I remember after a period of *massive* unfitness the milestone that was a pull up... That was a rush and a half!
How close are you to getting 1 pull up? I would say as soon as you can do 2, start using the grease the groove method to up those numbers by doing multiple sets of 1 throughout the day, making sure you don't fail at all. If you have a bar at home, this is ideal. I went from 5 - 9 in a matter of like 2 weeks. I lost it, but I'm back on the case again!
Im pretty much convinced it will never happen . I am COMPLETELY unfit. And it will take me a long time to get there. Still workin on it though.
Im older than you kiddo I know ill get there...just saying it will take a long time...need to get rid of some of this bodyweight if I expect to lift it.
... and I older than YOU kiddo! I am in better shape now then I was at your age (although I was always slim that doesn't necessarily mean you are "fit")
LOL! I'm between the two of you but nearer KC in age. I'm also, I'm ashamed to say, in the worst shape of my life - by a LONG way
I'm older than any of you, and in miserable shape. Sigh... what a long road ahead of me. How do you lift weights when you can't even lift the weights, if that makes any sense.
As Yoda pointed out at the start.. If you can lift more than you did 3 months ago, you're doing GREAT. Plus - if the trend continues, you will ultimatley be the worlds strongest person! Dont get too hung up on the amount - its not you vs Joe or You vs the world - its You vs You - find a weight that takes some effort - but doesn't kill you! This seems good advice: http://www.teamflex.com/build_muscle/weight_training_guide.asp
I know what you mean. When I had a broken knee and my cardio was going downhill FAST I was in the same situation. You need to be able to run or bike or something to work your cardio - but I couldn't do any of it!! Same with weights, the trick is to find someone who is extremely knowledgeable and get them to adapt a program to your needs. That is what I did, otherwise it would have been a viscious circle.
As I mentioned on page 1 .... "weight training not only builds stronger muscles in us older women, but also builds stronger connective tissues and increases joint stability.... it has also been shown to ease the pain of osteo arthritis." If you need further incentives here are a few more... *Muscle strength of older women increases quickly during the initial three months of training, then plateaus. *Older women can carry out prolonged moderate to high intensity resistance training with reasonable compliance and resulting slow-and fast-twitch muscle fiber enlargement. *Exercise has shown to be an effective means of weight control by increasing energy requirements (at rest and during exercise), decreasing body fat, and maintaining metabolically active tissue in healthy older women. It doesn't matter if you're 40 years old or 75 years old. If you don't build muscle, you'll lose muscle.... it is as simple as that! Unfortunately, we cannot change the fact that we are getting older, but you can control, to some degree, the rate at which you age.... this I have found to be absolutely TRUE.... thank the lord!!! From adulthood into middle age, you do lose approx 6.6 pounds of lean muscle mass during each 10 years. Certain studies have shown that muscle mass may decline by 20% to 40% in older women. So use it or lose it!
I've recently started working on pull-ups again. I used to be able to do five underhand and 3 overhand a few years ago, but I stopped doing them after a neck injury. I tried again recently and found I can't do any!! :cry: It's partly loss of strength and partly 'cos I'm two stone heavier than I used to be. (It's all muscle, honest. ) Anyway, I've gone on a mission to get good at them again, so I started really working the lat pull-downs at the gym, moving up towards my bodyweight. I was making good progress with this, but now I've done my knee in, so I can't walk to the gym. (more :cry: ). But, I've used the sympathy vote to persuade my hubby to let me put up a pull-up bar at home ("...it wrecks the door frame...") and I've started using that, doing hangs, negatives and full-ones with my legs on a chair taking some of the weight off. The plan is to be able to do them again before I'm back training, which could be a couple of months. Anyone got any more tips for me to build up to full ones again? I'm doing a (seated) free-weights routine at the moment as well, but can't get to the gym at all. Feel free to post suggestions for a routine.
Oh, and for all you women who want to do weights and need a bit of moral support, here's the best site going: http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html I know it's been posted before, but it's worth a repeat.
http://b_movie.tripod.com/in_shape.htm On this site (scroll to the botton) ... I do pull ups as shown in the first 2 pics done on my bench (I really should get a pull-up bar but as you said GF it does wreck the door jams ) Also on that site you suggested (which I do like thanks for sharing!) .... is an exercise called "fat guy hangs" (gotta love that name )Its a grip exercise that uses your own bodyweight. Hang from a bar, grabbing it with a comfortable grip (they suggest a parallel grip, where palms are facing one another), and hang there while timing yourself. If you can get over a few minutes easily, then add some weight with a dip belt, wearing a weighted backpack, or by holding a plate between your knees. Some of the exercises on this site ....http://b_movie.tripod.com/in_shape.htm mentioned above are poorly portrayed. If anyone does try any of them do be sure never to have your front knee go past your toes.... at best they should align or knee should be behind toes so as not to injure your knees!
I can lift more than I could just one month ago...8kg is like lifting a goddamned feather, no not even that, NOTHING, and I have no more discs for the dumbbells. Soddit. I'd share information about myself, but I'm way too subjective. A friend of mine says I look like Carrie Anne Moss because of my super-hard body, but I think my ass is like pure lard. EDIT: How come this thread is open again? Did Keanu Reeves descend in his long black coat and miraculously bend MAP to his will? *goes into a reverie over Keanu*
You have KC to thank for re-opening, and me to thank for sending a drunken PM saying what a faschist she is! haha, sorry KC :Angel:
assisted chin dip machine I had an induction at the gym at work today and there's an assisted chin/dip machine (I think Tika mentioned this in an earlier post) which I have never seen before. I really want to use it but apart from what the PT instructor showed me, I am clueless. When I start using the gym this week/ next week, I want to try it. I don't know if you can just use the equipment without weights. Any advice much appreciated!
I used an assisted chin and dip m/c at the gym I used to go to. If you weren't shown it, the thing is the higher the weight the easier it will be. So you'll want to start this one off quite high. Not so sure about the other ones. Just ask one of the assistants for help. They should be more that happy to give advice about each machine.
