New moves are my favorite.
I’m doing many right now and I point my toes down some ski slopes.
Today’s Work It Out post features one of my biggest inspirations – Jody @ Truth2BeingFit. She is a big fan of changing up workouts to keep things interesting and effective, and her positive energy is contagious. Take one look at her picture and you’ll see she clearly knows what she’s doing. AND this amazing lady just celebrated her 55th birthday!
I’m Working It Out this week in a few different ways. Saturday I went hiking at Red Rocks with Heather and Lauren!
Heather, Me, and Lauren at Red Rocks
________________________________________________________________________________________
I want to thank Laura for inviting me to guest post today! She is an amazing young (Editor’s Note: It’s so nice to be called young…) woman who knows how to kick some “arse” in the gym! 😉
For those that don’t know me, my name is Jody and I blog over at Truth2BeingFit. I have been working out for over 30 years & turned 55 on the 15th of this month. YIKES! Where did the time go! (Editor’s Note: I sure hope I look half this good at 55!)
I know some may look at my pictures & think I can’t relate BUT I can! I was heavy as a kid. I lost weight in high school but did many things wrong on this lifelong journey. My mantra: ALWAYS LEARNING & ALWAYS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
Laura asked to me to share a couple of workout moves that are different from the norm to help you mix it up in the gym & work your body in different ways. I am a “change agent” in the gym. I LOVE mixing it up!
I first want to link you to a couple recent posts of mine. Many people are stuck in a rut using the same attachment for the same move all the time. Check out this post, Variety is the Spice of Life, Cable Attachment Love! I also have a post on a variation of drop sets here. Drop sets are a more advanced move so if you are a beginner, leave this until you have a few months under your belt.
One move I love to do is using a seated row machine for bicep curls with a rope (hammer curls w/rope), straight or cambered bar or even a single D handle. You will have to use a LIGHTER weight for this move. Grab the bar, rope or D handle & lie back on the seat of the row machine. Curl away. The fact that you are lying & you can’t cheat really stresses the biceps – LOVE IT! You can also do this by placing a mat on the floor by the bottom rung of a cable machine. With your feet closest to the cable machine, grab attachment, lie back & curl! (Editor’s Note: This is how I do them – SO effective!)
Another move is to place a bench by the cable machine. Place one of the attachments in the paragraph above on the lowest rung of the cable machine. Grab the attachment & lie back on the bench with your head closest to the machine. From here, you can do lying cable triceps extensions/skull crushers. Use a stability ball to engage the core or if there is not a bench available. Always use proper form! It is easy to hurt the shoulders if you are not very careful with form!
I would like to finish by saying that always be true to you! There is no “my way or the highway.” Find what works for you. Of course, if you are new to lifting, you want to learn the traditional way of lifting with proper form. Learn to listen to your body and how everything feels from day one – get that mind/muscle link!
Once you become more advanced, you can start putting programs together that meet your needs – not that friend or other person in the gym. Life changes, we change, our body changes, our goals change along this lifelong journey. Always work toward finding that best for you. This does not mean we can’t learn from others BUT it does mean that we learn to recognize what works best for ourselves.
Thanks again to Laura for inviting me to guest post! Please feel free to email at jody @ truth2beingfit.com with any questions… although Laura knows her stuff! 🙂
***
Thank you for showing us some new moves, Jody! I’ve never thought to use the row machine for curls… can’t wait to get back and try it out!
Did anyone try last week’s 1 1/2s?
Has the way you workout changed over time? How so?
Love this! So inspirational and amazing!
Thx!!!
Love this post! Wow, 55! Jody is amazing, to say the least! I hope I look half as good at that age! I workout so differently now than I used to. I like changing things up for fun. The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years, is even though exercise is hard work, it has to be fun for me. I don’t want to dread it, your supposed to enjoy it! I actually look forward to my workout days!
I’m glad you’re having a good trip Laura!
I totally agree – I have to look forward to going to the gym.
Wow..you do look great!
Thank you Fran! Lots & lots of hard work but worth it! 🙂
Jody continues to inspire and motivate me to be the best I can be. You are so amazing Jody!
Same here! Seeing her Instagram pics makes me want to push even harder.
Thank you Tami & Laura!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW, 55?! That is amazing! I hope I have that much motivation when I am 55!
Same here!!!
I know both of you will be rocking it – it sort of sticks with you the longer you do it! 😉
Great fun post… and nice to see you here, Jody. Yes, an inspiration for sure!
Thx so much Elle!
And yet again I’m bummed that my gym doesn’t have a cable row machine–I mean, isn’t that supposed to be a gym basic?? Okay, I’ll save my frustration at my inability to try this out for another day ;D Love to see you here Jody! Great inspiration for getting and staying fit (and totally going to show your blog to my mom, who insists she’s too old to start weightlifting!)
You can do the one with the regular cables, right? That’s on our workouts sometimes.
Allie, thx! YES – show to your mom!!! AND you can do with regular cables OR even at home using a resistance band around a solid post close to the floor & do the move like I explained in the post but lying flat on the floor! 🙂
You look awesome for 55! My workout has changed majorly over the past few years. I used to hate to workout, then I only did cardio, now I love strength training!
Hooray for weights! 🙂
YES – YAHOO for weights!!!! I still do my share of cardio BUT weights are my love! 🙂
Great feature! I love Jodi…so wise!
Thx Kierston! You are a wise one too!
Go, Jody, go!
Honestly, you inspired and amaze me every single day!
Tamara, I feel the same about you! 🙂
What a great post!! So inspiring!
Thx Carol!
Thank you to all the people who commented here!! I will be back later to reply but had to say a HUGE thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A special HUG to Laura who asked me to guest post – Laura – you are amazing!
YOU are amazing. Thank you again. 🙂
Wow Jody you look better then me and I’m 20! I guess I’m the opposite of you, I was a really light kid and have been working on building a bit of muscle most of the time. I do get easily intimidated by all those machines and my lack of knowledge about them. It’s a slow journey but thanx to people like you, I’m slowly progressing 🙂 Keep going Jody- you’re so inspirational ^^
You’ll get there! It’s just as hard to gain as it is to lose, but doing it the right way is worth all the effort.
I so agree with Laura – we focus so much on those that have to lose but it is just as hard for the “hard gainers”. Don’t let it discourage you or deter you! Any way you look at it, it takes patience & time! YOU CAN DO THIS! 🙂
I was chubby as a kid too. Unfortunately, instead of growing out of it in a positive way, I developed an ED. Now I am back to embracing my body and strength and nurturing myself. I hope that someday I can be as strong as you!
Good for you focusing on strengthening up! Isn’t it a great to feel more powerful? 🙂
I am so glad you are beating the ED & focusing on your body & strength! Yes, nurturing yourself! AND YES, YOU CAN BE AS STRONG AS ME in more ways than one! 🙂
Great suggestions! Lying cable sets? The only time I tend to lie when I work out my arms is when I tell myself I’ve done enough and can quit. Will have to try this out!
LOL! This kind of lying is more effective. Love the name, btw. 🙂
Crabby – TOO FUNNY!!!! I know that you really work hard though – you look amazing!
Love this post – I really like your mantra always ALWAYS LEARNING & ALWAYS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
It really resonates with me.
I used to be overweight and now I am too skinny – so people think I can’t relate or have always been able to eat anything I want. Not the case – life changes sooo much.
I used to be very active in team supports, I played rugby and did olypmic lifting, and also ran quite a bit. Cross country in high and training for 10ks last year. I see the toll those things took on my body. I really embrace yoga now and how it can make you feel strong and challenged but its gentler. I also can’t wait to get back into other non-impact activities like swimming and spinning.
Nice to meet you Jody! I’m glad Laura featured you.
Isn’t it crazy how things do change? I love your dedication to constant self-improvement. 🙂
Ashley, thank you! So glad you are embracing what is right for you!!!!! That is what matters most! I hear that a lot – I don’t need to do what I am doing because I look this way… well, I look this way cause I work at it, not because I don’t do anything.
You are right to be careful of your bod since you had so much toll on it. Keep doing what you are doing – focusing on YOU! 🙂
Love these workout moves!! I’ve never thought of using the seated row machine to do biceps & triceps. Genius! Oh, and I heart the red rocks. I lived in Colorado for a few years for grad school and always enjoyed going to concerts and movies in the summer at that beautiful outdoor venue. Hope you’re having a blast!! 😀
I’m loving it here! How did you ever leave?! 🙂
Haha, well Colorado’s beautiful, but Southern California ain’t too bad either ;). Glad you’re having (or had?) such a great time there!
Ali – hope you like the move!
Jody, I loved the moves! It’s perfect for when the cable pulley machine is taken at the gym.
Jody you are incredibly inspiring – what a Wonder Woman 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I’m going to start calling her that. 🙂
It is hard for me to not want to say NO I AM NOT but over time & years, I have learned to just say thank you even if I disagree! 😉 I find so many more out there way more inspiring!