Chillicat's journal

[teamfatboy]

Current plan is to work more or less like this:

1. Upper body (pushing) - primary exercise = chest press

2. Lower body - primary exercise = squat

3. Rest day (if a weekend) OR light cardio/abs if a work day (need the break in the day)

4. Upper body (pulling) - primary exercise = I'm thinking something in a row (we call them deadrows at pump - is that right?)

5. Lower body - primary exercise = stiff legged deadlifts

6. Rest day (as above - rest if a weekend, or light cardio/abs if a work day)

7. Start the cycle over.

That 'dead-row' is a combination deadlift and bent-over row... if I'm remembering them right, you do one deadlift, then come half way up, and do a row. So, a pulling exercise like a bentover BB row, or seated WG row/ CG Row would work.

Yay for Squats and SLDLs and Bench too... all good stuff :clap:

[Chillicat]

That 'dead-row' is a combination deadlift and bent-over row... if I'm remembering them right, you do one deadlift, then come half way up, and do a row. So, a pulling exercise like a bentover BB row, or seated WG row/ CG Row would work.

Yay for Squats and SLDLs and Bench too... all good stuff :clap:

Yeah, bentover BB row is what I've been doing (forgot the name!) - so rather than doing the deadrow a la pump class: dead, then half way up then row, then back to start, I have been doing the dead, coming up and doing sets of just rows, then back to starting position. If that makes sense!

[Chillicat]

Did my last freebie day at LM today. I've still got a couple of days left, but it's squat day tomorrow and I want to do it at Thorndon.

Went to LM a bit later than usual today, and bloody hell I'm glad it's my last day there - it absolutely reeked of sweat. It was so ripe, I just did my rows, did a couple of other quick bits then got the hell out of there. And I've doused myself with perfume so that I can smell something different, as it feels as though the stench of other people's sweat has clung to me and lodged itself in my nostrils. Gross.

[Chillicat]

Did my last freebie day at LM today. I've still got a couple of days left, but it's squat day tomorrow and I want to do it at Thorndon.

Went to LM a bit later than usual today, and bloody hell I'm glad it's my last day there - it absolutely reeked of sweat. It was so ripe, I just did my rows, did a couple of other quick bits then got the hell out of there. And I've doused myself with perfume so that I can smell something different, as it feels as though the stench of other people's sweat has clung to me and lodged itself in my nostrils. Gross.

[teamfatboy]

Went to LM a bit later than usual today, and bloody hell I'm glad it's my last day there - it absolutely reeked of sweat. It was so ripe, I just did my rows, did a couple of other quick bits then got the hell out of there. And I've doused myself with perfume so that I can smell something different, as it feels as though the stench of other people's sweat has clung to me and lodged itself in my nostrils. Gross.

Thanks for sharing that fragrant scene with us so eloquently, CC!

What time tomorrow for te squatz ? I might be there lunchtime...

Oh, and did you ever do one of Murray's spin classes at JCF? He's taking a lot of the lunchtime classes in Thorndon now.. it was better than my experience last Friday, but I have to say, the lad's a bit of a chunky monkey... far from being the leanest instructor you'll ever see :grin: not that I can talk :oops: :pfft:

[Chillicat]

What time tomorrow for te squatz ? I might be there lunchtime...

Oh, and did you ever do one of Murray's spin classes at JCF? He's taking a lot of the lunchtime classes in Thorndon now.. it was better than my experience last Friday, but I have to say, the lad's a bit of a chunky monkey... far from being the leanest instructor you'll ever see :grin: not that I can talk :oops: :pfft:

I'm knocking off work at 12pm for the day tomorrow, so will be at the gym shortly afterwards, ready to squat myself to death with the big boys and the oly bar!

Nope, not done a Murray spin class. I've kind of gone off them. Was never really 'on' them, being cardio and all, but since the big takeover and the lack of knowing who's on and when, I just don't really bother with classes anymore.

[Chillicat]

Friday was a bit of a mega session, lower body with focus on squats, then did my normal Day 1 workout since I wasn't going to go to the gym over the weekend = upper body with focus on bench press.

Upper body pulling workout today, focus on bent over rows. up to 40kg today, which I found pretty hard, only managed 4x5 with iffy form, so will work on these at this weight.

I haven't got round to uploading my own photos from the wonderful 80s party, but here is one my husband put on facebook. It's my husband as Maverick, me as an 80s gym bunny, and my brother who is wearing a very fetching sweatshirt which he used to wear back in his bodybuilding days in the late 80s/early 90s. I've taken a photo of this rather stunning piece of apparel in all it's glory (front and back) which I'll post up later - it's a shocker! As for my leotard - well, I think you'll just have to take my word for it that it's a g-string one! My god those things were unflattering!

[rose]

You look hot Miss Cat! Was it a good party? The 80's will never die.

[Chillicat]

It was really great fun, I had a ball. I've never really been to many fancy dress parties before - except for Sevens - and I really enjoy them, especially when everyone really gets into it and makes an effort!

[Chillicat]

Stiff legged deadlifts today. Upped weights to 42.5kg (from 40kg last week, 37.5 the week before). Managed 5/5/5/3 and found it very difficult, but I guess that if I've got it in me to do 5/5/5/3 at 42.5kg, then I can probably manage a couple of 2 or 3 rep sets at 45kg...we'll see next week.

Also did some standing calf raises, also higher than last time - 115kg 4x8

Then some seated leg press just because I like it. 133kg 8/10/12, then 138kg 1x8.

[Chillicat]

Bench press today. I'm very pleased with the progress I'm making on this - only started using the oly bar this year, and have progressed as follows:

10 Jan 30kg 3x8

17 Jan 30kg 3x10

24 Jan 30kg 3x10

31 Jan 32.5kg 5x5

8 Feb 35kg 5x5 (wrote "hard!" in training diary)

12 Feb 35kg 5x5 (still hard, so was a bit scared of raising the weight)

18 Feb 35kg 1x5 37.5kg 5/5/3/5 (1x dose of HTFU inspired by TFB's journal!)

As per previous entry, if I'm able to do 5s at this weight, then presumably I can knock out one or two at the next increment...roll on next bench press day!

[teamfatboy]

Wow - you have learned well, young Skywalker :grin:

That's a 25% improvement in six weeks :clap: Definitely keep that up :salute:

[Chillicat]

Ooh it sounds impressive when you put it that way - I like it!

[Chillicat]

Squats today. Last week I mentioned that I made the grand step of moving from the Smith to the oly bar. On my first try on the oly I managed 40kg 1x5, then 45kg 4x5 but with very poor form.

So in an attempt to not run before I can walk, I started again today with 40kg 1x5, then a smaller increment to 42.5kg 1x5, then back up to 45kg for 3x5. Form was definitely better this week on the 45kg, but I'm still not happy enough with it to try a higher weight, so will stick with it again next time to focus on getting better form. I'd say I was fairly happy with the first 2-3 of each set, but completely unhappy with the final 2 of each set.

Didn't do much after that, calves and a few sumo squats, but I definitely felt my quads when I was walking down the stairs at the end, so must have done some work!

[teamfatboy]

From what I saw, the first 3 of each set were actually very good - smoothly down to parallel, keeping the curve in the back, head up, and nice steady drive up. Sure, there were what I'd call "minor bobbles" in the last two, but they were still well better than I've seen many people do.

So, give yourself a pat on the back - those were actually pretty damn good squats :nod: :salute:

[Chillicat]

Thanks!

Yeah, the last 2 I couldn't quite manage parallel, and had the old wobbly leg thing going on on the push back up. Will aim for full sets to parallel next week!

[Chillicat]

We've got my husband's morbidly obese (well, he must be in the morbid category looking at him, but I'm just guessing) brother staying with us at the moment, over from England. He just had the audacity to make the 'don't go too far' comment re my interest in bodybuilding!!! I was kind of ready for it, as I know that people like that have a tendency to make excuses for their own laziness, and to denigrate other people's positive efforts. So fundamentally I don't actually care what someone like him thinks of my training, but I was still a little peeved.

He made the usual comment about women going 'too far' and not looking like women anymore, so I just countered by saying that statements like that really piss me off because they always seem to come from people who don't do a damn thing in terms of looking after themselves, and it seems to me that they have no right whatsoever to pass judgement on women (of course it applies to men too) who make a lifestyle choice that involves health, fitness and their perception of looking good.

It also gave me the opportunity to make some comments that I'd been holding back on. Not comments directly saying 'you're a slob and need to get off your giant fat arse and do something' - but the implication was very much there. I used the example of my mother who has been terminally ill with breast cancer for the last 2.5 years which doctors largely believe to be caused by her own obesity and complete lack of interest in changing her lifestyle when the warning signs of poor health were waved in front of her 10+ years ago, breast cancer being one of the 6 cancers that were found to have a link with obesity some time ago. (Given my mother's obesity and the fact that none of her 3 non obese sisters have cancer, Drs consider my sister and I to not be at a higher than average risk due to genetics).

Lots of talk about lifestyle choices and making excuses followed. I probably pissed him off as much as he pissed me off - but you don't come and stay in my house and tell me how to live my life without expecting me to come back with a few words of wisdom of my own.

And on that note, I'm off to the gym. It's Day 4 of my 5 day programme - bent over rows and some pull ups and chin ups - yay!

[becbec]

Have fun :pfft:

Bust out some frustration!

[Chillicat]

Have fun :pfft:

Bust out some frustration!

The gym is definitely the right place for doing that! I love it when I'm feeling grumpy and go to a pump class with a particularly good instructor - come out feeling bloody fantastic!

So yesterday's efforts focused on stiff legged deadlifts. I'm very pleased with the progress I've been making on these in the last month. Prior to Feb, I'd been stuck on 35kg for 2.5 months, but with more of a progressive overload focus (I think that's the right term), I hit 45kg yesterday! So my effort the week before was 42.5kg for 5/5/5/3 with 'pretty hard' written in my training diary. So this time I started with a 35kg warm up, then 5 @40kg then 2x5 @ 42.5kg, finishing 3x5 at 45kg \:D/

My hammies are very pleased with the attention!

[runveerun]

Love the pic CC! I wonder if leotards will make a come back!? :pray: :-s

[Chillicat]

Love the pic CC! I wonder if leotards will make a come back!? :pray: :-s

God I hope not But it was super fun to wear for the night for a laugh. Most of the night I had an extremely wonderful Pacman hoodie on though (found it on TradeMe - bargain!), which mostly covered the leotard, so people didn't have to look at it all night

[VampireChick]

Way to go CC - no need to take that shit from someone who obviously knows nothing about health.

[Chillicat]

Hiya Vampy Chick! Funny thing, I was going to dig out your journal today and ask how you were going. Hope all is well with your and you're all fixed up from your injury and back into training - and getting nice and fit for snowboarding season!

Yeah, it's just so astonishing when someone who has clearly gone overboard in their appalling eating habits has the audacity to advise me to not go overboard in being fit and healthy :roll:

[teamfatboy]

With the way you're improving on squats and deads, one good kick from you, CC, would have shown him the error of his ways :grin:

[Chillicat]

With the way you're improving on squats and deads, one good kick from you, CC, would have shown him the error of his ways :grin:

I'd be afraid my foot would get lost in the folds of flabbage :shock: :pfft: