Daily Check-in: Time March-es on
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ryblueeyes wrote: »Today is a non-lifting day for me, so just a 30 min Daily Burn video and 15 min of pilates.
I did workout A yesterday. (Yes, I'm new and I'm weak.)
Squats: 5x5 at 50
Bench: 5x5 at 40
Rows: 5x5 at 40
We see no weakness here.
You did it, therefore you are awesome. 0 -
DawnEmbers wrote: »ryblueeyes wrote: »Today is a non-lifting day for me, so just a 30 min Daily Burn video and 15 min of pilates.
I did workout A yesterday. (Yes, I'm new and I'm weak.)
Squats: 5x5 at 50
Bench: 5x5 at 40
Rows: 5x5 at 40
We see no weakness here. You did it, therefore you are awesome.
Well thank you! I suppose you're right, everyone has to start somewhere.0 -
@ryblueeyes - definitely not weak! Awesome yes, but not weak.
Workout A today. Got my butt kicked since this was the first A since vacation.
Squats 5x5 at 140#. These felt good, better than the 135 I've been doing. I feel like my form was more solid at this weight than the 135, which is weird to me. I'll probably hang out here to firm up my form before progressing.
Bench 5x5 at 105#. I dropped down to 105 because I knew 110 would kick my butt after vacation. I got 5x5, but barely. I'm beyond happy I dropped those 5 pounds for today.
Rows 5x5 at 70#. Felt good, form was solid.
Did some assisted pullups after and rode the bike for 7.2 miles. Still planning on doing some push-ups this evening, after dinner settles. I'm so stinking hungry at the moment.0 -
indianarose2 wrote: »RA - shoot ladies I thought exercise helps with RA?
well, you know what [engage cynical mode]. if you'd just had your legs removed by freddie kruger and his black 'n decker, there'd be someone urging you to go for a jog because they'd heard exercise makes you healthy.
don't get me wrong, i'm pretty active for someone who's such a workout cynic. but there's reality and then there's the hyperbole on the subject of exercise, and there are limits to what it can do. my extremely anecdotal opinion about exercise and r.a. is a flare always wins. nothing on earth can reliably stop one from showing up if it really wants to. and once one has you, you need to drop everything else and just concentrate on giving it whatever it wants until it goes away.
so yeah sure, exercise 'helps', i suppose. but it's a scissors-paper-rock kind of deal. rock beats scissors, and that's just the facts. personally, i find that it goes in flares and remissions, and my whole policy since forever has been smoke 'em if you've got 'em, and when you don't then just . . . don't. i don't think i'd lift in a serious flare. strength comes and goes and it can be got back, but deformity is irreversible afaik.0 -
Shoot! I guess I was just hoping it was "true". I love to workout but the practical side of me definitely sees it as insurance too. Truly sorry that you have to suffer with it.0
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indianarose2 wrote: »I love to workout but the practical side of me definitely sees it as insurance too.
yeah, i can see that. and everyone's mileage is different too with ra, so who knows. but the deal is that expecting weightlifting to cure a systemic condition like this is like expecting it to cure you of an allergy to penicillin. they're about the same thing.
stuffing my personal attitude out of the way for a moment: the people who've told you it's a good thing to work out are not wrong. you just need a grain of salt for the idea that it can actually suppress the disorder itself. it's good to be strong if you have r.a. because if your joints are compromised then the more connective tissue you have surrounding them to support them and keep them aligned, the better for them. it's like having a knee sleeve wrapped around your entire skeleton, except that it's under your skin. and the more you know about how to move your body with good form and well-aligned joints, the more i assume that would carry over as well. plus, anaemia. i assume it's useful to have more red blood cells.
there's a handful of reasons why i might not lift - definitely not heavy - if it flared up again. first off, it hurts. secondly, when everything hurts already, you can't tell if what you're doing is being done with good form or not. so there's no baseline for proper lifting as far as sensory feedback's concerned, and without a baseline i don't think it's safe. two other things are from the pure mechanics of how deformity happens: sinovial fluid turns corrosive when it's inflamed, and what that actually does is soften your cartilage. lifting heavy seems to me like it would just help to break it down even faster. and swollen joints put a strain on the ligament/tendon tissue that encapsulates them, and unlike muscle that kind of tissue doesn't spring back once it's been stretched. so those are two really strong reasons i know of not to overstress joints with active involvement during a flare. besides, i do nothing but sleep for three or four days when i'm flared. i'm not likely to squander the little i have at the gym.
tl;dr: r.a. is really interesting, in a way. but it's not 'normal' life.Truly sorry that you have to suffer with it.
meh; thanks, i guess. to be clear, if i were suffering i wouldn't be in here or lifting weights. i'm just realistic about when willpower and optimism are useful, and when they're stupid.0 -
Made it through another day. Work was a bit hectic, trying to get stuff done in 6 hours instead of 8 but managed everything okay. Then went to the gym which wasn't busy at after 10::30 pm. However, I needed to deadlift first and that area was taken by a couple who had to switch the weights every set. So, I had to do other things first. Oh well, not a bad last day of Stage 1 in NROLFW. Next will be stage 2 in April and until then I'm just going to try some of the lifts and get my bearing since it seems I'll be wandering around the gym to find things in this short stage.
AMRAP B
squat 5x5 @ 95 - since deadlift spot was taken I did squats to warmup
lat pulldown 1x30 @ 50 - once got above 20 it became more challenging
db shoulder press 1x25 @ 12.5 - light weight but the motion so many times made it tough
deadlift 1x15 @ 135 - No improvement but I should have gone lighter in the beginning for a rep increase in this one
For fun:
leg press 3x8 @ 90 with focus on heels
good morning 3x8 @ 45 - kinda liking these
front squat/push press 3x8 @ 45 - since I had the squat rack, I decided to give these a try. I can't do the elbow angle right so instead I held the bar how I do for overhead press. My hand/wrist ached some but not as much as when I try to hold the bar the way they want in order to do front squat. May not be the exact form but it should work since I physically cannot do the recommended method for the lift.
glute bridge 3x10 just bodyweight, want to try weighted hip thrusts some day
Not bad. Some increases and others not so much. Sleep time, yay!0 -
UBB 2.0 Construct W1D3 - Today is the first insight into what I call "shoulder day" on this program. The HSPU progressions followed by front squats KILL the wrists and the shoulders tend to take a hit too. Luckily today was test day so not a whole lot of volume and no need to get upside down just yet.
1A) Pike presses (decided to do these on ground) Max: 15, 3xsubmax 7, 8, 7
1B) Step box jumps x1 per side: 22', 24', 26' and 26', I failed to lockout on both reps of the last set even though I was on. Not sure what was going on there. Tried to do a single jump at 26 and 24 after that to regain confidence and just couldn't. It happens I guess.
2A) Front Squat 3RM: 95x5, 115x3, 125x3, 140x3, 150x2 -- I knew i had 145 from doing it 2ish weeks ago so I went for 150 and almost had it. I think I tried to stay upright too much and killed my upward momentum. It's okay, that was my previous 1RM, still a PR (and i haz proof!)
Grinder #1
30 American swings @ 20kg (45lbs)
30 OH lunge @ 30lbs
30 K2B
30 Goblet squats @ 45lbs
30 burpees
300 single unders -- got to 160 by 15 mins and decided to just keep going as I was close and finished in 16:37. Probably could've pushed a little more on the swings, squats, even K2B here to be honest. I tend to have lesser focus around midweek so that's something I will need to address. Good to have gotten it in anyway, I think I'll eat something before my next workout cuz I was STARVING at this point. (But that may be due to having oreos as my last piece of food last night, too. I liked the poptarts experiment, but don't think that'll be very sustainable in the long run, so I'll be making some oat & PB energy bars I think
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I was so close to skipping the gym this morning, but my willpower won in the end.
Workout B:
Squats, 5x5@110 lbs. I used one of the lifting belts to increase stability of my back and it helped a lot. These felt pretty good but I am still going to repeat the weight on Friday. I am liking my current system of only increasing every other session.
OHP, 2x5@55 lbs, 3x4@55 lbs. After rocking the 55 lbs last workout B, I had a tough time and couldn't even get 5x5 this time. Grrr. I did try a few reps at 60, but only got three (barely) so decided to repeat 55. Looks like I'll be repeating 55 lbs again next time!
Deadlift, 2x5@115 lbs. These felt good and I will plan to go up to 125 lbs next time.
I did some calf raises and good mornings for accessory work and finished up with 45 minutes on the treadmill.0 -
Cardio day - incline walking on the treadmill for 50 minutes. Good burn
- I am one of those freaks who love the treadmill. I love that it's in my basement, close to the shower in a climate controlled room. I can watch movies while I use it and control speed and incline. What's not to love? I mean I love being outside to run/walk, but I don't call it the "dread mill" at all. It's a wonderful tool 0 -
Deena_Bean wrote: »Cardio day - incline walking on the treadmill for 50 minutes. Good burn
- I am one of those freaks who love the treadmill. I love that it's in my basement, close to the shower in a climate controlled room. I can watch movies while I use it and control speed and incline. What's not to love? I mean I love being outside to run/walk, but I don't call it the "dread mill" at all. It's a wonderful tool
I hate the treadmill mostly because I have a really uneven cadence when I run/walk. I have to always pay attention and push a lil more with one leg and can't sprint to my max speed because I can't adjust speed in a fraction of a second. Incline tops up to a level most hills around my area will beat, too xD
Stomping on a machine where my surroundings don't change is one of the most boring things ever, too. If I'm gonna run or walk, I want it to be where I can breathe in some fresh air, sing along to my tunes if i feel like it, and watch the scenery pass me by. (I also love to run/walk in the rain, something that can't be accomplished inside! lol)
I can't focus on watching a tv show while I do it, anyway xP I do have a mini bike that I like to use when I play video games, tho. It's more mindless because I control the speed. Stupid thing is only 3 months old and already squeaks, tho
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So, I repeated my squat number (135) today. I figured I'd hang out here and do 135 until I'm only taking a 90-second rest instead of 3 minutes.
OHP: Repeated 60 even though I did 5x5 last time. Again, I will repeat until I don't have to rest 3 minutes between sets. These actually felt pretty good today. I'm hoping to move up soon on these.
DL: 165. My grip is starting to suck. I want to try mixed grip but I'm not sure how comfortable that's going to feel. I can definitely get more weight up but my hands are like hahahahahano.0 -
lovetowrite73 wrote: »but my hands are like hahahahahano.
some reason this cracked me up. i'm going hahahahaha along with your hands.
i discovered a pair of rain bootees i never even knew that i had, this morning. they were still tied together like they must have been in the store. i just wrassled them on over my runners, and i'm good for a nap now.
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indianarose2 wrote: »Thanks xcalygrl and missholiday for the excellent info! I will be sure to view lots of form vids. I am hoping to do this at home though I enjoy gyms. I think I have room in my workout area for a squat rack and my teenage son is interested in working out with me if I get a barbell and weights. Again, am hoping it will work. I homeschool my kids and my hubbie works a lot so working out at home works best for me. I will very soon like next week max out on DL with my Dumbbells.
Home gym is definitely good as long as you have the right equipment. As you said, you'll outgrow dumb bells for 5x5 pretty quickly and they don't stabilize the same way a barbell does.
A home gym with cage, barbell, plates, and an adjustable bench is something I want to start building soon in my garage. My commercial gym isn't very expensive and has lots of equipment but it's getting so crowded. The area in which I live is growing and lifting is pretty popular around here which is making it difficult to time my workouts around the crowds. Yesterday I got in just before the after work crowd so I was able to get the squat rack but had to wait for a bench and dodge people everywhere. Plus, if it's home, I'll have no excuse to skip a day and I can life whenever I want... soon I hope!0 -
Supposed to lift tonight but debating it. Shoulder still not quite right
I am due for a rest week, going on 9 weeks without a break but I've been smashing some PRs lately and not keen to break the streak!! Aargh!!0 -
Fivesies today! Yes, I'm making up words. I can if I want to. lol.
Squats: 7x5 @ 170lbs (felt great)
Bench: 7x5 @ 110lbs (also felt pretty good)
I've discovered that I'm usually good with a minute-and-a-half of rest between the first 3 to 4 sets, but after that I need 3+ minutes.
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Squat-2x5@45, 5@70, 5x5@115
Bench-2x5@45, 5x5@75
Rows-5x5@85
DL-5@85
Pull ups-2 unassisted
Curls2x10@25
Tricep kick back-2x10@100 -
@krokador I totally hear you on the speed adjustment not being instantaneous. I don't focus much on speed, though, steady is better for my bad knees. I can jog at a relatively slow pace for about 3 miles and then my left knee is a bear and I have to stop and walk it off. Doc's prescription: don't bother with running more than a 5 or 8K. Ever. Not worth regretting it later in life. So, I've adapted to that and just do different stuff. For me that means the speed adjustments are negligible. I do actually prefer outdoor running (and running some in the rain) when it's not awful out. Sadly I live in a wind tunnel, though, and it's complete misery out there quite often Maybe I love the treadmill because I'm a product of my environment LOL. The best run I ever went on was through a forest preserve near where I work. It's a 10 mile circular trail through woods, prairie, waterfall and there are some railroad tracks in there too. It's fabulous. I can't wait until the weather cheers up so it's not dangerous (mud and such is rough on the hilly areas). 0
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Cardio Day
C25K Week 3, Day 3 is done. Not bad though I'm not sure if I'll just do week 3 leading up to my taking 3 days off (31-2) or if I'll try week 4. First need a playlist.
I like treadmills for walking and the occasional attempt at jogging. I'm doing c25k outside since the run in June will be outside. I also prefer when switching up often between walk and jog to do it outside cause I can just change my speed at any moment, no need to figure out which to use on the treadmill. My jog is pretty slow on a treadmill, think the most I got it up to was a 5 speed and my walk is usually around 3.5.0
