musclegrrrl

Anyone out there do any boating? Dragonboating season is gearing up - should be out on the water in a couple weeks - I can't WAIT! I also enjoy kayaking (touring rather than whitewater - I'm a big chicken ) Just wondered if anyone else here was on the water at all...

I've been doing yoga for about 4 years now and I love it. I haven't been to a class in a while (money & time issues) but I practice regularly at home. My preference is also for the more meditative styles (Hatha, Iyengar) because I really like to explore, breathe and deepen into the poses. I've heard Kundalini can be dangerous because of the intense breathwork and meditation - if improperly taught I guess you can do damage? I took a couple Kundalini classes - it was very...different. The poses are held for extremely long times - not especially challenging poses, but they become challenging because of the length of time. It is definitely the most "spritual" of the forms I've run across. There is a great deal of pranayama and chanting involved - not so much movement.

Wow - 30 reps! Hmmm.... I've only been doing 15 or so on my legs - trying to build strength. Something to maybe rethink... Had my first Dragonboating practice of the season on Saturday (in a pool, not in the boat) and I'm painfully reminded today of the muscles I don't seem to use other than for that LOL (it's mainly the core that works - torso stroke, not arm). I realized that I need to work on my obliques more. And to get a darn seat pad - my butt bones are SORE from sitting on that hard pool-side surface for an hour and a half - and the boat seats are not much better! But man it felt good to have that paddle in my hand

Hi Wannalift - yeah - given my druthers, I'd work my legs all the time and skip the upper body LOL - because it's easier. Thanks for all the advice Adrienne. You are the second person to let me know that women don't really "bulk" up, but your explanation made a whole lot of sense. I have a long torso and relatively short, squat legs. I don't work my calves at all (except what they get during cardio) because they're already huge (17.5"). When I was having my skin removal surgery, the surgeon looked at my calves to see if there was anything to be done and he said, nope, they're basically solid muscle - nothing he could do to minimize them. So I will try and up the reps and lower the weight on the legs. I've been shooting for 10-12 reps on the upper body - so you think I should up the weight a bit and lower the reps a bit? I have some confusion about how often to change things - I have only been lifting for about 6 weeks. I have increased the weights since starting as I built strength and it became to easy to do what I started with. But I wasn't sure if there is some general wisdom as to how often to increase weight, how often to change the routine, when to add new exercises, etc. Any thoughts?

Thanks for all the messages - nice to feel welcome

I guess I'm confused. I'm really not sure how heavy I should go, how many reps/sets I should shoot for... My goal is to build some bulk and a lot of strength in my upper body, and to maintain size and tone my legs. I have a nice 6-pack coming along, but I would like to see a tad more definition. My current training routine is: Mon: cardio kick-boxing class Tue: chest & shoulders, 20-30 minutes of cardio Wed: abs/sculpt class Thur: biceps, triceps and back, 20-30 minutes of cardio Fri: legs Sat or Sun - one day is a long, lower-intensity cardio-60-90 minutes, and one is rest. I also typically do about 30-45 minutes of yoga each morning - routine varies. I have some pockets of fat (some are vestiges of my weight loss and excess skin issues) - mainly underarms and thigh saddlebags. I realize I can't spot reduce, so I'm working on my body fat ratio. I eat pretty clean, but I definitely see areas I can work on. I was at about 25% body fat, according to the last time I had it read, which was a while ago. For my age (43) it said it was okay, but I would like to see it lower. So - after all that blathering on, my question is - currently I'm lifting weights for my upper body that I can do about 3 sets of roughly 10-12 reps with the third set being quite difficult (for me - weakling - that means about 8-10 lb dumbells for most upper body stuff). My legs are strong and get strong quickly - right now I'm doing about 12-15 reps on my leg exercises. I have a tendency to just randomly do squats - like when I'm brushing my teeth, and lunges when I'm talking on the phone. Can you tell I like to work my legs? Should I shoot for higher reps and lower weights? Lower reps and higher weights? I think that to build strength and bulk I want higher weights/low reps, but will that also provide definition, or just bulk? Sorry so long - just thought I'd try to give as much info as possible...

So I guess I'm supposed to tell a little about myself... I'm 43 years old, been vegetarian for about a year now, and just began a serious weight training program about 5 weeks ago. I'm came here because I wanted to pick up some training tips and advice since I'm pretty much going it alone. I have lifted in the past, but never really stuck with it. I have a new attitude, new body (lost 150 lbs) and have been active and doing a lot of cardio and sculpt type work, along with yoga, for the past 3-1/2 years. I tend to build muscle relatively easily - my goals are to shape and define rather than simply build bulk. I am also working on strength, as my bulk belies my strenth - I look stronger than I am On the personal front - I'm married, mother of 1 (daughter, 24 years old) and have 3 dogs, 3 cats, a bird and a turtle that share my house with me and my DH. So I guess that about covers my intro - any questions, just ask me