FIRM This Fanny

Finally

After 5 days I am finally back down to my weight of 143.5 which I was on Saturday before my cheat/binge/refeed - whatever you want to call it. Wow that was a rough one to recover from and now today I am so freakin' hungry I can't even tell you. I don't feel like working out today but I think it will make me feel better. I am scheduled to do Cardio Sculpt with Allie. I really enjoy that workout but I'm just feeling lazy today. This has been the worst week and I can't wait til Friday!!

My goal is to get to 142 by this week. I am a bit unsure whether I can do it or not - it's not the end of the world if I am a bit off.

So for the first time I did the Firm's stability ball workout with Allie. It was a fairly easy workout but I think I could've challenged myself more once I get used to using the ball. I blew up the ball right before the workout and it was way too small. It looked like 1/2 the size that the instructors were using. The thing about this workout is that some of the exercises are just too easy and some are very challenging. She tries to get a sculpting workout for the whole body just using the ball. I also think I bought my ball too small. I bought the size that was recommended for my height (5'6") but it still seems much smaller than it should be. I am going to try to blow it up somemore to see if I can get it bigger. I liked the workout because it really was something completely different. It is a 30 minute workout.

Body Fat

Since I'm starting my Firm rotation tomorrow I went ahead and took my measurements. I love the site FitTogether.net. I've been inputting my measurements in that site for quite a few years. The last time I took my measurements was 10/12/06 - I was 10 lbs lighter and my body fat was 28.86. Today it was 33.89% and I've gained inches all over. I haven't worked out consistently with weights in months so my lean body mass also went down by 4 lbs and my body fat went up.

FitTogether.net is free too and it's a great way to monitor your measurements and body fat.

How to do the Leg Press on the Fanny Lifter

After 3 years of consistently doing the Firm I have finally learned how to do a leg press and actually feel it in my fanny and not my quads. I have read numerous forum posts about how to perform this exercise correctly and I could never really get  it. In Complete Aerobic and Weight Training with Emily she repeatedly says "press in your heels", "you should be able to wiggle your toes in your shoes". Well I always tried to do that but I think I still stayed on the balls of my feet too much.

Here's the secret: do a segment of leg press and hold onto a dowel or the sculpting stick and completely lift your foot up so only your heel is on the fanny lifter. Make sure you are using the dowel or sculpting stick for balance because you will fall! When I first tried this I finally could feel my glutes burn and not my quads. This exaggerated movement of only putting my weight in my heels taught me how it should feel. I realize that only putting your weight in your heels will cause you to fall over but I played around with the right balance until I was finally able to perform the Leg Press exercise properly. I had to feel how it was suppose to hit my legs and glutes in order to perfect my form.

It feels a bit awkward at first, like you are leaning too much towards the back or your heels but after you try it a few times you'll get used to it. I notice that when my legs are tired I have a tendency to put too much weight in the balls of my feet and I know I need to lean more towards the back (heels).

Tags: fitness, firm, leg press, fanny lifter

Long or Short Workout??

I saw this question posted on the Firm Believer's site: Which is more important to you - shorter, more frequent workouts or longer workouts? I find that I must include a few longer workouts in my rotation in order to see results but I find it difficult to be consistent when the week is filled with mainly 45 + minute workouts. I think the beauty of working out at home is the time it saves so it is easier to throw in the longer workouts a few days a week but I do prefer some shorter ones as the base. I have noticed that when my life is busy I am more consisent with my workouts when the rotation has a lot of shorter workouts as opposed to when there are a lot of longer workouts in the rotation. Since we are closing on our new house in on May 18th I think I will adopt a short, more frequent rotation next month. But, I have to focus on my abs - they aren't too pretty right now!

Ugh, I hate to admit this but I didn't workout again today. I haven't had the best week! We have so much going on with buying the new house that I feel like I'm holding on for dear life as it is. Oh well, I refuse to bash myself about it. I will take tomorrow off and rest, spend time with my family and prepare for the week.