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.
Friday, January 15, 2016
bridge with one leg up
I just started practicing the bridge pose in December. Prior to that I hadn't much tried it in years (read: pre-pregnancy). My post-natal yoga teacher had me do some when my baby was a year or so old and it was so hard to get into. My back was weak and tight, okay really most of me was weak and tight. Over the next 2 years I got into one every so often as my back muscles starting relaxing but not enough to really help me. The HIIT workouts I do (12 minute athlete) had bridges in them fairly regularly and I noticed how good my back felt doing them. And of course, my daughter is in gymnastics and those girls do awesome bridges and it is the beginning of so many cool poses and exercises. When I first attempted to lift my leg a few weeks ago, it was as a brick was attached to my leg. It just literally would not move. I don't know how, except through practicing and my other workouts, I have someone progressed quite quickly (imo) to being able to hold either leg up for several seconds. It was only 4 days that I was able to hold my leg up for long enough to snap a picture on an old, slow phone. Today I was able to do several seconds on each side for multiple reps. Yah me!
This is my bridge today - I am working on improving it, but it is definitely better than a few weeks ago. Plus I do a bunch in a row!!
Here is today's leg up:
This is my bridge today - I am working on improving it, but it is definitely better than a few weeks ago. Plus I do a bunch in a row!!
Here is today's leg up:
Give it a try and let me know how you did! I think it is deceptively hard, but definitely gets easier with practice. My back feels stronger and longer and my posture is definitely improving.
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