Calling all Women Lifters

Hey lady lifters - it's been way too long since your last posts...

How are we doing? Any new PR's? Share!!

2 sets of 10 is great!! Awesome work!
I keep it simple with knee push ups... I can do real push ups but lately my shoulder and wrist are really inflamed so I keep it simple.

Bump - I just want to mark thread. I have enjoyed reading and am currently doing P90X. I think this book about the rules of lifting for women sounds interesting, I am going to have to check into it.

I am so jealous of some of you!

I have been in and out of the gym for twenty years (46 yo). After having severe foot pain from doing calf raises last year, I gained a few pounds and got to 138 my heaviest ever. I am 5'0 so this is serious!

Just got back in gym in Feb. started out with starting strength and now doing a push / pull type routine. I've increased my reps to 15 on everything for the past two months because I have so much fat to get rid of. I usually do 2-3 hours cardio and 3 hours weightlifting a week. I have trimmed up a bit, but not as much as I would like. My legs are finally looking better, but the waist size and width of my hips is not really shrinking much yet.

I've been reading the comments about lifting heavy and I think where I'm at now, I can finally drop the reps a little and lift heavy because I'm at a plateau.

Just wondering how you heavy lifters get by the shoulder pain to squat? I currently squat 110lbs on smith machine and that is no where near my 1rm but anything heavier hurts my back. Also, when I put weights on the barbell for bench press, my hands hurt too bad! Is this something that your hands and back adapt to? What gives???????????

One more question - I do squats every 4-5 days, alternating once with extensions and the other day with deadlifts and curls. Reason I do squats this frequently is because I figure I am burning more fat this way than lifting heavy once a week. I also do step ups, lunges, adductor and abbductor on my workout day between the squats. The rest of the body parts get worked once every 5-7 days, except abs is done twice a week.

Any recommendations on melting off this last 5lbs. of fat? I use Jac3ed for pre-workout, but I am thinking about trying a fat burner to break out of this plateau.

Would love to hear from you gals!

Does anyone know any good workout moves (using weights or body weight) to strengthen shoulders and/or upper back? I've been working my deltoids, but I was hoping to "add more" shoulder. Is that even possible? And upper back.

What routines are you ladies doing??? (I'm going to need a new routine come June.)
My gf and I are doing 4 circuits instead of 3 now. We are also trying to add more weight or reps.
Here are all the exersices we have used. My favorites are *'ed.

Routine 1:
Dumbbell Chest Press
*Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Bench Dips
Triple-Delts (front/side/rear)
*Chest Flyes
*Dumbbell Deadlifts
Side Plank
*Dumbbell Bent Over Row
*Lat Pulldown (reverse grip)
Hamstring Curl

Routine 2:
*Decline Sit-up (weight plate on chest)
Lunges
Step-ups with Dumbbells
Oblique Twists w/ weight plate
Leg Raise up/down slowly
*Plank
*Plank w/ knee raise
*Push-up on bar
T-Man Plank
***Barbell Clean & Press
Boat Pose
Incline Dumbbell Row
**Barbell Bicep Curl
Barbell Reverse Lunge
*Dumbbell Squat
Over/Under Ball Pass
*Tricep Kickbacks
*Lat Pulldown (WIDE grip)

We on our 2nd routine and plan on changing it beginning of June. After her college graduation and our week long vacation. We plan on taking that week off from the gym too. (On the TV at our gym it says to take a week off from strength every 2-3 months. We have been going since Feb.)