imstormtrooper

You know I was kinda prepared for some sort of reaction from the guys, like I would have to stick up for myself at some point. But for the most part, they ignore me and I ignore them so it's pretty perfect. Lol. My imagination tends to get away from me sometimes.

Oh my gosh guys thank you! So, I don't think I was looking particularly 'foxy' or anything. Although I do remove my wedding rings before I lift... Frankly that guy is there everytime I am but then again, I'm only going 3 times a week and he's always there longer than me. I'm glad I don't have to tell him to back off or anything! *whew!* Confrontation is not really my thing. I think as a woman you just tend to be on the look out for creeps and sometimes it can make you a little edgy. Plus I was not about to be bullied out of the free-weights section which I thought might be what's going on too. I need to relax! Lol. Now I know it's totally normal and not rude or intrusive for him to be asking me that stuff. He's always been friendly but I guess it's one of those things you have to learn about! Thanks guys!

So help me out here guys... I'm a lady and I've been using the free-weights section of my gym for maybe about 2 months now. It was intimidating at first, but I'm pretty comfortable with it now and I always see the same guys when I go. I'm even on a 'head-nod hello' basis with a few of them. Then there's this one guy. It started with him asking me if I was done with which ever machine I had just come off of. I wipe things down and take my weights off the bar when I'm done but I figured he was just being polite and making sure I really was done with the equipment. Fair enough. But yesterday he came over to ask me how many sets I had left when I was on the incline bench press! Let me note that he asked when I was resting, not lifiting. I don't rest for long and I didn't have my phone or MP3 player out or anything that would indicate I was dawdaling. The gym was surprisingly empty so I felt there were plenty of other things he could have been working on. Is this OK in the free-weights section? Am I being a little sensitive here or was he being a jerk? My last set felt rushed because I knew he was waiting for my equipment! The fact that I'm wearing earbuds says "I'm not here for chit-chat" doesn't it? Help me out here! Do I need to tell this guy to back off or let this slide because it's normal in the free weights area?

OMG it felt good to get that out! So lets see... 1.Thyroid is doing great. My doc checked this not long ago when Imentioned weight loss. I'll admit, I was kind of hoping it was running slow. 2. I seriously hate tracking food but this has to be done. I'm using MY Fitness Pal as of 30 mins. ago. It's gotta be my diet. i bet I'm not being as 'good' as I think I am 3.Everything you said is true! I don't miss it until I see someone else eating it. I miss the convineance too. Pasta is so easy! 4. Workouts are mostly strenght training. I'm lifting heavy and it turns out I really love it. I love that I feel stronger and less lazy. Looks like I just have to suck it up and keep going!

Oh thank god... I am obese and the thought of cramming in 200g of protein everyday is like... daughnting. And I will make a list! That's a good idea!

So I'm doing deadlifts too. I'm currently lifting 85 lbs but when I was doing less it was terrible going SO LOW to the ground. What I do is haul out some of the 35 or 45 pound weights and stack them on the floor. I pile 2 on the left and 2 on the right, stacked on top of each other. Then, you can place the full sized bar (the one for squats or bench pressses or what ever) and place it on TOP of your pile of weights. Viola! A low-weight dead lift bar that is more ergonamically correct! I always see people using the full size bar when doing dead lifts so that's what I use. I always set it down, all the way on the floor for a full count of one onethoughsand. I get to relax my hands during that one second break and you can readjust your form if you need to. As for how much you should be lifting, it varies person to person. It should be light enough that you can actually DO the dead lift and with GOOD FORM, but heavy enough for it to be taxing you each time you lift. Don't blow out a knee or anything but you should have to really TRY to lift that sucker.

Ok, I need to vent here fo a second ladies: I'M LOSING MY DAMN MIND!! I've been cutting my carbs and strength training for like 4 weeks now and I have seeen jack squat in my results! The scale has not budged and my body fat percentage hasn't reduced either. I know because my husband takes my measurments with the tape measure and that little pinchy thing every Saturday morning. Holy crap I am getting so damn tired of passing up pasta, candy, cake and bread just to get no results!! I want my spaghetti!! I'll admit I do feel stronger. I have more energy. But I want it to show! People say, 'Oh well, at least you're getting healthy' and it makes me want to cry because, yay being healthier and all but can I please stop buying jeans in the plus size area? I want to be healthier AND have it show! If you're fat and healthy, people assume you're unhealthy and lazy beacuse you're fat. It's not like my goals are unattainable. Ugh. My next step is to start tracking my food. Yes, I know what you're thinking, I should have been tracking all along. But really, last year, all I had to do was cut the carbs and I lost more than 10 pounds and maintained it for a long time. Now, my body's on to me. It's seen this trick before and I shouldn't have gotten so derailed during the holidays. Am I the only one stuck? I really don't want to stop trying but what's the point if the result is the same? Sorry for the vent... I just needed to tell this story to someone other than my very supportive husband.

I knew you guys would find this amusing!

So, as most of you ladies already know, finding articles on lifting or strength training can be hard to find. And sometimes the ones you find aren't quite accurate or what you were looking for. And then there's articles like this one: http://bretcontreras.com/strength-training-for-women/ Is this guy serious?! Here are some of the 'tips' from this guys article: -Most women think there’s some magic fitness secret out there and therefore try to juggle every fitness methodology under the sun, which results in being mediocre at a variety of things rather than highly skilled in one or just a few areas -Women in general complain about pain more frequently than men (by the way, the notion that women have higher pain tolerances than men is not supported in the literature) -It is common for women, however, to have poor ankle mobility – just as it is for men -Women often bring drama to the gym and have more trouble detaching from everyday life-struggles when training Seriously guy? As if going to the gym wasn't hard enough!

I switched to my cons after my husband mentioned 'lifting shoes' last week. I though he was slightly mental but Google it... there's tons out there. I switched to cons and it does make a difference! I wobble a LOT let less than when i was wearing my cross trainers. I think you'll love it!

Thanks for the help everyone. Holy cow... this all sounds like SO MUCH protien... I'm full just thinking about it.

Generally, no. I'm a big fan of all things carbs and sugar, which explains this fat ass of mine. Getting protein in is a challenge, but one I'm determined to complete!

So question for anyone who may know... I'm a female and I've just started lifting heavy. I love power lifiting and was inspiried by Staci's story on here. Anyways, I've been trying to cram in protein so I can build a lot of muscle but when can I take a break? I know it's really important to get my protein in after awork out but what about days I don't lift? or if I havea 2 day break from lifting? I'm going mostly paleo so it's not like it's the only thing I'm eating, but Do I need to be feeding my body tons of protein even when I'm just realxing? Thanks!