May workout check-in; May your squats be deep and plentiful
Replies
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@rugby85 No I cannot use chalk at my gym
I did do Stronglifts today... Even after fridays Birthday Celebrations.:drinker: (My actual birthday was wednesday). Rested most of the day- did make it to local festival to eat some Cheese curds ::nom nom::
Squats: 95 5x5
OHP: bar 5x5
Deadlifts: 140x4 RECORD BEST...I have been working so hard with this. My grip isnt great....Im forming major callus on palm by my middle finger and Ring finger. I wear gloves...Cant use chalk at my gym- but I think I just have to take it slower and really focus on my grip. Its just such a bummer because even though its tough weight I know I could lift more if I could just get the grip- my hands just start to open as I am lifting... sigh. Either way Felt pretty damn good to lift that bar 4x even if it wasnt the full 5!!0 -
@katterin227
Dont worry about being intimidated. Sounds like you had psyched yourself out before you started. My first experience working out at the gym doing stronglifts was hilarious to look back on... but I'm glad I started.
Welcome to the group- Keep up the hard work.0 -
@rugby85 No I cannot use chalk at my gym
I did do Stronglifts today... Even after fridays Birthday Celebrations.:drinker: (My actual birthday was wednesday). Rested most of the day- did make it to local festival to eat some Cheese curds ::nom nom::
Squats: 95 5x5
OHP: bar 5x5
Deadlifts: 140x4 RECORD BEST...I have been working so hard with this. My grip isnt great....Im forming major callus on palm by my middle finger and Ring finger. I wear gloves...Cant use chalk at my gym- but I think I just have to take it slower and really focus on my grip. Its just such a bummer because even though its tough weight I know I could lift more if I could just get the grip- my hands just start to open as I am lifting... sigh. Either way Felt pretty damn good to lift that bar 4x even if it wasnt the full 5!!
Cheese curds? Where are you from? Land of the poutine? (I merely ask because that's where I'm from! lol)
Also, if your gym doesn't allow chalk, Liquid Grip is actually pretty good. It's like a lotion and it dries on your hands and prevents your palms from getting all sweaty and slippery. And it doesn't leave a mess so that's a huge plus!0 -
Yay, my first post to the workout thread! :drinker:
I have not exercised in over a month, so everything needs to get lubed, stretched, tightened, etc. before I can really 'work' hard.
I did program #1, as designed by my trainer. I am focused on cutting fat/losing weight, so my programming is geared toward burning calories while maintaining muscle/strength.
Mobility work
1. Barbell squats supersetted with barbell bench press, 3X5
2. Circuit of dumbbell swings, dumbbell push presses, cable pulldowns, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, cable crunches. Three sets with reps ranging from 10-15.
Foam Roll
Stretch
My trainer gives me lots of finer details about tempo, rests, etc. but that's the gist of it.
During the squats and bench press I could really feel how out of it I am. I had to go very light on the weight -- 85 for squats and 60 for bench -- to let all the bits and pieces have time to remember what they are supposed to be doing. :happy:0 -
@BikerGirl That circuit must make a lot of people hate you for hogging all that equipment, no? That's the thing I really hate from circuit training, sometimes you need all the equipment and people are like hovering your spot and glancing at the stuff you're using and you have to be like "I have one more round to go then you can have it all, kay?" Even with my current program, some of the circuits I'm like "hmm, that would require 3 different barbells, not gonna work..."
Today was clean accessory and OHP day.
Clean pulls 95x5, 95x5, 100x5, 105x5 I coulda gone heavier, but wanted to make sure I had the form down pat because the eccentric on this thing is killer if you,re not tight.
OHP 65x5, 75x2x3 and I went sideways from the program and added fractionals on the last set to make it 77.5x3 because 75 felt kinda light. Hee!
Superset with assisted pull-ups (-80lbs) submax - and on the last set I added a 120 assist drop set
The WOD was a 12 min AMRAP of
- 1 Power clean @ 80lbs
- 2 muscle ups (I did recline rows + ring dips with feet on a box)
- 3 burpee over barbell
- 4 bw squats
I managed 2 squats short of 10 rounds but finished it up because some bozos decided to get in my face in the early rounds while I was doing my burpees and slowed me down
I then wanted to test out my bench a bit even though I was already pretty fatigued and managed a fairly solid 110x6. Didn't wanna push to failure on a lift that's not in the program though so I kept it at that. I'll work more on it in my deload week
Got a 2 mile run planned for some time later today. Weather is nice out. I just need to be smart about what I eat today (she says thinking about getting a spicy fried chicken burger and sweet potato fries at A&W in the near future >_>)0 -
Forgot to post my workout Thursday, which was Week 2, Day 3 5x5 + warm-up sets w/lower weight
Squats @70 lbs.
OHP @50 lbs.
Deadlifts @70 lbs.
Yesterday was a 60 minute Body Pump class (low weight high rep)
Squats @50 lbs.
Chest Press @30 lbs.
Romanian Deadlifts and Barbell Rows and Cling and Presses @30 lbs.
Tricep pushups, tricep dips and overhead tricep work @10 lbs.
Bicep curls @15 lbs.
Lunges
OHP + other shoulder work @15 lbs.
Abdominal Work
Around 800 reps including the warm-up track
Going to the gym later today for Week 3 Day 1 SL 5x5. 0 -
Quick post and run:
Today was super duper nice!
Squats - 175 5x5
Bench Press - 95 1x5 then 6x4 (I couldn't keep doing 5 reps, so I went for lower reps per set, but still shot for ~25 total reps)
Accessory work:
Lying Tricep Ext - 40x3x10
DB Bicep Curl - 20x3x10
Cable Crunch - 50x3x10
Back Hyperextensions, weighted - 25x3x10
I feel so strong and happy with today's workout.
The boy came to they gym with me. He's getting solid on his squats and is ROCKING his deadlifts -- he loves 'em. Always a pleasure to workout with my kiddo.0 -
Wow I am gone for a weekend and there is 3 new pages! Great job ladies, you really keep me going.
I was out camping this weekend; managed to go for a run but I had planned on doing 2. I decided running can wait till we get home but we only go out camping near trails 4 or 5 times a year. And it rained so everything was nice and muddy (great for the bikes not for running). I notice that I am so much stronger. Handling my bike is leagues easier, even just getting it on to the back of the truck is easier.
Any way I ate a lot (blew my deficit for the week), had a lot of fun and then came home ate some pizza and wings and smashed it on workout A. It was great, I had so much energy, and it was just generally awesome
Squat 3x5 155 lbs I figured I was nicely fuelled and my 150 lbs block was all in my head. I was right, 155 lbs was heavy but totally do-able.
Bench 3x5 85 lbs it was either get it this workout or deload and the last rep was motivated by not wanting to having to do the roll of shame
Row 5/4/4 77 lbs
Accessories
front raises 3x8 30 lbs
flies 3x8 15lbs
DB one arm rows 3x8 25 lbs0 -
Thought I would chime in with my first post - yay!
Started SL last week, had done most of the lifts previously (except OHP and row) so felt alright with most of it. Obviously still in the low weight range but started a bit higher than recommended with some lifts because I had been doing them consistently before.
Just finding it a bit tough to hit parallel on my squats. I feel like I am just about there. I have quite wide hips so I widened my stance a bit and it feels like I'm even closer - any tips for getting that last little bit deeper?0 -
Experiment a bit with your stance and feet angle. There was an awesome article here about it but I can't find it... Can anyone help? It was really helpful for me.Just finding it a bit tough to hit parallel on my squats. I feel like I am just about there. I have quite wide hips so I widened my stance a bit and it feels like I'm even closer - any tips for getting that last little bit deeper? (title was something like "why different bodytypes should squat differently, google's not helping me)
Anyway, welcome!
Today's workout:
Squat 72.5kg 5x5
Bench 42.5kg 4x5 nicely done without a spotter. I tried 45kg with a spotter and did 5 reps with some help from him. I may try 45kg next time. Working on leg and core drive is helping a lot.
Pendlay row 40kg 5x5 back to where I was before deloading, I don't seem to progress much with these. I need to work on my upper back
Upright barbell row 30kg 3x8
Dumbbell side lateral raise 5kg 3x8
Converging chest press 27.3 kg 8+6 then 25kg 1x7. I wanted to do 25kg from the start but after the first two sets I realized I hadn't removed the 2.3kg fractional plate from the machine, lol
Plank 55+350 -
@BikerGirl That circuit must make a lot of people hate you for hogging all that equipment, no? That's the thing I really hate from circuit training, sometimes you need all the equipment and people are like hovering your spot and glancing at the stuff you're using and you have to be like "I have one more round to go then you can have it all, kay?" Even with my current program, some of the circuits I'm like "hmm, that would require 3 different barbells, not gonna work..."
By temperment I am not a speed demon, so even when I'm doing circuits I do them relatively slowly and deliberately. I don't even really worry about taking a few seconds in between sets, so I put the dumbbells back and I don't try to reserve the machines. I also try to do circuits when it isn't a peak time. Like 5:00 on a Sunday morning :laugh:
If I am just supersetting I do try to hog my equipment, though. And yeah, I guess maybe sometime people might get mad or something. But my philosophy is that I paid for use of the equipment, I got there first, and it's my workout to do as I wish. And I'm happy to share if you ask, so no big deal. I also don't get upset if someone else is using something that I need -- it's just not that big of a deal to me. ::shrugs::
Experiment a bit with your stance and feet angle. There was an awesome article here about it but I can't find it... Can anyone help? It was really helpful for me.Just finding it a bit tough to hit parallel on my squats. I feel like I am just about there. I have quite wide hips so I widened my stance a bit and it feels like I'm even closer - any tips for getting that last little bit deeper? (title was something like "why different bodytypes should squat differently, google's not helping me)
Anyway, welcome!
Yes, exactly, keep experimenting with foot positions, and don't settle for less than parallel either. I have boogered knees and it took me a while to find what stance would work for me, but once I did find it, squatting helped my knees sooo much.0 -
Experiment a bit with your stance and feet angle. There was an awesome article here about it but I can't find it... Can anyone help? It was really helpful for me.Just finding it a bit tough to hit parallel on my squats. I feel like I am just about there. I have quite wide hips so I widened my stance a bit and it feels like I'm even closer - any tips for getting that last little bit deeper? (title was something like "why different bodytypes should squat differently, google's not helping me)
Anyway, welcome!
Yes, exactly, keep experimenting with foot positions, and don't settle for less than parallel either. I have boogered knees and it took me a while to find what stance would work for me, but once I did find it, squatting helped my knees sooo much.
Thanks for the advice. I've read the article you're referring to, it's actually the reason I went a bit wider!
Will keep experimenting. Actually deloaded tonight to 40kg to work on hitting parallel, had a bit more success than usual - determined to get it down!0 -
I completely forgot I had dinner plans this evening so I won't have time to hit the gym after work. I will, however, have plenty of time to do some barbell work AT HOME, shower and be at dinner on time. I really enjoy being able to say that I can do some lifting at home! If all goes to plan, and husband builds my power rack in mid-June like he wants to, then I can cancel my YMCA membership at the end of June. So excited - that will be $51/month that I will have back! 0
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Workout B for me today.
Squats 2x5@bar, 1x5@65 working weight @110 5,5,3,3,3. Just found it too heavy today, had to modify my stance to go lower.
OHP 1@bar 5x5@ 60. I will stay here because I bounced my knees without realizing it on the last 2 sets
Dead lift 1x5@145
Have a great day!0 -
@rugby85 No I cannot use chalk at my gym
I did do Stronglifts today... Even after fridays Birthday Celebrations.:drinker: (My actual birthday was wednesday). Rested most of the day- did make it to local festival to eat some Cheese curds ::nom nom::
Squats: 95 5x5
OHP: bar 5x5
Deadlifts: 140x4 RECORD BEST...I have been working so hard with this. My grip isnt great....Im forming major callus on palm by my middle finger and Ring finger. I wear gloves...Cant use chalk at my gym- but I think I just have to take it slower and really focus on my grip. Its just such a bummer because even though its tough weight I know I could lift more if I could just get the grip- my hands just start to open as I am lifting... sigh. Either way Felt pretty damn good to lift that bar 4x even if it wasnt the full 5!!
Cheese curds? Where are you from? Land of the poutine? (I merely ask because that's where I'm from! lol)
Also, if your gym doesn't allow chalk, Liquid Grip is actually pretty good. It's like a lotion and it dries on your hands and prevents your palms from getting all sweaty and slippery. And it doesn't leave a mess so that's a huge plus!
I AM FROM WISCONSIN!!! Land of Cheeseheads! Fat fried in fat....its delicous0 -
I did Workout A today....
Started with bench this time, hoping I would be able to get my 75 lbs completed this time, and it worked! I think the heavier squats were making my arms tired and it was harder to do the bench at higher weight.
Bench 5x5 75 lbs
Squats second, I deloaded a bit because I seem to have tweaked a muscle in my neck/shoulder area and the 135 lb squats seemed to make it worse.
Squats 5x5 115 lbs
Barbell row, also deloaded a bit due to the muscle soreness.
Row, 5x5 75 lbs
Then I did about an hour of cardio to round out the morning.0 -
Hey ladies it's Monday and a holiday here so I get my workout in earlier today...and I have company.
My sister is coming by to see what I do as she is considering starting...
Workout B for me today...still going to do 3x5 esp today with the company. I will stick with 3x5 over the summer as I get my bike tomorrow Yah, considering starting HIIT sprints....eek and still do HIIT circuts and walking and swimming...so I need all the time I can spare.
Squats warmup 1x5@ bar, 2x5@65, 2x5@85 working weight @ 150 for form 3x5 on those
OHP warmup 1x5@bar, 2x5@35, 1x5@ 45 working weight @ 90lbs 4,5,4...not complaining at all tho..made my May goal
DL warmup 1x3@70, 1x3@ 120 working weight @ 190 again for form. 1x5 on those form on rep 3 was iffy...just need to concentrate.0 -
Hey all! Yesterday was my workout day and I did-
Squats - WU 2x5 @ 45, 2x5 @ 75, 5x5 @ 95. Wednesday is the next day and I will be squatting 100 so excited!!!!!
Bench Press - WU 2x5 @ 45, 5x5 @ 65
Rows - WU - 2x5 @ 45, 5x5 @ 70
I hate rows. I just really really hate them.
Hope everyone had a great weekend and good week!0 -
Today was Strong Curves A -
Superset 1:
Barbell Glute Bridges 3x20 @ 85 lbs
Single-arm bent over DB rows 3x8 (each) @ 50 lbs - was very close to missing the last few reps. I may up to 55 lbs and just try to add reps up to the 8 from there
Superset 2:
Box squats 3x5 @ 115 lbs
incline DB bench press 3x8 @ 35 lbs
American Deadlifts 3x5 @ 135 lbs
Cable standing abduction 1x20 @ 15 lbs - this one kills me every time
RKC plank 60 seconds
Side plank 60 seconds each side
Boxing tonight!0 -
I could use some advice on the dreaded BB row. I had spine surgery last year and I have a healthy fear of injury. I know you're supposed to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top. When I lift the bar I can bring it to my chest but I don't have any more room to squeeze. Hope that makes sense. Anyway- I don't know how much weight I'll be able to lift due to the back thing- currently at 55 lbs. What would be a good replacement for the BB row? If I change to single arm DB row, will it have the same affect?0
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Workout A
Squats: 2x5x45, 1x5x95, 1x5x125, 5x5x155
Bench: 2x5x45, 1x5x65, 5x5x80
Bent Over Row: 2x5x45, 5x5x76
Chin up: 3x8x-54
Hanging leg raise: 3x8. ( moved to the hanging straps instead of the captain's chair and WOW did I feel this in my upper abdomen (right below my rib cage). I hope I was doing them right! They sure hurt a LOT more.
@didoddy: I will wait for more informed comment on what you should do, but I am a big believer in taking it EASY and not risking re-injury. So even if another row exercise isn't as "effective" as the row you're doing now, so be it.0 -
Did Workout B Saturday:
Squat 5x5 65 lbs
OHP 5x5 45 bs - last time I thought 40lbs was too easy and I could definitely blow through 45? HAHAHA no. Really struggled on the last two sets, but I made it!
Deadlift: 1x3 105 lbs. Hit failure on this one.
I moved my workout up to today since I'm working mornings TTS this week and I don't trust myself to work out after I get home.
Squat: 5x5 70 lbs. Struggled here. I'm going to stay at 70 or maybe deload next time to work on form; my lower back felt like it was collapsing a bit on the last set.
Bench: 5x5 60 lbs
Row: 3x4 then 2x5 at 60 lbs. Couldn't quite get the bar all the way up to my chest on the first 3 sets.0 -
So, the hotel I stayed at turned out to have a full-blown gym, including weight machines and aerobic machines (although the elliptical and recumbent ellipticals they had were really good, and they had some exercise bikes and treadmills), and free weights...they had a great squat rack.
So, was exhausted Friday night husband snored a lot and kept me up, and Saturday night we partied too heartily, but I was done lifting for the week anyway. I did some cardio Sunday night and this morning I was at the gym at 7 a.m. when it opened and did my whole routine.
This am did routine B because I went for Bench Presses as they had a great setup for that and I thought maybe I could lift more, and I did, 5x5 - 60 lbs.
Squats I did 5 x 5 - 80 lbs.
Deadlifts I did 5 x 5 - 80 lbs.
I also did 5 x 5 of triceps pulldown. In warmups I was like, eh 50 is easy, 80 is easy, so I did 5 x 5 of 100 lbs. (but I feel it now).
After that I did 100 situps on the situp bench just for the heck of it.
Then I did the elliptical trainer but I set it to interval and did that for 30 minutes.
I loved their equipment and they were not crowded except for the classes they had like stability ball class. If I had a gym like that near me, I would totally join it. All the ones near me are constantly crowded, and I really hate that so I work out at home.0 -
So, the hotel I stayed at turned out to have a full-blown gym, including weight machines and aerobic machines (although the elliptical and recumbent ellipticals they had were really good, and they had some exercise bikes and treadmills), and free weights...they had a great squat rack.
Fancy! I am jelly... all the hotels I ever stay at always have crap fitness rooms.0 -
First time doing workout B today! Squats were great - repeated with the empty bar since I struggled a bit the last time. There was another girl using the next station over who suggested I raise the pegs holding the bar so that I could have an easier time getting into the starting position, and that helped.
Overhead press was a bit tougher since it was the first time doing the movement, but I got my reps. First time deadlifting, too - that 95 pound starting weight per the app seemed like a lot compared to the empty bar for the other exercises and 65 for rows, but it worked.
Anyone have any tips for keeping the bar level when raising it for the bench or OH press? I seem to tip it one way or the other a bit most of the time.
Also, not directly related to my workout, but my daughter did much better in the childcare today, which bodes well for my continued ability to come to the gym.0 -
WOrkout A today
Squats 5x5 @100lbs
BBRow 5x5 65 lbs DELOAD
Bench 5x5 60 lbs
Felt really strong on BBRows. Squats were tough may stick with 100 lbs next workout...Idk. It may have been because I got a 3 mile run in before SL? Idk. Ill keep ya posted. Pretty proud of todays workout. Went alone. Bench always freaks me out a bit doing it alone. Almost got a full Push up today....almost.
:ohwell:0 -
Got my Week 3 Day 1 workout done yesterday.
Squats @75
Bench @60
Rows @60
And I seem to have gotten a stomach flu bug. I threw up around 1 a.m. this morning after son threw up at 7 a.m. yesterday morning. I have been weak and achy all day. I don't know if I'll be able to do my Day 2 workout tomorrow. :sad:0 -
I had the same problem when I first started. We all have some degree of natural imbalance, I think. If you have to pick up something heavy outside the gym, you tend to pick it up with your dominant hand. Weight training should make the problem fix itself after a while... Consider your weaker arm as your limiting factor and add weight to the bar when you can lift it evenly. The weaker side will catch upAnyone have any tips for keeping the bar level when raising it for the bench or OH press? I seem to tip it one way or the other a bit most of the time.
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@perseverance that's nice! best hotel gym I've ever seen at least had 2 of those cable machines where you could move them to hit different muscles.
@katterin yeah its a natural imbalance. I find I have to focus on keeping the bar level and evenly pushing.
So Time Warner sucks and we still have no internet since Friday (pretty sure the modem isn't working) so here's last night's workout:
Squats: 135lbs 3x5. Was here last fall then took a break due to work and haven't gotten here again till now so yay!
OHP: dropped to 55lbs to work on form now that I think I have a better idea of it.
Deadlifts: 165lbs 1x5. Broke through! Could barely get it off the ground last month, deloaded to 135 and now I'm happy I broke through. Although it could very well have been ALL the food i ate (and drank) over the weekend. :drinker: :blushing: 170lbs is roughly bodyweight so I hope I can get it on Friday!0
