Scaleless in Seattle. (har har) I am still weighing myself, but giving myself permission to not post it publicly. I am stuck, stuck, stuck. However, since I am predicting the month of September to be funeral and crisis free, I expect to get to the gym 4-5 days a week, plan meals and return my body to its regularly scheduled programming.
I only have one more session with Cindy the Trainer next week. I would absolutely recommend signing up for sessions to anyone. Provided, of course, that you can have someone who is a perfect combination of hard-ass serious and friendly with a humorous personality. Of course, the monetary cost is significant, but the fact that I have learned a routine that I can keep up for myself, is so fantastic. Here are some tidbits that I have found to be the most helpful.
- Remember my summer arm campaign? Endless upward presses and triceps rowing, etc? Biceps and triceps are small muscle groups. Best to work large muscle groups. I always avoided the machines that advertised back muscle focus. Wrong! I'll be building muscle mass, while still engaging those small muscle groups. Neat!
- Cable machines have a happy balance between free weights and nautilus machines. You need to control the weight and the movement more, as with a free weight, which engages your core, and small muscle groups. Nautilus machines target one small muscle area. Nautilus is best for women when they are just starting weight training, and beginning to build their strength up.
- Cindy put together a routine that alternates between arms/chest/back and legs/core, so I get a full body work out in one hour. She pointed out that many people alternate their exercise to be upper one day, lower the next, but this means you would have to come to the gym 6 times a week to work that part of their body 3 times a week. She's a genius! Alternating is still effective, but not as efficient, in my book.
- Plie squats will work you inner thigh.
- Think about pushing your butt backwards when going to do a squat, it will keep your knees out of the danger zone, which is going over your toes.
I'm sore today, but not unbearably so. The best part about this routine? Super challenging, but also I love that I get to take a rest day from strength training in-between. I had been in a routine of cardio then weights every day, and obviously they were not that effective. Operation smaller pants, it's on!
