Daily check in - NoVEmbeR give up!
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Looks like everyone is having a great, strong, kick-*kitten* weekend! So many good workouts!
StrongLifts 5x5 / Workout B
Such a good day at the gym! Sunday afternoons are nice and quiet, and all my lifts felt pretty great. I think my rest week did me a world of good since things seem to be falling into place again this past week.
Squats -- warmups + 5x5 @ 110 lbs.
- Heavy but good. Adductor is still tender, so am just forcing myself to engage my hamstrings and glutes on the push out of the pocket. @Canadian, your tip about doing some bodyweights and really concentrating on this helped a lot! Thanks!
- I'm torn between adding weight and really focusing on that aspect of my form, so not sure if I'll stay here for a bit or go up to 115 lbs. next time.
OHP 2x5 @ 45 lbs., 3x5 @ 40 lbs.
- This is one more set with the 45 lbs. barbell than I got last time (yay!), but the last couple of reps did get a little arch-y. I attempted a third set, but failed. Had to go hunt down the 40 lbs. barbell and finished these up with no problem. Really excited to see progress here, since I feel like I've been stuck at 40 lbs. forever!
I
DEADLIFTS - 1x5 @ 95 lbs., 1x5 @ 135 lbs.
- Doing a warmup set helped so much. Got me locked into my form and feeling comfortable before I moved up to my big girl plates. It's a pain in the *kitten* to stack plates for the lower weights (so the bar is the right height), and then muscle those giant plates on and off, but it's definitely worth it.
- This is the first time I felt really good about my DLs at 135 lbs. since I originally hit that weight. I was able to really concentrate on the push instead of feeling like I was going to break into a pull -- FREAKING AWESOME! As I've mentioned before, I know I'm physically capable of DL-ing heavier, but it's a mental thing for me, so this is BIG progress. I think I'm finally ready to start moving up in weight again.
Accessories:
Skullcrushers 3x12 @ 20
- My hold on the dumbbell feels more and more awkward as I move through these reps, and I find myself turning my forearm a little bit at the end of the extension back up. Need to figure something out here. Maybe two 10 lbs. dumbbells would make this easier somehow? But like this exercise a lot, so will keep working on it.
Hip Adductor machine 1x12 @ 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 lbs.
Hip Abductor machine 1x12 @ 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 lbs.
- It was my first time with these machines, so I was trying to figure out where to start weight-wise. I probably could have gone heavier, but at that point I was repped out. So, looks like I'll start at 80 lbs next time and make my way up from there. Really hoping these help strengthen these two areas since I want to keep moving up with my squats.
xoxo,
C.
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Took 4 days off due to health 'stuff' but got back in gym today.
BP 1x12@45, 3x5@55, 3x5@60 (PR)
BBR 2x10@20, 2x5@40, 3x5@70 (but poor form)
DL 1x12@20, 2x10@70, 3x5@90
Gym was about to close so I rushed through a bit at end and used the curl bars. Not sure how that impacts things but I did miss the standard bar. Need to allow more time.
Got in a great 60 minutes of HIIT to prep for boarding this winter. Tomorrow is a low cal day. Hope to get food/sugar adjusted as the last few days threw that off a bit. Definitely choose to eat better when I am active!
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forcing myself to engage my hamstrings and glutes on the push out of the pocket. @Canadian, your tip about doing some bodyweights and really concentrating on this helped a lot! Thanks!
well, tbh it's nice to hear that, and perfect timing for me too. i mentioned this same thing in the monthly real-life workshop i go to, and most of them laughed. i wasn't hurt exactly, more like bewildered. i'm not sure what makes it funny . . . although also, from the dumbbell weights the trainer was handing out, i'm not sure how many of them do heavy lifting. maybe they just couldn't relate to being stuck down there with 80 or 100 pounds on your back ;-)0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »Row - 5x5 @ 75, these were ok, but I am pretty sure my form is off. Lower back almost always hurts after I do these.
is there a chance that you're locking your knees without noticing? that can add strain for your lower back. and/or maybe your hamstrings are tight, which might be causing a kind of pendlay version of the famous buttwink, i.e. lower back tending to round. you could try doing piriformis and hamstring stretches before you get started, to see if that helps at all.
i know full pendlay rows are like a kind of physical-feedback firestorm for me, so i just find it really difficult to try and keep track of so many different body sections at once. and for me none of any of it ever felt natural. so i'm pretty sure that when i did them i often did lock my knees just because at least then it felt like something was going to hold still when i yanked on the bar.
Thanks Canadianlbs! I am doing the standard bent over row and I always check my posture in the mirror, but it just doesn't feel right. Maybe it never will. My knees are bent and back is as straight as possible.
But...this is what I completed Saturday.
Squats were NIL again, I stretched and did 10 with the bar, but it HURT, so I skipped that and went to...
OHP - warm up + 5x5@ 50 and 1x5 @ 55 Whoop! Whoop!
DL - 1x5 @ 95lbs, 1x5 @ 115lbs, 1x3 @ 135lbs, 1x1 @ 135lbs. Felt good, but HARD!
Then to make up for my lack of squats
30 x hip thrusters
3x8 @ 30lbs bicep curls
4x10 @ 10lbs tricep extention
and some plank for fun (HA!)
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Hey there! Haven't posted here in about a week. I did Wednesday's workout, but skipped Friday due to a conference. So y'all get 2 reports:
Wednesday
Squats: Warmups then 5x5@105 lbs
OHP: Warmups then 5x5@65 lbs
DL: Warmups then 1x5@110 lbs
Accessories: Assisted Pull-ups 4x6 with a 64 lb assist (12 lbs less than last month, thank you very much. 4x50 second planks in between OHPs.
Followed by about 15 mins of HIIIT on the treadmill which left me gasping. Yay for being red in the face at my desk afterward.
Monday
Squats: Warmups then 5x5@110 lbs
BP: Warmups then 5x5 @100 lbs. Whoo, these are getting tougher. I might stay at this weight next time to make sure I'm good.
Rows: 5x5@90 lbs. I was repeating this weight because I whiffed the very last rep last time. Was good this time so I will cautiously progress to 95 next time.
Accessories: Assisted pull-ups 3x5 with 64 lb assist. 3x40 second planks in between benching. I needed more of my energy for recovery this time.
Tomorrow is a long run day. Will try to get in 4 miles.
This is my 4th week of StrongLifts. I am not doing as well on my diet as I would like (meh, when do I ever?) but I am definitely loving lifting heavy and seeing benefits, to include about a half inch gone on my waist and some definition appearing in my arms. Oh yes.
I also like that SL shows me where I'm weak. For instance, I have very, very strong shoulders for a female. They are enormous. Always have been. I can start out on a much higher weight with OHPs than most ladies, because that's my Hulk body part. 65 lbs is not tough at all for me, and I suspect I'll need to get up around 75 or 80 before it starts getting tough.
But my back? My back is weaksauce. Rows are freaking HARD. I have to concentrate really hard on them and can't just muscle them up. And every time I work on chin-ups and pull-ups my upper back hurts like a mother for days. But it's good! It's good to know where I can get stronger.0 -
Squeezed workout A in yesterday..
Squats - Warmup + 5x5 @ 150
Bench - Warmup + 5x5 @ 105 - definitely felt the best yet for my 105 reps. Need to get some fractionals though.
Row - 5x5 @ 95 - surprisingly felt ok during these.
Got the results back on my shoulder - no sign of a tear, just tendonitis. I foresee lots of physio and strengthening exercises in the future (old injury from football in May, played through it, probably shouldn't have).0 -
KrokaSOREus lives on. My. Today was fun! lol
Pendlay Rows (decided to try 5/3/1-ing this one too)
90x5
100x3
110x6
95x10
Then EMOTM x6 of KB manchilds (power squat clean thrusters) x4 per minute @ 25lbs
6 min AMRAP of 6 pike presses on 12' box and 6 goblet drop lunges with the 25lbs KB = 4 rounds and 4 reps of each (I think that's less than the previous week, but I didn't go to 6 pike presses every round)
finished with 10 min AMRAP (for time)
- EMOTM x 10 sitouts
- RAT 1 arm alternating KB snatch up to 50
Finished in 8:53, but skipped 2 rounds of sitouts in order to catch my breath again. Then I proceeded to lay on the floor for a few minutes again. Hehe.
I also have soccer tonight (first time in 3 weeks) so I suspect it will be hard to drag myself out of bed tomorrow AM...0 -
and some plank for fun (HA!)
lol. i could never get the pendlay rows right either. not specifically a lower-back problem for me, but just . . . wrong. even with what looked like the right geometry, it just never felt like i was doing them 'right', i.e. hitting the right muscles. i just honestly never could tell what was working and what wasn't.
and yet they were always so haaaaaarrrrrddddd. i've been doing seated rows instead with the machine, because at least that way i can find my upper back muscles and feel them working. and t hen to make up for the missing core/back/glutes stuff, i've been flirting with romanian deadlifts (grip killers). i dunno if it's a good workaround, but i really didn't feel like the rows were taking me anywhere but in circles.
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OK, had a great workout today. Have also learned some things about myself that are probably common knowledge to some people, but I will chat about that in the November Chat thread.
I'm giving myself an A- only because all of my weights were repeats. Since I took a week off last week I haven't done today's exercises (well except squat which I did on Fri) for a week and a half.
Warmup: 10min elliptical
Squats - Warmup, then Repeat 75lbs 5x5. Friday was a deload to 70lb so this was back up to my previous high weight. These were very clean. Will be satisfied to move up on Wed.
Accessories: Planking 3x60sec between sets
Bench - Repeat 60bs 4x6 and 1x7. I felt very good with this weight for the first time EVER. Was really proud of myself getting 7 reps on the last set. This probably indicates that I am ready to move up. But this exercise next falls on my "weakest day" (pop over to the chat thread in a few for more on that) so I will probably not move up this week. I will move up next on this exercise in two workouts from now which is next Wed.
Accessories: Leg raises while holding up the weighted bar, 2x15 and 2x10. Hip popups 4x15.
Rows - Repeat 75lbs 5x5. These felt easy and I was really thinking about my form. Honestly though, thinking about my form made me think it sucks. I cannot seem to get this row down properly.
Accessories: Deadlift repeat 135lbs 1x6. lol I know - accessory?
Cooldown: Row machine 20min
Man I love that rowing machine! Although I was wearing my heart rate monitor today and it is NOT very intensive work for me. No wonder I like it so much haha.
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OK, had a great workout today.
Cooldown: Row machine 20min
Man I love that rowing machine! Although I was wearing my heart rate monitor today and it is NOT very intensive work for me. No wonder I like it so much haha.
Yay for great workouts.
And, um, *cooldown* = not supposed to be intensive. That's why it's called a Cool. Down. Nice and easy and fun and relaxing.
Silly billy.
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Squats: 5@65,80,95,110,125
Bench: 5@45,50,50,60,65
Rows: 5@45,50,60,70,80
Not a bad workout today, but I didn't have time for accessories. I taped myself for my squats to check on form. The last few reps of 125lbs were messy /sigh/. I'm feeling a lot better about my bench form now and I'm feeling it a lot more in my chest. And no shoulder pain either.
Hope you all have a great week
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great job spirit!!!0
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@crabada - i have really come to love the rowing machine as well (use to HATE it). very relaxing and a great workout for upper body and core as well as legs. i actually burn way more calories doing it (via my heart rate monitor) than on the stationary bike when I am just warming up or needing to move at a semi-leisurely rate. mine is right by a huge bank of windows with a beautiful view. lucky lucky me
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Not a bad lift tonight. Have been struggling to get all my calories lately- yes I know I know, cry me a river I can't eat all my calories lol
Squat 5x5 @ 140lbs working back up from a deload
OHP 5x5 @ 60lbs blaaaaaaaaah
Deadlift is my lover lol 1x5 @ 190lbs oooooooh yeeeeeeea
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OK, got 3 deadlifts @ 170 today...getting there...not moving on with squats till 100% satisfied, getting close.
Workout B (Tues)
Dumbbell Side Bends - 5 x 10 - 40
Bench press - 5 x 5 - 105
Squats 5 X 5 - 200
Deadlifts 5 x 3 - 170
Deadlifts 5 x 2 - 165
Overhand bicep curls - 5 x 5 - 125
Reverse curls - 5 x 5 - 1000 -
Surfingbodi wrote: »@crabada - i have really come to love the rowing machine as well (use to HATE it). very relaxing and a great workout for upper body and core as well as legs. i actually burn way more calories doing it (via my heart rate monitor) than on the stationary bike when I am just warming up or needing to move at a semi-leisurely rate. mine is right by a huge bank of windows with a beautiful view. lucky lucky me
Haha I must have really bad form on the rower then, because I get most of the work in my legs and it messes my knee up if I'm not careful
I *did* look at form instructions and videos, too, so I don't know why it sucks so much. Then again, *any* cardio machine is a torture device for me. Any machines, in fact. I just don't move like "normal" people do, apparently. lol 0 -
@ krokador - i am surprised the videos have not helped as somewhere along the line I was shown how to do it correctly and it made a huge difference in what i felt in my core and my upper body. i wish i was able to share with you what it was but I can't remember. I do remember it was about rowing like a real rower does where you keep the hand grip as level as possible through entire stroke forward and back and you lean way in and way out. if you focus on pulling with your upper body after your legs have initiated the return stroke, you should feel in first in your arms then back and then lean out as you are pulling and you should feel it in your core.
you may not care and i don't blame you but i am telling you, i love that damn thing now! of course, i play music as well while doing it. very very zen 0 -
Totally stole this from Nancy, but just in case you all aren't checking out the chit chat feed, you need to read this article: What Lifting Weights Taught Me About Being a Woman
I think we should start our own thread on this topic. You gals in? (I didn't wait for your responses -- here's the thread: 5x5 Thread - What Lifting Weights Taught Me...0 -
Workout B today.
Squats 5x5 @80 -- felt good but legs are kind of tired from (too much?) running.
OHP 4x5@50 + 1x3@50 + 1x2@45 -- this was a *huge* improvement over last time. I think resting 3 minutes between sets really helped.
Deadlift 1x6@135 -- got to the 45lb plates! Yay!
I'm going to a conference out of town starting tomorrow, so wish me luck with the hotel gym for two workouts...0 -
not the best workout of my life, but my expectations were probably a little high. workout, um . . . a.
squats: bw warmup, 2x5@45, 1x5@65, 1x2@95, 2x5@90, 2x5@85, 1x5@90. kind of shows that i wasn't sure of my zone, huh
i still felt so badass from last time, i figured why not try out the 25lb plates and just see what happens, but 95 is definitely too much for me atm. 90 wasn't much fun either and my form was just coming apart at the seams so i deloaded to 85 for a few, and then finished at 90 again. i kind of lost track of which sets i did at which weight but i'm going to call the whole thing 85 anyway and try again for 90 next time, so it doesn't really matter. if i even get to 95 by the end of this month i'll be pretty happy since i'm gunning to squat triple digits like @crabada by xmastime.
bench: 2x5@45, 5x5@65. not great, not horribly awful. i swear i'm only half-benching with my pecs and the rest is coming from my front delts. no question of any kind of weight increase here. i need to go re-find that power-lifter's youtube of him teaching some noob how to bench and review all the form tips.
rows: i didn't even think that i would do these. my shoulders are just full of mega-tight tendons and ligaments and they're popping and twanging all over hte place. but somehow eventually after half an hour or so of otehr random shoulder/upper back stuff i did them, in the full pendlay form. i did 2x5@50 as warmup, and then very. very. very slowly, i got myself through 5x5 at 70. actually they were more like 5x5x1, because i released and re-took my grip for most of the reps just to make really sure i wasn't 'bouncing' the bar off the floor.
additional stuff: pulldowns, probably 6 sets of 12 reps at lowish weights (bleh. i'm weak at these this week for some reason), 3x12 reverse flyes on the machine for rear delts, and 3x12 facepulls at some embarrassing weight like 20lb. which just shows you how much i need the accessory work. if i can press 65 forwards but i can only pull 20 backwards with the same shoulders, something is probably off.
the gym was mobbed so i didn't get anywhere near the assisted pullups or the smith machine for practicing any kind of partial pullup. but i don't care. saw a woman i strongly suspect is doing sl, warming up on squats and making a couple of attempts at 'two plates' - i.e. 225lb. i was really impressed even though she bailed on each attempt, just because i admired her for being smart enough to know when 'soooooooo close' still wasn't worth risking an injury.0
