 sets, 5 reps, 60 sec rests)

15 min. warm up with 5 min light cardio, 5 min calesthenics(sp), 5 min. light DB work.

(wt x reps)
1. Incline DB press - 27x 5, 30x4, 27x5
2. Seated DB shoulder press - 20x5x5x4.5
3. Hack Squats (45deg sled) (always just past rt angle at knees) - 54.2x5, 59.2x4 (bottomed out on 5), 54.2x5
4. Close Grip seated rowing - 55x6, 70x6, 85x5
5. Leg curls - 50x7, 60x5x5
6. Alternating DB Bicep curl - 17.5 x5x5x5

5 min. of stretching.

The crowd was gross tonight. You couldn't swing a cat! It must have been social hour because although it was packed, I managed to get all the equipment I needed without having to ask or wait!

The link to "the 8 week full body plan" doesn't work. Other than that, good luck and enjoy!

[CF-OC_gal]

It's the same T-nation one as before. It works now!

(I had put too many "http://" in the link address)

Damn I got up this morning and I'm only 130lbs (Grrrrr, already it's a battle) !

Thanks for the fix. Your loss might be a bit of dehydration. Have you tried taking measurements instead of looking at the scale to chart your progress? Of course, it takes months to see results but you also won't have the frustration of the daily fluctuations a scale shows.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by IronMan

Thanks for the fix. Your loss might be a bit of dehydration. Have you tried taking measurements instead of looking at the scale to chart your progress? Of course, it takes months to see results but you also won't have the frustration of the daily fluctuations a scale shows.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have done measurements but effects like hydration show up in the tape measurements too. I have lost up to an inch in some measurements within a day, simply due to normal changes. For instance my calves tend to measure anywhere between 13.5 inches and 14 inches any given day. The good thing is that they don't collapse to 13.25 inches anymore.

I just hate watching the lower end of the range drop when I set out a simple goal like 2 lbs!

[CF-OC_gal]

Apr. 6 - 25 min. Pilates for Abs (tape)

[Lady C]

How tall are you Brat? Does a couple of pounds really show that much? Or are you more concerned that you will keep losing?

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by Lady C

How tall are you Brat? Does a couple of pounds really show that much? Or are you more concerned that you will keep losing?

5' 4.5"

It's not for show, its for reserve. It's my nature to stress a lot about life (it's a weakness I don't like to dwell online about it, but I do). Well maybe it is for show in a way, I feel so strung out when the adrenaline kicks in. It's like a saftey net. I'm experimenting anyways. When I get bombarded with all this weight loss pop culture I have not found anything that works better for me than vitamin and iron supplementation coupled with a whole food diet (and the occasional sweet).

Besides, I haven't hit meno yet, but it will arrive in less than 10 years. Who knows what kind of metabolism jolt that will give me. I'm sort of in the "use it before you lose it" phase of enjoying life. If I was told tomorrow to stop with the butter, cream, camenbert and whole eggs I would not feel robbed of any quality of life because I have not denied myself. It will have been great while it lasted, but then who knows, maybe I'll be able to enjoy these things in moderation throughout my whole life! I think processed and modified foods are the biggest evil in the pantry, even those soy-based fake burgers.

That's my philosophy.

[gcs118]

Subscribing to the new journal to watch the amazing progress and to support and encourage

[CF-OC_gal]

Subscribing to the new journal to watch the amazing progress and to support and encourage

Ah thanks! I love it when the younger generation shows respect!
----------------------------------

Today I made a modern avatar of me! No more old photos of me in my BB days. This time I though it would be fun to do my impression of an exercise video promotional cover. I had bought these 2lb dumbells because I thought they were so cheap and cute, but I never had a use for them until today.

Here is a history lesson for the curious. I wonder if I can get 4 more decades in there.

Apr.7 Workout

WT: 132lbs

Week 1, Session 2
(the plan: 3 sets, 8 reps, 90 sec rests)

15 min. warm up with 3 min light cardio, 2-3 min calesthenics(sp), 10 min. light BB work.

(wt x reps)
1. Seated DB shoulder press- 20x8x8x8
2. Hack Squats *(45deg sled) (rt angle at knees)- 50x8x8x8
3. Leg curls- 50x8x8x8
4. Incline DB press - 27x8x8x7
5. DB Bicep curl - 15x8x8x8
6. Close Grip seated rowing - 70x8x8x8

5 min. of stretching.

* I've noticed that my last training period with the box squat sets has done some good. I can't say that my leg strength has noticably improved in numbers but boy can I engage those glutes to move the weight. Squats feel like a totally different exercise now. I can start the weight back up from bottom by finding strength in a whole new set of muscles that I could not "will" into action before. I think the body weight balance training has helped in that department too.

I felt really good after the workout tonight!

[cursor]

Another quality journal. The whole-body workout should be interesting.

[CF-OC_gal]

Thanks cursor. Last time I tried it, it kicked my butt an taught me some stamina.

http://www.discussfitness.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25409

Nice history lesson, Brat. I'm sure you can get 4 more decades in there without any troubles.

I think it is great to see you end your workouts with 5 minutes of stretching. Congrats on being able to recruit your glutes. Amazing how one can keep learning regarless of how much one already knows.

Originally Posted by Brat

maybe I'll be able to enjoy these things in moderation throughout my whole life!

Moderation is the key to many things, I believe.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by IronMan

Amazing how one can keep learning regardless of how much one already knows.

You know, once you get over the shock that you'll be using piddly-assed poundages in a sport that rewards big numbers, you can start to make some progress. I'll bet that I could spend 6 mo- 1 yr working out with not more than 50% of my working weights right now and make better contributions to my goal of overall health and conditioning. It's all about what you can do in correct form.

I see my planning as essential for juggling the attention on strength training, cardio fitness and flexibility/stability training. Instead of choosing one path only and improving in a straight line, my path is more of a forward spiral where I must continuously cycle through all the disciplines in order to benefit from the synergies. In any one area my progress is slower than someone on a singular path but as a whole person I'm further head.

Geez! I get too reflective sometime.

[gcs118]

haha I love the new avatar!