this is
mongrelheart's fault.
26 Jun 2012 12:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Went back to gym yesterday, complained to manager, and was set up with second trainer for meeting this morning to come up with workout plan. At one point he suggested kettlebells. Which, to be honest, I had no idea what they were. All I knew was that they're something used by crazy people. Like, say, my sole exposure (the aforementioned
mongrelheart) being someone who's clearly crazy (in a good way) about athleticism, and when someone crazy like that complains about kettlebells and, uhm, something to do with kettlebells, I make a note that kettlebells = mad-crazy. Turns out they're just round weights with a single handle, instead of the old dumbbell types with the weight on either end of a handle. Oh. Okay. Not so much with the mad-crazy. (Clearly the mad-crazy is just M all on her own.)
Talking to the manager, I finally said (not quite losing my temper but close) that I felt like I'd been patronized (although the trainer's a nice guy so I'm sure he didn't intend to insult me, so much as just carry on with his assumptions about What Women Really Want, or something). When I'd asked about why the plan was for working out twice a week, what else was I supposed to do? The trainer had said, take classes. I told the manager (and told him I'd told the trainer) that if I wanted to do classes, I would've bloody well just done classes and skipped the cost of seeing a trainer. When I explained I don't even want to work with a trainer regularly -- just someone to check in on -- the manager wanted to know why it mattered. I said, because it's like the off-season: the coach gives you goals, and you go away and work towards them, and come back after so long, having met those goals and gone further.
(To the trainer today, I explained it's also because my brain says, "you should be stronger than this!" and my body says, "woah, it's been awhile." Having a trainer follow me around at this point is more humiliation and frustration than positive reinforcement. I need to get to a point where my heart and core are stronger, then I won't feel like a useless lump if/when I work with a trainer.)
Today's new phrase: skinny-fat. I was explaining about my joints, that I can't do the elliptical or the upright bike, or the leg press or squats/lunges, because it makes my knees grind. I can hear the last shreds of cartilege grinding, and while it doesn't hurt per se, it's a clear warning that if I keep going, the coming hurt will put me on my ass, possibly long-term. But! I can walk up stairs without a problem, I can walk all day, and there's no pain. My joints don't ache or swell or any of that stuff. It's just that I don't have much cartilege. So if I can go up the stairs, I guess that means I could try the stairmaster. The trainer scoffed and said, "don't bother with that. All it'll do is make you skinny-fat." (As in, weighing less because what you've got is lightweight fat, not powerful muscle.)
We never did figure out what's the opposite of 'skinny-fat'. Curvy-strong?
ETA: in unrelated news, got a copy of Bite of China, a Chinese show on regional cuisine. (First two episodes subbed in english; more coming, I hear.) OMG. Do not watch if you are even remotely hungry. Sooooooo good. Soooooo droolworthy.
Reason #4 for losing weight: so I can travel overseas and gain it all back by eating my way through various countries & cuisines. Except India. I love Indian cuisine, but I just don't think even with all my dedication that I'd ever be able to handle the spice-heat. When Indian friends say they made their family's dish "mild" just for me, and it still brings me to tears... it's probably a sign. Visiting India would probably be a lot of smelling but avoiding the tasting. Although come to think of it, Thailand would probably be in the same category. Which is okay; first on my list is Taiwan, then Japan, and I'd probably need a decade just for China alone...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Talking to the manager, I finally said (not quite losing my temper but close) that I felt like I'd been patronized (although the trainer's a nice guy so I'm sure he didn't intend to insult me, so much as just carry on with his assumptions about What Women Really Want, or something). When I'd asked about why the plan was for working out twice a week, what else was I supposed to do? The trainer had said, take classes. I told the manager (and told him I'd told the trainer) that if I wanted to do classes, I would've bloody well just done classes and skipped the cost of seeing a trainer. When I explained I don't even want to work with a trainer regularly -- just someone to check in on -- the manager wanted to know why it mattered. I said, because it's like the off-season: the coach gives you goals, and you go away and work towards them, and come back after so long, having met those goals and gone further.
(To the trainer today, I explained it's also because my brain says, "you should be stronger than this!" and my body says, "woah, it's been awhile." Having a trainer follow me around at this point is more humiliation and frustration than positive reinforcement. I need to get to a point where my heart and core are stronger, then I won't feel like a useless lump if/when I work with a trainer.)
Today's new phrase: skinny-fat. I was explaining about my joints, that I can't do the elliptical or the upright bike, or the leg press or squats/lunges, because it makes my knees grind. I can hear the last shreds of cartilege grinding, and while it doesn't hurt per se, it's a clear warning that if I keep going, the coming hurt will put me on my ass, possibly long-term. But! I can walk up stairs without a problem, I can walk all day, and there's no pain. My joints don't ache or swell or any of that stuff. It's just that I don't have much cartilege. So if I can go up the stairs, I guess that means I could try the stairmaster. The trainer scoffed and said, "don't bother with that. All it'll do is make you skinny-fat." (As in, weighing less because what you've got is lightweight fat, not powerful muscle.)
We never did figure out what's the opposite of 'skinny-fat'. Curvy-strong?
ETA: in unrelated news, got a copy of Bite of China, a Chinese show on regional cuisine. (First two episodes subbed in english; more coming, I hear.) OMG. Do not watch if you are even remotely hungry. Sooooooo good. Soooooo droolworthy.
Reason #4 for losing weight: so I can travel overseas and gain it all back by eating my way through various countries & cuisines. Except India. I love Indian cuisine, but I just don't think even with all my dedication that I'd ever be able to handle the spice-heat. When Indian friends say they made their family's dish "mild" just for me, and it still brings me to tears... it's probably a sign. Visiting India would probably be a lot of smelling but avoiding the tasting. Although come to think of it, Thailand would probably be in the same category. Which is okay; first on my list is Taiwan, then Japan, and I'd probably need a decade just for China alone...
no subject
Date: 27 Jun 2012 03:52 am (UTC)India and Thailand are my top two places to visit for cuisine Spicy food is like a drug -- the endorphin rush can be amazing. I know a lot of people who can't tolerate the spice though, so there's always mangoes, coconuts, delicious desserts, and rice to feast on while you're there! It's awesome you list Taiwan along with China. Mmm oyster vermicelli...
no subject
Date: 27 Jun 2012 06:26 am (UTC)Machines are frequently scary because they're often hogged by big muscle-bound guys who look at any woman (in shape or not, younger or older) as though the woman is trespassing. (It's a lot better now than it used to be, trust me.) But machines have one particular really good feature: any given machine locks you into doing an exercise one way, isolating certain muscles. Unlike free weights, or calisthenics, you can't wobble, or over-use your dominant arm, etc. Just starting out, then machines are one of the best ways (at least in my experience/knowledge) to get started, without the worry about 'doing it wrong'.
Much of the reason I fussed about where/when it hurts is because the exercises the first trainer gave me were cable-based, so I was basically pulling on a counter-weighted cord. That meant my body could flex and move around, which opens the question of whether my back is straight or too-straight or bent, whether my shoulders are curved when I should hold them back, etc. When I've got more stamina/muscle (inside a month, probably), I'll be better able to handle that kind of exercise and be able to control my body so I can hold a proper position.
Getting into shape... there are three parts, from what I can tell. (Mongrelheart might be more knowledgeable, and I bet plenty of other folks are, too, so grain of salt b/c this is just as it's been explained to me.) First is calisthenics, like treadmill or bike or aerobics. This is aerobic activity, when your heart rate should be elevated but not too high, just a little higher, like moving fast down the hallway or up a flight of stairs. Not enough to get you winded, just enough to feel like you've been moving around. Next is calisthenics but at a higher intensity, which is anaerobic activity; that's when your heart rate is way-elevated, you're probably out of breath or getting there. Aerobic activity will burn the highest amount of fat; anaerobic and you're into burning less of fat and more other stuff (and when you'll get lactic acid in the muscles). But! Anaerobic is very important, because that's where you build up major cardiac strength. So on the treadmill, say, you'd do enough to be aerobic (mid-intensity) and then for a minute or two, push yourself harder (go anaerobic), then take it down again and go easy until your heart settles, then push again.
All that does, however, is burn fat and make your heart strong. (Which are good, just not good enough!) Neither really builds muscle per se. For that, you need to include weights and resistance, which is where the machines come in. Just doing stairs or bike or aerobics will burn fat, but you're not replacing it with anything beneficial. You want endurance/stamina, strength, you need muscle for that. Plus, no matter how much you jump up and down in aerobics class, it's out-of-shape muscles that can't handle strain and will get hurt easily. In-shape muscles prevent general injuries and aches from things like getting groceries out of your trunk, shoving open a heavy door, etc.
If you don't have a background as an athlete in a competitive sport that required major team-shared exercises like running, lifting weights, and cals... then in that case, I would definitely recommend getting a trainer. If nothing else, knowing you have a twice-weekly appointment will get you there. And if you're not used to things, the trainer is there to encourage you -- and if you're intimidated by the machines (or the big lugs standing around looking muscle-bound) the trainer's presence acts like a kind of silent hall pass to be there, or a kind of psychological backup that affirms you should be taken seriously. (Plus no one will glare or snarl at you with a trainer around, if that ever worries you.)
Whatever you do, don't take my complaints to heart. They're very much the complaints of someone who spent way too long in a sport that's brutal, requires a high level of masochism -- and (to my detriment now) was less regulated when I was in school. We didn't get info about how to eat right, and we didn't get tracked for whether we were pushing ourselves too much or in the wrong ways. Which means every time I go back to the gym, I unlearn and relearn a little more. That frustrates me almost as much as not being as strong as I once was, and I'm well aware I'm not the norm! Don't be thinking I am. I'm kinda out-there, in this case. xD
no subject
Date: 27 Jun 2012 04:45 pm (UTC)I totally hear ya on that! When i did gymnastics, track, & crew in high school & college, they never told us a darn thing about proper nutrition, overtraining, sleep, rest days, anything like that. I'm sure they pay a lot more attention to those subjects these days ( it's been a long time for me, I'll be 44 this year).
no subject
Date: 28 Jun 2012 06:11 am (UTC)Granted, my coaches did instruct us about rest days, and did try to keep us from overtraining. It was just the nutrition part of it (combined with the need to be about 10 lbs lighter than I should be, while at the same time working out heavily six days a week) that got totally skipped. We were left to our own devices on that score. When I went on the South Beach diet a few years back, I read the intro sections and was all: whoa, so that's protein! Oh, so that's what a complex carb is! So that's what's meant by "balanced" diet! I had no idea! *eyeroll*