Forced myself to go to the gym. I need to stay on schedule this week. Even though my work shcedule has changed I can't pick up my kids at school until 5 on Mon and Wed and a girl at work is doing free Zumba classes. Bonus! So I MUST lift on Sunday and Tuesday with an option for Friday. My workout tonight was half-a$$ed. I was so tired for some reason. I maintained my weights, but felt like I was struggling the entire time. I felt supper winded and sloppy and I skipped metabolic. My clothes were soaked through. What's up with that? I had a really lazy weekend, maybe my energy reserves were just low. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Memorial Day and the unofficial start of Summer is around the corner

Cowgirl, I hope you love your trainer like I love mine. He's always pushing me to do more. He listens to me, makes suggestions but also doesn't get stupid about any of it. He knows I push myself, so if I say I can't he knows I mean it. I'm really glad I picked this guy!
Saturday I worked with him and did other lifts etc to strengthen my pecs and shoulders, and then did walking lunges, abs, and core.

This morning I did my 4th Stage 6B workout and bumped all the weights. 40 on the reverse lunge - I have to use my other hand to stabilize the weight at my shoulder, 35 on the 2pt row and 22.5 on the push press which is the best I've ever done. I was happy, I felt like I'd worked hard. I tried moving the incline higher on the reverse crunch and could do 1 set that way but failed when I was too fatigued. All in all, I'm happy with the whole workout.

CP I too am happy your hubs is joining you - so wish mine would lift with me. I think we'd have fun! Re Stage 2, I think i hated that Stage more than any of the others. I really felt clumsy and even though I was working with the trainer, just felt as if I wasn't getting anything accomplished. I loved Stage 3! When Stage 4 rolled around I was anxious, since it's a repeat of 2, but wonder of wonders it was fun. I was that much stronger, more experienced etc. and really felt great about it. I hope you'll continue but I understand that this program doesn't suit everyone. Good luck!!

Sam, hope you two can work things out so you're both happy, whatever way that is! Doncha hate it when a workout feels like that. I had a couple that were just completely depleting - I actually gave up on one of them, thankfully that wasn't recently but it's discouraging when it happens. I know, happens to everyone occassionally, best thing to do is chalk it up and move on.

Mary how are you feeling? And you too Beeps? You're the one who reminds me (us) that form is what counts and that the weight comes when it's supposed to. My trainer says exactly the same thing! "People are too worried about the #s and are slack on form. Better to do a perfect lower number - use isometric holds etc to challenge yourself"

Hope you all have a great Monday!!

Must be Monday, things are pretty quiet on the board today.

Apparently I suck at math...miscalculated my weight to set on the barbell for the front squat/overhead press. I increased my weight from my last lift by 30 lbs. I thought I was doggin it from the weekend celebration...turns out I was just in beast mode.

The sexism in the dudetastic weight room continues. Today it was in the form of surveillance by an employee of the rec center. I had two of my female coworkers with me (I got another one on the lifting bandwagon!!!), and within minutes of us entering the weight room there appeared an employee. He lurked in the corner of the room and kept his eyes glued on us...then left shortly after we did, I'm sure he was there to make sure we didn't hurt ourselves. Fortunately we only had one lift that required being in that room today. Me and the ladies are hell bent to keep going to that room now until women become a regular feature and these guys quit flipping out on us.

Ethie and Chuckels, RIGHT ON!!

Chuckels: Get it girl!!! and thanks

Suelegal: thanks!

Samntha: way to get back at it!

I'll be taking a break on the lifting (unles I have a pleasant surprise in my hotel fitness center when I arrive) for the week while I'm away at conference. Going to try to keep up with the calorie counting and fitting some sort of exercise in.

I'm going to check out supplements next week when I return, have been referred to a Complete Nutrition store by a friend who lost a bunch of weight and recently began lifting. What are you ladies using and loving?

@ethie-- I use the GNC Amp brand (93 cal 20g p, <1 g C <1 g f, i think). It was more expensive than what I wanted to pay for a protein but it tastes delicious (even if it's just mixed with water!) I've been going back and forth between cookies & cream and Strawberry. Your breath will smell AWFUL after and be sure to rinse out your shaker haha. But it works fine for me. I only drink it when I can't make my goals with other food (which is almost every day that I lift, but I try really hard!)

If I really need an extra pick-me-up, I'm a sucker for the peanut butter cliff builder bars (280 cal, 20g protein lots of carbs moderate fat haha). They are so yummy!!! (might have something to do with the 23g of sugar-- but for a bar that's not SO bad...right? haha oh well. )

I totally agree with Lc-- running new places is fun! Also, Enjoy your vacation! Have an extra drink for me, because my week is going to be crazy!

I just put all my remaining stage 1 and stage 2 work outs on my calendar to ensure that I'd be done with stage 2 right before my 4th of July vacation. It worked out perfectly.

I'm very thankful that people at my gym just seem to ignore each other. I don't know if I'd have the confidence to deal with the crap your facing Ethie. I still stick to the women's weight room for the most part but I'm not afraid of the main room anymore. Sunday it was just me and two other ladies in there, which was really empowering.

Just wanted to step out of the lurker corner and say hello and thank all of you for being such huge inspirations and motivators. Even if you don't realize it a group like this is sometimes the difference between "Not today, I'll just do it tomorrow" and "Hell yeah, gonna pick up some heavy stuff today!"


Today I did my first squats with a barbell, leaving my dumbbells behind. It was actually kind of nice. The gym I use has a 'Woman's Area' which is a delightful black and pink color scheme and features a variety of machines and dumbbells; to use the bar I had to venture into the 'Men's Area'. I'm feeling a little nervous, surrounded by men twice my size, when a charming gentlemen turns to me and says

"Hey. Nice to see some girls over here."

I felt proud of myself before I'd even lifted any thing. :happy: And then I lifted things and now my thighs burn like fire. Good fire, but fire.