Another fricken Workout Question!

CurvyPrincess66
CurvyPrincess66 Posts: 84 Member
edited February 2018 in Fitness and Exercise
So fistt I want to apologise for all my questions lately. And thank everyone who has posted on them. I read every comment and am grateful for each one and the advice from all of you.

Ok so first off I am 5,5.
SW 2/1/17: 330
SW 2018: 309
CW: 305
GW: 175

So I workout every day where I like I currently do 5 min on the stair climber, 10 on the bike, and 25 on the tredmill.
The stair climber I have to stop often cuz its so hard for me. The bike is easy (I cant change resistance) I think the tredmill is my best Burn... I do 3.5 speed for 10 min then 3.0. Speed on a 3.5% incline for 5 min then 2.5 on a 7% incline for 5 min the 2.0-2.5 on a 10% incline for 5 min. I know it all sounds complicated but Im sweating the intire time and at the peak Im pushing myself, breathing hard, cusing out the machine and felling Amazing.
Ok so my question. After a workout I fell Awesome but my body dosent feel that Akey exhausted want to go to sleep way and the next day My body is fine no pain nothing. Soes that mean Im not working hard enough? I feel the Muscles working when Im on the Equiptment but no after affect am I supposed to feel an after affect?

*how do I log an incline work out?*

Another side Question... Ab lounge.. There are 3 at my local thrift store for 10.00 is it worth getting one? So they do the job? And those Boards you stand on and loke twist what about those? I need a way to work my abbs and i cant do sit ups or crunches. Its Imbarrasing but it is what it is.

Once again thanks everyone.

Replies

  • CurvyPrincess66
    CurvyPrincess66 Posts: 84 Member
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    You're fine. Don't worry about logging an incline. You're walking. In life, sometimes the street isn't flat.

    An ab lounge is not worth the money. They don't "do a job". If you want to do abs, look at bodyweight exercises. Regardless, you won't see abs until your body fat has decreased.

    Im mostly wanting to worm out my mid section and not sure what to do because i cant really do sit ups and crunches. Motly cuz my back hurts when i do them.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    CurvyPrincess66 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    You're fine. Don't worry about logging an incline. You're walking. In life, sometimes the street isn't flat.

    An ab lounge is not worth the money. They don't "do a job". If you want to do abs, look at bodyweight exercises. Regardless, you won't see abs until your body fat has decreased.

    Im mostly wanting to worm out my mid section and not sure what to do because i cant really do sit ups and crunches. Motly cuz my back hurts when i do them.

    You want to worm it out? I don't know what that means. Sit ups are not great anyway. No need for them. If you want a stronger core, you can try planks, etc. I actually will not do a sit up at all. I do 3 exercises for core, the purpose being stabilization. The bird dog, the side plank, and the Mcgill curl up.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    CurvyPrincess66 wrote: »
    I need a way to work my abbs and i cant do sit ups or crunches. Its Imbarrasing but it is what it is.

    never be embarrassed about protecting your back. that's something to give yourself credit for. and sit ups and crunches aren't considered that great or that safe for the back anyway.

    it sounds like a better option would be the kind of ab exercises that don't involve movement until you get better acquainted with those muscles and how to use them. so i'm not a trainer or physio etc, but you could look up dead bugs and planks online and see how you feel about those. personally, dead bugs are the thing i keep comign back to any time i realise i've lost control of my core muscles again and i need a restart.

    to your other references: the twisty things you mentioned . . . i really wouldn't go with those if your back's already giving you grief. don't know what 'ab lounges' are, but same thing.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited February 2018
    OP, what are your goals with your workouts. You say you want to work your abs and make sure you're working hard enough, but to what end? Calorie burn? Strength? To counteract weakness? Something else? I think that info will help you get more answers :smile:
  • CurvyPrincess66
    CurvyPrincess66 Posts: 84 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    OP, what are your goals with your workouts. You say you want to work your abs and make sure you're working hard enough, but to what end? Calorie burn? Strength? To counteract weakness? Something else? I think that info will help you get more answers :smile:

    I want to burn calories, lose weight, build Indurrance and stanama, be strong and Healthy, and feel good.
  • janesmith1
    janesmith1 Posts: 1,511 Member
    As far as ab workouts, imhoJeff from Athlean-X on youtube is probably one of the best out there, check this out
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8jyhJ6TiUPA
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    CurvyPrincess66 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    CurvyPrincess66 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    OP, what are your goals with your workouts. You say you want to work your abs and make sure you're working hard enough, but to what end? Calorie burn? Strength? To counteract weakness? Something else? I think that info will help you get more answers :smile:

    I want to burn calories, lose weight, build Indurrance and stanama, be strong and Healthy, and feel good.

    Working your abs is probably the muscle id put at the bottom of the pile to focus on to achieve any of those things.

    Burn calories = move more!
    Lose weight = calorie deficit (focus on food)
    Endurance and stamina... Depends what you want endurance and stamina in. Walking/running? Lifting light weights lots of times? Cycling? Swimming? Skiing? Dancing for hours? They'd all have a different approach

    Strong = again, different strengths. To me, this would be muscular strength from following a progressive lifting program.

    Healthy and feel good - in your case, just losing weight will help a lot. As you lose weight, moving will be easier, you'll be naturally more active.

    I really want to be able to walk and hike without Being so tired I want to lay in the grass and pass out. I want to ride a bike again, Ride horses again and be Healthy. I want to be able to go places and not feel like the fat girl in the room. I want to Be able to do the Insane inflatable 5k and the color run. My biggest is The hiking tho I love it and I didnt let my weight stop me from hiking last year but Im so tired wile doing it.

    Not wanting to offend you, but it's no doubt that hiking would make you tired when you're carrying 300lbs around! You can get fitter, and you can get lighter, both of which will help....
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    You don't have to feel sore and tired after a work out, or the next day to make it a good work out. It is much better to gradually increase your exercise and let your body adapt.
    That isn't to say you will not feel tired and/or sore if you change your routine and start using other muscles that haven't been used for a while.

    As said upthread, just log your walking as walking, it may be a slight under estimation, but not enough to make a difference.

    With regards to your abs, how is your posture when you are on the treadmill, stair climber, and bike?
    Are you engaging your abs?

    You have probably read on different threads about weight lifting that form is important, it is important when you are using cardio equipment also.

    If you are puffing and panting on the stair climber, I would not be surprised if your form/posture has declined. Take it slower, lessen your time, and build good stair climbing form, body upright, shoulders over hips, abs and glutes engaged.

    Same with the bike, take a step back, slow down, and concentrate on form. Don't slouch over the handle bars, imagine that you are riding a bike and your arms, back and core have to control it.

    On the treadmill, make sure you are upright, not slouched, shoulders back and down, relaxed not exaggerated, chest up, not sticking it out from the bottom, but raising it up from just below your collar bone, and abs engaged. Think of a puppet, with a string coming out the top of its head, being pulled up to the ceiling.

    Just practicing good posture will improve your abs, even when sitting and watching tv.

    If you want a workout to do this one (below) came up in an old thread earlier today and it is lovely and simple, yet effective.
    Your aim is to do it in 12 min, and you need no equipment.
    Be aware it is your aim to do it in 12 min. It will take longer to do it to begin with, and you may need a break, but working towards the 12 min is a doable goal.

    You are doing well with what you are doing, remember you need rest days, and you may want to do alternate days of longer and shorter workouts slowly building slowly your time and intensity so you don't burn out.

    Cheers, h.

    Sorry that was so long, I must be in a chatty mood this morning :)
  • CurvyPrincess66
    CurvyPrincess66 Posts: 84 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    CurvyPrincess66 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    CurvyPrincess66 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    OP, what are your goals with your workouts. You say you want to work your abs and make sure you're working hard enough, but to what end? Calorie burn? Strength? To counteract weakness? Something else? I think that info will help you get more answers :smile:

    I want to burn calories, lose weight, build Indurrance and stanama, be strong and Healthy, and feel good.

    Working your abs is probably the muscle id put at the bottom of the pile to focus on to achieve any of those things.

    Burn calories = move more!
    Lose weight = calorie deficit (focus on food)
    Endurance and stamina... Depends what you want endurance and stamina in. Walking/running? Lifting light weights lots of times? Cycling? Swimming? Skiing? Dancing for hours? They'd all have a different approach

    Strong = again, different strengths. To me, this would be muscular strength from following a progressive lifting program.

    Healthy and feel good - in your case, just losing weight will help a lot. As you lose weight, moving will be easier, you'll be naturally more active.

    I really want to be able to walk and hike without Being so tired I want to lay in the grass and pass out. I want to ride a bike again, Ride horses again and be Healthy. I want to be able to go places and not feel like the fat girl in the room. I want to Be able to do the Insane inflatable 5k and the color run. My biggest is The hiking tho I love it and I didnt let my weight stop me from hiking last year but Im so tired wile doing it.

    Not wanting to offend you, but it's no doubt that hiking would make you tired when you're carrying 300lbs around! You can get fitter, and you can get lighter, both of which will help....

    You didnt Offend me. I know I need to drop the weight to feel better. But I am hoping that working out on an incline will help me hike better.
  • frogmommy
    frogmommy Posts: 151 Member
    I find planking to be great for getting my core muscles in shape. One will not see ab definition until body fat is low. There is no way to "spot" lose or target areas where fat collects - it is still all about decreasing body fat. I have heard trainers mention that doing ab exercises to build ab muscles just naturally results in a "thicker" look because those muscles are getting bigger underneath the fat that is there already. That makes a bit of sense to me.
  • koda0071
    koda0071 Posts: 40 Member
    word of caution on working out on an incline. I thought the same thing early on in my walking plan, but quickly found going to an extreme incline before I was ready nearly injured me. My hip flexors and ham strings were not ready for that kind of repetitive punishment and I had to back off. Also made me lean forward and hurt my back so I could not walk as far without feeling pain. A gentle incline 0.5 or 1 is fine for the first few months, get some millage under your belt and then experiment with changing the incline around. I now like to simulate a strenuous hike in the rolling NC trails by changing every 1-2 minutes from inclines 2 to 4 to 6 and higher and back down. The difference between now and when I first started is my legs have been conditioned and logging several miles a day even on flat terrain has allowed me to drop many pounds. Hiking in the outdoors is a wonderful way to burn calories while having a great time enjoying all the beautiful things in nature. We try to take the family and hike to see the many waterfalls in our state every chance we get.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    1. Second, third, fifth, whatever on Planks. They're great, and as you progress through various variations, you'll get more confident in your strength.
    2. you're mentioning getting worn out. Are you feeding your workouts appropriately while also maintaining an appropriate deficit.
    3. If you can get outside, that would be my recommendation, unless circumstances require you to work out inside.


    Below is my standard plank progression recommendation.

    Take them slowly, and in all seriousness, you'll get plenty of benefit practicing Floor and standing plank/tension drills before you move on to the elevated/pushup style planks



    1. Floor plank-Lay flat on your face/belly(Think Superman pose) beginning with your toes, introduce tension into your muscles maintaining tension as you go until you are tense from head to toe. Pay special attention to glutes, and abs. Hold for 15-30 seconds then release the same way.
    2. High Plank-Same as above, but as the tension passes through your shoulders, begin to draw your arms under your shoulder blades and finish in a "pushup position" Hold 15-30 seconds to begin.. but no more than 120. -Lower to floor and release tension as before.
    3. Low plank-Same as above, but after a brief pause at the top, lower to 90 degrees arm bend for 5-10 seconds before reversing up, and relaxing down and out. This one can be held for up to 30 seconds if desired.

    Don't try the low plank until you can hold the high for 45 seconds or so. IF you don't have a timer or someone time for you, use breaths/heartbeats... 1 natural(not exaggerated) slow breath(in/out) is about 5 seconds.


    Once you master the above series, incorporate knees to elbows and shoulder touches.

    Once you master the shoulder touches-incorporate weights... starting with 15-25 lb dumbbell/Kbells
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,738 Member
    I agree about being careful with the incline on your TM. Steep hills can stress your knees, so do it for short periods rather than continuous. For now, I think it would be better to go farther and perhaps faster, rather than steeper.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    CurvyPrincess66 wrote: »
    the next day My body is fine no pain nothing. Soes that mean Im not working hard enough?

    coming back to take this one. no, you don't need to hurt the next day for it to count. delayed-onset soreness is more common with eccentric movement, so you can still do work and not feel it nearly as much depending on waht kind of work you're doing.

    eccentric is when you ask the muscle to do work while also asking it to get longer. concentric is the opposite. i'm afraid i only know mostly weight-lifting examples which might not mean much to what you're doing. but short answer is, again: no, you don't have to get doms the next day in order to 'prove' to yourself that you've been working out. you don't need to chase pain.

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