Venting - strength issues

[Catrin]

Vent warning...ignore if you want.

This is just plain frustrating and a little embarrassing.

I can leg press 250 pounds (10 reps) - 250 is so easy that I know I can increase that. Squat machine? 260 pounds for 15 reps - cervical spine issues prevent me from doing back squats with this amount of weight (and probably grip as well) - I really don't like to do back squats with anything heavier than the unloaded bar for this reason.

All good, but when it comes to over-head stuff I am a serious wimp. It gets embarrassing, especially since I do well with lower body stuff. I wouldn't mind increasing my lower body strength this winter but don't want to put further stress on my knees. Right now I am more concerned about taking care of muscle/strength imbalances.

Ok, so this is part of why I do the group training and he is seriously targeting my shoulders/upper arms in a very focused fashion but it is still a bit frustrating. I just have to stop comparing my upper body strength with the others in my group. The trainer doesn't expect me to do what they can yet, and neither should I... We all have weak points and, for me, that is my upper body strength. Oh it is certainly better than it was 3 years ago, but still

I am sure this isn't uncommon for someone who waited until an...errrrr....older age to build fitness and strength, but knowing this doesn't help all that much. Thankfully I am very stubborn

[indysteel]

I haven't progressed as much as I would have expected with respect to my upper body since I began working with my trainer. But I am where I am. Maybe I'm just not as motivated as you are, but it's just not something I care to beat myself up about. My advice is to stop being so hard on yourself all the time. You are a very active person; try to applaud yourself for the positive.

[thekarens]

I wouldn't base your fitness on the weight you can squat or lift etc. Check out the American women's Olympic lifter. She can lift a whopping amount of weight, but there's no way she is fit, though I do admire her strength.

Sounds to me like you're doing fantastic. Keep it up and celebrate what you have accomplished!

[Crankin]

My shoulders continue to be very weak, and no amount of the difficult stuff I've been doing is improving it. I guess it'smarginally better, but this is the reason I can't swim well. It hurts me in the shoulder area to lift weights above my head. I can do lateral stuff fine, but when I say hurts, I mean, I get muscle spasms and feel fatigued, unless I use the baby weights. I'm not beating myself up over it, but it's annoying.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the encouragement. The frustration comes from ignoring all of the other fitness metrics that shows vast improvement in the last 3 years, from lower body weight to core strength, and focusing on one thing. As Indy pointed out, I am very active and actually the most active in my life!

The group trainer has had success with a couple of other women my age with the same issue, so I am hopeful. I just have to do my part and NOT overdo things the day after he works my arms to failure - which he has started to do - I've not had upper body workouts quite like this before, or really even seen one like it. It doesn't hurt me in the shoulder area to lift things over my head - the problem is having the strength to do so.

Crankin, have you had that checked out? If it is causing you pain then could something else be going on outside of strength issues? I realize that might sound kind of funny coming from me (doctor? who needs a doctor?) but I have hopefully learned my lesson...

[indysteel]

I hope I didn't sound entirely unsympathetic. I understand the frustration. I work out with my trainer in the fitness room used by the US Marshals. There's one woman who's often down there who is SO strong. It's really easy for me to get in a funk when I see her lifting 3x as much as me. But she's also been doing this for years. Now I could be wrong, but I think she's mostly just a gym person, so I bet I could show her a thing or two on a road or mountain bike or in a yoga class. At least that's what I tell myself.

I could get stronger if I was willing to add another strength day into my routine, but there's just not enough room in my schedule at the moment. I've been trying to do some stuff with free weights at home.

I do think you should focus on the positive Catrin and appreciate that if you work at your upper body strength, it will likely get better over time. Just don't stubborn yourself into an overuse injury. I, personally, have to recognize that I can only do so much. I could ask my trainer to really kill me each week, but it would then impact my ability to do other things. Balance, balance, balance.

Speaking of balance, make sure you work on that, too!

[Crankin]

No, this is not "medical." I've always had this. It just seems harder to work past the "suffering" in this part of my body. My upper body has always been weak, but I build muscle quickly, say, in my biceps, triceps, even my back, once I start lifting and doing other stuff. Given the fact that I am almost 59 and probably in the best shape of my life, I won't stress over this. I have plenty of other muscular/bone/injury issues that are on-going, that I can complain more about!

[Catrin]

.....I do think you should focus on the positive Catrin and appreciate that if you work at your upper body strength, it will likely get better over time. Just don't stubborn yourself into an overuse injury. I, personally, have to recognize that I can only do so much. I could ask my trainer to really kill me each week, but it would then impact my ability to do other things. Balance, balance, balance.

Speaking of balance, make sure you work on that, too!

Yep, all of this I am not at the gym any more than normal, and I am getting enough riding in AND the rest days I know I need. I gave up a couple of activities when I took on the group training so I wouldn't give myself over-use injuries; no over-use injuries are allowed this year! As far as the OTHER kind of balance, Bosu class is great for that - though right now I am only doing that once a week and that's only a 30 minute class. More would be too much for now.

My arm/shoulder strength is better than it was 3 years ago, it's just taking a lot longer to develop. I HAVE noticed since starting this group training/metabolic/functional training that I've gotten a lot stronger/faster on the bike and THAT is a good thing In the end, all of this is to support my riding/mountain biking (and of course general health and fitness). I am probably in the best shape in my life, even if I do have a bit more padding around the middle than I would like, and that is indeed worth celebrating!

Crankin - glad to hear that isn't a matter of concern!

[Wahine]

My shoulders continue to be very weak, and no amount of the difficult stuff I've been doing is improving it. I guess it'smarginally better, but this is the reason I can't swim well. It hurts me in the shoulder area to lift weights above my head. I can do lateral stuff fine, but when I say hurts, I mean, I get muscle spasms and feel fatigued, unless I use the baby weights. I'm not beating myself up over it, but it's annoying.

All of the nerves that go to your shoulder muscles come out of your neck. People with neck problems often have weakness in the shoulders and/or muscles around the shoulder blades because of the nerve connection. This often changes your movement patterns, puts stress on structures in positions that they can't take it and/or impingement of tendons around the shoulder with over head work...

Catrin, don't you have some neck issues too, or am I remembering wrong? Maybe this could be related to your slow progress in the upper body exercises.

[Catrin]

All of the nerves that go to your shoulder muscles come out of your neck. People with neck problems often have weakness in the shoulders and/or muscles around the shoulder blades because of the nerve connection. This often changes your movement patterns, puts stress on structures in positions that they can't take it and/or impingement of tendons around the shoulder with over head work...

Catrin, don't you have some neck issues too, or am I remembering wrong? Maybe this could be related to your slow progress in the upper body exercises.

You remember correctly, but they are recent. This is the first time my upper body has received this level of intense attention, so we will see. My neck seems to feel better during the process so I am hopeful.

[thekarens]

Is it possible there's a medical reason? Couldn't hurt to have it checked out.