Gym

[bugshaw]

This is a versatile userpic; it works for modern art, cycling and exercise.

I went to the gym this morning for my New Member Health Check, where they said polite things about my nice low blood pressure and pulse and my nice high water and fruit/veg consumption. For my waist/weight/BMI they said "It's nice to have these things written down so you can see how your body changes as you exercise." That's three gym visits in my first week, I thought I'd stay and do a workout.

My favourite leg press machine had a fault, so I decided to do squats with a barbell instead and trekked to the free weights end of the gym. I was a little mortified to find that my arms and shoulders are so puny that I couldn't lift the barbell from the rack onto my shoulders; I asked a chap how one might do this and he showed me how to set up and use the standing squat machine (which was nice). It's much harder work than the leg press machine but I did feel good afterwards. I've spent most of the afternoon feeling ready for a well-earned nap :-)


When I started last week I was doing 3x10-12 of
leg press 70kg
chest press 10kg
shoulder press 7.5kg (so difficult!)
leg extensions 15kg
lat pulldown 20kg

Comments

[sharikkamur.livejournal.com]

"It's nice to have these things written down so you can see how your body changes as you exercise."

That's a good point - thanks to the WiiFit I can see what my weight and BMI are doing but I've no idea of how the measurements might change. I may have to try that one myself.

[fatdog.livejournal.com]

Posting the weights is a good idea - maybe doing the same would be good motivation to get me back into the gym. Also now you must post updates.

[cdave]

Hahaha :)

Were any of you at Farah's London BSFA talk?

She said that the fans she's seen writing about starting at the gym always post the numbers.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

I wasn't there. Did she have any suggestions as to why we do it? Maybe the non-geeks at the gym also don't have blogs hence geeks showing up more noticeably.

[cdave]

I think it's that geeks have a more analytical mindset. So rather than saying I feel fitter. They can say exactly how much longer they can run for / weight they can lift.

This has the corresponding opposite problem that people stop posting when the numbers stop changing as rapidly as they do when you first start.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Update: I ache today like a very achy thing made entirely of aches and stiffness! Gym is good. And can I motivate you to come and eat delicious kebabs at Al Casbah some time?