M(ar)uch Lifting is good for you!
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SL day off! Ran a quick 3mi.2
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its happened the last few sessions since moving up from 100 lbs, the first 3 sets go ok then my legs get tired and I'm leaning forward too much and my back starts doing the work. My overall goal is to get stronger and lose some body fat and then try to build more muscle.
if you're getting through those first sets okay - not having to grind them to get them done, then taking a longer rest after the third one might make a difference. i tend to blow off the rest-between part, but when the weight gets heavy enough to deplete all your immediate resources, it can make a real difference.
so i'd try that and see if an extra minute or 30 seconds is enough to make you feel fresh again for the fourth and fifth sets. there's some rule of thumb somewhere about how long is a sign that you're probably ready to go 3x5 or make some other change, but i forget what the number is.3 -
Squat day with a little upper body accessories, gym was packed so had to switch around a little.
squats - 2x10 @ 45, 1x10 @ 95, 1x10 @ 135 and belt 2x5 @ 165
overload - 235 at count of 20
single leg curl - 2x10 @ 40
tricep overhead extension - 2x12 @ 30
tricep pushdown with rope - 3x12 @ 50
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'nother massage/joint mobilization session to follow up on my wonky s.i. confirmed what i thought: it's better but it's not quite there yet. never thought the day would come where i'd let some random guy mess around with my sacrotuberous ligaments, but you live and learn.
we're both excited about the improvement and i'm personally excited about going to the gym tomorrow and retesting my new improved bum.2 -
canadianlbs wrote: »its happened the last few sessions since moving up from 100 lbs, the first 3 sets go ok then my legs get tired and I'm leaning forward too much and my back starts doing the work. My overall goal is to get stronger and lose some body fat and then try to build more muscle.
if you're getting through those first sets okay - not having to grind them to get them done, then taking a longer rest after the third one might make a difference. i tend to blow off the rest-between part, but when the weight gets heavy enough to deplete all your immediate resources, it can make a real difference.
so i'd try that and see if an extra minute or 30 seconds is enough to make you feel fresh again for the fourth and fifth sets. there's some rule of thumb somewhere about how long is a sign that you're probably ready to go 3x5 or make some other change, but i forget what the number is.
Thanks,I'll try the extra rest in between sets.im only 5 lbs off squatting my bodyweight.im starting to not look forward to doing them and am getting bored tbh.i put my numbers into madcow and liked the look of the different rep and weights days. I've been doing stronglifts since last July and am increasing weight so slowly now . especially with ohp and bench. What made you switch to wendler?2 -
Stronglift Workout A
Squats-1X5X 55/65/75/85, 5X5X 90
BP-1X5X 45/55/65, 5X5X 75
BR-1X5X 75
Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squats-3X5X 3
Russian kettle bell swing-10X7X 35
40lbs loss by May 27 Challenge
Nicer weather today! I am going to take 2-2 mile walk today. Just getting ready to go on the first of my 2 mile walks today.
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So, the free body fat test was a skin caliper test method. Any insight about that? I came out to 21.9% which seems about right based on example photos I have examined in the past. I will go back in a few weeks to test again.
While at the fitness center I did 3x6 dumbell bench press @ 40 and 2x5 fixed barbell OHP @ 30 then 1x5 @ 40. After over two weeks off, this is about a 20% deload in weight and it felt heavy.3 -
@jen_092 I hear the calipers are a decently accurate approximation. Not as definitive as the body pod or DEXA (gold standard) but much better than inches and those fat percentage scales for sure.
Strong Lifts day!!
It was a day of failed reps for sure.
55455 Squats 115 (WU: 1x5 bodyweight, 45, 65, 95). I was shocked to miss a rep. I had adjusted the power rack for my height and I was SUPER glad I did. Waited 5min and tried to finish strong for the last few sets. Definitely going to consistently start using the power rack from now on.
54455 OH 50. Consider this progress. Hopefully soon I can nail all the 50lb presses.
Was supposed to DL 155. Warmed up with 1x5 85, 105, 135. Only got 1 rep of the 155. Deloaded to 145 and still couldn't do it. Decided to call it a deload day for the DL with my 135 set. Will now be adding only 5lb increases for the DL now.
I think I'm going to also start increasing the weights every other day or every week rather than every workout now.3 -
Today's workout
Squats 1x5@45,85,3@106 then 3x5@118lbs
Ohp 1x5@15,40 then 5x5@50lbs
Deadlift 1x5@85,105,128 then 1x5@150lbs.
Bulgarian split squats 30 each leg.
Decided to drop to 3x5 on squats,it feels like a low number to drop on tbh but I'm struggling with the last 2 sets.wasnt sure whether to deload or drop sets.3 -
Finished the accessories from yesterday even though had a headache, worked all morning and hadn't eaten much. It went okay at least.
single leg press 3x12 @ 20
hack squat calf raise 2x20 @ 90
wide grip bench 2x10 @ 45 paused 1x10 @ 50 and regular 1x10 @ 50 (think I like pause better on wgb than cgb)
preacher curl 2x10 @ 10
leg extension 2x10 @ 60
cable kickback 3x12 @ 22.5
walk treadmill 4 incline 3 speed for about 25 minutes then bit of a cool down
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Got a DEXA scan today. The last one I had was April 2016. I had gotten fatter (and knew it) but wanted to know if I had at least gained some muscle.
Since April 2016:
Body fat went from 30.4% to 33.5%
Legs: gained 3.4 lb fat but also gained 3.8 lb LBM
Arms: gained 1 lb fat but also gained 1.4 lb LBM
Trunk: gained 3 lbs fat and lost 2.3 lb LBM (the trunk LBM keeps jumping up and down by 2 lb each time I get a scan, this is my fourth - I'd had a couple of scans in 2015)
Gynoid (hips): gained 1.4 lb fat and 1.2 lb LBM
Android (spare tire area): gained 0.8 lb fat and 0.4 lb LBM
I don't know if all of that LBM is really muscle or if fat carries some water with it, or if I was just better hydrated.
My trunk loss might be from my upper back from those months with my shoulder was at its worst.
I wish I'd gotten at least one DEXA between April of last year and now, because my most consistent lifting was since October 2016.
I'm going to lose slowly (around 0.5 lb per week or less) and keep on lifting, with plenty of protein (I range from 90-150 g/day - hey, I love MEEEEEEAT! and fishies and cheese).
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What made you switch to wendler?
rage?
i was doing 3x5 for a while but then even that turned into a grind. my trainer moved me on actually, after i did one set of stupid-heavy bench press one day and said 'i am not doing the other two sets'. no reason why i couldn't have, physically. i just didn't bleeping want to. because what was the point? it would be some kind of bitter struggle, i'd do it, and all the reward i was going to get was going to be another five fecking pounds and the same fecking struggle the next time bench day came.
you can see i can still call back the mood i was in
it just got to feeling like the way ry cooder described his 'career' at one point in his life: "more records, and more records. it was just this tremendous burden of nothing at all. "
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bike left at repair shop for the semi-major servicing i should have had done quite a long time ago. new cables, brakes, tubes, bottom bracket cleanup coming up, along with a new cassette and new chain. expensive but satisfying. i feel like i've paid my dues with the tough-it-out stuff.
did my workout in one of the less-familiar gyms. and wow, i was clunky and disoriented. brought the wrong shoes and realised i still had to do my 3's week real sets for deadlift and ohp, so i did them in my street boots. i'm blaming the footwear for this one.
deadlifts 125/145/165. four for the top set, and like i said. ima blame the boots and say i was pulling from a half-inch or so deficit. naturally, if i'd had my real shoes i would have got zillions for that last set 165 is still haaaahd. **
press idk . . . 55 60 65? except i never did the 65 set. there were no racks going and once i'd cleaned 65 i wasn't foolish enough to try pressing it too. i did a static hold, hung around for a while hoping to get a second try from a rack, and gave up.
actually, i'm clawing for any little ego-shreds here. i was using the women's bar and i want to suddenly conveniently 'remember' that it weighs 33lbs instead of 30. that way i get an extra three pounds and i can feel just a tiny bit more up myself.2 -
canadianlbs wrote: »What made you switch to wendler?
rage? i was doing 3x5 for a while but then even that turned into a grind. my trainer moved me on actually, after i did one set of stupid-heavy bench press one day and said 'i am not doing the other two sets'. no reason why i couldn't have, physically. i just didn't bleeping want to. because what was the point? it would be some kind of bitter struggle, i'd do it, and all the reward i was going to get was going to be another five fecking pounds and the same fecking struggle the next time bench day came.
you can see i can still call back the mood i was in it just got to feeling like the way ry cooder described his 'career' at one point in his life: "more records, and more records. it was just this tremendous burden of nothing at all. "
Haha I can feel the rage0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »What made you switch to wendler?
rage? i was doing 3x5 for a while but then even that turned into a grind. my trainer moved me on actually, after i did one set of stupid-heavy bench press one day and said 'i am not doing the other two sets'. no reason why i couldn't have, physically. i just didn't bleeping want to. because what was the point? it would be some kind of bitter struggle, i'd do it, and all the reward i was going to get was going to be another five fecking pounds and the same fecking struggle the next time bench day came.
you can see i can still call back the mood i was in it just got to feeling like the way ry cooder described his 'career' at one point in his life: "more records, and more records. it was just this tremendous burden of nothing at all. "
Haha I can feel the rage
Its actually how I'm starting to feel.im grinding out the same weight on most of the lifts week in week out and feel like I'm close to the maximum I'll ever lift lol. On a positive note I've lost more inches and my weight is still 123 lbs so recomp is finally working.2 -
Its actually how I'm starting to feel.im grinding out the same weight on most of the lifts week in week out and feel like I'm close to the maximum I'll ever lift lol. On a positive note I've lost more inches and my weight is still 123 lbs so recomp is finally working.
i can definitely say that when i moved to wendler it was worth it just for the new lease on life that it gave my attitude. it was just such a relief. all of a sudden i was back to working with humane levels of weight, and it was part of a programme so i didn't feel like i was slacking or skipping out.
for me that was huge psychologically, and i think it did make an objective difference in my progress. in theory, there's nothing stopping you from focusing on your form when you deload with linear formats, but all i can say is that with the linear nx5 sets that never really happened for me. i'd deload with great intentions, but it was like there was nowhere clear for me to go, you know? it was very binary in my mind. so i always either felt like i 'should' get back on the upward path as soon as i had a viable form once again, or i resisted that feeling and then i felt like i was just turning in circles and copping out. majoring in the minors, yanno
that's starting to happen for me now (again) with wendler as well. i think it's partly on me and then there's also the injury/maladjustment stuff i'm working out. but in the beginning, something about that format made it so i'd do actually meaningful work on my form with the lighter weights. imo it did give me a dramatic new impetus at least with some of the lifts.
i switched in april last year, and iirc at the time i was fighting to feel good about my form with 45 or 50 on ohp, and i think with deadlifts 120 was about the most i felt confident of 'pretty much always' being able to get. so on those ones i made dramatic progress: before xmas and Stuff, i was confident of 165 for deadlift and 65 for press - i.e. looking forward to the next increase and confident that i'd get them too. bench has pretty much stayed where it was weight-wise but i gained composure and inherent strength all the same. and squats also did great when they were great, but that's the one where i keep hitting additional walls.
i'm just one person and i always feel like i'm a bit of an outlier, but for what it's worth.
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canadianlbs wrote: »Its actually how I'm starting to feel.im grinding out the same weight on most of the lifts week in week out and feel like I'm close to the maximum I'll ever lift lol. On a positive note I've lost more inches and my weight is still 123 lbs so recomp is finally working.
i can definitely say that when i moved to wendler it was worth it just for the new lease on life that it gave my attitude. it was just such a relief. all of a sudden i was back to working with humane levels of weight, and it was part of a programme so i didn't feel like i was slacking or skipping out.
for me that was huge psychologically, and i think it did make an objective difference in my progress. in theory, there's nothing stopping you from focusing on your form when you deload with linear formats, but all i can say is that with the linear nx5 sets that never really happened for me. i'd deload with great intentions, but it was like there was nowhere clear for me to go, you know? it was very binary in my mind. so i always either felt like i 'should' get back on the upward path as soon as i had a viable form once again, or i resisted that feeling and then i felt like i was just turning in circles and copping out. majoring in the minors, yanno
that's starting to happen for me now (again) with wendler as well. i think it's partly on me and then there's also the injury/maladjustment stuff i'm working out. but in the beginning, something about that format made it so i'd do actually meaningful work on my form with the lighter weights. imo it did give me a dramatic new impetus at least with some of the lifts.
i switched in april last year, and iirc at the time i was fighting to feel good about my form with 45 or 50 on ohp, and i think with deadlifts 120 was about the most i felt confident of 'pretty much always' being able to get. so on those ones i made dramatic progress: before xmas and Stuff, i was confident of 165 for deadlift and 65 for press - i.e. looking forward to the next increase and confident that i'd get them too. bench has pretty much stayed where it was weight-wise but i gained composure and inherent strength all the same. and squats also did great when they were great, but that's the one where i keep hitting additional walls.
i'm just one person and i always feel like i'm a bit of an outlier, but for what it's worth.
I totally get where you're coming from.i put my numbers into madcow and liked the low weight days and the different reps.i feel liked I'd complete the sessions easier and not feel fed up failing and deloading..ive got a little addicted to lifting and surprised at how mentally it's affecting me when I can't finish my sets lol.2 -
Stronglifts yesterday.
Did my squats warm-up set and started my sets at 40kg (85lbs). First time at this weight. The first 2 reps felt more or less ok but I could feel I was bending forward on the 3rd and 4th rep, didn’t even attempt a 5th.
Up comes a trainer from the gym with another guy saying I should deload and work on my form. I'm bending too much forward. Told him I could feel it and that it was the first time at this weight. He says to first get my form right before going up in weight. So I went back to 30kg and asked him to watch. Still not good, bending forward and the other guys says my knees are caving in, probably my core isn't strong enough and/or ankle issue. Now the 2nd guy, I see him often in the gym, very tall, a lot of muscle always working in the “light” weights area doing body weight exercises, some dumbbells, sandbags etc but never in the “heavy weight” corner. He looks like he knows what he’s doing though.
So those 2 guys now have me doing squats, without the bar, with plates under by feet, wide stance, smaller stance, front barbell squats, …trying to get my form right. In the meantime 2 other people join the party and both tell me they saw me doing those squats with bad form and thought I was going to hurt myself.
Turns out I’m one of the people with bad form other people talk about
2nd guy told me he saw me often and did want to come up and tell me but didn’t think it was appropriate and he doesn’t want to go criticize people. We get talking and turn out he was a private trainer before, changed his career as he didn’t like it anymore but tells me he’s happy to write me up a program, for free…
So now here I am, I really liked stronglifts as it’s nice and simple but another part of me also wants to be able to do my exercises with good form, get stronger and build some – preferably visible – muscle. And I didn’t have the impression I was getting it at the moment with SL. Sure the weight did get up but I didn’t see or feel much of a change. I mostly liked the fact that I was doing my own thing, headphones in and ignore the world, I might have to change that now
Tomorrow I should get my program from this guy and I think I will give it a go. From what I understand it will be compound exercises but not necessarily heavy, set-up more as HIIT. Not sure yet how it’s going to work, whether he will guide me the first sessions and we do a check-in or if I actually hire him as a trainer.
So I’ll probably put the SL program in the cupboard for the moment and give this new program a chance.
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@Stella014 it is a great idea to have a trainer teach correct form. I also agree that as women we have to adapt the SL program to fit for us. Also if you are working at losing weight it is very difficult to build muscle during a deficit. It really helps to maintain your muscle through losing though. I had my squats all the way up to 130 pounds and saw myself in the mirror and realized I was not going parallel. My form was off. I did a serious download down to 65 pounds and I am now at 90 pounds. I am working on building strength in all of the compound lifts and doing them correctly. 1 pound at a time! I am actually waiting to lose 10 percent more body fat before I really work at muscle gain. It sounds like the trainer may be wanting to strengthen your muscles needed to do the strong lift routine. Hopefully! Stick with us no matter what your routine!3
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Stronglift Rest Day
Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squat-6X5X 35
Russian kettle bell swing-20X 10 X 35
40lbs loss by May 27th Challenge
It's going to rain today! I am still walking! Getting ready for the first of my 2- 2 mile walks.
I'm still losing weight. Just a little slower lately. I dropped 0.2 pounds yesterday and another 0.4 pounds today. I am going to do a carb re-feed on Saturday.
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