Showing posts with label skulpt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skulpt. Show all posts

Monday, March 16, 2015

Training Truths: Dealing with the Rain

My life has been stressful lately.

Behind the scenes here at RE, we've been dealing with bad gallbladders and job changes. It hasn't been easy, but then again life isn't always easy. I saw this posted on social media recently: "if you want rainbows, you have to deal with the rain."

Usually my way of dealing with stress is to workout, but the last couple of weeks I have been shutting down. Here's what I managed last week.

Tuesday - 3.18 + arms
The plan: Run 30 minutes

mrC had his gallbladder removed on Monday and after a night of dishing out pain meds every four hours I skipped my Professional Development day at work. I tried to nap when mrC did, but found myself lacing up my Mizuno Wave Rider 18s instead. It was my first run from home in months and the hills felt horrid, but it was a good 5K run in capris.



Sunday - 4.94 miles
The plan: 5 mile run with MRTT group

After already skipping my run on Thursday, I woke up thinking of all the reasons I wasn't in the mood for this run. Then I realized that I needed it. As soon as I got my feet moving, I started feeling better. (almost) Five miles of conversation later and I couldn't believe that I almost skipped out.

Photo from MRTT member Mary Beth

Weekly Workouts:

Monday: MAD Abs day 9
Tuesday: MAD Abs day 10 + run + arms
Wednesday: MAD Abs day 11 + arms + legs
Thursday: REST!!!! + MAD Abs day 12
Friday: Another REST day + MAD Abs day 13
Saturday: SurfnTurf class + MAD Abs day 14
Sunday: Run + MAD Abs day 15

Challenges:

The one thing I have been able to do consistently is the MAD Abs March challenge. It also seems to be paying off because according to the Skulpt Aim, the muscle quality of my abs is FIT! (check out my progress here and here).



How do you deal with stress?






Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Skulpt Aim: 2 Week Update

Two weeks ago I began using my Skulpt Aim device and took my initial measurements. The results (here) showed that I had many places that needed work, so I added workouts that specifically focused on those areas.

My Workouts:

Week 1:
Monday: FAB ab day 23 + SurfnTone 
Tuesday: FAB ab day 24 + arms
Wednesday: FAB ab day 25 + SurfnTurf
Thursday: FAB ab day 26 + arms
Friday: FAB ab day 27 + arms + legs
Saturday: FAB ab day 28 + SurfnTurf
Sunday:  MAD Abs day 1 + arms


Week 2:
Monday: MAD Abs day 2 + arms + legs
Tuesday: MAD Abs day 3
Wednesday: MAD Abs day 4
Thursday: MAD Abs day 5
Friday: MAD Abs day 6
Saturday: MAD Abs day 7
Sunday: MAD Abs day 8

During the first week I was on February vacation and focused on fitness. Week two was a wreck. I was  distracted by all of life's big and small things.

My Results: Two Week Update

With the help of mrC, I took new measurements. My overall body fat according to the Skulpt Aim went up from 27.2% to 31%. This surprised me until I remembered that I took my initial measurements myself which means the results may not be as accurate. I have also learned that the amount of water in my body at the time that the measurement is taken can affect the results. (edit) I have learned that water does NOT affect Skulpt measurements.

The numbers on my individual muscle groups have also changed both positively and negatively, but I think all of the changes are attributed to how the measurements were taken. I'm hoping that the next measurement will bring some clarity to the results.

Initial results (front)

Two week update (front)


Initial results (back)


Two week update (back)

Several people were skeptical of the total body fat results (including myself), so I reached out to my friends at TI Fitness and they took my body fat measurements using an Omron hand-held device that they use with clients. They did it twice using both the athlete and normal settings. My body fat results ranged from 20.6 - 22.4 which is very different from the Skulpt Aim results. Once again I find myself feeling skeptical and wondering which set of results are more accurate. (edit) I should mention that the Omron device uses a different technology (which is widely criticized as unreliable) than the Skulpt Aim to measure body fat and I feel that the Skulpt Aim measurements give a more accurate assessment of my muscles (or lack of muscles, haha!).


My Plan: 

I'm going to continue my original plan, but hopefully with more consistency and increase the amount of weight that I use. And since I have leg envy, on leg days I'm going to try Carrie Underwood's Workout Moves for Legs and Thighs.




Do you have leg envy?



This post is part of the Workout Wednesday link up 
hosted by Diatta, Sheila, Amanda and Heather

Disclosure: I was sent a Skulpt Aim for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are my own.





Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Skulpt Aim: Getting Started

I was selected to use and review Skulpt Aim, a fitness tracker that measures body fat and muscle quality instead of activities, through my affiliation with Raynforest.

The Skulpt Aim is a device that replaces the pinching tool used to measure body fat by sending a small electrical signal through your skin. The current changes speed as it moves through skin, fat, and muscle.


What's in the box:

The Skulpt Aim comes with a base charger, usb cord, small water bottle, and convenient storage bag.


Getting started:

After charging the device for a couple of hours and downloading the Skulpt app on my iPhone, it was time to take measurements. The device, app, and website all provide thorough instructions (with video) for how to take measurements. You can go step-by-step through all of your muscles or you can opt to focus on just the ones you want.

I would recommend getting someone to help you take the measurements. Doing it on your own like I did can be a little awkward. It's hard to reach your backside without creating tension. Also, the sensors must be sprayed after each reading, so I stood on a bath towel, but you could also spray over a sink.


My Results: the Before

Skulpt Aim rates your muscles according to five categories which are also color coded:

red = needs work
orange = average
yellow = fit
green = athletic
white = skulpted

My overall total body fat is 27.2% putting me in the needs work category (eek!). I took a screen shot of the individual muscle numbers.


My actual results from Skulpt Aim app

My plan:

Basically I am going to work on every area that is red! Seriously. I will be continuing the PT leg exercises that Dr. Bri gave me with added weight and adding an arm workout to my running days. Something like this:

found on Pinterest

My goals:

Every week, I will attempt to take new measurements and hopefully see improvements in my muscles. I don't have a lot of meat on my bones, but what I do have isn't exactly filet mignon, you know? While I don't want to become a body builder, I would like to tone up and fall into the fit range.


Do you track your body fat and/or muscle quality?


This post is part of the Workout Wednesday link up 
hosted by Diatta, Sheila, Amanda and Heather

Disclosure: I was sent a Skulpt Aim for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are my own.


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