Some people like to lift in socks or barefoot. Obviously easier at home than at the gym. :-)

Can someone please talk me through not hating Stage 2. All the balance stuff is driving me nuts and I'm seriously considering finding something else to do. (love lifting heavy weights) I've hurt my back after Stage B (I think doing the deadlift from box with the same weight was a mistake) and I'm loathing all the balance I have to do. How is this going to help me?

I'm not in Stage 2 yet, heck, I'm barely in Stage 1, but balance exercises work on core muscles. While the exercise will focus on chest, back, whatever, the fact that you have to hold a certain position while doing these strengthens your core muscles, which is important for all exercises. Good luck!

For when it gets deleted: Hey guys, my name is Amber. Some o fyu will have seen the thread I posted earlier which got deleted. I just want o let you guys in on a bit of information. I am a loyal and faithful christian to the Lord, and Jesus christ and also an animal lover. This is why I am a vegetabletarian. There is a girl on this site who goes by the name Sophiebee92. Please do not be friends with her. She is a prostitute. Last year my bf made 1 million dollars reviewing and directing pornos. And he says he has seen her in one. Also I am on this site to be honest and respectful so it makes me mad when people lie about their bodies. This girl 100% has fake boobs, I can tell. Plus my dad is one of the top 3 plastic surgeons in the country and he told me. She is also on steriods, that is how she has muscles. I respectfully warn all of you that she has sold these to, please don't take them. Having muscle kills girls. Plus what cheerleader and blonde girl like her have you ever seen who is not a complete *****. It is obvious that the only reason she is on this site is to sell her body. Now that is not ok with me. If you want a friend like her just go to the grocery store and by yourself a Barbie doll, its the same thing!! Also I want to warn you about some of her other friends too. One of them personally told me in a pm that her family are thieves. Another one called me a ***** and two of them were in pornons with her. Some o fthe most insulting comments were from cannonsky, delco, glamour60xtreme, becca_daniel, grapenutsf to name a few! All because I tried to give a little constructive criticism Also I urge you guys to please help me get her banned. Thank you and I hope you have a pleasant evening!!

Hi girls,

Can I ask you what shoes you're wearing. My trainers appear to be too squishy and don't help with my balance. I thought of swapping them for my Allstars instead?

Opinions?

Cheers :flowerforyou:

One of the trainers in my gym wears these. http://askmissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/skeletoes.jpg

OMG! They are horrible!!!! I consider them officially as my personal hardlimit, I rather just wear socks LOL

Hi girls,

Can I ask you what shoes you're wearing. My trainers appear to be too squishy and don't help with my balance. I thought of swapping them for my Allstars instead?

Opinions?

Cheers :flowerforyou:

One of the trainers in my gym wears these. http://askmissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/skeletoes.jpg

OMG! They are horrible!!!! I consider them officially as my personal hardlimit, I rather just wear socks LOL

LOL! I've heard that they are extremely comfortable, but I don't think I could get used to having stuff between my toes. :laugh: I did see some yoga socks at Target yesterday. They have "treds" on the bottom so they are not slippery.

Hello again

Yay! I'm really awfully pleased to be back after a hiatis of nearly two months. I didn't mean for it to happen, but I have been suffering from first trimester exhustion and going for a walk at lunch always won over going and doing weights :-( This morning I gave myself a little pep talk and decided that as long as I went and did the exercises it didn't matter if it wasn't as intense and hard as I had previously pushed myself.

I'm really pleased that I only had to step down the weights in one exercise and that only on the last set (my left arm gave out on the incline dumbell bench press)

I'm up to stage 3, and my plan is to finish the program before I have the baby (in 5 & 1/2 months) - slow going cause I can only fit in two workouts a week, and then maybe go through it again afterwards. I'm expecting I may need to make some alterations to the program as my belly gets bigger!

I've never actually followed the eating plan, but my diet has been even more out of whack due to food aversions. But now I need to start working on getting lots of good protein and other nutrients.

Regarding the recent shoe discussion, we are NOT ALLOWED to go barefoot at our gym, so I either wear allstars; good, but not quite wide enough for me feet, or my Vibrams (similar deal to those skeletoes); which ARE very comfy, but look very strange at the end of my legs. I'd rather see my barefeet :-)

Jessica - I lost 2 pounds the first couple of weeks, then gained 4 and stayed there for a MONTH, then lost 6 in a couple of weeks. I know it is discouraging, but keep lifting and eating healthy and you WILL see results. It helps me if I focus on being strong and healthy more than the numbers on the scale. And from your picture you I'd say you are already at a good weight, so those last 10 pounds are going to be slow.

What's up with the reported post MissMaggie? That's probably against the rules, right - to even ask? But it makes me curious.

Regarding the balancing moves - what allabtlm said. You'll get better if you keep working at it. Meanwhile, maybe you could do a couple of reps in the manner that requires balance with lighter weights, then fill in the rest with non-balance modifications. Don't get so frustrated that you quit the program.

What's up with the reported post MissMaggie? That's probably against the rules, right - to even ask? But it makes me curious.

Somebody hijacked the thread to insult a MFP member and spread awful rumours about her. I think whoever it was had bombarded as many threads as possible in a short time as I saw a reference to it elsewhere. We could do without that kind of thing, eh?

I didn't do the greatest counting calories this weekend. Today was Stage 1 B2. I am up 1.3 lbs from Monday that was the day I started Stage 1. This week I am going to try hard to get 1500-1600 on no workout days and 1600-1700 on workout days.

Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm feeling a little better about it all today.

I'm worn out. I just couldn't *not* lift, even though I had planned to take the week off! I didn't start stage 2, but I didn't really do stage 1 either. :-P. I did try out my new power rack. I used it for pushups and inverted rows.



Beeps-- I hope you get great results. I cringe at the thought of lower calories, even though at times I think it wouldn't hurt me any.


Hoosiermama-- look at your arms! Wow!

Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm feeling a little better about it all today.

I'm worn out. I just couldn't *not* lift, even though I had planned to take the week off! I didn't start stage 2, but I didn't really do stage 1 either. :-P. I did try out my new power rack. I used it for pushups and inverted rows.



Beeps-- I hope you get great results. I cringe at the thought of lower calories, even though at times I think it wouldn't hurt me any.


Hoosiermama-- look at your arms! Wow!

Hey, glad to see you back. New power rack- that's great!
Do you have an idea of why you're feeling tired? Are you going to take the week off like you planned?

Hey all,

quite some DOMS today from Sunday's wokout but I am taking this as a good sign. I am planning Stage one 2A tomorrow. I am feeling better about 1B than 1A. I did better in judging the weight I can take already - so I am looking forward to some weight increase for 2A.

Hi there, I just realized I'm on the same schedule as you are. I'm doing 2A tomorrow also. So far I really love it -- I'm sore and it's forcing me out of my comfort range by pushing me into what I think of as the "big boy weight room" So far I've only done it during off-peak hours when there's not as many people to watch me mess around in there. But I have high hopes that soon I'll feel more comfortable in the gym and in my own skin.

Hi there, I kinda do the same tactics - off peak hours as this also means I don't have to fight for the weights. Plus I am really lucky my SO does it with me (yes, he does the women's program but hey weight is weight, isn't it?) so I am not all alone.

Hoosier - Love those muscles!!

I've been concentrating more on diet as well - summer is HERE in my neck of the woods. Being diabetic may have something to do with it, but I just can't tolerate carbs very well. I can tell a huge difference in how puffy my stomach is when I cut down. And I actually feel better - less hunger, less headachy, more energy.

Not sure if I'll get to my workout today or not, but I'm excited about starting Stage 5! I actually enjoy the balancing lifts. They are different. I'm hoping to see an improved time on my body matrix as well.