March Check-in&Chat - Green beer to fuel your lifts!
Replies
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Must go by big *kitten* washers or some tape. Our smallest is 2.5lbs and 5lb increase is definitely too much for me.
Just FYI I asked at our local Lowe's for 2-inch inner diameter washers and they carry no such thing.
You may end up having to stop by an actual Fastenal store (which thankfully we have in our area ... and I found out people use 2-inch washers to build game pieces ... basically anything other than actually use them for washers ... that's what the store clerk told me anyway :laugh: )
Fractionals are definitely the way to go if you're stalling. I can always add 1.25 pounds to any lift just by adding a washer on each side, and do that pretty much indefinitely (or at least for a very long time). It's eventually going to get me where I want to be, just not as quickly. Or maybe even quicker, because I won't stall out as often and actually continue to build muscle and grow in strength more reliably.
Rippetoe says that as a woman, fractionals are pretty much a must-have, especially for presses because sustained 5-pound jumps on presses after the first few weeks or couple months once you're past the super-noob stage is unrealistic.
Checked and we do have a Fastenal in town. Will definitely go by there before my OHP on Friday! How many did you buy?0 -
Not a lifting day today and I had a craptastic day I would have LOVED to take out on some weights. Sigh. Cookies.0
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I'm following the fractional discussion with interest because I will definitely need them too. But first I am going to talk to my gym and ask *them* to get some
Today I did
Squat 50
OHP 45
DL 120
Deceptively difficult! And I had the rack where the safety bars are fixed and too high, so that sucked.0 -
Well, I have officially decided to take a rest week. After taking an extra day off yesterday I thought I would be ready to go. I could barely get out of bed I was so tired. So I think my body needs the rest going to deload 10% on everything but the bench press. Bench really hasn't gotten challenging yet for me. Hopefully this works out and also hoping I can find something to do so I'm not too lazy.0
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Well, I have officially decided to take a rest week. After taking an extra day off yesterday I thought I would be ready to go. I could barely get out of bed I was so tired. So I think my body needs the rest going to deload 10% on everything but the bench press. Bench really hasn't gotten challenging yet for me. Hopefully this works out and also hoping I can find something to do so I'm not too lazy.
Just wanted to throw my 2cents in....from what I have read and researched....you might want to consider a 20% deload....10% really isn't a very substantial decrease to allow for the rest.....your call though; just wanted to throw it out there
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NSV 100 lb squat yesterday!!
In other news, today was terrible. Found out my sister weighs less than me for the first time in... literally ever... and my "not boyfriend" is ditching me for st patty's... I have the mondays. Can't wait to lift again tomorrow and get rid of some of this stress.0 -
NSV 100 lb squat yesterday!!
In other news, today was terrible. Found out my sister weighs less than me for the first time in... literally ever... and my "not boyfriend" is ditching me for st patty's... I have the mondays. Can't wait to lift again tomorrow and get rid of some of this stress.
Big hugs to you {{{{{fish}}}}}. I think Monday has earned it's name today
WTG on your squats0 -
Checked and we do have a Fastenal in town. Will definitely go by there before my OHP on Friday! How many did you buy?
I bought 4 cause that's all they had, but to cover your bases you'll need 6 (that lets you go up to 3.75-ish lbs, and then the next ~1.25 lbs jump up would take you to 5 which is 2x2.5 lbs or back to regular plates again). I will get 2 more washers probably this week when they get them in again, to complete my set.
They're a tad bit larger in inner diameter than 2 inches and there's going to be a gap just FYI but if you have a fastener clamp you use for your plates, it'll be fine, they won't go anywhere.
@ Ges, if your gym won't buy the fractionals, you can get the Fastenal washers for less than $3 a piece (including tax) and just bring them to the gym with you. Most you'll need is 6, which is FAR cheaper than any formal fractional plates/plate sets.
They let me go up to 46.2 on my OHP when I failed 5 reps on 50. It's better than a sharp stick in the eye, and still more than 45 lbs and still an increase. 0 -
Well, I have officially decided to take a rest week. After taking an extra day off yesterday I thought I would be ready to go. I could barely get out of bed I was so tired. So I think my body needs the rest going to deload 10% on everything but the bench press. Bench really hasn't gotten challenging yet for me. Hopefully this works out and also hoping I can find something to do so I'm not too lazy.
Just wanted to throw my 2cents in....from what I have read and researched....you might want to consider a 20% deload....10% really isn't a very substantial decrease to allow for the rest.....your call though; just wanted to throw it out there
This is an interesting thought. But I'm wondering if 20% is too much since I am a guy and that would be a ton of weight taken off at least for the dead lift and squat. So wondering what you ladies think.
10%
Squat - 230 to 200
Deadlift - 285 to 255
OHP - 100 to 90
Row - 155 to 140
Bench- 140 to 140 (not decreasing bench yet still too light)
20%
Squat - 225 - 185
Deadlift - 285 to 225
OHP- 100 to 80
Row 155- 125
Bench- 140 -140
At 20% On Squats im dropping 45 lbs which with the off week will take me a total of 4 weeks to get back to my current work weight. And on deadlifts I'm dropping 60 lbs which with the off week will take me about 7 weeks to get back to current. I think 20% is probably a good idea on the OHP and row. Bench is going to stay where its at, too light as is.
Since the 5 pound on squat and 10 lb on deadlift increase is a much smaller percentage of the total weight should it be necessary to decrease by that much? Should my muscles need that much time to rest on those exercises? At 10% on squats it would still take me 3 weeks. And on deadlift it would take 4 weeks with the rest week.
I would like your input ladies if you have any.0 -
Fish- Eff your unboyfriend. I mean don't eff him. You know what I mean! Doing work on that squat!
Doozer- I think for your actual deload week you should do 20% If you're going to build up from there then do the next week at 10% and add normally or do 20% but add more each week.
Fractional plates are awesome! I'm pretty sure I would have been stuck at 65 forever without them.
Went to the gym. Here are some numbers!
Squat 130 5x5. Knee seemed sad afterward, but no twinges during. Think I'll stay at 130 next time and see how it goes, even though I want 2 45's SO BADLY.
Bench 105 554 roll of shame. 22. This super nice guy looked at me like I was going to be dead and asked if i was okay or if I needed help. That was cool. I'm actually pretty excited since this is my first fail on the bench. Progress!
Row- 85 5x5 I deloaded so I can try again to learn this the right way. I thought i was doing things right, but maybe not? So I bit the bullet and stacked up plates.
Once again eating Xidia's post lifting recipe. You can not mess this thing up! It's amazing. I'm out of pesto, and nothing compares to my Mom's
So I just used some olive oil, dash of garlic powder, and some parmesan. I know I'm missing the basil and pine nuts, but it's still pretty tasty. I don't know what I did before this came into my life! 0 -
Hi everybody! Sorry I've been missing since last week. So jealous of most of you progressing so beautifully, Oh well, I will keep trying. I think I will take some of your advice and get like 1lbs or so to add, my gym only has 2.5lbs increments and is like I need a slower pace.
Can we talk about shoulders for a minute? I've noticed a kind of ache in my left shoulder after last week’s session. It’s not like supper painful, but it’s there and it bothered me a lot last night while squatting. Actually it was one of the reasons I had to deload a bit; I just couldn't hold the weight. I did my OHP with no problems and actually felt good after doing them. Well, the ache is back this morning. Now my question is; What kind of stretches I can do to make it better? Could it be because my grip is too narrow and my shoulders are having trouble rotating? (BTW: last week I tried holding the bar lower than before and with a narrower grip)0 -
@Doozer....20% is actually the recommended deload weight regardless of sex....from what I have read anyway. As tree mentioned, you can do 20% for one week and then 10% the second week and then start working back up. To be honest, since I did mine, I have noticed nothing but good things. I think you will be surprised at the outcome. At the end of the day if your body needs a break, give it the break....so it puts you back a few weeks on progress.....this is a process and it's bound to happen at some point. I say just embrace it and enjoy the break from not lifting so darn heavy on each lift!0
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@Doozer....20% is actually the recommended deload weight regardless of sex....from what I have read anyway. As tree mentioned, you can do 20% for one week and then 10% the second week and then start working back up. To be honest, since I did mine, I have noticed nothing but good things. I think you will be surprised at the outcome. At the end of the day if your body needs a break, give it the break....so it puts you back a few weeks on progress.....this is a process and it's bound to happen at some point. I say just embrace it and enjoy the break from not lifting so darn heavy on each lift!
Yes. Sometimes we can get so into trying to reach our goals that we forget to be patient and give our bodies the proper rest they need.
Sometimes, for me, I think it's a bit of a fear that if I slack off at all, I'll keep sliding back and back and then I'll be 75 pounds heavier all over again.
What I really need to try to find is balance. And that means I still need to find the balance between pushing myself and knowing when to back off and rest.
And don't forget, Doozer, that if you push too hard you run the risk of injuring yourself, which in the end would set you back much further.
You'll reach your goals. It doesn't have to be a race to get there. :flowerforyou:
P.S. I know some people deload by 40-50% on a rest week. That's what I did the last time. Here are a couple articles about it. http://www.bodybuildingfyi.com/deload-weeks-in-weightlifting/
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1213914610 -
Just popping in to say a quick hello and I am still here...
My fave lift is the bench press. I dunno, it just makes me feel powerful to push that weight up there with my lady chest. I think because I know I have strong legs and butt already,the squats and deads are not that big of a deal for me (even though I am lifting a lot more on those) As I have said before, cannot wait until I am lifting bodyweight (which will be a bit more of a way off as I have that 10lbs extra to lose now) on bench and row. I know ladies have OHPed bodyweight, but 70 kg....sheesh that is a stretch from 42.5 kg...I can only dream and just keep pushing at this stage. Although bench and row are not far off now. Second is therefore the row...that might just make me feel more badass than the bench...hmmmm....0 -
Ok...I need those washers and we have a fastenal right around the corner from work.
Their web site only shows a couple of gazillion 2' washers...How do you KNOW?
ETA: that our sorry little store carries all of one 2" washer and it's only 0.5876 lbs., altho, I could probably just use them to add a pound per pair. Keep the numbers easy, I guess...0 -
P.S. I know some people deload by 40-50% on a rest week. That's what I did the last time. Here are a couple articles about it. http://www.bodybuildingfyi.com/deload-weeks-in-weightlifting/
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121391461
It seems like from these articles that theyre doing 50- 60% of their working weight for a week then go back at it 100% the next week correct?
I guess I may be thinking about this wrong. I was thinking as a deload as taking a week and 20% off then restarting linear progression from there. Which would take me a long time to get back to working weight.
So I guess I should ask what everyone else's understanding of a deload week is.
From what I'm seeing I have these options.
A. Rest for a week then start back 100%
B. Light -60% week workout then go back 100% the next week
C. Deload by 10 percent and begin linear progression again.
D. Deload by 20 percent and begin linear progression again.
Not trying to win any races just trying to figure out what is going to push my body for an effective workout without killing it. I am kinda leaning towards option B. But as always your feed back is appreciated.0 -
Oh, Doozer...this is too much like math!0
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One of my favorite sites, www.aworkoutroutine.com has a great writeup about deload. He does a great job of explaining things in regular words and goes by philosophies which I agree with. Take a read and maybe that will help. I believe his explanation of a deload is pretty standard in the industry.
I did 20% on my big lifts for 1 week, so minimal really, and then started progression from there again. You could easily do 20% and then 10% week 2.0 -
Doozer, I think my deloads on 5/3/1 were between 40 and 60 %. Cannot recall exactly and notebook has gone walkabouts : (
There is also the ramping option, instead of doing 5 sets at max weight for that lift, start lower and ramp to the max on the last set. (think this is the madcow system)
I used both madcow and 5/3/1 with deload weeks with success. This was only when I had maxed out on my upper body lifts though. My squats and deads am still sure would increase as per stronglifts quite a way yet, if I used a separate system for those lifts to the other lifts.0 -
P.S. I know some people deload by 40-50% on a rest week. That's what I did the last time. Here are a couple articles about it. http://www.bodybuildingfyi.com/deload-weeks-in-weightlifting/
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121391461
It seems like from these articles that theyre doing 50- 60% of their working weight for a week then go back at it 100% the next week correct?
I guess I may be thinking about this wrong. I was thinking as a deload as taking a week and 20% off then restarting linear progression from there. Which would take me a long time to get back to working weight.
So I guess I should ask what everyone else's understanding of a deload week is.
From what I'm seeing I have these options.
A. Rest for a week then start back 100%
B. Light -60% week workout then go back 100% the next week
C. Deload by 10 percent and begin linear progression again.
D. Deload by 20 percent and begin linear progression again.
Not trying to win any races just trying to figure out what is going to push my body for an effective workout without killing it. I am kinda leaning towards option B. But as always your feed back is appreciated.
Well, if you are at the point where you have been steadily progressing, and continually lifting the maximum that you are capable of, then a deload week is what I am thinking of. (As opposed to a deload of 10% because you are stalling on one specific lift.)
A deload week to me would be closer to A or B, although you may not necessarily be able to go right back to 100% the following week. That would vary from person to person, I'm thinking. It may be starting back at a little less than 100%, but you should be able to get back to 100% in a pretty short amount of time.
Whether you take a week of complete rest or deload at 50% is a matter of personal preference, in my opinion.0 -
Ok...I need those washers and we have a fastenal right around the corner from work.
Their web site only shows a couple of gazillion 2' washers...How do you KNOW?
ETA: that our sorry little store carries all of one 2" washer and it's only 0.5876 lbs., altho, I could probably just use them to add a pound per pair. Keep the numbers easy, I guess...
2" zinc finish USS flat washer are the ones that weigh 0.62somethingorother
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=33038&ucst=t0 -
Have the DOM,DA, DOM,DOM,DOMS. Seriously thinking about making it a 2 day rest instead of one. Actually hurts to sit, and this is the first time ever I have done an exercise and seriously felt it in my inner thighs, the bane of my existence! And I'm walking funny because my *kitten* and backs of my thighs are so sore.
So does anyone exercise with DOMS or do you take another rest day? I seriously don't think I could have proper squat form today. May just do BW squats and then the bench and rows.0 -
Have the DOM,DA, DOM,DOM,DOMS. Seriously thinking about making it a 2 day rest instead of one. Actually hurts to sit, and this is the first time ever I have done an exercise and seriously felt it in my inner thighs, the bane of my existence! And I'm walking funny because my *kitten* and backs of my thighs are so sore.
So does anyone exercise with DOMS or do you take another rest day? I seriously don't think I could have proper squat form today. May just do BW squats and then the bench and rows.
For me it depends on how severe the DOMS is. Exercise often seems to be helpful in relieving the pain, which is a good reason to try. And if you find you can't do full weight squats (for example) then lighter or body weight squats would be a good solution. If it's REALLY bad, sometimes I take another day, but I also look at how that will affect my schedule for the week, too.0 -
Have the DOM,DA, DOM,DOM,DOMS. Seriously thinking about making it a 2 day rest instead of one. Actually hurts to sit, and this is the first time ever I have done an exercise and seriously felt it in my inner thighs, the bane of my existence! And I'm walking funny because my *kitten* and backs of my thighs are so sore.
So does anyone exercise with DOMS or do you take another rest day? I seriously don't think I could have proper squat form today. May just do BW squats and then the bench and rows.
Working out will actually help your DOMS. I would say do your workout and then have a bath in epsom salt to help reduce. Also make sure you are getting enough protein as that also helps.0 -
Have the DOM,DA, DOM,DOM,DOMS. Seriously thinking about making it a 2 day rest instead of one. Actually hurts to sit, and this is the first time ever I have done an exercise and seriously felt it in my inner thighs, the bane of my existence! And I'm walking funny because my *kitten* and backs of my thighs are so sore.
So does anyone exercise with DOMS or do you take another rest day? I seriously don't think I could have proper squat form today. May just do BW squats and then the bench and rows.
Working out will actually help your DOMS. I would say do your workout and then have a bath in epsom salt to help reduce. Also make sure you are getting enough protein as that also helps.
I only do Stronglifts 3 times a week. So if I've got bad DOMS I take the extra day but even if I haven't recovered by my lifting day I do it anyway. I also find stretching in a steam room or after a hot bath has been super helpful. Also since starting SL I've gone through 3 big bags of Epsom salts. Drinking ****loads of water makes a big difference for DOMS too.0 -
P.S. I know some people deload by 40-50% on a rest week. That's what I did the last time. Here are a couple articles about it. http://www.bodybuildingfyi.com/deload-weeks-in-weightlifting/
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121391461
It seems like from these articles that theyre doing 50- 60% of their working weight for a week then go back at it 100% the next week correct?
I guess I may be thinking about this wrong. I was thinking as a deload as taking a week and 20% off then restarting linear progression from there. Which would take me a long time to get back to working weight.
So I guess I should ask what everyone else's understanding of a deload week is.
From what I'm seeing I have these options.
A. Rest for a week then start back 100%
B. Light -60% week workout then go back 100% the next week
C. Deload by 10 percent and begin linear progression again.
D. Deload by 20 percent and begin linear progression again.
Not trying to win any races just trying to figure out what is going to push my body for an effective workout without killing it. I am kinda leaning towards option B. But as always your feed back is appreciated.
Tageekly just messaged me yesterday about deloads and I know I need to update the FAQ.
There are two uses of that word - one is regarding a 'rest' week and one is 'deloading' your weight. And whether you do one, the other, or both, depends on where you are at.
Stronglifts already has deloads built in, and you should be dropping reps at some point so I wouldn't plan to do the latter outside of the built in plan, or if you have some kind of situation (you get sick and take a long time off, or go on vacation, or you're a quittyquitmcquitterson for a while).
The rest version, there are lots of different things you COULD do but the idea is just to rest that week. I personally do NOT like taking a week completely off. I've done it and I felt it was detrimental for me, at the time. I know other people do it without issue, and I *think* it might make sense at higher levels of experience but for now, I wouldn't recommend it. Weeks off happen on accident anyway, due to traveling and illness and the like.
I prefer to do a light workset across the board. This is what I sent T yesterday:
"3x5 at something in the range of 55-65-75. So if you squat 100, you'd do one set of 55, one set of 65, one set of 75. And do that for 4 days probably (So you do each workout that way twice)
Honestly, what you do SPECIFICALLY is not very important. Get in a little gym time, keep up the basic movements, and make it actually genuinely restful. Meaning, just because you dial down your other lifts doesn't mean you add some more gym time elsewhere. Get in, do the basic movements to stay warm, no major extra mileage or new lifts added, and go home."
(those are percentages by the way) The reason I would do that is to keep everything warm, mobile, not let the tendons or joints get stiff from a week of inactivity, etc. Also I think this helps people not go stir crazy and provides an outlet that isn't detrimental (whereas the impulse on a full week off might be to just run a lot instead which means you'll be fatiguing the muscles differently, instead of resting).0 -
ETA: that our sorry little store carries all of one 2" washer and it's only 0.5876 lbs., altho, I could probably just use them to add a pound per pair. Keep the numbers easy, I guess...
Mine weighs 9.5 oz apiece or 0.59 lbs. Gets you to 19 oz per 2 and 38 oz per 4, or 1.18 lbs per 2 and 2.36 per 4.
It basically puts you in the neighborhood of 1.25 and 2.5 lbs weight increases, which for our purposes is close enough (even though my anal retentive side thinks "No! It's not exact! What do you mean close enough? U crazy!"
)
It's close enough. Really. It is.
I love them. I'm in fractional heaven right now, because I can safely increase without hurting myself and overdoing it. Came in super handy today. No PRs to speak of but I was very consistent in my lifting and found that balance between form, safety and challenging myself which is what I was looking for.
Final numbers:
Squats: 2x5 working sets of 67.5 lbs (Between all the warmup sets I somehow got 40 squats in; 10 unweighted and 30 weighted. Holler!)
Bench: 3x5 working sets of 56.2 lbs
Barbell Row: 3x5 working sets of 61.2 lbs
Which makes me happy because I really tweaked my back Saturday when I overdid it on the deadlifts and I hadn't anticipated getting anything done at all today since it was still hurting last night, but it felt lots better this morning and I got a full workout in, although I had to use my belt, but that's what those are for, right?0 -
I have no opinions on deload weeks or rests since I've never done one. I did have to deload my BP, but did a strict 10% only on that one exercise after three failures.
That said, I had my workout this morning.
Squats @80 again. When I started squatting I could not for the life of me start with my hands near my body because my shoulders were too tight. So, they were out almost as wide as the squat rack. I realized this morning that while my shoulders don't bother me any more, I never bother to move my hands back in. So, this morning I tried moving them closer. It's going to have to be stages. I had them about the same distance as when I bench if not a little further, and that was as close as I could do. And then it threw me off my game. I kept kind of falling forward. Combination of not being balanced right on my feet and my torso dropping. Crap. More to work on before upping the weight again. And they were wearing me out!
Bench was 5x5 @72.5. This is after a deload and should have been easy. It wasn't. Sucks. I think I can add more weight next time, it's just not as easy as I expected. I hope I'm not stalling way early. :grumble:
Rows were 5x5 @77.5 (I think. Notebook is in the car). I still think these are all wrong. ARGH!!! I feel them in my legs and arms, but no back.
And it's starting to hurt to move. I need to stop pretending like I'm going to start yoga and actually start yoga.0 -
Ok...I need those washers and we have a fastenal right around the corner from work.
Their web site only shows a couple of gazillion 2' washers...How do you KNOW?
ETA: that our sorry little store carries all of one 2" washer and it's only 0.5876 lbs., altho, I could probably just use them to add a pound per pair. Keep the numbers easy, I guess...
2" zinc finish USS flat washer are the ones that weigh 0.62somethingorother
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=33038&ucst=t
I totally
you, Soos! Thanks! 0 -
ETA: that our sorry little store carries all of one 2" washer and it's only 0.5876 lbs., altho, I could probably just use them to add a pound per pair. Keep the numbers easy, I guess...
Mine weighs 9.5 oz apiece or 0.59 lbs. Gets you to 19 oz per 2 and 38 oz per 4, or 1.18 lbs per 2 and 2.36 per 4.
It basically puts you in the neighborhood of 1.25 and 2.5 lbs weight increases, which for our purposes is close enough (even though my anal retentive side thinks "No! It's not exact! What do you mean close enough? U crazy!" )
It's close enough. Really. It is.
Oh, See? You sound like me...It's not exact, LMAO...
Yeah, obviously I'm in the right group. :bigsmile:
AWESOME numbers, Dani!0
