Basement Cat

Welcome LP! Ooh, a jazz player! What instrument do you play? Keep us posted on your progress!

Welcome Axel! It's awesome that you want to share your knowledge. How did you come up with the masked runner idea? And don't worry about English, I think a good chunk of the rebellion has another mother tongue than English, myself included. Good luck with your training and keep us posted!

Welcome Thor Hammer! I'm sure you'll find a way to work around your issues. Don't worry, the bad back tends to go away as you get in better shape. Hey, being a nerd isn't about loving video games or D&D! Hmm, an interest in occult sciences, making your own yarn, a degree in science... You are most definitely a nerd! Welcome to the rebellion, sister! (I'm assuming from the name Kat... Please correct me if I'm wrong) Oooh, what kind of cat do you have? Pictures! Oh please of please of please

Welcome Reddy! You've come to the right place! I'm sure you'll find what you need here. What part of Argentina are you from? I'm afraid I only know the name of the capital (Buenos Aires, right?). How's the weather there this time of year? In any case, good luck with your training and keep us posted!

Welcome Emma! I'm sure you'll find what you need here! Check out the nutrition forums for recipes and tips. I see you joined the Assassin's guild! What are your objectives? Parkour? Gymnastics? Rock climbing? Something else? Good luck with your training and keep us posted!

Welcome my Lady! Arizona is a great place to be if you hate snow. I visited there a few years ago. I went to a ranch somewhere outside of Phoenix. I can relate to the bust issue as well. But take heart, and keep us posted on your progress!

Welcome to the rebellion! Hey, you're never too old to get in shape! Good luck with your training and keep us posted!

Ugh, that "I liked you better when you were fatter" thing. Just reply: "I liked you better when you weren't an insensitive jerk". And the "crazy" accusation is really hurtful. I got that one when I told a coworker I was going for walks at 3:30 in the morning. The fact that there are less cars around, or that it's quieter are apparently not good arguments. Next time I'll just tell her that "it makes that morning BM a whole lot easier".

Looking good, Moomin! If dumbells are not affordable right now, try this; get two gallon-sized container and fill them with rocks or sand. You can adjust the weight by adding more stuff in them, and it's pretty cheap.

I have to. Lazyness is my defining flaw. I was also a chronic procrastinator, which is something I share with my mom. Thankfully, I also inherited my dad's determination, so when I say I'm sick of being a walking sack of lard, it's ON! I need to post some pictures of my dad. He dropped almost sixty pounds since last year. The best part is that I was the one who inspired him to get fit, but while he carried on, I fell off the wagon hard. So now of course my pride is stung and I have to catch up with him! My parents are awesome. They are really supportive. After every work out, I call them to tell them how I did. Hearing that pride in my mom's voice when I tell her I reached a new personal best makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I don't really have friends and my coworkers are very negative about my new resolution to get in shape, but my entire family is 100% behind me. My brothers, my sister, my cousins, my parents, my grandmothers, my aunt and uncle, they have all told me how proud they are and how they wish me luck with my quest. And they know it's not just about the weight. My brother is a firefighter, and when I told him I want to be able to do a pull-up eventually, he said it was awesome! None of that "don't get too bulky" or "girls shouldn't lift weights" bullshit. And I want to see my nieces' and nephews' faces (all six of them!) when I show up lean and strong! They were all so worried for me when I didn't take care of myself. But now, they are relieved and happy for me. I cannot fail on this quest. I'm doing this for my family as much as I'm doing it for myself. They've always been there for me. It's time I showed them how much I appreciate their support. Also, I have a bet with my parents: If I can drop to 175 pounds or lower by Easter, they are going to renew my wardrobe for me!

OK! I had this idea pop into my head today. We stil have New Year's to look forward to, so how about we repurpose some songs to give them a fitness theme? Here's two I got so far: The twelve days of fitness: On the first day of Fitness, my trainer gave to me: A barbell to deadlift 2 running shoes 3 jump lunges 4 one arm rows 5 kettle bells 6 box jumps 7 jumping jacks 8 bicep curls 9 bench presses 10 one arm push ups 11 squats 12 yoga poses This one wil only be familiar to French Canadians (C'est dans l'temps du Jour de l'An), but I put a translation below. C’est le temps de s’entrainer (it's time to train) On transpire c’est dégueulasse (we're sweating, it's disgusting) C’t’un un effort à donner (it's an effort to make) Si on veut être en bonne santé! (if we want to be in good health) Préparez-vous mon cher (get ready my dear) Pour faire le réchaufemment (to do the warm up) J’vais courir ventre à terre (I'll run like crazy) Pis faire des étirements (and do some stretches) Commence à l’ver tes fers (start lifting your irons) Pis à augmenter le poids (and increasing the weight) C’est pas facile à faire (it's not easy to do) Mais ça donne des résultats! (but it gives results) Si t’as fini ton tour (if you're done with your set) Vas t’en sous la douche (go take a shower) Parce qu’à la fin du jour (because at the end of the day) Ton odeur est un peu louche! (your smell is a bit dubious) Yeah, that second one is a bit tongue in cheek. You can listen to the original here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4T07_o1Nn8

Thnaks Moomin! Yeah, the 16 inches difference is really kiling me! But I can do it! The first time I tried on the table (a few weeks ago) I collapsed and hit my chin. It's definitely progress!

Wow, Rocky. Get some new friends. Seriously. I especially like the "I am being disciplined, but I lost nothing". Somebody's not being honest here... Don't let them get you down!

Alright! The Christmas workout is done! I upped the ante on this one, and it kicked my butt hard! Push ups (table): 3x10 Rows (27 lbs): 3 x 8 Planks: 3x 45 seconds + 20 seconds So, I tried to do a fourth set, but I just couldn't. Nothing was responding anymore. I tried to do a few step exercises for my legs. I had a few leftover game guides that I don't use anymore, so I taped those bad boys together and stepped on them. It's not much of a workout, but it didn't hurt my knee and it's better than nothing. Let's call it therapy! To clarify, the difference in height between the window sill, where I could do 30 push ups fairly easily, and the table, where I struggle to do 10, is 16 inches. I'm no math expert, but that is a considerable increase in difficulty. I felt it in my arms. The last ones actually hurt a bit, and not in a good way. You know that pinching sensation? Yeah, bad sign. So I did my three sets and I'm happy with that. Oh, and 45 seconds is fricking forever! Happy Christmas again! I'm off to take a shower. Oh, is there a fitness Christmas song? We need one!

Merry Christmas, Anneh! My, is that barbarian Santa?

Good on you for working out,CK! Happy Christmas!

Thanks guys! Merry Christmas and happy workout!

Merry Christmas, Thom! And keep up the good work!

Ho ho whew!- work out on Chirstmas day.

Wow, your co-worker is an idiot.l

Here's a new one: Knock knock: have the neighbours complain about the noise (hasn't happened yet, but...)

Dysmenorrhea is cramps, right? Yeah, it sucks to feel under the weather. I hope the pain goes away soon. Hey, Christmas was a pagan holiday before it was a Christian one. Why do you think they picked the winter solstice for the birth of Christ? It's the return of light in the world. Appropriate for the birth of humanity's savior. I'm not particularly religious, but I like to study theology. Anyway, happy Holidays! try not to overindulge!

Monday, December 23rd Alright, workout is complete, bright and early! Squats: diddly (see what I did there? Hahaha, ok, I'll shut up now) Push ups: 4x30 Rows (20 lbs): 4 x 15 Planks: 4x40 seconds (arrrg!) Ok, so I did exactly one squat to test if I still felt pain, and the answer is yes. It's mild, but better not push my luck. As soon as I'm done typing this I'm getting my bag of ice. Rows are still a pain to do. I wonder if I should just go for high weigt low reps to increase strength in my arms. The planks were more difficult than last time, but I think that's because I couldn't yell due to the fact that it was 6 : 15 Am! My neighbours still haven't reacted to the screaming. Either it's not as loud as I fear, or they think I'm doing something else... Moving on, the push ups were a bit on the easy side, I did the first 3 sets without needing a break to catch my breath, and on the fourth it was only after 20 that I had to pause for a sec, but that was the only pause. So I'm increasing by five reps for those. All in all, I'm pretty happy with this workout, even if I couldn't do squats. That's it for today. Next workout is on Christmas!! (Wednesday, December 25th)

Thanks for all the advice, guys! I realise I was doing my squats wrong (fixed), but I have to take a break from them anyway because i actually injured myself. Nothing serious, just runner's knee, based on teh symptoms. But I'll keep all your advice in mind when I resume my squats.

Good for you! Maybe he couldn't wrap his head around a woman lifting weights? Who knows? Keep kicking butt!