Fitness and Exercise

thom2369
thom2369 Posts: 271 Member
If you are doing an exercise plan during this challenge time feel free to talk about it here.

I just felt like sharing that last night I did the "hanging leg raise" machine where you balance your body on your elbows and lift your legs up straight to a 90 degree position.

Wow, was that ever harder than I expected. I only managed 3 sets of 5 lifts before I was very grateful to get off of that thing. Hope to keep trying to do it so I can see improvement in my ability! Seems like it could make the lower abdomen a lot stronger if continued!

Replies

  • thom2369
    thom2369 Posts: 271 Member
    I want to exercise 5 times a week. MWF is weightlifting TTH is performance spinning class or some other cardio. So far 2/5 days completed this week! Feels different to exercise so often but I think it would be a really good habit to get into.
  • musicfan4life30
    musicfan4life30 Posts: 543 Member
    starting dec.1st I am going to be doing the 21 day fix eating and workout plan! :)
  • Menix8
    Menix8 Posts: 210 Member
    The past six months or so I've been super lazy about working out; I've only been going to the gym twice a week, with an upper/lower body split.

    But I'm going to use this challenge as the kick in the pants I need to start lifting four times a week again. Nothing spurs me to lift more than trying to lose fat; I don't want to lose muscle too, so I have to LIFT to maintain it. I'm doing Legs, Arms, Back/Chest, and then another Legs, to really hammer those glutes.

    And my glutes are already feeling it. Stairs are super hard right now, lol.
  • musicfan4life30
    musicfan4life30 Posts: 543 Member
    I volunteer at the horse barn that I ride at. I do barn chores while I am there.

    I also do gymnastics for 1 hour every Sunday and I also do cheerleading right after I am done with gymnastics for 1 hour on Sundays!

    I don't start back up horseback riding again until January!!
  • ladiva05
    ladiva05 Posts: 18 Member
    Hey!! Yes, I'm very active and tomorrow starts Turbo Fire for me...
  • thom2369
    thom2369 Posts: 271 Member
    edited November 2015
    I know someone said they used to be a fitness model so I'm sure it's a hard life. But I imagine in my mind that I can become as fit and strong sexy body like the women on this you tube channel!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQn3AFDD8BA

    I tried to get skinny in the past because my ex-boyfriend said I should be 50 kg. and have tighter body.

    I AM SO OVER THAT! I am not going to think about that anymore but I am going to focus on lifting and good nutrition because I want a strong and sexy body FOR MYSELF. Because it will give me confidence to face anything that comes my way in this world. I do believe if we are proud of our bodies our self-esteem and confidence can take us anywhere!

    I live in Korea where East and West often cannot reconcile. But I don't care anymore. I am going to do it the way I want. My body is not Asian and it will never change to fit their standards of beauty. I love the standard of beauty the women promote in this video.

    If anyone more experienced than me has some opinions on this channel and looking at fitness models for exercise tip please let me know!
  • I have been to these channels. Not so much to see the models, but to use their workouts. Some of them are good. I like them because I get bored easy & like to try different things. I know I will not look like them but does motivate me.
  • ladiva05
    ladiva05 Posts: 18 Member
    Today was Turbo Fire Fire30 & stretch 10....
  • lalajka
    lalajka Posts: 368 Member
    The thing I envy these models the most is their abs! I honestly don't understand this big booty craze, some of them are really taking it to extremes. I just want my body to be tight and healthy, I wouldn't want to be skinny or bony. That's why I lift, I think weights give me the most overall workout. I have a whole routine worked out I just have to stick to it :). Yesterday was barbell squats with push-ups, kettlebell swings and ab exercises in between. Tomorrow it's barbell dead lifts together with Arnold presses, rowing and ab exercises. Oh and I always start with a 10 minute jump rope :).
  • thom2369
    thom2369 Posts: 271 Member
    lalajka wrote: »
    The thing I envy these models the most is their abs! I honestly don't understand this big booty craze, some of them are really taking it to extremes. I just want my body to be tight and healthy, I wouldn't want to be skinny or bony. That's why I lift, I think weights give me the most overall workout. I have a whole routine worked out I just have to stick to it :). Yesterday was barbell squats with push-ups, kettlebell swings and ab exercises in between. Tomorrow it's barbell dead lifts together with Arnold presses, rowing and ab exercises. Oh and I always start with a 10 minute jump rope :).

    That sounds great! Yeah I can't say I wasn't surprised at all the videos and tips on how to get a huger booty. I live in Asia and a big butt is NEVER desired here lol.

    I did 5 minutes treadmill, kettlebell swings, squats, bench press, barbell row, hanging leg raises and some decent stretching last night. Felt great!
  • SuzyH
    SuzyH Posts: 196 Member
    I have a 5k set for this Saturday and after that it's back to the gym. I joined a drop 6 class (6 lbs in 6 weeks) that starts this Friday. I need the motivation of others all around! Beginning next week I'll be doing TRX, Spin, Bodypump, water aerobics and the treadmill. I don't want to start taking the classes this week in fear of my muscles getting sore for Saturday's run! We can do this!
  • lesliewynn14
    lesliewynn14 Posts: 130 Member
    I've been walking for 1 hour 5X a week at 3.5mph-4mph, and adding in one floor exercise I can do at home every week. I now have 6 floor exercises that I do 5X a week right after my walk. I'm looking for another floor exercise to add to my routine, anyone have any suggestions? So far I do this: CRUNCHES- 60 right 60 left 60 middle, SQUATS- 3 sets of 20, INCLINE PUSH-UPS- 3 sets of 20, STANDING CALF RAISES- 3 sets of 20, FIRE HYDRANTS- 3 sets of 20, SIDE LEG LIFTS- 3 sets of 20.
  • Menix8
    Menix8 Posts: 210 Member
    Last night after dinner my husband and I laid on the floor for a good 20 minutes playing with our cat before we finally dragged ourselves to the gym. I felt weak, but pushed through with my weights, and did the elliptical for ten minutes because my husband wasn't done with his workout. It was a struggle, but I did it anyways!

    One of my favorite things I've read on MFP is the people whose goal is just to get dressed and go to the gym. Not to workout, not to run for an hour, they just have to put on their workout clothes and get their butts to the gym. That's all. And if they get there and they're really not feeling it, they give themselves permission to turn around and go home. But 98% of the time, when you're there in your gear, you end up working out anyway. This probably falls into the category of "mind-game," but sometimes it's hard to psych yourself up for a work out, and those little things can help.
  • lalajka
    lalajka Posts: 368 Member
    Oh I know exactly what it's like. The hardest part is getting up and leaving your warm and comfy place. I'm the same! But once I'm there in the gym, I don't want to leave. I feel like as long as I'm here I might as well work out. So I guess having a goal to just get to the gym isn't half bad - will try it out when motivation leaves me (and it will).

    I used to do a lot of Jillian Michaels videos and was pretty good at them. So on Thursday I did 6 weeks 6 packs (level 1) after a long time and it kicked my butt! Two days later and I'm still sore! And I used to do them everyday like nothing. This really shows how quickly you can lose your fitness if you stop working out. Hopefully, this challenge will help me make workouts a part of my daily routine.
  • thom2369
    thom2369 Posts: 271 Member
    I just wanted to check in with my exercise a bit. My diet has been a little...over calories the last few days. But I am really proud of a moment I had in the gym today! A day I was almost *not* going to go. It was a day off of the weights so I decided to do a longer 30 minute cardio session. I did my normal 5 minute walk and then 5 minute jog. Well after jogging for 5 minutes I decided to try 5 more and then 5 more! I jogged for 15 minutes straight! It felt so good and I was proud of going for that long without stopping! Most of the other people in the gym, especially women, will NEVER jog, only walk. So I felt like a badass. Appearantly feeling like a boss in the gym keeps me going back. There was a girl next to me who tried jogging for a while and stopped, gasping after two minutes. I hope she keeps it up and tries to go longer because once you realize you can go longer it feels really good! I even jogged two more minutes a bit later and picked up the speed to a faster pace. Then walked out my last minutes to get to 30. Jogging longer than 5 minutes makes your body feel different. Keeping a high heart rate for a longer period of time reminds me of a time in my life where I worked out really hard on the dance team. There is no other feeling than super high cardio, heavy breathing and sweat pouring out. If you don't seriously overdo it it feels so great!

    Long winded but hope you all are keeping up with your exercise!!
  • SweetPeasMom55
    SweetPeasMom55 Posts: 3,385 Member
    great job @thom2369 :)
  • JMarcella57
    JMarcella57 Posts: 1,902 Member
    I've decided that I want 2016 to be about getting back into walking/running. I'm thrilled to be back at a weight that makes that possible.
  • lalajka wrote: »
    Oh I know exactly what it's like. The hardest part is getting up and leaving your warm and comfy place. I'm the same! But once I'm there in the gym, I don't want to leave. I feel like as long as I'm here I might as well work out. So I guess having a goal to just get to the gym isn't half bad - will try it out when motivation leaves me (and it will).

    I used to do a lot of Jillian Michaels videos and was pretty good at them. So on Thursday I did 6 weeks 6 packs (level 1) after a long time and it kicked my butt! Two days later and I'm still sore! And I used to do them everyday like nothing. This really shows how quickly you can lose your fitness if you stop working out. Hopefully, this challenge will help me make workouts a part of my

    I have often thought about doing the 6pack workout. How long is it? Is it cardio based? Does it work out upper and lower body?
  • lalajka
    lalajka Posts: 368 Member
    @Fiftyshadesofweight Try it, you won't regret it. It's about 32 minutes long (including warm-up and cool-down) and there are two levels - level 1 is on YouTube, so you can check it out there. Yes, the emphasis is on abs, but you also work all other muscles and there are cardio exercises in between. I'd say it's a great whole body workout. Based on my hrm, I burn about 280 calories per video. When I was doing it regularly a few times a week, I could actually see my abs after about a month :)
  • Menix8
    Menix8 Posts: 210 Member
    On a related note, my favorite Jillian Michael's DVD is the "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" one. That one always kicks my butt, but I like the way it's split up into circuits. So, you have a few minutes of feeling like you're going to throw up, and then you get a few minutes of less-intense exercise to recover, and then you ramp it back up again. I like intervals, especially for cardio-centric workouts.