Be careful Heather When I do jumping lunges I get really dizzy after about 8 from the up and down and side swaying. I have to stop because I see stars and am afraid of passing out. My solution---don't do excercises that make you feel ill. Some excercises are controversial because they can cause injuries. Doing a shoulder press behind the head can tear shoulder muscle so I don't do it. Doing upright rows can cause collar injuries so I don't do those either. Dead lifts hurt my back, so I don't really do those either. Know your body well and take care not to make yourself worse. I drink whey protein almost right after a workout and dinner an hour after. Make sure to eat properly on a workout day---at least three meals a day and maybe even two healthy snacks between depending how active you are. And remember to drink water! Do you take vitamins? Oh---and make sure you get enough sleep!
Heather, you may be low on blood sugar, electrolytes, or both. Drink some gatoraid and see if things improve.
Yes, Jon, I take vitamins. I definitely don't get enough sleep, though, and I could probably do with drinking more water... Kyle, I've been drinking Gatorade after my workouts--I'm going to start bringing some to practice and drinking it during the workout instead, see if that helps. Joel thinks that I might be hypoglycemic. We've started looking into changes we can make with our diet that are supposed to help with that, so hopefully I'll be able to get this under control. It's kind of a pain in the ass. Thanks, guys, for all your tips!
It's been a long time since I benched...back when I did it regularly, I got up to 135...but that was all I could ever do. I can leg press 220 for three sets...I was proud of that accomplishment. I've never maxed on that, though.
My best bench ever was 275 lbs for 3 (1 assisted, so 2 I guess). That was a year and a half ago, and since I've switched to long distance running I've lost over a plate a side for my max lift. Two more weeks of training for this goddamn race, and once it's over I'm going straight back to nothing but body building, running makes me skinny, I hate it. Whats yours, snoop?
I haven't maxed out on my bench in a long, long while. Mostly because I lack the weight and a spotter. But I just finally got back up to benching 200lbs for six reps without any assistance. I'm not too terribly disappointed, for just a few weeks back into the routine after a long while of sporadic lifting. And I finally began running regularly, after telling myself I needed to for ages. I can't believe you want to do nothing but body building -- that's what I did for years, and though I looked ripped, I was so out of aerobic shape that it hardly even mattered. Besides, running makes me feel great, and it's an excellent way to start the morning. As for making you skinny? Maybe if you run too much. I have a friend who would run about five times a week while also pumping iron, and he was anything but skinny at the time. Looked pretty ripped, and with the lungs and stamina to back it up. (Funny thing is, he lost it all after joining the military and getting put through bootcamp, and traded in his abs for the beginnings of a beer belly...)
I actually don't know my best max for certain. I am looking to get back into working out after having been out of it for a while. I also run, focusing on my stamina right now mainly. But in terms of max bench, I know I can do at least 225 for one rep, beyond that, it would be a guess. I do not want to get into the situation where my cardio training hurts my muscle development, or at least reduce the consequences of specializing the body into a specific area. I think the ideal fitness to achieve is overall fitness...good in all areas, not neccessarily great in any particular one. That approach appeals to me though I guess some guys like to specialize too much. You can see them at the gym sometimes, guys with big upper bodies and skinny little legs, it looks funny. Also, I suspect that alot of guys at a gym have very little cardio stamina, and just work out to look buff, which is not a good approach in my opinion.
^Nice job!! With the exception of a one-hour skating session with my sister on Thursday, I haven't worked out in a week...sigh...
Good job Jessica! Heather---get back out here sis! The longer you wait the harder it is to get back in swing. Down to 194 pounds, running 2 miles at at 7.5 min/mile pace. Want to stretch it out to 3 mile runs for a 5k event!
Yeah, I know. :/ I haven't been working out because I was in Utah for school, and it didn't leave a lot of time for exercise...plus I was just so exhausted after class every day that I didn't want to move. But I did park on the opposite side of campus from where my class was, so I walked roughly half an hour a day, that's good, right?? Great job with your progress! What 5k are you thinking about doing? I was going to sign up for a breast cancer awareness 5k that's going on here on October 1st, but sadly, I will still be in the midst of moving, so I decided to wait until my next chance...plus I can't run that far yet.
I find that many people on this thread seem to settle for mediocrity when it comes to physical fitness. If you truly want to be physically fit, then why not reach for athletic supremacy rather than okay-ness? I mean, try to push those limits to where you have never gone before, and do not settle for any less than what you are capable of. Just to give you guys some specs on my athletic goals, I am attempting to achieve the following: bench press 350 pounds (1 max rep), run 1 mile in under 5:45 (I weigh 195), do 100 sit-ups (in a row non-stop), 150 push-ups (in a row), and do more than 1 cart wheel. It is the balance of one's total fitness, you see, that is truly beneficial. If you focus on just running, or just doing aerobics, or just doing yoga, this is not nearly as effective an approach as doing everything at a basic level, and specializing where your natural talents are.
My new fitness goal is to eat several mini-eclairs without having any of them stick to my...body. I'm not ready to work up to donuts yet--but when I am I will be very proud of myself. We should start an athletic supremacy club--instead of wearing masks like white supremacists, everyone can expose their ripped abs and bulging necks. Seriously, I am cutting wine out of my diet--that should help me lose some of the weight I've gained since I started drinking it--right? Also: Good job Jessica!
Thanks, guys, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped on the scale. I mean, I've been working at it, but it's always nice to see the numbers going in the right direction
Does seem a bit, well, ostentatious to tout one's goals as though they actually meant anything. I have no goals in regards to exercise. I merely do so to stay in some semblance of good health. To be quite truthful, my only real "goal", per se, is to satisfy my own vanity.
Not trying to be rude, but "ostentatious" does seem to cover that post pretty well. Some people who post in this thread may not go balls to the wall when it comes to physical fitness, but that's because everyone has different priorities, and being in 100% top physical condition doesn't have to be everyone's number one. There's nothing mediocre about striving to be more healthy, regardless of how hardcore you choose to be about it.
/\ This. Though everyone should strive to be healthy, who's to say everyone has to strive to be in their best physical shape 24/7 and always push themselves to the max? As Hidden said, everyone's priorities are different, so is everyone's schedule, endurance, time, etc etc. My goal, for example, is simply to lose weight, not to gain washboard abs or bench an insane number or participate in an iron man competition. I doubt that will ever be my goal, because while I do want to lose weight and stay healthy, being in peak physical shape 24/7 just isn't a top priority and I don't have the time for it to be, either. And there's nothing wrong with that. To each their own.
Also, the purpose of this thread is to encourage everyone, not to make them feel like they're not doing enough...just sayin'--that's why your post kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
I don't really care what people think... I am a numbers person when it comes to being healthy, food, exercise, etc. I cant just tell myself "oh, I'll eat better" or "I'll go the gym and see what happens." I care about how many calories I burn or how fast I run a mile or how many grams of fat are in my breakfast. And I have goals; they make me feel like I'm accomplishing something when I get to check it off. It helps keep me motivated to do more. And in that vein, I am just one pound away from being the thinnest I've been in over 13 months. My goal is to drop that last pound by Friday so that I can wake up on Saturday (my birthday), and have that be my birthday present to myself. Happy birthday to meeeee!! I can see it, too. I cant go anywhere without a belt anymore, and I'm not so self conscious when I wear tank tops or when I walk into the gym. My face and my arms are noticeably so much thinner. Love it! The girl in the mirror doesn't look so bad anymore. My next goal is to drop just ten more pounds and I'll be happy...
Hmm...some interesting points. I was just pointing out the fact that targeted exercise is either effective or it is not. If your goal is to lose a few pounds, or be more healthy through some other standard that you have, then that is good for you. It is just my personal opinion (I guess) that it is fundamentally a better approach to reach for maximum health and fitness levels if you are going down that road anyway. I mean, since you are attempting to achieve goals in that direction, of physical health and overall fitness, then why not go further than the absolute minimum? It seems that I simply have a different approach in these matters, as I prefer to achieve standards that are above the mediocre/average level, whereas some other forumers are okay with "just okay".
Okay, I realize I'm responding late but I had to throw my two cents in. I realize what you were saying but it really comes across as not so much harsh as pretentious and judgemental. This is not a fitness forum, its a writers' forum. Most writers sit on their butts, so just the fact that we're attempting to be active should be lauded. It is demonstrably false that most people here "settle for mediocrity". Yeah, roller derby and rock climbing and half marathon running are mediocre..if everyone on the planet was superman. ,ost peope here strive for achievable and realistic (and) laudable goals. Judging all fitness standards by yours or anyone's or some arbitrary stats is unfair and unrealistic, everyone is at different levels of fitness. You should be encouraging people, not shooting them down when many are trying to get their hopes up and feeling proud for losing weight. Basically, if you have nothing good to say, you can say it, just don't expect anyone here to like it or respond to you. I for one have nothing good to say to you, other than I think I can put your theory of mediocrity to the test, on any track, any day.
Thanks. I got there today; I dropped that last pound. It feels so good. Happy birthday to me! I'm starting my 20th year at my lowest weight at 19 years. My goal is to make this lowest weight at 19 to be my highest weight at 20. And I know I can do it! *fingers crossed* It's not by a huge margin (yet) --I'm literally talking about being two tenths of a pound below my previous low weight. I now just want to lose 10 pounds, and then I think I will actually feel comfortable in my own body... Knock on wood. I remember that weight, and I remember feeling good at that weight. I'm dying to get back there!
Never thought I'd be able to do it, but I can now do 15 pushups and lift 10-IB dumbbells. This is from a guy who used to struggle with 5-IB dumbbells and could barely do three without collapsing. I hope to get to at least 110 IBS one day. How much do I weigh? Anywhere from 100-105 IBS. I can't do sit-ups, though. :< I keep feeling as if I'm about to break my neck/back when I lift. I also want to start some jogging as well.
