<p>These look pretty safe to me. You can try them without weights or with light weights to start out. Some of the exercises probably work better with heavier weights and some with light.</p>
<p><a href=“http://rachelsbodyshop.com/images/rachel_poster_jul2011.jpg[/url]”>http://rachelsbodyshop.com/images/rachel_poster_jul2011.jpg</a></p>
<p>Wow, thanks, BC. This Rachel is pretty buff. Her exercises look pretty safe to me, too.</p>
<p>The exercises on that poster look pretty “old-school” to me. That approach to strength training grew out of the bodybuilder/muscle beach fitness magazine world where guys and gals concentrated each exercise on one little muscle. So you had guys doing bicep curls to “build up” their biceps. And, women doing tricep kickbacks to build one tiny muscle in the back of the arm. The whole exercise machine phenomenom was build around isolating individual muscles and working them over and over and over and over with the same movement.</p>
<p>The paradigm shift now (although you probably see it more in top level sports training than the local gym) is to focus training around the basic human movements. Instead of isolating muscles, you train movement patterns, first with body weight, then with increasing loads. The idea is that all the exercises work multiple muscles simultaneously, in patterns that actually apply to sports or real-world activities. All the little muscles still get exercised, but as as part of a larger group. A side benefit is that working mutiple muscles, especially multiple large muscles, is far more demanding, which is good from a conditioning or fat loss perspective.</p>
<p>Every workout should include:</p>
<p>An upper body push (think pushup or bench press)</p>
<p>An upper body pull (think chin up or DB row)</p>
<p>A lower body squat pattern (down and up primarily by bending the knees and using the quads/thighs)</p>
<p>A lower body hinge pattern (picking something up primarily by hinging the hips and pushing the butt back, using the glutes/butt muscles for power).</p>
<p>So, with that idea, here’s a list of five exercises I listed for a kettlebell that would also work with dumbbells:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15557978-post24539.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15557978-post24539.html</a></p>
<p>It’s those four movements, plus a bonus hinge (the one arm swing) which is a power hinge movement – basically a faster deadlift.</p>
<p>Dan John believes (and I think he’s right) that we should also walk around with heavy weights in one or both hands (farmers carries). So, add that one to the list.</p>
<p>Back in the gym after almost a week of travel and exercise consisting only of lots of walking.</p>
<p>5 minute row intervals
Pilates/core work
front squats
Romanian deadlifts
jerk
lunges</p>
<p>Didn’t track food while traveling, but am okay with it, because I was well within the range of what I intended and ended up losing a little weight.</p>
<p>Just did 5 miles on the dreadmill because it is miserable outside- 39 degrees, light rain and strong north wind. Dreadmill was awful, too, but I wasn’t cold! 
I have my final night of the 3 nights of banquet dinners tonight,thank God. I am so tired. I was at a table last night with folks from NH and Maine, iDad and BCEagle! Those states were part of the sales region I was assigned to for last night’s dinner. Also included parts of NJ, CT and NY. They always love getting stuck with the lawyer!</p>
<p>Thank you, BC and iDad. I will try some of those.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s good news! You and MOWC are winning the weight battle this week!</p>
<p>I’m putting on my heart rate monitor to head to the basement for 20 minutes of Rachel Cosgrove circuits. I wanna play with my new kettlebell, but I’ve already done three or four sets with it and it’s…err…not exactly a “recovery/rest” from yesterday’s fairly heavy lifting. So, it will have to wait for tomorrow’s workout.</p>
<p>As for trying new exercises, I wish I could do Rachel Cosgrove’s reverse lunge with rotation without falling over. I have a feeling I would not fare well with bosu ball. ;)</p>
<p>off topics here. What happens to those green square(s) under one’s name?</p>
<p>^ After a fair number of people gamed the system to accumulate their green boxes, the powers that be got rid of them because they weren’t working as desired.</p>
<p>Walked 2 miles in the AM, 2 miles in the PM. Gorgeous day here; sunny, breezy and mid-70’s. Did some 20 minutes of weights at home with the kettlebell, dumbbells, body weight: Kettlebell swings, goblet squats, 3 pt rows, some deadlifts, biceps curl with overhead press, pushups, and stretching. My right shin feels a bit sore from my “long” run yesterday. Tomorrow I’m hiking and bird watching.</p>
<p>Just back from the gym. Even H went tonight! Snowpocalypse is almost upon us. Tomorrow’s exercise will undoubtedly be shoveling. 10 to 14 inches of accumulation predicted. Blech. I’d rather be hiking and bird watching, PlantMom.</p>
<p>Aqua, glad you’re able to keep up with your walking routine - I don’t know which is worse - back pain or foot pain. They always seem to come together, at least for me. </p>
<p>I am really glad I went back to MyPlate and the food diary. I used to only weigh myself once a week but I changed that when I realized how the weight was just sliding back on and now weigh daily. The numbers are actually encouraging or at least tell me I need to adjust. </p>
<p>Calories: 811
Fat: 30 g
Carbs: 82 g
Fiber: 13 g
Protein: 30 g
Sugars: 13 g </p>
<p>Another meatless day, but I had an egg (which I don’t count as meat). I need to keep thinking of more food items that I like. My diary is looking a bit repetitive! Is that true for others who are tracking their calories/nutrients?</p>
<p>Nice little recovery day workout in the basement. Rachel Cosgrove’s circuit. 5 exercises. 30 seconds work/30 seconds rest. Four rounds. Now that I’ve done this circuit a few times, I cranked the weight up on the lateral lunge/press and the single leg deadlift/row. I switched the farmer’s carry from one 65 lb DB to two 40 lb DBs.</p>
<p>I couldn’t resist one quick set of 10 kettlebell swings to finish up. :)</p>
<hr>
<p>Deborah:</p>
<p>I had to throw in the towel on lunges and just go to a plain stationary split squat (with or without the rotation) for a while. The actually lunge is much more challenging because you’ve got to decelerate your weight after the step. No shame in backing up and doing the split squat for a while. I often look at a workout and decide to do an easier (or, once in a great while, harder…) version of an exercise.</p>
<p>4.25 miles.
1,000 calories, 35% carbs.</p>
<p>I got asked for tennis for tomorrow and Friday. I said yes to both and am waiting on Wednesday. I haven’t played two times a week in a long time and my joints are in pretty good shape for it. The one nice thing about tennis days is that I can grab an extra 600 calories.</p>
<p>I did Rachel’s circuit, plus 45 push ups and 45 kettleball swings, and a few extra TRX things. I can do those twisty lunges if I am careful, but sometimes I fall over. I’m sure they are good for me. I like them much better than doing the one leg lunge on a step that’s in the book.</p>
<p>Cals 972
Fat 51g
Carbs 40 g
Protein 95 g
Sugars 27g</p>
<p>Mathmom, that’s a lot of pushups! You’d find it very amusing watching me try to do the reverse lunge with twist. My balance is pitiful, so even though I’m okay doing a reverse lunge, because I can steady myself with one hand against the counter if needed – which is more often than not, the twist does me in.</p>
<p>CJane, sounds like you’re doing great. Welcome home!</p>
Walked 3.5 miles, no weights. Crazy day!
<p>Well it’s less than 60 which is what I did on February 28! Cutting back now and doing them every other day - at least in theory.</p>
<p>4 miles in 38:26. Felt really good doing that run - speed up to finish the final 0.1 mile at 8 MPH. </p>
<p>This is about keep the goal the goal. </p>
<p>I used to do about 45 minutes of weights and machines first in weekday nights. The heart is getting tired before I even start the first step on treadmill. That is why the 3 or 4 miles run felt difficult. </p>
<p>Since my clear goal now is to train for the 1/2, not weight loss, not cut body with muscles. I just focus on running tonight. I did start with some machines at 1/2 the weight and 1/2 the rep just to warm up. After a quick 5 minutes walk, I reset the machine and start running. Did not really break into a sweat for the first 2 miles. </p>
<p>because there is a real possibility I will be away the week before the 1/2, I want to complete the training by mid April - finish a 1/2 either on the road or on treadmill.</p>
<p>Looking back, I have been an grossly over weight person who never did any training on running in life and really only started running in Aug of last year. So I guess just about any one could run a 1/2 if they really want to. I know I am no where near fast but I am fully confident now that I will be able to complete a 1/2.</p>
![http://rachelsbodyshop.com/images/rachel_poster_jul2011.jpg[/url]](http://rachelsbodyshop.com/images/rachel_poster_jul2011.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
