Fitness Fridays Health Club #2 - Get Up & Get Moving!!!

[christa]

Morning everyone! Ready to start the day!

I need some breakfast . . . I can't believe it's 9:30 already and all I've had is a cup of coffee. SMACK MY HANDS!!!

Who's gonna GET UP OFF THAT BUTT today!!!???!!!



I think maybe my coffee was too strong this morning - I feel really hyper for some reason! Maybe I should go ahead, eat & go to the gym NOW! LOL


CagneyDog: Hey!!! Glad you joined us!!! I just wanted to say that if you CAN run, DO RUN!!! A lot of people can't run because it hurts their joints (ankles, knees, hips) . . . but running is one of the best ways in the world to loose weight! It will fall right off! Especially if you run EVERY DAY!!! Just make sure that you have some good *running shoes*

Also, that website that you were talking about is probably FitDay.com And if not - it's still a GREAT site to use!!!

Good luck & hope that you come back EVERY DAY to Fitness Fridays!!! Even if you can't afford a "real" gym membership, ours is FREE!!!

[jazzcat]

Well I'm checking in to say I'm not doing well this week. I had a hard workout Friday that left me sore and hardly able to walk Saturday and Sunday and then I got sick yesterday. I was hoping to go to the gym today but I'm too swimmy headed to drive and I don't have much energy. I hate this!

I'll be spending the day with my Dad tomorrow but maybe I'll get back in the gym Thursday.

[christa]

Well I'm checking in to say I'm not doing well this week. I had a hard workout Friday that left me sore and hardly able to walk Saturday and Sunday and then I got sick yesterday. I was hoping to go to the gym today but I'm too swimmy headed to drive and I don't have much energy. I hate this!

I'll be spending the day with my Dad tomorrow but maybe I'll get back in the gym Thursday.

LOL . . . nothing worse than being sick. Sounds like you needed a few days rest after that Friday workout though! What exactly did you do? LOL Must have been a leg day??? Sounds like my leg day . . . can't walk for 3 or 4 days afterwards! Hang in there Lori!

[jazzcat]

Christa - big leg day. I did way too many squats at too much weight and I did the elliptical backwards for most the time which kills my thighs. My thigh muscles hurt to touch for two days. I felt like I should look like Arnold Schwarzenegger but when I would look down it was just my flabby ole thighs.

[My Peanuts]

Ok, guys I'm pretty excited about this. I have these 2 pairs of jeans that were a bit too tight to wear. Well, I wore them both this past weekend! I'm losing VERY slowly, but I think that means it will be easier to keep it off. I wasn't feeling well yesterday and I didn't make it to the gym, (plus I got home from work @ 8pm and had to clean two big fish tanks) but I am definitely going tonight.

[christa]

I'm losing VERY slowly, but I think that means it will be easier to keep it off.

That is AWESOME!!! Clothes are a great predictor of weight loss because a lot of times, if you're lifting weights at the same time you're loosing weight, you might not "loose" as much on the scales, since muscle weighs more than fat!

And yes, it's better to loose slowly. It will be more likely to stay off that way. They say that a good number is about 2 pounds per week.

[christa]

Morning everyone . . . Just reminding you that it's another day and not too late to get started living healthy!!!

Sick of me yet???

I can't wait to get to the gym today. I got sick yesterday so my workout was below par. Hard to believe, I was feeling so good yesterday morning! Just can't avoid that time of the month though! LOL. Anyway, I just wasn't up to speed. Gonna do some lifting today for my shoulders and then get in some cardio!!!

Hope you all have an excellent day!

Let me know how you're doing! And WHAT you're doing!!! *tapping foot in anticipation*

[christa]

Christa - big leg day. I did way too many squats at too much weight and I did the elliptical backwards for most the time which kills my thighs. My thigh muscles hurt to touch for two days. I felt like I should look like Arnold Schwarzenegger but when I would look down it was just my flabby ole thighs.

Lori: Too many squats? How many did you do??? How much weight are you using? Are you using the barbell yet? I do 1 set with just the barbell - usually about 10-12 reps (just to warm up) . . . then I do 4 sets of 8 with . . . I think I'm up to 15 pounds added to the barbell (two 5 lb plates and two 2.5 lb plates). That's usually enough for me . . . then lunges with dumbbells . . . usually keeps me from walking for about 3 days!!!

Another thing, if you're not used to doing heavy leg days with weights like this, it WILL get easier . . . you're discovering muscles you didn't know you had! BUT . . . if it does get easier, you need to go up in weight.

[jazzcat]

Lori: Too many squats? How many did you do??? How much weight are you using? Are you using the barbell yet? I do 1 set with just the barbell - usually about 10-12 reps (just to warm up) . . . then I do 4 sets of 8 with . . . I think I'm up to 15 pounds added to the barbell (two 5 lb plates and two 2.5 lb plates).

I've started doing squats on the Smith machine and I went up to adding a 45 pound weight on each side but after 10 squats I thought I was going to die so I went back to two 35 pound weights. I did 30 total at that weight - 3 sets of 10. With that and all the backwards elliptical at a high resistance I was almost paralyzed Sunday. It hurt to touch my thigh muscles - forget about actually using them. Richard was impressed to see me using that much weight, now I know why.

[christa]

Richard was impressed to see me using that much weight, now I know why.

I'm impressed too! LOL Keep it up though! It won't hurt as bad next time . . . and now that you know that you can do it . . . YOU CAN'T GO BACK! You should try to squat the barbell sometime! It really challanges your core cause you gotta keep your balance. Lower your weight at first though. I like it better because my movement isn't as restricted, like with the Smith machine. I think that once you'd get the balance thing down, you'd like it a lot better!

[christa]

SQUATS! (legs)
Put your hands on your hips or fold them over your chest. From a standing position, feet about shoulder-width apart, squat down until both knees reach 90 degrees. As you lower yourself, keep your lower back slightly arched, head up, and stick your glutes out as if you were going to sit in a chair - Go as LOW as you can go - until knees & hips are fully bent! Once you reach the bottom position, flex through your quads, hamstrings and glutes to power yourself back up to a standing position and repeat. This can also be done with dumbbells in your hands if you have them at home.

PUSH-UP (chest)
Place your hands a little wider than your shoulders, put your toes on the floor, feet and legs together, and raise up into an arms-extended position. Slowly lower yourself until your chest just touches the floor, return to the starting position and repeat. As you lower yourself, concentrate on feeling the stretch in your chest, and flex on the way up rather than using a quick piston action to finish your set. If you're a beginner to push-ups, you can put your knees on the floor.

Or if regular push ups are too hard, you could try COUNTER PUSH-UPS!
Stand facing a sturdy table or counter arm's length away. Rest your hands on the edge, palms down, fingers forward and shoulder-width apart. Lean in, then walk your feet out in back. Lower your hips slightly so that your body forms a diagonal line. Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the counter. Look down, not forward. Tighten your abs to support your lower back. Push up by straightening your elbows and repeat 8 to 15 times.

CRUNCH (abs)
Lie faceup, your knees bent and feet on the floor. Keep your hands behind your head--avoid the temptation to pull on your head. Curl your torso as you bring your shoulder blades up a few inches, squeeze your abs, and then slowly return to the starting position. To keep the pressure on, don't spend more than a second in the "down" position; the longer your shoulder blades are off the floor, the more work your abs must do. Remember: Quality over Quanity!!! It's better to do 10 good crunches than 100 bad ones!

Back Extension (Back)
Lie facedown on the floor and place hands behind head (advanced) or fold them behind your back. Contract your lower back to lift your chest a few inches off the floor and lower back down. You can simultaneously lift legs for more intense exercise.