First, I want to say, "Happy Fall, everyone!" If this rain ever stops, maybe we'll get a chance to enjoy it before the trees are completely bare.
When I started doing squats, I had to watch the arch of my back and the placement of my feet so that my knees didn't pass my toes and that my spine wouldn't hurt afterwards. That's when I started noticing different things in my back. The first thing I noticed was the crease running down my spine, which I called a back crack. I thought it was fatty tissue and wanted to get rid of it. I looked into what a muscular back looks like and saw the crease as being a normal part of being healthy. After that, I noticed two spots on my back. They're very faint and appear to be too high to be "back dimples." Instead, they look like cellulite to me. I thought, "Great, a back crack and cellulite."
Below are two pictures of my back. You can see the dimples in the second photo. I tried to keep these images as classy as one can take a picture just above their butt, so I apologize if you find them offensive. I'm not arching in either picture. This is just how my back looks.
I'm going to keep working my back, glutes, shoulders, and arms and we'll see what happens. I wish someone had told me about the back crease being a good thing and about back dimples. I read up on back dimples thinking they may increase my chances of certain back-related injuries or something. As it turns out, much like gluteus muscles, they're mostly genetic. I've never seen them before, not that I've ever looked for them. Mine are much higher than those that I've seen in magazines. Have I always had them?
My torso is so short that the least little turn gives me love handles. I also have these weird pug-like rolls going down the sides of my back (fat rolls or ribs, idk). My hips are so wide and even though my butt isn't stereotypical-white-girl flat it's not as round as I'd like it to be either. The squats are supposed to help with that, but there's only so much you can do before genetics stop you. My goal is to be happy with my body the way it is. After all, "Strong is the new skinny!" I'm enjoying the new shapes I find my body turning into. Every time I find out that something I wanted to get rid of is actually a positive sign, I feel that much better about finding it.
I'm currently working on adding upper body strength by doing push-ups, assisted climbing on my fitness bar, and adding hand weights to my squats. If you remember, when I started my cardio on the treadmill, I fiddled with weights before stuff got serious. Now I'm slamming out almost an hour at a time on the elliptical. I really want some weights that I can use by myself. I've been looking at a bow flex, but my clearance is only about 80". I really want a weight bench with assorted sizes of weights. Remember when I wanted the elliptical? Yes, I learn from my past experiences. I really want to improve my upper back and arms. In the back of my mind, I still want to run and work on my abdominals, but there are greater challenges than I'm ready to approach just yet.
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