How about a permanent monthly fitness skills thread?

Interlude to muscle mass acquisition :) Saturday mornings are my weigh in days. The day after Christmas was my last weigh in, I'm not compulsive about weighing myself, I don't care about the day to day or even week to week fluctuations. It's about changing the way I think and exercising some control, not diet, at lest this is how I approach it.

So Dec. 26 I kept passing the scale putting it off, you know Christmas, big 17 family and friends dinner, home baked apple pie, a recipe I have researched and developed since Thanksgiving when my mother asked me to try a reproduce her mother's apple pie. Anyhow with trepidation I approached the scales and was surpised to have lost 2 1/2 pounds bringing me down to the 198 lbs I've previously mentioned.

Today was the first weigh in since then and I'm down to 195 lbs, one more pound and I've lost a total of 70 lbs, this is 1 1/2 lbs a week, perfect, though I expect it to start slowing down soon, I feel I'm eating enough, I'm not craving more that I'm eating, I finished off the apple pie we kept for our selves but it did last a week and a half. My chocolate recipe is developing into a very nice rich flavor that my friends and family are starting to talk about and still knocking of a pound here and there.

My physical exercise this weekend will be loading up the cargo trailer for next weeks journey to the 18th century, my wife has been very busy taking in all my drop front knee britches.
 
Christof,

Do you think the TGU is good all-body exercise? I was thinking about ditching my morning routine for a Mon/Wed/Fri TGU and Windmill set of exercises with my 20lbs kettlebells. Then add about 30 minutes of cycling.

I've done Windmills before with the 20lbs kettlebells and they're a pretty good core workout. I did a few TGUs, up and down, and it seems like it'd be a decent smoker with more reps.
 
TGUs are the "silent king" of KB work. you press, hold it with balance for the whole motion, get abs and back involved (the bridge segment is nice) and a full squat. It's a real smoker, too. try 3 sets of 3 each side with a heavy bell (do you have a 16KG or anything heavier than 20 pounds?)- it's a smoker with as little as a handgrip exerciser, but the weight really pushes you. I'm hoping to be doing 24kg 3x3 TGUs later this year, once I'm closer to a maintenance phase on the bodyweight.

and this week I add snatches back in. yay.
 
All I have are 20lbs. I'm going to try it this week and see how it goes. If anything, it will be good practice for heavier 'bells.
 
Tonight's run was great, except for my bad knee started to feel like it had gravel rolling around in the joint.

2.5 miles, then walked for 5 minutes, then ran 1 mile.
 
I have been trying harder since jWilliams original fitness thread, I am down almost 55# more importantly my vitamin levels, blood sugar, blood cell count and liver function were normal, I just got the labs back from my Doctor's office.

Previous I had severe Diabetes Type2, High Cholesterol, and Fatty Liver with symptoms of liver scarring. Now...I'm getting better.
 
Great thread!

I'm an avid weight lifter/ workout enthusiest, but around 4 months ago I dropped a knife on my ankle and severed my achilles tendon! Which had me laid up for quite a while, but I'm happy to say that I'm recovering well, and that I'm back in the gym again.

I feel week as a kitten right now, and I actually lost weight by sitting on the couch for 4 months!!! I'm sore as heck, can't straiten my arms out all the way right now, but I'm hoping to be back in shape by spring...

Good luck you guys! Just stay with it and don't give up, your body will thank you for it!
 
Jenner 515 said:
...more importantly my vitamin levels, blood sugar, blood cell count and liver function were normal, I just got the labs back from my Doctor's office.

Previous I had severe Diabetes Type2, High Cholesterol, and Fatty Liver with symptoms of liver scarring. Now...I'm getting better.
Click to expand...

To me, this is what it's all about, not about getting huge and/or ripped, benching 2-3X body weight, or running marathons, etc. It's all about becoming HEALTHY, whatever that means for you.

Jenner, I can relate. Although not as severe, I had borderline high blood pressure and borderline high cholesterol. I changed my diet, started taking fish oil, and exercising, and it went away within 2 months.
 
Glucose crashing. I almost always workout until I crash, which is typically at the very end of my workout. I eat after and am fine again. Anyone know if this is bad or does it just mean I'm pushing it to the fullest?
 
I think I'll start posting my weight training workouts.

Tonight (Tuesday): Lower Body

Warm Up on Eliptical-like machine
Warm Up with 8lb Medicine Ball
Pull Ups, Palms Out: 7 Reps
Pull Ups, Palms Facing Each Other: 8 Reps

Barbell Squats: 3 Sets of 12 Reps, 100lbs, 120lbs, 140lbs

Bench Step Ups w/ 20lbs: 3 Sets of 15 Reps

Barbell Dead Lifts: 3 Sets of 12 Reps, 100lbs, 120lbs, 140lbs

Leg Press: 3 Sets of 12 Reps, 100lbs, 140lbs, 180lbs

Calf Press on Leg Press Machine: 3 Sets of 12 Reps, 100lbs, 140lbs, 180lbs

Seated Calf Raises: 3 Sets of 12 Reps, 70lbs dumbbell on knee

Tibialis Calf Raises: 3 Sets of 15 Reps, 50lbs

Leg Extensions: 3 Sets of 12 Reps, 70lbs, 90lbs, 110lbs (only 6 reps @ 110lbs)

Crunches: 3 Sets, 15, 12, 10 reps
Rocky Sit Ups: 3 Sets, 15, 12, 10 reps
Back Extensions : 3 Sets, 15, 12, 10 reps w/ 25lbs
Oblique Exercise: 3 Sets, 15, 12, 10 reps w/ 25lbs
Hanging Straigt Leg Raises: 3 Sets, 15, 12, 10 reps
Oblique Exercise: 3 Sets, 15, 12, 10 reps w/ 10lbs
 
Jenner: That's really excellent. I can't speak "medically", but from reading the threads people have posted over the past few years it looks like weight loss, a controlled natural (usually low carb or paleo) diet and exercise have had a lot of cases of reversing diabetes issues.

I'd love to hear more about the diet changes, especially.
 
This week I progression tested on bridging and inverted work. Didn't make it on pullups.

My current strength training (this doesn't replace running or kettlebells) is bodyweight, and the system is graduated. For example, you start- no matter how strong you are- with wall pushups. Do them for a few days and then progress test with 3 sets of 50 (5 seconds per rep!). From there you do incline on a table or counter, then knee (with the ankles up and the abs locked, it's not QUITE as girly), half, full, close, and then on to one arm variations.

I'm on the full pushups right now, be another couple months before I'm hitting one arms again. Which is fine, the lower level exercises really DO build up some good blood flow, nerve training, and joint strengthening.

The bridges progress was from straight bridges to an inclined bridge using a bench or couch. Bridges are important, and amazing (especially when you suddenly see cordage all up and down your spine) and so hard. I am completely sold on not jumping directly into the classic floor bridge, and working up.

The headstand for 2 minutes, was cake. You really aren't supposed to start headstand progressiosn to handstand pushups right at first, but it depends a bit on bodyweight and strength. I started doing them early with no time pressure for advancement because I want to get used to the inversion and get my balance set up.

Pullups.... man, my weakest point is always pullups. I'm slowing down and milking the abs and squats sections I am on for another month to 6 weeks to let my upper body catch up a bit. Jacknife pullups are my current phase. this means you hang from the bar with your ankles on something high enought hat you are making a 90 degree bend. Takes some weight off the move and you can sorta help yourself at the bottom of the move with your glutes. To progress ot half pullups, I have to do 3 sets of 20 of these- 5 second reps again. the 5 second demon adds a new level of performance to all these simple exercises. 2 weeks ago I was at 3 sets of 7, this week I managed 3 sets of 12. I'll get there.

Purely vanity, but I want to be working on handstand pushups and some stage of the one armed pullups before KG leaves at the end of march!

Weight is flat. we're in the process of tuning the diet up in the house and we just had a free week of pigging out on all the crap (okay, that means cheddar and beef jerky- and a few packets of sugar free jello.) and I'm still floating between 195 and 200 all day. So tonight we should be losing the artificial sweeteners for the coffees and have the dairy cut back 75% and then I can try and maintain a couple weeks of much lower intake.

I also feel good enough about my adaptation to the bodyweight program that I've added my VO2Max cycles back in. That's twice a week, snatches with a KB in sets of 7, 15 seconds work, 15 seconds rest. The goal is to get to 80 sets. I took it easy sinc it's been 7 weeks and started with 14 sets yesterday, I'll add 2 sets each workout, twice a week, until I'm back up to 40, then go by feel.

I'm also adding in a similar cycle of swings twice a week, too. Need more fat burning.
 
Christof,

That sound good. Can you tell me more about the bridge(s) exercise?


Side Note:

I have bruised my tailbone and it hurts like a MF'er. The pain has progressively gotten worse since last Thursday. Surprisingly enough, running and working out do not bother the tb as bad as just sitting around.
 
Tonight's run was pretty good. Ran 2.5 miles, walked for 3 minutes, ran 1 mile. The bad knee started to act up again, but not too bad.

I felt pretty lousy today. My ass hurts from bruising my tailbone. I kept going back a forth from feeling too hot to too cold, and had a headache all day.

Half the people I work with are sick. My saving grace is that I stay in my office all day, and it's on the far side of the building. It's like quarantine. :)
 
C_Kyle said:
Christof,

That sound good. Can you tell me more about the bridge(s) exercise?
Click to expand...

You're doing the bridge where you lay on your back, bend your knees, and arch your back up? Do you elevate your feet on an exercise ball, or anything? Do you add weight?
 
the bridge progression starts with short bridges- feet flat, knees bent, shoulders on the floor with arms crossed. you work those for a week or two- it SOUNDS easy, but you are working for 3 sets of 50. It's lower absolute weight and range of motion, but really helps develop the muscles, blood flow, nerve paths, and tendons. The whole progression system is designed to increase the load over a few months as you build really deep core muscle and joint strength.

I laughed at the short bridges until I realized how sore the very lowest spinal muscles were after the first 3 sets of 15.

from there it is straight bridges. sitting straight with legs in front, palms down with finger facing forward, bridging up and going for 3 sets of 40.

then you move on to variations on 'true bridges'- angled bridge (shoulders on a lifting bench, so an incline.) where you raise up on your hands in traditional fingers back formation. then head on the ground bridges, half bridges (basketball under your back) and full bridges. working 3 sets of 30,25,20,15.

Then it's into the fun stuff- you don't add weight, you add range of motion. Walking down a wall into a bridge, then down like normal. step after that is walking down into a full bridge and walking UP the wall to standing.

from there you do a half standing bridge- going down, and the master step is freestanding down to a bridge and back up to standing.

(all paraphrased fromt he book, and I still say it's worth getting.)
 
Have reverted almost exclusively to an all-protein diet. And, doing some quick calculating I have droppped my total calories from 2800-3000 a day to 500-800.

Vitamin supplements including calcium.
Less than 3grams of sugar of any type per day. No Sugar Alcohols. Splenda is about the only source of sweet I have.

Lots of lean protein, cottage cheese, some yogurt for variety.

No more booze, no carbonated beverages, no caffeine. Crystal Light, has become my friend.

Walking daily, lifting twice a week.

Funny thing there, going from 250+/- to about 195 I have lost a significant amount of upper body strength...I was incline pressing 180 before the weight loss and I am only about 135# now...
 
Jenner 515 said:
Have reverted almost exclusively to an all-protein diet. And, doing some quick calculating I have droppped my total calories from 2800-3000 a day to 500-800.

Vitamin supplements including calcium.
Less than 3grams of sugar of any type per day. No Sugar Alcohols. Splenda is about the only source of sweet I have.

Lots of lean protein, cottage cheese, some yogurt for variety.

No more booze, no carbonated beverages, no caffeine. Crystal Light, has become my friend.

Walking daily, lifting twice a week.

Funny thing there, going from 250+/- to about 195 I have lost a significant amount of upper body strength...I was incline pressing 180 before the weight loss and I am only about 135# now...
Click to expand...

That can happen, though IMO it's worth it to get the weight down, but you can maintain well enough if you keep the strength training up. you might want to up the fat levels and green salad stuff a tiny bit :D
 
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