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Oh dear. I have a problem, and would appreciate some thoughts if anybody has time.
We live out in the country, and there is a gym in a nearby town, but it really isn't very good. I bought a barbell, dumbbells and a swiss ball, and I've just finished stage 1 (now on AMRAPs). I was balancing the barbell on kitchen chairs for squats, but it wasn't very stable. We have a large, L-shaped living room, and I have been using the 'round-the-corner' end for working out. For my birthday, my SO has bought me a pair of squat stands, which do the job but they are bigger than we expected, and completely dominate the room now. I suddenly feel very depressed about what is happening to my home - I am very visually oriented, and the sight of all the equipment is really upsetting me. The weights etc were relatively easy to hide away, but the squat stands are just massive and are the final straw somehow. We do not have another room to use (and no basement, no garage), so I am completely stuck. I am very into the program - this isn't any kind of excuse for stopping, in case you were wondering!
Should I just try hard to get used to the equipment, or sell it all (and lose money) or what?!0 -
@MissMaggie:
Is it a closed L? Can you set up some attractive Japanese privacy screens or a curtain?
I'm blessed to have a room that I can devote to lifting. It was a family rec room, and I occasionally suffer pangs of conscience that I have selfishly taken it over. Then, I realized that this is my life now. I never intended to just finish the program; I will lift for life.
If the program will be it for you, just muddle through as best you can...maybe urns of Pampas(?) grass to cover the stands, lol?? But if you plan to do this for a long time, you may need to think about finding or creating a more permanent home for your activity. Or, at worst, revamping the way you think about the appearance of your equipment. A toilet isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing, but most people have one or more, just the same!0 -
I think you are enjoying this program TOO much to quit, missmaggie. Plus, if you quit, then what?? Once you know that heavy-lifting is the right choice, how can you go back to anything else (in good conscience)??
I am very glad I don't work out at home....and maybe this is an insane suggestion....but, can you set yourself up in your yard?? Maybe put a tarp over your things when you aren't working out?? At least for the next 6 months you might be able to get your work-out in the outdoors???
Like you, I wouldn't like the "visual impact" of equipment in my living room - so I TOTALLY get where you are coming from!!
Are there any other lifters in your neighbourhood that you could go to their house and work on their equipment (for a small fee, of course)??0 -
Thanks so much for those suggestions - I really appreciate you taking the time. I do intend to do this in the long term, not just to the end of the program, so quitting isn't an option - it's just a case of where I do it. Privacy screens are feasible, but honestly - my heart sinks when I even contemplate it.
Outdoors would be too, too embarrassing, as we have a lot of houses overlooking our garden (plus it is a beautiful garden overlooked by french windows, so visually it would be even worse!). I don't even know anyone else in the area, as we haven't lived here long, but I doubt anyone has their own gym - most houses are as small as ours.
I can only think of two other things; get rid of the bed in the spare room (which means nowhere for friends and family to sleep when they visit!), or sell the stuff, hurt my SO's feelings in the process, and join the gym. Oh, one more - win the lottery and buy a mansion with its own gym. Hey, I like that one!0 -
Thanks so much for those suggestions - I really appreciate you taking the time. I do intend to do this in the long term, not just to the end of the program, so quitting isn't an option - it's just a case of where I do it. Privacy screens are feasible, but honestly - my heart sinks when I even contemplate it.
Outdoors would be too, too embarrassing, as we have a lot of houses overlooking our garden (plus it is a beautiful garden that we see from the kitchen and living area through french windows, so visually it would be even worse!). I don't even know anyone else in the area, as we haven't lived here long, but I doubt anyone has their own gym - most houses are as small as ours.
I can only think of two other things; get rid of the bed in the spare room (which means nowhere for friends and family to sleep when they visit!), or sell the stuff, hurt my SO's feelings in the process, and join the gym. Oh, one more - win the lottery and buy a mansion with its own gym. Hey, I like that one!0 -
Just got home from the gym - Day 2, Stage 1, Workout B. Great workout!!!! I need to watch some videos because I felt like my deadlifts were awkward looking lol. Not totally sure I was doing them correctly. Not really a huge fan of lunges (I should say me knees weren't, lol). Overall though, I feel awesome!
I decided to just up my calories on lift days, rather than using my HRM to log calories. I still wear it, but only to keep track of my rest periods. We'll see how doing this works out for me. I've been manually changing my daily calories each day, which seems to work out fine for me so far.
Hope everyone is doing well - I am so glad to be doing this, enjoying it so far!!! :happy:
I did WO B, stage 1 today for the first time, too! Oh my gosh, it kicked my butt! I don't know what my deal was today, but I thought I was going to get sick. I don't normally get like that. I had trouble getting all the reps in on the deadlifts and lunges, too. I felt like such a weakling!
Both days I've done the workouts I have felt like I was hit by a truck by mid-afternoon. (I workout in the morning.). Someone, please tell me this gets better. I just want to go to bed now.0 -
I did WO B, stage 1 today for the first time, too! Oh my gosh, it kicked my butt! I don't know what my deal was today, but I thought I was going to get sick. I don't normally get like that. I had trouble getting all the reps in on the deadlifts and lunges, too. I felt like such a weakling!
Both days I've done the workouts I have felt like I was hit by a truck by mid-afternoon. (I workout in the morning.). Someone, please tell me this gets better. I just want to go to bed now.
Sounds like you are giving it a great effort!
The first stage is conditioning. These are maybe new moves, or the first time you've done them with really challenging weights. You should feel somewhat depleted after a workout, but not destroyed. If you are totally blown-out, shaking and sick, back off on the intensity a little and focus on perfect form. And make sure you are getting some good protein shortly after! I like a protein shake, and whole grain toast with peanut butter to restore my energy.
Don't get discouraged. Your body is well-equipped to handle what you are asking of it. You may need to tweak your nutrition, or modify some moves at first. We all did. Even after some time in the program, we all have had "off" days; stress, TOM, illness, what-have-you. Hang in there!0 -
missmaggie - I like the "win the lottery" suggestion....
jessica - I echo what jarrett said.
I actually think "sleeping better" is one of the MOST excellent things about weight-training!! Stress release!! Power!! STRENGTH!!
My goodness, I could go on-and-on....lost inches!! smaller clothing sizes!! long-term health benefits!! anti-frailty!!0 -
Hi All! I just started Stage 1 on Monday and thought that I did not push myself hard enough, until I tried to do my regular 10K run on Tuesday and could not make it up the hill. My legs are killing me today and I am feeling it a bit in my abs too. I am both excited and nervous for tonight's workout.
My main concern at this point is the fact that I have a 10k race on Saturday and two more (4.2mi and 5K) races in April that I have already paid for. I am not going to stop or postpone this though. I just have to be ok if I do not improve on my PR in these upcoming races.0 -
I can only think of two other things; get rid of the bed in the spare room (which means nowhere for friends and family to sleep when they visit!), or sell the stuff, hurt my SO's feelings in the process, and join the gym. Oh, one more - win the lottery and buy a mansion with its own gym. Hey, I like that one!
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MissMaggie--I'd have a hard time with squat racks in my living room, too. Could you put them in the spare room, in place of the bed--and get a good-quality air mattress or two for your guests? Maybe you could push the weight equipment to one end of the room when you have visitors? It makes more sense to me to truly use and enjoy the rooms you have--all the time--instead of keeping them for occasional visitors....0 -
I can only think of two other things; get rid of the bed in the spare room (which means nowhere for friends and family to sleep when they visit!), or sell the stuff, hurt my SO's feelings in the process, and join the gym. Oh, one more - win the lottery and buy a mansion with its own gym. Hey, I like that one!
MissMaggie--I'd have a hard time with squat racks in my living room, too. Could you put them in the spare room, in place of the bed--and get a good-quality air mattress or two for your guests? Maybe you could push the weight equipment to one end of the room when you have visitors? It makes more sense to me to truly use and enjoy the rooms you have--all the time--instead of keeping them for occasional visitors....
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What about a Murphy or wallbed? I agree with dandelion, makes sense to use the room as you need it but with a wallbed you still have a place for visitors.0 -
Thank you, thank you, thank you everybody! Your input really helped me to see the problem logically: It really is silly to make myself miserable when we have another room that we hardly ever use: We have an easily dismantled bed in the spare bedroom - one of those with an old-style iron frame - so we are going to take it apart and move all the equipment into there for me to use regularly. Then when visitors come we will move the equipment to the garden shed and put the bed up again. It's so simple now that I write it here - I'm embarrassed I didn't find the solution on my own!0
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Maggie that's exactly what i did- ever since things went downhill in this country people have been reluctant to visit, so my guestroom is now my gym! Wouldn't take too much effort to spruce it up if someone did stay, but mostly it's alllll mine.0
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So today when I got out of the shower and twisted around to check out my back, there was no little roll of back fat there, even with the twisting. Just a reminder that the effects of this program are cumulative. Even though I'm sure I would have liked Stage 6, I think I really needed the kick in the butt of Stage 7. Planning to repeat these workouts for a total of 12. Also really loving eating at maintenance and suspect I should have done that earlier. Oh well. Live and learn. Keep on lifting heavy. It works if you give it time and feed your body.
Glad you found a good solution MissMaggie so that you can stick with it. That's what it's all about. Making the program work for you whether it's modifying moves when injured, getting new equipment or focusing on form, it's all progress.0 -
Great post, kcfaber!!
Today is a cardio day, for me....and stretching - TONS of stretching. My glutes are SORE.0 -
@MissMaggie - Your embarrassment made me laugh... I do that all the time with my husband. Get flustered over some really complicated issue and he points out the most simple solution. That's awesome that you have a guest room! We have a treadmill in our bedroom, and I HATE it - it takes up so much room. But there's no where else to put it, and I've gotten so much use out of it that it's worth the sacrifice.
@KC - YAY! What a great NSV.
@Beeps - you're just a little ahead of me, right? I was going to do my first 3.B today, but I'm having various pangs in my legs and back when I move around. Plus the kids had a dentist appointment today, so the morning was shot. So I gave myself permission to take the day off and celebrated with some ice cream! HA! But I DID measure it out first, instead of just eating out of the container. 1/2 cup is not much. But I enjoyed it. And stopped. :happy:
So I'll start do my 3.B tomorrow. I like the shoulder exercise too. I tend to lose weight from the top down - my shoulders and arms get really thin, but I'm still squishy in my lower belly and hips. So I need extra help to keep my shoulders from looking bony.0 -
birdy - I have to stop and congratulate you for the measuring/portioning of the ice cream and then STOPPING. My goodness - now THAT is "self-control"!! Good for you!
I just finished up my third Workout B in Stage 3 yesterday. So, I've got one more (of each of A and
to go and then I'm done - the stages just start moving faster and faster (I find).
LIke you, birdy, I'm really slight up top - with the lovely pear bottom. So, I really like the upper-body work (because it "shows" faster on my physique). And, frankly, I'd like more bicep and tricep work, too....while I'm a believer in "compound exercises", it really does feel like some muscle groups (bis/tris) aren't worked to fatigue in this program.0 -
Morning, all... I can't remember if i introduced myself in this particular thread or not, so, just briefly--I'm just starting the program (tomorrow's S1, B2) and really loving it. I'm just shy of 40, working mom of 2 boys, trying to shed the last 10-15ish pounds of fat as I get strong and fit.
So, my thought of the day (other than TGIF!!) is: I'm starving in the middle of the night since I started lifting. Even on the higher-calorie days, I've woken up hungry. Last night I had to have some peanut butter at about 3 am. I hope this means my metabolism's being nicely revved up? I'm also losing weight again after a several week plateau, so I'm pretty happy!
Anyway, happy Friday to everyone
Amanda0 -
Morning, ladies!! Just stopping by to say hi and vent a little frustration. I over extended myself with picking up extra pump classes this week and will only get one lifting day in. I'm in stage 6 so I'm thinking about just trashing the rest of the stage, calling it my rest week, and moving on.0
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Hi Amanda! I haven't had hunger in the middle of the night....so, unsure what that is all about. But, if you are tracking the calories, and they fit within your daily ratio, I wouldn't worry about "when" you are eating them! (Lifting DOES make one HUNGRY!)
allabt - I agree that calling this a "rest week" makes the most sense. Carry on!0
