Just started reading this thread.
Congrats on all your success and on all you have overcome!
Do you still suffer from arthritic pain? Are you medicating for arthritis?
Best of luck in accomplishing your goals!
Seems like it will be a piece of cake in comparison to what you've been through in the past.
Thanks, i experience arthritis pain every single day of my live, and almost consistently throughout the day, it is usually pretty minimal but its always there. I have not taken doctor prescribed medication since i was 11. I took prednisone for 0ver 10 years as a child, it stunted my growth, and shut down my immune system, it made me crave food and tore havic on my physical condition. One of the hardest things i ever over came was getting off that drug, i was told by every medical professional that it was impossible to stop taking but after 2 years of EXTREMELY slowly lowering the dose and suffering through the pain i finally achieved it, i lost 15 pounds in the first week and i regained most of my circulation to my limbs and lots the blueish hue to my hands. I do not even go to the doctors for colds anymore >_< i feel like i have more experience then they do and i despise medication with a passion. On a funny bit i actually thought about becoming a doctor at one point but i am so against how they treat people that i could not suffer through >_<
Yeah, prednisone = not a fun drug.
I have ankolosying spondilitis (not sure if you are familiar with this rarer form of arthritis) but I too have been on many arthritis drugs off and on over the years. I have also chosen to stay away from these drugs unless absolutely necessary (like in cases of severe inflammation). Unlike yourself, I do not suffer everyday (but could at any moment - my disease attacks randomly and some people do suffer chronically with AS).
In my experience exercise and keeping a healthy weight make all the difference in the world.
Last spring while preping for a June figure show my knee blew up like a balloon and the pain was close to unbearable (I was on celebrex, had cortisone shot into my knee, and took prednisone for a very short time). I know the feeling of dragging your ass to the gym everyday when you can barely get out of bed or walk down a flight of stairs.
You being able to train through chronic arthritic pain is remarkable...stick with it, I really truely believe keeping muscles strong, joints flexible, and being healthy overall have contributed to me having minimal symptoms and outbreaks from my disease.
I know we don't have the same thing and you have been through way more than I but even just having a goal can keep your mind off the pain and frustration. Training through my knee outbreak last spring is the only thing that kept me from going insane!
Again, best of luck with your goal!
Hey, i feel you, the knee swelling is terrible i have not had it in about 5 years but i have some pretty hefty scaring all over my knees from it, luckily i don't shave my legs so you don't really see it, i had a cortisone shot in my left ankle when i was 6, it was supposed to be the do all to end al with my arthritis but it just made it worse. I have found that the only thing that really helps for me is biking, i cannot really lift weights with my legs and i have been struggling on and off with squats because my hips just get so tender. But regardless biking ALWAYS helps, i do high rep long distance and i feel so good afterwards, the low impact and consistency of the pedalling really helps! I also agree with the active lifestyle and body weight control, arthritis is the #1 diagnosed disease in all of north america, due to the rates of obesity and just laziness, i would have loved to be able to blame it on being lazy or fat but it was just out of my control =D I spent from age 11-15 doing completely natural stuff, herbal teas and TONS of vitamins and other stuff. My parents spent almost every dime they had and it really really helped, i went to an eyeridologist and had a complete plan setup, but in my teens i decided i didn't want to take it any more and i have not taken anything since. I know that my arthritis is fairly under control and the main form of my pain is just scar tissue left. haha i guess now that i am sharing my story it would be something someone would get depressed about? haha this is why i spend 3 hours at the gym, making up for lost time =D
So i am posting a double.
Thursday, which was supposed to be a rest day ended up me going to say hi to a friend who just joined my gym, but he was headed out as i was headed in, and i drove all the way there, got changed and figured i would make the best of it so i had a pretty relaxing 1 1/2 hours workout and just loosened myself up.
Friday, my goal was to kill it. I did exactly that!
cardio- so i ended up picking up a couple of mcdoubles Thursday night on my way home from my hair cut and no crime goes un punished, so i decided to push for a fantastic 20 mile ride/32 kms. I usually average 41-42 minutes for that ride and i was not even making that by the 10 mile mark. I pushed myself harder and just kept focus, i checked my time at the 20 mile mark and it was 39 minutes 15 seconds. I was SO happy i have never done it that fast. I started using proactive on wednesday night and this was my first real workout day after using it and when i was finished my ride and my cool down and the sweating really kicked in my face was burning! haha so i rinsed it off and it was all good.
Weights - it was a pretty typical day, i did a good 30+ chin ups and really when crazy haha but whats new?
I have been watching my weight over the past couple of weeks i have dropped another 3 pounds this week, and i am below 140 now. HAHA kind of the opposite of what i was aiming for but it will do =D
I have a friend lined up to go with me on sunday so i will be trying to reach/exceed my weights then <3 having a spotter.
So sunday was planned 1-4 but got moved up 9-12 and i was not to thrilled about the early morning but i made it happen, i broke my cardio best yet again, 10 miles in 19 minutes 38 seconds. I was very happy with that and it got my mind of the the godoffel time it was. I got 3 reps of 185 lbs on both the incline and flat bench. Git 7 reps on the rope working my triceps at 155 lbs. Got 7 reps doing arnolds @ 55 lb dumbbells. I curled 95 lbs (barbel) for 4 times and just worked every thing like i usually do. I was very happy i had a super chill saturday, i was kind of kicking myself for not going on saturday because i was itching to go but i definitely made the right choice or i would be paying for it big time. It worked out pretty well going early i got home and just laid in my room in complete darkness for about 45 minutes listening to Sugerland and the fray and then went snowmobiling with the family for a few hours. For the record a 2004 firecat f6 sno pro is so fast it is almost mind boggling and i loved every second of it! I have been planning out my week and it looks like tuesday and thursday should be great workouts!
Ange and TopHatPlus, you guys are amazing. Good on both of ya!
haha never considered that >_< just CANNOT settle for anything less then perfection! haha =DOriginally Posted by Crystol88
So i worked late, and was in a huge rush to get ou the door, i am filly my water bottles and my buddy calls to see what movie we are going to see, haha so he ended up coming to the gym with me at the mere suggestion of it. I have a pretty kickin day. I did not do any barbell bench's i stick strictly to dumbbells. I figure i need to give my chest a break and let it heal up and i find although very similar motions barbell and dumbbell feel completely different. Got an uber wedgie on the spin bike i was using so i canned that after 3 miles, and did some tread mill..... i will be paying for that all week but i did it anyways. Got 6 reps and 3 reps doing Arnold's with 55 lb dumbbells. Got over 30 reps on the incline bench with 65 lb dumbbells, i pushed for the 75's but i could only get 3 reps and i was toast. Was just a good day. I have another intense day planned on Thursday, saturday got replaced with snowboarding and then probably a good day on sunday.
My buddy introduced me to a new ab workout on sunday and we did it again today. Its basically designed that you always fail, so you sit on and incline bench in a upright position and he continuously applies pressure until he pulls you down. Its by no means painful and it really makes your abs burn! is there a correct name for this? he called it the french sit ups or something haha.
So i am just chillin' this evening, i was reading around and i am seeing so many numbers its confusing, what is considered good amounts of muscle gain in a 12 month period? i started at 158 lbs when i started at the gym, i hovered 150 fro most of last year, i dropped to 140 in december and i seem to be still dropping, i anticipate i will burn all of my fat and drop my weight until its all gone and then an incline. But how much muscle is usually gained in a year? my muscles are growing every week by leaps and bounds and i notice considerable differences but i have no idea how much. My buddy and i are going to go do the under water weigh in thing that measures body fat % and muscle % and all that good stuff i am pretty pumped haha.
this post took me over an hour to write haha got busy playing minecraft >_<
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