Dreaming about the perfect strength building program on my rest day

[bitseybloom]

I suppose I'm not the only one to get impatient on the rest days.

So, I've been thinking, while waiting for W5R2 - it would be nice to have a strength building program nudging just as gently as C25k does. Ideally, there would be:

1. Short workouts. I mean, 40 minutes of C25k are OK, but that's an outdoor activity. Indoors, I would be bored long before.

2. Limited number of exercises for a day - I get scared by a workout plan consisting of more than 5 lines, no matter how little time it's supposed to take.

3. No pain, no pushing myself to the limit, no orthorexic-fatphobic propaganda. By no means am I trying to lose weight with this training, nor am I going to take any exercise-related food choices. It should be just some rewarding endorphins-releasing activity I would actually look forward to, as it happens with my jogging sessions now.

The problem is, while C25k leads you very smoothly from a workout virtually everyone can complete (and if not, there are the obvious way of preparation starting with 10-seconds jogs and gradually increasing its duration) to an achievement most people would be proud of, I don't see anything like this in the strength training world. I mean, how does one make it from the couch to performing just one decent push-up or pull-up without losing confidence and giving up?

Is it just very lazy me or does anyone else feel this way?

[SlowLoris]

I'm still looking for something Loris friendly. Even hanging upside down gets a bit tiring after a while.

[bitseybloom Graduate in reply to SlowLoris]

How very interesting, may I ask why exactly and for how long in a row do you hang upside down and what do you use to do this?

[SlowLoris in reply to bitseybloom]

Mainly supported by a couch beneath me. Prehensile tail helps.

[misswobble Graduate]

Have you seen the Strength and Flex programme that accompanies C25k?

You can build yourself up gently. Swimming and walking. Cycling, Zumba or dancing in the front room I do Jillian Michaels dvd’s which are brill and they build up

I do beginners yoga using a dvd too which I am loving

We have our own fitness guru, Rig, who has a link to his workouts hereabouts. Dunno, if he does beginners though but he might be along to tell you

[Br5968 Graduate in reply to misswobble]

I'm doing the strength and flex podcasts on my rest days and it's great. Can do it all in the front room, just hoping other half doesn't find our I'm using the mantelpiece instead of railings for the pull-ups

[bitseybloom Graduate in reply to misswobble]

I have not seen that programme before, thank you for mentioning! Will look into it.

[Rignold]

Funny you should mention that, @misswobble, because there is a beginner squat challenge that many of the C25k gang are taking part in at the moment, and I am going to be following that up with beginner pushup and pullup programmes.

squat challenge here:

teamrhomboid.com/team-rhomb...

[bitseybloom Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Thank you for the link, I didn't know about it. Will be looking forward to these programmes hoping they are beginner enough for me.

[Rignold in reply to bitseybloom]

Absolute beginner

[misswobble Graduate]

Must get to grips with the linky things 😊

I don’t know my linky things from my hashtags

[Irish-John Graduate]

Yoga.

Yes, I know. And no - my account has not been hacked.

My name is Irish John and I now do Yoga.

Not only great for flexibility but some of the varieties are one heck of a thorough but very gentle on the body workouts.

And no - I will never eat Granola or drink Lemongrass tea. 😂😂😂😂😂

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Irish-John]

I swear by yoga, John! (Like, f*%k, this is hard!) Many of the postures are great for runners, such as plank, high lunge and bridge. (But I don’t recommend doing yoga at home unless you have had lots of classes before - a teacher is key to making sure you are getting the postures correct.)

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to Sadie-runs]

Yep. Now Yoga is like running "Why on earth didn't I try this YEARS ago!!!'

Lol - love your swear by it remark

[davelinks Graduate in reply to Sadie-runs]

Would Pilates be a tad easier than yoga do do at home then?

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to davelinks]

I have never done Pilates, but imagine the same principle would apply. If you don’t know the right form for a posture, it is all too easy to hurt yourself...

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to Sadie-runs]

And if lots of classes are not something that is ever going to be available to you (which is going to be quite a few people), a better option than never doing yoga is Ekhart Yoga and follow one of the absolute beginner programmes.

[icklegui Graduate in reply to Irish-John]

I also swear by yoga in a similar way to Sadie-runs .

What's wrong with granola, lemongrass tea ... and a massive pizza later eh?

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to icklegui]

I can't go ALL the way to the Bright Side...

( They have pizza there you say?....hmm, might not be TOO bad to add a little shine to my midnight shield..

[icklegui Graduate in reply to Irish-John]

Our Christmas Yoga Club do - we went to a pizza joint - I had elderflower cider and fancy pizza. Some people even had beer!

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to icklegui]

My kind of Ashram! LOL

[bitseybloom Graduate in reply to Irish-John]

I like the idea very much, but isn't one supposed to do yoga in class? Tried once and loved it, but wasn't able to keep with it, just as with any other group activity. But now I wonder maybe there are some low-risk loners-suitable version.

May I ask more about your own experience, how did you come to that and which yoga do you practice?

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to bitseybloom]

I've only been going a few weeks and all the different styles are a bit bewildering still, let alone a lot of the poses within any particular style. However, one thing ALL the Instructors say without fail is that you take it at your own pace and comfort level and not try to "keep up" unless that's in your "comfort zone".

It sounds like you had a less than good experience in your class, but I would say find another Yoga center in your area - a "proper" one is worth it

And, just like being a Runner, I still find it hard to believe I am doing Yoga! ME! 😂😂😂 Wishing you many happy miles + and Yoga sessions in your future

[icklegui Graduate in reply to bitseybloom]

VictoriaRuns 's app recommendation really sounds great. We had a convo on here about it, and my yoga teacher friend also recommended Lesley Fightmaster (real name) on youtube - she answers questions in the comments too and sounds amazing.

If you go to a class, though, the teacher ought to point out modifications for beginners, and also if you give them some heads up that can help remind them especially in a big class. Doesn't sound ideal if that wasn't your experience!

[icklegui Graduate in reply to bitseybloom]

oh - and at the very least a teacher ought to point out that you can drop into "childs pose" if you need to at any time.

I have attended a few different teachers' classes and while I like all of them, some of them do have fairly pushy approaches!

[skysue16 Graduate]

Look at realfoodieclub's strength programme. The exercises are simple and easier variations are suggested. 7 mins a day (with rest days). Really brilliant - I managed 2months consistently (well nearly). At first I couldn't do a side plank at all, even with bent legs, but by the end I could do one with straight legs and hold it for quite a while! Unfortunately things have slipped somewhat 😕 I will try to post a link to

her website if I can find it.

[skysue16 Graduate]

Not sure if this is correct, should link to her website with the 3 day exercise routine

realfoodieclub.ovh

[bitseybloom Graduate in reply to skysue16]

Thanks a lot, that might be just what I've been looking for!

[icklegui Graduate]

I wanted the same thing (my yoga class is only once a week and I just don't do much at home) and am thrilled that Rignold will be doing a push-up and pull-up programme too as I'm liking the squats! Hopefully some of the ideas here will help you. NHS Strength and Flex (that misswobble mentioned) might be the place to start for you

[VictoriaRuns Graduate]

I've been using the down dog app and doing an hour of yoga! It's great for strengthening and for flexibility and guides you through each position minute by minute, breath by breath

[bitseybloom Graduate in reply to VictoriaRuns]

Thanks a lot! While not actually an app person, I've been running out of space on my smartphone since last month with all these apps - first c25k, then zombies, then the walk... So, looked into the app you've mentioned and now I'll have to fit it in and try, because it seems to be targeting just the problems I described...