March you going to lift?
hanlonsk
Posts: 762 Member
Nothing major.
Squats, I had 55lbs on the bar from OHP the other day, and I decided it was better than nothing’s. So 5 x 5 @ 55.
Also, I got talked into a yoga class today. I don’t know which part of yoga I’m worse at, the focus, or the flexibility.
Squats, I had 55lbs on the bar from OHP the other day, and I decided it was better than nothing’s. So 5 x 5 @ 55.
Also, I got talked into a yoga class today. I don’t know which part of yoga I’m worse at, the focus, or the flexibility.
0
Replies
-
Did my 5 x 5 x 5 thing again today, at 55 lbs.... yeesh... that’s a lot of 5s. Yes, I did squats yesterday, but this is still light weight, and so, I’m not worried. I also did 5 x 10 on several of these things. Now, the rest of it may be more conversation than actual lifting report... so, please, feel free to ignore it.
In between sets I did a variety of accessories, from ab work, to balance work, to pull-up work, to mobility work (more on that later) to hip thrusts.
Started with Romwod because yoga yesterday taught me I had been neglecting that.
In order, OHP, squats, bench (5 x 10), rows, and deadlifts (5x10 @ 75).
The OHP felt really good, I am really hoping to get to 70lbs before OHP or rows stalls out, if I can manage 5x5 @ 70 for OHP, that will be a PR.
There have been several things that have caught my attention lately. One is when running and squatting (and yesterday’s yoga) I can tell I’ve neglected prehab on my wonky ankle. Thus the balance work.
Also, I had. My random attempt at overhead squats the other day, combined with yesterday’s yoga, and today’s romwod has let me know that my shoulder mobility is worse than usual, and usual is not very flexible at all.
Also, to add to these thoughts bouncing in my head, I had the pleasure last weekend, of watching some of my power lifter friends compete. Before awards, Blaine Sumner (aka the vanilla gorilla) gave a presentation/talk. For those of you following the Arnold, yes the Blaine sumner who benched 1,003 lbs single ply. Apparently he is from my state, who knew. And one of the things I came away with, was he was discussing elbow position on your squats is really important. Your torso will follow the same angle as your elbows. So, if your elbows are wrong, it will cause you to good morning your squat. And, I sat there feeling called out like the man had somehow seen me squat before. So, I went home and played with it, and realized shoulder mobility was limiting my elbow position. In addition to that, I noticed that when I try to sit up straighter in my squat, my upper back and shoulders get tighter.
So, a lot of my mobility today worked on shoulder mobility, particularly in a squat position. So, if you guys want a laugh, go look at my Instagram in a bit. I videoed my attempts at working on staying upright in an overhead squat. Let’s just say my dumb butt may keep making a fool of myself at yoga for my own good.3 -
Sounds like you got some important squat form information @hanlonsk , that's good to see. I hear you on the shoulder mobility issue, got the same thing here. Shoulders are a pain. No laughs here, you're doing what you gotta do.
Wait, Romwod means you put all the SL lifts together in one day?
Workout today - I walked 9 miles yesterday (we got off course and lost track) so I figured go easy on legs. Plus my hamstring is acting up.
OHP 3 x 5 @ 17.5 lb db (better than before!) but the last two sets I could only do 3 reps. Still, progress! Thought I would be stuck on 15 lb db forever. Not bad considering my upper back and shoulders are kind of sore.
Leg press 3 x 10 @ 160 lb the physio claimed it would be easier on my back - it was.0 -
No, all the lifts in one day is because I’m dropping’s back and working on form, and trying to get a bit more accomplished when I actually get off mybutt and workout. It’s what I’m calling my 5x5x5. I can probably only do this another week or two before it gets to be a pain. As even if I’m being optimistic my OHP is going to cap out at 70 lbs.
Romwod.... is www.romwod.com “swole and flexy”. Essentially huge mobility library. 20 ish minute daily mobility work Romwod= range of motion workout of the day.
Today was yoga, because I’m working on weaknesses, and trying to support most anything that passes as fitness in this little town. (I am excluding mountain biking and skiing from my supported activities, because those seem like good ways for me to end up on crutches). I felt every bit of my squats and deadlifts during yoga... but I may have learned some painfully effective IT band and hamstring stretching poses.1 -
Yeah, yoga has some great hip stretches - pigeon pose helps my IT band a lot.
Workout today
DB bench press Warmup 2 x 10 @ 27.5 lb then
2 x 5, 1 x 4 @ 32.5 lb could not do another set, still stalling
1 x 8, 2 x 5 @ 30 lb
Said to heck with it and moved on
Could not get a good feel for one arm rows so did cable rows instead
1 x 5 @ 70 lb, 3 x 5 @ 80 lb very difficult, don't know how much work was back and how much was arms/lats
Goblet squat 1 x 10 @ 32.5 lb, 1 x 10 and 3 x 5 @ 35 lb. easy but being careful - my left hip bothered me earlier. But the squats helped it feel better!
Tricep pulls 3 x 8 @ 20 lb. Tried 1 x 5 @ 25 lb and couldn't do it.0 -
@hanlonsk I enjoyed your posts - and learning about Romwod. I think, like you, that I am having some mobility issues because I'm not giving it enough focus.
Today, I finally actually got to the new gym. It's a pretty no frills but hardcore powerlifting gym. Old school, though this is a new location. The place is great, just about every piece of equipment a lifter could want, plus treadmills and ellipticals. What joy to have six empty squat racks to choose from!!
Today was workout B.
Squats - WU - 45 X 5
Working weight 55 x 5 x 5. Still working back up to moving heavy weight, focusing on form and mechanics. But today's squats felt pretty good. You know, for squats.
OHP - WU - 45 X 5 , then 50 X 5 X 5. I really want to go up on this next time, but I'm still really struggling on the last two sets,so I don't know that I'll feel ready to add weight. Now that I'm at this new gym, I'm going to add in some light accessory work to help with shoulders.
Deadlifts - WU - 95 X 5, Working weight 115 X 5 X5. That's a weight I never thought I'd be able to DL, so that's awesome. This gym has a DL platform, but an awesome badass lady was using it today, so I just pulled from the ground at my squat rack. I may push these (safely) a bit so I can get to 135 more quickly and be able to pull with 45 plates.
I'll be back at new gym Sunday, and I'm looking forward to it. There are six benches, not counting the incline and other variants!!0 -
@hkfleming that sounds really exciting, what a great gym!
I'll be interested to know what accessory work you'll do to help with shoulders.0 -
Today was Romwod (because I haven’t done a darn thing resembling exercise since Monday, and needed something to get moving and bending again.). Followed by 5x5x5 @ 60 lbs (80 for deadlifts for the bumper plates).
Order was deadlifts, rows, bench, OHP, squats.
This felt really good overall. Even the rows, like 60lbs might be approaching a sweet spot for rows, where it is heavy enough I have to engage more of the right muscles, but light enough the lazy muscles can still handle it.
OHP is getting challenging, but I’m still fairly certain the 5x5 @ 65 is doable, and 70lbs is possible. Since I’m no where close to pr weights on anything else, I’m holding out hope for a pr on OHP, soon.1 -
@hanlonsk it's great you're getting a good feel for rows, after all of us griping about them.
Yesterday's workout
DB bench press - warmup 2 x 10 @ 27.5 lb, 2 x 5 @ 32.5 lb and then my chest and arms forgot how. If I don't get everything in EXACTLY the right position, I can't lift the 32.5 pounders at all. Then back to 2 x 5 @ 30 lb. Still stalled.
Seated row 3 x 8 @ 60 lb works my lower back more, weaker than my upper
Seated row reaching higher up so upper back - 5 x 5 @ 70 lb
Close forward grip lat pulldowns 1 x 10 @ 85 lb, 2 x 5 @ 90 lb, 2 x 5 @ 95 lb, 1 x 5 @ 90 lb
Goblet squat 1 x 5 @ 35 lb, 5 x 5 @ 40 lb did bother my back a bit
Stationary bike 20 minutes
DOMS today.0 -
Great workouts, @hanlonsk and @lkpducky !
It's funny @hanlonsk that you mention rows - I did them today with the barbell for only the second time. I used the safety bars in the squat rack to pull from, and that seemed to fix my trouble with them. Before, with no option but to pull the bar from the floor before starting the motion, I just could not find a way to get the bar up that didn't strain my low back (bad and incorrect) and rely too heavily on my hamstrings to stabilize. Between those two things, I couldn't actually perform the lift with any skill or focus on my back.
But not having to try and pull the bar all the way up and THEN get into the bent over position made a big difference for me today. I ended up moving 60lbs, too. I put the bar on the safety bars, picked it up, stepped back to have enough room to perform the motion and then did it. I'm sure I'll tweak this over the coming weeks, but I'm glad I've at least found a starting point, because I was also definitely at the point where trying to progress with just one arm dumbbell rows wasn't going to work.
Squats are still giving me trouble. I just can't seem to find a solid rhythm to them now. I'm still only moving 55lbs, because I want to make sure I'm getting it right. It's like I fixed one issue in my form and now I can't get the whole thing to quite gel. But, I'm going to keep working on it and going slowly. I may add in some work on the leg press to see if I can build up a bit more strength in my glutes that way, as that feels like it might help, too.
Coming back around the OHP and accessory work -today after I finished my three main lifts (bench, squat, row), I did 3 sets each of bicep curls and bent-elbow lateral shoulder raises. I haven't done accessory work in years, but I think they'll help me. On Workout B day, I'll do some tricep work and maybe a few chest flies. It will be interesting to see if the accessory work helps.0 -
@hkfleming Lifting the bar from the safety bars sounds like a much better way to do rows. There are some racks at the gym (really meant for folks doing preacher curls) and I use those for that purpose. No way am I lifting anything like that off the floor (I've been using the fixed barbells).
Today's workout:
PT exercises (all while lying on my back, keeping back straight: sliding heels on the floor back and forth, single leg bridges, cycling) bird dogs, knee planks, then chair squats.
The PT place has dumbbells as well, so I did OHP. FINALLY did 5 x 5 with 17.5 lb dbs! Finally making some sort of shoulder progress! never been able to do 5 x 5 at that weight. I should also do the accessory work you describe.1 -
I forgot to post yesterday -
Squats - 5 X 5 X 45 - decided to drop to just the bar and really work on the motion for a couple of days and see how I feel.
OHP - WU 5 X 45, 5 X50, 5 X 50, 5 X 55, 5 X 55, 5 X 50
DL - WU 5 X 115, Working weight 5 X 125 (!) - Finally starting to have some grip issues, may have to switch to an offset grip soon.
Accessory Work - machine back extensions, dumbbell goblet squats, dumbbell tricep press
Back in tomorrow for Workout A! Hoping to take my bench up.0 -
Sounds like a good day's work @hkfleming !
Forgot to post Thursday's workout.
DB bench press 2 x 10 @ 27.5 lb warmup, 2 x 8 @ 30 lb, tried 32.5 lb and could only manage 3 reps. Guess I tired myself out.
Seated rows (arms straight out) 5 x 5 @ 60 lb
Seated cable rows (arms reaching forward and upwards), 5 x 4 @ 70 lb, tried 80 but could barely do 4 complete motions.
Today's workout:
Then PT exercises (all while lying on my back, keeping back straight: sliding heels on the floor back and forth, marching bridges, cycling) bird dogs, knee planks, then chair squats.
I have been sore since them .Left upper trap in particular. I've had a lot of work to do and my back and neck must have tensed up.1 -
I guess I got behind TWO workouts! Zoinks! lol.
Friday, Workout A - Kept my squat to just the bar for everything. Bench - 5 X 65, Rows - 5X 65. Second time doing those pulling from the safety bars. It's better than pulling from the floor but I'm just still NOT sure about form and movement on it. May see if I can do them on a bench that has chest support instead, or even switch the the row machine.
Today - Workout B -
Squats have been feeling good, so today, I added 10 lbs and did my working weight at 5 X 55. It's annoying to have de-loaded but I think it's going to prove to have made a big difference in my form so it's worth it.
OHP - mixed in a few sets of 55 X 5, but ended up doing my final set at 50, as I found myself struggling a bit. No worries there, I'm happy to sneak those up.
Deadlift - found a pair of bumper plates!!! Ironically, I pulled 135 today, which, if you're mathy, means I could have just put a pair of 45 plates on. BUT. I didn't math it right, so I didn't. BUT BUT - what I did do was load the bar with the bumper plates on the safety bars, then set it on the floor, and loaded it with the 35 plates. I realized, after I felt stupid for a minute for NOT just using 45 plates, that it would be hard to load the bar on the floor with 45s. Far easier to load it with the bumper plates on the rack, put it on the floor and finish loading it, so until I go up enough to do 45 plates AND bumper plates, I'm going to keep using bumper plates. So I was stupid but also accidentally smart? lol. My grip is having a hard time at this weight, though, so I may not be able to go up on weight very fast for the next few weeks, til grip catches up.
The accessory work I started last week really does seem to be helping. I know all the literature says SL doesn't NEED accessory work because it hits everything, and that might be true for some. But for me, adding in some lateral raises, back extensions, goblet squats and bicep curls seems to have helped already.
Sorry for the novel! Hope everyone is doing great this week!
0 -
@hkfleming I'm glad you found those bumper plates, they will be so helpful! I wish my gym had them (what do you expect in a chain gym, sigh). Agree that accessory work is a big help.
I'm going to need accessory work for some lifts - as legs progress on goblet squats, my arms will be the limiting factor. And I think my upper back work helped me progress on OHP. I will have to do shoulder work so I can do back squats without rotator cuff pain.
Yesterday -
Physio exercises - on back - sliding feet together back and forth on the floor, cycling (bending and unbending knees, lower legs parallel with ground), marching while in bridge position (hurt my right hamstring! glutes are weak). Then bird dogs and chair squats.
OHP 5 x 5 @ 17.5 lb db. Attempted to lift the 20 lb dbs and could not lift them more than halfway up.1 -
My back acted up yesterday and this morning (left lower back into the hip) and I think it's because we carried groceries home from a store 0.75 miles away. They weren't that heavy, but they weren't balanced.
This morning's workout:
DB bench press 3 x 8 @ 27.5 lb
Two different seated row machines, one with my arms lower than on the other:
3 x 8 @ 50 lb I seem to have lost strength, I was pulling 60 lb before
3 x 8 @ 50 lb on the other (arms lower, it's supposed to be for lats, rhomboids, rear delts)
Tricep pulldowns 3 x 8 @ 20 lb, 5 x 5 @ 25 lb
Back to DB bench press 2 x 8 @ 30 lb, then failed on the third rep of the third set (not concentrating).
Did not do squats or deadlifts because of my back.
20 minutes stationary bike varying the rpm and resistance.0 -
Yesterday's workout:
Physio exercises (same as before)
OHP DB press with 17.5 lb db 5 x 5
Today's workout
DB bench press 2 x 8 @ 27.5 db, 5 x 6 @ 30 lb db
Seated rows 1` x 8 @ 50 lb, 1 x 4 @ 60 lb, back to 50 lb for 2 x 8 I seem to be losing strength
Lat pulldowns 3 x 8 @ 45 lb per side
Tricep pulldowns 1 x 10 @ 22.5 lb, 3 x 5 @ 24 lb
Stationary bike random hill program 30 minutes0 -
Hello ladies.
Back to Stronglifts after a 3 years/2 kids hiatus. I’m on my 3rd week now, and I’m slowly moving up with the weights because I still feel some hyperlaxity from pregnancy number 2.
Today was workout B.
Warm up: 15 minutes on the elliptical then bodyweight squats and sun salute.
Squat: 1 x 5 45 lbs, 1 x 5 65 lbs, 5 x 5 70 lbs
OHP: 5 x 5 45 lbs
Deadlift: 1 x 5 115 lbs
Various stretch and mobility exercises after that.
I’m looking forward to keep up with you!0 -
Welcome @DaivaSimone hope all goes well! can't comment on the hyperlaxity, maybe someone else here has dealt with that? starting slow sounds good.0
-
Thanks for the warm welcome.
Today was workout A
Warm up: 15 minutes on the elliptical + bodyweight squats and sun salute
Squat: 1 x 5 45 lbs, 1 x 5 65 lbs, 5 x 5 70 lbs
Pendley row: 1 x 5 45 lbs, 1 x 5 55 lbs, 5 x 5 60 lbs
Bench press: 1 x 5 45 lbs, 1 x 5 55 lbs, 5 x 5 60 lbs (should be 62, but I didn’t found any 1 pound plate)
2 x 1 min. Bosu plank, foam roll exercises and some stretching.0 -
Looks good @DaivaSimone !
DB bench press 30 lb 3 x 5 then had to go to 27.5 lb 2 x 8. My get up and go got up and went today.
Lat pulldowns: 1 x 10, 1 x 9, 1 x 8 @ 50 lb per side
Tried to do seated rows and didn't feel up to it.
Stationary bike 30 minutes with intervals (going 8-11 resistance)0 -
Good workout!!
This group is much more quiet than it was 3 years ago. Where is everybody?
Today was workout A.
Warm up: 20 minutes on the elliptical + stretch, body weight squats and sun salute
Squats: 1 x 65 - 65 lbs, 1 x 5 - 85 lbs (oops. i can't count in plates) 5 x 5 - 75 lbs
OHP: 1 x 5 - 25 lbs, 1 x 5 - 35 lbs, 5 x 5 @ 45 lbs
Deadlift: 1 x 5 - 115 lbs
Stretch and foam roll.
I'm starting to feel pain in my right elbow and right knee, where I was previously injured in my first Stronglift round (epicondilitis in the elbow and anserina bursitis in the knee), so I'm gessing that I'm still going too fast with the weight progression. I'll stay with these numbers for the next 2 weeks and I'll ask one of the gym fellaw for a form check. And will eventually deload if needed, because I don't have time to nurse any injury with the baby that wants my arms all the time (and the little girl too, if I want to be honest ). 0 -
Tomorrow starts day 1 of StrongLifts. I’ve done various workouts over the years, but I just want to get back to basics and build my strength. I *hate* “cardio.” I like hiking and walking with the family, when we’re actually GOING somewhere, but plodding along on a treadmill or elliptical makes me feel like rubbing my forehead with a cheese grater.
As a newb, has anyone done StrongLifts with a keto plan? What macros do you recommend?0 -
I have not ever paid attention to macros or carbs while lifting.,,, usually trying to lose via calorie deficit in general... but high carb/protein days seem to improve lifting as well as running.
As a heads up, although “runger” (hunger post run)isn’t usually a thing for me... after a good lifting session,I want ALL the food..... but, my diet is much more forgiving while lifting, and body composition (measurements) is WAY BETTER while lifting
Ps, I was back on the wagon enough I considered making a 2020 March update thread .., but if it is ok with y’all 2019’s thread may work just fine for now!0
