April Progress

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  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 527 Member
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    Was just too tired and glute sore to do my lifts friday so I did them today.
    Squats 125
    OHP 55
    Deads 140 which was really rough.

    Monday going for 130 squats which will be my high school bodyweight!


    Good job everybody. Don't remember for sure but I think i was at 150 on deads when I quit so almost there. except for OHP I'm at personal best for everything else IF I did 150 deads before.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    Was just too tired and glute sore to do my lifts friday so I did them today.
    Squats 125
    OHP 55
    Deads 140 which was really rough.

    Monday going for 130 squats which will be my high school bodyweight!


    Good job everybody. Don't remember for sure but I think i was at 150 on deads when I quit so almost there. except for OHP I'm at personal best for everything else IF I did 150 deads before.

    That is awesome irridia!!

    I did day workout b yesterday - I'm going to need a squat stand soon. Clean & Jerking each set is one thing, but lowering the weight behind my neck - my nape is bruised! I also bear the bar high on my back because of a shoulder impingement.

    Squat 80
    OHP 55
    DL 110

    during squat rest I did tricep pull down & decline row
    during OHP rest I was planking: spiderman/leg lift/side/reach through

    Today I'm going to try going to my box and maybe do sprint intervals on my TM at home.
  • ktbia
    ktbia Posts: 118 Member
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    Pretty new to this, I think we are on day 6. My squats, bench, and deadlift are going up like they are supposed to.

    But I had to start lower at overhead press. i just now got to 45 for that. Also, our ceiling is low too, and I am tall, so with no weights I am fine, but with weights on the end of the bar, i hit through the ceiling (we have those cheap tiles). We might remove some tiles or I will have to stand outside to do them.

    But the rows are killing me. We watched a ton of form videos from the stronglifts site, I am just so weak. I think I will have my husband video me tomorrow night doing them because by the 5th rep, my form sucks and my shoulder was killing afterwards.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Pretty new to this, I think we are on day 6. My squats, bench, and deadlift are going up like they are supposed to.

    But I had to start lower at overhead press. i just now got to 45 for that. Also, our ceiling is low too, and I am tall, so with no weights I am fine, but with weights on the end of the bar, i hit through the ceiling (we have those cheap tiles). We might remove some tiles or I will have to stand outside to do them.

    But the rows are killing me. We watched a ton of form videos from the stronglifts site, I am just so weak. I think I will have my husband video me tomorrow night doing them because by the 5th rep, my form sucks and my shoulder was killing afterwards.

    You sound like you're in the same place I am. I am 5'10" and our ceilings are just too low for me to do a standing OH press. I do them seated on the bench inside the power rack (I also had to buy a specific shorter power rack). I also struggle with the rows quite a bit. Both the OH presses and rows are something I have a tough time increasing weight on. Just keep practicing your form and the weight will come. :smile:
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    End of April progress update:

    Squats: 45 lbs ---> 90 lbs
    Bench Press: 45 lbs ---> 65 lbs
    Pendlay Rows: 65 lbs ---> 55 lbs (Obviously no progress here - I deloaded to a lower starting weight to get my form down)
    OH Press: 45 lbs ---> 50 lbs (Sorta - I did 50 today but failed a couple reps. Again, doing these seated.)
    Deadlift: 95 lbs ---> 130 lbs

    Overall I'm pretty happy with my first month of progress. Excited to see where I get to by the end of May! Hoping to increase weight more with rows and OH presses.
  • snowstorme
    snowstorme Posts: 125 Member
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    End of April progress:
    Squats 115
    Bench - 80
    Barbell Rows - 100
    Overhead Press - 70 (1 Stall)
    Deadlift - 150

    Started on March 27th.
    For once I'm glad I'm short (5'2"). My husband is doing this with me and he has the same problem with overhead press that some of you do, me I've got plenty of clearance lol.
  • a_stronger_steph
    a_stronger_steph Posts: 434 Member
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    End of April progress update:

    Squats: 45 lbs ---> 90 lbs
    Bench Press: 45 lbs ---> 65 lbs
    Pendlay Rows: 65 lbs ---> 55 lbs (Obviously no progress here - I deloaded to a lower starting weight to get my form down)
    OH Press: 45 lbs ---> 50 lbs (Sorta - I did 50 today but failed a couple reps. Again, doing these seated.)
    Deadlift: 95 lbs ---> 130 lbs

    Overall I'm pretty happy with my first month of progress. Excited to see where I get to by the end of May! Hoping to increase weight more with rows and OH presses.

    Ahh, we look like progress twins! I was thinking I should deload my rows as well to get the form down - other than that my stats are pretty close to yours. Yay!
  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 527 Member
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    Was just too tired and glute sore to do my lifts friday so I did them today.
    Squats 125
    OHP 55
    Deads 140 which was really rough.

    Monday going for 130 squats which will be my high school bodyweight!


    Good job everybody. Don't remember for sure but I think i was at 150 on deads when I quit so almost there. except for OHP I'm at personal best for everything else IF I did 150 deads before.

    That is awesome irridia!!

    I did day workout b yesterday - I'm going to need a squat stand soon. Clean & Jerking each set is one thing, but lowering the weight behind my neck - my nape is bruised! I also bear the bar high on my back because of a shoulder impingement.

    Squat 80
    OHP 55
    DL 110

    during squat rest I did tricep pull down & decline row
    during OHP rest I was planking: spiderman/leg lift/side/reach through

    Today I'm going to try going to my box and maybe do sprint intervals on my TM at home.

    When it starts getting close to your max weight you can lift at this point in time, clean and jerk just uses waaay too much energy! Get a bar pad! it will help at least a little with the nape pain.

    forgot to add that I added accessory exercises on Saturday, 3 sets of 10 leg lifts. For those I lay on the bench with my toes touching the floor (barely, lol.) and holding onto the bench over my head. Then I take a deep breath and exhail while lifting my legs from the floor, securing my upper body to the bench with the overhead grip an continue to squeeze the abs until my lumbar section is off the bench. Then I sat on the floor with the lowest of the bands we have attached to the top rack and held on to that while trying to touch my chest to the floor (legs in V position) 3 sets of 10. I really felt it on Sunday walking around, feel it a little still today and gong to try to incorporate some cobra stretches thorughout the day to prep me for tonight's lifing. Tonights goals are 130 squats, I think 100 for benches and 95 for rows.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Also, I took a video of my deadlifts yesterday so my friends on here could check my form out. The advice I got was to lower my butt and lift my chest up more so I don't use my lower back as much. I didn't feel like I was really using my lower back much and then it started hurting a little afterward and now this morning there is just this dull pain in my tailbone area. Must be careful. Going to attempt to correct my form with my warmups next time, but here is the video in case anyone wants to see or has any other advice besides that:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MgDEZLedEU
  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 527 Member
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    Also, I took a video of my deadlifts yesterday so my friends on here could check my form out. The advice I got was to lower my butt and lift my chest up more so I don't use my lower back as much. I didn't feel like I was really using my lower back much and then it started hurting a little afterward and now this morning there is just this dull pain in my tailbone area. Must be careful. Going to attempt to correct my form with my warmups next time, but here is the video in case anyone wants to see or has any other advice besides that:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MgDEZLedEU

    I will try to watch it tonight, but one thing I can tell you that I realized I was doing is make certain, when you get up under the bar in the rack that you tuck your but in to get it off the rack. If you lift it up in squat position, it puts waay to much strain on your lumbar spine. If you tend toward duck but as I do, you really really have to watch that. I only just started using the belt again because I wanted to make certain that I was tightening my abs during the lift. Now it's heavy enough that I need the support of the belt but I'm in the habit of tucking on the unracking and then "setting" my abs before I start the lift.

    One really good way to think of it is get your spine completely perpendicular to the bar before you lift it out of the rack.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    I think you mentioned you are really tall, so getting low may be a little harder for you, but for the most part, I'd agree, you should be 90* to the floor, and there should be a little curve in your back (less rounded).

    But most importantly, you are not getting full extension at the top of your lift (there is still a bend in your knees and your hips are not extended)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjBI9qxibTc
    see her hips thrust forward at the top of the lift? Her shoulder pull back, head is looking neutral/front/
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    I think you mentioned you are really tall, so getting low may be a little harder for you, but for the most part, I'd agree, you should be 90* to the floor, and there should be a little curve in your back (less rounded).

    But most importantly, you are not getting full extension at the top of your lift (there is still a bend in your knees and your hips are not extended)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjBI9qxibTc
    see her hips thrust forward at the top of the lift? Her shoulder pull back, head is looking neutral/front/

    Ah, yes. I noticed that too. I think when I lift my chest up more it will correct some of that at the top, but also my stance should be just a bit wider I think. You can't see my stance in my video but I think it's a little too narrow. Thanks!
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Bah - also forgot to put in my weight/measurements progress! So, no weight loss the first month (still up 6-7 lbs since starting SL). However, I lost an inch around my upper thighs/abductors area, and about a 1/2 inch off my waist (smallest part, not around the bellybutton). As long as I'm noticing some measurement changes and I like what I'm seeing in the mirror, I am good to go. My pants seem to feel a little looser and my shirts are overall just fitting a little differently. Not really bigger, just falling differently, especially in my upper chest area.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I do Mon, Wed, Fri. Been doing it for 5 weeks and am now at the point were I'm pretty much failing at everything.

    The last weights I finished on are:

    Squats: 120lbs
    Bench: 95lbs
    Rows: 80lbs
    Shoulder Press: 65lbs
    Deads: 155lbs (with good form, I've had to deload to correct form, was at 185).

    ^ My post for 4/4

    As of Today:
    Squats: 120lbs (but deloaded and went to low bar, feeling a lot better about my form this time).
    Bench: 100lbs (FINALLY, been trying all month).
    Rows: 95lbs
    Should Press: 65lbs (couldn't make 70, tried 3 times, deloaded back to 60lbs, trying 70 again Wed)
    Deads: 175lbs
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    I do Mon, Wed, Fri. Been doing it for 5 weeks and am now at the point were I'm pretty much failing at everything.

    The last weights I finished on are:

    Squats: 120lbs
    Bench: 95lbs
    Rows: 80lbs
    Shoulder Press: 65lbs
    Deads: 155lbs (with good form, I've had to deload to correct form, was at 185).

    ^ My post for 4/4

    As of Today:
    Squats: 120lbs (but deloaded and went to low bar, feeling a lot better about my form this time).
    Bench: 100lbs (FINALLY, been trying all month).
    Rows: 95lbs
    Should Press: 65lbs (couldn't make 70, tried 3 times, deloaded back to 60lbs, trying 70 again Wed)
    Deads: 175lbs

    Damn! You rock, my friend. :)
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Also, I took a video of my deadlifts yesterday so my friends on here could check my form out. The advice I got was to lower my butt and lift my chest up more so I don't use my lower back as much. I didn't feel like I was really using my lower back much and then it started hurting a little afterward and now this morning there is just this dull pain in my tailbone area. Must be careful. Going to attempt to correct my form with my warmups next time, but here is the video in case anyone wants to see or has any other advice besides that:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MgDEZLedEU

    Just saw this. Definitely your butt is way too high. Get all the way down, like at the bottom of the squat, then stand up, raising the shoulders first, then yeah, squeeze your butt at the top and try to pinch your shoulder blades together. I need to get a new video of mine.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    This was my 185lbs dead w/ bad form. See how nice and arched my back is to start, *kitten* lower than shoulders? Then you see me raise my *kitten* and round my back as I pick up. Bad, bad, and why I deloaded back to 155lbs to fix it.

    http://youtu.be/oG78rvuVc74
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
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    I'm ending April like this after starting on 04/11, nothing too impressive but I'm hoping to make a lot of progress in May.

    Squat: 75
    Bench: 60
    Rows: 70
    OHP: 50
    DL: 115 (switched to sumo stance to take pressure off my lower back)
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
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    This was my 185lbs dead w/ bad form. See you nice and arched my back is to start, *kitten* lower than shoulders? Then you see me raise my *kitten* and round my back as I pick up. Bad, bad, and why I deloaded back to 155lbs to fix it.

    http://youtu.be/oG78rvuVc74

    I'm pretty sure this is how I hurt my lower back. :frown:
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    This was my 185lbs dead w/ bad form. See you nice and arched my back is to start, *kitten* lower than shoulders? Then you see me raise my *kitten* and round my back as I pick up. Bad, bad, and why I deloaded back to 155lbs to fix it.

    http://youtu.be/oG78rvuVc74

    Yeah I see where you lift and your butt and back round a bit. Hmm... so maybe I try to fix form with a couple of extra warm up sets and then go at 130 again instead of increasing next time? Just to make sure I have it down? Then if it's still sucky I will deload I think...

    Also - is there a reason why you would drop the bar/weight instead of lowering it like I was doing? Just want to make sure I'm not missing something...