Food & Exercise -- 3/12/2004

Food:

8:30 (home): 2 poached eggs on 1 slice whole wheat toast w/ 3 slices
melted f/f cheese

12:00 (driving to gym): energy bar

2:30 (gym cafe, after workout): meal replacement shake {Didn't do too
well eating earlier in the day.}

8:00 (home): 106g grilled sirloin steak; 154g baked sweet potato

still to come before bedtime: creatine; 1 1/4 cup f/f cottage cheese
w/ some zero-calorie chocolate syrup

Totals: 1431 calories, 24g fat (15%), 167g carbs (47%), 129g protein
(36%)

1:00 -- Exercise:

Bench: 1x10x45; 1x10x65; 1x5x85; 1x3x85 fast; 1x5x105; 2x5x115;
1x5x135 (with some help on the last couple of reps); 1x3x95 with a
pause {Definitely my best bench day in a long time -- since I hurt my
shoulder and lost all the weight. I am pretty confident of a
bodyweight bench sometime this year.}

Power snatch: 2x5 w/ broomstick; 4x5x15kg/33lbs; 4x4x20/44 -- plus
some occasional overhead squats

Chris
262/159/ (holding in 152-165 weight class)

Chris Braun wrote:

still to come before bedtime: creatine; 1 1/4 cup f/f cottage cheese
w/ some zero-calorie chocolate syrup

What's up with the creatine? I took some when I had been weight-lifting
maybe three or four months. It really freaked me out to gain five to
ten pounds! I mean, REALLY freaked me out, even though I knew it was a
side effect and I knew it was water and I knew it would go away when I
went off the creatine. I didn't see any difference in my gains and
every time I went back on it (I did this about three times) I always
freaked the exact same way.

So, what's in it for you that's worth seeing the scale rise?

BTW, I weighed in at the gym this afternoon AFTER my workout and sauna
at 179. Earlier in the week I came in at 182.5. Yes, I know I
thoroughly dehydrated myself. Doesn't matter, see the above creatine
story: the low number is good enough for me! The last time I was in the
170's was before getting pregnant 14 years ago. (And I was larger then.
I suspect my wedding dress would be a bit loose on me if I tried it on
right now, although I'm about 8 pounds heavier than I was when I got
married.)

Bench: 1x10x45; 1x10x65; 1x5x85; 1x3x85 fast; 1x5x105; 2x5x115;
1x5x135 (with some help on the last couple of reps); 1x3x95 with a
pause {Definitely my best bench day in a long time -- since I hurt my
shoulder and lost all the weight. I am pretty confident of a
bodyweight bench sometime this year.}

This is fantastic. I'm hoping to break 100x5 soon. I was getting close
when I hurt my shoulder and it still isn't 100%, but I feel okay (just
maybe a twinge) after doing 80x5x2 today.

I've come back to working on my assisted chin-ups. I tried -50 the
other day and I eeked out two reps, so today I tried -30 and sank like a
stone and maybe only got 3/4 up on one rep. (I think I could have done
better but I was busy falling at the time.) I've also added negatives
back into my assisted chins. (Well, that -30 pretty much WAS a
negative.) :-)

Dally
244/179/170

On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 03:11:00 GMT, Chris Braun
wrote:

still to come before bedtime: creatine; 1 1/4 cup f/f cottage cheese
w/ some zero-calorie chocolate syrup

Totals: 1431 calories, 24g fat (15%), 167g carbs (47%), 129g protein
(36%)

As an update, I skipped the cottage cheese because I wasn't hungry for
it. So the updated totals a

1231 calories, 24g fat (18%), 149g carbs (48%), 97g protein (31%)

This is a bit light for the day, but I have a wine dinner tonight and
a tasting tomorrow night, so I'll make up for it.

Chris

On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 00:08:19 -0500, Dally wrote:

Chris Braun wrote:

still to come before bedtime: creatine; 1 1/4 cup f/f cottage cheese
w/ some zero-calorie chocolate syrup

What's up with the creatine? I took some when I had been weight-lifting
maybe three or four months. It really freaked me out to gain five to
ten pounds! I mean, REALLY freaked me out, even though I knew it was a
side effect and I knew it was water and I knew it would go away when I
went off the creatine. I didn't see any difference in my gains and
every time I went back on it (I did this about three times) I always
freaked the exact same way.

So, what's in it for you that's worth seeing the scale rise?

Well, I am training for the National Masters meet on April 2, so I
want to build the most strength I can in that time. I don't gain as
much water weight with creatine as some people; I'd say it has been
around 4 lbs. this time. And I know it works that way, so it doesn't
freak me out. I know I can go off it if I need to in order to make
weight for the meet, but I don't expect that to be an issue.

Ahmed's recommendation for creatine use is 2 weeks on, 5 days off. So
I will go off next week Monday through Friday, then back on through
the meet day. He also recommends going in the sauna each day during
those 5 days to get the creatine out of one's system, so I will do
that.

Some people don't seem to respond to creatine, but I find that I do.
I've had very strong workouts this week.


BTW, I weighed in at the gym this afternoon AFTER my workout and sauna
at 179. Earlier in the week I came in at 182.5. Yes, I know I
thoroughly dehydrated myself. Doesn't matter, see the above creatine
story: the low number is good enough for me! The last time I was in the
170's was before getting pregnant 14 years ago. (And I was larger then.
I suspect my wedding dress would be a bit loose on me if I tried it on
right now, although I'm about 8 pounds heavier than I was when I got
married.)

Congratulations! I don't see anything wrong with going by the lowest
number you see, as long as you know what's going on. When I was
working on making weight for the meet last month, I cut back on sodium
for a week and did some extra steam room time. I was surprised how
much the scale went down doing that. I am getting more used to the
range of hydration and the affect on the scale, and don't worry so
much about the numbers any more.


Bench: 1x10x45; 1x10x65; 1x5x85; 1x3x85 fast; 1x5x105; 2x5x115;
1x5x135 (with some help on the last couple of reps); 1x3x95 with a
pause {Definitely my best bench day in a long time -- since I hurt my
shoulder and lost all the weight. I am pretty confident of a
bodyweight bench sometime this year.}

This is fantastic. I'm hoping to break 100x5 soon. I was getting close
when I hurt my shoulder and it still isn't 100%, but I feel okay (just
maybe a twinge) after doing 80x5x2 today.

Well, I think the creatine is helping :-).

I've come back to working on my assisted chin-ups. I tried -50 the
other day and I eeked out two reps, so today I tried -30 and sank like a
stone and maybe only got 3/4 up on one rep. (I think I could have done
better but I was busy falling at the time.) I've also added negatives
back into my assisted chins. (Well, that -30 pretty much WAS a
negative.) :-)

On a good day I can do one rep with -20. I can do pretty good
negatives now, and can get a pretty decent hang. I can do 10 reps at
-60. Not surprisingly, lower bodyweight makes a huge difference in
this :-).

Chris
262/159/ (holding in 152-165 weight class)

Chris Braun wrote:

On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 00:08:19 -0500, Dally wrote:

I've come back to working on my assisted chin-ups. I tried -50 the
other day and I eeked out two reps, so today I tried -30 and sank like a
stone and maybe only got 3/4 up on one rep. (I think I could have done
better but I was busy falling at the time.) I've also added negatives
back into my assisted chins. (Well, that -30 pretty much WAS a
negative.) :-)


On a good day I can do one rep with -20. I can do pretty good
negatives now, and can get a pretty decent hang. I can do 10 reps at
-60. Not surprisingly, lower bodyweight makes a huge difference in
this :-).

LOL, you know, I hadn't thought of that! I was being proud of myself
for how easy reps had gotten at -90 when that used to be my 5RM. But
I've lost 10 pounds since then!

Dally

On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 09:22:50 -0500, Dally wrote:

Chris Braun wrote:

On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 00:08:19 -0500, Dally wrote:

I've come back to working on my assisted chin-ups. I tried -50 the
other day and I eeked out two reps, so today I tried -30 and sank like a
stone and maybe only got 3/4 up on one rep. (I think I could have done
better but I was busy falling at the time.) I've also added negatives
back into my assisted chins. (Well, that -30 pretty much WAS a
negative.) :-)


On a good day I can do one rep with -20. I can do pretty good
negatives now, and can get a pretty decent hang. I can do 10 reps at
-60. Not surprisingly, lower bodyweight makes a huge difference in
this :-).

LOL, you know, I hadn't thought of that! I was being proud of myself
for how easy reps had gotten at -90 when that used to be my 5RM. But
I've lost 10 pounds since then!

Dally

You've given me hope here - nearly all my surplus weight is below my
waist - in fact I look quite scawny enough round the neck, collarbone
and ribs for my liking already. Yet I'm disappointed that I still
can't get up unaided if I squat down so that I'm sitting on my heels,
as it were. I either have to hold on to something or somebody, or go
onto my hands and knees and get up from there.
I've always felt that it should get easier as I lose more lower body
weight, but I guess part of it is that my thigh muscles aren't strong
enough to lift my weight.
I realise to some of you this will sound very pathetic

janice (who doesn't do weights or squats or anything like that)
233/177/133

janice wrote:

I've always felt that it should get easier as I lose more lower body
weight, but I guess part of it is that my thigh muscles aren't strong
enough to lift my weight.

Yet. This is completely fixable, and will have many dividends you
aren't expecting. For example, strengthening the quadricep makes knee
injury much less likely. I'm also confident that it prevents falls, and
it also protects my back because I am more likely to squat down to pick
things up than to bend over to do it.

I realise to some of you this will sound very pathetic

Nah, it sounds normal. Realizing you have a problem is the first step
towards solving it!

janice (who doesn't do weights or squats or anything like that)

Do you have a Swiss Ball (exercise ball?) A great way to start squats
is to put one behind your back between you and a wall and squat down
while the ball rolls up your back supporting you. See what I'm talking
about (they call it a "wall slide") at
http://www.ptstrategies.com/exercises/SwissBallex.html

Dally

On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 15:01:29 +0000, (janice) wrote:


You've given me hope here - nearly all my surplus weight is below my
waist - in fact I look quite scawny enough round the neck, collarbone
and ribs for my liking already. Yet I'm disappointed that I still
can't get up unaided if I squat down so that I'm sitting on my heels,
as it were. I either have to hold on to something or somebody, or go
onto my hands and knees and get up from there.
I've always felt that it should get easier as I lose more lower body
weight, but I guess part of it is that my thigh muscles aren't strong
enough to lift my weight.
I realise to some of you this will sound very pathetic

Janice, I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't more a form issue than a
weight issue. If you have contact with any (competent :-) ) trainers,
maybe you could get someone to look at how you're doing it. You need
to have your weight balanced right and push your heels down. But it's
hard to describe. You might try practicing by sitting on
progressively lower things and getting up from them without using your
hands -- like a stairstep, for example.

On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 10:12:22 -0500, Dally wrote:

janice wrote:

I've always felt that it should get easier as I lose more lower body
weight, but I guess part of it is that my thigh muscles aren't strong
enough to lift my weight.

Yet. This is completely fixable, and will have many dividends you
aren't expecting. For example, strengthening the quadricep makes knee
injury much less likely. I'm also confident that it prevents falls, and
it also protects my back because I am more likely to squat down to pick
things up than to bend over to do it.

I realise to some of you this will sound very pathetic

Nah, it sounds normal. Realizing you have a problem is the first step
towards solving it!

janice (who doesn't do weights or squats or anything like that)

Do you have a Swiss Ball (exercise ball?) A great way to start squats
is to put one behind your back between you and a wall and squat down
while the ball rolls up your back supporting you. See what I'm talking
about (they call it a "wall slide") at
http://www.ptstrategies.com/exercises/SwissBallex.html

Dally

Thanks for the encouragement Dally. I resolve to work on certain
muscles to try and make a difference before I've finished losing
weight. I already notice a great improvement in my balance when I
lose weight, but some other benefits are yet to come I guess.

janice
233/177/133

I do the wall slides, as I can't do "real" squats.
It works my quads and butt wonderfully.

"Dally" wrote in message news:c2v8cq$22hgq7

Do you have a Swiss Ball (exercise ball?) A great way to start squats
is to put one behind your back between you and a wall and squat down
while the ball rolls up your back supporting you. See what I'm talking
about (they call it a "wall slide") at
http://www.ptstrategies.com/exercises/SwissBallex.html

Dally