Daily check-in: December why you started!
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canadianlbs wrote: »apparently though, that stuff in my neck that i always thought was some kind of cartilage/bone is my scalene muscles - the deep-level ones that run up from your collarbones and keep your head on. the guy started a project of working on them, and it's a good thing
Massage97 will probably have something to say about this, but my experience with having any of my neck muscles worked on almost always leads to a pretty big headache if I'm not careful about drinking loads of water and/or taking an Advil. So just be aware as you continue to have this area worked.
C.
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Back home to my usual gym and the dreary Pittsburgh weather.
Started with a mile run for warmup.
Squats: 2x5@45, 5@75, 5x5@105 -- these were hard and I felt my form kind of going so I'll probably repeat this again next time.
BP: 2x5&45, then it was supposed to be 75 lbs but on my first set I really struggled to get 4 reps so I broke out my brand new fractional plates and did 2x5@72.5 and 2x4@72.5.
Rows: 5x5@80
Accessories: Hip thrusters 12@bw, 3x12@30 lbs
Then I ran another 3 miles.0 -
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I was a runner first and started lifting weights only recently, so, yeah, the running is the easy part for me. LOL. A lot harder after the squats, though!0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »found this useful site with trigger point charts that display pain referral pathways based on mouseover actions. been using it to isolate which muscles to focus my lacrosse ball against and i thought you guys might find it useful as well.
http://triggerpointmaps.com/triggercharts/canadianlbs wrote: »apparently though, that stuff in my neck that i always thought was some kind of cartilage/bone is my scalene muscles - the deep-level ones that run up from your collarbones and keep your head on. the guy started a project of working on them, and it's a good thing
Massage97 will probably have something to say about this, but my experience with having any of my neck muscles worked on almost always leads to a pretty big headache if I'm not careful about drinking loads of water and/or taking an Advil. So just be aware as you continue to have this area worked.
C.
Scalenes are nasty muscles when they are aggravated. Takes awhile for them to release. And Courtney is right, LOTS of water. The planks could be aggravating it too, tight shoulder and tight neck go together all the time. Wish you guys were here so I could fix your problems! And for $10!!! They may not be experienced but you can't lose with that price.0 -
Scalenes are nasty muscles when they are aggravated. Takes awhile for them to release. And Courtney is right, LOTS of water. The planks could be aggravating it too, tight shoulder and tight neck go together all the time. Wish you guys were here so I could fix your problems! And for $10!!! They may not be experienced but you can't lose with that price.
thank you, that's nice of you - considering that i just heavily snubbed an entire company that was trying to enlist my professional input for free ;-) so far so lucky, and i haven't had headaches but i do have some hope. most of the referral reactions i've given myself so far by experimentation seem to go down my back, and actually to hit at least two of the areas in my left shoulder that i just know to be kind of dead spots strength and mobility-wise.
as far as the planks, yeah . . . i've moved this week to doing the same kind of thing but while standing upright. my left shoulder honestly doesn't like me putting too much weight on it, and now i'm thinking there might be a chance all of this is coming from an ancient whiplash issue i have with my neck.
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hgmfph. well, i lifted. and there's good news and what might be bad news, i guess. workout b:
squats: 4x5@95, and then another 2x5@100. i'm not calling it official until i've done the whole 5x5, but i was planning on 6 sets anyway, and just wanted to see if i could take another 5 pounds. and i could. also, a short while later i realised someone had left a big plate on each side of the bar and just wandered away, so i scooted in there underneath it and stood it up for a couple of seconds . . . just to see if i could. and i could. i'm a long way from squatting with it and i didn't try, but absolutely believe me: 2x45lb plates plus a 45lb bar is 135 pounds, which is my bodyweight plus a few pounds. and as of right now, my back and my core were strong enough for me to stand up with that.
ohp: 2x12@30, and then since the rack was free after all, i went in there and did 6x6@45. stretching and triggerpointing like a maniac in between sets, so i had mixed results. a few of the sets were extremely easy - and not just the first three or something. and a few of them were not easy at all. but i'll keep working on the Left Shoulder Project, and just call this a win.
there is definitely something on the outside lower edge of my left shoulderblade which is hampering me. it's either or both of: weak, and locked up. one of the scalene trigger points that i found actually releases exactly that spot, so i spent a hell of a lot of my time in the gym just standing around with my eyes closed and both my hands locked round my neck, leaning my thumbs on that point and then breathing my way into it. i think most people who glanced my way must have thought i was trying to throttle myself.
deadlifts: i probably shouldn't have done this today. really, with all the extra myofascial stuff i was trying to do and the various things that i've either stretched or released or made more tender than usual with self-massage, i might have done better to let all that settle for at least one more day before doing dl. but it's too late now, and i hope no-one will scold me for this. i did a collection of them at 100 again, and a few of them were so easy and clean that i went ahead and put the big 45s on the 30-pound bar and did five or six at 120 for my working set. but i'm pretty sure i wasn't pulling cleanly half of the time, and it's my own fault if i did give myself a new tweak . . . which i might have. i think i only did two reps after it happened and then i decided to quit before i put myself any further behind.0 -
@Canadian -- Fingers crossed you didn't tweak anything. And awesome job on the lifts! I can't wait until I can squat the BGPs.
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WAIT! I didn't mean to just gloss right overCANADIANLBS 100 LB. SQUATS!!!!!!
I don't know why, but I thought you'd done them before so I was all "ho hum... oooh, she picked up big girl plates!" SORRY
That's awesome awesome awesome! AWESOME!
xo,
C.0 -
Late night for me but got in workout A, making it to the end of week 3. After long shift, did some warm up treadmill and such, then some warm up sets for squat and bench.
Squat: 5x5 @ 90
Bench: 5x5 @ 75
Row: 5x5 @ 70
Funny thing was for the squats, once I made it up to the working set weights, I had to go hunt down some fractional plates. There were none in the area by the squat racks. Had to go all the way over to the benches to grab the tiny little plates just to use them. 90 felt awfully heavy but I thought 85 was really heavy too and still managed fine. We'll see how this next week goes though as I approach that 100 mark. Bench was hefty and I struggled at the very end but made it. With row, didn't do the touch down but I also tried something different. I used a bar from one of the benches and used this platform thing. Found it easier to pick the weight up from that spot, then get into position instead of trying to get the not far enough off the ground bar up in order to do it. Felt better though I'm still not certain with that lift. We'll see how next time goes. Maybe wednesday I'll try it before work instead of after since it's not my day off anymore. *grumbles*
Overall, not a bad night. I'm more comfortable now with most of the lifts so we'll see how week 4 goes.
@canadian - nice work. Sounds like a pretty good set despite pending issues. Going to be long time before I can handle the big plates, and even then it's not close to body weight for me. Good luck with the shoulder issue.0 -
Just checking into the new thread. Had a forced rest week due to illness. Back tonight after work0
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Workout B
Warm up 10 burpees
Squats 5@45, 5x5@110
OHP 5x5@50( yay!)
Deadlifts 3@185 (math error, didn't plan to lift this much), 3@130, 5@115
Sumo deadlift 5&95
Triceps 2x10@20
DB fly 10@15
DB lunges 2x10@40
Curls 2x10@30
53 second plank
10 push ups
Stretching
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DawnEmbers wrote: »90 felt awfully heavy but I thought 85 was really heavy too and still managed fine.
i love this. we're having the same kinds of experience with these almost-100 weights, it seems like. feels so heavy yet it can be done, so why not add another 5lb and see if that can be done too. i guess once you get up close to 100, 5 pounds really isn't so much of a jump.
your bench impresses the heck out of me. i'm still finding 65 quite a project on that one, so way to go!WAIT! I didn't mean to just gloss right over
heh. it's okay - i'm not counting it yet, so i just kind of slid it in there. but thanks. i've been thinking of trying a thing where i transition to the next weight up by doing this all the time instead of trying to do the whole 5x5 at that weight all at once. so i'd add my next 5 to the last set, and then to the last two sets, and then the last three . . . until i have all of them. just an idea, but i might try it out. more gradual progressions might be more comfortable for my body to keep up with during recovery days, especially now i'm back biking as well.
i like lifting on saturday. it means sunday can just be a sleep-and-eat day.
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Thanks. I'm the most comfortable with bench because I've done it in the past even if that was years ago. And when I started going to the gym at the end of October, the first trainer had me start with them. The bar felt so heavy too. It still does when I have to move it to do a different lift, or during OHP.
I wish sunday could be a sleep-and-eat day. Sounds nice. I get to go to work soon and put up sales tags, plus we are short staffed now. We had a new hire but she hasn't come in or even called the past few days. In fact, I was supposed to have wednesday off but I'm now working a close shift that day too. Fun times.0 -
I've decided my workout weeks need to start on Monday/Tuesday rather than Sunday. I know it basically makes no difference, but mentally I need the flexibility to go Saturday or Sunday, and if my week starts Sunday, then sometimes I feel like I don't actually get to the gym 3x if I don't get there again until the following Sunday. This probably makes no sense. Ignore me.
StrongLifts 5x5 / Workout A
- The whole workout took me about 80 minutes. Not sure why it took so long this time?
Squats - 5x5 @ 115 lbs.
- These were harder than I'd hoped, and my form felt off. I noticed my knees start to cave a bit in set two or three, so had to pay a lot of attention there. Also started feeling my left adductor again a bit, so not sure what to do.
- I video'd my last set to see the form and I while it wasn't bad, it's not nearly as clean as I'd like. I'm also not getting as low as I thought. (And oof! -- am I ever squishy.
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- May need to deload significantly, take this lift apart and put it back together. Sigh.
Bench Press - 3x5, 2x4 @ 82.5 lbs.
- Yup, failed this one again. One more time at this weight and then I'll have to deload.
- Played with grip a bit, and I think I'm starting wider than I should. Makes the lift noticeably harder. Will keep playing with that -- probably during warmup sets so I'm not thinking about that during my working sets.
Barbell Row -- 5x5 @ 82.5 lbs.
- Finished, but form didn't feel great. I need to review the videos on the 5x5 website and do some reading to see how these are supposed to feel.
Accessories (~ 35/40 minutes. Again, why so long?!)
Adductor machine
1x12 @ 70, 4x12 @ 80
Supersets - Dumbbell Bicep curls / Skullcrushers -- Repeated 3x
BC 1x5 @ 15 lbs.
BC 1x10 @ 12.5 lbs.
SC 1x10 @ 30 lb. (barbell)
Abductor machine
1x12 @ 90, 4x12 @ 80, 1x12 @ 85
Plank - 1 minute
Can't say it was a great workout, but I'm glad I went. Feeling satisfied.
xo,
C.
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Deadlift is starting to go up pretty nicely now! I can really feel it when I do this. In a good way though! I did a fitness blender workout yesterday so I wanted to get my lifting in before I got to sore from it. So here goes:
Squats 5 x 9 @ 40 lbs
OPress 5 x 6 @ 40 lbs
Deadlift 1 x 5 @ 70 lbs
@canadianlbs--great lifts!
@DawnEmbers--you are proceeding really well for 3 weeks in! I am about the same but my weights are nowhere near yours! For the rows, since I lift at home, I use milk crates to raise the bar off the ground...0 -
Hi Everyone, mixed report from me.
Squats 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, @ 105.5lb followed by 5 with 111lb (turns out I can do this, so will move up next time).
Bench was a disaster did 2 at 60lb-ish so decided to return to 51lb and still failed all over the place. Urgh. I hate Bench, and I was surrounded my massive men lifting huge numbers.
Rows 6,6,6,6,6 @ 61lb and these felt really easy today, so am upping them next time too.
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Went to the gym around 8pm on Saturday because I needed to move my body to prevent it from turning to sludge. It was nice and quiet in there.
Squat 105 5x5. Will move to 110 today.
OHP 45 5x5. It was kind of hard but I also threw in some extra reps so it was more like 5, 6, 5, 8, 6. I am undecided if I'll move up to 50 or stay at 45 again next time.
Deadlift 145. I felt fine doing them but it wiped me out after. I was snorting for like 8 minutes after.
I also did a few push ups, skull crushers, and straight leg deadlifts in there for funsies. Straight deads always seem like a good idea and are pretty easy while I do them but then I have to audibly stand up/sit down for three days and I can't straighten my legs.
Going to try to hit the gym at lunch today but that may not work out and I'll be stuck with the Monday post-work pre-Christmas rush. This is especially problematic as I have to bench today and that's a popular lift. I love that there are a lot of lifters where I live but I hate that there are a lot of lifters where I live.0 -
Good morning everyone, i did my workout yesterday but didn't get online to post it. I actually ended up switching gyms too because there were too many grunting meatheads at my old gym and there were only 2 2.5lb plates floating around which were incredible hard to hunt down.
Day 4 W/O B
Squats: 5x5 @ 85lbs, these actually felt good, i can feel the bar getting heavier and it's getting harder but still managed
OHP: FAILED...i tried to get on the Smith Machine, because i knew i was going to fail out but some couple had both of the Smith Machines tied up.... should've waited for them to finish.... did 3X5 @ 60lbs then on the last one managed to drop the bar on my face and decided that was the end of that
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 75lbs, these feel really good and starting to get heavy but not unmanageable0 -
Happy Monday lifting ladies! I lifted Saturday morning and didn't get on the site this weekend (forums don't show up in the app--which sucks!) and then lifted again this morning, so I have 2 workouts to share:
Saturday - Workout A
Squats 90 lbs, 5x5. These felt pretty tough so I planned to repeat this weight today.
Bench 60 lbs, 5x5. These were also tough but I am going to try to move up to 65 lbs next time.
Rows 60 lbs, 5x5. Meh. I don't really care for rows, but these felt OK, so will try 65 lbs next time.
Monday - Workout B
Squats 90 lbs, 5x5. Again felt tough but better than Saturday so I am going to try 95 lbs on Wednesday.
OHP 50 lbs, 5x5. I was supposed to repeat 55 lbs, but during warmup sets I had struggled to finish 5 reps at 50 lbs so I stayed there for my working sets. I will try to get back to 55 lbs on Friday though!
Deadlifts 105 lbs 1x5. This felt good, although I am starting to have worries about my grip strength when I get to even higher weights. I am planning to jump up to 115 next workout and see how my grip is.
Accessories (Monday):
Heel raises 4x20 in between my squat sets
Lunges, side lunges, and reverse lunges in between my OHP sets
Good mornings 50 lbs, 3x10 after OHP, before deads
Close grip bench with just the bar 3x5. I'm not sure I did these right so I want to check some form videos out before the next time I try these.
Triceps extension work with a 20 lb dumbbell 3x12
Lat raises 5 lb dumbbell in each hand, 3x10
Then I did 50 minutes on the elliptical after the power came back on (it kicked out for a few minutes at the gym right after I finished lifting). Lucky that didn't happen in the middle of squats! I wonder what happened to the people on the treadmills at that time?
Wow, sorry for the long post!0
