April Progress
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So my workout tonight went good-ish -- I failed on rep 5 of set 5 of my squats and I think I literally said "FOR F*CKS SAKE" as my butt hit the ground. Because I mean, COME ON. That was 140 though which is 10 lbs heavier than last time I failed so I mean, that's good.
Tonight was also deadlifts night, so we put the 45s on the bar and then my husband handed me a 10 and I was like "oh no, surely not" and he said "yep" and I was like "no, no way" and he was like "....are you deadlifting 155? then put the 10 on there". So I put the 10 on there and was like "HA. HA. HA..... Not gonna happen but what the hell I can at least tug ineffectually at the bar for a few seconds."
Pulled it TWICE (double overhand too) but the third was not happening so I deloaded to 145 lbs to finish out my set of 5. I believe the first time I pulled it I said "Holy *kitten*" at the time because I really really did not think it was going to happen.
LOL I wish I was at the gym with you when this happened. Too funny!
Yesterday, I did workout A for the second time. My legs are FINALLY no longer super sore, whew! Squats @ 55 went well. I benched @ 50 and that was fairly easy as well. I'm trying to resist the urge to up the weight quicker then the program says too. I was supposed to do rows at @ 60 but I guess I suck at math because I did them at 65 instead. It was a little tough but I did all 5 sets so I'll increase it next time.
Really loving the program so far! I can't wait til my next lifting day. I think I'm addicted :laugh:0 -
I did my 7th session yesterday, suats- 75, bench- 60 (failed), row- 60.
I just managed to get past the bar on the over head press in session 6 and dead-lifted 95.
I'm progressing slowly because I have been only going to the gym 2 days a week instead of 3. My only days off work are Monday, Tuesday and Friday so I workout either Monday or Tuesday and Friday. I want go 3 days like the program suggests but I can seem to get the energy to go before or after work (I waitress from 10am to 8 pm, and am constantly on the move). I've only been at the job for a month and a half so I'm hoping my body will adjust to the increased activity level soon so I can really take advantage of the strong-lifts program.
Also how much is everyone eating a day?
I'm 5'2 and 124 lbs, I have my activity level set on active so I don't log any of my exercise. MFP has me on 1360 but some days I'm pretty hungry I eat more.0 -
workout 2 of week 4 of redux 3 wow, does that sound convoluted or what?
Squats 110
bench 90
Row 80
will be very surprised if I manage all sets on monday of bench and rows
if I should go for 135 or 140 for deads on friday
derailed on my workout due to family issues, but going to try to get in wed and fri in and I think I'll stick with my plan for monday for my lifts w/deads0 -
I want to go back and read up on other posts but I started last night, I plan to stick to a Mon, Wednesday, Friday schedule.
Last night
Squat: 65 lbs
Bench: 55 lbs
Rows: 45-never did this before so I am probably doing it wrong. I am using the bar so I just put in the lowest pegs on the squat rack but that is still 1 foot off of the ground. I could put some weight on the 35 bar and use plates to get it a little higher.
I wish I knew someone who could help me out on these, but I work out at a small gym where I work and usually I have the place to myself.
I tried Starting Strength for three weeks but I did stall, I couldn't increase the weights and then I couldn't even lift as heavy as the time before. I am going to try to increase each time, if only a little bit. There are small weights and magnetic ones you can add for incremental increases.0 -
I did my 7th session yesterday, suats- 75, bench- 60 (failed), row- 60.
I just managed to get past the bar on the over head press in session 6 and dead-lifted 95.
I'm progressing slowly because I have been only going to the gym 2 days a week instead of 3. My only days off work are Monday, Tuesday and Friday so I workout either Monday or Tuesday and Friday. I want go 3 days like the program suggests but I can seem to get the energy to go before or after work (I waitress from 10am to 8 pm, and am constantly on the move). I've only been at the job for a month and a half so I'm hoping my body will adjust to the increased activity level soon so I can really take advantage of the strong-lifts program.
Also how much is everyone eating a day?
I'm 5'2 and 124 lbs, I have my activity level set on active so I don't log any of my exercise. MFP has me on 1360 but some days I'm pretty hungry I eat more.
Waitressing is like doing cardio... only more stressfull, so it's understandable that your energy level wouldn't be up for lifting. you might not even see too much hinderance, just make certain that you get enough protein, esp on days you do lift.0 -
I am following the calories on NROL4W, but I am set to maintain, so I get 1870 on rest days and 200 more on workout days. So I manually set my calories on MFP and log strength training as 80 minutes cardio which gives me the 200 cals, even though the workouts haven't been that long.Also how much is everyone eating a day?
I started eating like this when I started Starting Strength 4 weeks ago and I haven't gained (maybe a pound but I figure it is water).
If you want a link, someone posted a good explanation of how to figure cals the NROL4W way, I never used that book or workout myself, but I needed something that was addressing women. Gosh, with Starting strength it was "drink a gallon of milk"
The 5x5 nutrition seems reasonable, I like the breakdown for 90% which would be 4 cheat meals but I realize I will have to start at 80% and work my way up. Also, how do you define cheat meals? like yesterday I was all set with all my meals and snacks but I didn't like my veggie egg crustless quiche so I added a slice of bacon and put it on a tortilla. So is it ia cheat meal now?0 -
Krista I think that is WAAAAAY too low - what are you set to in terms of lbs/week to lose? I have a very active friend (not even her job or anything but she runs and walks a lot) who is 4'11" 95-99 lbs and eats 2200/day to maintain her weight.
I would say with your job you should set yourself to active AND eat your exercise calories.
I eat um... *cough*.....like 1800-2300 a day (and sometimes I eat like 25-2700). 5'6", 165, desk job. But that's a bit too high honestly, I probably *should* be eating around 1700-2000 to lose weight slowly. Its just hard for me to rein it in sometimes. But I mean I'm basically maintaining eating like this and did I mention I sit at a desk at least 8 hours of my day? (not because I spend the whole work day sitting but because after I work, i go home and sit some more)
So I realize you are a bit smaller than me but even so I think 1350 is not enough for anyone lifting, let alone someone on their feet all day for work.0 -
Yep, definitely think you need to eat more Krista. I sit on my butt all day too. Without exercise my total daily burn is about 2300-2400. I tend to eat between 1900-2300, depending on exercise/activity level, and that leaves me with a 400-500 calorie deficit each day. Lifting requires fuel. :-)0
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Also how much is everyone eating a day?
I'm 5'2 and 124 lbs, I have my activity level set on active so I don't log any of my exercise. MFP has me on 1360 but some days I'm pretty hungry I eat more.
I'm 5'9" 160lbs and I eat about 2200 a day. 1360 sounds pretty low.0 -
I'm eating 1800-2200 a day.0
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I am following the calories on NROL4W, but I am set to maintain, so I get 1870 on rest days and 200 more on workout days. So I manually set my calories on MFP and log strength training as 80 minutes cardio which gives me the 200 cals, even though the workouts haven't been that long.Also how much is everyone eating a day?
I started eating like this when I started Starting Strength 4 weeks ago and I haven't gained (maybe a pound but I figure it is water).
If you want a link, someone posted a good explanation of how to figure cals the NROL4W way, I never used that book or workout myself, but I needed something that was addressing women. Gosh, with Starting strength it was "drink a gallon of milk"
The 5x5 nutrition seems reasonable, I like the breakdown for 90% which would be 4 cheat meals but I realize I will have to start at 80% and work my way up. Also, how do you define cheat meals? like yesterday I was all set with all my meals and snacks but I didn't like my veggie egg crustless quiche so I added a slice of bacon and put it on a tortilla. So is it ia cheat meal now?
The definition of a cheat meal is usually "I didn't worry about it and just ate what I wanted".0 -
I eat between 1800 and 200 calories a day depending on my activity level for the day. I am currently eating at a caloric deficit and I'm 5'2'' at about 130 lbs.0
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I've been pleasantly sore from deadlifts all day. I wish every lifting day was a deadlift day!
One thing I've been having fun doing is relaxing a little. I've been curious about high bar squats so I might do 5 reps (at a much lighter weight) as a warm-up. Same thing with overhead squat. So often I hear that the programs I choose are sacred and must not be messed with and these days I am just curious about certain lifts, wanting to have some fun and figure out what I might want to explore next. I don't want to abandon my training and definitely see the value in having a program but I am no longer guilty when I take a whole day off of the program to do a wide variety of SQUATS. I want to have a deadlifting extravaganza with Sumo deads, straightleg deads, maybe some crazy one-legged dumbbell deads some crazy person was doing on Fitocracy the other day.
I also have been having fun after I get done with my 100 lb. let's-try-for-perfect-form squats is to duplicate that form for a weight that is a good bit heavier for ONE rep. I can do one rep of heavy stuff real pretty...one time. It's when I get much past 100 lbs. that reps equal disintegrating form for me. I'm working on fixing that.0 -
I think using warmup sets to play around with different variations is a good idea, you've been lifting long enough that you know the form anyhow.0
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That's a great idea kensky. I will probably think of doing that once I feel like I have my form down and have progressed more.
My chest is sore from bench presses yesterday. I'm taking this as a sign that I'm doing them right!0 -
That's a great idea kensky. I will probably think of doing that once I feel like I have my form down and have progressed more.
My chest is sore from bench presses yesterday. I'm taking this as a sign that I'm doing them right!
I'd say you're right!0 -
I tried to increase my bench from 60 lbs to 65 lbs today and it was a pretty astonishingly epic fail. I could only manage 2-3 reps per set. I know that I'm supposed to wait 5 minutes if I fail a set, but... really? That's 25 minutes on bench press alone. I go to the "women's hour" at the gym most of the time, because it's much less crowded, and if I don't get to the olympic platforms before the dudes come in, there's no chance for me to do rows. So I waited 3 minutes instead of 5 between sets. Anyways, maybe next time...
I also had one of the staff take a very short video of my squat form. I want to put it up so you guys can critique the crap out of it, but I can't figure out how to rotate it and save it so that it's right-side up. Once I do that, I'd love feedback!
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sounds like its time to get some fractionals for your bench press. You should do better next time though - sometimes we just have a crap day and we can't lift as much as we normally would.0
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Failed at doing overhead presses today at 50lbs, could only manage one set of 5 and the rest were 3's at best. Darnit they were freakin hard!
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I tried to increase my bench from 60 lbs to 65 lbs today and it was a pretty astonishingly epic fail. I could only manage 2-3 reps per set. I know that I'm supposed to wait 5 minutes if I fail a set, but... really? That's 25 minutes on bench press alone. I go to the "women's hour" at the gym most of the time, because it's much less crowded, and if I don't get to the olympic platforms before the dudes come in, there's no chance for me to do rows. So I waited 3 minutes instead of 5 between sets. Anyways, maybe next time...
I also had one of the staff take a very short video of my squat form. I want to put it up so you guys can critique the crap out of it, but I can't figure out how to rotate it and save it so that it's right-side up. Once I do that, I'd love feedback!
Windows Live Movie Maker is what I use. It's free.0 -
I've now had occasion to stall on everything except deadlifts (which tomorrow will be bodyweight), however I think that will be happening soon due to grip strength.
I don't mind failing and having to do the same weight or deload, I see it as an opportunity to get fully comfortable with that load and work on form. I've intentionally repeated a weight too if I completed all my reps but it felt a bit precarious. This is what I'll be doing with squats tomorrow (finally hit 100 lbs, yay!)
I'm going to invest in some washers or something to use as fractional plates, because going up 5 lbs on the upper body stuff is overly challenging right now.0 -
Been a rough two days for some reason. I forced myself to go ahead and work out tonight. I fixed my form for the bench. Feet are now on the floor and surprising everything felt good. I thought it would be awkward. Squat form is straightening out, too. So, despite my general, idon'twannadothis attitude, it was a decent workout.0
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That is a good attitude. I will try to remember to think of t that way.I've now had occasion to stall on everything except deadlifts (which tomorrow will be bodyweight), however I think that will be happening soon due to grip strength.
I don't mind failing and having to do the same weight or deload, I see it as an opportunity to get fully comfortable with that load and work on form. I've intentionally repeated a weight too if I completed all my reps but it felt a bit precarious. This is what I'll be doing with squats tomorrow (finally hit 100 lbs, yay!)
I'm going to invest in some washers or something to use as fractional plates, because going up 5 lbs on the upper body stuff is overly challenging right now.0 -
Been a rough two days for some reason. I forced myself to go ahead and work out tonight. I fixed my form for the bench. Feet are now on the floor and surprising everything felt good. I thought it would be awkward. Squat form is straightening out, too. So, despite my general, idon'twannadothis attitude, it was a decent workout.
Did you feel kinda good after though? Usually I don't want to but I feel good after I do it.
Badger - 100 lbs, yay!0 -
So was off for a week exactly but I dove in and did the next weight on squats but maintained on benches and went up on rows. did them all but going to redo both the squats and the benches. Squats due to inconsistant form and benches due to grinding through 2 or 3 of the sets.
Squats 115
Bench 90
Rows 85
Realized that it might actually be important to do the Pendlays the way they are shown vs what I was doing which was letting them hit the ground and then come right back up instead of letting the muscles stop firing and then exploding up again. Made a difference, I think. I also did it thumbless and that kept me from curling my wrists at the top! Yay! I can be trained!!!
Today my teres are screaming along with hams and glutes so I'd say form was mostly correct!!!0 -
Today is going to be a rough day. I started a 5k running class, which has me do practice runs 3x/wk. I can't really run, so after my run last night my lungs were screaming and I am sore and exhausted today. Pathetic considering my running time totaled 23 minutes, lol. Being the first week of doing both running and lifting (instead of lifting alone) I'm really cognizant of my increased need for recovery time. I'm debating taking a day off today but I'm not sold either way. I would otherwise be taking my rest day on Sat or Sun.
As for eating, I recently upped to 1500 PLUS exercise cals. Between my long walks with the dog and running/lifting, I'm burning 400-500 a day, so a total intake of 1800-2000 lately, and so far it hasn't hampered my weight loss. I'm 5'4" and 135 lbs. I'm trying to be more strict about my protein intake and aim for between 125-150g/day to aid with muscle sparing.0 -
So was off for a week exactly but I dove in and did the next weight on squats but maintained on benches and went up on rows. did them all but going to redo both the squats and the benches. Squats due to inconsistant form and benches due to grinding through 2 or 3 of the sets.
Squats 115
Bench 90
Rows 85
Realized that it might actually be important to do the Pendlays the way they are shown vs what I was doing which was letting them hit the ground and then come right back up instead of letting the muscles stop firing and then exploding up again. Made a difference, I think. I also did it thumbless and that kept me from curling my wrists at the top! Yay! I can be trained!!!
Today my teres are screaming along with hams and glutes so I'd say form was mostly correct!!!
Sounds like a great day!
I have a quick question about what you said with the rows (for anyone to answer, really):
I remember reading that the grip was supposed to be the same for the bench press as for the row, that they were supposed to be "same but opposite" movements. Would thumbless grip throw that off at all? I think my wrists curl at the top, too, and if a thumbless grip is a good mod, it would be nice to try - I'm just wondering if it affects anything else at all? I guess, at some point when you get to really heavy weights, a thumbless grip might get tricky in terms of grip strength.0 -
Been a rough two days for some reason. I forced myself to go ahead and work out tonight. I fixed my form for the bench. Feet are now on the floor and surprising everything felt good. I thought it would be awkward. Squat form is straightening out, too. So, despite my general, idon'twannadothis attitude, it was a decent workout.
Did you feel kinda good after though? Usually I don't want to but I feel good after I do it.
Badger - 100 lbs, yay!
I didn't have that usual work out high but I was really satisfied that I did it anyways. It feels good to be fixing form issues.0 -
Today is going to be a rough day. I started a 5k running class, which has me do practice runs 3x/wk. I can't really run, so after my run last night my lungs were screaming and I am sore and exhausted today. Pathetic considering my running time totaled 23 minutes, lol. Being the first week of doing both running and lifting (instead of lifting alone) I'm really cognizant of my increased need for recovery time. I'm debating taking a day off today but I'm not sold either way. I would otherwise be taking my rest day on Sat or Sun.
As for eating, I recently upped to 1500 PLUS exercise cals. Between my long walks with the dog and running/lifting, I'm burning 400-500 a day, so a total intake of 1800-2000 lately, and so far it hasn't hampered my weight loss. I'm 5'4" and 135 lbs. I'm trying to be more strict about my protein intake and aim for between 125-150g/day to aid with muscle sparing.
Wow! I'm the same height as you and your are 5lbs more than I was in HS. But I had 0 upper body strength and only really musculare in abs, and thighs, maybe calves. What's your goal weight? I always figured I was about 10lbs oveweight in HS, but like I said that was w/out musles in arms and back so maybe 120 is unrealistic for me.
Oh and if you have access, swimming will work your aerobic capacity with out punishing your joints if that is an issue for you.0 -
So was off for a week exactly but I dove in and did the next weight on squats but maintained on benches and went up on rows. did them all but going to redo both the squats and the benches. Squats due to inconsistant form and benches due to grinding through 2 or 3 of the sets.
Squats 115
Bench 90
Rows 85
Realized that it might actually be important to do the Pendlays the way they are shown vs what I was doing which was letting them hit the ground and then come right back up instead of letting the muscles stop firing and then exploding up again. Made a difference, I think. I also did it thumbless and that kept me from curling my wrists at the top! Yay! I can be trained!!!
Today my teres are screaming along with hams and glutes so I'd say form was mostly correct!!!
Sounds like a great day!
I have a quick question about what you said with the rows (for anyone to answer, really):
I remember reading that the grip was supposed to be the same for the bench press as for the row, that they were supposed to be "same but opposite" movements. Would thumbless grip throw that off at all? I think my wrists curl at the top, too, and if a thumbless grip is a good mod, it would be nice to try - I'm just wondering if it affects anything else at all? I guess, at some point when you get to really heavy weights, a thumbless grip might get tricky in terms of grip strength.
I don't think thumbless on rows caused any issues. I kept standard grip on benches, my wrists are sore but I'm certain that was from trying to let the bar drop more on squats and bending my wrists there too much.0
