Daily Check-in and Chat
Replies
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Oh, I finished up the second week of Phase 2 and workouts B and C weren't as terrible. I switched out some lifts that I didn't like (I can't do lunges so I do step-up's instead, and barbell single leg RDL? HA! My balance is terrible so I just stuck with regular American deadlifts). Workout A is still my favorite. But B and C are growing on me.
I prefer A & B... but C only took me 35 minutes to complete! That doesn't seem enough
I might do some cardio or incline walking later on (bleh, I don't want too though... haha).
I'm taking a week off, leaving tomorrow morning for Cape Hatteras with my BF & a bunch of friend. I will be doing a whole lot of NOTHING while I am there. I feel I've earned my rest! Will resume with Phase 2 once I get back! 0 -
Hi all!
I was out of sorts for about a month, so sorry I haven't been checking in with this group. Just letting myself get derailed with messy life stuff. But, I'm back and have had a really good week. I'm doing a Whole30, which makes me feel fantastic (basically, it's a month of no sugar, no grains, no processed food, etc.), and am back to SC with a vengeance. Yesterday, I ordered the Squat Sponge Bret recommended for hip thrusts, because the regular bar pad they have at my gym just wasn't cutting it as the weights get heavier, so thanks to whoever posted the info on the 4th weekly workout routine (which contained the recommendation). Anyway, hope you're all doing well!
Amanda0 -
Done! I am now a gluteal goddess. I went out with a bang (small head injury with lotsa blood:p) but I'm fine Loved the program and am sad I am finished. I am starting Nia Shank's 9 week program 54321 tomorrow so I am excited to see even more strength gains
I finished SC with 205 lbs hip thrusts, 135 lb Zerchers and 155 lbs DL (I know you are supposed to be able to DL more than you squat- I back squat 175- but I hurt my back doing DL in Dec so I am scared). Oh I weight 131 and am 5'80 -
Oh 54321 has Zercher lunges eeeeeeeek. LOL0
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Life's been busy, but I figured I'd check in. I finished the beginner program and I'm currently doing the advanced. I also finished my bulk and I'm currently cutting for summer. I'm slowly seeing progress, but any progress is good for my flat little booty! Can't wait to see how things look in 11 weeks!0
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I'm the only one doing them at my gym also. I do, however, have people watching me do them. They actually stand right in front of me when I'm doing them. I was a little intimidated the first time they watched, but now they just tell me what a great job I'm doing. No one has tried them though. Now that I'm able to use the 45 plates, it's so easy to roll the bar over my legs into position.
I'm visiting family for the rest of the week, and my sister has signed me up for her gym. I have no idea what the setup will be, but I'm going to make it work.
They stand in front of you when you're doing them??? What???
I have to agree, that is WEIRD!!!
People will look, or stare, but from a distance at least... Ah well...
On a happy note: I am sore today!!!! And very happy about it!!
I started Phase 2 yesterday. It was a great workout. Not sure if I'll do WO B tonight or tomorrow...
Yep, they actually stood in front of me! I know two of them really well, but the third person I had never seen. I think they were genuinely interested bc they asked a lot of questions.
On another note, I was visiting my mom this past week and went to a new gym in her city. As I finished one of my exercises, these two guys walked past me, and I heard one say to the other "I guess we need to up our game." I was flattered!
This gym had a big bowl of weightlifting chalk, which I've never used. So, I tried it. I will definitely be buying some because it helped my grip on my deadlifts.
Finishing my last week of Booty-ful Beginnings. I still can't do a chin-up/pull-up on my own, but I still think I will move on to the advanced workout next week. Thoughts or suggestions?0 -
Finishing my last week of Booty-ful Beginnings. I still can't do a chin-up/pull-up on my own, but I still think I will move on to the advanced workout next week. Thoughts or suggestions?
I say give the advanced program a try. I can do 1 chin up and that, to me, doesn't feel like much of a workout, so I substitute lat pull downs after I've exhausted my 1 chin up limit. :laugh:
I was also doing most of the advanced program lifts in my prior routine, so I wasn't willing to give them up and start with the beginner program. But do what feels right for you and your abilities.0 -
Finishing my last week of Booty-ful Beginnings. I still can't do a chin-up/pull-up on my own, but I still think I will move on to the advanced workout next week. Thoughts or suggestions?
I say give the advanced program a try. I can do 1 chin up and that, to me, doesn't feel like much of a workout, so I substitute lat pull downs after I've exhausted my 1 chin up limit. :laugh:
I was also doing most of the advanced program lifts in my prior routine, so I wasn't willing to give them up and start with the beginner program. But do what feels right for you and your abilities.
Thanks. I am going to give it a try b/c I've been doing weeks 9-12 for a long time due to vacations. I'm in need of something new to keep me motivated. Variation is the key for me.
Lat pull downs irritate my shoulder, but I don't seem to have that problem with assisted pull-ups. Currently, I have about 16 pounds of assistance so I'm close. I think I will just add more pull-ups to work on my muscle memory. In the past I've been able to do 3 unassisted pull-ups, so I know I can do it.
I'll finish out this week, and then move on. Thanks again for the encouragement!0 -
So excited! I track my measurements on my calendar like every week, every other week, etc. but don't really pay attention to the numbers. Decided to do a comparison today and since I've started bulking and doing Strong Curves I've added 2.5 inches to my bum!!!!! I knew it was looking pretty good back there but didn't realize it was looking THAT good. Oh, I can only hope that most of it stays after I cut!!!
Other measurements are up too, of course, but not nearly as much:
Hips/Butt: +2.5
Waist at navel: +1
Waist at slimmest: +0.5
Left thigh: +1.5
Left arm: +0.450 -
Sounds like everyone's doing well! I have to give props to the Squat Sponge Bret recommends for hip thrusts--it's so much better than the regular bar pad my gym has. Makes a huge difference!
I have one more workout of weeks 5-8 (which really took me longer than that because I stopped for a bit partway through). I was looking ahead to the 9-12 section, and once again found it so frustrating that there's so little explanation of some of the moves--specifically, the different variations of the hip thrusts (stopping and starting? etc.) So, I guess I'll be googling a bunch this weekend. And, have to pick up an X-band. My gym doesn't have one.
Freckles: Congrats on the booty-addition! That's amazing.0 -
I was looking ahead to the 9-12 section, and once again found it so frustrating that there's so little explanation of some of the moves--specifically, the different variations of the hip thrusts (stopping and starting? etc.)
I don't remember where I read this, but I will tell you what I did for weeks 9-12 for hip thrusts in the beginner program. For the A workout, I simply did the up and down movement touching the weights on the bottom because I noticed that my hips are out of balance and one side hit the ground before the other, so I was working on form. I did make sure that I went almost to lockout at the top to get the full range of motion. On my final rep, I held in the lockout position for a count of 10.
For workout C, I did the same thing, but held for 3 seconds at the top of each rep. It's much slower, of course. I still did the 10 count on the final one. I was able to use the same weight for A and C, but maybe that means I didn't go heavy enough on A.
Tomorrow is my final workout of the beginner program. Looking forward to moving on!!!0 -
Thanks, JKDLady! I finally found this explanation of the rest-pause and constant tension methods:
http://bretcontreras.com/random-thoughts-12/
(this is for phase 3 of the advanced program).
I joined the FB group and WOW some of those ladies are thrusting huge weights! I feel like I've been slacking off
Starting phase 3 tomorrow and I'm psyched. I input everything into the app I use to track my workouts, spent a chunk of time watching YouTube videos for the new moves, and I feel like I'm ready to go. I really hope I can lose some fat this month, too. I've been stuck at the same weight for a bunch of days now and I'm annoyed about it.
Anyone eating Paleo-ish? I tried two new recipes this week that were really easy and good:
Mexican chicken soup:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/255438610089667578/
(I added a jalepeno to the broth for the last 20 minutes of cooking. Next time, I think I might swap cumin for the curry the recipe calls for)
Tangy mustard-cilantro grilled chicken:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/255438610089667575/
(don't let the picture on the pin scare you--that's just the chicken in the marinade; the finished product isn't all gloppy like that)
Have a great Sunday, all!0 -
Oh thanks dandelion for the link to the rest pause method. I start phase 3 next week so this will come in handy.
And sorry, no, I don't do Paleo. I thought about it once upon a time but decided I wasn't willing to give up anything I loved. To each her own! How many calories are you eating and how long have you been stuck at the same weight?0 -
Day one of phase 3 in the advanced program--those Zercher squats are a killer! And sumo deadlifts take some getting used to. But it's always fun to have a new routine. Keeps it from getting old. For anyone considering getting the Squat Sponge, I can't recommend it enough. And it's a big help with the Zercher squats, too--protects the forearms a little bit. Have a good one, all!0
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Day one of phase 3 in the advanced program--those Zercher squats are a killer! And sumo deadlifts take some getting used to. But it's always fun to have a new routine. Keeps it from getting old. For anyone considering getting the Squat Sponge, I can't recommend it enough. And it's a big help with the Zercher squats, too--protects the forearms a little bit. Have a good one, all!
I'm so glad you brought up the squat sponge because for weeks my pubic bone (of all places) was sore and I couldn't place it. It finally dawned on my yesterday that it's gotta be from doing hip thrusts. I use a bar pad but I guess it's not enough, so I'm going to look around for the squat sponge. Where did you puchase yours?0 -
Freckles--I ordered mine from Amazon. It's better than the regular bar pad because it's a lot denser. No more bruise belt!0
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Freckles--I ordered mine from Amazon. It's better than the regular bar pad because it's a lot denser. No more bruise belt!
Just submitted my order. YAY!
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I bought the Airex balance pad before I saw his recommendation for the squat sponge. But right now I'm hip thrusting 200+ lbs with the pad and feel zero pain, zilch, nada. I will eventually get the squat sponge though if/when I get to a big enough weight that I start feeling pain again.0
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I just ordered my squat sponge this morning from Amazon based on this thread. I did hip thrusts(bridges) from the ground yesterday, and it's a completely different than have my shoulders on the bench. (I started the advanced program yesterday.) I guess I felt more downward pressure on my hip bones. I used the normal bar pad plus a doubled over mat, but that didn't seem to help.
Hopefully the sponge will do the trick. I should have it for my Friday workout! Thanks for the reminder.
jamaicanlady - congrats on 200+ pounds. I'm at just over 100, but I look forward to increasing!0 -
Well I finished up phase 2 of the advanced program last night and I'm super excited to start the last phase. YAY for deadlifts! Although I've only done conventional ones, never tried sumo. Just different feet placement I guess so we'll see how that goes. Hoping I haven't lost any strength on that lift in the last 9 weeks since I've done them. Also might include OHP into the last phase cuz I'm missing it so much. 0
