[movement] ... well, that's a thing

[kaberett]

Specifically: since this time last year, my suit jacket (the expensively tailored one) has stopped fitting.

... my biceps.

I was scrabbling around through my paperwork from the introductory UCH gym sessions, for the purposes of my PIP reapplication (now all submitted; let's see how thoroughly to hell it goes; in the meantime I need to write them another letter about reviewing my previous claim, and I'm still waiting for them to get back to me at all about anything relating to ESA), and it turns out that for... pretty much everything... I started out at 3 reps of 7kg, plus 90 seconds on a stationary bike.

I started going to the gym again at the beginning of July. I am now, via slow and steady and tedious stepwise incremental increases, at 3 sets of 10 reps of 14kg on everything, plus two sets of 5 minutes on a stationary bike (at a higher resistance).

And my knee is fine with all of this. (It's sometimes twinging a little on the day, if I screw something up, but irritation isn't lasting longer than 12 hours, which is kind of amazing.)

I just... need to remember take a metaphorical step back for the perspective a little more often.

Comments

[mathemagicalschema]

NICE. That happened to me with a shirt that used to fit like a dream. Definitely not where I was expecting to run into trouble with clothes.

[cadenzamuse]

Huzzah! (Although sorry you're gonna have to go get a new tailored suit jacket.)

[alexseanchai]

:D

[niqaeli]

Well, as reasons for clothing not fitting anymore go, it's definitely not the worst! <3

[rydra_wong]

I HAVE JUST THE ICON FOR THIS.

Go you! That is annoying in terms of wardrobe, but excellent in terms of strength!

[brainwane]

Congrats and thank you for the reminder about perspective!

[oracne]

Hooray for progress!

[sfred]

Hurray for progress!

I had a related thing this weekend: went to buy a suit (from the 'meanswear' department) and the first ones I tried ... just... fitted, on my shoulders, instead of having miles of overhang.

[cesy]

I am so glad it's going well.

[redsixwing]

Well done you!

Biceps aren't an easy spot to let out, either. =/

[kaberett]

Ha. <3

[kaberett]

You're very welcome -- I think I'm trying to incorporate "... and take stock" to that tumblr post that keeps doing the rounds -- "if you're reading this, lower your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and remove your tongue from the roof of your mouth"...

[kaberett]

AWESOME.

[kaberett]

Mmm, my tailor did say that wrangling the trousers would be perfectly straightforward and doable should I require it, but he's enough of a professional that I should probably phone him up & at least ask about the suit jacket. If it's not adjustable, though, I probably want to leave it 'til I've stabilised at a bit more muscle...

(I'm aware that the construction on this jacket is a little unusual, because I specifically requested that it look decent while I was holding a French horn -- but I am nooooooooooooooot a tailor and I don't know exactly what was done differently and therefore how it might impact sleeves...)

[redsixwing]

A good tailor may be able to do it! I'm a home-sewing fan (sewer? nooo. sewist? ugh) and any time I have to adjust a sleeve head, I get worried, but I'm not a professional.

Your tailor is a boss if he can make a jacket lie well when you're playing horn. *grin* I played one for a while. That's a challenging position to hold if your jacket is pulling.

[vass]

That is cool! Well, except for ESA and the jacket.

[jesse_the_k]

French-horn compatible is A++. Is it also designed to flatter when seated, or do you stand to blow.
/ahem