Nadoriel and her Chamber of Secrets

[Nadoriel]

She walked slowly, intentively, through the dark chambers of her dungeon. She could hear faint noises, not far away, like something sliding gently on the ground. The basilisk was awake then, she would have to find something to feed him, soon.
 
She retrieved her diary back from her leather carrier bag and opened it in the middle: the pages were white, but soon, letters started to appear in bloody red saying: "Wait what? this is the wrong story!! Why am I here?"
 

 

Aahh, I was a Harry Potter fan, but this is not even my favourite of the books Definitely not the last though!! Just thought the title sounded well.
 
Right, I've already got a challenge but that doesn't reflect even half (okay, probably half) of what I'm doing fitness wise. So I thought... why not? A daily, or almost daily log of my workouts, and see the progress.
 
A bit of a summary: I've always been overweight. All my childhood. At first, no problems, then I was teased about it. I always had problems with it and would daydream of magic to save me. Tried lots of bullshit diets, my parents being the ones encouraging me to drop calorie intake (though at the time I didn't even know what a calorie was). During nursing degree put on 10kg before it was found I had hypothyroidism. Managed to lose a bit, but not all.
 
Finished nursing degree, came to UK and found a job. Weird thing is... even though I walked and cycled to work I managed to put on 10kg. Decided it was time to change, and change it right. That was around 1 year and half ago. My weight? Lost those 10kg, still weighing more than during my adolescence, but looking way better. And I'm not done yet!
 
My current stats:
Measurements:
Waist: 71cm.
Abdomen: 78cm.
Hips: 88cm.
Thigh: 59cm.
Calf: 36cm.
Upper arm: 27.5cm

Weight: 
67.2kg

 

I do Stronglifts 2x a week usually:

Deadlift: 60kg

Squat: 57.5kg

Bench press: 32.5kg

Overhead press: 22.5kg

Bentley row: 35kg

Dips: around 20 per session atm

 

Bodyweight workout:

I've been doing Al Kavadlo's routine, then Nia Shank's Badass Get strong bodyweight workout but i'm going to start doing Start Bodyweight workout routine.

 

In between I also do:

Headstands (mostly wall based), trying to keep crow pose for more than a few seconds, full bridge and now training for the splits again. Basically a mix of everything and I keep adding and taking stuff out.

 

I'm also trying to include proper yoga in my days instead of just random poses.

 

And that's it folks!! Hopefully will be keeping almost daily updates starting today after the workouts!

[TMedina]

Good luck with your challenges!

[Nadoriel]

And like I said, starting today. Was a bit lazy today actually, it's a terrible weather today and I came from the 2nd night shift. Lucky me, the 2nd out of 2   So i have a few days to rest and... I'm really tired actually I'll stick to that and exercise.

 

Did yoga workout 2 of the 30 days yoga challenge of DoYouYoga. I dunno what to think about it yet. It seems like it doesn't take enough from me, it's too simple? (yet again, I still can't do a proper downward dog with heels on the floor. My flexibility sucks).

 

Then started with Start Bodyweight workout:

3x4 assisted pistols (on top of a coffee table - I'm working on a video progression to pistols, right now I'm just balancing my "lifted" leg around while i squat)

3x4 eccentric pull-ups

3x4 decline pike push ups

3x4 hanging knee raises

3x4 elbows in push ups (tried diamond but I can fully get my hands together)

3x4 inverted rows, straight legs

35s plank

 

After that I worked around 15 to 20 minutes on several poses:

Crow pose: I keep trying but can only hold a few seconds before losing balance. I can't even wear trousers because my legs slip. I dunno. Just can't get the hang of it.

Headstands: Did a few using the wall and different starting positions, then managed 2 tries from tripod (next to a wall for confidence but without touching it) just lifting my legs into full headstand for a few seconds.

Handstands: I'm trying to avoid the normal posture error, so I'm getting my hands on the floor, feet on the wall and slowly crawling myself up. I'm still a bit afraid and I can't do a proper handstand, I just get on a diagonal, but hopefully will make my life easier when I try a full handstand without a wall.

Full bridge: just because my back was pushing up a bit.

 

Then I did around 40min yoga with Yogi Nora Flow Class for beginners and intermediate. Didn't really feel like meditating for 10 minutes more at the end. She is intense, I really liked this workout!!

 

And that's it for today, I still have to think about something for dinner and yeahh... It's really cold.

[TMedina]

Yoga is another one of those "what's your focus" areas - some yoga styles emphasize developing flexibility, while another focuses on strength.

 

If the "Do You Do Yoga" brand doesn't work for you, there are other options to explore as well.

[Nadoriel]

I'm working on both flexibility and strength. But yeah I prefer the flexibility separate I think, like greasing the groove for flexibility. I tried splits again today (will do it every day if possible) and I definitely came down further.

 

But it's different if you are trying to get a proper sense of workout. They have really hard and strengthening positions in yoga and I can't wait to do them properly. Yogi Nori definitely made my thighs hurt and those planks.. oooh. 

[Nadoriel]

Today was gym day! (yes, because this month is paid anyway)

 

Squats: 60kg

Bench press: 35kg

Bentley row: 37.5kg

 

Dips: 21, though I just realised that following start bodyweight, mines are just half dips. I get parallel only. Might decrease the number and try to go deeper next time.

 

Then I cycled for around 50 minutes because I was looking for an outside gym. I thought that an outside gym would be awesome to start parkour training except that.... that place was really creepy and isolated and everything else is further away. To be honest, a 40 minute cycle every day just to get to an outside gym was already out of question, unless it was reaaally good.

 

I'll be going to Portugal in about a week or so and I live near a sweet outside gym, so I'll probably take my parkour training there. Well that and the bodyweight training.

 

Then I did challenge 3 of Do You Yoga and it was better, just super quick, so next I did Gentle Flow Yoga of Sun Salutes and very big tittle of Yogi Nora. And after that, tried the splits again, though I was fairly cold so I didn't seem to go further.

 

Either my house or just me are freezing cold. There's like this stormy wind and rain outside and it's getting on my nerves (second day on a row). I can't sit on the couch for too long or I just freeze. Yes, the heaters are on. Maybe it's just me :/

[Nadoriel]

Today is going to be officially my rest day. I feel sore almost everywhere, to the point I just look at the pull up bar and think "no.. I really don't feel like it anymore". It's not very intense soreness, but it's around my shoulders, back and legs... I blame the yoga really xD I feel fitter and stretchier... just sore. Well, been training for 3 days in a row at least.. gotta give it a rest. Anyway:

 

I did day 4 of DoYouYoga (which killed my abs.. didn't think I was that bad), then around 20-30 minutes of headstands/splits/crow pose training/L sit progression (really at the beginning). 

 

Then after lunch I went for a walk and re"found" this amazing park near the hospital I work. It's awesome for some light parkour training. So I tried to put my shame/embarrassment aside and did a few things:

- Different vaults on small obstacles (managed to increase a bit the height and length, but not too much). Only from standing position.

 

- Jumps to small obstacles (well... it was big enough I couldn't jump right to the top, just get my feet in there and jump back quickly). I really need to jump higher.. not sure how.

 

- Rolls. I can roll easily on my left... but I'm scared to death to do it on my right. Dunno why. But during that time there was a bunch of kids around and I was really embarrassed to try it on the right :/ so I didn't. But I'm pretty secure on my left roll on grass and cement from standing position.

 

I found this parkour group of Southampton on facebook but they haven't accepted me yet, so it might be outdated. There's nothing else on the internet.. Well except some gym classes but it's kinda far away from me and really late at night... I don't feel safe at all cycling at night to that place.

[Nadoriel]

Right, last day of workout of the week. Tomorrow is a full long day at work and I usually don't do anything else at home.

 

So.. started with the 5ht day challenge of DoYouYoga.

Then 1h25 minutes of power yoga with Yogi Nora (I felt mush afterwards...)

 

Then.. my olympic rings arrived!!! I can barely get myself up onto them, so I can't see anything more than 1 dip if I actually manage... 

 

Then in the afternoon:

Start Bodyweight workout:

5x4x4 assisted pistols (back to holding myself - now onto my rings - then slowly going down and up)

5x4x4 eccentric pull-ups (that was hard.. I put the bar really up in the door.. even when I jump I barely get my chin up the bar)

5x4x4 decline pike push ups (getting easier)

5x4x4 hanging knee raises (had this weird burning pain on my left elbow... at the end I was just hanging from my shoulders in the rings and pushing my legs up.. dunno why!!)

5x4x4 elbows in push ups

5x4x4 inverted rows, straight legs (the rings were amazing )

40s plank

 

might try headstands and crow pose at the end of the day... I dunno.

 

That's it folks!

[Nadoriel]

Right.. yesterday was a long day at work. So I worked and walked loads. Did my 15k steps a day. And my back was hurting from turning everyone. I mean serious, why do they always leave me alone in the acute bay? -.-

 

Anyways... today I'm gonna start night shifts... so exercise wise I:

 

Yoga:

Irene Pappas beginner yoga routine: 50 minutes 

 

Start Bodyweight workout:

5x5x4 assisted pistols

5x5x4 eccentric pull-ups 

5x5x4 decline pike push ups

5x5x4 rings knee raises (because my left arm still hurts when fully straight, like hanging or on full bridge)

4x4x4 eccentric ring dips

5x5x4 inverted rows, straight legs

50s plank

 

then tried a few headstands and splits for like... 10 minutes because I was starving and stopped.

[Nadoriel]

Uff, busy week! But managed to do my bodyweight workout today, plus... in Portugal I have a beanbag and manage to train headstands without a wall and much less frightened of falling

 

Start Bodyweight workout:

5x5x5 assisted pistols

5x5x5 eccentric pull-ups

5x5x5 decline pike push ups

5x5x5 hanging knee raises

5x5x4 elbows in push ups

5x5x5 inverted rows, straight legs

60s plank (time to level up the planks!)

 

Then I did some headstands for around 15 minutes, training different variations and ways of lifting my legs up.

[Nadoriel]

So.. yesterday was y birthday and I had so much to cook.. so I didn't workout too much, only 50 minutes of level 1 yoga with Irene Pappas. She's really cool and even though yesterday was pretty much back bends, she always gives a few minutes to try and do whatever we want. Unfortunately as I fell from my bike on the 22nd, my right knee hurts and didn't try out the crow pose, but did a few more headstand tries with the beanbag in front of me. Also... I managed to lift one leg at a time while doing a full bridge!!! yeeeeyyy!! That's major I've been trying that for a while.

 

Today I started with...

Start Bodyweight workout:

6x5x5 assisted pistols

6x5x5 eccentric pull-ups 

6x5x5 decline pike push ups

6x5x5 hanging rings knee raises

5x5x4 eccentric ring dips

6x5x5 inverted rows, straight legs (getting super hard now and I don't know why  :/)

30s side plank (each side)

 

Planning on roller skating this afternoon for a while, or just walk ^^

[Nadoriel]

Today was rest day for bodyweight workout, so... I ended up doing 1 beginner yoga routine with yogi Nora for 50 minutes and a lvl 1 routine with Irene Pappas of 60 minutes awesome!! I soo notice I'm getting more flexible!! Even my splits are getting lower

[Nadoriel]

Right, so today I started doing a bit more core workouts. I've been reading and... apparently if you have seriously weak abs, it gets super easy to do backbends and full bridges (which I can do pretty easily). But! As your abs are super weak.. they cannot support your back - hence... you get lower back pains. Which I have. Specially after a backbend yoga session. So I need to workout my abs really hard! And I started today with:

 

20 minutes of abs yoga with Koya. It hurt. Then I had about 30 minutes of headstands training (because you know... they engage your abs as well!). Today I was better on yoga headstands and I found out how to gently lift my legs up without kicking. I don't have enough strength yet to control the rise or do a proper headstand for a long time though.

 

Finally ended the day with a bit of walk and body weight training:

Start Bodyweight workout:

6x6x5 assisted pistols (on a seriously low bench. I think it's just fear getting me from doing a proper pistol)

6x6x5 eccentric pull-ups (the pain... my arms... I'm weak!)

6x6x5 decline pike push ups

6x6x5 hanging knee raises

5x5x5 elbows in push ups

6x6x5 inverted rows, straight legs

35s side plank (each side)

 

Might do a yoga workout later as well, dunno. Depends on my mood. I think the day just went too fast for me, didn't do half what I wanted to do.

[Nadoriel]

Yesterday was my rest day. I was super super sore on my upper back, arms and abs. So I only walked

 

Today though... was bodyweight workout day.

Start Bodyweight workout:

6x6x6 assisted pistols

6x6x6 eccentric pull-ups 

6x6x6 decline pike push ups

6x6x6 hanging rings knee raises

5x5x5 eccentric ring dips

6x6x6 inverted rows, straight legs 

40s side plank (each side)

 

It felt much better than on the 27th, so I'm guessing I really needed to rest. I'm also going to stop doing yoga on workout days, so my muscles can give it a rest.

 

That said.. I still worked my abs out for 20 minutes, and that's it!

[Nadoriel]

I'm alive and kicking!! I just had some small holidays around Serra da Estrela, so I didn't bother with workouts or anything.. but I did walk and had lots of fun in the snow!!

 

In the meanwhile I missed writing a workout I did on Sunday, but here's the one I did today (I just started using Fitnotes app for android which is awesome so I don't lose reps and sets and it even measures rest period!! Awesome!)

 

** Assisted Pistols **

- 7 reps
- 7 reps
- 6 reps

** Eccentric Pull Up **
- 7 reps
- 7 reps
- 6 reps

** Decline Pike Push Ups **
- 7 reps
- 7 reps
- 6 reps

** Ring Knee Raises **
- 7 reps
- 7 reps
- 6 reps

** Ring Eccentric Dip **
- 7 reps
- 6 reps
- 6 reps

** Inverted Rows Legs Elevated **
- 7 reps
- 7 reps
- 6 reps

** Side Plank **
- 50 seconds each side

 

Also did abs workout for 10 minutes (super uper duper hard yoga workout) and then 30 minutes of headstands training ^^