I moved to Tx last week and discovered my rental house does not have a home gym (as advertised) :(
I am also a single mother for the first time ever and trying to balance parenthood and work.
So needless to say, I have not "worked out" since a week ago. However, my current job is very active and requires me to be on my feet hiking rugged trails and hills all day (yah!). So far most forays have been 2-4 hours because I've been hauling a 3 year old with me. I finally got out for 5-6 hours the past 2 days and my legs (and knees) are definitely feeling it.
Other than hiking, I have continued working on my headstand and my pistols and am making progress on both (more to come). I haven't found a playground in my area yet and I am seriously jonesing for a pull-up bar. I do not want to lose my momentum there!
I also just made the switch to a high protein diet, or at least I am trying to. High-protein, high-fat, low-carb diets are pretty hard for those of us who don't really like or want to eat meat. I did purchase 2 lbs of beef brisket several days ago that I'm gnawing on. I have to admit I am disgusted by it (not the taste, it is good), but the idea of it. I have been eating lots of eggs (pastured hens) and just got some fresh eggs from my neighbors' chickens. I have abstained from bread since last Monday (huge victory!) and have no pasta or chips in the house. I have veggies, some fruit, and the lowest carb energy bars I could find at the store. My understanding is this diet is supposed to keep you satiated longer and you naturally eat less calories and lose weigh (and bloat).
I haven't experienced any of that yet but it has only been a few days and maybe my body is adjusting, or I am not doing it right. I have been very bloated for a week and definitely feel hungry, but I am not counting calories (and wasn't before) so I don't know how they compare. I have mainly just drastically reduced my carb intake, which now that I'm playing attention, I am aware was very high, and switched over to foods with more protein and fat.
I need to lose about 10-15 lbs, especially because now I'm on a break from lifting. Fingers crossed!
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
core work
My core has been weak since pregnancy. Long gone are the ripped abs of my 20's. Admittedly, I did almost nothing during the first year after having my baby to work my core and not a heck of lot during year 1 or 2. I think it was such a mental block, going from so strong to so weak, and knowing I had to start all over. But I am. Finally.
This time around I am approaching core work differently. I am back to lifting and doing compound movements that engage my core. I am doing planks and L-sits/hanging knees. And just recently I added a couple moves borrowed from the crossfit world - toes-to-bars and knees-to-elbows. Holy moly, those are challenging. Today was probably my 4th time doing them, and I was able to do 8 T2B (toes-to-bars) and 3 sets of 6-8 K2E (knees-to-elbows). My T2B aren't pretty, but heck, I'm doing this and soon enough they will be! My K2E are also a work in progress. I filmed all 4 sets to review my form. For my K2E, my knees were closer to my shoulders than elbows so I tried really hard to press them higher the last round. I have found it helpful to film my progress so I can check form and monitor progress.
This time around I am approaching core work differently. I am back to lifting and doing compound movements that engage my core. I am doing planks and L-sits/hanging knees. And just recently I added a couple moves borrowed from the crossfit world - toes-to-bars and knees-to-elbows. Holy moly, those are challenging. Today was probably my 4th time doing them, and I was able to do 8 T2B (toes-to-bars) and 3 sets of 6-8 K2E (knees-to-elbows). My T2B aren't pretty, but heck, I'm doing this and soon enough they will be! My K2E are also a work in progress. I filmed all 4 sets to review my form. For my K2E, my knees were closer to my shoulders than elbows so I tried really hard to press them higher the last round. I have found it helpful to film my progress so I can check form and monitor progress.
And below is my GOAL!!!
Saturday, March 12, 2016
here's where I'm on handstand
So a big 2016 goal of mine is a free-standing handstand. I've been practicing for a couple months and I'm happy to say I have made progress. But not as much as I had hoped to at this point. I can *sometimes* hold it for a few seconds (max was 5 secs so far). I have to admit I think some of my problem is an unwillingness to focus on the progression rather than the final outcome. I should be spending more time on crow pose, headstand, wall walks, etc., focusing on developing the core and balance, and less time in the actual handstand. hope let's face it, the handstand is so much fun!
Today I focused on getting in position for the face-to-wall handstand and holding it. For me at least this is much harder than kicking into a handstand. My shoulders are already tired from walking up the wall by the time I get into position and then the feeling once inverted is much harder to hold, I think because my shoulders are pulled, correctly, further back and aligned over my body. I am supposed to get to a 60-sec hold before progressing and today I got to 30-sec. This is actually great progress because I haven't done very many this way because they were harder.
I am going to try to incorporate more of the progressions in my handstand training now that I see I am still really lacking the stabilization aspect. Off to do headstands:)
Today I focused on getting in position for the face-to-wall handstand and holding it. For me at least this is much harder than kicking into a handstand. My shoulders are already tired from walking up the wall by the time I get into position and then the feeling once inverted is much harder to hold, I think because my shoulders are pulled, correctly, further back and aligned over my body. I am supposed to get to a 60-sec hold before progressing and today I got to 30-sec. This is actually great progress because I haven't done very many this way because they were harder.
I am going to try to incorporate more of the progressions in my handstand training now that I see I am still really lacking the stabilization aspect. Off to do headstands:)
Thursday, February 18, 2016
progress on crow pose
2/16, 2 days ago, I decided to practice on the crow pose (to help with my handstand training). I don't do it often, although I should, but I was able to hold it several times for 20-30 seconds. I repeated that yesterday and managed to get some video proof :)
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
dips
I have made really good progress on bodyweight dips. I just started practicing them 1-2 times a week and went from barely a few partial reps to 3 sets of 4 full below parallel dips in a few weeks. Of course there are lots of push ups and handstand work helping me improve these along the way!
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
headstand progress
I have been sick for 3 days, technically fighting a cough for like 3 weeks, but I didn't Feel Bad until 3 days ago. I took Sun off as a rest day so I was antsy-in-the-pantsy about working out. I am not up to any high-energy workout, but I wanted to at least get in some headstand practice. I found a free video (https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/progressing-headstand) that I decided to do. It was actually a really awesome yoga session, great shoulder opener and honestly great all-over workout, at least in my condition tonight. It took 45 minutes to get to headstands and at first I wasn't really doing any better than the last time I tried. I wasn't able to use both legs to pull up and I couldn't find my balance. After a few tries, I just resumed the cool-down stretch with the instructor. Then I tried a few more and immediately was able to use both legs at once and found my balance for about a second or two! Definitely have lots of work still to stabilize and hold for longer, but I'm very pleased with the odd and sudden progress. Maybe I just needed the final poses in the video to open me more. No one here to take a picture or video, but who cares until I'm away free from the wall, right! Coming soon...
Saturday, January 16, 2016
badass status
It all began with the pull-up.
That was the end of my ambition-less, unmotivated, half-ass working out. It was the end of the steady-state treadmill running that was getting me nowhere. It was the end of avoiding working heavy on my shoulder and back muscles. It was the end of worrying about my weight more than my strength.
I started my pull-up training sometime in early September 2015. I hoped to do one before I left for a long trip in late October although I knew it was a long shot. In my zest to "hurry up and do one", I read countless articles and watched dozens of videos on training to do a pull-up. Each new article or video led me to a new idea or a new training program. I was so excited that I kept bouncing around erratically from one to another. Although I do not recommend this scatterbrained approach to others, I was somewhat successful. In fact, by the time I left I could do >90% of a pull-up - I just couldn't get the bottom pull.
My trip proved to be a substantial setback because I was not able to find a pull-up bar (even at a park!) and therefore lost 2.5 weeks of practice, which, as it turns out, practice is super critical for getting the pull-up. I was very disappointed, but still determined. I chose a program and stuck with it this time. I started practicing chin-ups, which I had avoided previously. Also a stupid move!
So from mid-November to the end of the year, I greased the groove. I did Australian (or reverse) pull-ups on my daughter's gymnastics bar and I alternated chin-up and pull-up negatives, ~5 days a week. On Dec 20, I got my first dead-hang chin-up, and another, and another (short breaks in between)! I got to a set of 3 pretty quickly!
On Dec 27, on a whim, I decided to try a pull-up AND I DID IT! And again! And again! And again! I did 4 pull-ups with 1-2 minute breaks in between my first time. What a freaking fabulous moment. I finally achieved badass status (because to me any woman who can do a dead-hang pull-up is a badass).
Fast forward 3 weeks, I am currently following the 50 pull-ups training program to increase my reps. I made it to 10 pull-ups in a day, but only 1 rep at a time. I started the program on 1/5 and haven't completed the first cycle yet. The training has me doing only sets of negatives and I can't test myself for a few more days. My goal is a set of 3 (and a better video)!!!
This is my one of my first pull-ups.
That was the end of my ambition-less, unmotivated, half-ass working out. It was the end of the steady-state treadmill running that was getting me nowhere. It was the end of avoiding working heavy on my shoulder and back muscles. It was the end of worrying about my weight more than my strength.
I started my pull-up training sometime in early September 2015. I hoped to do one before I left for a long trip in late October although I knew it was a long shot. In my zest to "hurry up and do one", I read countless articles and watched dozens of videos on training to do a pull-up. Each new article or video led me to a new idea or a new training program. I was so excited that I kept bouncing around erratically from one to another. Although I do not recommend this scatterbrained approach to others, I was somewhat successful. In fact, by the time I left I could do >90% of a pull-up - I just couldn't get the bottom pull.
My trip proved to be a substantial setback because I was not able to find a pull-up bar (even at a park!) and therefore lost 2.5 weeks of practice, which, as it turns out, practice is super critical for getting the pull-up. I was very disappointed, but still determined. I chose a program and stuck with it this time. I started practicing chin-ups, which I had avoided previously. Also a stupid move!
So from mid-November to the end of the year, I greased the groove. I did Australian (or reverse) pull-ups on my daughter's gymnastics bar and I alternated chin-up and pull-up negatives, ~5 days a week. On Dec 20, I got my first dead-hang chin-up, and another, and another (short breaks in between)! I got to a set of 3 pretty quickly!
On Dec 27, on a whim, I decided to try a pull-up AND I DID IT! And again! And again! And again! I did 4 pull-ups with 1-2 minute breaks in between my first time. What a freaking fabulous moment. I finally achieved badass status (because to me any woman who can do a dead-hang pull-up is a badass).
Fast forward 3 weeks, I am currently following the 50 pull-ups training program to increase my reps. I made it to 10 pull-ups in a day, but only 1 rep at a time. I started the program on 1/5 and haven't completed the first cycle yet. The training has me doing only sets of negatives and I can't test myself for a few more days. My goal is a set of 3 (and a better video)!!!
This is my one of my first pull-ups.
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