Daily check-in: Something catchy that rhymes with January!
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MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »How did you get into HIIT, Krok? Did you just try it and really like it? I've tried it a handful of times and it's a great workout but I have a hard time motivating myself to give it 100%. I could probably do well in a group led session but on my own, I end up a beached walrus.
I'm going to praise EMOTM, too. Helped me break my OHP plateau and I think I'm going to start using it for other movements. And EHOTH make me think of "Local on the 8s" weather.
I don't really see it as HIIT, actually, which is probably half the battle. I like going into a circuit knowing I'm trying to beat a previous time, or weight, or go all out for a short period of time without giving in. I would never be able to get through a traditional HIIT workout on the treadmill or elliptical. Swinging kettlebells around tho? Count me in! =D0 -
Yesterday was my rest day from lifting, but no reset days from burpees! I have a new 100 burpee PR and I couldn't be more excited! I was so sore yesterday and I knew the only way I'd get through my burpees was just to suck it up, hit the deck, and bust them all out at once. I did all 100 in just under 16 mins! This is huge for me as when I started Burpees last year in May, my PR was just under and hour! Then I got to 22 mins and now here I am almost at the 15 min mark. Sub 10 min 100 burpees I'm coming for you baby!0
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MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »How did you get into HIIT, Krok? Did you just try it and really like it? I've tried it a handful of times and it's a great workout but I have a hard time motivating myself to give it 100%. I could probably do well in a group led session but on my own, I end up a beached walrus.
I'm going to praise EMOTM, too. Helped me break my OHP plateau and I think I'm going to start using it for other movements. And EHOTH make me think of "Local on the 8s" weather.
I don't really see it as HIIT, actually, which is probably half the battle. I like going into a circuit knowing I'm trying to beat a previous time, or weight, or go all out for a short period of time without giving in. I would never be able to get through a traditional HIIT workout on the treadmill or elliptical. Swinging kettlebells around tho? Count me in! =D
I guess I mislabeled it. I was thinking HIIT as speed treadmill workouts but also Doing a Lot of Intense Exercises for Strength and Endurance
But ah ha, "circuit". Competitions with yourself is a good motivator, thanks! 0 -
Darn, I posted this in the December thread earlier. Well, here it is again.
I'm still around doing my workouts. I had a week off and started using my power cage at home. Suddenly the lifts feel more difficult, like the weights are much heavier. After almost buckling under squats last week I've decided to start the program over to concentrate on form. I know that I have not been doing squats low enough. Did 120lb deadlifts 2 days ago, that felt good! I am trying to eat at a deficit so maybe that is why my lifts are weak.0 -
I am on an off day today, but my first roller derby practice was last night after recovering from a sprained ankle. 2 hours of pretty intense skating. I was exhausted, but muscles feel ok. I also had body composition testing done today through a clinic at work. BF% was higher than I was hoping for. I really wanted to see below 35%, but was at 36.3%. I am not entirely surprised, given my 3 month wine, fast food, and potato chip binge during my injury. But, now I have a measured starting point, and I am still hoping too get that BF down to approx 25% by the end of the year.0
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Whoops, wrong thread! xD0
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StrongLifts 5x5 / Workout A
I was a little worried about today's workout because I kind of slept in (or *really* slept in), did very little all day, then ate something kind of quickly (No, I will not tell you what and don't ask.... Fine. Yes, it was a Costco muffin. Gah!) and then had to get to the gym so I could be done before the after work crowd. So, I wasn't sure if I'd be weak as hell or what. But it turned out pretty well.
(*) I think I had a bit of an EPIPHANY with squat form today. I think my lower leg (tibia, fibia, etc.) might literally be too short for me to actually get parallel / below parallel. I need to do some more research to see if this is even a thing, but I was doing some bodyweight squats while looking in the mirror, and honest to god, my thigh crease area doesn't get below parallel to my knees until I am in the *kitten*-to-grass position. And then I got to thinking -- I have to stack *three* 25 lbs. plates under each foot when I bench because my legs are so short that when I lay back on the bench, I can't put my feet flat on the ground. Like, not even close! So, obviously, I have to do some interwebs searching to find out more about how other shorties have this problem and deal with this, but in the meantime, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.
Anywho, on to the actual workout --
Squats - 4x5, 1x3 @ 125 lbs.
- So, these were heavy...
- But actually felt kind of great. Until set four, when I felt an unusual shift in one of my upper quad muscles (rectus femoris, maybe? Or the very top part of the sartorius?). Not exactly a pop, but more of that feeling when you're getting a massage and the muscle tries to escape the therapist's thumbs. You know that feeling? So, tried set five and by the third rep, I knew I shouldn't push it so I stopped.
Bench Press - 5x5 @ 72.5 lbs.
- I'm working back up from my deload, after failing 82.5 lbs. a few sessions ago so these felt pretty easy.
- Until set five, when I got into my head and did weird, accidental pauses and had to reset after three reps. I did three more, which were still kind of ugly, so I'm calling this 4 reps and will repeat this weight next time.
Rows - 5x5 @ 72.5 lbs.
- I've discovered that the key to making rows feel "right" (or as right as they'll probably ever feel) is to put my big ol' butt right up in the air, like I just don't care! It feels weird, but I've realized I was basically in an almost squatting position when I was doing these, so I've straightened my legs a little, concentrated on getting my back parallel to the ground, and these have gone swimmingly the last two sessions. Weight, form, and control all felt good, so I'm pleased.
Accessories (alternating sets):
Bicep curls w/ dumbbells - 1x12 @ 12.5 lbs., 2x10 @ 12.5 lbs.
Seated dips - 3x10 @ 90 lbs.
- The app suggests doing BW dips, but I weigh way more than I can dip, so I've opted for using the seated dip machine. I plan on adding 5 lbs. each session, like all other exercises. Will probably keep doing these on the machine since I don't want to get a belt and a chain and hang extra plates around my waist, thankyouverymuch.
- I'll be doing these instead of skull crushers for a while since they're both tricep focused, and I can track the dips in the app. (Please don't hate me for giving Mehdi the Misogynist money. I love apps.)0 -
THIS is the thread i was looking for. do i even 2015? gah. anyway.
i went back on monday (hopeless, too crowded) and then again properly today, and idk why a only week off has done this but i just totally suck. i AM more flexible, and my scalene muscles seem to have calmed down a lot. plus, i'm here to attest that these days i have lats. so i'd just naturally assumed all that would translate to 'stronger'. mcnope. seems to translate to 'weaker' hopefully just until i get the new mechanics together a bit. so i'm doing pretty much the same thing you are.
the 'other' rec centre was - i swear to the groke - completely, totally empty when i went in. musta been around 7pm and i was the only person in the whole room. i'll deal with slightly-grungier-and-not-so-yuppie plus lame-squat-rack-with-manual-adjust-on-everything if i can get this. but i really needed to be on my own without witnesses for the way today went.
workout x.
squats: (eventually) 5x5@75. but do you know what it took me to get to where my form was even close to adequate for doing that? it took 4x5@45, 2x5@65 and a whole bunch of in-between bodyweight. plus stretching and practicing and i forget now what-all. it wasn't even a issue of weakness (although it was that). it was just general, universal, all-around suck. you'd think i'd never even heard of doing squats before, or looked up a single fact about them. warming up and getting even near my pre-xmas form took forever. and even then i feel like they were all quads. it's like my body's forgotten how there's such things as hamstrings.
bench: 3x5@45, 5x5@55. that wasn't as bad as i'd been prepared for it to be. my heaviest bench ever has been 70, i think, and it was all coming together nicely back then. i'm disorganized and confused about form again atm, mostly about where on my chest to bring the bar down to each time (too high flares my shoulders and me no likey). but i also think that i was just having a general bad day and that this will improve. plus, the trigger point release work and all on my shoulder has to have altered my mechanics a bit, so i wasn't too thrown off balance by 55.
ohp: fixed barbells only at this gym. the weaker-not-stronger thing is especially disappointing wrt this one. i did one set at 45 before even starting my squats, but when it came to the real thing i warmed up with 30lb and then did 40 as my working weight. hit and miss, but i don't htink i did anything really insanely awful form-wise. don't think i did anything very stellar either, mind you.
rows: eff the effing rows is still my heart chant. but whatever is wrong with me i didn't seem to be capable of getting anything else together back-wise, and i do think that back is on the edge of becoming my new weakest link. so i sucked it up, used the fixed 40lb barbell that doesn't go anywhere near the floor at full hang, and did 5xatleast5every set. again trying to focus on form and the whole shoulderblade squeeze at the top and all that.
i have realised one thing. the shoes i've been using are dangerous. they're airwalks, flat as boards which is great. but they have slippy soles, and that could very well be how i did whatever i've done to the very top end of some major quad muscle. i remember saying that my right foot had inexplicably turned itself outwards while i was down in the hole . . .
discouraging day. but i'm back and the thing is: i've been down here flailing and feeling all drab and discouraged before, and i have dug in and learned on the basis of it before, and made progress from there.0 -
mrmrsvoelkel wrote: »Yesterday was my rest day from lifting, but no reset days from burpees! I have a new 100 burpee PR and I couldn't be more excited!
wow, that's all. i refuse to acknowledge that such a thing as burpees exists.
but still, wow
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I also ignore the existence of burpees. lol Workout A is done. It was an interesting day as the receptionist at the gym remembered me from a couple months ago when I joined and mentioned it looked like I was doing well. She asked how my weight loss was going. It's interested when and where people notice. Later had asked a girl about bench and she was able to tell me which one wasn't being used. She caught me near the end of my set and offered to spot if I needed it and was really nice. Plus she was cute. I was almost done but she complimented my lift. I saw her later and she can do push ups and must be doing HIIT type work for treadmill cause she can run fast but did it in short bursts. Anyways, on to my actual lifting stuffs.
Squat - I played around a bit between high bar and low bar. Guess I've been doing mostly high bar as it has felt the most comfortable. I did my warm ups doing both, first a set with high bar, then a set with low bar. 65, 85, and 115 with 5 reps and 1 set of each. Then I did 5x5 with 130.
Bench - Warmup then 5x5 @ 80, which feels fine. I'm hoping 85 goes just as well next time.
Row - Okay, I did the actual row recommended with SL this time. The setup is still a struggle since I was only doing 80 lbs. I got it and I do like the motion a bit more when setting on the ground. I did 4x5 at the 80 then 1x5 at 95. I do like it more with the 25's as it is easier to get it up high enough with the 25's compared to the 10's. I'll try it again next time with the 25's and try and do all 5 sets.
3x8 dumbbell bench press with 25's
3x8 dumbbell row with 22.5's
Then did a little walking on the treadmill. Not bad for a day where I didn't have to go into work. And I managed enough protein today. Woot!
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Great job everyone! I ordered my new bench (to go with the squat rack) it should arrive some time next week!!
Today's Workout
Squat 5x6 @ 70 lbs
Going up in reps
Press--fail big time :-(
3x5 @ 50, 1x5 @ 45, 1x5 @ 40
Even the 40 lb lift felt heavy. I think it was because I did the chinup walk the plank first and my arms were tired from that.
Deadlift
1x5 @ 90 this felt so good I did 1x5 @ 95!!!
I will increase to 100 next lift!
Chinup walk the plank 5x8
Bicep curls 5x8 @ 30
Tricep kickbacks 5x8 @ 16
Tricep extensions 5x8 @ 15
Third world squats 5x8
Onward ho!!0 -
I'm planning on really starting the program monday, so today was another day to make my way in the free weights room.
As I will start Monday with Workout A, I did workout B today.
Squats: 1x5 @45, 1x5 @ 55, 1 x 5 @60, 5 x 5 @ 65
I used the chair to check my form and be sure I was going down enough. I must have made something wrong because my inner thigh muscle is really sore from the two last sets. I may start the program at 55 just to be sure I'm doing it right.
Overhead press 1 x 5 @ 25, 5 x 5 @ 30
My coach made me do the OHP from floor, and this didn't seem appropriate. Should I use the squat rack to start at shoulder height? How do you do yours?
Deadlift 1 x 5 @ 55, 1 x 5 @ 65
I try to mimic the set up I saw in the Mark Rippetoe video, but my bar was not high enough from floor, it was kind of iffy. I should probably try to elevate the bar from the floor with plates.
Now, I feel some pain in the right side of my lower back, I think it may be because I was unbalanced on one of my move (probably on the deadlift?). It's not a big pain, but I see that something wasn't properly done.
What have you done in your first weeks to avoid those kind of pains?0 -
Workout A today.
Squats 95 lbs 5x5
Bench 60 lbs 5x5
Rows 60 lbs 5x5
Accessories:
Lunges, Reverse lunges, RDL's (60 lbs, 3x10)
55 minutes on the elliptical.
The gym was surprisingly empty today. It is usually empty at 4:30 when I get there, but by the time I get done with SL, the cardio area is busy. I guess the crappy weather is keeping people home (which is fine with me! lol)0 -
DaivaSimone wrote: »I'm planning on really starting the program monday, so today was another day to make my way in the free weights room.
As I will start Monday with Workout A, I did workout B today.
Squats: 1x5 @45, 1x5 @ 55, 1 x 5 @60, 5 x 5 @ 65
I used the chair to check my form and be sure I was going down enough. I must have made something wrong because my inner thigh muscle is really sore from the two last sets. I may start the program at 55 just to be sure I'm doing it right.
Overhead press 1 x 5 @ 25, 5 x 5 @ 30
My coach made me do the OHP from floor, and this didn't seem appropriate. Should I use the squat rack to start at shoulder height? How do you do yours?
Deadlift 1 x 5 @ 55, 1 x 5 @ 65
I try to mimic the set up I saw in the Mark Rippetoe video, but my bar was not high enough from floor, it was kind of iffy. I should probably try to elevate the bar from the floor with plates.
Now, I feel some pain in the right side of my lower back, I think it may be because I was unbalanced on one of my move (probably on the deadlift?). It's not a big pain, but I see that something wasn't properly done.
What have you done in your first weeks to avoid those kind of pains?
Is the pain dull and aching and making the muscles feel stiff or is it sharp and pinching? What you're experiencing is probably just DOMS. Your inner thighs (adductor magnus muscles) are worked during squats and you're just feeling it now. The lower I go when I squat, the more I feel it in my inner thighs and upper quads. Same goes for deadlifts, they work your lower back so you'll feel them there. Doesn't necessarily mean you did something wrong, but again, it depends on the type of pain you're feeling.
Edited to add: Most of us do OHP with the bar racked at about shoulder height. Unless your trainer was showing you clean & press???0 -
Yes, it definitely looks like if I was doing clean and press instead of OHP. I should probably try the real OHP next time to see the difference.
And yes, the pain is more like stiffness than sharp pain. I tought that DOMS came later (usually the day after) and not right after the workout, but it may be DOMS in my back, sure. That's nice then. I love DOMS. :P0 -
If you're working muscles that aren't used to being worked, the soreness can kick in any time. So maybe not necessarily DOMS, but just plain ol' muscle soreness. (*)0
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I've done the OHP from the ground when I didn't feel like taking up a rack. I clean it to get it chest height then I do my OHP reps then set it back on the ground. I think it's fine to do this. If he had you set it back on the ground every time, then you were clean and pressing, not overhead pressing.0
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MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »I've done the OHP from the ground when I didn't feel like taking up a rack. I clean it to get it chest height then I do my OHP reps then set it back on the ground. I think it's fine to do this. If he had you set it back on the ground every time, then you were clean and pressing, not overhead pressing.
i've done this too when the rack was taken, but usually only in order to start on a set. between reps in the set i just keep it up [ssrnnnrrk] in the cleaned position.
i always think clean-and-press is one of the real badass moves. it does take a lot more out of me, so if you're doing it and using that weight as a brand-newbie then kudos to you. but i'd be happy if someone happened to teach me the way that it's done.
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canadianlbs wrote: »MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »I've done the OHP from the ground when I didn't feel like taking up a rack. I clean it to get it chest height then I do my OHP reps then set it back on the ground. I think it's fine to do this. If he had you set it back on the ground every time, then you were clean and pressing, not overhead pressing.
i've done this too when the rack was taken, but usually only in order to start on a set. between reps in the set i just keep it up [ssrnnnrrk] in the cleaned position.
i always think clean-and-press is one of the real badass moves. it does take a lot more out of me, so if you're doing it and using that weight as a brand-newbie then kudos to you. but i'd be happy if someone happened to teach me the way that it's done.
I used to clean before every set of OHP (well, hang power clean, to be technical) and actually felt weird when starting from the rack for the longest time. However, as I got into a more technical program where I would do heavy cleans and then OHP, and my clean muscles were tired, I learned to use the rack. You do get to set up a bit nicer starting from the rack, but there is nothing bad about "cleaning" the bar up. As long as you don't twist yourself all out of whack doing it.
Here's how I'd explain the "hang power clean":
Start with the bar just above the knees, hands about an inch wider than shoulders on each side, bend knees slightly and keep your back neutral, chest out, shoulders back and down. Then explode from the hips as you pull the bar up, dip down slightly to catch the bar on your fingers, then roll the bar to the palm and start the set 0
