Kali's Woman Beast Log (Take Two)

[baldy]

Sounds like you are settling in nicely and at no risk of becoming XKaliX yet.

Argos will soon lose its appeal after 2 weeks when everything you bought from them falls to pieces, well it did for me. Where is Dublin_dave, maybe he can arrange for a meet up where we go rock climbing?

[Frostfire]

Sounds like things are going great Kali, and I love that you are climbing now!! We will have to go on a climbing trip together sometime

[KaliBaby]

Frostfire!!! I went climbing again today and reached even higher up the wall than last time my sneakers are a bit bulky though and it was hard to have good grip in some areas. I'm going to have to invest in some climbing shoes if I want to take this seriously. any suggestions for brands? websites?

baldy- your Argos comment made me crack up and I vote YES for a climbing meet up. I need to get over my fear of heights first before we do anything major

despite having high hopes for the uni gym, I was severely let down today. first of all, I had to pay £6 for an "induction" tour of the fitness room which was utterly pointless and a waste of my time.

biggest complaints:

1) there is virtually NO SPACE to do squats and DLs in the "free weight" area
2) there are no weight disks to put on the bar to increase heaviness even if I did have room to do squats and DLs, definitely no Olympic lifts here
3) I had no choice but to use a Smith Machine for squats
4) the fitness center is small and there's so much equipment that everyone is tripping over each other
5) not enough girls and too many macho "look at me and my muscles" boys

sooo sad and frustrated about this situation. maybe it's a sign that I should give up lifting heavy weights what if I just focus on running, yoga and rock climbing this year?........ who am I kidding? I LOVE LIFTING! supposedly there's a place in the city that has lifting platforms and proper equipment for the Big 3s and what not. I'll give an update once I find out more information.

today's workout:

- 5 sets of squats, varied reps and weights kg? focused on depth and considering I haven't really worked out in awhile, my form was pretty good.
- 3X10 w/ bar power cleans + power cleans w/ overhead press
- 3X8 lat pull downs 30 kg?
- 3X10 chest press 20 or 25 kg?
- 10X tricep pull downs + 2X10 tricep overhead extensions kg?
- 2X15 hip abductors and 2X10 hip adductors kg?

then I jumped on a treadmill to pass time (I was waiting for someone) and jumped off 5 minutes later because I was pissed off the machine wasn't doing what I was telling it to.

abs/core:

2X10 captain's chair (pathetically)
10X crunches legs flat
10X crunches knees bent
2X10 side crunches
10X leg raises
2X10 oblique twists w/ 5kg medicine ball

then my mood was semi-uplifted when I joined my new friend Sara for some time on the climbing wall. we practiced going across the wall for a little and then we both belayed and climbed once each (had to meet someone for coffee so was short on time).

[gauze]

My uni gym at Sheffield was a disgrace like that too. Best go hunting around for a proper gym.

[JP]

your gym sounds like a typical uni gym here in UK Kali.

The best way would be if you would manage to locate powerlifters/strength trainers there and team up with them.

No space for deadlifting? No problem when in a crew: you just chuck a few benches and stuff out of the way and take the area. No space for squatting? no problem in a crew when you can have "spotters" on both sides, who actually mainly just keep people away from the bar path.

stay strong! (its needed in gyms like that!)

[mouche]

JP's reply is exactly what I was going to say. Pretty standard stuff for a uni gym I'm afraid...

There is ALWAYS space for squats and deadlifts. Especially as a girl, you have the advantage that most guys will assume you're some elite athlete and will move out of the way without any hassle if you ask them to. Even if I'm doing something in front of the dumbbell racks which in all honesty, is a stupid place for me to position myself, guys apologise for making me move out of the way to let them put their weights back.

We have to get people to do inductions at our gym too, but they're free. And if people have used fitness equipment before and can provide us with some details of where and when they started training, we don't make them do it. Sucks you had to waste your time and money on that

I work on reception at the gym now, and had to take these girls on a quick tour the other day. When I pointed out the free weights section they gave me the kneejerk embarrassed giggle and "Yeaahhhh, we won't be going there". I asked why not and got the most pathetic answer of, "I have no muscle". ARGH. Just the thought of you lifting away in your crappy little uni gym makes me feel a little bit better about the world

Have you checked out the town gym yet? That's probably your best bet if UEA's gym isn't salvageable... let us know how you're getting on!

[thestoatyone]

This place looks alright...

[Dave Noisy]

Frostfire!!! I went climbing again today and reached even higher up the wall than last time :D my sneakers are a bit bulky though and it was hard to have good grip in some areas. I'm going to have to invest in some climbing shoes if I want to take this seriously. any suggestions for brands? websites?

There are a couple climbing threads, shoes are discussed in-depth! They'll definitely help your climbing. =)

[KaliBaby]

oiy oiy oiy, I gave the gym a second chance today and enjoyed my workout a bit more. when I was doing some lifts in the back free weight area, one of the gym employees was giving a tour of the fitness center and commented to the group that she was impressed that 'there was a girl back here, it's almost always just guys' the fellas did in fact more for me too, which made me even more proud haha.

pretty tired from yesterday night's outing and massive dance session. here's me and some new friends at a club called Mercy. Brooke (girl), Sam (blonde boy), JT (with hat).



I'm starting to enjoy myself a lot more here. studies shouldn't be too hard and I was given the assignments with plenty of time to prepare for them. if I get some action/dance shots later on in the weeks to come, I'll make sure to post them hahaha (I get RIDICULOUS on the dance floor).

[KaliBaby]

on a more interesting note, I weighed myself at the gym today and even after a banana/peanut butter wrap and large home-made soy milk latte, I managed to be under 140 lbs!!! the scale was pretty neat actually. it would take your height and weight and measure your BMI, then print all the info out for you. so, stats as of right now: 5'3.4'' (have I shrunk in height?!?), weight 139.7 lbs (63.4kg), BMI 24.4

today's gym sessssion:

20 min HIIT session on treadmill

bench press: 10X w/ bar, 5X5 bar +5kg?, 10X w/ bar to finish
squats: 10X deep squats w/ bar, 3X8 bar +5kg, +10kg, +15kg, 10X squats w/ bar again to finish (depth getting better/easier!!! ass definitely getting stronger)
power cleans w/ over head press: 3X5 20kg barbell
regular power cleans: 2X5 25kg barbell
10X weighted lunges 20kg (legs felt fatigued so I stopped)

abs/core:

2X10 each side- high to low cable wood chops 20, 25 lbs?
2X15 ab rope cable crunches 45 lbs and 50 lbs
30X alternating leg scissors
w/ 5kg medicine ball:
10X curl ups
2X10 oblique twists

[emm7]

hi Kali very glad you are having fun

[KaliBaby]

went climbing with my two friends Sara and Nadim this morning I think we're going to try and make it a regular thing to meet on the weekends. Nadim isn't a member of the climbing club but Sara and I are so we can go M, W, F like usual.

guess what?!?!? I reached the top... TWICE!!!!!! I only hyperventilated once and I'm getting used to the idea that I can take a rest if I need to in order to re-coop. I've noticed that I'm relying too much on my arms and that I need to learn how to push off with my legs more (ironic since my lower body is much stronger). oh well, all in good time and practice! I borrowed Nadim's climbing shoes and although it was a lot easier to grip, his feet are a little smaller than mine so my toes were squished! time to get me a pair of proper shoes!!!

found these pictures of the climbing wall on the internet. I've been doing one of the easier routes all the way to the right.

[seasiren]

seasiren - I'm adjusting in some ways more than others haha. I fear that I will develop a serious drinking problem during the next year if I try to keep up with my British classmates

lol, that's all they do here as well .... of course I live in a resort. Moderation, moderation

[JohnV]

Glad your adventure is going well and you're establishing a strong fitness routine there.
Don't drink too much or lick to many Brits!

[Frostfire]

Now all we need are pictures of YOU on that wall . Yes, there is a whole thread (or two) dedicated to climbing shoes in the "other sports" section if you want ideas. I think they will help, and will totally help you to use your legs more. Also remember to hang on your arms, don't keep them bent and to "suck-in" to the wall with your hips