M(ar)uch Lifting is good for you!
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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 30
Russian kettle bell swing-17X 10 X 30
40lbs loss by May 27 Challenge
2 mile walk today!
I lost another 0.2 pounds yesterday! I will be MIA until Sunday! Of course, I am taking my Kettlebell! I am going to an away basketball tournament for Grandson. Have a great weekend everyone!3 -
This is the end of my StrongLifts week 3.
Squats 2x5 45, 1x5 65, 1x5 85, 5x5 95.
Bench 1x5 45, 5x5 55
Rows 5x5 65.
Today I did my lifts in front of a mirror. I double checked my form, toes pointed out, in line with knees. I played around with stance distance and thought 2 inches larger than hip distance worked best. Tried out low bar squats and discovered I like them better. For the life of me can't figure out what happened to my hip so after a thorough warmup tried the recommended weight and felt very comfortable after 2 days off.
Decided to try the rows with the Olympic plates rather than kettle balls for the first time. Still getting used to positioning myself relative to the bar. Felt like my knees got in the way perhaps because I wasn't squatting back far enough.2 -
I'm taking a day off today. I never took my planned rest day last week, so taking one now. It would be such a good gym day since it's snowing and will probably be dead, but I think my body wants a rest. Back at it Monday!3
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chichidachimp wrote: »This is the end of my StrongLifts week 3.
Squats 2x5 45, 1x5 65, 1x5 85, 5x5 95.
Bench 1x5 45, 5x5 55
Rows 5x5 65.
Today I did my lifts in front of a mirror. I double checked my form, toes pointed out, in line with knees. I played around with stance distance and thought 2 inches larger than hip distance worked best. Tried out low bar squats and discovered I like them better. For the life of me can't figure out what happened to my hip so after a thorough warmup tried the recommended weight and felt very comfortable after 2 days off.
Decided to try the rows with the Olympic plates rather than kettle balls for the first time. Still getting used to positioning myself relative to the bar. Felt like my knees got in the way perhaps because I wasn't squatting back far enough.
I have long legs in relation to my arm and torso length. I bend my knees as per the instructions, but I take a wider stance so my shoulders are closer to the ground. That seems to help me (for now).
Today is a rest day. After working out before work yesterday... it really feels like that was on Wednesday and I should get back to the gym... but I'm also a wee bit sore, so I'm ok with it. I'm going out with a girl friend to celebrate my birthday (going to a concert), so I'm going to eat a bit in excess and probably drink a bit too much too... but we'll be dancing/moving/etc. I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Also looking forward to hitting the gym on Saturday afternoon.
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chichidachimp wrote: »
Decided to try the rows with the Olympic plates rather than kettle balls for the first time. Still getting used to positioning myself relative to the bar. Felt like my knees got in the way perhaps because I wasn't squatting back far enough.
Something you could try, as it may help: jump up and down, landing softly, 2-3 times, and see where your feet land. That's about where you want your feet for the bent-over row (athletic stance). It will probably be a bit narrower than your squat stance, but typically wider than your deadlift stance (unless you pull sumo, obv.)
Then set up behind the bar and bend over so that your torso is basically parallel to the ground. Grab a hold of the bar with a shoulder-width grip and roll it forward so it's in line with your arms (90 degrees from the line of your body). Your knees should be slightly bent, but you'll definitely be far enough in front of you that they won't be in the way. Make sure you squeeze your butt and brace your core (because you're off your gravity center here, so if you don't, you're putting a lot of pressure on your lower back), then try to pull the weight from there, with the intent on keeping everything but your arms static, and initiating the pull from your mid-back.
And if you're not quite "feeling it" (a lot of people don't, it seems), pause the weight up when it's at the top of the movement (it probably won't touch your chest, but your elbows should be a smidge past 90 degrees and bar should be somewhere between nip-line and belly-button) for 1-2 seconds before you control the weight down.
Man, I miss doing my P-Rows
But the last time I did them my lower back seized up and spasmed for a few days, so uh, not going back there for a little while still (form wasn't the issue, I had an injury and didn't think this would affect it, and it didn't for 3 sets, then just went BAM out of nowhere. Good times.)
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So it was supposed to be rest day... So I decided to try out a Core de force workout (bad pun alert!) for kicks. It was a fun-ish 25 minutes of throwing awkward combinations and trying not to make my downstairs neighbors hate me (I have downstairs neighbors now >_>). Tapout XT had it better with the combinations, as they flowed better together and were much more simple. But that's one workout, so yeah. And it was shorter, so that helps.
Then I did my hip kneeling stretch routine and a round of the core exercises. Oh and nailed 11 push-ups in a row. Wee! And now I told my mom I'd pick her up in an hour and I'm not even showered yet so I gotta get mooooving! lol4 -
Forgot to share my good news - I'm done with physiotherapy for my shoulder! It no longer bothers me aside from a slight stiffness if I try to reach for the top-middle of my back. The PT noted that I was doing fine and asked me how I felt.And if you're not quite "feeling it" (a lot of people don't, it seems), pause the weight up when it's at the top of the movement (it probably won't touch your chest, but your elbows should be a smidge past 90 degrees and bar should be somewhere between nip-line and belly-button) for 1-2 seconds before you control the weight down.
Feeling it in the back, you mean?
I have the problem where if I'm at a given weight and I feel my back working, that weight is easy. Then I move up 10 lbs and my arms tire before my back does, Like my arms are doing the work and my back isn't.
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Ran 3.67 miles this afternoon. Warmish and somewhat humid; should've run later. Would have run more but I got thigh chafing. BAH
And I did feel yesterday's squats and deadlifts.2 -
[quote="lkpducky;39063701"Then I move up 10 lbs and my arms tire before my back does, Like my arms are doing the work and my back isn't.
[/quote]
i keep reminding myself what rippetoe said in starting strength. 'rows are not useful when done at too heavy a weight to maintain the right form.' but i'm one of those who can't 'feel' her lats even when they're engaged, so it's always hard to convince myself they're doing anything. having a fixed shoulder must be a relief in this lift, at least.
last day of deload in t-space. bench went well, 35/35/45 aka joke weights.
for squats i'm holding out for consistency and/or doing them in 3x5 format since there's no reason not to call myself a beginner with them. i added 5 pounds on my sunday weight and did 65. mr t wasn't too happy about my head/chest dropping on a few of them, but he's put in some time in the squat trenches too where i'm concerned. so he's very on-board with just letting me look for something that works, for right now.
they might have been too horizontal, but they did feel smooth. no hip pinch, and more importantly only a couple of reps where i felt a very very faint version of that firecracker thing in my s.i. those were the serve-me-right kind of reps where i didn't brace hard enough in the first place
the nice thing was, i felt strong. i might not have the right way of assembling all the pieces yet, but it feels like i have the pieces at least.
planning to lift on sunday after my morning massage, so tomorrow is rest day, i guess. overstretched at least one of my quads and i'd like that to calm down a bit.4 -
@Katiebear_81 @krokador Thanks for the advice! Definitely not feeling bench/rows consistently but bet that will change within 1-2 weeks. OH are already murdering my shoulders at a lighter weight lol.Yesterday was SL day off and have been reading that a lot of people get good result combining it with running. So did a treadmill run and was able to do 5.5km (which is 3.4miles).
It seems like most hardcore weightlifters recommend against >20min of cardio because it "burns off all the muscle you spent hours trying to build". But I think quite a few of us here run and walk on our off days and do just fine. Plus light exercise helps muscle recovery.2 -
Forgot to share my good news - I'm done with physiotherapy for my shoulder! It no longer bothers me aside from a slight stiffness if I try to reach for the top-middle of my back. The PT noted that I was doing fine and asked me how I felt.And if you're not quite "feeling it" (a lot of people don't, it seems), pause the weight up when it's at the top of the movement (it probably won't touch your chest, but your elbows should be a smidge past 90 degrees and bar should be somewhere between nip-line and belly-button) for 1-2 seconds before you control the weight down.
Feeling it in the back, you mean?
I have the problem where if I'm at a given weight and I feel my back working, that weight is easy. Then I move up 10 lbs and my arms tire before my back does, Like my arms are doing the work and my back isn't.
You could try moving the weight up in smaller increments, and also, I have personally found I respond best to slightly higher reps with the rows than I do with the other big lifts, so that could be something worth looking into.
The other thing is, if it feels like your arms are doing the work, it either means your grip is weak(er than your back), or you're not really initiating the pull from the right place: you may be compensating because the weight is actually too heavy by engaging your arms into the lift. You can try using straps to see if taking grip out of the equation makes a difference, or doing that lighter weight but for a few more reps (try 8-10) and see if your arms try to take over the same way they do when the weight is heavier. (You might notice also that your body will have a tendency to try to use momentum to get the weight up as you fatigue. A little bit of that "body english" is okay, but try to keep it to a minimum).
If it all comes back that it's really the weight being a bit too heavy, adding in a slightly longer pause and controlling the eccentric might just be what you're needing to make it challenging enough without losing the proper lat engagement?2 -
SL today
Squat 1x5 20kg - 1x5 30 kg 5-4-4-5-5 35kg - felt wobbly so another few weeks here I think
Bench 1x5 20kg - 5x5 22.5kg. Felt good but when I tried to go up with 2.5kg last time I just couldn't lift the bar more than a couple of times.
DL: 2x5 40kg / 2x5 47.5kg
Should have done rows today but forgot my phone so couldn't check. Tried some sumo deadlifts too for the first time too and liked it so will be adding this I think. Did some step ups and glute bridges while waiting for the equipment and ended with leg press 3x8 127kg
Will try to do 5k tomorrow. Don't see myself as a hardcore lifter yet4 -
Stronglift Rest Day
Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squat-6X5X 30
Russian kettle bell swing-34X 10 X 30
40lbs loss by May 27th Challenge
Very short walk again today! 30 minutes on hotel treadmill!
I was excited to see a 0.6 lb loss! Yes, I brought my scale with me!1 -
You could try moving the weight up in smaller increments, and also, I have personally found I respond best to slightly higher reps with the rows than I do with the other big lifts, so that could be something worth looking into.
The other thing is, if it feels like your arms are doing the work, it either means your grip is weak(er than your back), or you're not really initiating the pull from the right place: you may be compensating because the weight is actually too heavy by engaging your arms into the lift. You can try using straps to see if taking grip out of the equation makes a difference, or doing that lighter weight but for a few more reps (try 8-10) and see if your arms try to take over the same way they do when the weight is heavier. (You might notice also that your body will have a tendency to try to use momentum to get the weight up as you fatigue. A little bit of that "body english" is okay, but try to keep it to a minimum).
If it all comes back that it's really the weight being a bit too heavy, adding in a slightly longer pause and controlling the eccentric might just be what you're needing to make it challenging enough without losing the proper lat engagement?
The smaller increments at higher reps, and longer pauses concentrating on my back squeezing, sound like the way to go. Next time I'll go with a slightly lower weight and go slower, squeezing my back near the top of the lift. When the weight is lighter, my arms don't take over. Thanks!
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The smaller increments at higher reps, and longer pauses concentrating on my back squeezing, sound like the way to go. Next time I'll go with a slightly lower weight and go slower, squeezing my back near the top of the lift. When the weight is lighter, my arms don't take over. Thanks!
once i got my own shoulder sorted out, one of the things that really helped me with rows was the 'discovery' of that shoulders-back cue. you might have heard it for deadlifts, and maybe bench/press, but for me it was basically the same movement that all my shoulder-physio was about, so it translated well once i had the hang of it. that's when you engage everything that pulls your shoulderblades 'down' your back and in against your ribcage and stabilizes the hell out of it in that position. and THEN you pull.
when your shoulderblades are properly set, it gives nice strong parameters for the way your arms move. it really focuses all the effort into your lats, because lats basically are what make your upper arms move. and i guess when you set all the other little muscles that play a role in the motion, that leaves nothing but your lats to do the work of a row, because all the little ones already have their hands full with the shoulderblade thing.
in other words, ime rows really benefit from the same 'shelf' in the upper back that you try to get when you're benching or doing overhead press. and yup, as soon as the weight is too heavy for my stabilizers to stabilize, they start getting sucked into helping with moving the weight instead, and my rows have that unwieldy top-heavy feeling. lighter weights are definitely worth it for me, to let me get the feel that i'm looking for before i add plates.
sez me, who isn't consistent about doing rows anyway.2 -
Gym day! Looking forward to it. Squat/ohp/deadlift. The only thing that I'm going to be increasing today is the deadlift, the rest are not good enough lifts. But that's ok!
I'm looking forward to wearing my new shirt to the gym. It's from a concert I went to last night, it says "I'm having a record year", which is so accurate, as every time I increase weight, intake a new personal best. Ha ha.2 -
SL Day off. Ran 8.78mi this morning! Whoot! I officially started marathon training this week. My marathon is scheduled for end of July. I hope I can keep up with SL with the marathon training. My goal is to add 50lbs to my squats and 75 to DLs over the next 2 mo and maintain around there 2x a week until the marathon.4
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deadlift 2x8 @ 135, 1x10 @ 165 and 1x10 @ 185
stiff leg deadlift on step 2x8 @ 135
yates row 2x8 @ 75
wide grip lat pulldown 2x10 @ 60
one arm db row 2x10 @ 27.5
treadmill for 30 minutes at 3.0 incline
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Both squat and ohp were better today. Definitely stay at the same weight for one more round each and then re-evaluate. I think I'll need to add reps to my ohp before I can add more weight, unless I pick up some fractional plates soon.
Did some hip thrusters too. Tried to activate my glutes, but my abs are SORE. Normal, or was I doing them wrong?2
