////// The door in my wardrobe*

// Training report

Posted on | April 6, 2010 | 5 Comments

My fitness project goes on pretty decently… …on the end of February / beginning of March I had a short period of not-that-regular exercise, but otherwise everything has gone really well. On the last weeks I have even lost some weight, and it is surprising how soon it affects to images. Or actually selecting the images; there are less and less those ones on which I look like grounded whale. Actually almost all front and back images are usable now (excluding the ones I have the infamous zombie face — for amateur model it is surprisingly difficult to remember that it actually helps to have some sort of expression going on on face when shooting) — but my side profile could still use some reduction, haha!

In my case I guess that the last step necessary to really see some results was cutting down the wine consumption, dramatically. On the best case that will affect positively to my chronic condition, too.

I have also adjusted the amounts of interval training vs. weight training in favor of intervals… …I realized that my weakness truly is the aerobic condition and for my well being it might pay off to focus to that for a while. Plus the cross trainer machine is gentle enough for my knees and hips, even if they have slight inflammation action going on.

Now I’m planning to have two intensive months with four days training cycle: intervals, weight training, intervals, rest. When the weather gets better I might even take the aerobics outside for some variation. And on the end of May I will critically evaluate the results.

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Posted on | April 6, 2010 | 5 Comments

// The first month of training

Posted on | February 1, 2010 | 21 Comments

This month has been actually pretty good. I have accomplished my goal to set up a regular training routine — and have not slipped from that. oh, actually I had one longer break than I had planned, my knee got quite swollen and I had to wait it to calm down for three day instead of the planned one.

On February I will continue with the routine, progressing slowly with weights and making my cardio sessions gradually more demanding by adding some more interval cycles (all my cardio training is interval training — and there is not that much of it). But the main focus for the beginning month will be on diet — and I’m expecting to see some visible changes in the end of February.

I have been on my lowest adult weight with relatively low carb diet — and because controlling the intake of both sugar and starch is pretty hard for me (it feels like my natural sense of feeling full and satiated vanishes with high carb diet) that’s the way to go again. Beverages are not huge problem for me, I drink water, coffee and wine — but the wine consumption should be kept in control. One glass in a day is perfectly fine, though!

Image is from GI Jane, not the ultimate accomplishment in the field of movie artistry — but I find training imagery of it quite inspiring, both aesthetically and in the sense that I have never been the dancing-in-nice-clothes –kind of girl, it’s a relief to see options for that, once and then.

I wish I could have my sessions in pared down space where natural light plays with concrete and steel surfaces, worn down barbell plates giving the only color. But no, my gym is on cellar. I really, really like it, though!

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Posted on | February 1, 2010 | 21 Comments

// Exercise program

Posted on | January 17, 2010 | 8 Comments

Yep, one of my New Year resolutions was about exercise, how original. Anyhow I have been able to starting a consistent program — and I’m planning on staying this track, I’m feeling the benefits already.

My program is built around weight training. This little over two first weeks of this year I have gradually run towards exercise in every other day. And from now on I’m planning to have four day training cycles: weight train, aerobics, weight train, rest. Although I’m certainly not a morning person I like to exercise at morning or daytime. Evening sessions destroy my sleeping patterns. Fortunately my workplace has a gym — plus the atmosphere is very encouraging for us to actually exercise — and there is another very nice gym just one block away from my home. I’m conveniently using those both.

My program is fairly simple, and I have few goals. The main goal over time is fat loss, and the weight training sessions are designed for that, overall. The first weight train session is a metabolic workout, meaning a circuit training, the aim is to keep the pulse relatively high during the whole workout. I’m doing four circuits of five exercises with 12 repeats per exercise, under 2 min rests between circuits.

The other workout is more strength intensive, but even with this I want to keep both the intensity and the workload high, so that it really gives a metabolic boost. I’m doing 5 – 6 exercises, 6 repeats per exercise and five sets of those. And only half minute rest between sets.

My condition (arthritis) limits effectively all jumping and running, but fortunately there are many good options that do not involve too heavy knee & hip impact for my aerobics sessions: rowing, uphill walking, crosstrainer machines, cycling. Would love to swim, too, but that will happen only occasionally, I don’t have a pool conveniently nearby home or workplace. I’m planning on doing some sort of interval training, but back to that later.

I have quite long experience in weight training — and I know what I want to accomplish with it. I’m using free weights — in circuit even some bodyweight only exercises, and I want to target specifically to glutes (I have wide hips, but my glutes certainly lack roundness) and posture, the latter means some core activating work and upper back exercises. Core activation in my case is not necessarily anything pilates-like. Multi-joint movements with free weights, specifically unilateral ones activate core muscles like nothing else (deadlift variations, squat & lunge variations). I favor lunges over squats, just because I feel that over time it gives better results with “joint support” (don’t know if there is anything scientific behind that, but I feel that the extra challenge with balance yields to more stable joint areas) and the loads (weights) can be smaller, so the strain peaks for joints might be smaller than with squats. I might be wrong though, this is just how I feel, with my experience and this damn condition.

I have been curious why my glute area is so underdeveloped and found one article that might be quite useful for all people doing seated work — and feeling that their *ahem* posterior chain muscle groups could use some extra attention. Glutes that are in stretched position all day long, days after days might lose their ability to “fire” completely, the nerve impulses do not create the proper activation of the whole big muscle. That is exactly what has happened to me… …I’m starting my weight train sessions now with those simple activation exercises presented in that article. BTW the whole site is a treasure trove for decent training information, although the focus is strongly in athlete, body building and figure competition training. And they sell nutritional supplements. And I find the images of girls in microscopic bikinis, fake boobs and extremely low bodyfat levels quite disturbing (disclaimer added after re-reading the post: I don’t have a problem with athletic female build… …but I really don’t understand the connection between these sports and soft porn like imagery. Oh well, that is not the only thing in this world I’m not able to understand).

Right now I can feel already some positive changes in my energy levels, also I’m sleeping better than in long time. Bad thing is that my appetite has increased tremendously — but this is familiar phenomena for me and after few weeks it will be possible to control the energy intake… …now I just try to establish the exercise habit.

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Posted on | January 17, 2010 | 8 Comments

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