Oh yeah, Crimbo soooon! Agh!

Hey everyone! On my 3rd 4 week cycle of 5/3/1 and loving it. The weights are increasing a lot more slowly than 5 x 5 but I am happy. Am still lifting heavy and still feeling strong, fit and healthy. Want to up my running again and have started boxing for half an hour as warm up and cool down after two of my sessions per week. So an hour's boxing per week and 3 strength sessions. Will be back to stronglifts again come 2013 I am sure...and who knows what next from there (maybe my first triathlon and first marathon next year?!) Am defo changing gyms come April, I need proper strength equipment damnit! (the ones I have checked out all have ropes, chains, big tyres, farmer's walk weights, mma cages, boxing areas and at least 3 squat/power racks so no waiting about like a silly *kitten*) I am looking forward to next year already...70 kg bench press for 5 reps at a time?! I hope so!

Hope everyone else is enjoying the cooler weather. Love running in the cold, I feel so alive! We have had some major flooding in the UK this year, so that is not so great, but where I live we have been lucky. So near to Crimbo and so much rain ugh! Saying that I want some major snow this year, keeping fingers crossed.

Have a great December everyone! : )

Just adding ishtar's comment here, we seem to have missed it earlier...in another thread...oops!

Well, November was mostly a wash for me. Tweaked my shoulder and took more time off.

I'm in the same place I was at the beginning of November.



115 lbs on squats
72.5 bench
72.5 row

60 overhead
125 lbs deadlift

Still maintaining the same weight range 170-175 lbs.

I recently bought fractional weights and I have to say I am super glad I did. I feel like working my way up on bench press is going to be so much easier now. I could not get past 55 pounds, I could only get 3 reps. So I went back down to 45lbs and worked my way back up... today I used my fractional weights for the first time at 52.5 pounds and I got all reps just fine. I might do the same weight one more time and try to get an extra rep in and then hopefully I will be able to get 55 pounds next *crosses fingers*

yes I'm sure some of the people probably were making fun of me in their heads because I had a 2 1/2 pound plate and a 1 1/4 pound plate on each end of the bar. But whatever!

After a week off for Thanksgiving travels and another week off because of a sick kiddo, I finally got back to it this morning. It was tough, but I did increase my weights - may have to redo squats though, it was tough.

Squat - 115#
BP - 70#
Row - 90#

Ishtar - thanks for reminding me it's December already

yes I'm sure some of the people probably were making fun of me in their heads because I had a 2 1/2 pound plate and a 1 1/4 pound plate on each end of the bar. But whatever!

Haha. I feel silly doing that too. But - I've had a couple guys ask me about my fractionals, in a 'where did you get those, I want some" way. One of them was the guy who I consider the strongest guy in our weight room (that I've seen) as he's not a very big guy and squatting 365. Real lifters for strength know that the only thing that matters is that your lifts go up over time, not how MUCH they go up. Like Jim Wendler says, if you want to take your bench from (I forget what numbers he used) 200 to 250, you have to get to 205 first. Also. LOL. Benching 250. Haha. *cries*

I've started benching with the 25 lb plates. I'm ridiculously proud of myself. I'm pretty sure most of the guys in the weight room think its pathetic but they can f*** off.

I started week 3 yesterday and am THRILLED with how I've been able to increase the weight each session. I am loving squats and even with 2 so called 'bad knees' I have had zero knee pain/ache anything. I even managed my 5x5 OH press of 60 lbs yesterday. It was hard but I did it. I think I may only go up 2.5 though. It was freaking tough and upper body/shoulder have always been my weakest place.

Hubby and I are going on Sunday to get more weights and a squat cage!! He said if I'm going to do this I need the right equipment. I just love him. We have a great used equipment place nearby where plates are .50/lb and olympic bars are $30 and they have lots of reasonably priced equipment.

I am still swollen all over though (or that's what it feels like). I'm up 7 lbs total from a week before I started (150 now and I was 143 the week before I started). Granted there was a reset week in there for Thanksgiving, but clothes are tighter and I just feel 'bulky'. Wondering if I'm just retaining lots of fluid. I haven't lifted this heavy before.

I'm off to a bad start this month. I have a cough and don't feel great so have just been doing bodyweight exercises at home. And I'm going to be busy over the month, so I'm not sure how I'm going to fit the gym in.

Just got back from a trip to the gym...ran there and back, a mile each way, and deloaded, since after last week's session I could hardly walk for 4 days.

Squat 70#
Bench 55#
Row 65#

I have to say it felt much better and I could actually think about my form instead of just trying to lift the weight. I had really been on a roll and Thanksgiving messed me all up - hopefully December won't totally throw me off too.

25# plates! - nice job Tameko!

Haha. I feel silly doing that too. But - I've had a couple guys ask me about my fractionals, in a 'where did you get those, I want some" way. One of them was the guy who I consider the strongest guy in our weight room (that I've seen) as he's not a very big guy and squatting 365. Real lifters for strength know that the only thing that matters is that your lifts go up over time, not how MUCH they go up. Like Jim Wendler says, if you want to take your bench from (I forget what numbers he used) 200 to 250, you have to get to 205 first. Also. LOL. Benching 250. Haha. *cries*

I've started benching with the 25 lb plates. I'm ridiculously proud of myself. I'm pretty sure most of the guys in the weight room think its pathetic but they can f*** off.

I was super proud of myself that I got to put 2 2.5 plates on my bench press today! haha I'm glad that i am not the only one who feels awkward about lifting weights as a woman...I feel like they stare at me! But I can say adding plates makes me feel like a badass. lol

I am jealous! I can't wait until I'm there. I do feel slightly awkward when I'm doing bench press... I feel like all the guys are snickering and making fun of me for how weak I am. One guy actually did poke fun at me one time. And I also felt awkward when I did rows correctly at the gym for the first time yesterday..Really love to stick my *kitten* out for all the guys behind me to look at. Not. hahah

Congrats Tameko! 95lb bench? Badass.

Last week I was thrilled to be deadlifting 135lb - the big girl plates, 45lbs. The trainer at that gym, who is not certified to train for Olympic lifts, walked in in the middle of my set. As I was leaving he said sort of quietly, "Don't see many girls deadlifting around here." Which made me feel awesome. But when I tried to engage him about Stronglifts, Rippetoe -- blank stare. Then proceeds to tell me he'd never get a girl client squatting / deadlifting with the barbell. See ya later dude.

Today, weird, I completely chickened out of my workout and went for a run instead. I am at 100lb squats and its starting to get hard. I'm going tomorrow though.

Just a quick suggestion for those of you that workout at home and don't have room for a squat rack - they make squat stands that take up far less room and easily movable.

http://www.****ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3675758&010=SKU-6270542&003=4239056&camp=CSE:GooglePLA:3675758

This is just one example - I've seen them a bit cheaper other places and you could always check second hand stores and craigslist.

Just a quick suggestion for those of you that workout at home and don't have room for a squat rack - they make squat stands that take up far less room and easily movable.

http://www.****ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3675758&010=SKU-6270542&003=4239056&camp=CSE:GooglePLA:3675758

This is just one example - I've seen them a bit cheaper other places and you could always check second hand stores and craigslist.

I was looking at these, but was afraid I'd tip it over if I put too much horizontal pressure on it re-racking 100+ lbs. Looked at a couple and they say they only weigh like 70lbs or so total.

Just a quick suggestion for those of you that workout at home and don't have room for a squat rack - they make squat stands that take up far less room and easily movable.

http://www.****ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3675758&010=SKU-6270542&003=4239056&camp=CSE:GooglePLA:3675758

This is just one example - I've seen them a bit cheaper other places and you could always check second hand stores and craigslist.

I was looking at these, but was afraid I'd tip it over if I put too much horizontal pressure on it re-racking 100+ lbs. Looked at a couple and they say they only weigh like 70lbs or so total.

Not sure I understand what you mean, but if you load each side equally, then it should be OK.

so sore today!

Squats 115 lbs (repeated last weight)
OHP 70 lbs
Deadlift 135 lbs (only went up 5 lbs instead of 10 and glad I did)

Nice lifts! I'm about the same and am feeling it today after lifting last night.

Guess I should have clarified more in my above post - I was thinking that when I stood up and went to get the bar off my back/shoulders and re-rack that the squat rack may "rock" backwards away from me if the weight was heavy and I was struggling even a little to re-rack it. I was just concerned about the stability of them being that some are 2 units.

Just a quick suggestion for those of you that workout at home and don't have room for a squat rack - they make squat stands that take up far less room and easily movable.

http://www.****ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3675758&010=SKU-6270542&003=4239056&camp=CSE:GooglePLA:3675758

This is just one example - I've seen them a bit cheaper other places and you could always check second hand stores and craigslist.

I was looking at these, but was afraid I'd tip it over if I put too much horizontal pressure on it re-racking 100+ lbs. Looked at a couple and they say they only weigh like 70lbs or so total.

Not sure I understand what you mean, but if you load each side equally, then it should be OK.

so sore today!

Squats 115 lbs (repeated last weight)
OHP 70 lbs
Deadlift 135 lbs (only went up 5 lbs instead of 10 and glad I did)

Nice lifts! I'm about the same and am feeling it today after lifting last night.

Guess I should have clarified more in my above post - I was thinking that when I stood up and went to get the bar off my back/shoulders and re-rack that the squat rack may "rock" backwards away from me if the weight was heavy and I was struggling even a little to re-rack it. I was just concerned about the stability of them being that some are 2 units.

Ah, I get what you mean now. I never thought of that, but if you have the racks a bit lower than your shoulders so that when you get under it you have to stand up fully first, then when you go to put it down, you should be able to go straight down onto them.

I may just have to try it out and see. They are way cheaper than a power cage (which I was looking at getting this weekend actually) Maybe get one from somewhere I can return it if it doesn't work. (and have a spotter just in case!)