bottom uppers: lets talk

C

cinza

Active Member
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-28-01 AT 01:06PM (Est)[/font][p]
Debbie and Ruth, aka DebbieH and Starlight:

What kind of progress have you observed from the stepups ?

i have something i have noticed for about 3 weeks ...
There is a hardness around the area called "saddlebags" that i dont recognize...I think its muscle :)
... I cant really see it from the outsdie (thats where my fat is) but i can feel it with my hand...

So i am thinking thats a good sign.

Have you guys noticed anything?

Let's celebrate 2 months: how dropping and giving us all 30?!
Ruth, i am worried about your elbow...so you might prefer to do the on the forarms plank version. thats great for abs too... you lucky gal!
:9
(Ruth, do you think Fitnatalie knows what she is asking for when she says she needs 'punishing' around here!!)
 
Hey Cinza!

I actually think I feel some results too! :7 I need to locate my measurements. I think I know where I put them but I keep forgetting to measure! I'll tell you what, they NEVER got easier. Whew, they made me sweat too. I got away from them for about a week when I was at my daughter's house. Since then, I have taken up jogging and I noticed my knees were just a bit sore at first, so decided to hold off on the step-ups so as not to aggravate them worse. I am fine with the knees now, so I just started adding them back in this week. I only did them twice and only one set of 16 step-ups and one set of 16 step-downs with a 10# weight. That hardness you feel definitely sounds like a good thing! Keep up the good work I wish the clean eating was as easy as the exercise part! I'll go dig out those measurements now and report back later!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
RE: Hey Cinza!

Good work Cinza & Debbie!
Cinza that hardness is muscle! As for muscle-under-the-fat...that's the only kind I have!
Seriously, when I started doing Cathe strength workouts (started with MIS), I noticed a hardness there & in many other places which I finally realized was muscle under there! When I worked out before that, I saw changes of course, but NOTHING like what I saw with MIS. I also saw progress with my actual strength & endurance very quickly. What a workout!
I continue to do our stepups...I think I see a difference, but hard to really tell since I'm still doing MIS & PS. (Which already has stepups of course.)
Sorry to disappoint you my dear C...I have thrown pushups out of my workouts until further notice. I really think they are what's making the elbow so much worse.
You'll have to find something new to torture me with! ;-)
Ruth
 
Thanks Ruth

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-28-01 AT 05:43PM (Est)[/font][p]Lucky you ..no more pushups!!

Do you have another area we can work on together.....

I feel a new set of evil horns sprouting thinking of new ways to torment us!

hey..
i do have a set of little horns ...!!

They are the cutest little horns, 2 inches , they are on a heavey dark string which i tie buried in my hair.
I have worn out them in public... they look fantasticly real... Little kids always are trying to figure out if its possible that i have horns sprouting out of my like a baby goat's.

i once wore them to a party.
It was a party that i was not invited to because the old girlfriend of my date was there....it really hurt my feeling that i couldnt go anywhere with him because she was always around... So this time i put on my horns and just went anyway!!

That sounds like the right thing for an evil lady to do in such a situation..
Ah, the devil may care......
 
RE: Thanks Ruth

Cinza you are a trip! I should have known you had horns!

It's no wonder I never get any work done on my day off. I'm always checking the forum & my email to check on your latest outrageous adventure!

Okay, how about the abs? Debbie knows how much I hate ab work! Maybe I need some spurring on.

Also, a question...some trainers say you can do abs every day, & others say you need to rest a day as with any other muscle group?
Anybody have an opinion on that?

I sure hope I need to rest a day! ;-)
Ruth
 
Abs

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-28-01 AT 06:47PM (Est)[/font][p]what i know about abs....
Pilates .....( its a whole new workout Ruth!!)
or "core" traing.

I do pilates... I do it 2 times a week...which means i do 2 hours of solid ab work a week.. but then i apply the principals to everything i do and work the abs all day as a result :) .... it works great .... if it werent for the stretch marks i would have a fine looking tummy.. Lots of defintion.. .. 2 days a week..its not really torture either!

Pilates makes you strong all around the torso, not just in the muscles that make the 6 pack look ...
It works all the muscles that hold your organs in place and the ones that hold up your back up and the pelivic floor up which supports your organs also..and the tush.... so it does way more than only crunching.
I believe this is the real point in working abs...not just for definition.


Before ever doing a single crunch
I had great abs from only going to 1 dance class and rehearing 2 times a week ..
People used to ask me what i did to get my abs....just dance.....
(remember those hip shifts i told you about? i can turn them into great ab work if you like!) Thats it Ruth... my next plan for you is middle eastern dancing....its so much fun, beautiful and is great for keeping the torso stong and flexible in every direction...

But..
If you get a hankering to do some pilates i will think of somethings you might find useful to practice or apply to what you already do....
its gooooood stuff, very smart....
If you are interested you might look at a few books at a bookstore if you get interested to see illustrations of form....you have to do a few things right or you wont be getting the right results.


there are pure pilates and hybrid vidoe tapes like karen voights new ones.... pilates,yoga and regular ab work....

can you do that plank on your forarms?
that is a tremendous ab and body workout if you get in that position and just hold the body straight for 30 seconds......cant let anything sag..
then if you can handle it, you flip over and do a plank with your tummy to the ceiling and holding everything straight ...

then when you get good at that... you lift a foot off the floor and boy thats a job on the tush....
:)

but your elbow may not go for that..

later i will tell you about roll ups..... a wonderful version of sitting up
and i have some torturous crunch stuff too for you.
 
Could you remind us all exactly what you've been doing so we might try it and get similar results? How many step-ups? How often? What weight are you using? And what additional workouts are you doing? Thanks!
 
Hi Cheryl!

We were doing 2 sets of 16 step-ups and 2 sets of 16 step-downs with each leg. (Total of 32 for steps-ups & 32 step-downs each leg.) We used a 10 # dumbbell. We did this 3X/Week. If you've never done S-u's & downs, you might want to start off with just one set, maybe not use weights or modify if need be. As far as additional workouts, we all did our own thing. Would you like to join us? It looks like Cinza has some more work cut out for us for ABS!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
RE: Hi Cheryl!

Hi Cheryl, do join us! Please!! I want to know Debbie & I are not the only ones being tortured! ;-)
I still do the stepups mainly because I like them (but...they are hard!)
Debbie, how do you feel about Cinza's ab/pilates work suggestions? Sounds intriguing to me...I've always wanted to incorporate some Pilates into my workouts.
I had a very good book from the library Cinza, but never tried using it, just read it. I will try to find it to buy. Also will want to buy a tape or two...which ones do you recommend to start with? I simply do better learning with visuals.
As for dancing! Girl, have you not read my postings about being a klutz! However, I'm willing to try anything twice. I do the hip shift fairly religiously by the way, mostly because it's fun & makes me feel silly (but I DO feel it).
Must go to work! I'll check tonight to see what new tortures you have devised.
Nana - how's Kennedy doing? Haven't heard anything lately!
Ruth
 
A kinder gentler Cinza.

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-29-01 AT 12:47PM (Est)[/font][p]
ok i will start with a very pleasant, thoughtful, enlightening and gentle exercise for you.
its the most basic of basics for pilates...but
The great part is this exercise is that it is such good information; you can make it the basic strategy for almost any move you make dealing with abs or standing.... lower back work too ..Its going to totally support you from front to back....make your spine straighter and make it easier to stand tall.


disclaimer:
i am not a pilates instructor... but i think i can share some Pilates competently.

lets begin.
lie down on the floor, knees up, feet on the floor, be comfortable.
... lay your arms by your side and breath normally... think about filling the abdomen and exhaling it all out...

(see Ruth, its easy!)

after you are settled , take a breath and then exhale completely all the way down to your pubic bone.
NOTICE the muscles around your torso when you exhale. See how they contract pressing your naval towards the spine and the spine towards the floor as you exhale.. your spine flatten out, your abs flatten ..
IMPORTANT:
Understanding this feeling of the muscles pressing navel to spine and spine towards the floor...


There is a second part to doing this once you understand that engagement:

Keep breathing, feeling the exhale contraction and begin to notice where your ribs are ...
We are going to engage the ribs into that contraction so they dont stick up.. so there is no arch in the spine..
(I hope i explain ribs well enough)
When you exhale and your navel is pressing towards the spine
think of sliding your ribs down toward the abs and pelvis...Knitting them into the abs...think of making less distance between the rib cage and pelvis...this should bring your ribs down flatter in line with tummy.... your whole spine should be pressing towards the floor.. pretty straight..

(the flatness of the spine pressing to the floor is a point of discussion between different schools of pilates... a little curve in lower back that is Totally Supported by the muscles all the way around probably is the smartest...traditional schools might take the curve out.)

Anyhow
practice engaging the ribs to the ab contraction on the exhale....

After this makes sense we learn to inhale while holding this contraction of abs and ribs.


Its going to be like breathing out of the SIDES of your ribs instead of the front ... everything that engaged when you exhaled HOLDS when you inhale ....
Thinking of the navel and ribs is going to be on your mind alot in your future!


By the way this selection of muscles is called the Pilates "powerhouse" They are all the muscles that hold us up and support the lower back.

So
Lesson one... is engaging the powerhouse.
Lesson two .... is breathing while keeping the powerhouse engaged...
'navel to spine' and 'ribs down' might be your mantra..



once you know how to engage "the powerhouse" .. it will be the anchor of any ab work you do... pilates or not..
..
practice sitting in a chair .. navel to spine, ribs engaged.. it straightens the back, holds you upright.
apply it to standing,
to walking.. anything.... it will strenghen everything you do.

and anytime you are doing this you will be doing ab work!
and one day standing or sitting straight is going to feel better than slouching!
This is the real stuff on abs... it holds the organs in...and the body straight...

But..
this contraction of the powerhouse is not a total lifestyle..just an exercise to strengthen the muscles that hold us up and anchor anything we do.
... breathing into the abdomen and stretching everything from the inside out is important too..

(ok Ruth, do i get a halo yet?)

If you do this... tell me how its going in case i did not give good enough instruction.. I think finding the right move comes from that exhale.
I have read plenty of books that try to teach the feeling without saying that...and its tricky finding it... but the exhale really does the trick for me.

Good luck... when you get this you will have found a treasure for your good health and well being...abs wont be about 6 packs any more but solid strength thats going to make you feel very good about yourself from the inside out!

By the way... this is just step one..... but the rest is cake!! }>
 
RE: A kinder gentler Cinza.

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-30-01 AT 02:14AM (Est)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-30-01 AT 02:13 AM (Est)[/font]

Uh-huh. Cake.

Well, the kinder gentler Cinza part gave me my good hard laugh for the day!

You do a grand job of describing it...I will start practicing as soon as I sign off...thank you kgc! :)
Ruth
 
Hi Cinza & Ruth!

Sorry, it's taken me awhile to get back to you both. I know I SHOULD add some Pilates or Yoga into my rotuine, but I keep thinking, "WHERE"???? I may pass on this challenge if that's okay because I have decided to add walking lunges across the room to my rotation 3X/week. I did this a couple of years back and saw some good things happen to my backside. I started today with 50 of them alternating legs walking from one end of my house to the other and then turning around and continuing. I plan to keep adding on each day maybe about 5. Anyone want to join me? I will try to throw in a lil' Plilates if I find a spare 1/2 hour some evening. Thanks for the offer and Cinza, you need to quit trying to think of more torture for us nice gals! ;-)

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
RE: Hi Cinza & Ruth!

Debbie...
can we get a video of you doing your walking lunges around the house?

}>

I will join you.
 
Ha!

I've often wondered what a peeping Tom would think if he was watching me do some of my exercises! Tonight right before dinner, I put on my cassette tape for my class and was just practicing a couple of routines low impact hardly moving just to see if I remembered them. I barely was moving my arms or legs basically reviewing in my head. I look quite ammusing and thought if anyone was looking, they'd get a good laugh out of it. Not too sure you'd be that impressed watching me do my walking lunges! Glad 2 have U join me! Have you done your 50 yet? I will be doing 55 on Wednesday!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
And Where is Our Friend Ruth?

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-03-01 AT 00:09AM (Est)[/font][p]
Come on Ruth... drop them knees and give us 56!

are we putting some weight on this?
Cyndie gave me some exercises for hamstrings. one was a lunge where you hold weight on the front bent leg.


Debbie, are we doing 55 backwards steps too?
 
I can't....

...believe I ACTUALLY tried the walking backwards lunge!!! Sure glad no one was peeping in my window then! What a site. Hmmm, I'm not sure about the weight. I do them upstairs since I have more room to walk across the room compared to my workout room. I'm assuming you hold a weight in each hand for Cyndie's recommendation??? Let me know. It might be awkward to hold them on your thigh as opposed to hanging at your sides while moving. I'll give it a try and see tomorrow. YooHoooooo, RUTH!!!!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
RE: I can't....

the suggestion cyndie gave me wasfor stationary lunges.

we were trying to figure out how to do work the hamstrings..

proably not good for walking.
 
RE: Hi Cheryl!

Hi guys,
I can't believe Debbie came up with this torture before you did C! I can't think of anything worse than walking lunges. I DESPISE lunges!!
Ok, I'll do it. I can't resist joining you two!
I may have to start with a lower number though. I'll try it and see.
Good luck to us all...
Ruth :)
 
Alright!

Welcome to the "WL" Club, Ruth!! I'll get you to LOVE lunges yet! ;-)

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
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