Hi everyone - just wanted to say hello! I am halfway through Stage 1 and really enjoying it Turns out I was doing the pike jack knifes from the beginning too lol.

The only one I'm really struggling with because of previous knee issues is the alternating lunges... I've been using 20 lb dumbbells, which is good, but I have a hard time stepping forward and *pushing* back to feet together, the pushing part just seems to be putting strain on my knee... and thus, I'm not feeling it as much in my thighs/glutes because I'm not stepping as *deep* because of pain/irritation! I know it's definitely less painful if I'm stepping backward instead, but not sure if this is less effective. Any thoughts?

I've read a single leg deadlift is a good alternative..

just youtubed pike jackknife, well holy hell! :O

speaking of which: did you all master the book version of prone jackknife? i cant seem to able to push my hips up, it always seems i have my back flat. (which apparently the more common form of the prone jackknife? according to numerous videos anyway.)
i usually end up in this postion:

instead of this:

I can't seem to move past the 25lb dumbell for shoulder presses. 25lb is hard but doable and I feel like I can do more...but when I move up to 30lb I can't even finish a set. Do I just continue with the 25lb until I can do the 30lb. Or should I do AMRAP with the 30lb and then move back down to 25lb for the rest?

I forgot to post my progress

Workout A-
Squats- Bar---->85lbs
Seated Rows- 55----85lbs
Step Ups- 10

---

20lbs

Workout B-
Deadlifts- Bar---->90lbs
Wide Grip Pull Down- 55

---

>75lbs
Dumbbell Shoulder Press- 10---->20lbs
Lunge-10---->20lbs

@Jonesin -- I've been switching if I can't finish a set with the higher weight. My intent is to finish... but sometimes I can't. I don't know if this is recommended, but it's what I do. The dumbbells are hard since they go up by 5lb. And at 25+, they're too big to hold another little one in the same hand.

I've just barely worked up to 25lb, but I had to switch down to 20 for the last few reps last time only in the 3rd set. I try again today, and will start with 25 again. I made it through two sets, so hoping I can do three this time!

@everyone -- for the wide-grip lat pulldown, how far down do you pull the bar? I can sometimes get to 70lb but can't pull it down as far as I can 62.5lb. It feels "better" to do the 70lb. Where do you look to know if it's far enough? Elbow position? Chest?

@everyone -- for the wide-grip lat pulldown, how far down do you pull the bar? I can sometimes get to 70lb but can't pull it down as far as I can 62.5lb. It feels "better" to do the 70lb. Where do you look to know if it's far enough? Elbow position? Chest?

My gym has a little 5lb weight that I can put on top of the stack, does yours? I think you want to aim for a full range of motion to get the most benefit out of the exercise. I pull the bar down to about my collarbone.. maybe a little further down.

ETA: If 62.5 is too easy, sometimes doing the exercise in a slower and more controlled way makes it more difficult and would help you get more out of the exercise. So, for instance, when you get the bar down and are letting it rise back up, try and keep moderate tension in the cable so that you are still getting the benefit of the exercise as you release. (I haven't seen you lift, so maybe you're already doing those things.)

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ohyOrXous

Pretty much this, and I generally try to pull it right down to my chest (but I usually don't make it for that last rep)

I've been away from the forums (and from logging food :-() for a few days but still training. I did my first AMRAP yesterday - what a killer! I might post AMRAPs as a separate topic but thought I'd post my progress as I'm almost ready to move onto Stage 2.

Workout A:
Squat - 20kg to 40kg
Push ups - high step to floor (but still struggling with form)
Row (barbell) - 20kg to32kg
Step up - difficult to measure as I realised that I was stepping on too low a step so had to drop the weight when I increased the step
Mountain climbers (instead of prone jacknife) - floor (15) to TRX (20)

Workout B:
Deadlift - 30kg to 45kg
Dumbbell shoulder press - 8kg to 11kg (but struggled to complete 3 sets of 8)
Pendlay rows (instead of lat pulldowns) - 25kg to 35kg
Lunges - 8kg to 12kg
Swissball crunches - 5kg, 15 reps to 10kg overhead, 20 reps

Ah I just did my first workout today. I've only really used the machines before so the free weights were a little intimidating. I have 2 questions:

1) how hard am I supposed to work? Should I be struggling to finish the last rep or just feel the burn?

2) I'm terrified of the bellbar. .__. I ended up using the bodypump bellbars instead. I'm just so scared of the sweaty men with 100lbs weights. Lol idk what I'm looking for with this question but how do I move on to the big boy(girl!) bellbar?

Thanks!

question mainly from whom working out at home:
so i have noticed how weak my left (non dominant) arm is compared to the right. im doing alright with shoulder presses but the lat pulldown substitution aka pullover is just something else! im using 5kg/each dumbbells and while my right arm would be able to manage the set the left gives up halfway through. not once i almost dropped the weights on my face! :O
im unable to do this workout with my barbell due to lack of space and the book says holding only one (and obviously heavier ~10kg?) dumbbell wont benefit me much?!
so what, shall i just practice with my weaker side on rest days too to bring its strength level up to my right arms? or shall i just carry on doing half sets? (the next lowest i can go back down is 2.5kg/dumbbell which i could do 15reps easily, both arms, so thats not really an option)
help?

(just a side note of my mini victory - i finally mastered the prone jackknife properly. about time, whoo!)

So I did each workout once now, a proper newbie

And this is what I learned:
The weight room is a lot more intimidating when your standing in front of it than it is when your in.
I really had no idea whatsoever how strong or weak the single parts of my body are (did my deadlifts and rows way to light cause I was scared)
The prone jack knife looks worse on paper (apart from not losing the balance)
Ask whether the weights are pounds of kilos BEFORE you choose some for your workout. (I used 6 'pounds' which were actually kilo for the step ups (3) and then had to go down )

And of course I do really like doing weights a billion times more than cardio