Stage 2
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Perfect, I just do a regular deadlift since I don't have a box or a step.0
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I just started stage 2 about a week ago and its good to know I'm not the only one that can't roll the bar to my fingers on the front squat push press. It just hurt my wrists way to much, so I also just hold it with the same grip I use on the push press.
Just curious... anyone else struggling with the deadlift from box? Maybe its my flexibility but I'm really struggling to keep my form and get low enough to wear the plates are below the box. Any Suggestions?? Should I just go back to regular deadlifts, or continue to do them with as light a weight as possible? I'm currently reading Starting Strength so I can really focus on good form and I'm struggling with keeping my hips up, I tend to squat down to get the bar low as opposed to using the back of my body and keeping my hips up. I almost kinda feel like my arms are too short, lol. Luckily I haven't gotten hurt, but I feel like my form is slightly off and I'm *missing* something in regards to understanding how to properly deadlift.
When I start Stage 2, I had planned on continuing to deadlift normally. I'm not sure why doing it from a box would make the exercise more difficult. I have low back/hip problems already and I think I would just injure myself if I tried it on a box!0 -
Today will be my last day in Stage 2
It should have been last week but I got sick, then I was PMSing and I got into a bad funk. I ate off plan but nothing crazy. My period started yesterday and I look so bloated. Probably from eating things I don't normally eat. My measurements aren't great either from the bloating so I don't see a point in posting results but I may next week. I do have a two lb difference from this stage though, and my arms have shrunk while relaxed but maintain their previous size while flexed. 0 -
I have one A(today) and one B(wednesday) left in Stage 2. I am trying to decide if I am going to take the week off or not....I dont think I want to but at 42, i think the recovery time would be called for. what do you guys think?0
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so far i did one 2a and one 2b. it was interesting to say the least! The front squat push press was really hard for me. I can squat like twice the amount I can lift with my arms! I guess thats just how that excessive goes!
The cuban snatch was also really hard for me. My gym has a downstairs weight area (with rack) and upstairs has smaller version with jsut some preset long barbells and smith machine. I got a step from the step class to do pretty mcuh all the exercises and just used the weights there and never had to wait for the rack. Thank god.
For the cardio, im confused. are you supposed to be walking for the 2 min? I run, so i did a 10 min mile for 2 minutes and an 8 min mile for the one min. should i try faster tempto for the one min? any thoughts?0 -
I have one workout left for Phase 2. I wasn't going to take time off, but my wrists are bothering me (thanks front squat push press!), so I think I will just so I don't injure myself even more.0
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so far i did one 2a and one 2b. it was interesting to say the least! The front squat push press was really hard for me. I can squat like twice the amount I can lift with my arms! I guess thats just how that excessive goes!
The cuban snatch was also really hard for me. My gym has a downstairs weight area (with rack) and upstairs has smaller version with jsut some preset long barbells and smith machine. I got a step from the step class to do pretty mcuh all the exercises and just used the weights there and never had to wait for the rack. Thank god.
For the cardio, im confused. are you supposed to be walking for the 2 min? I run, so i did a 10 min mile for 2 minutes and an 8 min mile for the one min. should i try faster tempto for the one min? any thoughts?
For the cardio it should be interval training, so you need to get your heart rate up and then bring it back down. When I run, I'll jog for the 2 minute recovery at 5.0 (treadmill), and then for the sprint I'll run at 6.2 for the first 2 intervals and then up to 7.0 for the remaining intervals. You do whatever works for you to get your heart rate up, and then bring it back it down (recovery).0 -
so far i did one 2a and one 2b. it was interesting to say the least! The front squat push press was really hard for me. I can squat like twice the amount I can lift with my arms! I guess thats just how that excessive goes!
The cuban snatch was also really hard for me. My gym has a downstairs weight area (with rack) and upstairs has smaller version with jsut some preset long barbells and smith machine. I got a step from the step class to do pretty mcuh all the exercises and just used the weights there and never had to wait for the rack. Thank god.
For the cardio, im confused. are you supposed to be walking for the 2 min? I run, so i did a 10 min mile for 2 minutes and an 8 min mile for the one min. should i try faster tempto for the one min? any thoughts?
For the cardio it should be interval training, so you need to get your heart rate up and then bring it back down. When I run, I'll jog for the 2 minute recovery at 5.0 (treadmill), and then for the sprint I'll run at 6.2 for the first 2 intervals and then up to 7.0 for the remaining intervals. You do whatever works for you to get your heart rate up, and then bring it back it down (recovery).
thanks so much!
does it say in the book where your heart rate should be for the recovery and sprint???/ i have a heart rate monitor but it doesnt work with my new iphone! (UGH!) i can always use my old one with no service just for that.0 -
Hi All - I'm starting stage 2 tonight!
I'm a bit scared as I still consider myself a total n00b in the gym, but looking forward to change form the stage 1 workouts, which go on a bit LOL
I've read through the workouts - Can anyone explain to me what the difference between th static lunge in work out A and the reverse lunge in workout B? they seem the same from the descriptions......0 -
Hi All - I'm starting stage 2 tonight!
I'm a bit scared as I still consider myself a total n00b in the gym, but looking forward to change form the stage 1 workouts, which go on a bit LOL
I've read through the workouts - Can anyone explain to me what the difference between th static lunge in work out A and the reverse lunge in workout B? they seem the same from the descriptions......
I did workout A on sunday and you will be fine with that. Doing B tonight, and I agree, except for the positioning of the weights those look like the same move.0 -
Heather and Mrs. Agi - way to go for Stage 2!
Anxious to hear more, as I will be starting next Monday. Not too excited about all the lunges... Enjoying my rest week (seriously not doing anything but walking til Monday); my knee if feeling better already.0 -
so far i did one 2a and one 2b. it was interesting to say the least! The front squat push press was really hard for me. I can squat like twice the amount I can lift with my arms! I guess thats just how that excessive goes!
The cuban snatch was also really hard for me. My gym has a downstairs weight area (with rack) and upstairs has smaller version with jsut some preset long barbells and smith machine. I got a step from the step class to do pretty mcuh all the exercises and just used the weights there and never had to wait for the rack. Thank god.
For the cardio, im confused. are you supposed to be walking for the 2 min? I run, so i did a 10 min mile for 2 minutes and an 8 min mile for the one min. should i try faster tempto for the one min? any thoughts?
For the cardio it should be interval training, so you need to get your heart rate up and then bring it back down. When I run, I'll jog for the 2 minute recovery at 5.0 (treadmill), and then for the sprint I'll run at 6.2 for the first 2 intervals and then up to 7.0 for the remaining intervals. You do whatever works for you to get your heart rate up, and then bring it back it down (recovery).
thanks so much!
does it say in the book where your heart rate should be for the recovery and sprint???/ i have a heart rate monitor but it doesnt work with my new iphone! (UGH!) i can always use my old one with no service just for that.
I believe your max heart rate will be different than mine. I believe that where your heart rate should be is determined by age, and your height/weight (someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I'm 5'6", 140 lbs, and 32 years old. My heart rate monitor lets me know when I"m in the zone or not and tell me my max heart rate. When I'm sprinting I know I"m pushing it if my heart rate is at least 165 up to 185. During my recovery my heart rate will hover around the 150s. I think at 165 and above my heart is working at like 85% or something like that (what my hrm tell me). However, you can tell you're working hard by the amount of exertion you're giving, and how hard you're breathing. I don't always have to check my hrm because I can tell based on how I"m feeling how hard I'm working, and when I got to recovery I have to spend the first 30 seconds or so getting my breathing under control and consciously work to bring my heart rate back down. HTH0 -
well 2A went OK:) I could really feel that I dropped my cals though:( Going to (hopefully find the time to) try 2B on Friday, then I've got a week off, so I may restart stage 2 properly after that, on proper calories:)
I agree those static lunges are killers, but how can just resting on your arms be so hard? It'll be a while before I manage a whole minute in plank position LOL0 -
Finished stage 2 tonight. YAY here comes Stage 3.0
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Finished stage 2 yesterday. I really pushed myself and I'm paying the price today with extra sore muscles. I'll come back later and add what my final stats were. Stage 2 went by super fast compared to stage 1. I really liked the front squad/push press, I felt like superwoman doing those. Hated all the lunges and variations of lunges. Overall, though I enjoyed the workouts, especially adding in the interval training. I'm going to take off a week before I go on to stage 3.0
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Workout B done:) I like it much better than A....
Not too sure about the deadlifts from box - I don't understand how they're really any different from normal deadlifts:/ I know there is the extra bit of movement, but it's tiny and tends to throw my form off as I have to lean forward to drop the bar down.....
cobra was easy - did I do it wrong? just lie flat, then raise your chest & shoulders for 60 secs?0 -
I was not a faithful poster to this thread, too much "life" was going on during Stage 2 for me. I ended up doing the workouts a total of 7 times each (instead of the 4 listed in the book). The first 3 I did without really pushing myself to up the weights because I was running a marathon in late September. I took about 10 days total off from lifting (a few before and a few after the race), then came back and did this stage again and really focused on increasing my weights.
So here are my Stage 2 stats:
Workout A
Front Squat Push/Press - 45lbs (and couldn't complete all reps) ----> 50lbs and all reps with good form. Sort of hated this move.
Step-Up (used an aerobics stair-stepper bench with 6 risers underneath for all workouts) - 45lb barbell
> 60lb barbell on back
Dumbbell 1 Point Row - 15lb dumbbells each hand ----> 30lb dumbbells each hand
Static Lunge Rear Foot Elevated - 20lb dumbbells each hand
> 25lb dumbbells each hand
Push up - 10 on floor
> 10 on floor (still struggle with form some days on these)
Plank - 60 seconds arms on swiss ball, feet on bench
> 60 seconds on swiss ball, 3pt plank raising 1 foot up
Cable Horizontal Wood Chop - 30lbs
> 52.5lbs
Workout B
Wide Grip Deadlift from Box - 65lbs
> 100lbs
Bulgarian Split Squat - 25lbs
> 35lbs (pretty sure this goes down as my most hated move in this stage)
Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown - 75lbs
> 85lbs
Reverse Lunge from Box with Forward Reach - 15lb dumbbells each hand
> 25lb dumbbells each hand
Dumbbell Prone Cuban Snatch - 5lb dumbbells each hand
> 8.75lb dumbbells each hand (really grateful my gym has 1.25 and 2.5lb magnet weights you can attach onto the dumbbells otherwise I'm not sure I would have progressed with these at all)
Swiss Ball Crunch - 8lb medicine ball overhead
> 12lb medicine ball overhead
Reverse Crunch - just did them each time, not much to say about these
Lateral Flexion - did side flexion 3 for all workouts. Actually I liked this, my massage therapist and chiropractor tell me my hip flexors are really tight and I could feel a huge difference on my left side (the tight side) when I did these
Prone Cobra - 60 seconds
> 90 seconds
I didn't take pictures at the end of this stage or record my weight / measurements. I stopped logging my food about 7 weeks ago and have been pretty much maintaining on the scale. I had a lot going on (the marathon, throwing my mom a surprise b-day party and then a 5 day trip to Washington DC) so I thought maintenance itself was a victory. LOL!0 -
ebaymommy, perfect10isha, and Mylissa - congrats on finishing stage 2!! I can't catch up with you to chat daily, but I will lurk in the Stage 3 forum just to get a heads up on the exercises.
MrsAgi- sounds like you're doing great. Is this the week you are taking off?
I started stage 2 today!! I can't believe how sweaty I was. And it took longer than expected too. Overall I liked all of the exercises and it was a nice change of pace from stage 1. Here are today's stats for Workout A:
Front Squat Push/Press - 45lbs - I WANT to like this, but it felt super awkward holding the bar and when I went up on my toes I lost my balance several times. Still felt cool to lift the bar over my head. I think I could go up slightly on the weight, but I want to also get my form right.
Step-Up - same as last workout of stage 1 (17.5 dumbbells on weight bench)
Dumbbell 1 Point Row - 17.5 dumbbells, but I think I could do 20 or 22. VERY HARD to balance and had to reset a few times.
Static Lunge Rear Foot Elevated - 17.5 dumbbells. Could maybe do more, but it was easier to just keep the dumbbells that I had been working with. Legs slightly trembling towards the end of the second set. These were harder, but more enjoyable that I had anticipated.
Push up - 10 with feet elevated on step (same as stage 1)
Plank - 60 seconds - My body was TREMBLING on the second set. I wondered if people could see my arms and legs shaking, but I held out! (barely)
Cable Horizontal Wood Chop - 17.5 -- the machine was already set here. I know I can do more, but again, I was focusing on getting my form and taking in all these new exercises.
Great workout!0 -
@kmsairam I just started Stage 2 yesterday!! It was...different. I'm not confident about the front squat/push press. There is no "rolling" that bar down my hands as I have small hands. Definitely need to watch a video to make sure I got it right.
Starting weights:
Front Squat/Push Press: 45lbs OLY bar (I will go up once I make sure my arms are correct.)
Step-up: 30lb BB 13" step (I couldn't find the higher step, so I'll switch to that Friday.)
Dumbbell 1 PT Row: 20lb dumbbell in each hand (Wasn't hard once I got my balance)
Static Lunge: 30lb BB (This hurt my right foot where I had that tendon injury. I may have to do something different here.)
Push-up: 35ish degress on Smith machine
Plank: 60 seconds (tremble-y, but I did it!)
Cable Horizontal Woodchop: 30lbs (bruised my arms with the metal thingy that connects to the ropes, so I obviously need to change something!)
This workout was interesting. I definitely worked hard! I have issues the front squat/push press. I couldn't get the bar to just roll from my fingers down to my palms before the push press part. I had to use my wrists to get it in place, which I'm sure is not right! Suggestions would be appreciated! Though I will be doing some online video study before doing it again Friday. Can't wait to start Workout B tomorrow!0 -
Hi all! Glad to see some familiar faces!
So I had my first A workout and eh, I don't know. #1 I did it at 4pm having not eaten anything all day (I usually break my fast at 1pm but I was working today and went straight to the gym having packed no food!) So I was probably a little weak.
Squat press: I actually like the front squat aspect but my issue is that I could barely finish 2 sets of the shoulder press part. As for the squat, I could have gone up in weight. I almost feel like doing a superset of regular front squats and shoulder presses separate. BUT I know i should stick to the book As for my hands, I couldn't roll it either—kind of just held it in place.
Lunge: The box kept sliding behind me so it felt a little awkward. I really felt the burn though.
1 pt row: Need to find a replacement for this. My left foot is injured and I can't balance on it. Should I just do single arm rows in place of this??0
