Back to it today, hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

@Stef - thanks for that article, that's just what I needed to read.

@AAbru - glad the wrist is healing and you're back.

@Fittree - holy crap, 100 pound OHP?!?! You're my hero.

@Wofsbayne - same to you, holy crap, 235 pound DL!!! Awesome work everyone!

Did workout B tonight. Thought I was going to be tired after my 4.5 mile run last night, but felt great. Must have been that little piece of chocolate birthday cake I had at work today!

Squats - 5x5 @ 100 pounds; deloaded on these and coming back up very slowly to keep from getting a sore back again.
OHP - 5,5,3,5,5 @ 75 pounds; accidentally started with 85 pounds on the bar (darn that math stuff) and only realized it after only getting 3 up on the first set. So took off the extra 10 pounds and started the sets over. At least I know I will at least be able to get that much over my head when I eventually get there.
DL - 1x5 at 155 pounds; next time I'll be attempting body weight!

Now time for some zzzzzzz's! :yawn:

FINALLY back at it! I am slightly embarrassed by my weights because I had to deload COMPLETELY (per dr/PT) to avoid reinjuring my wrist. BUT NOTHING, NOTHING can ruin the high I feel at being able to lift again!!!
Workout A: bench 5x5 at 45, squat 5x5 at 45, rows 5x5 at 45. I also did wrist curls with very light weight and 15 minutes of HIIT (until I felt like I would throw up then I stopped).
So is it where I want to be? Nope...but give me a year baby!!!!

I am monitoring my wrist pain. I don't plan to increase weight for at least 2 weeks until I restrengthen my forearm (been in brace for 5 months).

Welcome back!! I had to start over too but it is so great to be lifting again!

I love strength training.
And I gotta say, I also really enjoy crossfit like workouts.

So combining both makes for a pretty kickass way to wake up in the morning!

Deadlift 3/3/3+ day
140x3
160x3
180x10

The last 3 reps were a little iffy because I switched to mixed grip, but I got it up! Woo! Needed 9 to beat last week's rep PR!

Then moved on to squats, 120x5x10
I tried going high bar on the last set, but gave up right up haha. The program I'm transitioning to calls for high bar but I'll ease into it with lesser weight xD

Then my UBB 2.0 building blocks circuit which consisted of
5 strict OHP
15 KB swings
10 jump lunges
10 push press
15 american KB swings (all the way up overhead)
10 front lunges
15 push jerks
15 KB swings
10 drop lunges

All in 8:10! Hafta say, I had to break down the push jerks in 3 sets because I was out of breath and shaky and was afraid I'd hit my face! lol. Bar was at 55lbs, KB 40. Lunges were bodyweight only (thank gawd xD). Really fun way to end a session ^^ And who needs assistance work with this? The jerk is basically a full body move! lol - And a kinda weird but fun one!

I also saw someone left a band up on the pull-up bar. I tried to do a pull-up but failed I was pretty gassed though. It will come!

Finally I gave up on the doing 4-5 moves on the same dat nonsense. I guess I reached the point when thing are getting heavy
Squat:
Warm ups:45x5, 55x5
Sets:70 lb, 5x5
Bench:
Warm ups:45x5, 55x5
Sets:70lb , 5x5, I supposed to do 65 , but miscalculated the plates. It was hard and I didn't know why, until I realized I used the exact same plates as for the squat. I am not sure I will go up next time because of this.
Barbell row:
Warm ups: 45x5, 65x5,
Sets: 75lb ,5x5

Otherstuff:
Assisted pull-ups 5x5 with 95 lb assistance
Knee ups: 12,12,10,10

Today I was on fire with the squat. First a girl was openly watching me with her mouth open, when I went to drink some water during rest time she sneaked into the power cage and tried to lift my weight and she couldn' t . I know I am nowhere near to many of you, but still it made me fell badass. Then one of the fittest guy in the gym complemented my technique ! He doesn't know, but he made my day. He said very nice to see somebody doing proper full squat, not the half ones that most guys doing.

Awesome work!

Today was my first day using a power rack, after 8 months of dumb bell squats!

My gym is rubbissshhh so doesn't tell you how to use any equipment and all the men in the room think I'm a moron anyway because LOLZ FEMALE, so it was a bit of a difficulty spike for me. Happy with 5 complete sets at 40kg, even though my form needs some work. Really cool to use muscles I'm not used to using!

OHP completely stalled on the third set, but putting that down to doing push ups and dips last night (whoops!)

Deadlift still sat at 50kg with my crappy little 5kg weights, which make the bar difficult to grip (form still not good enough to increase.)

Outside of 5 x 5, also managed 102 sit-ups in a row - yay!

A good day.

I am eating roughly 1700 calories. I have not had my iron levels checked.

I am sick so no workout for me yesterday or today. Hope to lift thursday! But if not i am glad for a reat. My knees have been hurting- i think from tightness due to lifting so i need to stretch more!!!

@neonbeige: Usually the squat rack side-thingy is adjustable. Have you tried to see if you can change the height? I always start to adjust the side-thingy in the powercage, because often too high for me too. It surprises me as I am 5'8", so definely not short, but since generally males are using it , they tend to be taller than me.

@krokador: I noticed hat you not really doing 5x5 anymore. would you mind explaining me what is the purpose of your set/rep structure. I started to see what set/reps people are doing in the gym, and nobody does 5x5.

@KaterinaTeres: I like to start with squat, but last time when I started with OHP, it definitely helped to make the reps.Maybe I should try that order more often.

@krokador: I noticed hat you not really doing 5x5 anymore. would you mind explaining me what is the purpose of your set/rep structure. I started to see what set/reps people are doing in the gym, and nobody does 5x5.

I did 5x5 for a while but got a bit bored with the program/progression and the time it took was getting out of hand, so I've been doing Wendler 5/3/1 boring but big for a while now. I usually don't follow a set program for the accessory work, but I'm transitioning into a different program that's closer to crossfit than pure strength training in april to train for a mud run I have in june. I need the extra conditioning pretty bad! lol.

There are many wendler calculators/variations out there. My favorite is this one: http://blackironbeast.com/5/3/1/calculator
It's more of an intermediate program, so the progression isn't as linear as SL, and a bit slower, but it fit with my goals a bit better and allows more flexibility with assistance work. (I've basically been making 3 days a week full body and on OHP day making it more of a "bro" day with shoulders, biceps and triceps :P)

@redheadmommy No, we unfortunately don´t have a power rack in the gym, just something like this

http://www.fitnessscape.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000002/Legend-3138-Squat-Rack.jpg

I even asked in the gym for a better idea/solution but they just told me, they couldn´t change anything for one user and I could put two steps together. WTF? That´s why I came up with this solution, which isn´t perfect but still better than squatting in the danger of being crushed :-)

Oh, we have one that's similar at my gym and I hate using it because it's rattly, but at least the safeties are about mid tigh for me so I can use it... Well, if the bar was to fall it might flip over me... So, uh, yeah, that's why I don't use it xD I'm not sure 2 benches would be high enough to catch the bar in time if you were to fail a set either, though. Just don't try this technique to duck under the bar?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FukrLSl0hx8&list=PL9jZSsBVkYtgw67te4oa5M715OxIdZZ0P

@all are you also super hungry on workout days. I feel like I could almost eat twice my allowed calories. And apropos calories, which tdee calculator did you use? I have a difference of about 200 calories from two different calculators (scooby and another one)

I'm usually okay hunger wise on lift days but I am starving and actually feel a little weak in the morning on the days after lifting. I'm eating at a 20% deficit or a little higher though and I'm pretty sure that is why. I do find sometimes I need to bump up my intake on non-lift days. I am eating over 100 grams of protein per day. I'm trying to listen to my body and respond appropriately.

I also have a 200 calorie difference between scooby and iifym. I just averaged the two and call that my TDEE.

At what time of the day do you usually lift? I go directly in the morning, right after taking the kids to school and from around noon on I crave food. I also eat at about 20% deficit, which means around 1800 calories a day. But I think today I will not make it ;-)

I was even thinking about doing more cardio to be able to eat more - although this would probably make me even more hungry...

I lift usually in the early afternoon.

Cardio…I love it when I'm finally doing it but I struggle with motivation every single day.

I haven't noticed much spike in my overall appetite regard to my workout schedule, but timing definitely changed. Our family dinner is 6 pm, and I workout at the evening 8-9 pm. I usually leave 150-200 calories for a snack after I come back from the gym, which I do not like to do on other days. Also I need to eat breakfast earlier the next day. In the past I experimented with intermittent fasting, but I only could do that while not working out whatsoever.

I was all kinds of confused about TDEE as online calculators gave me as much as 400+ calories difference. In February I did a co2 based RMR testing to get to know exactly how much is my RMR. I also did a dexa scan for precise body fat %. I am going back for another dexa scan in a year for sure. I eat 1750 per day , which is about 500 cal deficit TDEE-20 maybe -22%. I am still considered obese though. People who do no have much to lose probably should eat closer to TDEE.

I do not like cardio unless is functional thing like biking\hiking\rowing on a lake etc. I only do 30 minutes twice a week using my P90x3 dvd-s, but its a drag. I would never do cardio machines just to be allowed to eat more. I use my bike as major transportation device at the summer, and put 1 hr+ into it most days. I am for sure like the side effect that I can fit icecream into my menu

It depends: on DL days I feel the powerful hunger of a diesel guzzling SUV, but other days I'm 100-200 calories under and feel fine.

I also feel my best when I eat at my TDEE, which I averaged between Scooby and IIFYM at 2,180. I've been trying to eat around -10%, but so far I've just been hungry again. I guess that's what happens when you go on a diet break for three months and just stuff your face (gained about three pounds, but added 25lbs to my squats)

Hey everyone... Just checking in after the first day back teaching after Spring Break. I can hardly keep my eyes open. LOL I chose today to do an early workout but it had to be done. I did:
squats 5x5 175 lb (these felt heavy and slow! I have to get used to the mornings again and see how it feels next time)
bench 5x5 110 lb (again...heavy and slower than usual but got er done)
rows 1x5x110 (my husband went in the house and I needed to get done so I just used the bar from bench and ramped), 1x120, 3x135

I did warmups for all and a warmup before and cooldown and stretch after. Have a great night and happy lifting to all.
Mari

@ fittree, fisherlassie and jcdoer- thank you for the welcome back! I really missed it!
@fittree- beautiful OHP! I had 90 pounds on the bar for OHP when I hurt my wrist in October.

Today I walked for a half hour and did my wrist exercises. I have some slight soreness in my forearm, but nothing like before. I am sore from lifting though which is really surprised me. Don't they say 6 weeks to gain muscle, 2 weeks to lose it. somehow that is really unfair!

I plan on workout B tomorrow and HIIT. I am concerned about tomorrow as I injured myself doing OHP. I also am not quite sure how I will do deadlift with just the bar...probably I will prop it up between racks or benchs...

Man, 90lbs on OHP... Feel slike I'm still lightyears away from that. Haha. Well, for DL with just the bar, You can basically just drop it down to about mid shin. Don't try to touch the ground! Or do romanian deadlifts until you can put on bumper plates (which really shouldn't take very long ).

So glad I get to sleep in tomorrow. I need the rest. In fact I probably should go to bed now. I used to be a night owl. Now i hit the hay around 9:30PM. When'd I get so old? lol (getting up at 5am to workout certainly doesn't help :P)

On another note, I dropped 2lbs!!!!!!!

WOO HOO! Congrats on the weight loss! :drinker: :drinker: