Friday check--another busy day here!

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Registered: 03-19-2003
Friday check--another busy day here!
1
Fri, 07-09-2004 - 4:49pm

Another busy day to go along with the busy week. Got out early to teach the body sculpting class this morning and rushed home for a furniture delivery that was supposed to be between 9 and 1. It came about 10...whew! Unfortunately, the wrong couch was delivered and had to go back. Then I had to go to the store and order the right one since I refused delivery. The sales rep said what I wanted wasn't available and I said it was impossible since I saw the picture of it. Of course I found it and it is available and now I have my fingers crossed that it comes in right this next time.


Been cooking most of the day besides some cleaning, but moving slowly since we didn't get home until 12:30 am from the Yankee game and I had to get up at 7 to teach. The traffic was unbearable both directions but the Yankees won and niece, as well as the rest of us, had a really nice time. Ended up taking my car and putting 120 miles on it because son in law got here to pick us up with a flat tire. Oh, well. Good thing I planned ahead and had a full tank of gas.


I am planning a trip to NC again and will be gone from 7/21 to 7/27. Niece can't wait to go and see DS and his family. I was on the phone a lot today trying to get coverage for my classes and I can't believe that I was able to do it in one day. First time that ever happened.


Nothing planned this weekend so maybe I can catch up on some posts tomorrow.


Have a super weekend all.


Grace


cl-grace_50 

fitness4health@yahoo.com

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-21-2003
Fri, 07-09-2004 - 5:09pm
So I met with my Personal Trainer for the 2nd time today for Lowerbody work.

We started with DB "shoulder carry" squats (basically holding DBs up on your shoulders while doing a squat). I asked if we could try working on front squats next week - I want to try to use those for at home but need some help on it. Apparently, I was fine on my form on squats - he didn't have much comment. We talked about my foot position a bit to make sure my knees were tracking properly, and he reminded me not to lean forward once when my form was starting to lose it... next week, we'll work on back squats. I did comment that my biggest problem with these was that my arms were giving out holding the DBs...

Apparently he's setting me up to have one heavy squat/light deadlift alternating with light squat/heavy deadlift day each week.

Then we progressed to deadlifts. He had me do 45# for 12 reps for warmup. THen 55 # X 10, then 65# and said to go for 6-8 reps. Since I wasn't counting, he laughed and said "you could have stopped two reps ago" and teased me about showing off. ;-) I was in the groove and hadn't heard him say stop. So I did 10 reps of 65#. Next time we'll work a bit heavier. We tried both narrow stance and wider stance... I was getting a pinch in my kneecap on the narrow stance so he agreed to let me move back to my normal wider stance that I've been doing. The only comment he had was to keep the bar closer to my shins.

Then we moved to step-ups. ICK. We ended up doing it on a step, and I did 2 sets of 8 but I hated it. It was really hard for me - my quads are *not* my strongest muscle... They reminded me of lunges - which I also loathe.

After those, we did single-leg squats. He asked where my balance had gone... I said that the squats and deadlifts had stolen them clean away and that this is why I usually do minimal stuff after either one... It took a bit to figure out how to get the muscles to work on these... finally did figure them out enough to do 2 sets of 8 but, ick.

Last leg exercise was single leg calf raises - which I cranked out with no problem. He suggested adding a dumbbell to increase resistance. I agreed.

Then we moved to some core work. He had me do something called "quadruped" which is back strengthener - start on all fours with flat back, then lift left arm and right leg, hold, lower. Each lift and lower is a rep. After a set, you switch sides. I did a set of 15 on each side... I've done these before and like them.

He had me do crunches on a stability ball. It was okay once I got used to being on the ball. I don't see it as being particularly better than just doing them on the floor. The ball was kinda nice for a stretch first - I did a backbend over it to stretch out my back - that felt good. I used to do backbends over my piano bench when I was young. So I did 2 sets of 15 crunches. And explained that I normally am fine on crunches - that Monday's test was *not* my norm...

He then had me do something he called "long lever crunch" where you put your legs up along the wall with your butt right up close to the wall, then reach with your hand toward the opposite foot. It works the obliques. I did a set of 15 on each side.

Lastly, he showed me two stretches. One was for my hamstrings - he started trying me doing them on my back and that did *NOT* work. I've *never* been able to stretch my hams easily and there's only one position (standing and using pelvic tilt to get to the hams) that allows me to actually stretch the hams. So he had me get in that position, and then, after my hams were stretching, turn my toes inward! It puts a really interesting twist on the stretch that I can feel all the way from the knee to the hip. Kewl!

The second stretch was for my achilles tendon - my ankles are *TERRIBLY* tight, even after years of working on stretching them. (I even almost had surgery as a child because of my tight foot and ankle muscles.) But, this was a *great* stretch - it uses the weight bench - the anglebracket that stabilizes the weight bench - put my foot on one of those, which are already at a nice diagonal, then pull myself forward to vertical. WOW what a stretch!

I was impressed at how well he had pinpointed my weakspots and come up with things that should be available at any gym for me to work on those things. I was also please to see that I'm better at some lifts than he expected. And apparently, my form ain't too bad. Which is the best news of all!