DECimate your workout
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I struggle with learning firward too much on squats too. Maybe I need to start doing front squats.0
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Squats
10x45 lb
Then I tried a set of front squats wirh just the bar just to see what they felt like.
Then back to my back squats. 5x5 @ 115 lbs
Bench
10x 45 lbs paused
5x5 @85 lbs
1 hour power yoga
Rows
5x5 @75 lbs
I was able to get one pull up with the smallest band today. I tried to do a pull up without any assistance but only got about halfway up.1 -
trainer day. i got the benching done and some very light deadlifts - 75 pounds. but no working sets for deadlifts, because i was too busy making sure that i got my rows in and that made me run out of time.
i did do the rows at 75, just because that was the weight on the bar. and got a form check from mr t which might explain how come i havent' been feeling like i was 'working' my rows - i wasn't. according to him i was using my back instead of my lats, so duh. yeah, that would explain that. apparently the massage kid who form-checked my glute bridges today said i was also using my back to stabilize there (instead of my abs). so clearly i must have a pretty strong back. and the abs of the pillsbury dough boy, i guess.
the benches were interesting. i've had that vulnerability at the front of my left shoulder again recently, but the bizarre thing is: the cue that seems to take it away has nothing to do with my shoulder. it's about checking before i begin every rep, to make sure i'm really solid through my hips and i have my knees 'out' (not really out like a frog, but definitely feeling a little that way. i kind of 'hunh!' into them and turn everything on, make sure i have a really un-rockable tripod type thing going on. and then i undo my lockout and start on the rep.
when i do that at the start, the shoulder catch goes away. it's weird, but i'll take it.0 -
Only 2 weeks in and I'm starting to really enjoy myself on Squaturday
Can't jump because of my neck, and I know oly lifts from the ground can be a bit too much as well, however this week I decided to try out pairing my squats with hang power snatches focusing on power & technique. And it worked out really well!
barbell squat 45x5/5, 65x5, 85x5, 105x3, 115x3, 132.5x3, 147.5x9, 115x13 )that was painful O.o)
paired with snatch warm-up @35, deconstructed full snatches @55, then 5 hang power @ 55, and for work sets 65 x 4/5/3/4 (3-5 reps, stop as soon as i started to muscle the weight up. Also made sure to control the weight on the way down from overhead, so that probably cut my later sets a bit short simply due to fatigue).
A woman probably a bit older than I am whom I'd seen squatting a considerable amount of weight (like 100lbs +, that's rare in my gym for a girl) as I walked in went out of her way after my set of 9 to tell me my oly lifts looked really good! I said thanks and told her I'd been working on them for like, 2-3 years, told her her squats looked pretty decent too, and we went on to do our own thing with this kind of mutual "strong women" feel where we'd sometimes cross paths and nod and smile like "keep up the good work!". It was the first time this happened. Normally it's older men that notice my form and stuff XD I think I should credit that 13th rep at 115 to her, cuz it gave me that extra little push I needed to just get back at it even though my legs were jell-o.
Then moved on to low incline DB press and rows. I really like the feel of those on my chest and lets. It's like the perfect superset! 25x15, 30x12, 30x10/11 (fatiiigue) and 30x12 + a measly 5 reps on the left side alone to try and help it catch up to my right side.
And then the rower workout from hell:
4 rounds
- 3 min max cal rower (39, 38, 39, 25)
- 1 min max KB swing @20kg (~45lbs) (32, 29, 25, 32)
- 1 min max lunge jumps (15, 15, 13, 12)
- 1 min rest
I went pretty steady on the first 3 rounds, then the rower kind of broke while I was sitting on it and I probably only rowed 2 minutes of the 3 there, and it threw me a bit off for the rest and I just sort of checked out before the lunge jumps were over. Not happy about that, nor about the fact that chalk + cardio still makes my nasal passages cry their life away, but I'll take the work I did get in and build up on that. My no-quit muscle needs a bit of work, is all.
And now I have a plan and a deadline and I'm going to stop with the excuses to stay fluffy: I have an online powerlifting meet in mid january, and then the crossfit open starts on Feb 22nd. I'm not going to register for the open this year because I may still modify some of the scaled workouts depending on how my injuries are going and how confident I feel with box jumps, but I will do the workouts and see where I would place and that alone I think is enough to convince me to lose some weight and build up that engine a bit so I can get through burpees without dying (let's face it, it's not crossfit if there are no burpees xD). So I got about 10 weeks to shed about 10lbs. New year resolution starts NOW!
Boom 0 -
In my past corrective endeavors, my forward lean seems to be caused more by some sort of mobility issues than a strength issue. Because I imagine from what I saw last night I wouldn’t be able to do an air squat without the forward lean. And if I focus on it, it gets better... so then I stop focusing on it.
So, I need to spend some of my free time doing air squats facing a wall. And work my way in, until my range of motion allows for upright again. I don’t know which friend called it squat therapy once, but lacking a better name, that is what it became.
Also, as I’m typing this, I’m realizing squat deconstruct day was also the day he suggested I look into romwod or mobilitywod... hmmmmm I am noticing a pattern here. Oops
Also, one day maybe I should ask trainer about front squats.... I am yet to find a way to do them that doesn’t hurt my arms/wrists AND is anywhere near stable. Have I mentioned flexibility is not one of my traits? Like not even a weak trait, like I don’t possess that trait. Yes, above mentioned romwod stuff is on the Christmas list.
Improper bracing and lack of core/upper body stability will also translate to a forward lean in the squat. Forcing yourself to get into the position also indirectly puts those muscles to work to a degree. You will also lean a lot more forward without a bar on your back purely from the fact that you don't have a counter balance (that is why lightly weighted pistols are actually a bit easier to perform from a balance perspective).
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that mobility is just one part of the puzzle. So don't beat yourself up too much over any of it. Slow steady progress in all areas is what works the best, IMO.
You can try to *kitten* it with a squat with a light load in front of you (kb or db) and see how low you can go/how far forward you fold doing that. You should be able to get low easier than just bodyweight (counter balance element), and unless your upper back is really weak, you should stay quite upright. You can then use it as a warm-up of sorts by staying in the hole holding that weight for 20-30s and bouncing around a bit/pushing your knees out with your elbows. Try to keep the upper back engaged the entire time. Core work + mobility = win!
As for the front squat, did I ever suggest the lifting straps alternative to you? You put them on the bar instead of your wrists, then rack the bar and grab them as close as your mobility will allow. It's not *quite* as stable as the olympic grip, but technically, you should also be able to squat the bar without hands entirely if you have the proper position on your front delts (look up zombie squat!), so it really just serves as a safety.
Otherwise, until xmas comes you can always check out Joe defranco's agile 8/ limber 11. They're both fairly comprehensive lower body mobility routine and are available for free! https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/limber-11-the-only-lower-body-warm-up-youll-ever-need.html
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*reposts in correct month*
Meet went fairly well. Everyone was nice and encouraging. Chatted with some of the other women during warmups and such. Squats were slow but I'm always slow on squats. I ended up not getting as much as I did in the gym but this time I didn't fail on the third set of squats, and it's still better than my first meet. Bench went okay. Started a bit light so did a jump then 121 felt pretty decent so could have just done 126 which was the gym PR too but decided to just go for it and tried 130, which I didn't get. Was the only fail of the day though for me. Bench is still weak and didn't improve much so will need to work on that. Deadlift was good. Finally achieved the goal of 2xbw at last.
(conversions using an USA powerlifting chart I found online)
Meet Attempts/Results
squat
92.5/203.9
95/205.1
100/220.5
bench
47.5/104.7
55/121.3
50/132.3 - fail
deadlift
120/264.6
125/275.6
127.5/281.1 PR
Didn't place. Harder for me in the 148 weight class. Need to get back down to 132 for the next meet and work on that bench. Maybe I should get a slingshot. *ponders*3 -
DawnEmbers wrote: »*reposts in correct month*
lol.
i had some burn on saturday which i chose to blame on the drills, not the *cough* deadlifts and bench press which the doctor had *cough* told me that i shouldn't do. so a little bit sloppy with adherence yesterday since i also spent most of the day with my dad. and i love him dearly and don't blame him for the state of his house, but i am NOT getting down on that floor of his for anything. i think i did most of one or two circuits when i got home but tbh i was not feeling it psychologically.
the burn was much less this morning when i woke up, so i've been better about them today. added deadbug holds into the loop just because it's a fact that i've completely mislaid my abs recently. apparently i can't engage them for bridges at all, not exactly because they're not there but my brain simply can't work out how. so i'm trying to use the deadbugs to find them before i bridge up. the side-lying abductions are something; most of the time i can't feel myself using glute med when i am, and the rest of the time i can feel it for sure by the way that it burns. that's about all i've got for you guys on what a tendon issue feels like: it burns.
the guy did warn me that there is a rehab path 'but it will hurt'. so what i neglected to ask him is how to tell the difference between the kind of hurt he meant there, and the non-healthy kind. because honest, if it was just a matter of hurting myself to get well, i wouldn't have this problem here in the first place.0 -
Mondeads! The full-on zombie experience! (was not 100% there today, lol)
Deadlift 45x8, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 150x3, 172.5x3, 192.5x11, 155x14
OHP 35x8, 45x5, 55x3, 60x3, 67.5x3, 77.5x7, 70x8
I felt really lousy on that last set of OHP, like "wtf, I did like 13 reps last week how... oh" I had loaded an extra 5 on each side -_-'
10 min AMRAP
- Barbell Front Squats x6-8 @45lbs + 10lbs each round
- DB Renegade drag & row x8-12 (total) @25lbsbegone -
I made it through 8 reps up to 75, then 6 @85lbs, and got 10/8/10/8/8 on the RRs
Then I took this video, because I wanted to prove I wasn't just typing out my butt with the zombie squats, haha (no seriously, wtf is up with those bags under my eyes? It's no wonder I didn't feel awesome xD)
Finished up with machine-assisted pulls ups and dips,
-100lbs x6/8, 6/7, 6/6 and -130lbs x9/120 -
DawnEmbers wrote: »*reposts in correct month*
Meet went fairly well. [...]
Awesome job! And I have to admit it makes me feel a little better about my lack of bench progress the past few years when someone beats me hard on squats and deadlift, but I bench more xD (because that is such a useful skill, right? :P) No seriously, those are some pretty awesome number for 148lbs.
Although hey, that's got me thinking... If I was 50lbs lighter, would I actually be able to squat 50lbs more? Since I'm like, already moving that weight, kind of? It's all in my butt, really, so it's definitely loaded into the squat. Ha! Well, maybe I should lose some weight and see if i can squat heavier ;p
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DawnEmbers wrote: »*reposts in correct month*
Meet went fairly well. [...]
Awesome job! And I have to admit it makes me feel a little better about my lack of bench progress the past few years when someone beats me hard on squats and deadlift, but I bench more xD (because that is such a useful skill, right? :P) No seriously, those are some pretty awesome number for 148lbs.
Although hey, that's got me thinking... If I was 50lbs lighter, would I actually be able to squat 50lbs more? Since I'm like, already moving that weight, kind of? It's all in my butt, really, so it's definitely loaded into the squat. Ha! Well, maybe I should lose some weight and see if i can squat heavier ;p
Thanks. Though my weigh in was 135, so 148 was the weight class. ;-)
Now I can try for a 300 lb deadlift for 2018. Always fun to set new goals. And maybe get back to my preferred 132 weight class.
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i was told to do nothing that sets it off, and of course that includes bike. so i'm trying to be grownup about it, since it's not like this isn't the optimum time of year for it, if i have to be not-a-cyclist anyway.
in theory i've come up with an alternate routine, which is to walk to a rec centre to do my drills in the morning and then catch the bus from there. there's one i don't usually use, but it has a hamstring curl machine so i thought maybe it would fit in with this new regime. still, i kind of feel like life sucks. none of even the stuff that i'm trying to do feels like i'm doing it right.0 -
@krokador, that has always been my reasoning for why my squat and bench are essentially the same weight. Squat s is 95ish lbs plus 200lbs of me! Also, thank you for demo on front squats - wrist straps are already on Xmas list for other reasons, if Santa doesn’t bring them, I’ve found they are cheap enough I bet they can get acquired other ways too.
Today, was the squat workout I couldn’t convince myself to do last ummmm Thursday ... and obviously have well avoided since then too.
Squats 8-15, 4 sets, first set 95, others amwap. 90sec rest
Stayed at 95, form started going to heck around rep 10 each time. So-10,11,10,9 - videos I took suggest form wasn’t really there to begin with. I put the better one on insta, but the other one I have, god I’m leaning forward bad.
Goblet squat 4 sets, 8-15 reps, 60 sec rest, 35 lbs
I ended up in their upstairs area to find room for these. Biggest dumbbell up there was 30lbs, so I cheated. Still didn’t hit 15 reps. My legs were all shakey, and someone commented I looked tired before I started them- bad sign as I had just barely begun to fight -11,10,12,10
Was supposed to do stiff leg deadlifts next, but I had given up the bar, and none were available, so
Leg press- this was one the machiney ones, and not weight/plate based, so I think it’s one of those weights are made up type things. I had to get to 280 on it, before it felt like 180 does at home gym
4 sets, 12-20 reps, 60 sec rest, start at 180, amwap
20@180, 20@200, 20@240, 20@280
Hamstring curls- I have never understood these, I don’t know if my pivot points are just weird for these machines, but these always feel wrong/awkward
3 sets,20 reps, 60 sec rest, amwap
20@50, 12@65, 16@60
Rope crunches, tempo
4 sets, 20 reps, amwap, 60 sec rest
20@130, 160, 170, 180 -tempo kinda went awry at 180- needed to speed up to not lose grip. But otherwise went pretty good.
Finally got barbell back for stiff leg deads. My note on this is I think I need a form check. I seem to be ok when these are empty bar and used as stretchy time... and I realize these didn’t go where they belonged.... but these just didn’t feel good/right
3 sets, 8-15 reps, 60 sec rest, @135
8, 6,6 - not full reps, but I decided discretion over valor - like these didn’t necessarily feel too heavy, just didn’t feel bueno
Best I can say is thank god that one Is over...
#ihatesquats0 -
Just for fun, I've got a week pass over at LA Fitness. It's a nice gym, the one I got the pass for, but it's on Hollywood blvd. Plus, they have hex plates but they have so many 10's and 5's and 2.5's. So, had fun getting in a quick workout before work then enjoyed the dry sauna in the women's locker room.
push press 1x8 @ 45, 3x6 @ 65
front squat 1x8 @ 45, 3x6 @ 95
clean 1x6 @ 45, 3x6 @ 65
jerk (practice) 3x4 @ 45
face pull 3x10 @ 30
tricep pushdown 3x10 @ 42.50 -
Bench day- errr welll, kinda bench day?
Regular bench as preparation/more warm up for what came next
10@45, 5@65, 5@85
Close grip bench, 4 sets, 8-15 reps, 75 seconds rest between, start at 85, amwap
Stayed with 85, 10, 10, 11, 10 - someone thought I needed “saving” after the 2nd set. I didn’t think it wasn’t that rough. Like generally I’m a fan of knowing someone is paying enough attention that if I did something dumb, someone might notice.... but ummm something about how he informed me when I got up “don’t worry I was going to save you” irked me. Which led to an extra rep on the next set??
Incline dumbbell bench
4 sets, 8-15 reps, 60 second rest, amwap.
I looked at last week and I ended with 20 lbs, so started there
15@20, 15@25, 15@25, 8.5@30
Tried to figure out why this went so much better this week. A conclusion I came to later is I got a better bench. Some of their benches are down right awful and unstable or out of level it turns out.
Rollback press
3 sets, 8-15 reps, 60 sec rest, amwap
15@15s, 9ish@20s, 7@20s
Dumbbell flys
4sets, 12-20 reps, 50 sec rest, amwap
This is where I found a wonky bench... but I had a bench, so I took it as a win
15, 17, 13, 12 @ 20s
Straighten bar cable machine tricep extensions
4 sets, 20 reps, 50 sec rest, amwap
20@70, 20@90, 14@100 (oops), 20@90
Planks
7x 25sec plank/30 sec rest
Other than testing my ability to program my running interval timer (before last week all I ever did with it was run x minutes, walk y minutes, repeat forever.) and having a heck of a tricep pump, I think it went ok. Even if onlookers disagree. Heck I didn’t even have to wait on equipment or switch order today, wonky bench and all.
Oh, and I even “ran” this morning before doms kicked in (now can hardly walk, but that’s another story). Was only at 4mph and I can walk that fast, but it was a running motion, left right, left right for 30 minutes. 0 -
ima start formally counting down the nine weeks i was told to stay off lifting and just do the drills, so this is week one in the bag. my talent for finding more wrong ways of doing something than anyone else in a given room is still strong, but i'm feeling too defensive and sad to take in-person instruction on any of it well.
i need to go research plank form. did mine at the rec centre today, on the mat where they have full-length mirrors. and, sigh yeah. either i have monster spinal erectors, or i'm a hunchback. back to the drawing board time, and the same for side planks.
hamstring is the one that i have the most interest in. after all these years of griping and whining about how the left one just-won't, turning that into 'will' has become quite absorbing. i'm doing the prescribed stuff, but also making the trip to the rec centre that has an entire machine specifically for hamstring curls. idk how to describe this, but it's all about getting the muscle to 'bite' from the right angle so it feels like i'm activating all of it along a clean vector. instead of just one glancing side-eyed kind of section of it.
kind of like when you've got a wobbly tooth . . . a lot like that, actually.0 -
Hi all! I had all in all a typical workout today. Trying to get to big 45s on my squats before the holiday break and deloads.
Squats 1x5 45, 1x5 70, 5x5 95.
OH 55554 55
DL 1x5 95, 1x5 115, 1x5 140
Followed by 20min on the stairmaster.0 -
Late check-in for yesterday, but I was just absolutely wrecked. I was ready to go to bed at 8:30PM last night, and that was after an hour and a half nap upon getting home. Only managed to get in bed by about 10 though. I had neck stuff do to, and foam rolling, before I could really, well, sleep.
Today I'm just not doing ANYTHING aside from taking a much needed walk at lunch (and now amount of snow will stop me from doing that today! Dangit!)
I did the bear complex again, this time on a running clock. Wamred up with 45x3, 65x3, 75x2 and did every 3 minutes: 80x4, 80x5, 75x5, 65x10 (amrap). Upset at myself for letting the time run out on the amrap before I at least hit last week's total. I was feeling decent, just paced it way too much.
Moved on to the DB complex (8 reps of each)
- ground to overhead (I did snatches this week, it's just faster and gets more into my core/less into my shoulders than clean & press)
- sumo deadlift
- front rack drop lunges
- bent-over row (1 round)/renegade row (2 rounds)
- 90s rest
Managed to get through 3 rounds, so that's progress. Next week I'm hoping to make it to 4 rounds. And then I can decrease rest or up the weight, or both. Lunges are the toughest part of this, the 2x20lbs feels ridiculous for the rest, lol.
And I finished up with an odd setup cuz I wanted to get an arm pump and a bit of cardio before I left. Quickly.
8 min AMRAP
- 10 standing DB curls
- 10 ground DB overhead triceps extensions (kinda like a Db skullcrusher) into a close grip press at failure
- 150 rope jumps
1st round had the 2x20lbs from my complex and got 6/4 on the triceps, dropped to 15s, made it through 3 rounds and 6 curls. The rope jumps sadly, well, my shoulders/arms were so pumped I had a hard time keeping the rope moving. I did get that pump! Just no bueno on the cardio haha.
Which isn't that big a deal. I still got that itchy scratchy sneezy nose from Saturday
A little better this AM, I think. I weighed myself at 213.2 yesterday (I was about 206 just before I left on vacation like 3 weeks ago) and that's got me discouraged because I keep going out to eat with work or family and ugh. I need to lose weight, not pack it on! Guess I'll use tonight's food to fuel a good bench workout tomorrow? I should be clear until the 24th after that. Steak potatoes chicken and brocoli only for a week or 2? Haha. 1 -
Fairly easy day today.
I only did 115 lbs for squats but really focused on getting good depth and not leaning forward too much.
Did 60 lbs for OHP and those felt easy.
Worked up to 205 lbs for deads but only did 3 at that weight.2 -
Ummm deadlift day
Barbell row
5 sets, 8-15 reps, 60 sec rest, amwap
15@50, 15, 14, 15, 13@60
Seated, wide handle, cable row
5 sets, 8-15 reps, 60 sec rest, amwap
15@60, 15@70, 13@80, 15@80, 12@90
Deadlifts
4 sets, 8 reps, 60 sec rest, start at 135-amwap
8@135, 8@155, 2x8@165. Did better than last week, but had to switch to mixed grip halfway thru the 155 so I was frustrated with my grippiness
Shrugs
4 sets, 6-12 reps, 60 sec rest, 165-amwap
8, 5, 6?, 6ish, @ 165 - this is where the grip thing finally clicked.... two weeks ago trainer made me do the 195 he had on the sheet without chalk or wrist straps to prove I could without assistive technology, since that’s what I have here, and I made it to 6 reps on those sets cleaner than today’s sixes. These bars have VERY little knurl on them. So grabbing the rough part isn’t much better than the smooth bits. It almost feels like I have a metal splinter, so I clearly was trying to hold on.
Hammer curls
5 sets, 8-15 reps per side, 60 sec rest, 25s-amwap
13,11,13,10,12 @25s
Side planks
25sec left, 25 sec right, 30 sec rest x 6
We did exceed my interval timer abilities here, but we came close.
In other news....
After yesterday’s totally outrageous 2 miles in 30 minutes (clearly breaking speed records and everything) my ankle rewarded me by being swollen, achey, and making the bad popping catching clicky business with nearly every step, even WITH the brace on.
So... after 6 months of:
“K so we don’t know what’s wrong, but don’t run for a while”
*feels better but not great with no running*
“See, we are geniuses, it is better!”
*tries running*
*ankle gets angry and implodes*
*sarah complains*
“Well, duh, we told you not to run on it”
.... somehow this doesn’t seem to actually be a solution
“Ok try these balance exercises”
“K... so I am the first to admit my balance needs improvement... but how is this solving problem?”
“Well, you aren’t running, so, it’s better, so seeeeee we know what we are doing”
And further iterations of similar circular logic, with both doc and pt .... I got mad today when it hurt and was doing that lovely clicking that makes your teeth grind like nails on a chalk board.... so I officially have an appointment with the only nice and sparkly bone and joint orthopedic place that doesn’t require going to a different state... yet....
My work situation is such that I REALLY need the outlet I get from running.... weightlifting helps.... but i can’t seem to lift until I run out of attitude like I can run until I run out of attitude. So... hopefully we can come up with an answer. Or at least a better plan.
K- that was long... so, um,
tldr= sarah lifted... but is also broken enough/ mad enough to try going to a doctor, again1 -
So... after 6 months of:
this made me laugh. just because it's so true. more and more i'm getting to be 'why should i pay you to guess what's wrong?'
my sister once referred to one of her doctors, unforgettably, as 'an infant with a clipboard'. i feel a lot of that lately. not that the people i've seen aren't highly educated - they have to be, nowadays. but they just haven't been educated long enough for what they've learned to seem very useful in real-world, real-person terms.
anyway. i still don't have real complaints about my own thing, but then too i'm feeling no temptation at all to go test how it's doing by trying to lift. so maybe it's just the more-than-week off, but at least in the meantime i'm still working on a couple of pet muscles.
planks possibly getting better. the problem with them for me is i have no form check most of the time. can't see myself in any mirrors when i'm at home and of course plank is a thing that is impossible to check by poking ourself to see which muscles are working and w hich ones are not. i'm having no trouble making the 30 seconds prescribed, which in itself is making me quite suspicious. for the side planks, no chance at all atm of me being able to raise the top leg. so that too is grounds for suspicion and i'm starting to approach the side planks with at least the 'intention' of doing that in my mind.
deadbugs improving, so that's a big thing. i just tried adding the alternate arm-leg part and no giant clunk across the front of my left hip. this is pretty major. i'm not exaggerating in the least that previously when i'd do this move, something would roll across something in that area and give me a 'snap' that was painless but so huge that if i had my sacrum properly pressed to the floor, it could be heard by the people downstairs. granted i don't live in a house with much sound insulation, but still.
bridges are still 'ehhh, i don't even know if i'm doing them right.' somehow, according to the massage kid, i have perfected a way of doing not only bridges but PLANKS more with my back muscles than with my abs. so it's not that i can't engage my abs, it's just that once i bridge up i can't feel or find them anymore and they tend to let go. i 'm trying out various subtleties, and i think slowly starting to locate what i need to do. in the meantime at least i am getting my reps done and it's definite fact that my glutes are working.
hip abduction is . . . getting a little bit better. maybe. that too, t here are various subtle things you can change about them and it's the kind of subtlety i didn't think ot check with the doctor. in any case, the right side can do it all day, but the left side has some configurations where it is fine, and then another tinily-different one where the muscle starts to burn like hell almost immediately. i'm working on it.
the nordic falls are a problem. i want to like them and keep doing them, because they may be more helpful t han anything else. but they're another thing that is a hell of a thing to try and mcgyver at home. i just don't have anywhere to wedge my feet, is one thing. not with 'flat' feet - i have to point my toes and then i'm partly using the soles of my feet to brace from. and the other issue with just doing them on the floor is kneecaps. i've gotten a tiny bit stronger to the extent i can now 'fall' to an angle that makes my kneecaps go nuts. the problems are making it so i'm not really fulfilling the prescription here. but i am trying and at least for a few reps i can lean out to a point that definitely grabs the hamstrings now. then i can hold isometrically for a couple of secs, and use the same muscle to come back. i would love to have the equipment to work this one properly.
to get around/compensate for the falls deficiencies i'm doing a lot of straight-leg bridging up to the arm of my couch too.1 -
I'm a big lump of tired this morning, but I got up, got my stuff ready (which I usually do the night before but I got home too late last night) and didn't forget anything, and I hit up bench and rows day all the while battling a weird hip catch that only went away about like, 3/4 of the workout in.
I may regret this later...
Bench 45x8, 65x5, 75x3, 90x5, 105x3, 115x6(?), 90x14
bulgarian split squats bwx8, 20lbsx10, 25x10, 30x10 (this one really dug into that glute and required balancing, so def will try to get more than 1 set here next time)
Not sure how i got 14 reps on that last set, as I had only gotten 13 at 85lbs last week. I don't remember how many reps I got on my top set, either. It's written in my notebook, so nothing's lost.
Pendlay Rows 45x8, 65x5, 75x3, 87.5x5, 97.5x3, 110x6 or 7? I lost count on the last rep I tried and gave up on because I was going to use momentum if I was to finish it... Oh, and 87.5x12? Memory's not good today
superset with sumo deadlifts 45x8, 65x6, 85x4, 107.5x10, 120x10, 140x10
and I finished with 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 of knees to bows & burpees to target for time again. 6:40 again. Might've been a tad bit slower than last week. I'm gonna keep hammering at this one until I can get that time below 6 minutes >_<2 -
Trying to end the new year right. My goal is to hit 115 in squats by the beginning of next week.
5x5 squats 100
5x5 BP 55
5x5 rows 75.
I've always found pulling exercises better than pushing.1 -
Squats
10x45 with 3 second pause
3x75
5x5 115 lbs
Still really working on depth here so I am going to stay at 115 lbs until depth and form feel good. It's been a bit frustrating to not be progressing as I'd like with these.
Bench
10x45
2x5 85 lbs. These felt pretty easy so I thought I would go to 90 lbs.
1x5 90 lbs. These also weren't feeling hard so I thought I'd try 95 lbs.
2x5 95 lbs. I was able to do these without much difficulty so that felt good.
1 hour power yoga.
Rows
5x5 75 lbs.
I finally feel like I'm getting the form down with these so I will slowly start increasing weight again.
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TOdays sheet said squat day... no actual squats involved.... kinda an everything but squats day I was excited that I wouldn’t be back in trainer land because it meant he might decide to have a different plan. Because, this sheet, was written to Be my nemesis .... remember above mentioned ankle issues??? Yeah... lots of one legged crap...
I get in, trainer asks if I have any sheets left... and I kinda mumble about “yes but”..... I kinda got the “but nothing, let’s get to it” so I kinda pointed out the flaws I saw in the plan (he has been pushing for a second opinion for months, so he is aware of the issues when he says this), and got told we would modify if necessary .... I told fair warning to be prepared for tears, and off we went.
Sheet said deficit trap bar deadlifts... this he decided would just be trap bar deadlifts.
4 sets, 8-15 reps, 90 sec rest
15@95, 15@115, 15@135, 11@135 - could have gone up, or gotten the 15, but he wanted me to set a pace on that set, and if I broke that pace we stopped
Split squats- F M L
4 sets, 8-15 reps, 60 sec rest, 35lb weight.
This is where’s the plan kinda started out the window. I always start these with the wonky leg, knowing I can match with the other. I do these with a pvc pipe in the other hand as a balance. If right leg is down, it’s mostly a security blanky, when left leg is down i have a death grip and it’s still not real great. And as I learned today still requires my total concentration.
Barely got 8 the first set. Second set I’m not even sure what to count, I was at 4 with left leg ... trainer asked a question, and the split second concentration break that happened to hear/process the question was all it took for my thin grasp on stability to fail.... and i hit the ground ...
I MIGHT have gotten 5 or 6 the next sets??? Don’t really remember.
Walking Bar bell lunges.... did I mention I hated my life tonight.
Empty bar, 4sets, 8-15 per leg, 60 sec rest.
I know I CAN complete these they just aren’t stable And they don’t feel good right now, especially after split squats., so first two sets I did the 15 reps.... I apparently looked like death, or maybe trainer didn’t actually want to see tears- so he told me To stop at 8 the next two sets.
It’s amazing yet pitiful,to see how your body works to compensate for deficiencies...my low back on left side always hurts after these one legged/balance/stability things from having to work harder to keep me stable since the ankle won’t.
Then we had ”straight leg sumo deadlifts”-I know there were 3 sets, I know we dropped to 95, then 85.... past that, it’s all I really remember
Then leg lifty ab things.
Trainer was very happy to hear I have an appointment with the bone and joint dude on Tuesday. Especially since my tumble to the ground eliminated any chance that he might have still been thinking me complaining bout the ankle was just an excuse.0 -
Quick somewhat late check in, it's been a lazy day apart from my time in the gym and I'm just now getting my gears turning to get some cleaning done xD
Squats
45x5 slow + 5 fast (really helps me get into a rhythm with breathing and all), 65x5, 85x5, 105x3, 125x5, 140x3, 157.5x8 and 125x12
in-between sets I did hang power snatches, 65x3x5 and 70x5 - these felt better even than last week
Incline DB press and rows: 25x12, 35x8, 40x7/8, 40x8 and 35x4 on the left side without rest. It will catch up to the right one day!
Finished off with a cardios setup that looks easy on paper, but really sucked to get through (as in, I was sucking in a LOT of air.)
every 2 minutes for 20 (10 rounds total)
- 10 KB sumo deadlift high pull
- straight into a 10m prowler sprint to and back with 35lbs added on.
Point is to go ALL OUT right at the start, then rest for the remainer of the 2 mins. Feels pretty okay for the first, eh, maybe 3 rounds. Then it's just a matter of getting in the work. Only works if you really push yourself, though!
Oh yeah, then I rested for 2 mins and did a 2 min amrap of 10 hollow rocks and 5 hand release push-ups (2 rounds + 7 rocks). Abs hurt!
@halonsk Sorry to hear your ankle is still giving you issues Here's hoping you figure out what to do about it soon. 0 -
Mondeads strike again! Wasn't feeling amazing this morning though. Kinda stiff from yesterday's MMA-cardio workout (and I still struggle with shoulder internal rotation. Thanks high pulls! xD) Could've had some more sleep, too.
Deadlift 95x6, 115x5, 135x3, 165x5, 185x3, 205x9 (I wanted 10. I probably coulda done 10, but I dropped the bar from the top and my neck was feeling it and I just didn't have it in me to re-set and push further today), 165x12
OHP 35x5, 45x5, 55x3, 65x5, 72.5x3, 80x7, 65x11
I'm not complaining here!
10 min AMRAP
- Barbell Front Squats x[6-8] @55lbs + 10lbs/rounds (x8 up to 95 where I got 6)
- Plank DB Drag & renegade rows x10/10/10/8
Less rounds than last week (8 less reps on the plank drags & row), but I started heavier on the squats, more tired, and I had to run to the water fountain to drink between rounds because I left my bottle at home. So overall not too bad.
Machine assisted pull-ups & dips: -100lbs x 7(normal)/9, 7(chin-up)/7, 5(parallel grip)/5 and -130lbs x8(wide)/12 + 4 or 5 parallel grip.
Made it a point as usual to really stretch my lats at the bottom, then tuck in the shoulder blades before initiating the pull. And since I'm one of those people that actually pushes with their lats, doing them before the dips meants I really had to dig in to the chest and triceps to finish the dips. Good times 0 -
well, i'm frustrated, but trusting the process, i guess? frustrated because the bum-headache is still happening, but sort-of prepared to still trust because if nothing else i'm growing palpable further mass on the left side.
if this was a cosmetic project and i was a contreras groupie, i guess i'd be thrilled. i'm not feking in this to provide the world with an enhanced bum-staring experience though, so i'm just . . . frustrated and trying to trust that at some point it's all going to come right and make sense.0 -
Ummm forgot to post yesterday, it was was bench-ish day.
Bench day was possible enough trainer got to look at how I was handling the high rep, short rest, tempo, etc.
Bench stayed at 85 for 4 sets, I got 15 on one, but I apparently have been pushing further than I should. I was going to near failure, I’m apparently supposed to be stopping once I can’t keep the same pace without failure. So, once my reps start to grind, supposed to stop.
Incline bench
Skull crushers
Cable flies - definitely tweaked the form there, which dropped the weight.
Rope tricep extensions
Straight leg lifts
That’s as best as I can remember, sorry.
I intended to run today before we got a probable reissued running ban tomorrow. I packed two shirts instead of shirt and pants. And going home and back out seemed like too much obligation. So, I’m lazy.
I’m hoping tomorrow results in something slightly more palpable than “your fine, but don’t run, because running makes you not fine, but you are actually fine” but I am not yet holding my breath.
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hope!!! maybe? well, progress at least. i balanced a three-pound dumbbell on my ankle for doing my hip abductions today . . . and i feel more or less fine.
more or less
sometimes the side-effects take a while to show up, but it does give me hope that all this is having some kind of effect on that injured glute med. so far i'm feeling okay and it was quite a few hours ago. physio guy said to keep progressing until i get myself up to 8 pounds, and that seems like it might be doable.
bridges are still a challenge for me. not that i can't do them, but just the whole re-training thing of using my abs instead of my back. it was even harder at the start when i had injury pain to confuse me even when i was doing it right, but i'm working on it. i tend to throw in a heck of a lot of deadbug time in between sets and even in between reps, just to continue resetting my lower abs. and in the meantime, i also added a 25 plate to this one.
hamstring falls are still a challenge to set up, equipment-wise. but they're still the one that makes me the happiest. and that helps the tendon issue the most. i do them as static holds instead of the full-on fall, because i can't see the point of performing something that happens too fast for me to have any control, when one leg is already so used to copping out and letting the other one dominate. so i just lean out to the furthest point that i can, and then hold for a moment and then come back. i don't know a sensible way of measuring this, but i feel like i've got the basics pretty much down. so think it may be time to start setting explicit count durations and rep-set structure for it. 'progress' in this case is all based on how far out i can lean.
planks still suck. it's not that i can't hold one or that it doesn't get to my abs, it's the kyphosis that's become an obsession of mine. i'm trying to figure out how to straighten that out without for some reason releasing my abs. but, yeah. work in progress for this. weird thing is, side planks are getting to be easier than the frontal ones just for this single reason.
if i had the money (i don't), this might be a time when i would consider paying a very micro-detailed type physio person, to just sit beside me when i struggle with the particular things that are hard, and touch various body locations to help to cue me into a more kosher form.0 -
Deadlift day
Pull-ups - first round was foot in big purple band... apparently those looked good enough we went to black band for the rest of the sets, which weren’t very pretty, but I’m excited about the progress.
“Double d handle” lat pull downs - we couldn’t find the v handle, so we improvised.
Dumbbell row - got directed to use a 40lb, and they went surprisingly ok
Deadlifts@135. Here he was trying to stay light enough to work on the pacing. I didn’t mind because ankle was/is feeling a bit rough today, so stability was questionable.
Bicep curls - these made me wonder if gym I used while traveling even had 45lb bars.... or maybe the pacing got to me, I dunno, these seemed harder than they should have been.
Dumbbell oblique crunches - wrist straps were involved... but SEVENTY pounds... wtf??? Like at some point he’s going to run out of dumbbell, right?
As to the ankle feeling a bit rough. I don’t have much more than I had before... but, I’m thinking it’s headed in the right direction. This one at least put a diagnosis to it. “Peroneal tendinitis” and mentioned the popping seems to be from these angry Peroneal Tendons coming out of their usual resting place and trying to visit parts of the ankle they shouldn’t.
So, I have a doc who at least tried to figure something out, put words to it, and actually scheduled a follow up (last doc I couldn’t hardly get to answer the phone with test results, let alone do a follow up)
I have appointment with a new physical therapist who’s associated with doc, tomorrow, where I imagine I will learn more as to what restrictions I’m under, (guessing running ban isn’t still in place, but who knows)
But, there are words, and if there is words, there is more likely to be a plan/solution, so I’m willing to try playing again.
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