January Check in and Chat - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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Welcome Clarita and Mads.
I will let some more educated ladies answer your questions about substitutions...
I just wanted to say hi and welcome! :-D0 -
Okay...thanks for the tip! On my way to score some chalk!!
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Hi Everyone!
My question is...do you ladies use straps or anything for deadlifts and barbell rows? I've got freakishly small hands (my 7 year old's hands are almost the size of mine) and I'm struggling to hold the bar for heavier than what I'm at. I'm using the mixed grip on the deadlift, but not sure if that's "allowed". What are you all doing???
I totally get this because I constantly refer to my hands as child sized hands....it's ridiculous!! I don't even fit in a ladies small glove - if there's extra small, sometimes I fit in that, but even those are too big. I shop in the children's section for my handwear.
I took the advice of the other awesome ladies in here and started working on my grip through other exercises. The farmer's hold/walk whatever, youtube it and it will show you, also just holding on to my deadlift for a few extra seconds really helps out as well. Plus I do a weighted sidebend to help with my grip, which I also successively go up in weight, that has really helped my grip strength. I am at 30 now for that, and whereas that was so hard for me to hold before, now I can for all my sets (3 each side, 12 reps) and can probably go up to 35 my next workout. These have really worked for me.....
and our hands aren't freakishly small - their just proportionally challenged Seriously though, I was surprised how small mine were when I was being sized for my engagement ring...SIZE 5??? It's ridiculous.
Good luck!!!
Hahaha. Awesome. I should probably do more while I'm at home. I will definitely just practice holding those stupid heavy dumbells. What a pain. Okay...I like your term. Proportinally challenged it is! lol. 0 -
and our hands aren't freakishly small - their just proportionally challenged Seriously though, I was surprised how small mine were when I was being sized for my engagement ring...SIZE 5??? It's ridiculous.
<----4.5 here, lol. Itty Bitty Lady Fingers.
I LOVE that I'm not the only one with small hands. Why does that always make one feel better to have company? 0 -
I wanted to share my success so far with stronglifts - been doing it since about November or so - and as of today, I realized that I have lost 11 inches from my waist since November and also gained 9 lbs of lean body mass. I'm so stoked! It makes me really look forward to the coming year and what gains I'll make and how my body will change the further in I get. I didn't want to share it in the forums, but thought I'd share with you ladies -
Here's the link....
http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q719/Sarah_Jilk/Janbod_zps3b16353e.jpg0 -
I can't get it to post the picture correctly - I'm so bad at all that stuff.0
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Mads - I need more info, what prevents you from doing the press? I'm sure we could think of some substitutes but I don't want to suggest anything that will have the same issues.
Clarita - it depends on what you mean by "the same" I guess. Kind of? But you can't add weight to a pushup (well, some people suggest a weighted vest but even that has its limits) and also it depends on the type of pushup, and also pushups require a lot of other strength. What's your goal with this lifting plan? Are you trying to get stronger? What movements are you trying to get stronger at? Is this meant to be more of a bodybuilding routine?
rioux - If you're working out at a public gym (I don't remember what your set up is) i have something called an eco-ball, its a chalk substitute for places you can't use chalk.
also, I apparently have gigantic hands. But chalk still helps. I usually go to chalk first, then mixed grip with chalk, then straps (but so far I haven't needed straps, that's just my plan for when I feel like I do).0 -
Darwin - great pics! I can see a difference everywhere, of course, but I think one of the best ones is that you've got some visible muscle in your shoulders and traps/upper back and also arms - and it just makes you look stronger and tighter across there and makes your arm look firmer too (if that makes sense). It also looks like maybe you lost some size on your arm?
I really hope I get good results this year. Last year I was really inconsistent with my food in the latter half and didn't make a whole lot of progress the last 3 months of the year. First 3 months of this year I want to get back to where I was, fitting a comfy size 8 in everything (as opposed to now with this little muffin top, sigh). Then we'll see if I can push down my size again. I really want to drop about 10lbs of fat. Might correspond to a large 6 small 8 in my current brands.0 -
Dawrin - your boobs are perkier, lol.0
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Mads - I need more info, what prevents you from doing the press? I'm sure we could think of some substitutes but I don't want to suggest anything that will have the same issues.
Clarita - it depends on what you mean by "the same" I guess. Kind of? But you can't add weight to a pushup (well, some people suggest a weighted vest but even that has its limits) and also it depends on the type of pushup, and also pushups require a lot of other strength. What's your goal with this lifting plan? Are you trying to get stronger? What movements are you trying to get stronger at? Is this meant to be more of a bodybuilding routine?
This ^^^ 0 -
I wanted to share my success so far with stronglifts - been doing it since about November or so - and as of today, I realized that I have lost 11 inches from my waist since November and also gained 9 lbs of lean body mass. I'm so stoked! It makes me really look forward to the coming year and what gains I'll make and how my body will change the further in I get. I didn't want to share it in the forums, but thought I'd share with you ladies -
Here's the link....
http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q719/Sarah_Jilk/Janbod_zps3b16353e.jpg
Great work! Just curious...are you eating at a deficit or maintenance?0 -
Thank you for your questions! The weight lifting is not an end in itself for me. I basically put my goals in my intro post - I want to look better I think being stronger will be a byproduct of that. I decided to get into weight lifting because it's advocated so much here on MFP as a good fat burning tool that will help you look better too, not just lose weight. I only have 15 pounds left to lose and I'm in a healthy weight range, so I felt like dropping weight was getting more difficult, and weight lifting might help with that. Another mfp friend recommended the following compound lifts: overhead press, bench press, pullups, deadlifts, rows and squats. Thanks again!
Another question: how do stiff legged deadlifts and romanian deadlifts work your body differently? Are thetre other types of deadlifts? Which do you do?0 -
I think the SL program calls for Romanian DL's. Here's what I found on Romanian vs SLDL : http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/rdl-vs-sldl.html
Workout B today
RFESLS: 3x8 15 lbs
OHP: 3x8 50 lbs (my arms were burning by numbe 6 of set 3!)
DL: 1x8 65 lbs, 1x8 85 lbs, 1x8 100 lbs0 -
The program actually calls for clean style deadlifts. I'll write more late - on my phone.0
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That's right...I thought they were the same thing, but they aren't. Dur.0
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Clarita - those are usually considered the 6 "big" strength movements. What's odd to me, about what you wrote out, is you made the big exercises very high volume and lower weight, and you made some of the smaller exercises lower volume and presumably smaller weight.
I'd probably flip that the other way around or well - frankly if you've never used barbells I'd do a proper beginner program FIRST like SL, Starting Strength, or NROL(FW if you like) and actually make sure you've got the big movements nailed before you start doing stuff like sets to failure. But like - especially since you're new to deadlifts, please don't do 5x10. Deadlifts are majorly fatiguing - After a year of training I do 3x5 and I'm exhausted at the end of it. Ditto for squats. If you can do 5x10 squats you aren't lifting heavy enough. If you want to keep the slightly higher rep ranges (8-10) I'd drop it down to only 2-3 sets. Essentially you'll end up doing the same number of reps but in fewer blocks (and you won't be able to lift as much as if you only did 5 reps but that's ok as long as yo make progression).
I'd also personally do the bench press instead of the pushups unless doing a lot of pushups is some kind of personal goal for you? But since you said your goal is to look better, I don't see any value in doing pushups rather than something you can add load too. At some point bodyweight exercises become cardio because you get to strong for them. At some point ALL strength training becomes cardio, because you're too strong for it.0 -
And now I am off to bench 100. wish me luck ladies! (Naw I don't need it, I got this nailed. I think.)0
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Dawrin - your boobs are perkier, lol.
You know what??? I totally thought the same thing....thanks bench press
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Mads - I need more info, what prevents you from doing the press? I'm sure we could think of some substitutes but I don't want to suggest anything that will have the same issues.
Hi Tameko, thank you for your reply. For some reason doing anything above my head is no go, i even have trouble holding my arms up to do my hair sometimes. My disease affects all voluntary muscles, but my arms are the weakest by far, i also struggle doing bench presses but not nearly as bad.0 -
Hello, I'm Christine, a newbie to lifting. I lost ~60# since Feb. Much of it was baby weight. I got to my pre-pregnancy weight by doing absolutely nothing special. Then I signed up for mfp and started the 1200 cal diet in June. Lost 15# but stalled. Then upped my cals to 1800 & lost another 15#. Gained 3 back over the holidays, so decided to add lifting to start losing again.
I started SL5x5 last Thursday. I did not sign up for the whole report from Medhi. I went with what was on the site, youtube, here and what my husband suggested. So, I know I'm a light-weight by starting with only 25#, but I tried squatting with 35# and couldn't finish a set. I only did the squats on Saturday because my baby needed my attention and never got back to the workout. Tuesday, my husband took care of the baby while I worked out. I usually get sore the second day after a workout, not the next day. It will be a challenge to start lifting while I still sore.
I see all the weight some of you veterans are lifting and look forward to reaching those levels someday. Can you share what weights you started with and when that was so a girl can glean some inspiration? Thanks!0 -
Darwin - great pics! I can see a difference everywhere, of course, but I think one of the best ones is that you've got some visible muscle in your shoulders and traps/upper back and also arms - and it just makes you look stronger and tighter across there and makes your arm look firmer too (if that makes sense). It also looks like maybe you lost some size on your arm?
I really hope I get good results this year. Last year I was really inconsistent with my food in the latter half and didn't make a whole lot of progress the last 3 months of the year. First 3 months of this year I want to get back to where I was, fitting a comfy size 8 in everything (as opposed to now with this little muffin top, sigh). Then we'll see if I can push down my size again. I really want to drop about 10lbs of fat. Might correspond to a large 6 small 8 in my current brands.
Thanks for the feedback - I could definitely a tell a huge difference right away from Nov-Dec, but not so much Dec-Nov just that it seemed "tighter", so what you're saying makes total sense. Plus my clothes are all fitting super awesome now.
the food thing is so much of this too - I struggle to stay within my calories, but then also eat enough protein for my LBM. That's generally why I keep cardio in still -adding in my protein shake every day added an additional 300 calories. So that's my struggle more than anything, calories and protein, though I think that's a lot of peoples struggle, too.0 -
Well??? Did you hit it? :drinker:And now I am off to bench 100. wish me luck ladies! (Naw I don't need it, I got this nailed. I think.)0 -
Hello, I'm Christine, a newbie to lifting. I lost ~60# since Feb. Much of it was baby weight. I got to my pre-pregnancy weight by doing absolutely nothing special. Then I signed up for mfp and started the 1200 cal diet in June. Lost 15# but stalled. Then upped my cals to 1800 & lost another 15#. Gained 3 back over the holidays, so decided to add lifting to start losing again.
I started SL5x5 last Thursday. I did not sign up for the whole report from Medhi. I went with what was on the site, youtube, here and what my husband suggested. So, I know I'm a light-weight by starting with only 25#, but I tried squatting with 35# and couldn't finish a set. I only did the squats on Saturday because my baby needed my attention and never got back to the workout. Tuesday, my husband took care of the baby while I worked out. I usually get sore the second day after a workout, not the next day. It will be a challenge to start lifting while I still sore.
I see all the weight some of you veterans are lifting and look forward to reaching those levels someday. Can you share what weights you started with and when that was so a girl can glean some inspiration? Thanks!
Welcome to the group!
I'm in week 7 of the program and I started everything at bar weight which is 45# You can see my week 6 numbers on page 4 I think....you do progress really quickly on this program so don't worry, you will be there before you know it! 0 -
I started at lighter than 45 lbs on almost all my lifts except deads. I was really...not strong. I've progressed, slower on some lifts than others, (I've definitely figured out my weak spots). It takes time and patience. Enjoy it, though, it's very rewarding and satisfying.0
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Good morning Ladies! Guess what this morning was??!!!!!
DAY 1 USING MY POWER RACK!!!
Eeeekkkkk! I was so excited....and pretty scared lol
I feel way more badass now haha and loading the bar is a whole lot easier!
Happy Wednesday all!0 -
Also, Darwin, your pics are amazing! Well done! You must be very pleased.0
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Hope everyone is doing well!
I'm just about to go and do Day 2 (Workout B this time - eek!) and I'm really looking forward to it!
One question, how many of you use protein shakes? I'm struggling to get my protein in a bit and was wondering if any of you use protein shakes to boost your protein numbers. Or, if not, how do you make sure you eat enough? I really want to make sure I'm giving my body enough of a chance to rebuild after lifting as possible!
And thoughts on CLA supplements? I have a tub and was wondering whether to give them a go as well?0 -
Hope everyone is doing well!
I'm just about to go and do Day 2 (Workout B this time - eek!) and I'm really looking forward to it!
One question, how many of you use protein shakes? I'm struggling to get my protein in a bit and was wondering if any of you use protein shakes to boost your protein numbers. Or, if not, how do you make sure you eat enough? I really want to make sure I'm giving my body enough of a chance to rebuild after lifting as possible!
And thoughts on CLA supplements? I have a tub and was wondering whether to give them a go as well?
I try to base every meal around protein and if I find I still need some then I use protein powder! I will make a shake using greek yogurt and protein powder and that gives me a great chunk for not a whole lot of calories! My opinion is to try to get as much as possible from "real" food and if you need a shake, then go for it! As for the CLA, I don't use any other supplements at this point....I'm not educated enough yet on that stuff, but from what I've read it's really not overly necessary!0 -
Hope everyone is doing well!
I'm just about to go and do Day 2 (Workout B this time - eek!) and I'm really looking forward to it!
One question, how many of you use protein shakes? I'm struggling to get my protein in a bit and was wondering if any of you use protein shakes to boost your protein numbers. Or, if not, how do you make sure you eat enough? I really want to make sure I'm giving my body enough of a chance to rebuild after lifting as possible!
And thoughts on CLA supplements? I have a tub and was wondering whether to give them a go as well?
I try to base every meal around protein and if I find I still need some then I use protein powder! I will make a shake using greek yogurt and protein powder and that gives me a great chunk for not a whole lot of calories! My opinion is to try to get as much as possible from "real" food and if you need a shake, then go for it! As for the CLA, I don't use any other supplements at this point....I'm not educated enough yet on that stuff, but from what I've read it's really not overly necessary!
^^^^What she said......
I try and eat as much protein through real food as possible - and if I don't have enough, I have a shake then. I used to have one for breakfast - but I started taking them only as needed now and usually at night. No supplements here - mostly because I don't know about them and am slightly leary of them. I'll leave that to other people who more know more than me!0 -
NEWBIE to lifting! Just starting this week. Starting with the empty bar as highly reccommended by everyone and adding 5 lbs each week. Excited to see where I am in a couple of months!0
