February Check-n-chat: Bada$$ B!tches do it with barbells
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NSV! Well, the scale still isn't moving. But I finally remembered to take the time to measure myself, and while I'm not hugely down, I'm definitely down like an inch and a half on my waist and under my bust! My hips and whatnot haven't moved though :grumble: ... but at least it's all going in the right direction! Granted this is over a month and a half... but I've been off and on the eating wagon so if I stay on, maybe it'll be a bit faster? Either way, I'm happy! :happy:0
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@Vegas and Kitkat - awesome job!! losing inches is terrific!!!0
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@Julie I feel your pain on the metabolism. Mine was also screwed after 7 years aiming for 1000-1200 per day, plus three years on Remeron which truly screwed my body up. Sorted out my head though :-)
So, yes, you're doing it right, it may feel hard, but it is worth it a you'll be healthier physically and have a healthier relationship with food. For what it's worth, I'm absolutely convinced that if I started eating at maintenance (2100) I'd balloon up like a hippo. I feel sickif I eat more than 700 or do cals in one go. But it's getting easier. Slowly. I'm netting 1500 (unthinkable 6 months ago!) And not gaining. Not losing, which means I need to up them (I've already proved I don't lose on less) but can't quite do it yet. But I will, and it'll be fine.
Today's numbers:
Squat 4x5 53lbs DB pair 1x5 44lbs goblet to check form. Goblet squats are the future
OP: 30lbs 5x5 no deload 3.5 weeks off.
Deadlift: 110lbs cos I'm a doofus, can't count and increased after 3.5 weeks off!
Big girl (33lbs) plates for the DL!! Biggest problem was loading the damn bar with them...
Anyone else find they start a DL set, think they'll never finish, blink and have done all five?0 -
@xida awesome badassery at the gym!!! and thanks for the comiseration...I can't tell you all how much it means to me not to be judged by my bad eating history..my whining about how hard it is, my insecurity about the scale etc...I've been on this site for almost 2 years...and I've never felt so comfortable letting it all hang out..and be able to accept the advice given....god its wonderful!0
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Hiit- so brave to venture outside of the smith. You might be sore, but you'll appreciate what you were missing
Thank you everyone for the stretches. My whole hips have been tight my whole life! Probably because they only hip stretch I ever learned in gym class/athletics is the butterfly. I like to stretch inner, outer, and flexors. FEELS SO GOOD. I found some good ones I can use now, and more when I'm healed. You guys are the best!
Xidia- Grats on your lifts! I also have unintentionally increased or increased more than I planned. :blushing: I have a BFA and cannot be expected to use numbers correctly!0 -
NSV -- bought a 50 lb and 30 lb bag of dog food today and carried both of them out the store like a boss without breaking a sweat.
/flex
:laugh:
(actually the real victory here is that my lower back wasn't acting up like it usually would ... hooray!)
Also, TGIF !!!! :drinker:0 -
So…Y’all!
I have to share!!!!
I did day 1 of week 2, which is the “B” workout. I left work early and came in the studio and kicked @$$!
I was all stressin’ earlier this week about squats with weights, and I did 30 lbs 5x5 today!!! And my OHP’s were @ 30, and probably should have been more, but I didn’t want to over-do…so I bumped my weight up on my deadlifts to 60, because everything else felt really light, and no effort…that was too easy, so bumped to 70, and nailed them! For grins, I did four (breathe breathe) then one @ 90, tho, I know my form was less than perfect. I wanted to see if I could. And I did. Needless to say, I’m going to back off to 75 next “B”, but it was totally worth trying it to see if I could even get the SOB off the ground.
@Julie - I have been following your posts on this thread, and have been where you are…the first time around…I wasn’t working out with weights then, but was busting tail at the Y doing an @$$load of cardio and flatlined at 163 and the #$^^^%% scale wouldn’t move for weeks. I got frustrated and gave up. Stopped logging and everything. A year later the weight was back and with a buy one, get a half pound free…I absolutely know how frustrating it is.
@Dani - WTG on the dog food. I’m the dog food bag carrier (we have 7, and the hubs isn’t supposed to lift more than 20-25 pounds given the fusion in his neck. Looking forward to the day I’m not dragging it or panting from lifting it and carrying to the house.
@everyone — Thank you for accepting me in here and making me feel so welcome! You guys are freaking amazing!!!!
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but it was totally worth trying it to see if I could even get the SOB off the ground.
:laugh: Oh good! I'm glad I'm not the only one who tries picking something up just to see if I can!! (the answer for 95 lb rows by the way is HECK NO, so I wimped out and went back to the 45 lb kiddie pool ... sniff). I'm happy with my 95 lb dead lifts for now though.
90 for lifts is a great effort for week 2, keep it up !! I was totally amazed when that 95 lb weight came up off the ground the first time. Great feeling!0 -
I had to skip a bunch of stuff. Keep working those bad *kitten*!
The scale always fluctuates a few pounds for me, every day. I'm always amazed when people say they've literally been at the same weight for awhile.
Kit_katty: here's what I was doing up until a few weeks ago. I worked out my sedentary TDEE - assuming I did not work out - to be about 1850. I set my intake at 1800 every day. That way I figured I had a tiny deficit and a little wiggle room even if I didn't workout AT ALL. Then any exercise I did "created" my deficit. So on weeks that I didn't get to work out much, I still ate the same and didn't feel deprived and just figured I would lose the next week. But most weeks I was able to do enough to create a bit of a substantial deficit. it was good motivation because it was very easy to think about my workouts as necessary for my deficit. I switched to 1600 plus exercise calories recently though, because I entered a stretch where I felt like my exercising was going to be really hit or miss. I've been having a hard time staying under 1600, so I may switch back, or up it to 1700 and only eat back half my exercise calories, or something.
Sarah what a brilliant idea!!! It never crossed my mind to figure out tdee assuming I was sedentary! I found it too confusing to figure out so I have been just eating what MFP tells me but I am always in the red 500 or more calories, what I consider maintenance. I will see what it says when I do what you have suggested! Thanks a lot! I have read so much about this tdee thing but my brain can't seem to get it!0 -
@xida awesome badassery at the gym!!! and thanks for the comiseration...I can't tell you all how much it means to me not to be judged by my bad eating history..my whining about how hard it is, my insecurity about the scale etc...I've been on this site for almost 2 years...and I've never felt so comfortable letting it all hang out..and be able to accept the advice given....god its wonderful!
We're here to help 0 -
Congratulations Darwin!! You two look so happy! I'm glad your kitty is better. : (It is so stressful when your babies are sick.)
I love that everyone is into being strong, healthy, and eating to lift!
I had a nice workout this morning and then I had to go out for a pap test : ( and groceries. It just dawned on me that I am not quite finished yet! I had to stop after my DL warm ups and visit with my son a bit before I went off on my adventures today. So the weights are still all over the floor!
Today I was thinking about tightening up my core as I was doing the squats and OHP. I don't think I was focusing on that the last time I started SL and then I thought about it when I was squatting 130 and then my back spasmed. Now that I am starting fresh I am going to engage that core and work my way up . Hopefully that will be the way to progress without hurting myself again. I also think the shoes are great! I haven't tried the old runners to see the difference but I feel solid and ...you know... Badass!
Dani that is so cool that you are able to do that important "real work" without hurting yourself!0 -
Made the mistake of trying out a boxing fitness class a few hours after lifting, and boy do I feel it today. Never felt such bad aching muscles...legs and arms and shoulders, lol. I had assumed the boxing would be just sparring, but she had us doing a set of 50 crunches, followed by a minutes long plank, followed by repeats of the same in slightly lower numbers, as well as squats, lunges, pushups, skipping, sparring, running around and ouch, oh my. First time I have experienced this degree of muscle ache.
Also starving hungry now, the day after.
Even after having chicken breast, sweet potato, a pound of vegetables and some butter for dinner, lol.0 -
I am seriously exhausted. Getting married tires the ever living **** out of you.
Recap of week: rcvd an email Tuesday morning that our officiant had a death and the funeral is Saturday at 4. Our ceremony is/was at 5. We were picking up our marriage license that day anyway, so decided to get married at the courthouse. So we got married a few days earlier...and we'll just announce it at the ceremony and get straight to the reception instead. They are both at the same place.
Same night my 1 yo Siamese baby blew up like a balloon and had to take him to kitty er. Thought he was going to have to do surgery but just steroids.
Now finishing shopping, errands for Saturday wedding festivities and we're getting a snow storm tomorrow.
I haven't slept at all - I'm so tired, but very happy to married to love. He's truly meant for me!
Now for my workout today-
120 squats 5x5
60 ohp 3x5
160 dl 1x4
175 dl 1x2
I switched to a mixed grip today and holy hell it made a huge difference! I could have lifted more but didn't want to push it.
How I missed this post is beyond me!
Congrats, Darwin, to both of you. I wish you MANY happy years together...I love that whole, "and they lived happily ever after..." That is what I wish you both!!!0 -
Julie, you're good, chica, vent away.
Here's what helped me with some lifts...
OHP: widen the grip on the bar a bit, widen your stance a bit, and point your toes out. That helped my core stability without needing to arch my back.
Bench: keep your feet flat on the ground--if you can't do that because the bench is too high, stack a weight or two under your feet. Squeeze your shoulder blades and press them to the bench like they're super glued.
Other people might have some hints, but those two really helped me.
@ Darwin!! Congrats! that is awesome, you're a married lady!! woot! and such a graceful way to handle a problem!
@ estra awesome advice! I'm benching tonight, and I believe it is supposed to be 50lbs. I really had to suck the abs in on Sunday to do 45lbs...so we'll see how it goes!
@Sarah and Tameko and everyone else who is so kind. I used HelloItsDan's way of measuring TDEE, he recommends using lightly active. and so my TDEE was 1761. I am 5'1", 132 (well up to 135) and I'm ...(god I hate saying this number) 50 yo. Yeah that pic is me, I don't look it or act it and don't want to be pigeon holed by it (and yeah my bf is 35 so take that!!! lol). So yeah, my TDEE is low. I suffered a bit from anorexia ages ago in high school...At one time I was 106lbs and wore a size 6 jeans..I wear a size 4 (up from a size 2 when I was 127 lbs this summer)...so I totally love what lifting has done for my body. But my *kitten* is huge and my thighs are 21"!! up a half an inch. I am really freaked about gaining weight..my bf loves it because he says it went all to my boobs, but I can see where it is...there is a lot of it..My body fat percentage is 28%. So yeah, its high, and the fat wasn't coming off with just diet I KNOW the lifting is what is making the difference.
I'm a nursing student, and I understand what is healthy, applying to myself after years of dieting is hard...really hard. I know that I wouldn't be as freaked if I saw it coming off in inches...but I'm not..I KNOW I'm doing the right thing, but it is seriously hard to watch the scale creepy back up after working 2 years to get 40lbs off. When I'm being rational I know the only way to get the fat off is to eat more and lift heavy ****. I LOVE lifting heavy ****. I want to be strong, I want to look good naked, and I want to get back into my size 2...I want to take a bath and not see the beautiful muscles on my thighs surrounded by the fat floating...its gross. I LOVE that my two boys (9 and 11yo) are trying to exercise and build muscle like their mother...my 9 yo stuffed pillows in his pjs and came in and told me "look how buff I am mom!! I'm so ripped my shirt unbuttoned!" So, yeah, I get it...I really do...it is just so, so hard to watch the scale go up. I do weight myself every day, historically if I didn't I would always feel like I was losing and in fact be gaining...so I do it to stay true and not be surprised. I also did a full set of measurements today. I put them in my diary. I'll open it up to everyone if you want.
As for my eating...on lift days I'm trying to eat my calories back. I like being able to put my exercise in. I usually do my lifting and then will get on the elliptical for some cardio. I have a touch of asthma so I like to keep the heart and lungs exercised. Though I greatly prefer walking in the woods. I walk fast, about 4mph...and love the silence and beauty of the woods.
So...thank you all for being so helpful, non judgemental, and such badass b*tches...I LOVE being here..and I am more than willing to take advice...and try my best. To answer someone's question, I think it is the number that scares me..I've been eating at or below 1200 calories for most of my life...my metabolism was shot to hell...I could gain weight on 700 cals at one point. I have science behind the numbers now...and I KNOW that isn't right. I've done a pretty good job of reseting my metabolism...if you know anything about thyroid issues..I have to keep my TSH number at .5 (anywhere from .3 to 7.5 CAN be normal, it really depends on each person what level they feel good at, if my TSH gets above 1.0 I can't function). Back last April my TSH went down to .25, by September is was 0.01!!! I'll spare you all the problems that was causing!!! I've been working with my doctor to bring that number back to a normal range. Currently I'm on a lower dose of thyroid meds than I've EVER been on and it is only 0.10, ugh! That is after 5 months of changes. Also right after I eat my furnace kicks on and starts burning the fuel..that is really cool.
Sorry its so long...heading to open up my diary for God and everyone to see...Oh and yeah, I have a major sweet tooth...and I don't log what I drink...coffee with milk, diet coke...I will log if I have some wine...and of course I log the water.
thank you...:flowerforyou:
I used to suffer anorexia as well. At my worst, I was 70ibs at 5'11. Since then, it has been a constant battle for me also, in terms of trying to find a balance and strive for things other than a lower weight. Last year I got down to 123 from 142+ through a lot of cycling, even though eating well, and binged my way back up to almost 140 again, and I think I have finally let go of the scale somewhat. I don't even check often now, which is very liberating. I also have not lost inches yet, which is a bit unnerving as I worry I might actually start gaining them. That said, I find I cannot restrict now and generally eat 1800-2000 calories a day, regardless of workout. I lose energy do fast if I don't eat enough and I hate not being able to exercise at all.
Hopefully you can find a balance somewhere, and focus on the fact that you are doing something you enjoy and that is beneficial for you. If you top that with a healthy diet, then the scale will follow suit, I am sure and your weight will settle where it belongs.0 -
I love workout B, and my knee brace is doing werk.
Squats: 95
OHP: 72 like a boss
Deadlift: 145. I wanted to try for more, but I was at the end of my last warm up set at 135 and didn't want to hurt anything. I guess I'll just consider this deloaded as well and keep going up 10lbs. Lol. Won't take long to get back up there. Also with my slightly tweaked form I'm feeling this way more in my abs and butt. Crossing fingers for butt doms! :laugh:
ETA: A bunch of crap!
One nice thing about deloading on deadlifts is I didn't have to use gloves at all today. Maybe this will help my precious widdle hands get used to heavier weights too.
And.
NSV. I wore a tank top to the gym today, and I noticed when I was getting under the squat bar I have super cute dimples on the back of my delts when I flexed. \o/ Getting buff.0 -
I finally made it to the gym today...it was the rec center by my school , and I hate lifting there, but whatevs.
Squat: 3x5 at 110 PR, b!tches!!!!!!! It was tough, but I did it. I actually set the catch bars so if I needed to bail, I could.
Bench: 3x5 at 88 another PR!! Holy *kitten*...I thought I was going to have to roll of shame it, but I really think the thought of doing it in front of these douchey high school boys kept me from rolling. I think I'm going to make my husband come with me next week when I attempt 90. Considering my ultimate goal was 100 lbs, I think I'm doing okay.
Rows: 3x5 at 80--I did Pendlays again--I don't know if I'm going to be able to get much more weight on these, so I'll just start adding a pound or two at a time.
Now, I'm fat and happy after spaghetti and a couple vodka/sodas.0 -
Did my SL workout today and managed some serious badas$ery.
After today I have to stay steady because I was losing form on everything. This is the shiizzz now because the weights are "hard" now. I find myself making unladylike noises and sweatin' like I should. Here's my numbers:
Squats 90x5x5. I lost form on theses a few times. I think it's my core that's failing me here. Next day relax and repeat.
OHP 40x5x5. Still can't do the big girl bar - maybe cause its longer and harder to stabilize? 40 doesn't feel overly challenging.
DL 135x5x5. I felt serious bad *kitten* on this one but only 3 were correct form. I watched a video about keeping tension when doing DL the other day and I really focused on creating tension on my glutes and hams before attempting the lift.
I think it's crazy how much core goes into all of these lifts.
I am now rocking the gym like a veteran and feeling super pumped. Just mad that I can't do the damn big girl bar with the OHP.0 -
Congrats Darwin!! Loved the vows too. Very original and the end part was great!!! Married life here you come. Enjoy the ride!0
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Finally made it to the gym after chaperoning a middle school dance...don't know what hurt more listening to Justin Beiber or having to roll on my second set of 50lbs bench press. I felt really psyched out about the 50lbs...so I took the 1x5, 1x4 50lbs and then deloaded to 45lbs and did the rest. It just wasn't nearly as difficult..
So instead of a nice big rawr...I did a MEOW
Squats - 75lbs 5x5
BP - 1x5, 1x4 50lbs, 3x5 45lbs (Smith Machine)
BR - 50lbs 5x5
Nothing really felt particularly badass... maybe I was just too tired...I certainly ate like a boss today...but I did managed to avoid the cupcake..its waiting for me for breakfast though 0 -
Mmmm. Cupcake.
Julie, it took me forfrellingever to get to where I am. Seriously. I used to lift in high school and college, and for a couple years out of college, then I just got burned out. So, I turned my sights towards soccer and was playing 5 days a week for several years. Two husbands, two kids, and several surgeries later, I found myself here.
I was doing Turbo Fire and yoga about 6 days a week, but was weak and miserable from not eating. So, I decided to give lifting another shot--I started with NROLFW. While I did the first 2 stages, I felt awkward...so I made the adjustment to SL. I started. Stopped. Restarted too heavy, killed myself. Stopped.
I've been doing SL "religiously" since the beginning of January, and I started pretty much from the beginning, and the only reason I've been able to progress fairly quickly is because I was lifting before. If you can do just one more rep than before...or add 1 more pound...well, I'd say, you're kicking some *kitten*.0 -
Serial posting because my husband is throwing darts down the street and I'm drinking alone...
I had an NSV today!! I rec center that I usually don't go to is newer and has these...um...clampy-thingys for the end of the bar Oh, they're spring collars. Anyway, the last time I was there...about a month ago, I needed to use both hands to grip them tight enough to loosen enough to slide on/off the bar.
Today, however, I just needed ONE HAND.
Ooh, yeah.0 -
Serial posting because my husband is throwing darts down the street and I'm drinking alone...
I had an NSV today!! I rec center that I usually don't go to is newer and has these...um...clampy-thingys for the end of the bar Oh, they're spring collars. Anyway, the last time I was there...about a month ago, I needed to use both hands to grip them tight enough to loosen enough to slide on/off the bar.
Today, however, I just needed ONE HAND.
Ooh, yeah.
Yay! Ours are bent, so I'm back to needing two hands. How they got bent is beyond me...0 -
Serial posting because my husband is throwing darts down the street and I'm drinking alone...
I had an NSV today!! I rec center that I usually don't go to is newer and has these...um...clampy-thingys for the end of the bar Oh, they're spring collars. Anyway, the last time I was there...about a month ago, I needed to use both hands to grip them tight enough to loosen enough to slide on/off the bar.
Today, however, I just needed ONE HAND.
Ooh, yeah.
Ha, I so know what you mean, that's always awesome. Although most of the ones at my gym are plastic, and you rotate a lever to lock them. I like the spring ones, but the plastic ones are actually easier to get down the bar since they open up more.
Everyone is throwing up some amazing weight, and congrats to everyone with PRs. Keep up the good work. I'm about to go to the park and die...0 -
Hey ladies, I feel the need to post today! I've never posted in the check-n-chat, but I have posted on a few other Stronglifts topics, including one earlier this week where I whined about being tired and not making huge gains and threatened to give up Stronglifts.
But, largely because of all of you, I've decided to stick to it, and I had an AWESOME workout last night. Squat 5x5 at 110, OP 5x5 at 57, and DL 1x5 of 150. RAWR!!!
Thanks to all of you for being so positive and encouraging all the time.0 -
Quick check-in before I get lost in housecleaning and playing Skyrim for the rest of the day (ohhh yeaaaaa):
Got up to 55 lbs on squats today (PR). Maybe 60 next time? Woop woop.
OHL are still weaksauce at 45 lbs. It's taking my left arm/shoulder forever to catch up! Still better than dumbbells although 3 sets are still a struggle, and that last lift takes everything I've got to not drop the bar on my head (which is my motivator :laugh: ).
Got up to 100 lb on deadlifts today (also PR). Getting more comfortable with it, and my form. I expect to keep adding now that I think I've got the form down. They're fun!
Sloooowly getting there! And the scale finally budged to below 200. Yay!
@chunk: Congrats on the PRs. Feels awesome, doesn't it? I smiled from ear to ear today after I was done. Couldn't help it.
@extra: Love those NSVs! Grip strength matters too!
Happy weekend ladies!!!! Keep beasting it!0 -
Happy Saturday Beautiful Ladies!
I so love that we are constantly having new people join our thread....and some serious BADASS ladies throwing up serious numbers to boot! Whoop!
I so super happy with my workout today as it marks my last workout in my first cycle of SL! I have never followed the same program for 12 weeks before, let alone plan to do a second cycle! I'm so happy :bigsmile: Here are my final 12 week numbers! Oh and I started with the bar for all lifts:
Squat 5x5 @ 150#
Bench 5,5,5,5,4 @ 63# (damn I tried so effing hard to push out that last rep but alas, had to use my safety chains for the first time since I got my rack :grumble: )
Row 5x5 @ 85#
OHP 5,4,3,3,3 @ 53#
DL 1x5 @ 155#
Plus some glute bridges and yoga of course :happy:
I plan to start cycle 2 on March 4 so that I can make next week a deload week and then start to build from then again. I'm so super excited to have a tiny break on the heavy *kitten* but I'm pretty sure I'll be antsy to get back to progressively loading in one week!
Yay!!!!0 -
Squat 5x5 @ 150#
Bench 5,5,5,5,4 @ 63# (damn I tried so effing hard to push out that last rep but alas, had to use my safety chains for the first time since I got my rack :grumble: )
Row 5x5 @ 85#
OHP 5,4,3,3,3 @ 53#
DL 1x5 @ 155#
Wow you do everything in the same session? ... how??
*faints*0 -
Squat 5x5 @ 150#
Bench 5,5,5,5,4 @ 63# (damn I tried so effing hard to push out that last rep but alas, had to use my safety chains for the first time since I got my rack :grumble: )
Row 5x5 @ 85#
OHP 5,4,3,3,3 @ 53#
DL 1x5 @ 155#
Wow you do everything in the same session? ... how??
Oh God no! :laugh: Those are my overall final numbers at the end of my first cycle Today was workout A!
*faints*0 -
*Wonders how long one needs to post here before people accept you and respond to your posts* 0
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*Wonders how long one needs to post here before people accept you and respond to your posts*
Couple weeks.
Or ... right now.
:bigsmile:0
