Workout check-in - April-tle bit more awesome
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I was cranky today, and it showed in my workout.
The weight room was super busy, and I had to wait for 3 people to use the rack before I could get it. I am usually the only one who goes near the thing.
Assisted pull ups - 3x6 at 25 lbs. These were the only thing I liked about tonight :P
OHP - 5x5 at 55 lbs fixed bar. I did these first while waiting for the rack to free up, and had to use the fixed barbell. They were ugly. I was only going to do 52.5, but did 55 because of the fixed weights. I should have gone down to 50 instead of up to 55. My back arched and lock out was non-existent. I will be going back to 52.5 next time.
Squat - 4,4,4,4,5 at 140 lbs. First time at this weight. I honestly didn't even try for 5 for the first 4 sets. I probably could have done at least a couple at 5, but with a new high weight, I didn't want to push it, and I was cranky, so I didn't want to have to bail and kill my mood more. A couple reps had poor form (mostly due to cranky laziness). Will go all out next time.
DL - 2x1 at 170 lbs. Boo. I got 3 last time, but gave up after 2 tonight. I honestly thought for a second that I wouldn't even be able to get it off the floor. Even the warm ups at 135 felt off and my grip kept slipping. I don't know if it was just an off night, or the result of deadlifting right after a hard squat session with no break. I am leaning toward the latter. It was only 10 minutes until gym closing time at this point, so it was rush right from squats to DL.
I was thinking a lot tonight about lifting, and I thought I was getting pretty tired with lifting at my max pretty much all the time now. Struggling through 5x5 at your limit 3 times a week gets mentally exhausting. While I am loving the results, I may look at switching up my program soon. I am going to give it a few more weeks and re-evaluate in May. The problem is, I still have 15 lbs or so to lose, so I am going to be in a deficit until the end of the summer-ish. So I will probably struggle with strength no matter what program I do. And I really want to prioritize fat loss right now. I have been carrying around this muffin top for far too long, and I don't want to go through another summer avoiding summer activities just because I don't want to be seen in a bathing suit. Maybe I will stick with 5x5, but just not worry too much about increasing weights. Just do it when the current weight starts feeling too easy.
/rant. :P Just thinking out loud for the most part.0 -
@mirrim52 - Understandable. Maybe there is something similar but changes up the rep range or load range a bit that might work better. It is hard when every week it's working at or near the max that you can achieve. Or there is the 3x5 that some go to after a while on 5x5. You have options to look through at least.
Just 2 days left of Stage 2 in NROLFW for me. It is interesting doing some of the different lifts and I've learned some I may not have considered before, but I do miss regular squats and deadlifts a little. Still have several stages to go but they all are pretty short at least and for now I'm thinking I will skip Stage 6 as it's marked optional.
Stage 2, B3
wide grip deadlift from box 2x10 @ 105 - heavy but not bad
bulgarian split squat 2x10 with short story and 20 lb db
underhand lat pulldown 2x10@ 70 - step came in handy to change the bar for the pulldown
reverse lunge on box(step) 2x10 @ 15 - easy enough
db prone cuban snatch 2x10 @ 5 cause yeah, don't care for them
sb crunch 2x12 @ 10 just threw in two extra reps cause boring
reverse crunch 2x10 and hope I'm doing them right
glute bridge 2x10 @ 10 wish we had a 15 plate
prone cobra 1x60 and 1x90
For fun:
deadlift 1x5 @ 135 and 1x3 @ 185 which was really heavy
good morning 3x10 @ 50 the usual
I chickened out on doing hip thrusts cause people were in the classroom
Glad I don't work tomorrow but might regret the extra leg stuff when I try to jog for 20 minutes.0 -
So hungry all day today!! Aargh!!
Squat 5x5 at 140lbs
Bench 5x5 at 85lbs
Row 5x5 at 95lbs
Still hungry. Off to get some casein into me and head to bed before i raid my wee mans left over Easter chocolate lol0 -
@mirrim52 I experienced the same mental block a few months ago. It is difficult to motivate yourself to get to the gym when all you have to look forward to is struggling with every exercise. Maybe you're due for some rest or at least a de-load week. Another option, as @DawnEmbers said, is to change up the rep range. It helped me to do more sets of fewer reps when my squat got heavy (before I injured myself). Another option still is to throw in some accessory work that is easier and fun for you to do so that you feel like you can accomplish part of your workout without struggle.0
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@mirrim52 I get how you are feeling, you probably need a rest week and deload or a rest week and a program change. There are a lot of options for that, no need to feel run down all the time.
Squat day 1
130 lbs x 5 150 lbs x 3, 165 lbs x 1
Cleans 65 lbs 3x8
AMRAP 4 min x 3
SDHP 65 lbs
lunges
pike ups
3/3/30 -
Just a plain 'ole rest day today. Maybe I'll walk at lunch just because it's beautiful outside, but otherwise, my body is tired. I played a little soccer with the kids a couple nights ago and kicked the ball funny. The top of my foot and each joint up my right leg is sore from it. Ankle, knee hip...ugh. Hopefully it feels better after a day off of strenuous activity.
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Last Night's Workout
Workout: All 5x5
Squat 70# - moved up to 70# again and was able to get parallel, was tough so I'll stay at this week next time
Bench 60# - had a few shaky reps but overall felt great
Row 70# - moved up to 70# - felt a bit off, even after watching videos before my workout, I'll stay at this week next time
Sumo Squats - body weight 3x15
3 weeks until my Arizona trip for a girlfriends bachelorette party...gotta ramp up my intensity!0 -
I'm not actually doing 5x5 right now, as I'm training for a 10k and my knee is sad and makes crunchy noises when I do squats, BUT -
I wanted to tell people who actually know how hard it is that I pulled 205 x 2 for deadlifts yesterday and it felt pretty dang good That's almost 1.5x body weight for me! W00t! 0 -
Chaskavitch wrote: »I'm not actually doing 5x5 right now, as I'm training for a 10k and my knee is sad and makes crunchy noises when I do squats, BUT -
I wanted to tell people who actually know how hard it is that I pulled 205 x 2 for deadlifts yesterday and it felt pretty dang good That's almost 1.5x body weight for me! W00t!
That is awesome! It's great when you hit big numbers on lifts. I'm hoping to work up to 225 this summer. Have fun training for the 10k.0 -
Woah, take a day off and come back to 2 pages of workouts! You guys are killin' it!
I am here to report I have finally finished the Construct phase of Unbreakable Bada** 2.0
1A) Power Cleans
3x EMOTM 2x95lbs
1 min rest
5x EMOTM 1x107.5
2A) Push Jerk 90x5, 100x3, 110x2, 120x1 (new PR!)
2B) Pendlay Row 85x10, 95x8, 105x6, 107.5x5.5 (last rep took a 2nd attempt and was ugly as hell, so I'm counting it as a half rep)
Kardio King #4 - 3 Rounds for time [18:26]
- 600m row (2:20, 2:30, 2:40)
- burpee x10
- KB swing x30 (35#)
- 120 jump rope singles
by the third round I got into this weird trance where I was just pushing through and it almost felt like I was out of my own body. I rarely get to that point of pushing past my comfort zone. It left me flopping down on the ground on my back for 2 minutes (had to get up to stop my timecap beeper at 20 mins) after the last ugly but super speedy 15-20 jumps. I can go rrrrreally fast when I bend over a bit and just whip the rope around, but I only do that when I'm trying to get it over with. I prolly looked like a devil outta hell, huffing and puffin with the rope going super fast lol.
I then did the hip kneeling routine I really like with a band and a mat and some core work to try and recover for my no-matter-what sets. Recline rows I got, with 18 reps. I fell short on the push-ups with 19 out of 23 though. And it almost took a spatula to scrape me off the damn floor. Today wiped me out.
I gotta say though, my past 2 workouts I have had a rice krispies treat (the rainbow ones!) just before my workout. Pop-tarts had been a bust as they were still too heavy. But these are tasty and give me just that little nudge of energy to get through. I will make my own after this box, though I've been trying to get my butt outside for a walk after I napped coming home. My every move feel like I'm moving through water. Deload time it is. Can't wait to re-test my lifts in a week and see if I progressed at all. My weight has been fairly static throughout, so I might have built some muscle. I hope? Hehe.
Walksies! And yoga tomorrow! Maybe some running if the weather agrees with me. 0 -
awkwardsoul wrote: »Pretty ugly start on SL tonight. Weird moody week in general and I ate a meal entirely of chocolates today.
Squats 5/5/4/5/3 200lbs - First time lifting 200lbs but couldn't get all the reps. First set was ugly form. The fail on set 3 I bailed mid squat and dropped the bar behind me. I was hoping to bypass stripping the bar and asked for help and two of us couldn't get the coordination to get the bar off the rails. doh!
OHP 5x5 72.5lbs - Die OHP! If I failed this and had to deload I would be pissed because I know I can do it. Well I did
it, yay!
Deadlift 1x5 185lbs - PR! Finally getting used to switch grip, I think. The 165lb warm up is tiring.
Better to stop than torque your knee!
Yes. OHP can go die in a fire. Mine are tonight, but thankfully a small deload.
Awesome lift on the dead!0 -
Great job Krokador. I don't know anything about the program but I will assume you killed it.
As for me, it's a cardio day so... *copies and pastes from NROLFW group forum*
I did it!
Couch to 5k, Week 5 Day 3
Ended up jogging for 21 minutes instead of 20 as my playlist was just over 26 minutes and I since I'd made it that far, figured I could go to the end of the last song. Legs were tired and achy during, left quad ached in particular right after but the long cool down walk helped. Next week should be doable though since day 3 is run 22 minutes. Less than 2 months until my 5k.0 -
Last day of week 5 of SL. I managed the following:
Squats: 5x5x110lbs. This was pretty hard but I did it. May stick to this weight next week since I think (no, I know) I broke form.
Bench Press: Did all 5 sets, with the exception of set 2 and 5 where I only did 4 reps. I almost couldn't lift the last rep and was scared I would drop weights on my chest. I pushed hard and my legs were up in the air but I managed. LOL!!
Barbell row: 5x5x90lbs. Done.
Did not get enough protein but will wait until tonight.0 -
Squat 115 5x5. Was going to stay at 110 again but 115 was easier for some reason.
Bench 85 5x5 well I failed the last rep but couldn't go out like that so I got my S together and did another. Counting it.
Row 80 5x5 still a bit heavy for me to lock my body and use my upper. Will repeat.
Accessories:
Side bends 35 3x25 each
Cable curl 30 3x8
Assisted dips -40 1x5 -34 1x5 -28 1x5 (I was pumped about this)0 -
Stronglifts B
Squat goblet 30 lbs 5×5
Leg press 330 3x 5
Overhead press 45 3×5
Deadlift 135 lbs 1x5
Plank 40 seconds
Plus 45 minutes of Zumba0 -
tyou know how sometimes you have those workouts where something odd's going on? where it doesn't seem to matter if your doing your set with the bar, 75% of your working weight, your whole working weight, ww+10 . . . it just all seems to feel equally hard. mine was like that. workout a.
squats: 2x5@45, 1x5@55, 2x5@75, 5x5@85. 75 felt like so much work i didn't know i was going to go up, but then it was kind of a 'meh, might as well do 85 while you're at it, since you're going to be suffering anyway' thing. and i did kind of put my foot down at myself and tell myself that going backwards was not an option. they were haaaaaard work, but i know i was a little sloppy about placing my feet and maybe they wouldn't have been quite so hard if i'd gone a bit wider than 10 or 12 inches and turned my toes out. also, i jumped into the rack without my plank/stretching warmup and that probably did me no favours either. the last set was actually pretty stellar, if i do say so myself.
bench: yay. . . ? 2x5@45, 2x5@55, and then the same thing. an eh-*kitten*-it set of 5x5@65 after all. i started my lifting day with a workshop on benching, three or four miles away, so again by the time i got to the real workout 55 felt pretty hard. but once i went up to 65 and got my act together it was just as do-able, so i did it. points from today's benching that i'd like to recall for next time: it really started to come together when i put 80% of my attention into my back, and forgot all about my chest for a change.
rows: yeah. well, if you want to see me 'lift angry', just make me do rows. i'm not back to hating them quite as much as i used to a year ago, but i didn't find them much fun today. 2x5@50 warmup, 1x5@70 way too heavy, 6x6@60. so i backed down, but i threw in extra sets/reps, and i'm happy with that decision since 60 let me do them with form. and it's finally sunk in for me that there is absolutely no point in me 'learing form' by going too heavy and thinking my form will improve as my muscles strengthen . . . since if i'm not using good form, then i'm probably not using the muscles i need to strengthen. rows are a strange one too. they don't seem to have any sweet spot to them. they're either too hard or too easy, no real point in between. anyway, i do feel like i'm getting the hang of them now, for whatever that's worth. so what i'm motivated to do is keep doing them because i'm just plain curious to see what effect they will have on my strength. i don't think i ever have done real life kosher-form rows until now.0 -
oh yeah, and i forgot to mention. my routine on weekends is gym-bank-groceries-home, but this time i was so FREAKING hungry by the time i got done that i had to duck into mcdonalds' and inhale a kids' happy meal, just so as to be able to function during the groceries part. otherwise i would have been found wandering the aisles like the saddest most downhearted straggler from the zombie apocalypse you ever saw. you know, the poor little zombie with the weak leg, who can't get enough food into her to keep up with the gang.0
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Ugggg, Bench just wasn't happening tonight, first time I failed this bad.
Squats 5x5 200lbs - I did it, all reps! Though I wasn't 100% happy with my depth. I checked my previous videos and I was breaking parallel, these were just parallel. I'll probably do these again to hammer in that form.
Bench 3/3/2/1/3 105lbs - not sure how adding 5lbs just completely wasn't happening. First 2 was breathing issues, rest was just getting stuck not getting off my chest. 100lbs was not an issue last time.
Rows 5x5 90lbs - yes, finally! 25lbs plates here I come!0 -
Made it through the last of Day A in Stage 2. Not bad though since the stages are short there isn't a lot of increases weight wise. Still worked on some things. Tuesday will be the final day of the stage.
Stage 2 - A4
front squat/push press 2x10 @ 60 - tried increasing and it was tough at the end.
step-up 2x10 @ 25 with short step, 22.5 was in use so went up more than wanted
db 1 pt row 2x10 @ 25 almost made first set without falling, nope... 25 was too heavy by a smidgen
static lunge 2x10 @ 40 - tad wobbly but better.
push up on 2 rise step, 5,5,5,5 couldn't quite get 10 in one go but it's pretty low so closer to using the ground
plank 2x 45 seconds. can't quite get 60 when I'm timing it right now for some reason
cable wood chop 2x10 @ 15 - eh
shrug 3x10 @ 25 eh
chin up/slow decline on assisted machine 1x8 and 2x5 set on a 12 so improving slightly
Tomorrow is rest day.0 -
awkwardsoul wrote: »Ugggg, Bench just wasn't happening tonight, first time I failed this bad.
Squats 5x5 200lbs - I did it, all reps! Though I wasn't 100% happy with my depth. I checked my previous videos and I was breaking parallel, these were just parallel. I'll probably do these again to hammer in that form.
Bench 3/3/2/1/3 105lbs - not sure how adding 5lbs just completely wasn't happening. First 2 was breathing issues, rest was just getting stuck not getting off my chest. 100lbs was not an issue last time.
Rows 5x5 90lbs - yes, finally! 25lbs plates here I come!
It feels like your #'s have doubled in the 2 months I've been here! Amazing job!
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Checking in for the weekend.
Friday: wasn't feeling it, but I wasn't going to bail on lifting. I did workout A.
Squats 5x5 at 145. These felt good and solid. Moving up this coming week.
Bench 5x5 at 105. Again felt really good.
Rows 5x5 at 80. These felt heavy, but ok. I didn't bump up to 85 like I was supposed to because I feel like my form is just barely good at 80. I get my reps out with good form, but I couldn't go heavier and maintain proper form. I'm going to stick here for a bit before jumping up again.
Yesterday: notta.
Today: 3 mile ruck with the husband. I wasn't feeling it, so we cut it short. We were aiming for 5-7 miles originally. I'm planning on doing some body weight stuff (push-ups, burpees, pull-ups) and foam rolling later to make up for the shortened workout this morning.0 -
Busy weekend! But a better lifting session this time.
Assisted pull ups 3x4 at 25 lbs - these were really hard yesterday for some reason. I wonder if maybe the 5 lb plate was down the last couple times and I didn't notice, so I was really doing 30 lbs assist instead of 25. I will have to pay more attention.
Squat - 5x5 at 140 lbs. Did them, but form was meh.
Bench - 5x5 at 75 lbs. Ok, but still hard. I am staying here for a bit. I need to work on keeping my shoulder blades pulled together and keeping my feet planted.
Row - 4,5,5,5,5 at 90 lbs. Not bad. I was letting my back come up too much on the last two sets though. Need to work on that.
It was my husband's birthday party last night, so it was a really late night with junk food and alcohol, so I just quick added 2500 calories for the night. I actually didn't eat too much junk, so that is likely a high estimate.
And then today...6 hour derby bootcamp! I am ready to collapse.0 -
Yesterday was my long run (9k). I managed to find that zone where I am more meditating than running so it went by really quick.
Today was the start of deload week. Which my mind definitely needs, and my body could probably use as well
OHP
Bar 5/5/8
And 3x8 just the bar EMOTM
Circuit of Clean (empty bar), DB rows (15 lbs), assisted pull ups, plank, 12/9/6/3 with no time limit and a lot of rest.
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today's workout:
Squat: 5x5 @ 150.
OHP: 5/4/5/4/3 @ 65 - THIRD fail at 65. Back down to 55 on Friday.
DL: 5x5 @ 175. This was tough today as my grip was truly failing me.0 -
Last Night's Workout
Workout:
Squat 70# 5x5 - I definitely feel my glutes this morning....
OHP 40# 5x5 - had a few shaky reps but overall felt great
DL 70# 1x5 - felt like my form was better last night0 -
Friday night OHP, definitely can go die in a fire. did my warm ups and got to my working weight of 64 lbs. I could only get 2 up. Then I cried like a little baby. Went and put a note on my sheet. Came back and got 3 more up though I was trying for 5. Waited a bit and then tried again and couldn't get one up.
Then I did concentration curls in an upside down pyramid scheme for reps. Did 8s and then 10s. 10-8-5-3
Hammer curls at 8's same format.
Then did hip lifts. No weight x20
5 x 20
10 x 20
20 x 20
Then went skating for about 15 minutes with my dog. First time, didn't let her pull. Found out I need to build my ankle strength a lot more and get a back brake so I feel more confident. It was also my first time on skates in years.
Sunday was spent building a fence and sorting through reclaimed wood pulling nails. Did you know that using post hole diggers works your delts?
Soo sore. Not sure if I'm going to try pulling any weight tonight. Didn't sleep well either from being so sore last night. 0 -
As usual, I don't check in on weekends, so here's the quick and dirty
Friday remained a day of rest.
Saturday: I didn't hammer out any specific cardio, but I was walking a lot that day, went to the driving range for a little while and vacuumed 3 cars (which sounds silly but was killer! I was dirty and sweaty by the end of that).
Sunday: Lift day!
Warm up - walked 3.5 miles (breakfasted in the middle of the walk)
Squats: 2x5x45, 1x3x75, 5x5x125
OHP: 5x5x80 (I really have to push this up with a lot of might, I wonder - is it ok to slightly bend my knees and then push up?)
Dead: 1x5x160 (my grip is getting better with this, but DAMN am I sore!)
Today: 32 minutes on the treadmill, incline walking0 -
Squat repeat 115 5x5. I'm going to stay 3x at each weight now for squats so one more time at 115.
OHP 60 5,5,5,5,3 Doh! Couldn't get the last two reps up. Mehdi is telling me to de-load to 50 but I might de-load to 55 or not. We'll see how I feel on Friday.
Deadlift 145 1x5 + sumo stance 1x5 + 1 rep double overhand. I'm going up by 5 now so 150 next time.
Accessories:
Single leg stiff leg deadlift (1LSLDL) 45 3x8 each side. Not wobbling as much as before.
Assisted pull up -46 3x5. Almost barfed after this
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Hit hot yoga this morning, then went to the gym for workout B.
Squats 5x5 at 150. These felt kind of heavy, but I'm chalking it up to lifting post-yoga. I plan on sticking here this week regardless.
OHP 5x6 at 75. I added an extra rep to all the sets to help me strength wise. I think it'll help me get to the next weight without failing (hopefully). I plan on doing 7x5, 8x5, 9x5, 10x5, then back to 5x5 at the next higher weight.
Deads 1x5 at 195. These felt heavy but I was able to get them.
Accessories: narrow squats 3x10 at 95# and body weight lunges 3x20.0 -
Deena_Bean wrote: »OHP: 5x5x80 (I really have to push this up with a lot of might, I wonder - is it ok to slightly bend my knees and then push up?)
That would make it a push press, which is a different lift. It won't hurt you or anything, and you will be able to lift more than doing a strict OHP, but it isn't quite the same.0
