How a “Negative” can be positive: Video

I am SO sore. I honestly can barely comb my hair. This is after just three sets of 15-20 “negative” pushups. Haven’t heard of “Negative-repetitions” or “Negatives?” Well, I’ll try to explain it. Then you can watch a short video I made as a demo.

What is a “Negative” Rep?

Without getting too technobabble-y on you, most weight-lifting moves focus on the ‘concentric’ movement, which means that the main working muscle shortens when you lift the weight. A “negative rep” concentrates on the “eccentric” movement, or the muscle-lengthening direction. It tends to be done quite a bit slower, and with control (that’s the hard part) and can often utilize more weight than you are used to lifting for that move.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for muscle-heads to help spot each other while performing “negatives” because the weight they can use is too heavy to manage the concentric movement alone. You can satisfy your bodybuilding-lurker curiosity by perusing this feed about ‘negatives.’ While grunting in front of your laptop is encouraged, you do not have to be an aspiring body-builder to benefit from ‘negatives.’

Here’s an example: Bicep curls. You would consider the “up” motion to be the normal “working” direction, right?  (And the resting/recovering motion to be ‘down’). With a ‘negative,’ it’s the opposite: you get the weights to the ‘up’ position any way you can, but then you really concentrate on slowly, SLOWLY lowering the weight, making the “down” movement the ‘working’ direction. This is very different to the normal way of lifting! And your muscles know it.  Apparently, ‘negatives’ have the effect of muscle-growth, as well as increased strength.

Back to my inability to coif…  I am currently barely able to raise a brush to my hair because I’m sore in my:

• anterior deltoids (front part of shoulder)
• middle deltoids (side part of shoulder)
• tricep (back of the arm)
• ‘lats’ (your upper back muscles on the sides of your scapula)
• pectorals  (aka your chesticles)

….All this from ONE exercise. Luckily I LOVE being sore after a weight-training session.

Here’s the video: Forgive my impromptu ending. It just proves that I’m a goofball.

How to do a Negative Pushup: the video version:

How to do a “Negative” Pushup: the written version.

First of all, the good news: you don’t have to Push Up at all! I have torn rotator cuff tendons and I can’t do more than a few ‘normal’ pushups at once. Performing ‘negatives’ is one of the best ways to really work all the areas that would otherwise go unloved due to my injury.

1. Get to a plank position any which way (lie, cheat, steal)
2. Lower yourself very, very slowly - with control - to the ground (at first, you will simply plummet to earth, but you’ will get better & stronger with practice)
3. To really hit your triceps, keep your elbows near your ribcage, rather than splayed out.
4. Repeat Step 1.
5. If you are new to this move, perform 5-10 repetitions. Advanced trainees can go for 20 or so.
6. If you are feeling spunky, repeat above sequence two to three times.
7. Style your hair and sleep on it carefully because it might be days before this is once again possible.

Yoginis: Ever wonder why your chest, triceps and deltoids are so sore after a hard-core yoga class with a bunch of Chaturangas? It’s because you are doing a bagillion negative ‘tricep pushups.’

Speaking of yoga, I made a video for Lindsay over at Lindsay’s List for her Tuesday Trainer series. You can check it out here.  You’ll want to scroll back through her other TT posts too - they are informative and good fun!

Q: Have you ever tried “Negatives?” Yoginis: how about those chaturangas? Do you like feeling sore after a good weight training session?

By the way, I apologize to those of you who have tried to leave comments on my blog, but couldn’t! I have no idea why Blogger is acting up this time, nor why some people can leave comments and others can not!

How to get ready at the gym

If you missed part I: How to get ready FOR the gym, you can check it. Meanwhile, we’ll pick up where we left off…You were just stepping out the door to go to your car.
But wait! You need to make sure that your gym bag is stocked with everything you’ll need. 
YOUR GYM BAG:

I’m pretty low-maintenance, but I still need a lot of stuff to get ready. I like bags that have separate compartment like this:
  
But you can also use a soft sided duffle-style bag like my gym-going buddy, Janetha is holding, and have smaller bags to group things together.
 
Everyone is different but this is what I have in my bag at all times.

• Deodorant
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Hair gel
• Brush
• SUNSCREEN!!!
• A Padlock (if your gym doesn’t have those number lock thingies)

• Plastic Flip flops for wearing in the locker room and shower (You don’t want fungal infections!)

 
(I keep my flip flops in a plastic bag in my gym bag.)

• Hair tools (optional): Flat iron, blow dryer, curling iron etc.

• Makeup if you wear it
• MORE SUNSCREEN!!!

 

• Spare tank top and skivvies (because one day you’ll forget to bring a pair. Don’t ask me how I know. Or better yet, do ask Allie, about when she came to visit and dropped her undies outside Gold’s gym somewhere in Venice.

THE ACTUAL WORKOUT:
When i lock up my stuff and head for the gym floor I take 3 things with me:

1. Water
2. Towel
3. My Mini Gym bag which contains:

• My ipod
• My phone
• An energy bar in case of energy 911
• My lifting gloves (to protect my princess hands)
• My ‘critical’ wallet containing my driver’s license, money etc. I watch it like a hawk and it’s safer with me than in the locker I’ve been told.
• Random pieces of blank paper and a pen in case you need someone’s autograph (kidding)
• Earplugs! I figure that I’ll be attending group exercise classes until I’m approximately 95 years old, so I need to protect my ears every bit that I can.

(But, why are these for women?)

AFTER THE WORKOUT:
You’ll remove the bag with your clean towel and exchange it for the dirty clothes you just soaked. You’ll also exchange the sweaty shoes for the flip flops. Sneakers go on top so they don’t get soaked in your sweat. Put on your flip flops first!
Please tell me that I don’t need to remind you not to sit your bare booty on the bench?
Dawn your towel…Look hot doing so:

(someone was cold- hee)

You’ll put your shampoo and conditioner into another bag (preferably the one housing your clean clothes) and go take your shower. Why? Sometimes, there is no shelf upon which to set your shampoo/conditioner and I get the creeps putting anything on the floor. You can hang the bag over the door or a handle if necessary.

(Make sure someone double-checks that you have everything you need)…

(…but ideally, leave your kitty/doggy at home)
 
(Note: I’ve tried toting ‘trial-sized’ shampoos/conditioners and find that my entire life revolved around refilling tiny bottles. I finally gave up and went for ‘normal’ sized bottles: much easier! Plus I figure if I’m going to do sumo squats holding 50 pound weights, I can definitely handle the extra 16oz bottles going in and out of the gym.)
Now, sip your smoothie so that you can replenish your glycogen stores…

Finishing up:
You have now showered, and changed, and primped and foofed. You are looking stunning and you are not starving because you gulped your shake or ate an apple. You will leave the locker room looking like a bag lady because you will have:

• Your gym bag (with your mini gym bag inside)
• Your (much lighter) cooler bag
• Two or three bags of stinky, wet, dirty clothes and towels

It seems like a lot, but for you, it’s child’s play because you are strong as an ox. Now you can shop that sale they’re having at Gold’s, just like Janetha did:

After you Leave

• When you get to your car, remove your sneakers from the plastic bag and let them air out. You’ll be very happy you did this.
• When you get home later, your gym clothes/towels will still be wet, so you’ll need to hang them to dry before putting them in the hamper, or they will smell like dead fish. Again, you are not to ask me how I know this.
• If you are doing laundry immediately, there is no need to hang your clothes out and no risk of your house smelling like a beach with Red Tide.

Q: Have you ever had a gym mishap like leaving wet gym clothes in the trunk of your car for two months (not that it happened to me), Do you have other suggestions? Will you ever dare shower at the gym again?

How to get ready for the gym

I hope that this doesn’t sound like I’m trying to share something basic like how to breath or blink because other people claimed to have invented those activities and I’d have to pay them a royalty. But there is a certain amount of forethought that goes into getting ready to hit the gym, shower there, and then go to work or wherever your zany life takes you. Here are the basics:

Why Shower at the gym?
First of all, if you are going to work, the answer is obvious. If you are running errands, it is not a good idea for your nether regions to be sitting in a human sauna for more than 30 minutes. Don’t ask me how I know this, but I know. Plus, you are being kind to your fellow human beings by showering after a sweat-fest.

FOOD and DRINK:
First things first! You need your water for the workout and something healthy to eat after. I typically whip up a protein shake first thing in the morning and stick it in the freezer for 20+ minutes while I’m getting ready and drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee. I’ll also pack some nibbles, like fruit or nuts or carrots - in case my mouth wants some exercise too. I carry all of it in a cooler bag like the black & white one below in the background.

       

You can find cute cooler bags from Koko and other brands. I bought this one in Canada and it’s called D-fusion and I can’t find it online anywhere! I include a little ice pack like the one on the right.




GYM CARD & other essentials: 
You’ll need to pack your gym card, ID (because everyone needs to know who you are these days), a credit card if you want (I want! What if they are having a sale on gym clothes!) some cash, keys, and of course the cell phone because otherwise it would need to be detached surgically from a hand. All of these items go in the cooler bag. My purse that is devoid of any value sits happily in the trunk of my car (so as not to attract thieves…I do live in a ‘big city’). Valuables come with me inside the gym.



CLOTHING:
There is a slight method to the madness here: You’ll want to pack your clothes so that they don’t wrinkle (you can also bring them on a hanger if you want/need.) I find that if I roll my clothes into a sausage shape, they don’t get wrinkly. Then I dream of sausages.
I always have two plastic bags with me: one for my (dirty) shoes, and one for my (clean) clothes:

     

Dirty shoes into one bag:

 

Roll the clean clothes around the shoes, into a nice little sausage shape and put all of it into the other plastic bag. These bags need to be plastic because they will later live out their life’s dream of housing your sweaty gym clothes and wet towels.
     

So you’ll be walking out the door with your purse (because you’ll need it after the gym**), your cooler bag, and either one or two plastic bags, depending upon whether or not your gym has towels. If not, you need to bring your own: a big one (for showering) or two (if you have long hair and want a ‘hair towel’) and a smaller ‘sweat towel.’

**By the way, I’m not being sexist. Men can and do carry Murses or MANbags. I married one. Please stop laughing.



But you’re wondering about your gym bag aren’t you? Don’t worry! That lives in the trunk of your car! No need to carry it in and out of your house!



Now, since you probably need some recovery time from the exertion of just getting ready for the gym, I’ll let you recuperate and I’ll be back next week with a post on what you need to do to get ready at the gym (including what lives in your gym bag.) You can ask my good friend, Janetha: there’s more to it than meets the eye. You can read all about our workouts and gym adventure last week on her blog.

Q: Do you shower at the gym? Do you have any tips that I should include in next week’s post? Do you know any men who carry MANbags? (I like to emphasize the MAN in MANbags)

PS Thank you, Janetha for pimping Windows Live Writer to me again, even after I didn’t listen to you the first time! This post would have taken a few millenia to write with Blogger In Draft, but thanks to you and WLW, I got it done in no time flat! <3

Finally, Janetha went in for a diagnostic medical procedure this morning and I just found out that she has had some complications. Please keep good thoughts for her and if you are the praying type, please feel free.

Edited to add: Just heard from Janetha's Mom and she's fine, but it seems she just had some benign discomfort. Whew.

Microwave Zucchini Protein Muffin

Everyone knows that there is zero 'bread' in "Zucchini Bread". It's cake. 100% cake. Well, this zucchini muffin really is 100% protein-spiked muffin that tastes just like the original version of the protein muffin.  If you frost it, it does taste like cake. Really this muffin is just a sneaky way to add some veggies into your diet and barely notice their presence.  Just think: you could make your husband and children eat veggies without their knowledge!

And in honor of Eden's birthday, I arranged the food in order to bring a smile to her face. (And yours)?

Important ingredients

Pre-made muffin mix: I combine the dry ingredients in a jar ahead of time so that I just scoop the right amount and add to pumpkin and egg whites (a little math is involved when you make the mix...nothing you can't handle)

The added zucchini makes the batter more wet, so you need to add time while microwaving

Uncooked batter in adorable bowl from beloved reader Missy

Cooked 4 minutes and ready to eat

Zucchini Protein Muffin:

Makes one large serving.  160 calories **; 12.5 g protein; 18.5g carb; 5g fiber; 1.75g fat 

Ingredients:

• 2 Egg whites (**If using liquid egg whites use 1/2 cup and add 20 calories)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin (3 T applesauce or other starchy carb works too)
• 2 T coconut flour* (1 T also works, and results in 40 fewer calories)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• stevia or other granular sweetener to taste
• 1 T. cocoa powder (Hershey's Special dark cocoa is best)
• 2-3 T grated raw zucchini 

Method: Spray a bowl with oil. Mix ingredients with a fork. Microwave on high for 2-4+ minutes.

Zucchini muffin: you can see the veggie shreds but you can't taste them.

You might need to play around with cooking times and possibly vary the ingredient ratios to get your desired consistency. I sometimes make a mini-version by halving the flour and egg whites. You can use nearly any flour or carby fruit , but I have found that the ingredients that make this so moist yet fluffy are the pumpkin (versus other fruit or veggies), the coconut flour and the dark cocoa powder in combination. Yet I've received emails from loads of people who have had great success changing things up. Let me know if you discover a great combo!

Q:  If you've had success with modifications for microwave muffins, what were they?  Has anyone used agave and can advise a reader on how much to use?  Do you sneak veggies into food either for yourself or unsuspecting relatives?

Happy birthday, Eden! Congratulations on the fact that you don't yet need to lie about your age. And thank you for no longer being half of mine.

Speaking of the birthday girl, she and I made a short exercise video for Lindsay's Tuesday Trainer series for this week's topic: Back & Biceps.  Check it out (and listen carefully for Eden's expletive).