The Bro-ctober workout thread; SUPAHSET!
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Did rather more than the programme says today as I was working out with hubby who is a gym goer himself but has the added benefit of being a trained PT. My form was being corrected when needed so hopefully that will help me when I am working on my own. We only get to the gym together once a week so I don't need to worry about constantly veering off the 5x5 plan, but I do enjoy the additional work I can do....even if I do ache like no one's business the next day!!0
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Was in a rush to do my workout yesterday so slammed thru it, no time for accessories!
Squat 5x5x130lbs
Bench 5x5x95lbs
Row 5x5x115lbs0 -
Sometimes I read others' WOD, and feel like a total slacker. Then, I realize that I'm very happy to have found a couple of activities that I love enough to endure when I'm feeling like crud...like last week. I don't WANT to make excuses to miss them, and I know I would when I read how much others' are motivated to do. Kinda wish it was me, but happy to be doing SOMETHING. Anyway, kudos to you all who make me want to do more.
Today with DH. We had fun and I passed a formerly difficult weight. I also realized that poor form doesn't trump an easy feeling lift.
Squat 140 5x5. I admit that the first couple of times I lifted it off the rack I felt like it was trying to embed me into the floor. Didn't have a problem reaching parallel or finishing the sets, but man, it felt heavy.
Bench 100 5x5. My personal best group of sets on this lift, so far! We did this first, since the rack was taken by someone doing dead lifts with the bar. I admit, I said a mental "whuuuuut?" Stupid judgey attitude. I think doing bench first was a benefit. My dad was impressed...6'1" and always been as strong as a bear. I'm like my mom and very short! The trainer guy that we chat with at the Y thought it was my squat weight when he asked where we're at with SL. Silly man. Caught another woman watching me. Yeah girl! You can lift this, too! Or maybe she though I was a nut. Yeah, you can be a nut, too!
Rows 105 5x5. Time to admit that my form isn't on par at this weight and de-load. I lift it fine, with minimal rest, but I'm not feeling the engagement in my back during it, but do feel it afterwards. Mmm, still, I think a de-load will help lock it in for me. I actually did 110 for my first set, but knew that I wasn't hitting my back like I should.
Loved lifting today and still riding my high from getting Bench!0 -
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ar9179 - congratulations!0
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Front squats 85# 3x6
SL deadlifts 3x8, 1x6 "airplanes"
Walking lunges 3 sets gym length, 30# DBs
Chin ups 1x8, 3x6 (!!)
Plank+
Dead bugs with Pilates ball
50 minute walk with dog in forest. Now I'm going to do my LSD on the bike (HR zone 1-2 for 90 min). A few more weeks of developing my aerobic base and I'll start tempo runs and hill sprints (0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »fanncy0626 wrote: »ar9179 - congratulations!
So much thanks for your comments! I've been working toward this weight for a while and soooooo don't look like a strong gal. Too much pudge covering muscle, maybe, but I didn't think I would do it.
This is a testament to compound lifting, really. I've renewed my deficit and am still gaining strength...after a few de-loads over the year.
Keep going, de-load when necessary, keep lifting. Be strong.0 -
Bench 3x8 95lbs (warm up 45/65/80) - I was supposed to have a spot for these but he was running late and I was already warmed up so I did without. I managed to not fail any reps, so that was good and these felt easier than last week. Also last week I didn't have a spot. I'm going to need one badly for bench next week so hopefully it'll work.
Dumbbell Rows 3x10 25lbs
Dips0 -
@ar9179 - Nice work on the bench. Plus, having the look and the strength aren't always the same (aesthetics don't always mean super strong and vice versa). I remember when I got 100 finally, it was fun. I'm only at 105 now but still it's nice to hit despite the struggle of increasing.
@awkwardsoul - good luck with the spot. I'm thinking of testing bench at coworker's gym not cause she'll spot me but cause I will feel less awkward putting a bench in the squat rack so I can use the safeties. My gym is just too busy for that even at 11 pm.
So, day 1 of 4 in my max testing before vacation. Today I did overhead press and pendlay rows, along with other stuff.
incline bench press 3x8@ 65 and 1x8 @ 70 - used as a warm up then decided to try 70 since 65 felt easy. I failed on 70 a bit ago, but managed the one set so was pleased with that.
ohp warm ups 65x3, 75x2 then 80 and 85 for 1 rep, 2 attempts at 90 but couldn't do it.
lat pull down 3x8 @ 80 - heavy but fine.
db shoulder press 3x8 @ 25 cause why not
pendlay rows warm up 95x3 then 115x2 and 125 for 1. Tried 135 just to see and close but not quite there.
bar bicep curl 3x8 @ 40 - eh
tricep extension 3x8 @ 70 - tad heavy but didn't have the thing all the way to the top and kind of liked having it closer to my height in comparison to how it is usually set up.
Not sure what I'll do on Thursday. Maybe squat though depends on what time I go and such. Have to get all of this done by Sunday as I leave Monday morning.0 -
I'm loving seeing those weights being lifted and thinking "that will be me one day!". It is very apparent, though, that it takes time to get to the heavy weights, although progress is fairly quick early on.....it seems that along with technique,.I therefore also need to learn the art of patience!! That could be my *real* challenge!!!
This time next year!!!0 -
Yesterday:
Squat: 52.5kg - 5x5 (smashed it!)
OHP: 22.5kg - 5/5/4/5/5
Deadlift: 62.5kg - 1x5
Today:
Bikram Yoga... first time back in a hot class since I dicked my neck, so we'll see how it goes.0 -
Today's workout: I'm sitting here at my desk squeezing a finger strengthening ball! My hands are really small and they're letting me down on the deadlifts, so I want to work on them. And yep, that's likely to be it for the day, other than a walk! Looking forward to the gym tomorrow though.
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Yesterday I squat 115 3x5, benched 80 5x5!!!! And rowed 115 5x5.
And, there was no bench available to drag over to the pull-up bars, so I gave it a shot and tried to jump up - shocker to me, not only did I reach them and hang on, I pulled myself all the way up!! Not a strict pull-up from a dead hang because of a bit of momentum going up, but I was thrilled that I did it and didn't embarrass myself
i'm getting closer! 0 -
Superb effort on the pull ups....I am very much still on assisted pull ups and dips. I will get there, though and boy will I shout about it when I do. May even do a victory lap of the gym too....!!
Ariadnula, just a walk for me today too. I can feel the effects of yesterday's workout so gave spinning this morning a miss. Will spin tomorrow instead, then weights again on Friday 0 -
Strength and Power Day! (GBB 8, take 3)
First we work on cleans & jerks because nothing says power as much as oly lifts
Today I decided to go with a heavy complex of:
Power Clean, Hang Squat Clean, Push Jerk
EMOTM x6
105, 95x4, 100
I started too heavy (that hang clean was ugleh), so I regressed down and got through relatively well afterwards.
Then it's on to bodyweight explosiveness: EMOTM x8
Assisted pull-ups x3-5
(got 4 on the first 6 rounds, 5 on last 2)
Switch Push-ups x3-5
(4 on all but the last set, which was a 5)
Then 8 min AMRAP of the lower back killer:
- Sumo Double KB deadlift (25lbs each, so 50lbs total) x5
- 1 leg RDL @25lbs
Got 9 rounds and 5 DL, finished the 10th round for my ego xP
Last 8 min AMRAP, the final grind:
- DB Manmaker x5 (15lbs Dbs)
- Sit-outs x5/side
3 rounds + 5 manmakers (finished the sitouts after time as well. No quitting today!)
For those of you who would like to know: a manmaker is a burpee with DB in your hands, renegade rows on each side after the push-up, and a squat clean thruster instead of a jump. Lovely.
And sit-outs (or sit throughs, or bucket drop) are... hard to describe. You're twisting your hips around and shooting your leg out (touching the butt to the ground) from one side to the other while in the push-up position. Yes, it's okay if you had to read this twice
Oh, and while I brought the DBs back to the rack I did a set of 16 alternating curls and 16 overhead triceps extensions with them haha. I did have to skip my planned shoulder rehab-specific work because I spoke to my wife instead >_>
My chest is pretty sore from yesterday (not too sure why, the EZ bar OHP was the only thing i hadn't done the last 2 weeks lol) and so are my glutes. One day off then 2 more of these and I'm headed into a deload, which might take the shape of a bro-split. I did enjoy my stint with the machines while my shoulder was non-functional.0 -
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DawnEmbers wrote: »@ar9179 - Nice work on the bench. Plus, having the look and the strength aren't always the same (aesthetics don't always mean super strong and vice versa). I remember when I got 100 finally, it was fun. I'm only at 105 now but still it's nice to hit despite the struggle of increasing.
Yeah, I just wish I was more dedicated to keeping calories in check so that I could see my muscles! I don't want to look like an overweight lady, anymore, LOL!
I'll be watching your progress, and hopefully trailing along 0 -
Yeah, I just wish I was more dedicated to keeping calories in check so that I could see my muscles! I don't want to look like an overweight lady, anymore, LOL!
I'll be watching your progress, and hopefully trailing along
It can be a challenge. After a year of deficit, I'm struggling a little but going to have a break in a week and think that will really help. Plus, it's about time I actually started using a food scale. Have one but didn't use it much yet the battery doesn't work already so need a new battery once I'm back from vacation so I can be a bit more accurate.
Just give it time and plus have fun focusing on all the NSV material, like bench 100 and later, 115 And I look forward to seeing your awesome lifts (progress overall) too.
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squats 85lb. i tried 90 and did my first bail on the second rep of the first set. okay with me . . . i think i got one set or part of one set, after that. but i didn't like my form or stability so i backed up and i'm perfectly happy to repeat 85. i kept up the "one set front, one set back" format all the way up to 75lbs, during warmups, ie. at 45, 55, 65 and 75. so i was happy enough with 85 by the time i was done with all that.
ohp was hard work. i was repeating 55, and it was a bit chaotic. i got 1x4, 1x3, 1x4 . . . took a loooong break, did some lat pulldowns, went back, started all over again from set 1. got 4x5 and then 1x4 and i figured that would do it.
deadlifts 120. tried 130, didn't like it, backed off. 120 went great and then i decided i might as well do 5x5 glute bridges or hip thrusters or whatever they're called with the same weight, because i'm on a Bum Strength mission.
so by the time i got up from that and went back to the deadlifts again . . . not so great. when i added bridges at 70, that barely affected my glutes the next day, but i really expect that this time i'll be feeling it. i'll be walking funny tomorrow for sure.
did some negative pulls/chins, but not in an organized way. i'm trying to diversify away from the underhand grip so i was doing one that way and then one on the much-wider-apart 45-degree grips, which was seriously not-very-good.
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Didn't sleep at all last night so workout was difficult!
Squats- 1x5x85, 1x5x90, 1x5x95, 5x5x100
Sumo Squats- 5x5x85
BP- 2x5x65, 1x5x70, 5x5x75
BR - 5x5x80
I'm still on a deload from vacation and working my way back up.0 -
i take it back. what i did was hip thrusters. 5x5@120.
ima add these to my workouts in 5x5 format at whatever my deadlift weight is, as either a way to wake up my glutes before squats, or an accessory or whatever. i just want to see what happens.0 -
Today:
Squat 5x5 105lbs
OHP 5x5 55lbs
DL 3x2 125lbs
Everything felt okay, but heavy. I've gotten to the point where I need a 90 second rest this past week, before I was counting the seconds and totally ready to keep churning the reps out. I'm still not totally sure if I'm doing high or low bar squats0 -
Today before work: (managed to get in the rack for the first time!!)
Squat 5x5 32.5kg - found this quite easy, so looking forward to increasing again next time.
OHP 5x5 22.5kg - last set was difficult, and I really had to dig deep to lift the last rep. Definitely going to be my achilles heel, so to speak.
DL 2x5 45kg I know I should only have done one set, but felt comfortable therefore wanted to do another.
Then did some lat pull downs and seated rows (3 x 6 x 16.5kg), and split squats (3 x 8each side 20kg BB), some pressups and planks and I was done.
Walking up the stairs in my office when I arrived, however, was somewhat of a challenge. I may still be a beginner, but I can definitely feel that I am working and improving!
Oh, and I have been upping my calories a bit, and thinking more about what I am eating and when. I nipped on the scales at the gym (yes, I know I know) and have lost 0.8kg this week. I was over the moon, as I was quite expecting to have gained due to the change in regimes, so to see a loss is very smiley. Mind you. I still have 4kg of my honeymoon weight to lose that I gained in June....damn you Italian food, damn you!!0 -
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I'm still not totally sure if I'm doing high or low bar squats
With high bar squats, the bar sits on top of your traps alone. It's actually a bit uncomfortable if you have no traps to speak of... lol, and your form will be a lot more upright. Low bar will sit more towards the top of your shoulder blades, which will lead you to lean forward a good bit more.
Everyone has a bit of wiggle room as to which is which (I spent almost a full year doing a sort of in-between after I hurt my knee, because I wanted to do high bar but was afraid to rest the bar against that bump behind my neck. It took a while to fix that).
Honestly doesn't matter much as long as you don't allow the bar to pull you forward on the way back up (stay over the middle of your foot). Unless you're like me and the wider stance on low bar puts too much shear on your damaged meniscus.
Oh hey guys! I'm having a rest day today *beaming smile*
@canadianlbs I think you might be overdoing this warming up thing just a tad. I'm tired just reading about your volume. Perhaps if you can't seem to get yourself moving quite right without that many reps, you should consider a bodyweight warm-up routine that at least won't tax you as much? Just a thought?0 -
Today:
Squats: 2x5x45, 1x3x75, 5x5x110
Bench: 2x5x45, 5x5x70
Rows: 5x5x70
I've been skipping my "organized" cardio this week, but I've been staying in motion with household things (so I figure that's good enough). We got new bedroom furniture so the bedroom had to be torn apart and put back together - that takes enough effort that I count it as a workout. I didn't skip the lifting though because you can't really fudge SL - you just have to do it. So yay to that 0 -
@canadianlbs I think you might be overdoing this warming up thing just a tad. I'm tired just reading about your volume. i think it would look like a pretty ordinary warmup progression if i posted my rep-counts . . . and left out the front squats, i guess. but, meh. the front squats are accessories. so i'm just mixing them in with the regular stuff because i find them so helpful for getting me back on my heels and kicking my core into gear.
some days a lift goes all to hell and i just flail around looking for any weight i can actually do 5x5 at. and then i usually turn dumb and stubborn when i do find such a weight, and i do extra just to spank the lift for giving me so much grief. current case in point: the damn ohp.
but underneath all of that i'm just using the trainer's warmup template, which i like. i'm down with the volume because i'm still working to ingrain changes to my movement patterns. if everything's normal, it goes:
barx5
then 5, 3, 2 at jumps of ([work weight] - [bar])/3
i guess the nice thought is once i get the form all dialled in and locked and i can go to just a few warmup sets, i'll free up all kinds of energy to put into my working set. but i'm not in a hurry for that; i'm back in noob mode mentally and kind of enjoying all this.
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Good day, today! Not posting warm-up weights, but I do 'em.
10 min on the ergometer waiting for the squat rack.
Squat 140 lbs 5x5. Same as Tues, but I felt a little wobbly on it at first so stayed there instead of my scheduled 145.
OHP 65 lbs 5x5. Yay! No pain in my shoulder (don't know what I did to cause that last week) and really concentrated on full body effort and using those back muscles instead of concentrating on my arms...as in asking myself if I can lift the damn bar over my head?! They weren't all pretty, but they were better than the last time I was at that weight.
Dead lift 185 lbs 1x5. Easy, but I'm working my way back up to 205 - and my grip strength is improving. Switched to an overhand/underhand grip after 2 reps when I used to have to switch after warm-up.
I chatted with one of the newer trainers. He gave me some pointers that I'll try to use for squat (how I'm holding the bar). His comments about paying attention to my back muscles on OHP paid off, today. He asked about my goals and looked at me like I was crazy when I told him my calorie allotment for the day. Dude, I lift to maintain muscle until I reach my goal weight! Serious strength will come after that, when I can EAT. He referred to my weight loss goal as "leaning out". Made me laugh, nice way to phrase trying to lose fat
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So ...
Bench - 5x5 using 2 12kg dumbbells and an incline bench.
Squats - 5x5 at 61kg. My wee legs were trembling a bit...
Then bent over rows - 5x5 at 45kg - bit too easy
Oh, and I did two sets of four pull ups with no assistance and felt great - and impressed by the sight of my own biceps in the mirror :-) I couldn't do more than four, though!0 -
Rest day today. I went swimming for 45 minutes. Then sit in the hot tub almost as long! That felt so good! Kettle bell swings for 20 minutes still using a 10 pound one arm swing until I can get into a town that I can purchase one at. Is there anybody out there that has experience with swinging kettle bells? I'm just wondering what size I should go to next.0
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I've done a fair bit of kettlebell work in the past. I usually swing a 12kg but to be honest that's being a bit lazy and I should go for 16kg! As you're pretty strong then I'd say to look for at least the equivalent of that in lbs.
Having said that... maybe better to go up gradually - the kb swing is pretty different to any barbell work?0
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