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[Sassy69]

Hi Laurie

Congrats on going after some PRs on the bench press!

What is the deal w/ the swimmers shoulder? Is that like an issue w/ your rotator or something else? I can speak to the rotator - i've always had an issue on my right shoulder and really aggravated the crap out of it last year when I started doing heavy behind the head military presses (DON'T do this... d'oh). I ended up getting it checked by an orthopedic surgeon to make sure I didn't have a tear or anything. There was nothign - just aggravated w/ tendonitis. Over the course of all this time I was seeing a good chiro & massage therapist and ended up "trying" to train w/it for about 5 months but so sporadically (because I kept aggravating it & just had to stop). At this point I do shoulder warmups w/ cables & light weight before doing any upper body stuff and then just don't lift as heavy, don't do bar presses and generally just very careful.

Have you seen anyone about your shoulder? The physical therapist I was told to go see basically just said to use resistance bands to build up the muscles arround my rotator to help strengthen the whole area but not keep aggravating it by lifting heavy again. Things like that - esp tendonitis type things are hard to make "go away" so I'm not sure what to tell you.

 

[lswaters]

Yes, it's definitely the rotator cuff thing, and I think it's tendonitis - doesn't really behave like a tear. It's hard to think that with all the different exercises I do that I'm not reaching those muscles; but maybe not. 'Not lifting heavy' - that's discouraging; there goes my 200 bp goal... But maybe not. I think I will haul myself into the doctor. Thanks! Laurie

 

[Sassy69]

Yes, it's definitely the rotator cuff thing, and I think it's tendonitis - doesn't really behave like a tear. It's hard to think that with all the different exercises I do that I'm not reaching those muscles; but maybe not. 'Not lifting heavy' - that's discouraging; there goes my 200 bp goal... But maybe not. I think I will haul myself into the doctor. Thanks! Laurie

Its not that you "can't" do it. Its not that you have to stop doing it. But also WHAT you are doing is obviously aggravating it. The rotator is really one of the squirreliest areas of your body because it takes such a beating and has so many tiny moving parts that its easy to aggravate. I have tendonitis issues in my elbows that date back to the early 90s. Its like they go in phases tho - sometimes you just do one thing that really hits it just right and then you spend 3 months trying to make it stop hurting, and then it just stops hurting (note during those 3 months you probably let up on the aggravating motion simply because it hurt, then you just get frustrated and give up for a while so it gets a break and then you start back slow).

If you can, see a doc or PT or someone for an evaluation - and if possible someone who is sports-oriented or someone can recommend for that purpose. Among the people you know from swimming is there a coach you can as for a referral from? I'm sure this is common among swimmers.

Also u doing ONLY bench press? What else are you doing to support working your shoulder? As I said - I went back to basics w/ my shoulder warmups beffore any upper body training -- cable front & side laterals (top to bottom and bottom to top) - not going for weight, just going for easy reps to build up the whole area slowly again w/o re-aggravating things. Its not "gone" but it bothers me a lot less.

Athletes are presented w/ all sorts of challenges along the way - I spent 6 months prepping for a national level bodybuilding show last summer and first the rotator thing and then my knees started developing tendonitis / bursitis as well so I just had to stop. Very frustrated because my qualification for that show ran out. So its more about taking the healthy, long view to the whole thing - your body has sustained a certain amount of damage / wear & tear from what you do now so you just need to retrain it first to not continue aggravating the area and second to allow it to heal and third, help develop & recruit a different neural path (i.e. train your muscles to handle a different way of doing what you want to do) to achieve your goals. Sort of like getting lost and having to refind your way there or blowing a tire and having to stop & fix it. But its rarely a situation where you just up & quit because you'll "never" reach your goal now. Just means a couple of different goals along the way. And honestly, you HAVE to anyway because your body is telling you that what you are doing now HURTS!

 

[SueDonym]

Hi y'all! I got very toned about 10 years ago, running and lifting weights. At 5'7" wearing size 5 jeans, my 30th year was the fittest year of my adult life. Alas, extreme stress, depression, injuries, etc contributedto the loss of my good habits, and gaining weight back. I periodically got back on track during that time, but did not stick with it long term. This time I am hoping to make the permanent changes to stay fit.

This time, starting at 230 pounds in January, I have lost 46 pounds so far (now at 184). I ran a 5K this weekend, and plan to rejoin the running club I used to be in. When I get my first August paycheck, I will start 6 sessions with a trainer at my gym, because it has been long enough for me to forget the basics and I want to be sure I am doing things right. I am not sure how much I will be posting... I have a lot of reading to do! But I thought I would go ahead and say hello and post my stats as the pinned post suggested:

basics:
- weight 184, height 5'7", 33% Bodyfat

your goals -- what are you trying to accomplish?
- no firm weight goal... somewhere between 140 and 155. I want to lose fat, gain muscle, and be happy with my body and health.

your current training & cardio schedule
- I jog 3 miles about 3 times a week and recently added weight training back to my routine. I have started with twice a week. Heavy yard work most weekends. (I have a HUGE lawn, and I alternate front and back each week, which is a good workout on its own!)

your current meal plan, including with each meal, portions, what you are eating and when you eat.
- I started with a VERY restricted diet for 4 months under clinic supervision, heavy on the protein, very low carb. I was eating about 120 g of protein per day, lots of veggies, with starches and breads only on cheat days. It worked very well for me, but now I am moving on to a more moderate diet. I pretty much have protein at every meal, and have added fruit snacks and some whole grains twice a day. I am not measuring portions at this point, but will if I stall. I pretty much have the three main meals plus a mid morning and pre-workout snack in the late afternoon.

any salient medical concerns
- I was borderline hypertensive, but that has improved a lot with the weight loss, and I expect it will get solidly in the normal range as I continue to improve my fitness. I need to get my thyroid checked, as I have been slightly hypo, but I was between medical insurance coverage due to changing jobs, so I will do that soon.

So, those are the basics... I'm happy find this site as an information resource. Thanks for any input!

 

[Sassy69]

Hey Sue! Welcome to EF! And congrats on your journey back to size 5 Awesome progress so far - yes "life" definitely gets in the way sometimes. Once you get control of things again, you are back on your to the good stuff! Sounds like you have an awesome attitude about your goals and your progress and I've very happy for you on that - its one of the biggest challenges of trying to get control of your life.

If you want, I think it'd be great if you want to start a thread for the ladies here and that can be your own sort of on-going conversation. I think people are going to want to dig into your diet details a little more (because that's what we do here - full conversations about food ) My one concern is no mention of fats so I'd be interested to see your details myself. But all in all, it sounds like you have a program that is working for you and you are moving very well towards your running goals! I'm so happy you are getting back into your running group - sounds like a passion of yours and being w/ other likeminded people goes a long way to building out a solid community of people who support you and challenge you in positive ways.

Again, welcome and look forward to your progress!

 

[SueDonym]

Hey Sue! Welcome to EF! And congrats on your journey back to size 5 Awesome progress so far - yes "life" definitely gets in the way sometimes. Once you get control of things again, you are back on your to the good stuff! Sounds like you have an awesome attitude about your goals and your progress and I've very happy for you on that - its one of the biggest challenges of trying to get control of your life.

If you want, I think it'd be great if you want to start a thread for the ladies here and that can be your own sort of on-going conversation. I think people are going to want to dig into your diet details a little more (because that's what we do here - full conversations about food ) My one concern is no mention of fats so I'd be interested to see your details myself. But all in all, it sounds like you have a program that is working for you and you are moving very well towards your running goals! I'm so happy you are getting back into your running group - sounds like a passion of yours and being w/ other likeminded people goes a long way to building out a solid community of people who support you and challenge you in positive ways.

Again, welcome and look forward to your progress!

Thanks for the welcome! I tend to go with low and moderate fat proteins - chicken breasts, seafood, and lower fat cuts of beef. I also eat avocado several times a week, and take Fish-Flax-Borage supplements. I eat walnuts for snacks at least a few times a week. My biggest weakness is cheese. I cannot tolerate fat free cheese! But I do choose low fat or 2% cheese when possible. My biggest challenge is probably getting enough veggies because I don't like them much. I pretty much have to make myself include them in my meal plan, or I'd leave them out altogether!

Since I mentioned the omega supplements, I'll also add the others I take... general multivitamin, calcium orotate, and the clinic I go to gives me Vitamin B shots with either HCG or AMP (alternate weeks). While I was hardcore on the diet and supplements, I was also taking supplements with Choline, Methione, and Inositol (considered lipotropics). Lately, I have only been doing the multi, calcium, and omegas.

I am not exactly passionate about running... but I know from past experience that when I get up to running, the weight literally falls off, and I feel really good. I can't say I love any kind of exercise... I need to train myself to love it to keep in shape. I do really like the people I met in the running club, though, so that helps keep me going.

The best motivator lately is that I have started to feel sexy again, and it has been a while since I last felt that way. I have pretended to be disinterested in dating, but it was really because I was not comfortable with myself. Now, I am ready to get back out there!

 

[Sassy69]

Thanks for the welcome! I tend to go with low and moderate fat proteins - chicken breasts, seafood, and lower fat cuts of beef. I also eat avocado several times a week, and take Fish-Flax-Borage supplements. I eat walnuts for snacks at least a few times a week. My biggest weakness is cheese. I cannot tolerate fat free cheese! But I do choose low fat or 2% cheese when possible. My biggest challenge is probably getting enough veggies because I don't like them much. I pretty much have to make myself include them in my meal plan, or I'd leave them out altogether!

Since I mentioned the omega supplements, I'll also add the others I take... general multivitamin, calcium orotate, and the clinic I go to gives me Vitamin B shots with either HCG - human chorionic gonadotropin - or AMP (alternate weeks). While I was hardcore on the diet and supplements, I was also taking supplements with Choline, Methione, and Inositol (considered lipotropics). Lately, I have only been doing the multi, calcium, and omegas.

I am not exactly passionate about running... but I know from past experience that when I get up to running, the weight literally falls off, and I feel really good. I can't say I love any kind of exercise... I need to train myself to love it to keep in shape. I do really like the people I met in the running club, though, so that helps keep me going.

The best motivator lately is that I have started to feel sexy again, and it has been a while since I last felt that way. I have pretended to be disinterested in dating, but it was really because I was not comfortable with myself. Now, I am ready to get back out there!

That sentence speaks volumes! Sounds like you are on top of it all and just waiting for the good things to come! Keep it consistent and you will be rewarded!

 

[Vicks]

Hi Hi,

Alrighty then as you can probably tell i am new. So for the first while please excuse my "starter" questions.....

 

[babygirl84]

Hey everyone!

This is my first official post, although I have been a member for several months.... ( I was reading up and trying to get a feel for the board like good newbies are supposed to. lol)

I am 5'3" and 131 lbs, not sure about my bf %

I am trying to get back into shape after four years in college of drinking, no sleep, and irregular eating and exercising habits. My undergraduate schedule of classes, internships, work, bars, and frat parties has left me not in the shape I should be.

I am currently running 3 or so miles a day before work, light free weights, occasional yoga classes. I wanna step up my game, and really start working at it.

My diet tends to be high protein, lo carb, but a lot of wine/vodka, and inconsistent meal times/portions doesn't help. lol

I am looking to cut out the drinking, get myself on a regular and healthy meal schedule, some serious workout and toning regimen, and meet some like-minded folks.

 

[MsSandra]

Hello,
I am new to this site.
ht. 5'5
wt. 145
bf. 18%


I workout and train 4-5x a week. also teach group fitness classes (3x weekly thru Bodytrainingsystems)
I have been using weights and doing cardio for years.

I am fighting getting older and my genetics. I am healthy but hate seeing my weight go up.
Then again, I know it is all about proper nutrition. Sometimes I know I am not getting enough food for the amount of exercise I am doing.

These are just some basic stats about me.

Sandra