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The deadlift should feel very much like a squat. It IS NOT a back exercise. Have someone watch your form to make sure you aren't rounding your back. I only feel mine in my back when I pop my hips forward at the top, to get maximum glute action. Is that when you feel it?
Oh Jarrettd I'm confused now, everything i've read / watched tells me the DL IS a back exercise. (eg: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/clean-style-deadlift-technique.html, and the NR book). I know it does the glutes/hammys like the squats, but also the upper/lower back, in fact most of the body, or am I doing it wrong? Well done on your gains, hope i'm still doing that well when i get to stage 4. I'm just finishing stage 1!!
It is a compound exercise, you are recruiting upper body and back muscles but this should primarily hit your lower half. Some soreness in your back/ arms may be normal but if you are feeling the after-workout soreness primarily in your lower back (as opposed to your glutes/legs) your form may be off. You may be rounding your back or trying to lift the bar too far out away from your body. Eyes should be straight ahead, back straight, drive up with your legs/glutes keeping tension in your upper body. You're using your upper body to hold the weight but your lower body should be driving it.
Thanks, Jamk...that's kinda what I was getting at. Good explanation!
@Barefoot and Maggie: you girls make me feel....large. I'm 5'11"!0 -
Thanks, Jamk...that's kinda what I was getting at. Good explanation!
@Barefoot and Maggie: you girls make me feel....large. I'm 5'11"!
No problem! And I was thinking the same thing, I'm 5'9", you ladies are so petite.
Well, I finished Stage 1 on Saturday and did my measurements and pictures this weekend. I was feeling pretty good going into it, I've been feeling the differences, and I tried to prepare myself that the pics probably wouldn't be jaw-dropping but I thought I might see something. Nope, couldn't tell anything in the 2D pics. And all my measurements went up. I was CRUSHED.
But then I remembered that my original measurements at the beginning of the program were taken after a 5 week break after I left bootcamp. So I think all my current measurements are pretty close to the last time I did a fit test at the gym, I just need to see if they still have my stat sheets to be sure. I feel strong and solid, I don't feel like I gained fat. I think my muscles are holding water which I know they typically do when I start a new program. In the past I've just judged by the scale but didn't take measurements. This time, I'm doing the opposite. I just wasn't prepared for the results. But after realizing all this, I feel much better about myself and my progress again.
I have also been seriously struggling with my appetite and eating. I feel like I should have been eating enough from the start but I've been obsessively hungry for the last several weeks. Prior to the program, I had been not tracking and just eating by instinct, but I was fighting my appetite to keep eating more as I got deeper into the program. It was reminding me of my disordered eating behavior from my youth. Long story short, I need to figure this part out, it's really messing with my head. I'm considering getting a BodyBugg or BMF but I decided to actually track food carefully again first with maintenance as my goal since I can do that for free. It turns out, I haven't been eating as much as I thought I was. So the last few days I've been scrambling to grab extra snacks at the end of the day so my calories aren't so short. It's been eye-opening. So now, I'm working on reprogramming my eating instincts and waiting to see what happens the next time I take measurements/ pics.0 -
Jamk, as long as you're lifting more and more- that's progress. The rest will come i'm sure.
As for eating- I'm in the same boat. Starving all the time. But I am tracking my food and and am right at the top limit of cals every day. I used to 'boredom eat' (esp at work on a quiet day or at home in the evenings in front of the tv), now i get a legitimate stomach rumble, so i know my body needs food, but it's hard not to feel guilty, and hard not to go over calories!
People are telling me to go with it, listen to your body, and i think they're right. Eat more to boost your metabolism, fuel those muscles, and hope it all falls into place...0 -
Jamk, as long as you're lifting more and more- that's progress. The rest will come i'm sure.
As for eating- I'm in the same boat. Starving all the time. But I am tracking my food and and am right at the top limit of cals every day. I used to 'boredom eat' (esp at work on a quiet day or at home in the evenings in front of the tv), now i get a legitimate stomach rumble, so i know my body needs food, but it's hard not to feel guilty, and hard not to go over calories!
People are telling me to go with it, listen to your body, and i think they're right. Eat more to boost your metabolism, fuel those muscles, and hope it all falls into place...
And just to second that, I was so hungry last night I was almost shaking - and that was after I'd eaten maintenance level calories! I ended up with an extra 500 calories just to make me feel human again.0 -
@Barefoot and Maggie: you girls make me feel....large. I'm 5'11"!
[/quote]I'm 5 ft 11" also so don't worry!!!
So many new people its lovely to see and welcome. Not had time to properly read through but can remember someone worried about increasing from 1200 calories and cutting cardio (I think), to be honest its the best thing I've done and wish I'd done it earlier. I've been a cardio junky for years and can honestly say I now feel so much better for adding in weights and cutting 2 long runs out a week.
Weight wise, I'm losing on the maintenance level the book gives me, in fact I think the book said 1980 but I already upped it to 2020 and still losing (only 0.5 lb a week). I'm not too bothered as would like to get a couple of more pounds off. At the moment I'm able to still increase my weights but if I see that stalling then I'll up the calories another 100-200.0 -
And just to second that, I was so hungry last night I was almost shaking - and that was after I'd eaten maintenance level calories! I ended up with an extra 500 calories just to make me feel human again.
I had a peek at your diary maggie, glad it's not just me! Funny how it's worse the day after lifting. I'm having another of those days now, starving about 30 mins after i eat anything! Lucky i'm lifting tonight, so will stock up.
Booking my hols tonight, going skiing in Austria for a week on 12th, so will begin stage 2 just before that, get in the first 2 workouts, then have a (kind of) week off. Can't wait! I'm so glad my thighs and glutes feel so much stronger, i reckon it'll really help.
Also- I'm 5'5". I feel so average :sad:0 -
Also, Miss Maggie, I want your arms!!!!! :-D
I'll swap you the arms for the belly, any day!0 -
I was just thinking the same thing!!! Barefoot is that your own midsection, or an aspirational pic?
So jealous....0 -
Finally onto Workouts 7 and 8 of Stage One- looking forward to going back to lower reps!
I reckon I will be finished the stage in a couple of weeks (including the AMARAPs - if I do them)0 -
Wow - I'm really bad about checking in here... I'll try to keep up more often.
First of all - Welcome to all the newbies!! You guys are gonna love this program! I am halfway through stage 2 and I feel great. As with many of you I was VERY concerned about upping my calories at first, but I have since gotten over it. I started the program around 1400 cals, and have since spent a month at 1600 and just recently upped it even more to 1800. I wasnt losing weight at 1400 calories, I didnt lose weight at 1600 calories, and I have continued to maintain even at 1800 (although this has only been my 2nd week at 1800). I have maintained at a steady 155 throughout all of the Stage 1 and half of Stage 2 (minus a few water weight fluctuations over weekends).
On the other hand, I have been seeing decreases in my measurements (slowly but surely) and I can definitely see some more muscle definition - even some of my abs are starting to show! and THAT is what this program is about for me. I am no longer focusing on the number on the scale (even though ideally I would like to lose 10-15 more lbs). I am looking into buying a caliper (sp?) test so I can start measuring my body fat % too.
Oh - and funny story about my Stage 2 B workout last night... I set up to do my widegrip deadlifts as I normally do with the 75lbs I did the first time. Completed both sets, but struggled. Then I looked closer at the weight - I had totally counted wrong! I was actually deadlifting 105lbs!! I was shocked! My math error made me realize I can totally lift heavier than I've been giving myself credit for! :laugh:0 -
Oh - and funny story about my Stage 2 B workout last night... I set up to do my widegrip deadlifts as I normally do with the 75lbs I did the first time. Completed both sets, but struggled. Then I looked closer at the weight - I had totally counted wrong! I was actually deadlifting 105lbs!! I was shocked! My math error made me realize I can totally lift heavier than I've been giving myself credit for! :laugh:
THIS is flippin' AWESOME!!!0 -
I was just thinking the same thing!!! Barefoot is that your own midsection, or an aspirational pic?
So jealous....
That's me, thanks!! :-D I still think it is "too soft" -- I have a lot of skin leftover from carrying four babies. But it is getting better. Anyone else have that thing where your ab muscles separated in the middle from pregnancy? I'm hoping doing this program will help, but I'm worried it is permanent? *sigh*0 -
Popping in to say "aloha" from Hawaii....you are all doing REALLY great and jamk, I'm 5'9", too - just keep up with the program, keep taking photos and measurements and I just KNOW that 5 months from now you will be posting ALL THAT DETAILED INFO on the "success stories" thread....
I'm on a rest week, and am not missing my heavy-lifting, yet....but, I bet by Monday I'll be wondering, "hmmmm.....aren't I supposed to be at a gym somewhere??"
Alas, I've got 8 more days in paradise....life shall wait.0 -
Hello everyone! I am fairly new -- just started this week. I have a question re diet. I upped my calories to maintenance, and upped my protein from 20% to 30% -- so now I am getting about 140-150g a day for protein. But I feel so bloated and my weight is up 2 pounds. Has anyone else had this problem when changing their macros? Should I make the change more gradually?
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Eileen0 -
Hello everyone! I am fairly new -- just started this week. I have a question re diet. I upped my calories to maintenance, and upped my protein from 20% to 30% -- so now I am getting about 140-150g a day for protein. But I feel so bloated and my weight is up 2 pounds. Has anyone else had this problem when changing their macros? Should I make the change more gradually?
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Eileen
Yes, don't worry, it seems to happen to many of us. I'm told on good authoroty that it is mostly water.0 -
I was just thinking the same thing!!! Barefoot is that your own midsection, or an aspirational pic?
So jealous....
That's me, thanks!! :-D I still think it is "too soft" -- I have a lot of skin leftover from carrying four babies. But it is getting better. Anyone else have that thing where your ab muscles separated in the middle from pregnancy? I'm hoping doing this program will help, but I'm worried it is permanent? *sigh*
That's after 4 babies? I'm stunned - you look wonderful!0 -
barefoot, you look awesome! 4 babies?!?! WOW! I'm in stage 7 and have seen a lot of great changes in my mid section. The heavy weights helped me a lot!
amyback, it's probably just water. After lifting your muscles retain water to repair, so don't go by the scale so much. See how your clothes fit or measure.
beeps, aloha!
darkagell, way to go! If you can wide grip deadlift from a box 105, you probably can deadlift more on the regular DL!
Any body have special plans for the weekend?0 -
Aloha, Beeps!
Emyback69, I also had trouble with bloating this week after upping my protein. I'm not used to eating so much meat. I'm trying to incorporate at least one big plate of greens with every meal to keep things, ahem, moving ;-)
Darkagell, I love your story! Sometimes we really do surprise ourselves!!0 -
Aloha Beeps. Ditto on wanting barefoot's abs and missmaggies arms and hello deninev you are rockin your new profile pic! Not much new here. Still planning a few days off before it's on to stage 5. definitely notice water retention/bloating issues that come and go so trying to really focus in on drinking more water. keep up all the amazing progress and inspiration all and keep checkin in.0
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Thanks for the feedback. You guys are great. I am so excited about starting this program.
So, I am working out at home and don't have a squat rack. Any suggestions for increasing the intensity of the squat? I can only lift 50 pounds above my head on the barbell to get it on my back --- and have not been able to go over that. But since that is where I am starting with the squats, what can I do to make it harder? Should I be looking at different variations? I have been focusing on just going deeper into it and pausing a bit, but since I am so early, I know there is a lot of room for improvement as I progress through the program.
I think I am going to ask for a squat rack for my birthday at the end of the month. How funny is that?
Have a great weekend everyone!0
