Day 76 (Legs/Back) Finally...feeling/seeing changes

Finished Legs/Back today.  I've had steady but slow improvement on this routine from day one.  Once my balance improved, I think things started to really kick into gear.  I think this is the result of extra strength being added from just being more successful at balancing.  Balance lunges, super skaters, toe iso rolls...all can now be done with no help from hanging on to a chair.  And I think the improvement builds more improvement...the more I can balance, the more small muscles get exercises, the better I can balance, etc.  It has just taken a very long time to start to arrive here.  The only real problem is the deadlift squat (squatting on one leg and coming back up).  I did MUCH better at that one today, but once I start to wobble and get out of rhythm, I can't seem to get it back.

When I talk about feeling changes, I'm talking about pull ups and all the calf exercises.  Regarding the pullups...for the past 11 weeks, I've simply struggled just to pull myself up.  To be honest, I've never really felt this as a back exercise...it has always seemed all arms.  Well today I started to feel something different.  I guess my arms are now strong enough that there isn't so much of a struggle getting halfway up.  But during the last part of the motion, I can now feel the focus in my back...I can really push that part of my body and slowly bring myself up.  I'm not sure if it makes sense the way I'm talking about it.  Let me try to make it more clear...first I'm pulling up with my arms and then I can now feel my back take over and bring me the rest of the way up.  It now feels like I am using all the muscles I am supposed to.  And I'm seeing results.  Although I can do at least 8 of about any type of pull up right off the bat, I could never before do that many after being in the middle of a workout.  I am now approaching that.  And I owe it all to the chair.  By maxing out with the chair and then continuing for a total of 12-15 reps with the chair, I've really allowed myself to build up strength.  Before when I wasn't using the chair and maxing out at 3-4 reps, I was going nowhere.

Regarding feeling it in the calf muscles...all the stuff geared toward the calf would really only make the arches of my feet sore.  I never felt anything in the calf.  Now that has started to change.  I'm not sure if I am doing anything different, but today I was really able to focus on how my calf felt during the exercises.

OK, I'm going to be honest here...when it comes to the muscle, I don't know what the plural of calf is...calfs or calves. 

OK, now onto seeing changes.  I haven't mentioned this before because I didn't want to feel like I was searching for results.  But I can now see definite improvement in my abs.  There is no doubt.  And it isn't from weight loss because I am at the same weight I was when I started.  There is definite definition.  Not sure if it will show up on camera or not, but I can clearly see it.

Day 73,74 (Shoulders/Arms, Yoga) Sitting down...

So I’ve had my first experience losing an entire post after I wrote it…and then losing it again after I wrote it the second time.  Let’s see what happens this time…

Finished Shoulders/Arms on Saturday and Yoga on Sunday.  I was actually supposed to do Legs/Back yesterday (Monday) but you know what…I just didn’t feel like it.  So I used Monday for the day of rest with Legs/Back today (Tuesday) and Kenpo on Wednesday.  Then I’ll start the final week of resistance on Thursday.  Can you tell I’m getting a little burnt out.  Or maybe my luck has run out.  I’ve gotten through almost eleven weeks without any real crisis that has prevented a workout.  I’ve worked out through illness and vacation.  But other than that, the past eleven weeks have been pretty laid back.  Now life it getting busy again and I can see working out will have to be more flexible.  That will all be taken into account once I complete the 90 days and figure out exactly how I’m going to proceed.

Shoulders/Arms went pretty well.  As I mentioned before, I sat down during the exercises (like presses) where weight is above my head.  That took some strain off my back and allowed me to focus on proper form where it counts.  I’ve also learned to keep my body more stable in the exercises where I stand.  Before, I’d look down and see my knees and feet all over the place like an idiot.  Now I’m trying to concentrate on having a very stable foundation.  One thing is that I’ve somewhat peaked out on weight over the past few weeks.  Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise.  I am setting my goal at 8-10 reps, but I don’t think I’m really gaining bulk or strength because I’m not eating more and gaining weight.  We’ll see what happens.

Yoga also went well…pretty comparable to last time.  Was able to do Warrior 3 (although wobbling) on the second side…the first side had some stumbles.  The same thing happened with prayer twist in a lunge…first side had tumbles but second side was good.  Still can’t look up in that prayer twist lunge, but I’m happy I can hold it.  Tree was stable.  Royal Dancer had some stumbles.  Standing Leg Extension had some stumbles.  I can do Crane twice for about 10 seconds.  I stop after that because of knee strain.  Everything else went well.  Still trying to get lower in the second round of side twists.