Workout check-in - April-tle bit more awesome
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Had two good workouts so far this week. Finally was able to use the bar for the bench press, albeit not for the whole 5x5. Working up to it! Squatting comfortably at 85 after a slight deload for form--goal for this month is to hit 100.
Took my weekly progress measurements and lifting has been making me so bulky!!
Lost 5.5 inches since seriously committing to lifting in February. Would probably get even better results if I didn't like sushi so much....Downside is I'm up 3 pounds. Gotta remind myself that measurements and how I look naked are way more important than any scale number. 0 -
So with the holiday and such I figured I would sleep in by an hour, would mean enough time to workout but no time for quiet coffee afterwards. Ended up sleeping in for 2 hours oops. Still got my workout in, kind of weird to workout when I'm not still 2/3 asleep.
Day 5 squats
145 lbs x 5, 155 lbs x 5, 160 lbs x 5
Hanging cleans 45 lbs 3x8
Then amrap 4 minutes x 3
Sumo deadlifts high pull 45 lbs
Reverse Lunges
Pike ups
I went light on the cleans and I'm glad I did. Sdhp I haven't done before and also glad I just used the bar. My legs are exhausted.0 -
UBB2.0 Construct W2D4 -- we're halfway through the first phase!
1A) Power Clean x3 reps EMOTM x6 @ 70-75%: 90lbs
Went really well. I think I'm starting to get that bar path and second pull down. I was even overpowering my first reps because I'm not used to pulling as explosively. Got a few bruises on my collar bone now, oops?
2A) Push Press 4x5 -- 75x3, 85x1
2B) DB Bent Over Rows x10 -- 25, 30x2, 35
75 didn't move as fast as i wanted to so I hesitated bumping the weight up. Short-changed myself a bit on the rows, will correct next week
3A) Kardio King #2: For time [13:54]
300m row (subbing in for 200m runs) x5
BB Thrusters x 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 @65lbs
My rowing intervals weren't too bad, ~1:10 each. I was starting to dial in the technique towards the end where I wasn't just jerking my weight back to pull. Thrusters are always so awkward to me. Broke the first 2 sets in half, did the rest unbroken. But I either bump my one elbow on my knee on the way down or have to twist my wrists to stay in a rack position and then push the weight up. Will have to review my technique on them.
NMW Recline Rows (15) and Push-ups (20) were grindy again but I actually made it, then added 2 submax sets for good measure. I think I have that 16/21 locked in for Sunday.
And now I'm working from home and kinda want to do anything BUT work. I'm all caffeinated up though so might as well not try to nap?0 -
Was set to do cardio, but chose the wrong alarm on my phone. I woke up when it was time to leave for work. So that didn't work...and I was late to work, too. Oopsie! Maybe I'll walk around or something at the mall.0
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Cardio today: C25k Week 4 day 3 (of 5)
Not bad since I didn't do anything on my three day vacation except a little light walking. Still tough on that second 5 minute jog but afterwards it seemed easy. Was a bit chilly outside today at the park and rained at the very end of the walk.
Will lift weights tomorrow, after work.0 -
Workout B (Fri) Nice workout today
Squats 3 x 5 - 125
Squats 5 x 5 - 180
Deadlift 1 x 3 - 125
Deadlift 1 x 5 - 200
Bench press - 3 x 5 - 100
Bench press - 5 x 5 - 105
Reverse curls - 5 x 5 - 105
Flat Dumbbell Fly - 5 x 5 - 400 -
Sounds to me like you may have one side working harder than the other which caused the rest of your body to have to counter balance (the area you described has me thinking obliques, possibly.
kind of wondering if @threnjen watching her form in the mirror had something to do with it too. depends on where the mirror was placed, of course. but if it was off to one side that might have contributed too.
i'm thinking of trying out some of these things as well for accessories. maybe rippetoe-style skullcrushers instead of the cable extensions, but definitely curls. it's sort of funny how when i was brand brand new to lifting a year ago, i kept checking out my biceps because they were pretty much the only muscles that i knew about. now a year later, they're probably the one muscle that has changed least. not saying they're puny or anything, but i'd be surprised if i find out i can curl more than 15lbs with one hand at this point.0 -
Yeah the mirror was off to one side! I try not to stare at it though, and look straight ahead. It definitely felt like my obliques.
Today I did Ice Cream Fitness Workout B. I'm liking this program! It's basically just Stronglifts Plus. I like having people tell me exactly what to do for my extra work :P I also like that I can do this when I have extra time, or just do the basic SL lifts.
Weird night for me though - some things unexpectedly hard, and some unexpectedly easy.
Squats 5x5@95. I have done 95 twice before, before I had to do a deload to 90. I was really disappointed by how HARD this was. I was really struggling. I am going to have to do it again. I am so looking forward to the big 100 but I can be patient. My form tonight was so awful, I was barely coming out of the hole more than once. I was surprised and worried for the rest of my workout (unnecessarily, it turns out)
OHP/Good Mornings 5x6@45. I have done 50 successfully one time before, but the proscribed deload was 45 so I went with that. I was quite surprised to find this very easy. I have NEVER had an easy OHP day. It was so weird. Good mornings are not part of ICF, but I can't NOT do them when they pair so darn perfectly with OHP.
Deadlift 1x5@135. This was a deload weight that I have done many times already and no problems here.
Rows -10% 5x5@60. ICF has rows on both days, where Workout B has lighter rows. I actually really liked this because it lets me really think about my form when the weight is easy. I didn't do pendlay rows though. Honestly I probably will not do pendlays. They are too much of a hassle for me. Bent over rows with fixed bars are just easier to deal with.
Close grip bench press 3x8@45, with hip thrusts 3x8. Close grip bench is entirely new to me. I have NO clue if I was doing it properly, so I need to watch a video before I try it again. I stuck with the bar since this was a new move.
Barbell Curls 3x8@30. ICF does curls every time. This felt a smidge easier but just a smidge. Problem is the next up bar is 40 and no way am I hitting that. I guess it will just be 30 for a while.
I was supposed to do cable crunches at the end, but I counted the hip thrusts on the bench as my ab work and finished here.0 -
Same old story: lower body progress, none to speak of wrt the OHP.
All 5x5
Squat 125
Overhead press 45 (hard)
Deadlift 115
Then Zumba0 -
LaarainNYC wrote: »Same old story: lower body progress, none to speak of wrt the OHP.
All 5x5
Squat 125
Overhead press 45 (hard)
Deadlift 115
Then Zumba
I have the same issue, failed on the OHP at 36#. We have to remember that's why we're here, and think at where we started!!!
Your doing great with squats! I'm repeating 85# this week to work on form.
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LaarainNYC wrote: »Same old story: lower body progress, none to speak of wrt the OHP.
All 5x5
Squat 125
Overhead press 45 (hard)
Deadlift 115
Then Zumba
I have the same issue, failed on the OHP at 36#. We have to remember that's why we're here, and think at where we started!!!
Your doing great with squats! I'm repeating 85# this week to work on form.
Thanks! Yeah, the lower body stuff is much easier for me (and most women I suspect). I've deloaded on both the OHP and the BP in order to work on my form.
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PR day!
Squats 5x5 175lbs - I thought 185lbs was my PR back in October, but apparently it's now 175lbs as per Sl app and Fitocracy. Ehh, I'll get to 185lbs and show my bad memory.
Bench 5x5 95lbs - PR! I thought I was going to stall out here for a bit, but I did it! I was leaning a bit to the left at first, but last 3 sets were great.
Rows 5x5 80lbs - finally didn't suck.
My arms feel like jello wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!0 -
LaarainNYC wrote: »Yeah, the lower body stuff is much easier for me (and most women I suspect).
heh. i had a nice conversation in the gym today with a random woman who watched me deadlifting and said something nice. turned into a bit of a confab since she was confiding and gabby. 'i hate deadlifts' she sez. turns out the reason why is 'they scrape your shins and i'm too vain to want scars on my shins.' so she deadlifts with barbells instead. then i mentioned how interesting it is that every one has different tastes, like for instance i actually like deads but i'm not fond of squats - 'oh squats, i hate them' she says. 'i just basically never do them. haven't in forever. bench press i like. people say bench is hard, but idk i just always like doing that. i pretty much do it all day.' i was laughing through the rest of the workout. i actually found a real live person who skips leg day and loves doing bench . . . and she's a girl
anyway. workout b.
squats: i'll be honest here. squats just sucked. idk why precisely but it had to do with shoulder and other stuff and just never feeling like i really had the whole package together, not to mention feeling not-that-strong too. i did 2x5@45, 1x5@55, 2x5@65, 1x5@85, and then i backed up after just one set at that weight and did 5x5@75. or maybe 6. or could be 7. it was made of all the versions of suck to start with and then it just turned into a big stubborn grind so that i lost track of my sets.
ohp: i did 5x5 of this one at 45. eventually. ohp is like one of those relationships/friendships that aren't abusive and have a lot of good stuff, but they also make you feel sad and confused a whole lot. i want to love ohp. i do love it in fact. i just don't understand why it's always so mean to me. when i was done with the big bar i snuck off behind its back and cheated on it by doing two more sets of 10 with the 30lb bar. in fact, i possibly should give up on being 'heavy' with this lift for a while, stick to the 30lb bar and do sets/reps for volume instead. but i don't wanna. i have giant deltoids these days - why can't i get that bar up?
rows: 3x10@50lbs. that's in the ice-cream fitness spirit of 'deloaded' rows every other workout.
deadlifts: i did a lot of deadlifts and called them warmups. i was mad by that point. sets of 5 strung together at 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, and then finally around 4x1 at 120. took me that long to get feeling okay about form. the first four were hard but fine, but i tried for the last one and it just would not happen so i let it go.
bicep curls: can't remember who was talking about these upthread - but hey whoever you are . . . me neither. i tried with the 30lb bar and didn't even get a good start on one rep. got the curl bar instead and did 3x10, so that's 20 pounds.
i'm really seeing the 'need a rest week' lights flashing all over the place. but i hate passing up the wide-open scheduling that this long weekend gives, so i still want to do wone more on monday and THEN, maybe . . .
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canadianlbs wrote: »
bicep curls: can't remember who was talking about these upthread - but hey whoever you are . . . me neither. i tried with the 30lb bar and didn't even get a good start on one rep. got the curl bar instead and did 3x10, so that's 20 pounds.
I know right?! I can't believe how much harder these were than I was expecting... It was so weird.
My biceps are my most visibly impressive muscles, why can't I OHP 100lbs and curl 65, yeesh.
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Loving being back at lifting!! Taking it easy to protect my shoulder - even though I completely smashed them with a huge shoulders superset at the end - they feel fabulous now and I'm so so so thankful and stoked!!
Squat 5x5 @140lbs.
Ohp 5x5 @ 55lbs.
Deadlifts warmup 1x5@180lbs working weight 1x5 @200lbs. Yeah baby!!
Smash shoulders superset
5x5 of this circuit
Lat pull downs @90lbs
Single arm row @25lbs
Single arm thrust things @25lbs
Single arm dumbbell press @25lbs
Prone jackknife
Sooooooo good!!0 -
On curls - If it makes anyone feel better, I can't even figure out how to use the curl bar still. I tried once and it was just awkward. I don't know which part to hold and nothing felt right. I may not keep curl in my accessory lifts, haven't decided yet. Anyways, on to the lifting report.
Considering I had a rough shift at work that included a monster of a headache, the gym turned out not too bad. I'm officially on Stage 2 of NROLFW and they start to get shorter with just 8 workouts per stage. Workout A is pretty easy and I don't mind any of it but there are no crunches, so that helps. Not too much moving around either as the grouped lifts were easy enough to do near each other based on gym layout. We'll see how Workout B goes on Tuesday.
Stage 2 - A1
front squat/push press 2x10 @ 55 - My left shoulder wasn't a fan and the last reps were tough but made it through. The hold is a little awkward since I'm using overhead press stance and squatting but making it work.
step-up 210 @ 20 with short step - went back down to 20 since had a break from them after stage 1 and it was easier to pick a mid-way weight to use the dumbbells for both exercises.
db one point row 2x10 @ 20 - balance is fun on that one, left side struggled and I'm glad I was hiding in the stretch area though still think a guy wondered what I was doing.
static lunge 2x10 @ 30 - used 2 risers for the step and just did the small bar that weighs almost nothing and 30 lbs from the class area.
push-up 2x10 from the step with 2 risers, or well, 4x5 as I had to take breaks after each set of 5 for just a little bit but the step is lower than even my bench attempts in stage one, so getting closer to on the ground ones.
cable wood chop 2x10 @ 12.5 - still not sure on these 100 percent and did them first instead of plank but it's close to the stretch type area so they go okay together.
plank 1 @ 50 seconds and 2 sets of 30 seconds - forgot timer in locker so had to watch the time on my iPod during songs, so it's not exact.
Extra:
shrug 3x10 @ 25 - not bad
assisted chin-up 3x8 @ 13 - barely could make it through them but slight progress.
Now to make frosting for carrot cake and get some sleep. mmmm0 -
10 minute power warmup
squat: 2x5x45, 1x3x75, 5x5x125
ohp:5x5x75
dead: 1x5x150
Then, on a whim, tennis match with my man, 40ish minutes.0 -
Day 3 ohp
60 lbs x 3,70 lbs x 3, 75 lbs x 1 fail blah it just didn't want to go right and my back gave me some warning twinges. I wasn't willing to risk it. Did 65 lbs x 3 to see how it felt and those felt ok
Then 3x8 empty bar emotm
Amrap in 4 min x 3
3/6
Hanging cleans 65 lbs
Db rows 20lbs
Assisted pullups
Only got 2 rounds each time. Probably had time for the 9 on the first go around but that was because I didn't pace myself well and was just not doing anymore without some rest.
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Treadmilled it for about 30 minutes this morning...I had to talk myself into it. I am working on changing my mental state to the kind where I don't think or ponder it, I just get up and do it. It's slowly working!0
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Back at it today.
Squats: 5x5 @ 145 - these are starting to get tough.
Bench: 5x5 @ 80 - I chickened out at going up to 85 again.
Row: 5x5 @ 90 - easy again.
I also did seated upright rows: 5x5 @ 85 pounds. Again, easy.0
