Thank you! I will look up the Youtube videos, for sure! My goal is to build strength, and I've never had much for upper body strength. But anything that improves my overall core strength is good too.

Be careful with those deadlifts Stef - but in the case of annoyance - choose the cussing option!
on all the cussing (especially saving them up for a special deadlift @scrappin') I will have to study some Dexter episodes and take tips from Deb - she has the best pottymouth!

I'm like @RoxyLola at the moment with loving DOMS have pretty much been in constant upper or lower body pain the last week or so - even though technically I am still not on a 'plan'. My trainer is pushing all strength options but I am not actually following a program yet.

Lydia - I saw a video of Scooby doing a how to do pull ups thing and he calls the getting on something starting at the top and slowly lowering for chins/pull ups a "walk the plank" . But pretty much recommends a few phases on the way to full chins and full pull ups. (Seems like you figured that out on your own anyhow)

Brandi I have heard a stand up comic not so jokingly refer to having a mammogram like smacking your boob onto the concrete floor of a garage and then having someone drive over it and then reverse back over it again. So I don't think I would like that either. (eek)

I need to use stuff under my feet too for the bench 5ft2 here.

So my last 2 sessions with PT went well.
I managed squats with 27kg (to a step that I set up but had trouble getting that deep, PT set it one level higher for my last set) - Doing 10-12 reps for most of the stuff with her though. I also clean and press but not from the ground - from set position to below the knee and then back up again - RDL press? Wow did those hurt. And I have totally forgotten what we did first up in that session. (DOMS set in after my c25K session the next day)

Yesterday was crazy and my poor arms hated it so much I could barely sign my name afterward (PT called it boxers arms where you kind of lose fine motor control for a few minutes). We super setted with dumbbell OHP with 7(then 9)kg dbs then went straight into push ups (on knees). Then super setted db bench press (my poor weak left arm cried); inverted rows under the bar (smith machine) ; then single arm rows with 9kg dbs and then just to make me sweat a bit more had to push a sled bag by sitting against it pushing with my legs and then push forward (could barely get it moving had to have help to start the momentum) across the boxing class room (only managed 2 of that each way).
I swore a fair bit at her, but damn it felt great after!

I received my hard copy of Starting Strength in the mail yesterday (previously had a pdf version) so will be able to read better and see if I need any more tuning on the moves I have been doing. I have splits tomorrow am and thursday am with the PT we are doing lower body wed and upper body thur. My legs already feel like lead from this mornings c25k but I know I will survive whatever I get put through tomorrow.

Oh... my gym sold their squat rack (yep the one I signed up on the basis of!) but I have been promised they will get a new one in the new year. That better mean January. - I have heard though that another branch has one, so I may be able to go there for a while, while I wait even if it does totally screw with my schedule.

Ok I'm going to stop dribbling now. Keep awesome strong tough women and look after all the owie bits like you are supposed to!

I wish that the SL app would be fixed! I can't change the weight on it and it is driving me nuts!

Workout B completed this morning. Because I had a bit of a break (well, lost motivation/discipline/will power) for a few weeks, I have scaled it all back a little.

Squats: 50kg 5x5
OHP: 20kg 5x5 - this is my nemesis lift. It's all linked to the imbalance between my back strength and my abs strength. My back is super strong in comparisson to my abs, but I am working on fixing that! Lots of knees to chest and planks!
Deadlift: 65kg 1x5 - I started at 40kgs, then just kept adding 5kgs until the last 2 reps of the set were hard, then I stopped. So Just shy of my body weight.

Hi all:

I also have to put plates under my feet for benching. (I'm 5'2.5) It makes such a difference.

Today's weightlifting awesomeness went as follows:
Squat 90, Bench 45 BB/15lb DBs, Bent Over DB Rows 25lb DB (all 5x5)

Still working with light dumbbells on upper body just to keep myself even. I got under the oly bar today on the last three bench sets and it was super easy, so that was encouraging. First time I've done that in 3 months. I might try Pendlay Rows again next time they come up. We'll see. Squats are still fairly easy. Can't wait to hit some resistance on those.

My 14 yo asked me to teach her the back squat. She squatted the bar easily and actually has natural good form. We'll see if this sticks. She usually peters out on me after a week or so. Teenagers...

@6550mom: How do you get in that much protein without eating meat? I'd like to cut back on meat a bit and I could use some ideas. :flowerforyou:

@Qski: I didn't know they called that boxer's arms. Sometimes my arms get all goofy after a heavy bench. Now I have a name for it! :drinker:

Skipped Sunday's workout as I felt lousy, I think it's when I work my weekend, I'm always more tired than usual.

Numbers today were same as last week, but OHP was slightly improved.

Squat 125x8 135x5 140x5
OHP 65x7 67.5x4 70x3…thought I might make 4 but it just.wouldn't.go.
Deadlift 175x4 180x3

And yes, to everyone who had a "bad" workout…they happen. Life happens and so do workouts that don't meet our expectations. Remember, you're awesome for just trying!

vendygirl, on the basis that you are having to tweak your left side a bit in a couple of lifts it might be worth investigating a good physio/osteo/chiro to have a look at the back. You may have a small twist somewhere that could resolve all of this. Sounds like you had a good session with your trainer though

Feeling sore from my workout this morning already.

2 x 20 one leg glute bridges on each leg at bodyweight and 8x lat pull downs at 39kg and 1 set of 15/leg as I was feeling a bit done in, still with 8 39kg pull downs. It's the pull downs I am feeling now in my shoulder blades but I sneaked a look ahead in my program and I need to be doing negatives for pull ups in 2 weeks time so I need to push this bit hard!

3 x 20 step ups on to the bench followed by 6 dumbell OHPs with 10kg bells. Bit disappointed with this as last week I managed 3 x 8 at 8kg bells and I have OHP'd heavier with the oly bar but the whole last set was poor form really I was really struggling to lock out at all. Also I suspect I may be having a bit of a flare up of a tendon problem I have where they basically just leave me with a weak grip. It's not actual strength, it is just that sometimes I just can't hold something regardless of the weight of it.

Then some core work. Now tired and hungry lol

You all move too fast! I can't keep up!

Cheryl - Even if she doesn't stick with it now - she will not be scared of the bar later in life, if she decides to have another go - and that's a pretty awesome gift, in and of itself.

To those of you nursing injuries - give yourself time to heal!

To those who have less-than-stellar lifting days - It happens to everybody. Try to figure out why, but then move on. For me, it's almost always connected to not-enough-food or not-enough-sleep.

Lots of awesome sauce in here!

Yep, I agree!

Did w/o B today. I'm feeling better on the OHP this time around so maybe next time I'll actually increase the weight. We'll see.

Squat: 3x5 @ 100lbs
OHP: 3x5 @ 45lbs
DL: 1x5 @ 95lbs

I don't know if its because I took time off and my hands lost their calluses/grip but man DL was a struggle today (I got up ato around 130 last time). Each rep I reset my grip and tried a different way (over/over, over/under, then over/under opposite hands). Still trying to work on what feels best, but man my hands hurt afterwards!