“ Has anyone heard this about connection between glute strength/low back pain?“
“Glutes are one of the first targets of PT therapists working with patients experiencing low back pain.”
Glutes also seem to be one of the first targets of PT’s working with patients experiencing knee pain, in my experience.
so it’s probably worth working on in general.
Along with core.
@jackief you are doing great! Congrats on the continued weight loss - and enjoy your new deck!
We can hold you accountable re: getting a new medical ID! 
I have completely transformed my back with Barbell training. I was having all kinds of pain from sitting at my desk for work.
Barbell training (read this as lifting heavy— eventually) added muscle mass to my torso & I can hold myself up now for extended periods of time without the discomfort I felt before. Better when working. Better when hiking. Just all around better.
In the good news department, I’m 2# away from my Press PR, and 2# away from my Squat PR.
Zero dizziness from squatting today, which I’ll take as a sign my lungs continue to get better.
Bench is going to take some time. 8# under. My worst lift.
Deadlifts? 17# under. I can probably jump by 5# each week until I get there. I need to be aware of any dizziness with that lift too.
For today’s training, I had on short bike shorts, knee sleeves, and knee-high socks with an oversized T-shirt & in DESPERATE need of a hair cut…caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror…and…let me tell you…NOT a good look. O.O
For a long time, I neglected the glutes and hamstrings, which is why you’ll see me now posting 2-3 times/week about performing glute ham raises, or glute bridges, which specifically target these areas.
I don’t own a TRX, but I’m thinking @MichaelNKat can speak to what can be done for glutes with the TRX.
I waited until evening since it’s been hot here. Opened up with a 20-minute HIIT combo of inverted presses and the assault bike. Then moved to a “strength” session of deadlifts. I put strength in quotes, because I went nowhere near my max, since I was already worn out by the previous 20 minute HIIT. 
The 2nd HIIT was a combination of rowing (2,000 meters total) and lots of burpees and lighter deadlifts. The WOD took me 29:30, just under the 30-minute time cap. Oy, I’m getting old. ?
Day 5 out of 6 in my weekly kettlebell training for the instructor certification. All sorts of mobility warm-ups followed by 2 TGU’s balancing a Yoga block on my fist (much, much tougher than it sounds), 2 KB bottoms up TGU’s and then 10 TGU’s at work set weight. Then finished off with 3 sets each of TRX inverted rows w/weight vest, TRX single arm oblique curls (creams both your biceps and your obliques) and double racked KB squats. Fun 1 hour workout.
With regard to TRX and glutes, here’s my take:
Practically all TRX exercises require glute activation because if done with correct form, you are always engaging in a plank, whether horizontal, vertical, or in between or whether in a prone or supine position. A key element to a strong plank is glute engagement to stabilize and control your pelvis. Regardless of which muscles are the primary movers, you always must engage your glutes against the load the movement creates so that you maintain a strong plank.
As to TRX exercises that target the glutes more specifically, some that come to mind:
Bridges with heels in the cradles. Bridges adding external resistance. One legged bridges with one foot in the cradle and the other freely suspended next to it.
TRX Squats, front squats, pistol squats and their plyometric variations.
TRX lunge variations
TRX hamstring curls with hips raised
TRX tabletop inverted curls and rowing which require glute engagement to avoid breaking your plank under the load of raising your body during the pull.
Thanks for the shoe review @deb922. I have narrow heels as well so I think I’ll pass on the Allbird running shoes although I wear (and love) their wool runners.
@jackief - you are doing great!
Someone back a few pages asked about calories. I will admit I never count calories consumed. Fitbit tracks my calories burned (more or less- not sure how accurate). I do know that tracking calories burned is an eye opener. Running 10 miles (which is a lot) does not burn 2000 calories for me. As an older (just shy of 63) female I just don’t burn calories that quickly. I joke that H (who is a big guy) can burn more by brushing his teeth!
Streamed my Sunrise yoga this morning. Will take breaks later for a walk with H and hopefully also a short strength session.
@“Youdon’tsay” , was there a specific question or purpose behind your question of “how many calories do you all eat”???
This morning’s breakfast 2 hours after a 3 mile run: a poached egg, thin piece of fresh bread toast with PB, a couple of clementines. And coffee with coconut milk!
I asked the specific question.
The purpose was because I was curious as I eat fewer than 1,400 calories/day and am working out six days a week but am still having trouble losing weight. A lot of people seem to work out a lot so I was just wondering whether their caloric intake was really low. Doesn’t appear so.
^^Got it! I was just curious since there wasn’t a follow up comment or question from you regarding your original question!
Are you not only calorie counting but nutrition tracking? Sometimes when you look at the nutritional content of say, 1400 calories, you might see that you were particularly high in one area (say carbs) and particularly low in another area (maybe calcium).
Some people here might be exercising for weight loss - but my guess is that is not the main focus - I think overall fitness and health is for many of us. (altthough I’d be happy to entertain the loss of a few pounds!!)
Club C-Gym update. It took 4 strong guys (1 former NFL TE) to get that power rack out of old gym and into the shed. They said they almost shattered old gym’s glass. Eeks. I’m glad I wasn’t there. The sucker is 8’ tall and with a 4’x6’ base. There isn’t much left in old gym. It suffered water damage and even the walls and carpets are gone. Just a few misc items. H did bring home 2 collars (spring kind), a small (4"?) wood platform that he likes for deadlifts, and a large broken mirror piece. But! He’s been wheeling and dealing the last 24 hours and he’s also managed to acquire an olympic bar, 4x45# plates and 2x35# plates for… $15. It’s nice to know people and have friends. Well, H does. Me notsomuch…
I was achy & sore this morning. Surprising since yesterday was so easy. But, I hung in there for my run. A tad longer than usual too. Video of the day was cardio and core. The cardio was more agility type stuff. It was nice having the mirror. I didn’t look quite as dork & bad as I thought, but nobody will ever ask me to be in a video. The core was my rest.
@“Youdon’tsay”
Some of my strength training podcasts discuss sarcopenia with aging.
It creeps up on you, slowly losing muscle mass with each passing decade.
As the engine gets smaller, less calories are needed to maintain.
Before I started Barbell training, I was skinny fat. I would often push myself to eat less, so I could be smaller.
It was a significant paradigm shift for me when the Barbell training podcasts were saying I needed to eat more if I wanted to add muscle mass to my body.
You want me to eat how much protein per day?! Total shock.
I figured I’d give it a try, and try not to program-hop. I’m not saying this is the only way or the “right” way to do it.
In less than a year, I’ve added quite a bit of muscle. At first it seems like nothing is happening, then you realize your parts are starting to get dense. Body recomposition. Then, look! I could see I was slowly growing baby lats, and deltoids.
That takes a slight calorie surplus and lifting heavy.
I’m relieved to have found a way to avoid thinking about losing weight — a deep groove set in since I was HS! Yuck.
Now I focus on adding weight to the bar, which will put more muscle on me. Yes, I’m about a size larger than I was when I was skinny fat, but I look better. More importantly, I am strong! I walk thru life differently in attitude & function.
Now it’s more about continuing recomposition over time. I doubt I’m going to get any bigger than I am now. For a relatively new lifter, although I’m 56, I’m considered old. And I’m female.
I also focus on my protein goals. It does get a bit tiresome to hit 150 grams per day but I cannot argue with the results.
I followed the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression & have shifted into an early intermediate program now. It will be 12 months end of this month since I bought my squat rack.
Hope that helps!
Thanks, @Midwest67 ! So interesting.
I’ve been on this exercise program for a little more than two years. I’ve lost about 30 pounds. I am all about getting fitter and not just losing weight, but I am tracking on myfitnesspal and it seems like I should be losing weight, especially with the increased workouts during quarantine. I absolutely have more muscle mass. One cool thing about my program is regular DXA scans so I can see change, but I am an apple and this belly fat is not budging. I do see increased definition in my arms and upper abs. My clothes are definitely fitting better. There’s plenty of good news here, but I still have a lot of weight to lose – 40ish pounds – so there’s lots of room for improvement there, too.
I think you have done so great @Midwest67 . I like that phrase “program-hop”. I see a lot of that. Sort of flavor of the day. I recognize that variety can be good, but there is always that search for that magic bullet!
4.1 sunny, chilly outside miles. I thought I would do less this morning, but eked out the 4.1 towards my virtual journey across Tennessee.
@“Youdon’tsay”
I’ll confess I was not exactly pleased with the skin on my thighs spilling out from the knee sleeves. Where has my youthful body gone?!
Although there are very few IG posts now, bc the gyms are closed, Westminster Strength & Conditioning and Barbell Prescription both feature masters lifters.
It’s been an incredibly helpful reality check for me. Looking ahead at my 60s & 70s — no plastic surgery to tuck anything In — it’s good to see mere mortals lift impressive weights. AND their physique is not gonna turn any heads.
People in their last decades can be super strong and yet still have a belly, or look like an apple, or skin hangs off their frame, or whatever.
At some point, if we can focus on what our bodies can do, instead of how our bodies look, it can save a lot of mental suffering.
But I get it! It feels good to look good! I’ve been marinated in this female body image stuff for decades.
I only pop in every so often, but I thought I’d share also. I’ve been working out downstairs about 6 days a week. 45 -60 minutes, a variety of cardio (walking in treadmill and bike), weight lifting and using the band. As I’ve aged, I’ve noticed more fat accumulation around the sides of my tummy and it’s quite uncomfortable and it’s not even a lot.
So, I’m really watching my diet now as I’ve been snacking too much and it’s working, albeit slowly. I try to stay under 1500 calories a day. Cutting down on carbs and sugar.
I’m bummed as I look at my aging skin. The skin on my inner thighs just seems to hang now somewhat, like it needs a facelift. Not taut at all. It’s sort of happening all over, but I really notice it today as I put on my shorts, and no amount of exercise will get rid of that.
Oh, and I meant to comment on the protein! 150g? Yikes. The nutritionist with the program I’m doing wants me to have 80-100. Going up to that amount definitely made a difference in muscle.
I’ll check out that IG page. Thanks!
I was procrastinating this morning. Although I was up early, dressed and ready to go, running just didn’t sound like fun and so I was puttering around doing small chores. The longer this went on, the less fun running sounded and the more appealing staying in sounded. But my youngest son called me out on the procrastinating (he knows me!), gave me some encouragement and out the door I went. Decent run. 5 miles.
When I got home, I gave son a big hug and told him how much his encouragement meant to me, that I sometimes lack motivation and his talk helped give me the push I needed. He looked at me blankly for a minute, then laughed and admitted he just wanted me to got out of the house for a while so he could watch his TV show.
@Midwest67 How do you get all that protein in? What forms of protein do you consume?
I love the idea of a paradigm shift and focusing on what your body can do over how much it weighs.
@“Youdon’tsay” you have made a lot of progress - congrats!
I also wasn’t eager to get out this morning but out I went at 6:30 telling myself all I needed was a 2 mile run. I ended up with 3 - I’ll consider that a win.
Weather here is so weird this week. A roller coaster of 70 degrees, then wind, then some nights that may bring some snowflakes! I’m going to be doing some purchased plants cover up at nights - good thing I didn’t plant yet! One day I’m running in a tank top and shorts and the next I have a couple of layers!