gabrielle_of_poteidia

It's an impedance machine (Boditrax) so I gather there is a margin for error. The patterns seem pretty sensible but I certainly question the accuracy of the actual figures. Yes, I'm trying to expose myself to more body-positive and body-diverse media in an effort to be more flexible in my goals. I thought I had already adjusted my outlook sufficiently by aiming for athletic rather than skinny, but it was very sobering to discover that my new goals may also be potentially unhealthy and unsustainable. It may take some conscious efforts to override the toxic inclination to try and do it anyway as I have a history of eating disorders, but these are mostly kept at bay right now by reminding myself that I need to eat plenty in order to sustain myself and build my strength. Having a fitness related nutritional plan has helped me immensely and I'm eating SO much better than I was, but I think I need to be careful to keep the gremlins at bay! The funny thing is, there are times when I feel pretty happy. I love lifting and MMA and I feel stronger and have more energy, and I eat well. My exercise routine has worked wonders for my mental health, and I do generally feel happier with my appearance as well. But I do seem to get fixated on negative details and undermine my own progress. I'm working on some body image issues, but sometimes the conscious thoughts don't always penetrate the subconscious, if that makes sense. I hope I'm not risking doing damage to my physical or mental health chasing impossible goals, but I'm still a little clueless as to what a realistic goal might be!

Yeah, sorry - I think I went on a ramble there! I think I'm just questioning whether I'm being sensible and healthy in my goals. Yes, I mentioned the missing period to the PT, which is probably why she's told me to chill on the fat loss front. I guess I'm worried by her words, especially as I have a history of eating disorders, so I'm consciously trying to keep those tendencies in check so as to not do anything unhealthy. I'm scared of doing damage but at the same time I'm enjoying what I'm doing and feel pretty good in a lot of ways. It was only the one month, and it was when I was training a lot - three weights sessions a week, running for warm ups, and Body Combat class too, where I was really throwing myself into it. I may have overdone it.

Hi folks, I don't post much here but I have hit a bit of a dilemma and wondered if someone can help. I met up with my personal trainer this week for my new routine, and we discussed progress so far. I've been hitting the gym pretty hard and I'm currently the leanest and most muscular I've ever been. (Not the lightest, but that's probably a given.) In the past 2 months, I've lost 6lbs of fat and gained 8lbs of muscle. I was so surprised I took two measurements to be sure. So my body fat has hit 21%, which is pretty low for me - and my PT has advised that I don't drop much lower than this unless it's temporarily for a competition or something. Here's the rub - I'm still not at the point where I have much visible definition without flexing. I'm really envious of the likes of Evangaline Lilly and Brie Larson who just look seriously cut just standing there, relaxed. I've started to get a little definition around the shoulders, but no visible abs, and my legs are still quite chubby. (I'm very oddly proportioned in terms of fat % - my trunk is at 15%, arms at 23.5%, legs at 29.2%, almost twice that of my torso. I know fat loss cannot be targetted, but I sometimes wonder how low I'm going to have to go to get any kind of definition on my quads.) I'm very aware that I don't want to drop too low in terms of fat. I read a very sobering article on realistic body image, sustainable body fat, and the health impact of low fat, and have already noticed that my menstrual cycle has started to be affected. (I skipped a period last month entirely.) I'm worried that I'm never going to be able to achieve a shape that I'm happy with without endangering my health. My PT has advised that I just keep going as I am, and continue to build muscle. But it all feels a litle futile if I can't see the results. Am I being unrealistic? Is this a body image issue rather than anything to do with my physical shape? I'm feeling a little stumped.

Could go for squats if you favour body weight exercises, or leg press if you want to try a machine. Either way, start light: for squats, start with your bodyweight and then build up to using a bag or bar across your shoulders for extra weight, or hugging a plate to your chest if your shoulders are inflexible. Leg press, same again - start small and build up. Start with higher reps and a lower weight. I started at 3 sets of 25. Select a weight where you can get through your sets but with some effort. These exercises work your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. If you are unsure about using the machines, ask an staff member for advice, or see if you can book a 1-to-1 for a personalised workout and instruction. Regarding tone, what many people refer to as "tone" is basically body fat percentage (visibility or definition of muscles through body fat), which is mostly down to diet. Calorie deficit will help, but look at your macros as well. If you want to build up your muscles, you'll want to up your protein intake, and current school of thought also favours lower carb/higher fat ratios to encourage the body to metabolise fats instead of living off carbs. This forms the basis of things like the keto and paleo diets, but you can tailor your diet according to what works for you and maybe borrow elements from these if you fancy. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Congrats! That looks like quite a run, not just the distance but the incline element as well. There's a real mental element to running, and I think one of the things that brings that home is on an 'out and back' type run where you're pelting down a hill and thinking "I need to get back up this later!" I love accidental runs too, and find I am more able to get "in the zone" at those times because I'm not thinking about my speed or where I'm heading for, and I relax enough to just run without really "feeling" any of the fatigue or anxiety that might emerge during a standard run. Awesome achievement, I bet you feel proud!

Thanks guys! You know, the weight was the weirdest thing, because I tend to go for long phases without stepping on the scales, but I re-opened MyFitnessPal after a long while a few weeks ago (wanted to track macros in grams rather than %, and Fitbit can't do that), plugged in my recent Boditrax data, and it told me I'd lost 20lbs since my last weigh in on my old account from a few years ago (I already lost 8 initially). I hadn't really noticed because I wasn't weighing myself regularly, and I'm actually now bigger than I was a while ago because I'm lifting. But even with that, I was surprised I'd lost so much over the years. I did go through a phase a while back where I think I'd lost a lot of weight, and a couple of people commented that I looked unwell. I really wasn't eating much at all back then. I've struggled with my eating habits in the past, so having something regimented where I have to include things (high protein) as well as avoiding certain foods helps me maintain the balance and not fall back into drastic undereating. It also means I don't forget or neglect to eat like I used to because I have a meal plan that says I need food every 4 hours. In a way, I'm sort of doing what Staci at NF HQ did, only I'm only just at the 'starting to lift stuff' phase! My weightlifting progress checkin is here. The next few weeks are gonna be a real challenge! The techniques are different, more refined, and the weights are heavier. And I still get to run for my warmup when I run to the gym, so I get to do everything!

I'm a newcomer to the world of weights, and have recently started consulting with a personal trainer for set routines. Here's my intro. A little background on me: I've been running for almost 5 years, started doing Synergy (HIIT) and Body Pump (weightlifting meets aerobics) around a year ago, and decided I wanted to do something a little more tailored. So I got my routine laid out for my weights days - started on the machines, and then this week, for the first time, I was unleashed into the downstairs gym in order to humiliate improve myself on the free weights. It was a big day! So my old routine, for six weeks was this: 3 sets of 25 reps on all - Leg press (horizontal): Started at 35kg/77lb -- rose to 45kg/99lb Chest press (seated): Started at 5kg/11lb -- rose to 10kg/22lb Seated row: Started at 10kg/22lb -- rose to 15kg/33lb Shoulder press: 1.25kg/3lb -- 2.5kg/3lb Tricep pulldown: 8.75kg/19lb -- 11.25kg/25lb Bicep curl: 6.25kg/14lbs I did this twice a week, with a 4km warmup run (usually around 25 minutes). Once a week I would also do a HIIT class, and sometimes take a longer, 45 minute run, depending on schedule and weather. Never did manage to go heavier on the biceps as I would get back pain using the cable machine. Shoulder press was always a tricky one for me, and I could tell I was occasionally lopsided with the machine. Over those 6 weeks, I've lost 1kg of fat and gained 1kg of muscle. Body fat is down by a little under 1% to 25.7%. I'm also eating high protein/low carb, although this is hard as it's almost Christmas and my dad is filling our house with pies! So, six weeks in, my new routine and starting weights are: 3 x 15 on all - Leg press (inclined): 50kg/110lb Smith machine: 10kg/22lb Lat pulldown: 24kg/53lb Shoulder press, dumbells: 4kg/9lb each (this was a struggle, might reduce to 3kg?) Biceps, db: 5kg/11lb Triceps, db, "nosebreaker": 3kg/7lb Now I've done one workout, I'm really kind of surprised by how some of these have gone! 10kg on the Smith feels harder than 10kg on the horizontal CP. How I've suddenly been able to jump up to 4kg each on the shoulder press (with difficulty), I don't know! I guess the lower reps make a big difference. But my tricep weights have nearly halved from the machine workout! My PT says this is because I'm working other muscles more, so am more tired by the time I get to this stage. Has anyone else had this experience? It's a little disheartening, but it's reassuring that there's a good explanation. But it was a fun day. The Smith machine looks scary as hell at first sight, and I had a workout just loading the 25kg plates on and off the leg press! Looking forward to levelling up, and kinda thrilled that I am now allowed out to play with the big boys and girls!

Thank you both! Weights are suiting me well. I'm on a low-weight/high-rep programme, and I've gone up a weight in 4 of my 6 exercises. I find delts the most challenging as it took me a week to even put an actual plate on the machine! Even now, it feels like I'm lifting nothing at first and then hurts like hell during the final set! I'm due for a review in a couple of weeks so some things might change up! I might start a progress thread - I believe there is a spot for those.

So I was urged to join Nerd Fitness by a friend of mine (and fellow Xena fan). I notice there's already another couple of Xenites on the boards (hello @Xena and @sieBauen, nice to meet you!) so I feel I'm in good company. I've been getting into fitness related stuff for the past four and a half years: mid-distance running at first, and then added some bodyweight training and then HIIT and weights for the past year. I've recently got my first weight lifting routine, courtesy of a personal trainer (eep!!) and am informed that apparently what I am looking to do at this stage is classed as 'bodybuilding'. Seems a bit hardcore for me, but I tend not to do anything by halves, so there you go. I also do yoga (somewhat sporadically) and am pleased as punch with what little progress I have made over the years. I've never really aspired to be a 'Xena' (I have the height but I'm never going to be 'willowy' enough) so I thought I'd aim for Gabrielle - athletic and toned with abs of steel and guns to die for. I've lost 12.6 kg (about 28lbs) over a long period, and hit my target of 70kgs a while back. I'm now mostly looking to maintain body weight while building muscle and losing fat. This is proving the tricky part as I seem to be hovering around the 23-27% body fat mark, and losing it is proving very challenging. Reading up on the dietary side of things (never my strong-point) for some pointers, and I am currently doing a sort of... non-specific, high-protein, low-ish-carb... thing, and we'll see how that goes by the end of this six week training block. Considering doing a short-term keto stint in the new year, for a couple of months or so, and any advice/encouragement/warnings would be most welcome! I've joined the 'Ranger' class as this seems the most suited to me with my running/weight training combo, ticked off all my boxes so far (Level 14 FTW!) and uploaded photos of me mucking about in my Gabrielle costume. Hurrah!