Yeah. I'd laugh if I could breathe.
I got about two inches in terms of range of motion with those things. I will say my abs hurt like a you know what. But I did about 8 of my wimpy real push-ups per set.
Way to burst my "Oh yeah, I'm getting in shape, bitches" bubble.
Good God Almighty.
Question for the group from Kyran:
I need help with bicycle crunch form. I'm mainly feeling it in my upper thighs, not abs. my legs are at 90 degrees. What's wrong?
You'll want to lower your legs so that they are actually at an angle. The lower your legs, the better the ab workout. Also, make sure your movement is fairly fluid and that you never actually put your head/neck down.
Anyone else?
[Housekeeping: If you want me to include you in the sidebar and/or you have posts you'd like included here, please make sure to email them to me!]
What IS it about those pushups? I have no trouble with the other upper body exercises (though I'm pretty tired by the end of the set) but I am hopeless with the pushups, even on my knees. Bravo for trying, though!
Posted by: NoShowMo | 03/10/2009 at 09:07 AM
I cannot do push-ups to save my life! Confession: I have yet to start the shred...I'm still mentally preparing but I am definitely going to since I posted the before pic on my blog...or maybe I'll just take it down LOL!
Keep it up! You're doing GREAT!
Posted by: Peggy | 03/10/2009 at 09:25 AM
Yes, how can I tell if my back is flat?
Posted by: Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah | 03/10/2009 at 09:51 AM
Heya - I just tweeted this back to Kyran but thought I'd include it here too. re: bicycles...make sure shoulders are lifted off the ground to engage abs + keep eyes on the ceiling (so you're not pulling/straining neck).
Pushups are ridiculously hard. But in Level 2 they do something called a walking push up - from standing position, bend and walk your hands out into a plank position, do a pushup, then walk it back out to standing position. Also hard, but the walk out part gives you a break so you don't just have to do them straight one after the other. Something to look forward to! :-)
Posted by: Otis Bay State | 03/10/2009 at 10:03 AM
Push-ups are impossible for me. I don't know why, but I can't do a push-up in good form. (Sarah, I think you can tell your back is flat if you can also feel the push-up in your abs.)
My favorite part is the ab work. You wouldn't be able to tell under all that flab, but I've got pretty strong abs. It feels good to do one move correctly!
Posted by: Christina | 03/10/2009 at 10:09 AM
Haha! That's pretty good if you ask me. My arms still fall of of me by the time I get half way through the modified pushups.
Posted by: Allison | 03/10/2009 at 11:02 AM
As for Kyran's question, I feel the bicycles in my legs too, although I also feel my abs (mostly upper). And when I lower my legs my form goes south fast. I figure as long as it hurts somewhere something good is happening, and lord knows my legs can use toning too...
Posted by: Bill | 03/10/2009 at 11:10 AM
For the bicycle crunch I had the same experience, so today, instead of pulling my legs toward me I kept my knees in the same position and just straightened out my leg each time instead of drawing my knee in towards my head. It seemed to put more pressure on the abs to work.
I haven't even thought about trying a "real" pushup yet so good for you!!
Posted by: fruitlady | 03/10/2009 at 02:14 PM
Alright, I just finished Day 7 (which is a record for me doing a workout video, yay me!) and tried a few different leg positions for the bicycle crunches. I couldn't find one where I didn't feel it a lot in the super-uppermost quads.
Back when I was doing Stroller Strides they told me that you wouldn't always feel the exercise in the "correct" muscle - you'd feel it in the weakest muscle first. I'm going to have to chalk this up to that (at least for me).
Posted by: Bill | 03/10/2009 at 03:20 PM
Bill: I love that you just admitted to doing stroller strides.
Now that takes big daddy balls right there.
Posted by: Madame Shredhead | 03/10/2009 at 04:17 PM
And why are my arms stronger in some areas but not others? I can't do those first shoulder presses with anything more than 3 lbs and even then I can't do every rep without pausing every now and then.
I've also f*@ked up my knee, so I'm doing modified cardio for now until it feels better. Going to make up for it with extra situps.
Posted by: Fairly Odd Mother | 03/10/2009 at 06:25 PM
Fairly Odd Mother, I'll do all your cardio if you'll do all my situps. It works like that, right?
Posted by: Bill | 03/10/2009 at 06:41 PM
Madame Shred, Stroller Strides was great, and they were really cool about having a guy join (unlike the group "See Mommy Run" who kicked me out for having that pesky Y chromosome). I was a Stroller Strides member twice...once with each kid. I loved doing it but at a certain point a kid just doesn't like being in the stroller for that long, so... *sigh* Oh well.
Maybe I should have a third kid so I can join again, huh? ACK!
Posted by: Bill | 03/10/2009 at 07:09 PM
Thank God I'm not the only one who can't do push-ups. At this point I'm so pathetic that I basically say fuck form. I just do what I can. And it still feels like my wrists will snap in half. Yikes!
Posted by: Poppy Too Buxom | 03/10/2009 at 11:35 PM
oh my God, I am only on day two and today I could hardly walk down the steps. But 20 minutes! I do the fake pushups, too. But mostly because I am used to yoga pushups, which are different. And easier.
Posted by: jenny | 03/10/2009 at 11:55 PM
i think the main thing with ALL of the crunches she does is that people aren't used to staying mostly on the ground. you literally JUST USE your stomach muscles to move you. your stomach moves your head and your butt off the floor. you don't get a lot of height- and you will feel it in your tummy pretty much only cause that is what is controlling the entire movement.
Posted by: jennster | 03/12/2009 at 01:29 PM