Spring Into Summer Muscle Challenge!
krokador
Posts: 1,794 Member
Spring Into Summer Muscle - May 1st to June 21st
Thanks a bunch to crabada and MissHolidayGolightly for the suggestions which led to the challenge title. I mean, who doesn't want some more muscle for summer?
So after doing the 15 in 15 and realizing that attendance and commitment seems to falter right around the halfway point (at least mine did, and it got a lot more quiet on that thread around there, too), I decided to keep this one short. The original plan was to go for 8 weeks, then I looked at the dates and figured leading into summer itself was a pretty good idea for a deadline. Who wants to be bikini ready?! (Well, I don't. No way in hell that I'll ever wear a bikini, but, y'know. beach body and all that stuff).
This one's going to be a little different, as it will be a little more specific in terms of endgame and goal definition, AND it will be ranked. No prizes to win or anything, really. Just bragging rights (and I'm not even 100% sure on my scoring scale for everything yet, so who knows?). Figured a little friendly competition could do us ladies some good
Here's a quick breakdown (the full info can be found: Here - I kept this post shorter so it doesn't hit everyone like a brick wall):
I will put together a google survey for all of you to register and, since MFP forums don't allow modifications to the thread after an hour, I'm going to update the rules of the challenge and links in a separate google doc that you can all read and will be linked as well. And I promise I'll give it a table of contents and whatnot and WILL let you know in the thread when updates are done. :P
Again, you can find the document with all the rules here
So what say you, ladies? Ready for this challenge? Any questions? Suggestions?
Thanks a bunch to crabada and MissHolidayGolightly for the suggestions which led to the challenge title. I mean, who doesn't want some more muscle for summer?
So after doing the 15 in 15 and realizing that attendance and commitment seems to falter right around the halfway point (at least mine did, and it got a lot more quiet on that thread around there, too), I decided to keep this one short. The original plan was to go for 8 weeks, then I looked at the dates and figured leading into summer itself was a pretty good idea for a deadline. Who wants to be bikini ready?! (Well, I don't. No way in hell that I'll ever wear a bikini, but, y'know. beach body and all that stuff).
This one's going to be a little different, as it will be a little more specific in terms of endgame and goal definition, AND it will be ranked. No prizes to win or anything, really. Just bragging rights (and I'm not even 100% sure on my scoring scale for everything yet, so who knows?). Figured a little friendly competition could do us ladies some good
Here's a quick breakdown (the full info can be found: Here - I kept this post shorter so it doesn't hit everyone like a brick wall):
- Everyone will set 3 goals for themselves. A milestone, a daily habit and an intangible. (read the doc!)
- There will be a test/re-test workout for everyone to perform. Something simple enough that you can do it with minimal equipment (a DB or KB. I can write up a barbell version as well but to be comparable there would be cleans, not sure everyone is comfortable with those)
- Body composition is important, so if everyone's okay with that, I'd gather everyone's stats at the beginning and the end and give points according to LBM and inches lost for the most part (% based). If you're not comfortable with sharing those stats with everyone, I will leave the numbers out and just show your score. Before and after pictures are a plus but not mandatory.
- Weekly check-ins. Always important
- Weekly pop-finisher mini workouts to perform for bonus points!
I will put together a google survey for all of you to register and, since MFP forums don't allow modifications to the thread after an hour, I'm going to update the rules of the challenge and links in a separate google doc that you can all read and will be linked as well. And I promise I'll give it a table of contents and whatnot and WILL let you know in the thread when updates are done. :P
Again, you can find the document with all the rules here
So what say you, ladies? Ready for this challenge? Any questions? Suggestions?
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Oh my, this is gonna be hard but I'm in! I will have to start around May 3rd when I get back from vacation0
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Thanks so much for putting this together, it well be great inspiration!0
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Tough one, but I'm up for it! I'll try in modify my kg and cm into lbs and inches 0
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Great!! Never done a challenge on MFP before, so really excited. Hope I can keep up with you guys, considering this in my first week on SL5x5!
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Quick question: when will we do the baseline challenge? April 30 or May 1? (I'd personally prefer to do it April 30th because I'm going to be traveling on May 1, but I can make it work on May 1 if I need to.)
ETA: Sorry if this was in the full rules/outline. I didn't see it anywhere.0 -
Quick question: when will we do the baseline challenge? April 30 or May 1? (I'd personally prefer to do it April 30th because I'm going to be traveling on May 1, but I can make it work on May 1 if I need to.)
ETA: Sorry if this was in the full rules/outline. I didn't see it anywhere.
Oh, I forgot to specify that. You'll be able to do the baseline anytime between when I post the survey to enter the score and May 3rd (well, the 4th in the morning, really). I'm going to run it tomorrow morning first to make sure I'm not putting you guys through (too much) hell, so please hold off until then! For one, I think I'll put a time cap on the body weight section. Haha
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Sounds fun but I'm out this time around. I did too many challenges in April plus might move, so think I'll cut back a little pre-summer to just the 12 week from NROLFW group and any monthly goal posts. Maybe I'll join next time.
Have fun everyone and lift big. 0 -
Quick question: when will we do the baseline challenge? April 30 or May 1? (I'd personally prefer to do it April 30th because I'm going to be traveling on May 1, but I can make it work on May 1 if I need to.)
ETA: Sorry if this was in the full rules/outline. I didn't see it anywhere.
Oh, I forgot to specify that. You'll be able to do the baseline anytime between when I post the survey to enter the score and May 3rd (well, the 4th in the morning, really). I'm going to run it tomorrow morning first to make sure I'm not putting you guys through (too much) hell, so please hold off until then! For one, I think I'll put a time cap on the body weight section. Haha
Cool! Thanks for clearing that up That'll work perfectly then! 0 -
Krok, thanks so much for putting this together! You're awesome.
I will definitely participate in some way, but I feel like I need simplicity in my routine at the moment, so I will probably have to modify some of this. I'll probably just be kind of a hanger-on, if that's OK.
xoxo,
C.0 -
Krok, thanks so much for putting this together! You're awesome.
I will definitely participate in some way, but I feel like I need simplicity in my routine at the moment, so I will probably have to modify some of this. I'll probably just be kind of a hanger-on, if that's OK.
xoxo,
C.
I'm a wordy/rambly gal, so it probably looks more complicated than it really is. The gist of it is pretty straightforward. I'm sure you'll be able to follow:
The baseline workout is a twice off in 7 weeks. You only need to do measurements twice as well. The goals are easy to keep track of: Write them down on a sheet of paper and stick it to the fridge, then write numbers on goal #1 every day and an x for the habit. End of the challenge just count the Xs and add up the numbers. And read goal #3 every morning to keep yourself motivated. (Oh, I just revealed my evil plan. Whoops?)
The optional weekly workouts are just that: optional. Who knows, maybe they'll sound fun to you at some point haha. I'll make sure they're easy and require no special equipment. Promise!
So, yeah. I'm the one who's gonna have to deal with the complicated stuff, lol (and that's alright. It helps me stay focused) 0 -
Well I haven't actually read the rules yet, but yes definitely I will be participating 0
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Count me in!! I've just taken my first rest week in 5 months from lifting and am going to be back at it strong for the Summer!!
Thanks Krok :-)0 -
I'll have to sit this one out, but I look forward to all you awesome ladies continuing to be awesome.0
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I think I'll give this a whirl even though I have a wedding in the beginning, a graduation in the middle, and a trip to the bourbon trail at the end. C'est la vie!0
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Arf. So I was going to post the workout today (I even have video demos for the complex!) But in my head today,s list of chores was not 12 items long. Please bear with me until tomorrow night pl0x!
Unless you feel comfortable with what's currently listed in the doc (beeteedubs, I lowered the squats for the bodyweight grinder and tweaked the barbell version a bit, so make sure you check the latest revisions!) and simply cannot wait, then go ahead and complete it and I'll have the survey ready asap!
Also, feel free to post up your 3 big goals ahead of time if you know what you're going to be shooting for! Or take more time to think about it if you need to. You'll be able to change your mind up until next sunday either way!
So happy to see how many of you are willing to give it a go ^^0 -
I tried to post this am but MFP timed out and ate my post :-(
Anyway, the baseline test definitely looks challanging! I think I need to see your video running through it so I know what all of the moves are.
I have been thinking about my specific goals. I wanted to make them difficult, but not impossible to achieve.
1. Milestone Goal: Bike 500 miles
2. Habit-forming goal: Flexibility routine 20 minutes per day
3. Intangible Goal: Run 8 miles at average ~75-80% of max heart rate. I don't time my runs but go by heart rate. I would like to do this twice within the challenge. The first time will be early; the second near completion to see if my speed at the selected heart rate has improved.0 -
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ScientificExplorerGirl wrote: »
Excel purists?0 -
@ScientificExplorerGirl I'm assuming (and hoping) it was flagged by accident?
1. Milestone: I'd like to be able to do unassisted pull ups but I don't know if this is a good goal for this challenge. Should this be more of an endurance challenge like run a certain number of miles or do x amount of something? @krokador what do you think?
3. Habit: drink 8 cups of water daily. I know the 8 cups requirement is subjective but I've been seriously lacking in the water department and I need to make sure I'm drinking enough.
3. Intangible: progress on my big three lifts. Maybe hit some PRs
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MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »@ScientificExplorerGirl I'm assuming (and hoping) it was flagged by accident?
1. Milestone: I'd like to be able to do unassisted pull ups but I don't know if this is a good goal for this challenge. Should this be more of an endurance challenge like run a certain number of miles or do x amount of something? @krokador what do you think?
3. Habit: drink 8 cups of water daily. I know the 8 cups requirement is subjective but I've been seriously lacking in the water department and I need to make sure I'm drinking enough.
3. Intangible: progress on my big three lifts. Maybe hit some PRs
The milestone goal was more setting yourself a number of successful attempts on something you can pretty much already do, but want to get more of in the coming weeks (like do a thousand push-ups, travel 100 miles by foot, do 700 minutes of cardio, or 500 burpees, climb 150 floors, or even eat 200 portions of veggies, maybe? lol)
The unassisted pull-up is more of an intangible since you don't know that you can even perform it yet! It,s a good goal to have, tho!0 -
Ok I'll add it to my intangibles and rethink the milestone. I'm not sure what I want to do yet for that.
Ps would it be weird if I followed you on Instagram?0 -
Okay, I think I got it figured out! Here's the quick and dirty about the pre-test workout!
As will be the case throughout the challenge, more info can be found on the big doc!
When you're ready to enter your stats and have chosen your goals, please fill this lil' form out for me?
1A) 8 min AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) of Complex
- Sumo deadlift x5
- Sumo high pull x5
- Ground to overhead x5
- Goblet squat x5
You can use a DB, KB, or even the bar for this. Possible modifications are listed in the doc (I suggest you take a look as I also give my own tips on how to attack this workout!). Also, remember, a Complex must be done UNBROKEN!
Here's a link to me demoing each variation (at a relatively bad angle. Sorry!)
- DB Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_zL0oDVYow
- KB Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6topN_JMxEk
- Bar version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y33i3zmJW1w
2A) Bodyweight burner - For Time (Cap 18 minutes)
- 25 Pull-ups or 50 recline rows
- 50 push-ups
- 75 hollow rocks
- 125 bw squats
3A) 400m run for time (can use a treadmill, or sub in 600m row at TOP resistance)
4A) Hold a basic plank for as long as possible
You have until Monday morning to submit your goals and workout results. If, for any reason, you are unable to complete the workout before then but still want to do a pre/post test, do fill in your goal and write zeros on the workout part and let me know in the comments. We'll work something out. You will not get points for the initial ranking but you can still get the score for improving!
If anything is unclear, feel free to ask!0 -
MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »Ok I'll add it to my intangibles and rethink the milestone. I'm not sure what I want to do yet for that.
Ps would it be weird if I followed you on Instagram?
Feel free to! I mostly post pics of food, snow and cats, and videos of some lifts. I already have a few ladies here following me
I'm thinking I'm gonna make my milestone goal be something to do with chin-ups. Like do a boatload of negatives. Cuz when I was doing them regularly was when I came close to that unassisted chin-up 0 -
Sweet! I post those things too. Hope not snow for another few months though 0
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Our snow just melted so I hope we don't get anymore until the end of October!!! Imagine- six months of glorious outdoor running and biking :-) I am still working on my pullups but don't seem to be getting very far with them I guess I should really get those assistance bands--do they really help??0
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I don't use bands but I use the assist machine to counter some of my weight. It does help me get used to doing the movement. I try to remove some of the assist over time until I eventually can do pull ups without help.0
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holy crap this is complicated!
Krok can you recommend weights for us, if I tell you my weight and current lifting stats?? I've never done any of the moves in your AMRAP and I wouldn't even know what to use.0 -
holy crap this is complicated!
Krok can you recommend weights for us, if I tell you my weight and current lifting stats?? I've never done any of the moves in your AMRAP and I wouldn't even know what to use.
I'd say do a weight you can easily overhead press for 6-10 reps in a set (so if you're at, say, 45lbs on the 5x5, a single 20lbs DB/KB might be it). I can OHP 75 for sets of 5, and I used a 45lbs KB.
I tried to pick a complex that wasn't too, well, complex! You've done deadlifts before! This one just has a slightly wider stance to accommodate the smaller implement. A high pull is just a continuation of a deadlift up to your chest by pulling back your shoulder blades! (and you can always just do a bent over row if that's too complicated. However you lose out on the hip power component which I think is one thing SL really is lacking). Ground to overhead is an even further continuation of that. Again, if not too comfortable with it, clean the weight to shoulder height once and just do a push press. Goblet squat is a GREAT leg and core move to round it out. It's basically a full body circuit in 4 not-too-technical moves!
You can always try it out with a really light weight to get a feel. One round should not exhaust you. Technically you should be able to get anywhere between 5-8 rounds during the 8 minutes.
I have a 20lbs DB at home, so if you think it would help I can try to film a more in-depth demo with talking. I guess my walls of text are probably scary haha.ScientificExplorerGirl wrote: »Our snow just melted so I hope we don't get anymore until the end of October!!! Imagine- six months of glorious outdoor running and biking :-) I am still working on my pullups but don't seem to be getting very far with them I guess I should really get those assistance bands--do they really help??
Resistance bands are great because, unlike the machine where your knees are resting on the pad, you have to keep yourself braced to avoid flopping around and can't get as much of a bounce at the bottom. And they can also be used for mobility work and band pulls + shoulder dislocations, which are great ways to get the lats firing before a session and keep those shoulders mobile (while being easier than using a stiff bar because you can pull the band apart while overhead) . You can get a decent set of 3 bands for about 30$. They're enough for me to crank out sets of 10ish at nearly 200lbs!
Thsi is the exact set I own: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Mountain-Strength-Resistance-Combo/dp/B00EVXS8UG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430304781&sr=8-1&keywords=black+mountain+resistance+loops
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