solarbird: Brigitte Lindholm from Overwatch (brigitte)
that moment when you realise you don't have to unload the weight rack to move the weight rack

it's just the light weights, like, 170lbs tops, including the rack

it's just awkward, that's all

so you just

move it

...and it's fine.

because of course it is. you lift more than this, like, every workout.

but somehow...

...this is different.
solarbird: Brigitte Lindholm from Overwatch (brigitte)

I started lifting again on August 4th, 2017; I posted an update on August 3rd, 2018; it seems like time for a second update. I'll use weights from the August 4th workout.

As with last time, this includes the delta that happened when they replaced all the machines; some of them had different gearing and I ended up going down in weights on four. I've posted a column for "adjusted start weight," which takes the original weight down by the delta. I'm not sure that's really the most accurate way to do it, but it's what I've got.

Let's look at the numbers, shall we? All weights are in pounds.

  start  machine delta  adjusted start 2018current
Chest press50-153590120
Fly50-2030120145
Wide grip pulldown50050110150
Row50
combined
050
combined
25
per hand
60
per hand
120
per hand
Overhead Press300306080
Arm Curl4004095110
Tricep Press55055120165
Leg Press85085245285
Leg Extension25025105150
Leg Curl65065115150
Hip Abductor100-5050180/260225/260
Hip Adductor95-5045180225
Ab Crunch50050140+75
new machine
Lower Back Extension70070240260
(maxxed)
added later
Shoulder shrug
   per hand
   (2017/9/20)
250256575
(maxxed)
Straight bar pulldown
   (2017/9/20)
30030120145
Calf Extension
   (2017/12/17)
1000100160210

I think the thing I'm most pleased with is finally having 1/7th tonne on leg press. It's nice to have larger fractions of a tonne in your weights. And I've maxxed out another machine, which is nice too. Vertical things (overhead press, particularly) continue to be the most difficult part of the workout, other than simple heat dissipation, which is always a weakness I have. (I've found that just swallowing ice whole really helps.)

I've gone back and separated out the "row" exercise numbers to the per-hand basis of the actual workout. This is a little jinky because it started out as an exercise where I used both hands at once, then I switched to alternating hands. Combining the two weights wasn't really legitimate, so I've gone with the per-hand number, since that's how I usually do it.

Also, the ab crunch number is kind of discontinous because, again, a change in machines, but not in the previously-mentioned way. I topped out the old machine at 165, then discovered that one of the new machines worked all four abdominal pairs more directly, and moved to it. It uses some fraction of your own body weight (at least half) and additional weights you select, which is where the +75 comes from. I also found out that the bottom pair of abs had been taking the entire previous year and a half off, and had been doing fuck all, so on the new machine my lowest set is all "WHAT FUCKERY IS THIS?!" and my upper six are all "...are we... doing something?" So I've had to spend a lot of time evening that out.

Since I've been maxxed out on both shoulder shrug and lower back extension for a while, I've been slowly upping the number of reps. Started 15/15, now at 20/20.

And that's all I've got to say, I think. So, yeah! I've got a seventh, I've got a couple of eighths, I've got a ninth, and hopefully by next year I'll have collected more small fractions. Wish me luck!

solarbird: Brigitte Lindholm from Overwatch (brigitte)
omg dying

so there's a new guy at the gym counter, right? and i checked in (and was wearing this big baggy coat) and he was all

"Gonna work on those biceps?"

and he was joking, because of course not, right? apparently. But i was

"...yes? I... always do?"

and he was "...really?"

and i said "yeah, i have a/b workouts, it's part of my routine - see?" and hand him my clipboard. and he takes the clipboard and says nervously

"i'm a little afraid to look at it, your weights might be better than me" still trying to joke

and the he looks at it and is all

"...uh"

"...have a good workout..." and hands it back.

and then when i went back to put the clipboard away after my workout i kinda wanted to go

"WELCOME" <flex> "to the GUN SHOW."

but he kind of fled from me and hid out at the far end of the counter when I went to put it away so I couldn't. anna was disappoint. (⌒▽⌒)

(i am still giggling)
solarbird: Brigitte Lindholm from Overwatch (brigitte)
I'm down to one weight under 100lbs combined. I say 'combined' because some machines are left-right weight independent, like chest press, which is 50lbs per arm, total 100. This forces even development, which is important since I really tend to favour my left side.

The last one - overhead press - will be that way for a long time. I've just made my numbers at 65lbs, and... yeah. It'll be a while, if ever, before that's triple digits. (⌒▽⌒)

I did move another couple of leg exercises (hip abduction/adduction) up to 200lbs each, though. That's nice.

Next goal is to get to the top weight slab on the ab crunch machine. That won't top it out - there's a little dial to add an addition 5 or 10 pounds on top of that. But it's always nice to be dropping the weight rod alllll the way down.

I'll never be a Zarya, but maybe I could be a Brigitte. I play her way better anyway. (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ ♥
solarbird: (korra-no-fucking-around)

I started lifting again on August 4th, 2017; this is August 3rd, 2018, so it seems like a good time for a progress summary.

This includes the delta that happened when they replaced all the machines; some of them had different gearing and I ended up going down in weights on four. I've posted a column for "adjusted start weight," which takes the original weight down by the delta. I'm not sure that's really the most accurate way to do it, but it's what I've got.

 start  machine delta  adjusted startcurrent
Chest press50-153590
Fly50-2030120
Wide grip pulldown50050110
Row50050170
(combined)
Overhead Press3003060
Arm Curl4004095
Tricep Press55055120
Leg Press85085245
Leg Extension25025105
Leg Curl65065115
Hip Abductor100-5050180/260
Hip Adductor95-5045180
Ab Crunch50050140
Lower Back Extension70070240
added later
Shoulder shrug
   (2017/9/20)
2502565
Straight bar pulldown
   (2017/9/20)
30030120
Calf Extenion
   (2017/12/17)
1000100160

Some of the start weights really were a little low, and a couple of them have really rapid climbs on the first page of daily workout data. And some was definitely re-limbering. But a lot of this is straight-up strength gain.

The row exercise is a little weird, because it went from a single weight tied to a fixed two-hand yolk (both arms working the weight) to one where I alternated hands (one hand working the weight), so I combined the two individual hands for the current weight equivalent. The chest press did the same thing, but I use both arms at once rather than alternating (unlike row, where I alternate) and that's also the combined weight. That's also where I learned that my left side was really carrying my right side, and it took a couple of months for the right to catch back up.

Also, the second number on the hip abductor is a variation on the exercise (where you half-stand, like you're sitting on an invisible chair), and is the machine maximum. I'd maxed out the old machine too. It's now very easy but I'm still doing it.

I think I'm most surprised that the lowest (adjusted) full-year gain percentage is the leg curl, at 77% gain. I'd've thought it was overhead press (100% gain) or chest press (at... 157% gain) but I guess not. But it is now a lot more even with its opposite (leg extension) so that's good.

solarbird: (tracer)
Zarya strong. Or at least workin' on it.



Leaving aside calf extension (which is a very new add), the lowest gain is 75%. The highest is a ludicrous +450%.

Shrug with roll measurement is by arm, btw, so double it for total weight.

I'd like to get everything to triple digits. That'd be neat.

Guy followed me onto the ab crunch machine and had to take it down weight, not sure how much. At least 20 pounds. The look of resentment he gave me when he didn't think I was looking was delicious.
solarbird: (tracer)
I have now doubled multiple starting weights. I have five weights at half the maximum the machine allows, or higher.

I'm gonna need a Zarya icon f'srs.

Basically I'm spending a little over an hour on the machines on the days when I do workouts. So far, that's been 4-5 days a week; to make schedules work better, I'm going to have to drop that to pretty much just four days a week. But I can deal with that, I think.

Optimally, the full workout consists of a mile on (quasi-)balance beam, a mile of hill walking, and the weights. It takes about an hour and 45 minutes, including changing clothes and stuff.

To be clear, the balance beam isn't a true balance beam; it's just that the 1mi each way walk to the gym doesn't have sidewalks but does have elevated drainage curbs about half the time (like this) which are about the width of a balance beam, and they're on uneven terrain and up and down hills and are worn and broken in a bunch of places to make it more of a challenge. So I figure that balances it out.

I'm already starting to run just a little of the balance beam part; I want to run more of it. I don't think I'd've climbed to the top of that exhibitor prop if I hadn't been doing all this. That is my best memory of PAX - I had the altitude record for the show. Fuck yeah parkour is what.

separately

Aug. 29th, 2017 12:07 am
solarbird: (tracer)
Weightlifting is paying off quickly. It's been too long, and I've missed it. It makes me feel all liquidy. Right now, I'm two days on, one day off, doing two slow reps of a bunch of different weight exercises. When I can do 15 and 15 (reps), I consider myself to have achieved a weight; when I can do 15 and 20, I move up to the next weight.

I've been going about three and a half weeks. Every category has advanced, some by a lot. (I set starting weights with a trainer.) Some lifts have gone up literally 50% - I think that's more re-limbering than muscle gain, but it's some of both, I can definitely feel it.

The gym is a mix of Widowmaker purple and Overwatch gold. I am not even making this up, it's just true. Mind you, that's also UW purple and gold, and I figured that was why those colours, but turns out they're based in New Hampshire or something? So it's entirely unrelated and coincidental. But I like it, it's in walking distance, and I kind of pretend it's a joint Talon-Overwatch facility in some AU. I'm from the Talon side, of course.

Also, Zarya is in my head a lot, mostly saying, "STRONG." Fitness goals. I WANT TO HUG YOU LIKE BIG FUZZY SIBERIAN BEAR! Not there yet, but closer than I was. XD

May 2025

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