TIME TO GET RRRIIIIIIIPPED!!!!! - the exercise thread

Running is one of those things that you're either good at or you're not. I am decidedly not good at it. Even when I tried to train, I didn't improve because it's just not for me.

 

[Creates thread because they want to see all the stories and talk, gets too overwhelmed to reply]

I've been goin to the gym 3x a week for strength training. I swear when I told the trainer who made my workout program that I wanted strength training he did a double-take and went "Really?" because what, a fat AFAB who's prioritizibg getting ripped over losing weight? (Nevermind that for weight loss the most important thing to do for me would still be gaining muscle mass, so as to increase my base methabolism levels, because I have muscular hypotonia and am A Blob).

I was however unable to go for the past 2 weeks thanks to a terrible cold which I still have but it's manageable and I almost entirely stopped coughing. So I went on Monday. Everything's sore now, haha. But damn I feel great and have so many spoons.

 

Do you have access to a pool, or bike? Both of those have the same cardiovascular benefits of running but lower impact.

 

Oh yeah, I cycle loads, since it's my mail form of transportation. And I used to slim a lot.
Running and I however, are just not friends.

 

@Emma Yeeeeeah bike transportation buddies!

I just wish it wasn't so damn hot/humid here so I could start doing all my errands from my bike. More than like, a 20min ride is courting heat stroke :(

 

Fortunately the Netherlands never gets that hot, really :P

I would seriously die if I had to walk everywhere. And cars are expensive.

 

I started a new weights routine combined with isometrics and my thighs are getting mad hard and muscled but do not seem to be getting any smaller :-/ which is understandable, I suppose! But I had rather hoped they might reduce a bit while I work on bulking my upper body. I like having big biceps, and it would give me a better silhouette. Also I might be able to find jeans that actually fit (but my rant on skinny cut trousers belongs elsewhere.)

 

exercise!!! i used to be really compulsive about it but i've gotten a lot better lately (like, i used to run 2+ miles every day and get consumed by guilt if i let a day pass without exercising, thank god i beat that out of myself)

i'm a competitive fencer (i fence foil for anyone who knows anything about fencing haha), i'll actually be a co-captain of my school's team next year which is pretty neat. . . i'm not that great, i tend to not function well under pressure, but i still enjoy it enough to go to a lot of local tournaments. this past year i went to junior olympics (first national event so i did abysmally, lmao) and i was going to go to summer nationals a few weeks ago in San Jose but i had to cancel last-minute because my mom's boss was like "yeah ur going to chicago now" and my mom wasnt alright with sending me to the other side of the country alone :^( next year hopefully!!

so yeah because of that my legs are EXTREMELY BUFF but uneven, my left thigh is a lot less muscly than my right thigh :"D

i also swim and jog a fair amount, jogging less so recently because it's summer and oppressively hot, i work at a never-used community pool so when no one's around i'll furtively slip into the pool and swim 50 laps, lol

but yeah!!! exercise. i love being in shape and feeling kick-ass, 10/10, would recommend to everyone

 

Muscle introspection in thread prompted a self check: I am finally starting to get Biker's Calves! Should I get leg weights y/n

 

People underestimate just how much exercise plain ol' walking really is. I think that's part of why the whole FitBit/fitness tracker wristwatch/whatever craze has taken off so well. (I work in a sports store)

You set a goal to just MOVE more (not even a lot, just what you can handle) in some way and surprise! You slowly start to get in better shape.

Personal goal is to get back the "skull crusher" thighs I had back when I was in varsity water polo and swim team, but I don't have three hours a day at a sports-only pool anymore. But I'll work with what I have.

 

New training regimen started last week. It kills the man. I now do a lot of exercise with one arm or leg at a time, because the disparity between my right side and my left side is very big and we're trying to fix that, as well as doing some exercises which require each arm or leg to work independently but be synchronized, which is gonna be good for my fine motor skills! I've also been given butt muscle exercises that leave me in really awkward poses, like this one. My trainer (the same one who'd made a double-take when I said I want to gain muscle mass rather than lose weigh) also tried to push a lot of cardio my way, and I kinda went "ok dude this training is like 3 hours long what the fuck is this" and he basically said "I know you said you want strength training but have you considered... wait for it... weight loss". I'll refrain from going on a rant about how much it sucks to be read as female in this world and have your bodily autonomy constantly questioned. I will say this: I said Words at him and he backed down.

 

back to the gym these past two weeks, and i somehow managed to maintain my deadlift form despite two months of neglect. :D now to regain my previous weight on squats - i'm intending to get up to 100lbs by christmas break.

(this would be easier if i didn't spend entire days feeling exhausted lately)

 

I am super interested in this thread because my upper body strength is pathetic and I would like for it no longer to be so. I've got a bad hip and for a while that was a barrier, but chiropractor + exercises to strengthen it (the muscle/ligament that keeps the head of the femur inside the joint is weakened so my hip moves out of place and pinches my sciatic nerve) have basically taken care of that.

Something I did not know until today: if you're doing stuff at home and you don't have a carpeted area, you can buy matting at a hardware/tool store generally that's way thicker and bigger than a yoga mat and appropriate for exercise. I happened to be there to get an allen wrench and found this: http://www.harborfreight.com/anti-fatigue-foam-mat-set-4-pc-61607.html

I got two of them and it's a nice big workout area - 100 in x 50 in, and as long as they're anchored to the floor a little bit, they don't slide at all since they're meant for working. Our rental place is all hardwood and I did my routine today - it helped a LOT. (I used rug tape to anchor it to the floor, because it comes up easily and I had some left from taping down our doormats.) This is something similar on amazon, but it was cheaper at the hardware store: http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Coast-In...&qid=1437087383&sr=1-6&keywords=eva+floor+mat

 

*kicks @jacktrash * Go do your PT! It's good for you :D

 

Dem sweet gains? Also, mutual (caloric) deathpact - if you go I'll go and workouts are the best for kicking brainbad in the ass.

But no seriously, you can totally do this - and think about all the vidya games you can space out on in that time.

 

*high-fives @jacktrash*