purplerose028

Having been dipping in and out of NF for a wee while (and leeching off the blogs I have emailed to me!) I felt it was time to get involved. Then I noticed that there is a challenge just started. So rather than mindlessly stressing about WTH one ought to write in one's introductory post, I thought I'd crack on and get it done. I'm 27, and have been weight training for approx. 9 months. I regularly stress about slow progress. Also about the fact that I'm not entirely sure what my goals are (ever battling with the strong vs. aesthetic issue, compounded by my inherent impatience). This seemed like a good way to take baby steps in the right direction. So, at 5'6" I weight in at a solid (hefty?) 72kg (ish). I've stopped weighing myself with any regularity because it drives me crazy to see the numbers go up, even when it's justifiable by water / muscle / whatever. ANYHEW ... here goes .... Main Quest: Be Better - stronger, healthier, fitter, and reach a better and more evidence-based understanding of what works for me specifically, and not the rest of the world. Goal 1 - Increase One Rep Max Currently coming in at: 70kg Squat (aiming for 75kg) 85kg Deadlift (aiming for 95kg) 40kg Bench (aiming for 45kg) .... and as for Overhead ... I reckon I need to figure that out. I train on my own for the most part. It's hard to try to improve on stuff during which you might fall over when you train on your own! Sooooo I will consider how to more effectively use the company of my Other Half when we train together on a weekend to try for heavier additions. Goal 2 - Run 10km (5th April) without dying I signed up for a 10k run with some lasses at work. It seemed like a good idea at the time (it's in the town where my favourite fish & chip shop lives, so that was my primary motivator). Then I realised that I loathe, hate and despise cardio with the biggest passion in the world, and that I do not run. First training session was yesterday. I didn't die, but I didn't feel healthy. I shall commit to running (outside - not on a treadmill) at least twice a week up until the event. I will endeavour not to allow myself to be distracted by the lure of tea, cake and a good book when it's raining outside. Goal 3 - Figure out Diet without tracking Calories I've been tracking Macros for a few months. MyFitnessPal and I have developed an odd relationship, and cumulatively I probably spend more of my "free" time tweaking what I intend to eat for the next couple of days than I do on things I actually enjoy. Certainly more time there than in the gym. IT HAS TO STOP. It's driving me absolutely mad, and it's not good for my head. So instead I will clean up my diet .... it's a good diet most of the time, in fairness, but I do tend to fall prey to the sultry beckoning of the Sweetie Drawer (yeah, they never get included in the Macros!), and often partake in the Other Half's biscuit and cake indulgence at the weekend. I will work on cutting that right down. My Macro observation has served to highlight that I eat nowhere NEAR enough carbs or fat, so I'm going to be making a concerted effort to make reasonable adjustments to ensure they're included. I did give some consideration to a conversion to the Paleo diet, as the backbone of my diet is pretty much there already. However when I realised that my supplementation was not in line with that, I kind of gave up on that idea. Hey ho ... Right then .... not entirely sure how this ought to be ended ..... Over and Out.

Hi Folks, Thought I'd "Bump" the UK Sidekick thread up to the top of the list again. I'm kind of a little bit sucky at this forum thing, and don't really know what I'm doing / what to expect from it! But starting to head the same way with my training, and could really do with someone to deliver a metaphorical kick in the rear as required. I'm assuming that's what a Sidekick is for!? em

It's very refreshing to see ED's talked about so openly on here. I nursed a colourful relationship with EDNOS for longer than all of my other relationships. On my strength / fitness quest, I'm still painfully aware of my propensity to slip back into obsessive inclinations when I start tracking calories and macros again, so I try to avoid it as a guide for what I SHOULD be eating. For that reason, I've also stopped weighing myself. It's hugely comforting to see that it's not just a "me" thing ... it's not exactly something that makes for a good conversation starter in the gym! I've found that, when I'm slipping into the obsessive phase of counting and tracking, the amount of weight that I can lift drops noticeably, which goes completely against my current priorities. I use this as a rationale to move away from that. I've started to see food entirely as fuel with a purpose, rather than the guilty, nasty indulgence that was previously my attitude, and because of that manage to (most of the time) sustain a diet that better complements my goals. Horses for courses though - I know that MFP works for a lot of fitness-orientated people! You need to do what's right for you, and find a balance between addressing your need to "better yourself" and letting that particular quest take over your enjoyment of cracking on and just being

My gym is pretty "jock"y, which I'm not terribly keen on. But training before work removes some of the problem! As has the realisation that, actually, most of them are looking at themselves and don't give a rats ass what you're doing! It's made me a lot more comfortable.

This is brilliant! And not a question I'd ever have thought to ask! I forgot to pack extra knickers for yoga once and went without - on reflection it was probably more to do with the crappy "back-up" leggings that I kept in the car than the "commando" situation, but the apparent camel toe that I noticed when I went into shoulder stand has been quite sufficient to put me off a repeat performance ever since! I opt for cotton thongs that are a size bigger than I usually wear - mostly for VPL purposes! And, y'know - cause it just seems like good sense to have another layer to catch the inevitable sweat...

That's a very admirable goal :-) I've found it frustrating that my weights seem to be going up relatively slowly, and my advise from a relative-beginner perspective is not to put too much pressure on yourself to where you're going to do yourself injury. I was determined to squat my bodyweight by Christmas and managed it with the comforting presence of a spotter. I usually train on my own, so there's not always that option... I find that in itself can be a bit of a detriment. Seems like you've done your research though, and the determination will absolutely serve you well! Good luck and be safe

Thanks folks :-) all really helpful intel! I guess it's all common sense, but I find it too easy to lose perspective and get frustrated at my limitations from time to time, rather than acknowledging the kilos I've added to some lifts since I started training! This is one of those times!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

... in short, what the heck does that mean for a woman!!?? I have a terrible inclination to read when my interest is piqued in something, and for the last year it's been primarily devoted to training-related subjects. Lots and lots of reading ... whatever the internet will throw back in my Googling. Which is fabulously informative, and a fairly positive habit to have. BUT after my months of perusal, the frustration of this particular matter has bested me. Whilst it's refreshing to see training recommendations for women that don't insist on squillions of reps at light weights, and a movement towards "eat plenty and lift heavy" what constitutes heavy?! My other half trains for Strongman, and as my only "gym-inclined" companion, his 300kg squat does not serve as a reasonable point of reference for my own standards. Yet I still find myself berating my own abilities based on a comparison to his. It's ridiculous, I know. So yeah ... any conclusive definitions on "lift heavy"??

I don't have a beard, but enjoy the appreciation thereof. This may already have been covered elsewhere in the thread, but can I just draw your attention to the lyrical stylings of a band I recently happened upon on YouTube - "The Beards" - all too often I find myself singing "Got Me a Beard" out loud in the office. Totally worth a wee YouTube search - time well spent for contributors to this thread!! If you haven't already come across them, You're welcome.

Hey, So I'm relatively new to this whole exercise malarky, so am very much still finding my feet (hence my presence on here!) and a lot of this "foot finding" is facilitated by a whole lot of Googling and reading - which is great, but it's left me all a quandry regarding the direction of my training. I'm conscious that this may have already been covered on the forums, but I haven't really trawled through thoroughly, and opted for the lazy option of just asking. So apologies if it's an oft-addressed subject matter! Trainers at my gym have been fantastic since I joined, in putting together programmes and showing me how things should be done where I've been unsure (which was often, as my last gym assumed that women ought only use machines!). However I've since been "cut loose" - approx. 4 months in - to compile my own routine. Hence my querying the rep quotient. Now I'm fully aware that this isn't at all helped by my not really knowing exactly what my ultimate goals are. But I guess at the end of the day, strength is up there. So for the last 4 weeks, I've been working largely on sets of 8-12 and building weights up from there. However on commenting to the other half on my frustration that weights don't seem to be increasing very quickly at all, he responded that they weren't likely to with my present high rep inclinations. Any opinions / guidance on this would be much appreciated. [i'm aware that I've waffled a lot but not really said very much - hope I make sense!]

Waiting in line for a squat rack?!? I almost never have competition for the one in my gym. Which is great, but it initially (I'm new to free weights) made me wonder whether my awareness of the virtues of squats was made up, and if Smith machine squats were indeed the way forward!! Enjoy your new gym!! A good gym is a gem of a find! :-)

Yes! Hello 😄 Do pardon my ignorance SpecialSundae... I can't figure out chat rooms with my attention span! It kept throwing all this seemingly random text at me when I pressed buttons!

There's a Yorkshire presence on here?! Phew - my familiarising perusal of the forum was leading me to believe that the world had converted entirely to imperial measurements, but it appears that it's just down to my not having encountered many more local (not-US!) posters!!

It would never have occurred to me to squat in the Smith, having so often heard the equipment berated by my strongman other half. But I watched someone squat in it the other morning and wondered how on earth it serves as a viable equivalent to the bar equivalent!?

Good afternoon, all. I have decided to put my procrastinatory expertise to good use and delve into the world of Forum use instead of occupying myself with slightly less edifying televisual entertainment! I'm Emma, from the North of England. My history with exercise and food has been very colourful (and absolutely not a sufficiently thrilling story to get into on a first date!), but more recently has led me to introduce myself to the free weights section of my gym in an endeavour to find strength (and, hopefully, a degree of physical solidity!) Having spent a fair few months familiarising myself with this wonderful new world with invaluable support from gym staff, I have been set free to compile my own training programme, and it is this that has led me here today. I train on my own for the majority of the time, which is great and lends itself to better focus, but I reckoned that it might be beneficial to have access to the expertise and experience of other people with similar goals, etc, to ensure that I'm not going horribly wrong. Having been in receipt of the Nerd Fitness newsletters for quite some time now, I surmised that this would be the most appropriate place to go. Sooooooo yeah .... to get to my original point, "Hi!"