The HCGers exercise thread

[C'Marie]

Did my 4th day, little less intensity on purpose to just relax and bounce, did 20+mins. weight is down a bit, I did an almost all protein day yesterday, kind of a split steak day, some vegs, under 1000 cals. Going to go up a bit from that today and higher tomorrow.

[mymy3377]

How is your hip feeling C'Marie?

[C'Marie]

Originally Posted by mymy3377

How is your hip feeling C'Marie?

Very tight, sore - but that's always the way it feels. Not quite as much pain when I sleep. I am starting to feel a little more strength in my quads, which should help my steps to feel more secure. Right now, my quads are the sorest part. I am trying to step more deliberately and think about using my quads more.

[mymy3377]

Originally Posted by C'Marie

Very tight, sore - but that's always the way it feels. Not quite as much pain when I sleep. I am starting to feel a little more strength in my quads, which should help my steps to feel more secure. Right now, my quads are the sorest part. I am trying to step more deliberately and think about using my quads more.

So then no extra discomfort from adding the activity? If so, sounds like you might be on the right track

[C'Marie]

Originally Posted by mymy3377

So then no extra discomfort from adding the activity? If so, sounds like you might be on the right track

Nope, none that sticks with me after the initial soreness/stiffness leaves each time.

[mymy3377]

Well I worked out this morning and I have been starving ever since, I guess plyometrics and cardio circuits works up an appetite

I'm still trying to hold out upping calories because I'm not sure how much of this is TOM related, the reason I think this is because my stomach isn't growling but I just have that empty, light-headed feeling. And I'm craving very specific things to feed the hunger, like cereal :blush:

[wmac]

Heading to Zumba tonight! My 3rd class in a row this week!

[porkfatrules]

Originally Posted by C'Marie

Did my 4th day, little less intensity on purpose to just relax and bounce, did 20+mins. weight is down a bit, I did an almost all protein day yesterday, kind of a split steak day, some vegs, under 1000 cals. Going to go up a bit from that today and higher tomorrow.

Nice! Glad it's working -- hopefully you think it's fun!

[mymy3377]

Originally Posted by wmac

Heading to Zumba tonight! My 3rd class in a row this week!

[Stampe63]

I had to back off from the original power 90s since I have a hard time to hold back :blush:
So now Im doing Fatburn express for 2 weeks before I restart the program, mind is willing but the body isnt in the shape yet

Doing some abwork too and pullup/chinup bar is in the mail, I do rowing for cardio every day for 20 min as a start medium hard and 4-8 HIITs when I max the crap out of myself for 20 sconds and rest 90 seconds

[nola baxter]

lol, Stampe, you are really going for it! good stuff..

Mymy ; yep cardio circuits and plyometrics would build up an appetite- they use a lot of energy.
I do some plyometric jumps in the middle of my workouts, and I find them hard.

Seems like you are doing well C'marie - consistent..and carefully getting your body used to it.

After a high cal day yesterday (5500),
I have managed to stay to 1500cals today, though it has been a bit of a pinch- ie, fairly hungry..
Tomorrow will be around the 3000 mark..
I just cant exsist on low cals! drives me insane.

[minimonkey]

Wow -- this thread is alive today!

Stampe -- rock on with that training! I think maybe backing off from the power 90 is a good idea until you are physically ready for it.... it'll happen quickly enough, no doubt. It's never a good idea to train in a way that the body isn't ready for, though... that is how injuries happen.

C'Marie -- I am so encouraged that the exercise is not exacerbating the hip... and even showing some possibility of pain decrease -- so excellent! You are doing great!!!!!!!!!!
It's fun, isn't it... bouncing around?

[minimonkey]

Nola -- wow, you do some pretty intense lifting! I've never tried lifting heavy in any real way, but it certainly is impressive to me!

I used to think I was a straight up endomorph --pear shaped and naturally sort of round at the edges. I think I am actually more of a meso-endo, though... I can lean out and build quite well if I put the effort in to do so. I have had my hormone panels done a couple of times, and my testosterone is generally high-normal, which helps, I'm sure, with muscle gains.

[missionhealthy]

Hello lovely ladies!

I'm definitely going to be joining you in this thread! I haven't started HCG yet -- it should be coming within the next few days, and I'm planning on starting in a week and a half, but I'm going to be exercising throughout. I'm right on the border between the high end of normal weight and being overweight, and I want to work on reducing my vast amounts of fat while maintaining (and hopefully ultimately increasing!) the bits of muscle that I do have. I've read quite a bit of fitness books, articles, and the like, and I'm going to be joining the cardio + lifting heavy squad :0)

Minimonkey -- that's amazing that you've gained over 5 pounds of lean body mass since hitting goal! I'm truly blown away.

[minimonkey]

I think you are right about the quad dominance -- and of course, once a muscle is established as dominant, it tends to remain so unless one makes an effort to change that. I am trying to focus a lot more on the other muscle groups in my workouts, and it is definitely helping.

Mymy-- I totally agree about the interval/plyometrics working up an appetite in you! I've been doing more of that kind of training, and it definitely expends a lot of energy. Great stuff, though!

I completely got my booty whooped by tonight's rebounder workout -- this one was circuit training interspersed with HIIT intervals... fast, weighted, unremitting...it was honestly very intense. I was shaking all over from the exertion by the end of it, and drenched in sweat I'm going to be hurting tomorrow, but it will certainly be worth it... love, love, love working out that hard! I actually, physically couldn't make it through the most intense interval set, and had to modify it.... now that's a good workout! I'm totally digging the interval training.... adds a whole new dimension to the way I'm working my body.

I was less starving today, thank goodness. TOM is here as of today, and I suspect that was part of what was driving the hunger. I ate this morning... got pretty darn hungry in the afternoon, but was out running errands so I just rode it out. Ate again pre workout... and I suspect I managed a deficit of some sort.

Nola, I am so interested to see what your dietary experiment yields! I will be watching with great interest

[minimonkey]

Missionhealthy -- Welcome, welcome!!!! So glad to have another exerciser on board... and excited for you to begin your hcg journey -- it's an adventure, that's for sure!

I think you'll be very glad that you are choosing to exercise throughout the protocol....you may find you need to tweak the program a bit to allow for your activity level (many of us did/do)-- but the benefits of exercise are so great!

[nola baxter]

Hi Missionhealthy
Just to echo Mini ; welcome!

Hi Mini
I wish I had a bit more meso in me!..
My definition is so slow in coming.
I like intervals too- short, sharp, and intense, but always invigorating!

As you might have got the idea, I really believe in jolting the metabolism, and shaking things up to create an effect..

TOM is due today.. The big question is, is it going to come ?!
If it doesnt there could be two reasons; low body fat, pregnant..lol

[C'Marie]

Day 5 !

Yes, Mini, I like bouncing around

Weight appears to be somewhat stable now, I upped calories from my mini-correction day of just less than 1000 calories Monday to almost 1600 yesterday - will hold it right there for a couple more days, then I may do a true "UP" day perhaps Friday on a family restaurant meal ____EEK! Going to Olive Garden - will NOT Have pasta - not on P3! I'm not sure what to eat there but grilled chicken and salad I think. Will NOT have breadsticks even though they are the favorite.... omg.

going ok pain-wise.

[missionhealthy]

Thanks, guys! Still waiting for my drops to come in (and I'm not starting them until the 19th or 20th anyway), but boy did I hit the gym hard today. In addition to doing the typical cardio, I really am trying to work on conserving/gaining lean muscle mass, so I hit the free weights.

As of last week, one of my friends and I decided that we'd both go to the gym early on Wednesday and Friday mornings so that we can spot each other on the bench press ... maybe I can convince her that Mondays would be good too! I benched 12 reps of 45 pounds on my first set, so I upped it to 50 for the next two sets and did 10 reps the first time and 8 reps the second time. Next time I might try 3 sets of 55-60ish pounds with 6-8 reps ... all my reading seems to point to lifting heavy as the key to muscle mass. I know 50 pounds isn't very heavy in the scheme of things, but my arms are sure sore now!

And minimonkey, I'm sure you're right! It's only pretty recently that I've actually gotten into a routine of exercise instead of one-offs here and there, and there's no way that I'm giving that routine up now that I've finally established it.

[Stampe63]

LOL 5:30AM 30 min on the rowingmachine Im a seriously sick person
Need to get it sold, the shoulder damage I have is permanent ant this isnt doing it good...Getting a recumberent trainingcykle instead

[minimonkey]

Stampe -- step AWAY from the rowing machine! LOL. In all seriousness, it just isn't worth it to make your injuries worse... hope you find one that is safer for your body.

Missionhealthy --- opinions differ so much about how best to retain muscle mass -- weight bearing exercise of some sort definitely seems to be the key, but from there, you'll get all kinds of answers as to how to go about it.

I lift light weights generally, but do isometric lifting, which entails doing a lot of tiny, controlled lifts with sustained muscle tension. Most of my strength work focuses on using the resistance of the body, rather than adding external weights to the mix (except for some upper body work.) I am just now starting to work with somewhat heavier weights, although those are still way wimpy by comparison to someone who lifts heavy.

Other people do brilliantly with heavy lifting.

My personal feeling is that as long as you are doing some kind of strength training, you are a lot less likely to lose muscle during a fat loss phase.... if you are doing cardio only, you might be a lot more likely to lose muscle.

The HCG/Hhcg seems to have a muscle sparing quality to it, as well --- thank goodness.

[minimonkey]

Nola -- how'd the bodyfat testing go???

Also, assuming you don't want to be pregnant, I hope TOM shows up for you!

I'm still getting mine, low bodyfat notwithstanding.

I opted for a stability ball workout today -- I finally got a smaller stability ball (mine was the old "standard size" which is now called a large!) I ended up opting for a sand weighted model -- there's literally a small amount of sand inside. I wasn't sure I'd like that, but I do -- it kicks up the intensity on a number of types of moves, and that's a good thing.

I am sore today, and I think will be even more sore tomorrow!

[C'Marie]

Just did my 6th day. Weight is up again, probably dairy, don't know how much water retention is in my muscles. I am significantly less sore today! Yay! I must be getting more used to it, and recovering faster! So now next week will push more towards doing everything on the video (it's still pretty lax, being the "senior" routine.)

[nola baxter]

Hi Mini
You are right- I do not want to be pregnant!
I have been using natural family planning methods though, so there is always this small chance of error.
However I dont feel the slightest bit pregnant.
(My one and only pregnancy was accompanied by intense fatigue, loss of strength and nausea- all in the early stages..)
No sign of TOM yet though..

My fat test is later on this morning- it is only 6.31am here so far.I think we are at opposite ends of the day to you..

I am starting my alternating calorie influx experiment today- and have already been eating a great deal- so I will probably weigh more on the scales due to it! lol..
This may skew the fat test a bit- not the actual fat readings, but might just make it look like I have gained a bit more muscle than I really have.

Usually I am sorer on the 2nd day too.. Though I still find I am not as sore as I expect these days, and am not sure if that is the hcg or not.


Cmarie : Enjoy your "up" day if you have it. If anyone deserves it , you do!
You can always balance it our by a lower day if you need to.
I still wouldn't be too worried by the small ups on the scales either, the exercise will be affecting your body.
Seems like it is going well for you overall with the exercise though.


Hi Missionhealthy;
I am a fan of heavy lifting, though like Mini, I think any form of resistance training is going to help retain or gain muscle mass.
Bodyweight training and isometrics are very good too.
In fact bodyweight training is good because it utilizes the whole of the body in a more functional manner; and all uses a lot of total energy (more than isolated bodybuilding type exercises), which improves metabolic rate.
Having a partner for bench press is good- lol- I have had a heavy bar on my chest a few times from missing a lift. Though I have learnt the technique for rolling it down and sitting up then lifting it off. It does hurt and leave bruises though, especially with a heavy weight!

I like your enthusiasm Stampe! Though be careful of your shoulder..

Have a good day all
Nola

[C'Marie]

Nola, as my weight is UP today, I am doing a "down" day today. Will do the UP day tomorrow (Friday) regardless, as family dinner out can't be avoided, I might as well enjoy it! There's always steak for Saturday!

[porkfatrules]

Welcome, missionhealthy! Hi everybody!

I did another episode of Classical Stretch Season 4 again this morning -- I'm loving how stretched out and glowy I feel afterwards! I was all ready to do a Zumba workout, and then decided that, since I'm still on protocol and below 500 calories every day (sometimes in the 300s -- not trying to restrict, but that's just how it happens) I'd rather stick with something gentler. I'm just over a week away from P3, and when my calories go up I'll go back to more cardio-intense workouts.

Can't wait to get back to Turbo Jam and P57!!

[nola baxter]

Hi Cmarie
Yes, you have absolutely got to enjoy the up days - no guilt or fear should come into it! You are pretty cautious at anyrate, and doing the down days in between- so I doubt any harm would come of it.

Hi Porkfatrules,
It amazes me that anyone can do any kind of exercise on the 500 cals a day- let alone contemplate Zumba ..lol

[porkfatrules]

Originally Posted by nola baxter

Hi Porkfatrules,
It amazes me that anyone can do any kind of exercise on the 500 cals a day- let alone contemplate Zumba ..lol

Me too! I can't believe that I feel totally normal, strong and clear, even on 400 calories! I even took those two hikes -- each one lasted an hour, and weren't easy! There must be something to this HCG thing, otherwise I would have been passing out.

[minimonkey]

Hi, everyone!

I'm totally sitting on the edge of my seat for your bodyfat reading, Nola!

C'Marie, I am so happy that the rebounding is treating you so well, and that you are able to do more and more each day -- totally fantastic!!! Definitely enjoy the up days... they are well worth enjoying

Porkfat -- wow, just wow, that you can manage to exercise any kind of heavily while on so little food. I just couldn't do it after a while... but kudos to you for doing it!!

[minimonkey]

I took a rest day today, although I did quite a bit of physical work around our place -- no workout. I think that was a good call... my muscles were pretty fatigued and are feeling a lot better now. I have a tendency to skip rest days too often, I think... and it definitely doesn't help.

I ate less today, and am actually less hungry than I expected -- thinking I may be hitting that magical ketosis point of decreased hunger. I also increased my protein a bit, and I do think that is helping as well.

I hope so, because it is definitely time for some leaning out -- I've got some pretty fabulous muscle developing on my legs (including hamstrings and glutes... yes!!) and I am getting bigger as a result of that. I do think the gain is primarily (if not entirely) muscle... but now I really, really want to get rid of the last of the flab so that the muscles are cut and defined. I must say, my butt is starting to get quite a bit firmer, which is a miracle in itself --- but it is lacking the definition that I want.

I'm on TOM, so am sure some of the apparent bulk is water retention (I tend to retain water in my legs on TOM) -- so I will have a better visual in a few more days... but in any case, a leaning period is in order.

I'm going to continue paring back the amount I am eating for a while... as long as I feel okay and my workouts don't suffer, I figure that will be fine. If I start feeling depleted, I will throw in an up day or two.

I may do that anyhow, for good measure.

Thinking I'll likely hit another rebounding session tomorrow for a good booty whoopin'