February Check-n-chat: Bada$$ B!tches do it with barbells
Replies
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Fittree I too am noticing more room in my jacket. It makes me happy too. Scale isn't moving but my clothes are getting loosey.
I'm trying to figure out why everyone's wearing jackets; we had a high of 75 yesterday :laugh:. I'm excited that most of my pants have a droopy butt now, but still not losing much right at the waist, so not going down a size. I guess it's saving me money though.
Darwin, glad to see you still have a job. Luckily I've never had to go through layoffs, but I've only had a real job for about a year
I hid in school for way too long... 0 -
Seem to be veering off strong lifts someways and doing additional reps if I can manage them, mainly because I have not dared venture beyond the 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 kg barbells thus far and while the 15 feels too light now to overhead, the 20 is still too. Heavy. I feel such s weed. Also working on my squats as I was not getting low enough. Can still only bench 20kg but am finding 35kg dead lifts easy enough that I think I will have to move up to the Olympic bar. The bench presses hurt as it was such a strain on my arms lifting the bar but yet I don't get doms anymore. Only ever got those the first couple of times when I did a lot less. Odd.0
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Good morning ladies!!!! Last night was the first workout of week 3 of SL for me. I am absolutely loving this program and I already feel like I am getting stronger!!
OHP: 40
Barbell Row: 50
Squat: 70
Deadlift: 75
Bench Press: 50
I don't think these numbers are too bad for week 3. I'm still trying to perfect form and don't want to increase too much before I'm ready. By the last set last night, I was definitely feeling it, but no DOMS this morning. Is it bad sometimes I'm bummed when I'm not sore!? LOL.
Make it a great HUMP DAY! :drinker:0 -
Darwin - Glad you are still among the employed. I truely don't envy the private sector workers. You guys might make more money, but it practically takes an act of congress to get laid off here.
Nice numbers Lauren!
Re: Jackets - Mine seem to be getting a lot tighter around the shoulders. I don't want to buy larger sizes b/c then they look frumpy (I like tailor/fitted stuff) but it is getting to the point that I can't zip up my new leather coat! :frown: I shouldn't be complaining about fan-effing-fabulos delts though :drinker: !
Welcome back Zorrena, glad to hear that your arm is feeling better!
I plan on hitting the weights again today, probably before my chiro adjustment (they want me to come in AGAIN on Saturday and I am hoping thats my last one). My back is 95% today and with my renewed sense of vigor, I am hoping to hit another squat PR.
Good luck with your lifts today ladies! :flowerforyou:0 -
Good morning Ladies!
Glad to see recovery from injuries, clothes getting bigger or tighter (that means sexy shoulders!), and everyone keeping their jobs
Great workout for me this morning....
Squat 5x5 @ 135# (I am going to start to struggle now....this was the first weight that I didn't know if I could do it....but I did! BADA$$!!!!)
OHP 4x4x3x3x3 @ 52# (So I actually deloaded on this after watching Mehdi's youtube video as I realized that my form was off and I was doing the "dip" to get the weight up. Clearly it didn't go well :laugh: )
DL 1x5 @ 140# (Like a BADA$$!!!!)
Happy Wednesday Ladies!0 -
Darwin - glad you still have a job!
Zorrena - glad to hear to you are healing well.
Lauren - great numbers for week 3!
Vegas - glad to see you working on form! Those squat and dead weights are awesome though!!
My clothes are getting tighter across my shoulders as well, but thanfully looser in the waist.
My workout this morning
squat - 80 lbs 5x5
bench - 60 lbs 5x5
row - 75 lbs 5x50 -
Welcome new people!!
Last night I made it to the gym...where's my frelling medal? :laugh:
Squats: 3x5 95 (25 lb plates!)
Bench: 5x5 82 lbs
Cable row: 5x5 80 lbs
I was going to try Pendlays, but my lower back was bugging me. I need to wear shoes when I'm cooking, standing on the tile hurts me.
I thought I was going to have to do the roll of shame on my bench last night...I was lifting 82 before Xmas, but only 3x5. I did my 4th set okay, but by my 5th I was tired! I think the thought of bring embarrassed gave me the adrenaline to finish set 5.0 -
had a bad couple of days ...didnt workout at all Mon & Tues.... Today I did a regular "A" day....no extra stuff though now I wish I had at least did seated leg presses
Squats 5x5 60lbs.... felt pretty good....could feel my abs and hams working during this
Bench press 5x5 45 lbs... last set was a lil rough bt I fought through it
Barbell row... 5x5 50 lbs... im worried about my form on this... I needed all 3 minutes of rest between each set...during the rest I kept checking videos for form and it seems I was doing it right... anyhoo, the last set sucked like rotten eggs....
on Friday I will NOT be increasing weight at all....
Im expecting DOMS.... my arms and shoulders feel kind of tight and its been just an hour since I left the gym
my legs dont feel like I had a workout at all....
Oh and I couldnt even make it a week without stepping on the scale.... today Im down to 197.8 today....2 pounds in a week....I'll take it0 -
Hey ladies,
I've been lifting for a while, but just started StrongLifts this week. I upped some of the weights since lifting just the bar was way, way too easy (my 1RM for DL was 225). Even though things are lighter, I know they'll progress rapidly and I'm really focusing on my form. My squats are much lower than they've ever been, which makes me feel pretty badass. Since I've been working with a trainer for a bit over a year, I feel really comfortable at the gym lifting heavy things among the dudes (which only contributes to the badassery).
Right now I'm at:
Squats: 100 5x5
OHP: 45 5x5
DLs: 95 5x5
BP: 65 5x5
Barbell Row: 65 5X5
My goal for February is just to stick with it.0 -
Congratulations on all the heavy lifting!! And the weight loss and NSV's like clothes fitting differently etc!
I am having to practice what I preach! (Don't you hate that!). I hit a bump in the road this morning. I pulled a muscle in my lower back this morning. I was on my last set, squatting 130!!! Totally impressed with myself even though I'm iced, showered and extra strength tylenoled, and now lying on the couch. Thank goodness for the power rack! I was able to get the bar back on the hooks as soon as I felt the muscle go. I'm not worried. I've had worse. And this new fangled body heals faster than the old one. The real challenge is not heading for the chocolate to anesthetize my brain!0 -
Hi everyone!
Get better darn it!
Extraordinary medal for Extraordinary getting to the gym.
Vegas nice squats!
Does anyone else think about laces out when squatting, but replace knees for laces. I promise I won't kill anyone if a knee buckles, and I hurt myself though.
Freckled- Welcome! Nice lifts.
I got to go to the trainer again today for OHP and Dead. Set PRs on both. Woot. I also tweaked my form a bit so I can be even more bada$$ along with all you bada$$ ladies. I'm a little sad no more trainer after today. I might go back or get a membership their in a few months when my PF contract (that I'm not using) expires. It's cool to be around power lifters/strong(wo)men who aren't going to tell me I'm squatting too low. :laugh: They include basic form checks, instruction, routines in the membership which is quite reasonable. They're also have a dead lift competition this weekend so I might go watch some dudes and ladies lift heavy stuff!0 -
I'm trying to figure out why everyone's wearing jackets; we had a high of 75 yesterday :laugh:. I'm excited that most of my pants have a droopy butt now, but still not losing much right at the waist, so not going down a size. I guess it's saving me money though.
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You must be in Texas like me....warm weather this week. Glad to hear someone else with a waist that won't shrink and droopy butt...i guess we take what we can get.0 -
Coats are needed here for sure - cold and rainy in WA state, but that's not new. :-)
Workout B tonight and - after waiting 20 minutes for the dudes taking up the racks, I went to a different part of the gym and found another room they have set up for weights - score!
Failed on OHP at 55 but I think (thanks Tameko!) longer rest periods will get me there next week. I only rested about 60-90 seconds between sets and got 4 reps on the last two sets.
Squats at 75 and DL at 125 felt tough but good and I feel better each time with my form. Definitely felt fatigued leaving the gym so felt like a good workout.0 -
BOOM!!! I made 60 lbs on my OHP!!!!!!! And 125 on deadlifts. Totally BAMF. :laugh: At least it felt like it to me! It was especially sweet because sitting RIGHT in front of me, looking straight into the same mirror, was this jock from high school doing tri extensions. Serious badassery. It just flabbergasts me that every week, I get stronger. :laugh: I'm always shocked when I can do more than what felt like my max just a few days ago.
I am feeling good on my squats, still no knee pain, form feels good and getting better. I'm really feeling with my whole foot.
Leann, so glad to have your badass in the chat.
Woot for PRs! Woot for trainers! Boo for injuries. :flowerforyou:0 -
Congratulations on all the PR Sarah and Fittree, especially those OHP's!! and Tageekly resting more will definitely push you over the top next week! Great work!!0
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My butt hurts I'm so happy! So I know DOMS doesn't mean you're actually doing something useful or that you got a good workout, yet I always feel sad I never get butt DOMS. It makes me feel like I have a lazy butt. = < But (no pun intended) this past week I've had butt doms after every workout. At first I thought it was a fluke, but maybe it's because I'm becoming a SQUAT BEAST??? Oh my workout yesterday. Squat 5x5 105, Bench 5x5 80, Row 5x5 80.
Fisher I like your new avatar. It's like one of those stories where the painting changes subtly. Sneaky Sneaky. And you look bamf.
YAY for butt DOMS! I also prefer to have butt DOMS and finally got some today...
I used to get DOMS all the time, but not since starting SL. No clue why not. One of the stranger things I've noticed is that my back will randomly feel really warm. Almost like there's a heating pad on it. Really odd since I'm normally freezing. I'll just pretend like I can actually feel my muscles repairing themselves. :laugh:
ETA: I'm fine now. I eventually calmed down, and since I live in Houston, you have to get used to really ****ty drivers...
I'm glad you are feeling better.0 -
I think I need to take an anatomy & physiology to learn the names of the muscles that I didnt remember having that are now aching...
maybe its part of the pecs majorly.... specifically its where the pecs meet the underarms.... One thing I am sure of, I like my boobs where they are...at size 36-B, I cant afford to lose one ounce of them so if building chest muscles is going to cause me to lose the fatty breast tissue Im not going to be a Happy Camper0 -
grrrr not a great night at the gym for me, I've been trying to do a low bar squat, but I think it bruises my shoulder blade making it very uncomfortable. The gym was unusually crowded and full of men, when i did my deadlifts the trainer commented on my form and said I needed to squat lower, which was great to have feedback, but I was kinda devastated for it to happen in front of such a crowd
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Hello....I've moved over here from NROL4W, since the movements got too complex for my taste.
Started lifting in October, moved over to SL about a month ago. In any case, I'm on my 8th "A" workout (did it this morning).
Really loving this program, simple enough that I don't need a book right with me to know what I'm up to and no standing on one leg while lifting! For me, this is a huge plus.
Where I am currently:
Squats: 145, can do 5x5, but my knees have started to ache afterward, so I think I need to stay at this weight until they get a bit stronger. I also don't go past parallel by much due to an old knee injury. (Started at 60 in October)
OH Press: only 65, my upper body strength is less than exceptional. (Started w/bar only 45)
Bench Press: 70, again, upper body strength nothing to write home about. (Started at 55)
Rows: 105, but I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong, since it strains my lower back slightly. (Started at 70)
Deadlifts: 150 and I am adding next time. (Started at 50 with NR in Oct.)
I don't know if my progress is good or not, but I'm seeing muscle definition for the first time in my life. Not seeing much weight loss, but my husband keeps reminding me that I must be gaining muscle with this progress... I hope so, I miss seeing the scale move.
Anyway, hoping to get to know some of you.
Gina0 -
Yay! More new people. Welcome.
Congrats to everyone on PRs and great lifting. I moved my lifting day to tomorrow morning so I could sleep in. I was babysitting last night and didn't fall asleep until about midnight, and 4:45 comes way too early for that... But, tomorrow back to the grind.0 -
Welcome all new people!
Today it's BP day!!!! I haven't BP' since the roll of shame.....I decided that I'm not going to push the envelope that far anymore, if there's not a spotter in sight I'm not going to risk it.
My mother would be so proud of my sound judgement
I shall post my numbers later!!!!0 -
So I finally got my Yoga for Sacrum, Low Back, and Hip Pain DVD in the mail. Its not the most spectacular DVD I have ever seen, but I think its pretty well put together. The guy starts the DVD with a short introduction to body mechanics and types of back pain, which was quicky and dirty, lol. Then the second section is an intro to the breathing and the poses used in the program. I practiced along with it since the only yoga I have ever done is Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. The pose workshop is about a half hour. Then there are three seperate routines: 1) Low Back Rehab, 2) Hip Rehab, and 3) Low Back Hip Strengthening (maintenance). I did the first routine, which was right around 20 minutes and was all flooor work. It was really relaxing and felt pretty good. Now I just need to keep doing it. I will let you guys know if it helps!
Went to the gym right after work and busted out 110x5x5 Squats (PR), 75x3x4 Bench (I can't progress on these damn things), and I had to use the cable row station as someone was using the olybar for deads. Then I added in some pullups (3x5 at -30lbs) and roman chairs and back extensions. Then I left to go to the Chiro and then came back for a 30 minute walk on the treadmill. Its really hard to get 10,000 steps in a day!0 -
So I finally got my Yoga for Sacrum, Low Back, and Hip Pain DVD in the mail. Its not the most spectacular DVD I have ever seen, but I think its pretty well put together. The guy starts the DVD with a short introduction to body mechanics and types of back pain, which was quicky and dirty, lol. Then the second section is an intro to the breathing and the poses used in the program. I practiced along with it since the only yoga I have ever done is Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. The pose workshop is about a half hour. Then there are three seperate routines: 1) Low Back Rehab, 2) Hip Rehab, and 3) Low Back Hip Strengthening (maintenance). I did the first routine, which was right around 20 minutes and was all flooor work. It was really relaxing and felt pretty good. Now I just need to keep doing it. I will let you guys know if it helps!
Went to the gym right after work and busted out 110x5x5 Squats (PR), 75x3x4 Bench (I can't progress on these damn things), and I had to use the cable row station as someone was using the olybar for deads. Then I added in some pullups (3x5 at -30lbs) and roman chairs and back extensions. Then I left to go to the Chiro and then came back for a 30 minute walk on the treadmill. Its really hard to get 10,000 steps in a day!
I've never done a yoga DVD before - I wonder how it compares. I really like taking the class, cause it's always something different and they let you know if you are doing the poses correctly or not....Do you have a class option? Or a groupon you can use or something for a cheap yoga session??? I highly recommend if you do! I love when it's been a super good stretching session and standing strength and I can see the progress I've made from when I first started yoga. There's this one standing strength - warrior III - that I always had to use the yoga block for, but now I can do it. Seriously - try standing on one leg learning forward, balancing....it's freaking hard!!!! And then holding it for minutes on end! http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/warrior3.htm
Whenever people say that Yoga does not build strength, to me, obviously they haven't done yoga. You do planks, push-ups, and tons of body weight strength building exercises. Plus you learn to hold them through your own breathing (ujjiya). It's probably one of the most satisfying things I do aside from weight lifting. And weight lifting only helps my yoga and the reverse is so true too - it helps my weight lifting!
Enough of my yoga rant 0 -
Gina, I think many of us are former NROLFW members...for the same reason as you. When you need to cart the book to they gym to remember how to do the routine, it's time to move on.
Darwin, I'm so glad there's another yoga-junkie in here! I agree, it's really helped with my lifting and vice-versa. My SI joint was a bit off after Tuesday's session, but I did a whole body "reset" practice and today I have no pain and I'm ready for deadlifts. I've only been to a handful of actual yoga classes. I'm too much of a cheap *kitten* to pay the kind of money many of the studios want, and the rec center offers classes...for stay-at-home moms. (They're in the middle of the day and I'm working.) I pay $18 a month to yogaglo.com and I'm good to go. I have a PE and gymnastics background, so I know enough about body mechanics to pick up on the cues from the instructor on the vid.
Speaking of deadlifts...I can't decide if I want to attempt 130 today or redo 125.0 -
There are so many different styles of yoga though. Some of them are really wussy.
Others are completely killer. It's like saying "lifting weights is a great workout." Well, not if they are 3 lber hand weights and you do 30 minutes of bicep curls with them.
But serious yoga is serious.0 -
I LOVE yoga! Been doing it for almost 3 years now, mostly 3x a week, but sometimes it's hard to fit it in. There are instructors that come to the on site fitness center where I work and It's great. I truly believe that yoga has helped reshape my body more than anything else, but it really is a great compliment to heavy lifting.0
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Gina, I think many of us are former NROLFW members...for the same reason as you. When you need to cart the book to they gym to remember how to do the routine, it's time to move on.
What did me in was 'stand on one foot with the other leg straight and then lift a dumbbell'. Yeah, not so much. Half an hour to do the three sets, with lots of flopping about. It was ugly.0 -
Speaking of deadlifts...I can't decide if I want to attempt 130 today or redo 125.
130. :devil:0 -
Hello....I've moved over here from NROL4W, since the movements got too complex for my taste.
Started lifting in October, moved over to SL about a month ago. In any case, I'm on my 8th "A" workout (did it this morning).
Really loving this program, simple enough that I don't need a book right with me to know what I'm up to and no standing on one leg while lifting! For me, this is a huge plus.
Where I am currently:
Squats: 145, can do 5x5, but my knees have started to ache afterward, so I think I need to stay at this weight until they get a bit stronger. I also don't go past parallel by much due to an old knee injury. (Started at 60 in October)
OH Press: only 65, my upper body strength is less than exceptional. (Started w/bar only 45)
Bench Press: 70, again, upper body strength nothing to write home about. (Started at 55)
Rows: 105, but I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong, since it strains my lower back slightly. (Started at 70)
Deadlifts: 150 and I am adding next time. (Started at 50 with NR in Oct.)
I don't know if my progress is good or not, but I'm seeing muscle definition for the first time in my life. Not seeing much weight loss, but my husband keeps reminding me that I must be gaining muscle with this progress... I hope so, I miss seeing the scale move.
Anyway, hoping to get to know some of you.
Gina
You should deload from those numbers and build back up. That's the whole point of the program. Calculate your 1rm and drop 50% - you'll blast past these numbers. Seriously. And it will give you time to work on your form.
On the home front, deadlifts yesterday went okay. Mostly. 185 so at least I'm back where I was last year. *prods it sadly* I think I can do 195 next month though so that's where I'm heading.0 -
I've never done a yoga DVD before - I wonder how it compares. I really like taking the class, cause it's always something different and they let you know if you are doing the poses correctly or not....Do you have a class option? Or a groupon you can use or something for a cheap yoga session??? I highly recommend if you do! I love when it's been a super good stretching session and standing strength and I can see the progress I've made from when I first started yoga. There's this one standing strength - warrior III - that I always had to use the yoga block for, but now I can do it. Seriously - try standing on one leg learning forward, balancing....it's freaking hard!!!! And then holding it for minutes on end! http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/warrior3.htm
Whenever people say that Yoga does not build strength, to me, obviously they haven't done yoga. You do planks, push-ups, and tons of body weight strength building exercises. Plus you learn to hold them through your own breathing (ujjiya). It's probably one of the most satisfying things I do aside from weight lifting. And weight lifting only helps my yoga and the reverse is so true too - it helps my weight lifting!
Enough of my yoga rant
Hm, with all of this talk about yoga, I might need to check it out. It's something I've always ignored (and something I always assumed it's something skinny people do :laugh:). Interesting to see that it's helped so many people with the lifting. I know I'm not flexible, and I could really use better posture and core strengthening. Hm... Maybe I'll mess around with youtube to see what's what before investing money. Stupid question, but how necessary is a yoga mat? (Yes, I'm a cheap *****.)0
