April Check in & Chat - Spring into the Squat Rack
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I just had an idea! You guys with bicep profile photos look awesome!! What if we all do bicep photos for next week? What do you think?
I'm totally in for that.I have the attention span of a gnat. I cant even sit through a movie!
Same. I don't even go to movies. I just watch them at home while browsing around on my laptop or tablet. Unless the move has enough awesomeness to keep me captivated (hooray Hobbit!). Which most don't.
Also I work 28 hours a week doing medical editing where I have to pay attention to every comma, colon and period of every report that comes across my screen, to the tune of 40 or so reports a day while listening to doctors dictating the same report 10 times in a row (it seems ... they all just kinda blur together). This is a job I've had for over 10 years so you can just imagine. But, it lets me work from home and take care of my youngest, so it's really not as bad as I probably make it sound.
And that is is why rote monotony is simply just banned from my personal life. I just can't do it any more than I absolutely have to, even though I'm actually good at it.0 -
Hey, everyone. I just got back from my trip. Though it was much needed, what was supposed to be a two week trip turned into a three week trip and one of my primary concerns is getting back under that bar. This is gonna be tricky. I'm gonna have to ease into it. I might have to go to a hot yoga class or two and do some cardio then start lifting light for a week or so.0
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Hey y'all!
I get bored real easily too, also ADD and a gamer except that I usually beat the game, but don't finish the post game extra stuff lol.. How long are, those of you switching up your lifts, sticking to the program as written before changing things up?
Jstout- it's much better today my shoulder. I think Zumba loosened it and I'm also using heat (a tube sock with rice, microwaveable) and that helped a great deal. I think once I get the fractionals, I won't pull anything like that anymore and I've learned my lesson to not push toooo much.. Just enough! Lol
I hope you all had a good day :0)
I made it through 5 weeks (my work schedule only allows 2x a week most weeks, when my lift days fall on Su,W,Sa I can manage 3/wk) before I started changing it up a bit. I still keep the 5x5 compound moves, I tried 3x8 for 3 sessions but I dont think that is going to work for me so I will be going back to the 5x5 tomorrow and will keep my accessory lifts til I get bored with those and find some new accessories. But the fact that I am up off my butt lifting heavy stuff for 2-3 hours a week is a great improvement for my couch tater self.
Glad your shoulder is feeling better.0 -
I just had an idea! You guys with bicep profile photos look awesome!! What if we all do bicep photos for next week? What do you think?I'm totally in for that.
Me too. Monthly progress pics tomorrow!0 -
Hey, everyone. I just got back from my trip. Though it was much needed, what was supposed to be a two week trip turned into a three week trip and one of my primary concerns is getting back under that bar. This is gonna be tricky. I'm gonna have to ease into it. I might have to go to a hot yoga class or two and do some cardio then start lifting light for a week or so.
Welcome back!!0 -
Woah woah woah hold up all you program changers!!
I think some of you missed the main point --- What program you do is based on your GOALS.
If your primary goal is to get stronger, do NOT mess around with the program!
If your primary goal is hypertrophy (bigger muscles) do NOT mess around with the program (you need a base of strength to do any kind of bodybuilding).
If your primary goal is just to try out lifting as an exercise program, do NOT change up the program.
the ONLY reason to change up the program you are doing constantly (and I mean this for any program) is if you are like Dani and the only way you will workout consistently is to change what you're doing all the time, or else you will lose interest.
In that case you will reach your secondary goals (strength, hypertrophy, learning to lift) more slowly, but its much better that you GO than that you not go.
Basically prioritize like this:
Program that will get me going to the gym (or my garage/basement/whatever) regularly > Program that will help me reach my primary goals > Program that will help me reach my secondary goals.
If you're lucky, then those things will align pretty well. If not, choose in that order.
So tales of a crappy squat day:
I have been having moderate sleep issues (again) and I'm back to eating a deficit, and I'm a little bit depressed I think, and all that resulted in me failing to squat 175 even ONCE on Wednesday. But it was one of those days where I couldnt' tell I was going to fail, and Nick and I were lazy, so we didn't set the safety pins at our normal height. Nick *never* fails on squats (he hasn't really reached that point yet and he never lets himself do reps to failure) so its not an issue for him.
But what it meant for me was having to let the weight push me down all the way ATG before the bars grabbed it, and all I could think was "oh man, if I wasn't flexible enough to do this then this would be DANGEROUS." Lucky for me, I am, and actually the stretch is kind of nice with the extra weight pushing down on you, but still. Please remember to set your catch bars up correctly.0 -
Yesterdays workout went like this:
Squats at 90 lb. were all systems go.
Bench was frustrating. I warmed up with 45 & 55 which felt incredibly light. Went 67.0 for two sets and just. couldn't. do. it. again. Finshed out with 66.5 for 3. Last time I went 67.0 66.0 66.0 66.0 67.0, and before that I had done 65 for five sets for the last three workouts.
Rows were frustrating too. Warmed up with 65 and 75, then went 81.0 for four sets with awful form and on the last set I went to 76 so that I would have the memory of good form again. I had rocked 80.0 last time so I don't see why adding one measly pound would have been so devastating :mad: Unless the bench had me beaten down, or it was an off day (not likely, squats were good) or I hadn't fueled up properly (possible, I was trying to cut back carbs bit so that I could up my fats some.
I feel frustrated here (can ya tell??) I am used to working out in a different way. Mainly I've usually done sets that start a bit light and then work up to heavier. This system of going in and blindly increasing on the first set and then having to take weight off is demoralizing for me.
I was trying to problem solve why I feel so frustrated with SL. I guess it's because of the simplicity of the program making it feel boring (which you all have been talking about in the last 24 hours), and maybe because I am feeling competitive about the increasing the weights every time. And also because I feel like I've kind of thrown out everything that I thought I knew about programming LOL.
Maybe I am being overcompetitive. Maybe I need to stick to just trying to increase 1/2 pound on the upper body ones each time and not listen (la-la-la-la-la-la-fingers-in-ears) to what anyone else is doing.
TBH, I will be embarrassed to deload at the weights that I am at currently.
So, I am open to hearing what you all think.0 -
Ges - I hear what you are saying. I have a hard time not moving up each time, too. Even though your squats were good, it sounds to me like you had an off day, most likely connected to nutrition. I'm noticing that my legs recover MUCH faster than my arms, and if I don't eat at the top end of my calorie allotment, I can't push anything in the gym. Maybe take two rest days and try again? I'll be interested to hear what more experienced folks have to say.
Just a second before I have to run out again -
Today's workout B:
Squats 110 2X5 - OOPS! This is what I get for talking to people while loading the bar. It was super heavy, but still took me two sets before I figured it out.
Squats 90 3X5 - MUCH better - was able to get nice and low. Forgot to have someone video, though.
OHP - 60 5 X 5. - The 20th and 25th were pretty tough to get up and lockout properly, so I may repeat this next week.
Deadlift - 135 1 x 5 - RAWR! This was pretty awesome, and I"m still grinning.
Question though -For the deadlifts I did one set at 75, another set at 95, then my working set. Does that sound right? I've been doing warm up sets in increments with the lighter weights, but only about 3 per exercise. I wasn't sure if, since the DL is so much more, I should be doing 4-5 warmup sets. . .
I'll catch up with everyone later - my daughter is wanting me to come watch her "strong muscles" while she lifts heavy objects around the house. Which is both awesome and terrifying, when she starts lifting up the kitchen chairs.. .0 -
Ges - its SO so normal to start to bang your head against the wall on those lifts. My first bench failure where I had to be rescued by a skinny high schooler was at 65. It happens. I think I *did* end up deloading there, then another deload at 80-85 or so.
I would also guess that your bad row day was from being tired out by the bench and maybe combined with the fact that you were just having a bad day to begin with. (and squats just went fine because you're really that far from your max on those)0 -
Woah woah woah hold up all you program changers!!
the ONLY reason to change up the program you are doing constantly (and I mean this for any program) is if you are like Dani and the only way you will workout consistently is to change what you're doing all the time, or else you will lose interest.
[/b]Program that will get me going to my garage regularly [/b]
^^ My current goal and "program".
Thank you Ms. Reality Check lady! :flowerforyou:
It's always good to have a person in the group who knows how to herd the squirrels/rabbits back in. :laugh:
Am also glad to read you're okay despite your squat mishap (and I can only dream of squatting 175 right now! It's a number I can't quite comprehend when it comes to putting myself under it an pushing it up repeatedly. Maybe some day.)
@ the general populace reading this thread: I posted my ruminations mainly for feedback and not to set somebody else off on some rabbit trail. If you're following SL because you picked it for a primary purpose and personal goal, then stick with the program and pay no mind to me. I don't want anybody here robbed of their goals and achievements on account of me! Although I'm probably overestimating my influence just a bit. :laugh:
Today was supposed to be rest day, but I got me some "cardio" in by finishing a bunch of Fito quests to the tune of body weight/goblet/dumbbell squats, other dumbbell stuff and super light barbell stuff. Didn't take very long and got my heart rate up pretty good. Also working on ab muscle rehab and did some beginner Pilates ab stuff, which I think I'm going to stick with for a while until things settle down down there (doing better already and don't want to aggravate it again). Thank you Vegas for the idea of combining weights and cardio! That was fun!
@Ges -- Maybe it's time to deload and/or switch to fractional loading on bench presses/rows? Also, who cares if you're deloading from 65 instead of 165? Your body is your body so I think you should listen to it. And again, it's normal for ladies (especially of the untrained variety) to stall out/slow down on upper body work WAY before lower body work. Usually happens with the OHP first and then the bench usually follows, followed by power cleans and so forth.0 -
Ges - its SO so normal to start to bang your head against the wall on those lifts. My first bench failure where I had to be rescued by a skinny high schooler was at 65. It happens. I think I *did* end up deloading there, then another deload at 80-85 or so.
I would also guess that your bad row day was from being tired out by the bench and maybe combined with the fact that you were just having a bad day to begin with. (and squats just went fine because you're really that far from your max on those)
@ Ges: ^^this. I share your frustrations; you are not alone! Lol I feel good about what I am lifting so I have to work at not comparing what I am doing to what others are doing....eventually I will squat and DL my body weight too. This is one buff group :laugh:
That 4 mile run may have felt good yesterday but I paid for it today in my lifts today; at least thats what I think.
Squat: 95. Starting to feel heavy but good!
Bench: 65. made it through almost all 5x5 but hubs had to rescue me twice. Grrrr!
Rows: 60. Really struggled to keep good form here. Did the weight fine but felt exhausted and keeping proper form was hard. Also was taking almost 3 min. rest between sets. Again, I am thinking it was the run since last time it felt pretty smooth.
After this 5k is over on the 13th, I am going back to easy runs around the 2 mile mark maybe 2x a week on non lifting days. (I haven't done any running on lifting days).
Still completely thrilled that my husband has decided to join me with SL. :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:0 -
Freckledleann:: Haha. Thanks. I think it has really affected how I've felt through this whole pregnancy (which has been pretty darn awesome, generally). Also, I feel pretty bad *kitten* to be doing squats with my baby bump between my knees. And hilarious. I think the dudes are both terrified and impressed.
I've heard recovery should be awesome as a result... here's hoping!
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:laugh: Good for you. That is bad *kitten*!0 -
Wow, this thread has moved fast while I've been sulking about being ill again!
A day today, straight up repeat of of lifts since I've managed 1x week for the last few weeks.
82.5 squat
50 bench
60 row 1x3 5x5 because maths is hard and my last warm- set should have been a work set.
Bench got easier in the later sets as I remembered the finer points of form. Rows I probably could have gone up.0 -
<---- There ya go. Bicepticles as of today. /flex 0
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<---- There ya go. Bicepticles as of today. /flex
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.0 -
One day I would love to do the whole biceps photo thing...but as of right now I still have too much loose skin hanging to be comfortable to do that.
My workout went fairly well today
This was workout 15
My working weights were
Squats - 115
Bench - 72.5
Rows - 80
The presses were tough but nothing compared to how bad the OHP was on Wednesday
Afterwards I did 30 push ups, 60 walking lunches holding 25lb plate overhead, and 3 one min 5 sec planks
I did all these in a circuit 10 pushups, 10 lunges each leg and plank.
Then of course I had to run off to work.
I am freaking exhausted and surely would take a nap on the couch in my office if I did not have peeps coming by!
I have noticed the last couple of weeks that I am more tired than normal.
I have been using a fitbit that was given to me for the last 5 or 6 weeks so I looked at the monthly numbers.
My average tdee according to the fitbit is 2722 which means that I should be eating at least 2100 calories a day for -20% deficit.
right now I eat at about 1800.
Does anyone know how accurate those things are? I am comfortable eating at around 1800-1900 but of course would not argue about eating more. I just do not want to up the calories I eat if the darn things are way off.
The fitbit has been really great tho. I have a really wonky schedule with 2 jobs and staying with my grandmother, so it shows me just how sedentary I really am on some days. I have days when I stay with my grandmother where I do good to get in 4000 steps. Then I have days where I get in anywhere from 15,000 - 20,000 (of course those are days that I walk or jog or go hiking) I made me get my butt to the gym yesterday when by 6:00 pm I had not even walked 3000 steps! Ended up with almost 9000 by the end of the night And that was just doing 30 minutes on the treadmill. But It did not count the steps or flights on the stairstepper 
. And then there are days like today when at 4:00 pm I have already gotten in almost 12,000. (And I only did a 10 min warm up on the treadmill before lifting) 0 -
I am freaking exhausted
I bet you are!!
I just have my intake set to fat2fitradio's calculation of somewhere in the area of light/moderate activity level. I don't eat calories back.
Over the past 2 months I've actually been at around TDEE -20% with some modest loss. I refuse to go lower than 2000 cals/day. Right now I'm spending some time at/around maintenance and I think I'm going to make Sunday my "free day" where I log nothing and take a break from all the keeping track all the time.
You're probably exhausted/tired due to not eating enough food to fuel your strenuous workouts, so don't be afraid to up those calories.
I can't comment on the Fitbit, but I'm okay with the fact that the best anything can give you is approximations, which is why I just aim for a range of about XYZ numbers of whatever.
My suggestion would be to go up for about a month or so and see where that lands you. It's really just all trial/error because numbers only tell you so much. The proof is going to be in your body anyway, and that overrides everything else.0 -
Darkswan - I don't think anyone has done much with fitbits, but several big name online resources (like Lyle MacDonald and Leah Peele) put the BMF in at about +/- 15% which both seeing fluctuations as high as +/- 25% but admitting those are rare-er.
One thing you should know is that the fitbit can't tell how INTENSELY you are working out, so it won't have any idea that you are lifting weights unless you're bouncing around a lot.
A couple friends have also mentioned that theirs don't register steps they take when barefoot or on carpet, so like walking around their houses doesn't register as activity.
Basically all any of those devices does is:
Take your weight, height, age, figure out your BMR
Watch you be active all day and add calories to that.
So its STILL only as accurate as a BMR calculation (which is accurate across populations statistically but not necessarily accurate for any given individual) and if it doesnt' see how HARD you lift, or the walking around you do at home, I think it is likely to underestimate if anything.
TL;DR -- in your case probably accurate if not underestimating. Try bumping up to 2k.0 -
Awesome bicepticles! (I love that!) Kira and Dani! Let's see some more!!0
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Awesome bicepticles! (I love that!) Kira and Dani! Let's see some more!!Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
I see that picking up heavy things and putting them down again is suiting you both very well!0
