Reposting this in my gym log which I FORGOT I EVEN HAD until 5 minutes ago. Now that I'm finally starting to get my act together again on the exercise front (slowly) I guess I should start using this journal.
This morning, Ry and I went through some basic weight lifting stuff.
My goal was to use 5# weights and just see what she could do in various exercises. With the understanding she should stop if it got really hard.
So we tested 10 fairly slow reps, and I had her tell me on what rep (if any) she felt muscle burn, on what rep (if any) she 'wobbled', and how many 'total' she estimates she could do at that weight if she had to. I'll look that over and think about how to start her on something that she has to really work to manage 8-10 of, and then have her do 3-sets-6-reps. I guess. I mean I've read more bodybuilding materials than probably half the people who do this seriously but the only real conclusion I have gained from it is that "opinions differ" when it comes to half the important elements!
We only did some of the moves today, we will do more on Thursday. To start just for review I had her do a seated Arnold Press, incline triceps extension, standing side-bend, incline shoulder press, half-kneeling bent over row, calf raise, standing lunge, deadlift, and squats. (Not in that order.) My full list that I had picked out for myself long ago when I first began working out (and stopped when VLC stopped working for me. Now that it is again, mysteriously, I want to work out again! Go figure!) is here:
http://blog.firedocs.com/tt/WLE.html except squats aren't on there as I hadn't seen the goblin squat and "my knees were scared" trying the ordinary one.
Getting her to do a squat was like trying to teach your cat to sing on command. To her, if you move downward you go up on your toes. We are using a very wide stance, and forcing the heel to stay DOWN, and she just cannot figure out how to do it! We went through it, I demonstrated it several times, showed her a little anigif movie of someone doing it, I'm not sure she ever really got to the point of successfully doing even one (no weights). (She had some issue with the lunge but she got that after a couple tries.) So I finally had her sit on the flat bench, feet flat, and then slide forward so she was mostly on her feet still sitting and then slowly continue forward and down into a squat, and then slowly stand up. This might work... maybe...
I can't do the lunge as it requires I lift all my bodyweight on the forward leg. I can do a bodyweight goblin (wide-stance) squat but only just. She managed 3 very wobbly lunges per leg.
I've been making a point to sit on the rather low couch way more, so I am regularly getting up and down, and making a point to stand up basically like coming up from a half squat. (This is opposed to sitting on my bed, back to the headboard, with my laptop.) And to do a full squat here or there through the day just to make the effort. It is getting slightly easier. Which is not saying much.
Not to be picky but if MOST people had to do a squat at nearly 400# as their STARTING LEVEL . . . well I'd get more sympathy.
PS so as a humor approach I sent her to this youtube video: "How to do the Asian Squat" which is HILARIOUS. The quality is horrible but the film is SO funny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWTm...ynext=1&index=4 Dontcha know that only the asian squat is cool and will get you chicks, LOL!
PJ