rawstrongchick Member

If you ride a unicorn to and from the gym you'll be able to lose weight 5 times faster. Did they know that?

Another voter for sweaty betty here. It's pricey but it not only looks fab and is super comfortable but it washed really well. I've had some of my sweaty betty stuff for ages and worn it constantly and it still looks new.

If you've no idea what you are doing then it's probably worth it to stay safe. Get a recommendation if you can for a trainer rather shooting in the dark. Insist on having an 'introductory session' or at least a PAYG period where you can test out how you get on together and whether you like their style - don't get sucked…

I think lots of women start out on a new exercise program and don't realize that water is going to rush into the muscle to repair, and as the muscle groups on the legs are some of the largest in the body it is always going to be more noticeable there. Some people have trouble accepting that this isn't muscle mass added,…

I do glute bridge on a yoga mat yes, I've tried all manor of surfaces but I just have that sort of skin that gets immediately irritated by anything. If I glute bridge in my sports bra on a yoga mat then I'm fine, if I try with a t-shirt over the top I end up with t-shirt burn on my back. It's really annoying, but it would…

Home all the way. I don't know if anyone else suffers with this but I find clothes really irritate my skin, especially on my back when I'm laid out glute bridging/benching etc, and I get a painful rash. So basically I workout in the minimal amount of clothing possible which usually means underwear. Plus I like being…

Love the video! Says it all really!

Yes I've had this. Loads of hip stretches, especially targeting the piriformis (look for sciatica stretches), loads of sports massages, plus lots of glute bridging and hip thrusting has completely resolved my piriformis symptoms. I still have a natural slight anterior pelvic tilt, I've learnt to love that and it is a bit…

I think if you remeasure you will be surprised. I thought I'd put on mass on my thighs (I was actually trying) after three months of lifting and eating like crazy and I'd lost 0.5 inch on each. It's taken another 9 months of really keeping at it and eating practically nothing but protein at a calorie excess to get 3 inches…

I'm 98lb and after almost 12 months of lifting I can squat 110lb for 5 reps with a 132lb 1 rep max. If those numbers look odd it's because I've converted them from kg as everything is kg here. I don't find squatting easy, I really have to bully myself to do it. I LOVE all other lifts, especially dead lifting, but squats…

There is nothing 'unnatural' about this. It's completely normal to have that dip between your pelvis and hips. There is no real muscle mass in that location as as body fat drop the amount of fat that gets stored in that area drops with it. Sorry you find it very unattractive. I personally love mine, and so does my husband!

I've got a home gym. I've literally just got the things that I need, a couple of barbell sets, a power cage and a bench. It really doesn't look much but I can glute bridge and deadlift from the floor, I can hip thrust with the bench, squat and OHP using the power cage, and I can use the bench and power cage together to…

I'm an inverted triangle (small hips) and I only get on with Sweaty Betty and Under Armour pants. Anything else just comes down - even despite having built up some butt at last. Under Armour are reasonably cheap (in UK) and they do a good selection in my size. Sweaty Betty feels much nicer somehow on the skin but they are…

I can't chose between barbell glute bridges and barbell hip thrusts! Dead lifting (more than squatting for me) comes in as the next one after those two.

Wow! Looking amazing! I have to agree with everyone else, it's literally taken 15 years off of you! Keep up the good work!

During a lift - form and breathing. Between sets of the same lift I usually stretch, so I'm focused on the stretch and the length of time that's passing. Between different lifts I usually take 5 minutes to recharge and my mind wonders. All sorts of thing really - whatever is playing on my mind at the time. I have that…

Firstly it would be really irresponsible of a PT to overload you to the point of after pain when introducing a new type of workout, so it's good that you aren't aching too much. You should be focusing on form and completing the movement safely and correctly to start with and you can increase the weight and intensity from…

Abdominal fat? Or body fat? Because the answer to that will depend on how you store your fat. Your male according to your profile (I was thrown by the username at first!) so there will be less variance with where fat is stored than on a female - I was about to launch into a massive spiel about whether you store fat on your…

I am a raw food vegan because of (medically diagnosed) digestive complications and complex allergies. My husband (who works very long hours) and child both eat 'normally'. It's totally usual for me to cook two separate meals - one of them and one for me (although no actual cooking for me!). My husband doesn't fuss at all…

I read a study somewhere (I can't find it for looking at the moment) that suggested that if you are petite then you need to add 1 point to your BMI to get a more accurate understanding of where you are on the scale. If you are tall the opposite applies, you need to subtract 1 point to get something more normal. That study…

I really struggle with shaving anywhere as my skin gets seriously irritated and makes swimming impossible. I got one of those light laser machines. It's taken off the hair where I've treated (legs, arm pits and bikini line) so I don't have to worry about shaving at all now. It was an expensive outlay (about £300 I think)…

I have to say that I disagree with the overall tone of the article. I'm definitely in the 16-19% range, if not lower, and I don't make any of the sacrifices they mention. The only bits of fat left to shed is a slight amount covering my abs, they are visible, but not as much as OP's and a little left over my glute/ham tie…

Yes, taking everything you've said at face value then it is water retention, it will pass and you don't need to be sore to experience it. I don't know your stats, but if you are lifting to improve your body composition then you now need to make a decision. What is more important to you? The number on the scales? Or the way…

So sorry OP that you are having to go through this. I had a similar situation with an ex fiance, he got caught out 3 weeks before our intended wedding, so I had a slightly luckier escape. My main advice in the short term is to protect yourself. Both emotionally and financially. My ex attempted to palm off half a massive…

I think very very few people actually turn their motivational "I wish" into an extreme obsession or expectation of achieving the un-achievable. I think it's also normal to slightly envy on occasion people who are different to you - I'm not sure that's something you can just snap out of or switch off. One of my relatives…

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-overhead-press-with-correct-technique/ There is a video on the page and from 11:14 he shows you how he sets up and then walks into the barbell. This is what I do!

I OHP using my power cage, I just line the barbell up at the right height, load the weight on, walk into the barbell, lift it off of the rack and go. I think you have outgrow the dumbells and need to move onto a barbell by the sounds of it.

I push through, I always find I feel much better for doing a proper workout than I don't. It seems to relieve the cramps and lighten my mood.

I guess I'm sat in a privileged position because I have a gym at home. But I can't work out why hip thrusting is any more embarrassing than squatting, bench pressing or anything else? I do occasionally hip thrust at my local gym if I have a PT session, it's never crossed my mind people might interpret it in any way other…

I have the opposite problem to most people. Left to my own devices I struggle to maintain a healthy weight, not helped by having digestive complications. I've been as low as BMI 17 left on my own with no exercise. I actually find that working out (all exercise but most especially lifting) increases my appetite and…