Gym is Open (Friday 5/16)

The gym is open!  Come on in! What did you do to move your body today? Kix

No gym for me this morning since I'm working from home..... However I have found a local Laundrymat that has free Wi-Fi so I'll be working and doing my laundry too..... LMAO

25 minutes on treadmill.  Average speed was 2.5 mph; average incline was 4.5.  I did the forest pattern which is like a stepping stone pyramid.  You do lower incline for 20% of your time, then it increases for the next 20%, then increases next 20%, then decreases, decreases.  I was sweating my butt off. Then did 30 minutes upper body.  The fitness director was doing her killer awesome total body workout (that's what she calls it) and I told her she'd have to pick me up off the ground if I tried it.  She uses 20 pound weights in both arms and does bicep curls while doing almost lunges (not quite) across the gym floor.  She's really looking good after doing this for a month.   She looked at me and said when was I going to increase my weight because I was looking too smooth with my workout.  So we chatted about it a bit because I resisted.  I didn't want to increase weight with 3 sets.  She told me to drop down a set.  So on Monday, I'll be grunting through my workout as I'll be increasing weight.  I'm not looking to the soreness! Felt good for her to notice today.  And more and more people are talking to me in the gym.  I'm usually jamming to my IPOD and don't talk much but I'm coming out of my fear zone of being the fatty at the gym.  Sorry if that offends anyone, but I've always called myself that.  I never said I was overweight,  I always said fat.

You go, girl!   The fitness director is right about the weights, but I suspect you already know that.  If you can do three sets of 15 and your muscles aren't really fatigued by the end of the last set, it's time to bump up the weight.  If possible, you want to increase what you're lifting by about 10% (can't always do exactly 10% because of the size of the weights that are available, so do whatever's closest).   Anyway, when you bump up the weight, reduce the number of sets and the number of reps for the first few weeks.  Over time, you want to work back up to being able to do three sets of 15 with the new higher weight.  And when you've been able to do that consistently for 2-3 weeks, it's time to bump the weight up another 10%, bring the number of sets and reps back down, then repeat the cycle.  Eventually you'll reach a maximum weight that's comfortable for you, and then you can look at other ways to change up your strength training routine so you continue to see improvement (basically using different exercises for the same muscle groups).  I bet the fitness director can help you out when that time comes!!!   As far as being the fatty at the gym, girl that was me too!!!  Now I'm the one everyone knows, even if we just give nod at each other!  Heck, even some of the big burly weight lifting guys have started talking to me; one of them even told me I was looking great a few weeks ago. I thought I might faint - big, bulky handsome weightlifting guy noticed me, when I'm all sweaty and looking like crap.  Hey, this must really be working Anyway, keep up the great work and let me know how your session goes when you bump up your weights!!!  Trust me that you really will continue to see improvement if you follow this routine!  Kellie

got up at three and did aerobics and have walked around at work not quite as good moving as you guys but getting there

I am going to try intervals for 40 minutes on the treadmill tonight.  I'll alternate between 2% and 6% incline, try to keep my speed around 2.5.  If its not real busy I'll do some machines too, but sometimes its getting crowded in the evenings and I'm still kind of embarrassed to be there (boo).  I had a terrible headache last night, and I'm still feeling the after twinges today.