January Check in and Chat - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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Argh. I just watched a mess of videos on youtube and one trainer pointed out that running shoes suck for lifting. I have been in denial about this, because running shoes is what I've got.
I've always worn cross-trainers to the gym in the past before I started running, but I never did compound lifts, so it didn't really matter much what I had on. I guess I am going to have to think about getting different shoes...
I'm definitely going to deload and focus on form for the squats. Great advice.0 -
Hi everyone! *waves*
I am back in the gym, only managed two workouts during this holiday period, as was working through it normal shifts. Was shattered (tired) and wanted more rest. Did say I was going to take this time off to get food in order. Well food is in order. Still struggling to eat enough some days, but being really strict and getting the macros and calories up there.
I am still deciding what to do at this stage. I am wavering between upping the cals even more and training harder and heavier, and lowering them to get rid of some more body fat a little faster whilst still lifting heavy but adding more HIIT. I also want to try and enter my first triathlon this year (summertime), so my whole schedule may have to change rather drastically once again. It's all a bit of "do I, don't I?" at the moment...ugh! I love lifting heavy, but I also have other goals I want to achieve this year.
*sigh*0 -
Waving back! Fractional plates make all the difference - but my club committee laughed when I asked them to buy some - said they were too light to be any use - IDIOTS!!
Good luck with all your goals. V impressive to have them set out like that. And motivating too.
Heather0 -
Argh. I just watched a mess of videos on youtube and one trainer pointed out that running shoes suck for lifting. I have been in denial about this, because running shoes is what I've got. I've always worn cross-trainers to the gym in the past before I started running, but I never did compound lifts, so it didn't really matter much what I had on. I guess I am going to have to think about getting different shoes...
I'm definitely going to deload and focus on form for the squats. Great advice.
The cheapest option, which actually works pretty well, is getting some cheap Converse/Chuck Taylor style shoes. I think I got mine on sale at Target but I think Payless shoe stores (and other discount stores) sell knockoffs. You basically just don't want the bottom to be super squishy, and you really REALLY don't want them to have the curve that a lot of running shoes do.
I used to lift in bare feet (vibrams since my gym wouldn't allow bare feet) and that's also ok, but frankly its easier in my converse. But converse mean you can't run unless you bring different shoes to swap in, so vibrams worked best for me when I wanted to do both.0 -
Ok, I'm giving up excuses. I had emailed my friend's trainer to show me how to do the exercises, and he never got back to me. I hadn't been in the gym for a while because I've been doing a 6 week challenge with a body weight circuit. Now that it's over, I was going to start SL with the new year. But, with no one to show me how... I've been sitting on my *kitten* and cramming food in my mouth (yeah, because that helps). So, I dragged myself to the gym today and the remodeling is mostly done (they are expanding but really only adding more machines- lame). I needed to scope out what they had available. What I had though was a power rack (brief glances into that area before I even heard about strong lifts or heavy lifting) is actually a smith machine, but they do have a squat rack. No weights smaller than 5lbs, but my fractionals have shipped. So, I'm out of excuses. There are lots of online videos for how to do the exercises and I can stick with the bar only until my fractionals arrive. So tomorrow, lifting starts (I'm going to lift Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays). Got some cardio in today and feeling good because the christmas gain is already gone.0
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Vegas: Sorry it makes you feel blue that your friends don't share your new interests. I can't say I have any real-life friends who are into it either. Well, my cousin is actually a personal trainer but we're not very close these days, and my SIL loves running but ... she doesn't really take any interest in other people's ... (okay I'm trying to be nice here) ...interests?
Ahem. Moving on, my husband is really interested and supported, so that helps. But honestly I get most of my "fitness support" from friends I've made on MFP.
I don't love rows, but I don't hate them. I hate squats. I love bench press and deadlifts, though.
Thanks! It sucks but it sounds like many people have the same problem....which kind of makes me feel better lol I think I'm just really at a different place overall in my life....they are all married with multiple kids....I'm a single mom, looking hot and dating up a storm. I want to go out and show off my new body....they want to sit on the couch and watch a movie lol0 -
I have also started lifting in the Payless version of Chuck Taylor's and I find it to be working really well.....although like Tameko says, you definitely need to think ahead if you want to do cardio! For me it's a non-issue since I have a home gym, so I'm a lucky one!
Fractionals have no use?!!!! What an idiot! You should smack him upside the head with your 1/4lb when it comes in bahahaha!0 -
I got a really nasty flu over the holidays so my plan to run and lift like crazy didn't pan out. The eating like crazy, however, was not effected by the flu so I too gained 5lbs. I am not totally cured so I can't jump into lifting the way I would like but the good news is that we just brought home a power rack and bench!!!! They are still in the boxes but by the time I am up to working out we will have all the right equipment!!! I'm so excited!!! Happy New Year Everyone!!!
I got my power rack too!!!!! Just waiting for delivery....ugh I hate the waiting! Have you tried it yet??!!! I'm so excited!
Congratulations!!! Let me know when you get it!! What kind did you get? I got a Powertec. it is offgassing in my basement. there is rubbery stuff on there that is really smelly. I hope my husband will feel like putting it together tomorrow.0 -
I got a really nasty flu over the holidays so my plan to run and lift like crazy didn't pan out. The eating like crazy, however, was not effected by the flu so I too gained 5lbs. I am not totally cured so I can't jump into lifting the way I would like but the good news is that we just brought home a power rack and bench!!!! They are still in the boxes but by the time I am up to working out we will have all the right equipment!!! I'm so excited!!! Happy New Year Everyone!!!
I got my power rack too!!!!! Just waiting for delivery....ugh I hate the waiting! Have you tried it yet??!!! I'm so excited!
Congratulations!!! Let me know when you get it!! What kind did you get? I got a Powertec. it is offgassing in my basement. there is rubbery stuff on there that is really smelly. I hope my husband will feel like putting it together tomorrow.
My weight plates had that rubbery smell when I first got them too! I was so worried that it wouldn't go away, but it has gotten progressively less and less....thank God! Mine is Northern Lights and I just confirmed delivery for Tuesday morning....I'm so excited! Only one more workout with my rubbermaid rack lol0 -
Alright, just finished day 1, although it didn't go as I expected it to. I thought squats would be relatively easy since I've always had pretty strong legs and I've been doing body weight squats. However, adding the bar threw me off balance, and I found myself falling backwards several times. I guess I'm not leaning far enough forward? There isn't a side mirror near the squat rack, so I had no clue what my form looked like (the only person around was the guy working at the gym, and I saw him teaching someone squats yesterday, and he was telling them to only go down to about a 45 degree angle, so I don't think him looking at my form would be useful).
Also, squats hurt my arms more than I expected. I have a feeling that means I'm doing it wrong. I tried to squeeze shoulder blades together, but I imagine the "shelf" that a lot of people have is taken up by fat for me... Anyways, does using the thumbless grip with squats help not use your arms so much? The thumbless grip seems so unnatural to me. It also doesn't help that overall I have overall horrible posture and opening up my chest and pulling my arms back that far kind of hurt. That part makes me think I just need to stretch more and hopefully as I get more flexible that won't be as much of a problem.
And I have a feeling I was butt winking at the bottom. So, basically anything that could go wrong with a squat did. I'm kind of glad my fractionals aren't in yet since I think I'm going to work on form before I start adding some more weight.
Bench press was much easier than I was expecting (I was worried about being able to keep my back arched and my shoulder blades together. I was worried because my arms are so week, but I guess the push up work has helped improve them somewhat (not that I can do a full pushup yet).
The rows were interesting. It's amazing how much you want to stand up and use momentum to get the bar up. I had to tell myself each time to squeeze my shoulders together. Unfortunately my gym doesn't have stands, so I did the resting on plate method. However, the plates aren't flat, so it was a wobbly mess. I'll be looking forward to when I can have bigger plates on (I started at 65), but since my arms are weak, I have a feeling I'll be progressing slowly on those.
Argh. We'll see how Tuesday goes.0 -
You ladies are seriously KILLING IT so far!! I'm headed to the gym for my first lifting sesh since December...20th, I believe. Oops. :sad:0
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Alright, just finished day 1, although it didn't go as I expected it to. I thought squats would be relatively easy since I've always had pretty strong legs and I've been doing body weight squats. However, adding the bar threw me off balance, and I found myself falling backwards several times. I guess I'm not leaning far enough forward? There isn't a side mirror near the squat rack, so I had no clue what my form looked like (the only person around was the guy working at the gym, and I saw him teaching someone squats yesterday, and he was telling them to only go down to about a 45 degree angle, so I don't think him looking at my form would be useful).
Also, squats hurt my arms more than I expected. I have a feeling that means I'm doing it wrong. I tried to squeeze shoulder blades together, but I imagine the "shelf" that a lot of people have is taken up by fat for me... Anyways, does using the thumbless grip with squats help not use your arms so much? The thumbless grip seems so unnatural to me. It also doesn't help that overall I have overall horrible posture and opening up my chest and pulling my arms back that far kind of hurt. That part makes me think I just need to stretch more and hopefully as I get more flexible that won't be as much of a problem.
And I have a feeling I was butt winking at the bottom. So, basically anything that could go wrong with a squat did. I'm kind of glad my fractionals aren't in yet since I think I'm going to work on form before I start adding some more weight.
Bench press was much easier than I was expecting (I was worried about being able to keep my back arched and my shoulder blades together. I was worried because my arms are so week, but I guess the push up work has helped improve them somewhat (not that I can do a full pushup yet).
The rows were interesting. It's amazing how much you want to stand up and use momentum to get the bar up. I had to tell myself each time to squeeze my shoulders together. Unfortunately my gym doesn't have stands, so I did the resting on plate method. However, the plates aren't flat, so it was a wobbly mess. I'll be looking forward to when I can have bigger plates on (I started at 65), but since my arms are weak, I have a feeling I'll be progressing slowly on those.
Argh. We'll see how Tuesday goes.
Awww I'm sorry you had a frustrating day
Have you tried watching some videos on squats? If you youtube Mark Rippetoe he really has some great videos demonstrating proper form. I'm wondering if you arms are sore because they are really close to your neck? I know if I keep my hands closer to the middle of the bar it feels really off but if I hold them out further it feels much more natural. I also find it helps if I do some dynamic stretching before I start .....basically just some are swings and shoulder rows, maybe some hugs....maybe that would help too? Rows can also be tough...perhaps start with the bar and move up incrementally to get your form down? Or even just drop the weight a bit?
Good luck with your next workout! We are all here to support you
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Awww I'm sorry you had a frustrating day Have you tried watching some videos on squats? If you youtube Mark Rippetoe he really has some great videos demonstrating proper form. I'm wondering if you arms are sore because they are really close to your neck? I know if I keep my hands closer to the middle of the bar it feels really off but if I hold them out further it feels much more natural. I also find it helps if I do some dynamic stretching before I start .....basically just some are swings and shoulder rows, maybe some hugs....maybe that would help too? Rows can also be tough...perhaps start with the bar and move up incrementally to get your form down? Or even just drop the weight a bit?
Good luck with your next workout! We are all here to support you
I read some of the suggested websites, but I haven't watched the Ripeptoe videos. I'll give those a try. My tailbone is starting to hurt, so I'm definitely doing something wrong at the bottom. And I think I did have my hands pretty close; I'll try a wider grip on Tuesday. Thanks for the help!
I may have to drop the bar on the rows too. Don't want to shoot myself in the foot before I ever get started.0 -
i put my hands pretty wide on the bar (relatively) because what you really need to do is pull your shoulder blades back towards each other and then just put your hands wherever leaves you with a nice comfortable angle (and we're all a little bit different there as to how far apart that leaves your hands exactly).
In terms of butt winking its hard to tell but for me if I deliberately un-arch my lower back, I feel the most pressure on my knees. My husband winks a tiny bit at the very bottom but its never really bothered him - what DOES tend to bother him is hip tightness and shoulder tightness (doorway shoulder stretches are really effective for that).
You can try reading through this article for a stretch to fix the butt winking but I think generally remembering to hold the lower back arch should help. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/whats-the-proper-way-to-squat-qa.html
As far as balance issues, its probably ALSO related to holding that arch, but it could also be ankle flexibility? If you watch the second video with the gigantic guy squatting, its got a really good view of how his calves move as he drops down - might be helpful.
I find if helpful to watch a LOT of different people squat, or see a lot of pictures, etc. Different bodies just look DIFFERENT doing it and sometimes it will give me an idea of something to watch for. I actually have had my best epiphanies watching big guys do the movements - sometimes. Maybe because they look SO different I actually get to see it in a different way?0 -
My knee is officially useless.
I tried a bunch of the suggestions today and it hurt even more, even at 85 lbs. I again gave up after 4 sets, then later I went back and did another practice set with just the bar. I found that it felt much better if I kept my toes pointed more forward and just let my knees do what they wanted. I think the pain corresponded with me getting more aware of needing to keep my knees out. Blah.
I stalled for the first time on OHP - only did 4 of my 5th set. 55 lbs. It will be fun to see whether I can manage to get over that hump the next few times.
I DO run every time I lift, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do shoe-wise. I'm pretty scatterbrained and asking me to add in shoes to my gym necessities might just be a bit too much. :laugh:
So pendlay rows, I've just been using preloaded bars. I end up not coming close to the floor on my downward movement. Am I making this hard on myself? :laugh: I see that a lot of you use the rack.
I'm going to max out on the bar set in 5 or 10 lbs for both rows and OHP. I am so self-conscious about taking up a rack for most of my workout. I'm not one of those "ashamed of being a girl in the boys' section" chicks, I just feel bad monopolizing such an important piece of equipment. We have four, but they are in high demand! I wish there was just a rack for the bar, without the whole cage. Do other gyms have that? All our other bars are combined with a bench or seat or curling rack or whatever.0 -
Audii, you are starting out right!! I found the Rippetoe videos a huge help. Also Starting Strength is like $10 on Amazon as an ebook, definitely worth a read. Congrats on starting!0
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Workout A
Squats: 85 3x8
Bench: 70 3x8
Rows: 65 3x8
SLRDL: 12.5 3x8
I'm going to try double progressives...working up to 16 reps before I move up in weight. (Rec from Helloitsdan...so we'll see.)
I found that stacking 3 25lb plates got the bar to the perfect height for rows and they finally felt decent. Of course, this is after som douchenozzle was taking up the power cage to do a set of shoulder shrugs...to a set of dumbbell presses, get a drink, flirt, do a set of shrugs... I tried to get him to hurry, but he was an a-hole, so I improvised.0 -
I found that stacking 3 25lb plates got the bar to the perfect height for rows and they finally felt decent. Of course, this is after som douchenozzle was taking up the power cage to do a set of shoulder shrugs...to a set of dumbbell presses, get a drink, flirt, do a set of shrugs... I tried to get him to hurry, but he was an a-hole, so I improvised.
I fear the *kitten* that love to sit around on the squat rack and do nothing, so I'm working out Sunday mornings (I doubt they go to church, but maybe they're hung over...) and Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm going to go in at 5am. Luckily I'm a morning person. We only have one rack, and strangely there aren't that many 25lb weights. So, I want to get as much use out of our rack as I can. I was stacking two weights high, and I was thinking it might be a little low. I'll try 3.0 -
My knee is officially useless. I tried a bunch of the suggestions today and it hurt even more, even at 85 lbs. I again gave up after 4 sets, then later I went back and did another practice set with just the bar. I found that it felt much better if I kept my toes pointed more forward and just let my knees do what they wanted. I think the pain corresponded with me getting more aware of needing to keep my knees out. Blah.
I was watching the recommended Rippetoe videos today (as many as I could find). He had mentioned that when you squat his recommended method uses as many muscles as possible. If you injure your groin, you can still squat, but pull your feet into a narrow stance and point your toes forward; it apparently removes the adductors from the exercise. Perhaps that might help your knee? Might be worth a try (of course, you don't want to do any permanent damage either, so take it easy if you need to).0 -
I don't have much to say this morning (shocker!) except for the fact that I just busted through the 50# OHP stall! Whoop whoop me!
Happy Monday ladies 0
