Setting a Fitness Baseline

This year I’ve decided that I will share more about my workouts and my food consumption (as I sit here eating almond butter straight out of the jar with a spoon). In theory this will help keep me accountable. We’ll see how that goes… Ok, hang on, as I’m about to tell you more about me and my weight training than you probably want to know. I am writing this post in honor of a friend of mine who asked me what my January weigh in numbers were on Facebook – and then who told me that I wasn’t supposed to tell when I responded for all to see.

First off, in case you haven’t noticed, I am female. I am (still) 45 years old. I am about 5’7″ tall. On January 2, 2012 I weighed 135lbs and my body fat percentage was 20.5%. This morning I weighed 132lbs so my BMI is about 20.67. When I am active, but my diet is a little off (meaning I drink more bottles of wine than is recommended and eat bonbons on a regular basis), this is where I tend to wind up. I gained 10lbs over the holidays… and have lost about 3 of those so far. Even though my BMI and my fat percentage are very similar they are NOT the same thing at all. Here’s a decent article that explains the difference between the two – and one of my favorite terms “skinny fat” – BMI vs Body Fat Percentage.

I am trying to get back to my happy place which is around 125lbs and 17-18% body fat. That is my goal – it is precise and measurable. At that weight I am happy with the way I look, I am strong enough to do what I want, and I don’t have that freaky “too lean” for a woman look. If I weigh less I start to become a weakling. If I weigh much more my husband starts using the terms badonkadonk and butt crack. We’ve been married for over 20 years, he’s allowed at this point. Like most women on this planet, it is nearly impossible for me to get “big” or “bulky”. So any of you ladies who are afraid to lift heavy weights to get fit – please put that fear to rest, put down the 5lb dumbbells and go for something a bit heavier.

I weigh myself every day – I’m more interested in seeing how hormones and/or the salt content of a previous day’s menu add water weight than I am obsessing about a pound or two in either direction. One of my projects this year is to graph the fluctuations to see if I can make any rhyme or reason out of it. No, I do not have too much time on my hands. I only check my body fat percentage about once a month because it is a pain and I have to bribe my husband to take the measurements for me. I use a set of electronic calipers and a 7 site method for the calculation. It doesn’t change that much so there’s no point in doing it more frequently. I keep track of my measurements too – waist, hips, biceps, thighs etc and I take unflattering pictures to document where I am. Alas, that information I am not about to share.

As an aside, when I was thinking about this post I noticed something sort of odd. On blogs and websites where men write about their training they always-always-always tell you what their weight and body fat percentage is as well as how much weight they are lifting. Women on the other hand, even the really fit ones (except for one very petite powerlifter that I follow – Dana McMahan at It’s Always Going to Be Heavy) rarely do. What is up with that? Why is weight such a don’t ask don’t tell topic for women but not for men? Ah well, body image is always such a hornet’s nest for the females of our species. I wish it weren’t so. Be strong, be healthy, be proud of who you are and what you can do.

This is a picture of my gym. We’ve recently swapped out our bench with one that doesn’t have the bar stands. This means that I clearly have to be creative because I can’t load a bar heavily and do traditional squats or bench presses. The room was just too small for it anyway.

I subscribe to the premise that spending hours every day working out is futile. It is a waste of time. I can get just as good results by really paying attention to the types of exercises that I do. I only do complex whole body exercises for 3 sets at low reps. I do not just lift weights. I do “something” 6 days a week and maybe take a walk on or take off the 7th altogether. I lift 3 times per week, take a walk about 5 times a week, bike ride, run or climb on the stairmaster 2 times a week, and run wind sprints once a week (just. kill. me. now.). I am aerobically incompetent, but I try to do a little something anyhow. I also spend time statically stretching most days after my workout.

When I lift, there are four types of exercises that I do consistently. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to work out. I pick one from each category (usually two hip hinge ones) and maybe add a foo-foo exercise like dumbbell curls or tricep kickbacks for ha has. Those are also known as vanity exercises – they make one set of muscles look better but they don’t really build overall strength. If I don’t have the time, I drop those like a hot potato. I do not do any situps or crunches. My reps on each exercise range from a low of 3-5 when I have upped a weight to a high of 10 when I am ready to move up to a higher weight or I cannot up a weight due to my gym setup. Here’s the list of exercises that I do and the weights I currently use. I’ve taken some time off, so a number of these are below my goals. If there is a * it is limited by my gym setup, not my capabilities for that exercise. I do all of my weight lifting barefoot for range of motion and strengthening my feet.

• Push
  • bench press (2x35lb dumbbells *)
  • manly pushup (~15 reps/set)
  • incline press (2x25lb dumbbells)
  • military press (2x25lb dumbbells)
• Pull
  • pull-ups (body weight 2-3 reps/set)
  • bent over row (single arm (35lb dumbbell) or double arm (2x25lb dumbbell))
  • renegade rows (20lb dumbbell)
• Squat
  • back squat (50lb * – weak, I have to press the bar over my head to place it on my back)
  • front squat (2x25lb dumbbells – currently weak)
  • overhead squat (30lbs – this one is HARD)
  • split squat (2x25lb dumbbells)
  • push-press (2x20lb dumbbells – hate this exercise!)
• Deadlift/Hip Hinge Moves
  • standard deadlift (140lb barbell)
  • straight-legged deadlift (140lb barbell)
  • single leg deadlift (2x25lb dumbbells – this is a balance exercise)
  • dumbbell swings (single arm (25lb dumbbell), two arm (35lb dumbbell *))
  • one arm dumbell snatches (25lb dumbbell)
• Foo-Foo or Vanity Exercises
  • dumbbell curl (2x25lb dumbbells)
  • dumbbell kickback (2x12lb dumbbells – why do I bother?)

That’s it, the kimono is open. I’m not super strong, but I am not playing with pink weights either.