Stage 1
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7A is in the books. I'm a bad girl, I'm breaking the rules the last two workouts. I do squats and deadlifts on both workouts. :bigsmile:
Squat was comfortable at 85lbs, will have to go up next time, so excited about that.
Deadlift, now apparently I wasn't doing them properly, I wasn't pulling up the bar against my leg the whole way. Today I did them properly and ouchy shins! I was good at 95 lbs so going to try breaking 100 next time.
Seated row is now up to 80
Pushups are on the floor as always
Step ups, used a step stool this time instead of the bench and it helped me hit the target muscles much better. I think the bench was just too high for my frame.
Jackknives: I did pikes today! Got all 15 on set one, but only 9 and 8 on set 2 and 3 respectively. I think my muscles were completely done by then. Am I weird that I feel the jackknives and pikes more in my hips than in my abs?
I left feeling exhausted, it was great. I'm on schedule to complete Stage 1 on friday (super exciting), so I have to start researching all the exercises for Stage 2 this week as well in order to prep.0 -
I forgot to add, I've made enormous progress in the last week on my lifts, and I think that is due to changing my shoes. I was wearing regular cross trainers but read on Mark Rippletoe's Starting Strength website that he discourages them. Reason being that any shoe with a gel, foam, air etc heel absorbs a great deal of the power you would be pushing into the floor for your lifts. One of the shoes he recommended were cheap Converse Chuck Taylors, they have no padding etc in the heel, just a flat shoe. I got a pair and tried it out. What a difference in my ability to lift. I was truly shocked.0
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Just as a general question, what amount of weights did everyone start out with?
i just did 4B and my weights were:
Squats 45 lbs
Seated row 75 lbs
Step up 20 lbs each hand
Deadlift 65 lbs
Shoulder Press 12.5 lbs
Lat Pulldown 75 lbs
Lunge 22.5 lbs each hand
jacknife: shooting for 3 sets of 20
swiss ball: 3 sets of 25 with a 20lb dumbell at my forehead.0 -
oh and pushups. i'm averaging sets of 10-8-7 using the squat bar at its lowest setting. they're my achilles heel.0
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watched some youtube vids by mark rippetoe on squat form. i think my squat form at first was looking too much like my deadlift. i think ive got them straight.
today i took a little wider stance and NO KNEE PAIN. i definitely need to work on flexibility in my ankle joint in order to get deeper squats.
and i did the pike variation for the jackknives. those are EVIL :noway: but i'm finally feeling like that exercise is challenging enough for me. if i ever decided to torture people for a living, jacknife pikey thingies would be in my bag of baddies0 -
and i did the pike variation for the jackknives. those are EVIL :noway: but i'm finally feeling like that exercise is challenging enough for me. if i ever decided to torture people for a living, jacknife pikey thingies would be in my bag of baddies
ROFL!! Exactly what I was saying! And I did those by accident, and thought the whole time that I was some kind of weenie cause I couldn't do the full set.0 -
i give you ladies a lot of credit for tackling the pikes! i'm scared to death i'm going to fall on my head just doing the jacknives lol. maybe once i have more strength i'll feel better about it
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So I did the 3rd workout today, but didn't have a stability ball for the first workout. Those jackknives are insane! They look so easy in the pictures!0
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I did my first workout this morning (stage 1 workout A) and quite enjoyed it. I have already been doing some of these moves the last month with my PT but this is my first time doing squats with the bar. I added some interval cardio at the end because I have already been doing that also, just did 20 minutes. I'm going to complete stage 1 then meet with my trainer for a body fat test.0
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So I did the 3rd workout today, but didn't have a stability ball for the first workout. Those jackknives are insane! They look so easy in the pictures!
Yeah, you just haven't lived until you've done a face-plant off the ball for the amusement of your husband and sons! Hehe!
Way to stick with it!0 -
TOTALLY laughed out loud with that one (he he he)So I did the 3rd workout today, but didn't have a stability ball for the first workout. Those jackknives are insane! They look so easy in the pictures!
Yeah, you just haven't lived until you've done a face-plant off the ball for the amusement of your husband and sons! Hehe!
Way to stick with it!0 -
and i did the pike variation for the jackknives. those are EVIL :noway: but i'm finally feeling like that exercise is challenging enough for me. if i ever decided to torture people for a living, jacknife pikey thingies would be in my bag of baddies
ROFL!! Exactly what I was saying! And I did those by accident, and thought the whole time that I was some kind of weenie cause I couldn't do the full set.
:laugh:
yesterday i was switching off using the step with a guy who was doing bulgarian split lunges. so i'd do my step ups while he rested and he'd do his lunges while i rested and did the pikes. when it was time to do my last set of jackknifes, he was like " you look soooo pissed off right now" :laugh: i was like yeah i really am pissed off about doing these jackknifes. .. i never wanted to deflate an exercise ball with a sharp object as much as i did on those last set of jackknife.0 -
Phew! Just done Stage 1, Workout 5 B, and starting to feel pretty challenged. I'm sure that I seem like a weakling compared to some of you, but here's what I managed this evening. Have converted to pounds from kilos:
Deadlift - 85lbs (10,10,10)
Dumbbell shoulder press - 19.2lbs (10,10, 7)
WGL pulldown adapted to pullover - 13.7lbs (10,10,10)
Lunge - 19.2lbs (10,10,10)
SB Crunch + 11lbs held behind head (12,12,12)
Off for my protein shake now!0 -
So I did the 3rd workout today, but didn't have a stability ball for the first workout. Those jackknives are insane! They look so easy in the pictures!
Yeah, you just haven't lived until you've done a face-plant off the ball for the amusement of your husband and sons! Hehe!
Way to stick with it!
Haha... I totally LOLd at this. Thankfully I do my workouts in the morning when no one is up!0 -
Phew! Just done Stage 1, Workout 5 B, and starting to feel pretty challenged. I'm sure that I seem like a weakling compared to some of you, but here's what I managed this evening. Have converted to pounds from kilos:
Deadlift - 85lbs (10,10,10)
Dumbbell shoulder press - 19.2lbs (10,10, 7)
WGL pulldown adapted to pullover - 13.7lbs (10,10,10)
Lunge - 19.2lbs (10,10,10)
SB Crunch + 11lbs held behind head (12,12,12)
Off for my protein shake now!
Those are great stats!0 -
7B done:
Deadlift: 105 lbs (I'm so excited that I broke 100)
Dumbell Shoulder Press: 20 lb dumbells
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 70 lbs (this is an increase)
Lunge: 25 lb dumbells as low as I could go.
Prone Pike: (I'm subbing these for the crunches) Three sets getting as high as I could, up on my tippy toes on the ball and holding for 2 sec each rep. I could only eke out 8 reps per set doing this.0 -
7B done:
Deadlift: 105 lbs (I'm so excited that I broke 100)
Dumbell Shoulder Press: 20 lb dumbells
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 70 lbs (this is an increase)
Lunge: 25 lb dumbells as low as I could go.
Prone Pike: (I'm subbing these for the crunches) Three sets getting as high as I could, up on my tippy toes on the ball and holding for 2 sec each rep. I could only eke out 8 reps per set doing this.
Good progress!!0 -
I have a question about sets. I just finished 5A, and I see I'm supposed to be doing 3 sets of every exercise now. I was actually doing 3 for workouts 1-4 because I thought I'd read in the book that 3 was ok, but really what he wrote was to add a 3rd week to each week. Anyway... if I start a set at a certain weight, say 70lbs, but know my form is slipping towards the end, should I lower the weight for the 2nd and 3rd sets, or do as much as I can on the 70lbs? Also, should I aim to be increasing the weight each set, or keeping it the same for all 3?
thanks as always 0 -
wendy - if you can do 70 lbs, do it....and if you have to drop the weight down in the middle of a set, that's okay.
And, *if* you can INCREASE the weight, between sets, do that.0 -
thanks beeps!!0
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I'm feeling sleepy! Anyone else noticed that they need more sleep since starting this?
I'd been wondering for a while about my general fatigue levels, then it suddenly clicked with me that it might be to do with the lifting. I've been getting by on about 6 hours a night for a couple of years, and waking feeling refreshed. But now 6 hours 30 minutes or even 7 hours just isn't enough. Trouble is, it's difficult to find the extra time in the day to allow myself to go to bed earlier. Could cut down on MFP time, but that would be awful!0 -
MissMaggie- I've been noticing this as well, and I'm only in my second week! I have definitely been feeling the exhaustion level go up. I feel like I have no energy in the evening :-( Wondering if I need to consume more calories and/or cut back on the cardio a bit?
I went for a run yesterday evening because it was such a beautiful day. Feeling now like this might have been a mistake. I literally hurt everywhere and today is supposed to be a lifting day. I can barely raise my arms above my head or walk up the stairs, much less do 25 min of heavy lifting. UGGHH! So mad at myself right now :-(0 -
Yes, I get very sleepy :yawn: but I wake up early and full of energy so I figure it can't be such a bad thing.
As for falling of the stability ball - oh yeah. In the gym. We all just pretended nothing happened and I went on with my routine. It gave me the giggles though, which made it a bit hard to hold the form. :laugh: Next time round I found a smaller ball.0 -
For those who asked about the seated row attachment I use something similar to this. It's not a triangle though but a diamond. (can't find pictures)
Yeah, you just haven't lived until you've done a face-plant off the ball for the amusement of your husband and sons! Hehe!
I did it at the gym!
I think it might be time to find my lifting gloves. I'm squatting, deadlifting and wide grip laing 40kg and my grip is really starting to struggle. I won some from a gym YEARS ago so might try them for workout 6 and see how I go. Plus the callouses!
I'm also not sure what to do about my cardio. I'm REALLY struggling with my C25K run afterwards (week 4 so running for 3 min/walk 1.5m/run 5m/walk 2.5m then repeat) I can only get through half of that, so with warm up and warm down it's around 23-25 minutes. So 30 minutes cardio whenever I'm at the gym. But the gym is too far to do it on my non lifting days.0 -
The fatigue is from muscle recovery (ie: growth adaptations). Your body is sending more resources to muscles and needs to curtail other systems a bit to do that, so your body's overall response is going to be to want to rest. I can tell you that I lift better when I've had some extra sleep, vs pushing through when I've let circumstances rob me of my ZZZ's.
This is one of the reasons, IMHO, that Lou Schuler discourages lots of cardio in addition to the program; you are diverting precious energy to building stamina rather than muscle. He says if the body has to choose between endurance and strength, it will almost always choose endurance. If you are fueling cardiovascular growth at the same time as you are trying to encourage muscle growth, there just isn't going to be enough to go around.0 -
Good morning everyone!
I just did Workout B for the third time yesterday (so workout 6 overall) for Phase 1. I haven't really lost any weight since I started, my weekends have been so crazy that it's hard to eat healthy and I end up with a jump on the scale every Monday. I took measurements when I started so maybe those numbers will have changed by the end of Phase 1.
I've managed to increase my weights on pretty much every exercise now that I'm doing only 12 reps per exercise. I forced myself to try the pushups on the floor and I was shocked that I did all 12 without stopping! I'm stronger than I thought, haha. I've also gotten pretty used to the weights (aka the guy) side of the gym. They don't look at me as funny when I'm lugging 60 lb barbells around anymore.
The one exercise I'm having issues with is my deadlift. I'm not sure if I'm using the right form. I can only seem to manage to do 60 lbs total (I'm also not using the olympic barbell, we have shorter ones that have set weights from 20 lbs up to 110 lbs in 10 lb increments). Am I supposed to bend my knees when I lower the weight? And if so, how much? I think I'm doing too much because I'm practically doing a squat with the barbell and lowering it closer to the floor. I'm not sure if that's right... And it's an overhand grip, right?
I'm excited that I'm just about halfway through. I'll be completing up through workout 8 of 16 by the end of this week. Then it's onto 3 sets of 10! At least that will make the workout longer. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I finish it in around 20 minutes. It seems so short to me! I usually add a few easier cardio/strength exercises at the end to get my heartrate up a bit.0 -
I'm also not sure what to do about my cardio. I'm REALLY struggling with my C25K run afterwards (week 4 so running for 3 min/walk 1.5m/run 5m/walk 2.5m then repeat) I can only get through half of that, so with warm up and warm down it's around 23-25 minutes. So 30 minutes cardio whenever I'm at the gym. But the gym is too far to do it on my non lifting days.
I've been doing some lighter cardio to warm up (15 minutes on the Stairmaster or something) and then some lighter cardio again to cool down for about 10 minutes. But I can't manage to run on my weight days, it's too much. Sometimes I'll warmup with a short 10 minute run on the treadmill. I've been using a 4 day in the gym (I tend to lift M, W, and F) to run intervals like C25K. Like jerrettd said, the book doesn't recommended heavy cardio at the same time as lifting. The weather is getting nicer, is there any way you could do C25K outside on the days you can't make it to the gym?0 -
I'm in Australia so it's the opposite for me ;-p
Not sure wether to do two or three sets this week. My third set would be Sat and on Sunday I'm moving myself.0 -
i just did workout 1b yesterday and i was worried about my deadlift form as well. it felt like a squat more than anything. i watched some youtube clips of people doing deadlifts and i think i need to get closer to the bar, like with my feet under it and push through my heels more. otherwise i think i did ok!0
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Thanks for this! I think I feel like I need to add the cardio in since the workouts seem to be so short. What is your recommendation (or anyone else's- lol)? I've currently been doing Stage 1 3x week, then doing cardio (usually a 20 min HIIT workout or running) 2x week. BUT, I also incorporate HIIT as a warm-up and cooldown on my lifting days (usually 20 min total).The fatigue is from muscle recovery (ie: growth adaptations). Your body is sending more resources to muscles and needs to curtail other systems a bit to do that, so your body's overall response is going to be to want to rest. I can tell you that I lift better when I've had some extra sleep, vs pushing through when I've let circumstances rob me of my ZZZ's.
This is one of the reasons, IMHO, that Lou Schuler discourages lots of cardio in addition to the program; you are diverting precious energy to building stamina rather than muscle. He says if the body has to choose between endurance and strength, it will almost always choose endurance. If you are fueling cardiovascular growth at the same time as you are trying to encourage muscle growth, there just isn't going to be enough to go around.
I think once I get past Stage 1 and the workouts get longer, I won't feel so guilty about cutting out the other stuff?
I really do want to build the muscle, and I definitely do not want to sabotage that! Another thing I'm concerned with is my calorie consumption. I'm currently at 1480 cals (for a 0.5 lb loss/week), and normally eat about 1800 cals on workout days. I also have one spike day/week where I do not track any calories whatsoever and pretty much eat whatever I want. Any advice on this anyone?0
