Daily Check-in : It's the Fitness Fever-ary
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OHP today. I cut this workout a little short (only did 3 sets on my accessories) because I was starving! My stomach was growling after 3 sets so I said f it and cooked my dinner.
OHP: 5@57.5, 3@67.5, 4@77.5lbs and then 3x10 @ 62.5lbs
Upright rows: 3x10 @ 55lbs0 -
I had conferences tonight so i didn't get to the gym until late but that worked in my favor because the gym was empty and I was able to play around without fear of looking silly. So I had a great time.
Warm up 15 min on elliptical
Squats 5x5x20
Overhead press the bar that's not straight with 10s on each side 5x5
Deadlift 45 lb bar only 1x50 -
extremely horrible day at work that basically started with an ambush of an interview with the head madwoman under the noses of two other women brought along for idk, the general *kitten* factor, i guess. started that way and then just kept right on going until it was time to get out, finally. anyway, i hadn't decided about whether it was time to go back yet when i started for work this morning, but i needed this workout by the time the time came.
workout a:
squats: 2x5@45, 5x6@55. i'm being seriously careful this time. no more heavy weights of any kind for a while. i did nicely at 55, and i was able to really feel the whole hamstring/glute thing take place. working on my shoulder/wrist/elbow factor as per the mark rippetoe low-bar input and the rule is going to be something like: forget what your legs can do. absolutely nothing challenging until and unless my back's strong enough to deal with it. but i did sneak in an extra rep for each set.
bench: 5x5@45. technically, this wasn't hard and i could have added 10 pounds or so. but same rule. i was really popping it up though, and i feel like i need to go read rippetoe about bench since i'm in a repentant form-fixing mode.
rows: 2x5@30 during warmup, then 2x5@45, and 3x5, 1x3@65. 65 was probably too much but oly bar plus bumper plates.
accessory: 40 second plank, and a few reps of 5-10 second dead hanging from the smith bar, as part of startout warmup/stretching. i've been sneaking into the washroom a few times a day at work and hanging myself from the cubicle wall, for the same stretch purposes. i seem to have got a bit stronger with this
post-stretching: i'm going to start recording this just to keep myself motivated/honest. i stretched teres, triceps and lats, piriformis/glutes, quads, rhomboids and spinal erectors. also sternucleowhatsits, scalenes and traps for the neck. oh and of course pecs although i never seem to 'feel' a pec stretch.0 -
Been gyming some, but forgetting to do my check ins!
Today was not as great as intended, but only because it was pretty crowded especially considering it was 9:30 at night.
Squats I was supposed to go to 90 but I could not find ANY 2.5lb cookies. WTF?!?!?!? So I repeated 85 for the third time, and added an extra set. On the plus side, I was quite happy with my form, there was definitely no butt winking. But I did not really want to do 85 again; I really want to hit triple digits this month.
Then I went to bench and all three benches were in use, what the hell. so I did pull ups and dips instead. 4x5 pullups & dips @ 42lb assist, then 1x5 @ 36lbs assist, then 1x4@ 30lbs assist. I was pretty pleased with that!
All the free benches were taken too and the free weight area was mobbed so I wandered back to the racks and they were open, so I decided to do OHP workout instead of bench workout. My upper body was pretty tired already so I just did 5x5@45 with 5x5 Good Mornings as is my norm with OHP.
Then I did 1x6 DL @135 which is a weight I have been doing for far too long, but my grip feels so tenuous that I am afraid to move up =/
I need to make some progress next session on my numbers.0 -
Ugh sorry you had a crappy timeMissHolidayGolightly wrote: »
The only squat rack open was the one with the non-adjustable safeties
I can't use that rack either, I am too short and I hit the safeties. The one time I tried I hit them and got totally discombobulated and dropped the bar!
I'm glad you kept going
Put it all behind you.
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work out A-
Squats 5x5 55kg
BP 35kg- 1st set 4, second set 3 then managed 3 sets of 5 with longer breaks and more effort from legs/abs. I had considered not jumping from 32.5kg up to 35kg but went for it. Hopefully next time I will make these.
Rows- Man I hate rows, I really struggle with form. Last time I jumped to 40kg so the bar sat higher but my form stunk so I dropped to 36kg and built little platforms and watched a few videos before starting and in between sets. My form is a bit better for that. I think if I was at a gym and could use a couple of aerobic steps to balance them on it would be better. Instead I used a couple of wood blocks with a plate on top.
I did find an interesting blog though when searching for stuff-
http://www.njamworld.com/
She lifts, eats sensibly and embraces and that stuff too. I think I will have a read
Happy Friday everyone!0 -
@fothers365 The blog looks interesting; I'll take a look through it as well! Thanks!!!
@canadianlbs--sorry you had a bad day yesterday. Glad to see you back at lifting. I am taking a similar approach with my deadlifts--don't want to hurt my back!
Warmup
Bike 5 minutes
3rd world squat 5x8
Todays lifts:
Squat 5x5 87.5 lbs
OHP 3x5 then 2x8 46.25 (Yay!!)
DL 1x5 115 lbs. I've been at this weight for ages. Gonna stay here until it stops feeling too heavy. Don't want to hurt my back.
Then:
CC Jacknife Pullups 3x15
CC Incline Pushups 3x15
Calf Raises 3x17 50 lbs
I've been carb loading on oatmeal and dates about 45 minutes-1 hour before lifting. Seems to have helped my OHP. I'm going to keep doing this on lifting days...0 -
@canadianlbs sorry about your work problem. I hope it get better soon, because there's nothing worse than being unhappy at work. Hang on. xx
Workout B this morning. I was tired at I felt it.
Warmup: 13 min. elliptical
Squats: 1x5 @ 45, 1x5 @ 65, 1x5 @ 85 and 5x5 @ 105. This felt surprisingly good, even if the first set (yes, the one at 45) made my thighs hurt. It was heavy but I was in control. The only thing that bothered me is that there was a girl working out between the two power cage, doing goblet squats and pop up jump with a 50 pounds dumbell, even if there was a loooooot of space on the platform to perform those move. It was kind of disturbing to have someome jumping beside me while I was going down, plus she was in my way when I was trying to load more plates. WTF?
OHP: 1x5 @ 45, 5x5 @ 50. Yay, I did all the sets at 50. Not ready for 55, but still, it's nice to increse.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 45, 1x5 @ 65, 1x5 @ 85, 1x5 @ 115. I should have been doing 120, but I didn't remember 115 was my previous load. It was still heavy, and I almost failed the last rep, so maybe it was ok to repeat.
Accessories
Pull ups: 2x4 - was not able to complete the 5 reps on both set
Plank: 53 sec. on the BOSU.
Stretch and foam rolling.
All in all, a good week, but my wednesday workout rocked more.0 -
I forgot to check in yesterday, so I am adding it today.
Workout A
Squats 5x5@100 lbs
Bench 5/5/5/5/4 @70 lbs. Second time failing at this weight :-\
Rows 5x5@ 70 lbs
RDLs 3x10@70 lbs
Elliptical 45 minutes
I hope everyone has a great weekend!0 -
Then I did 1x6 DL @135 which is a weight I have been doing for far too long, but my grip feels so tenuous that I am afraid to move up =/
@threnjen - Are you using the overhand grip or mixed? I found 135 was the limit for me for overhand grip. I switched to mixed grip and got 145.0 -
Squat 115 5x5. Decided to de-load because I've been having such a bad time at 130 and I haven't been to the gym since Monday. I had house guests and sometimes socializing German chocolate cake + wine > exercising. 115 was good though. Heavy but my form was pretty good and I even lost count a few times and ended up doing more reps so I guess it's time to move up to 120 next time. Hopefully 130 will be better next week when I work back up to it.
Row 80 5x5. It's funny, I never liked the upper body lifts because I stalled out so quickly on them. Now I'm struggling with my lower body lifts and doing pretty well with upper. Go figure. I do these from the squat rack with the pins set to the lowest setting. I think they might be about an inch higher than they would be than pulling from the ground with 45s but it feels so much less awkward from this height.
I also did some "rack pulls" in between rows with the same weight (3x10). It's in quotes because I'm not pulling much higher than I would be from the ground. It was fun working on my deadlift form with a light weight for me.
I was supposed to bench 85 but I just didn't feel like it so I did some other accessory work. I might go back to the gym tonight with my husband to do some cardio so I'll just do them then. If not, I'll do them tomorrow.
Other accessories:
Side bends 30 3x12 each side
Split squats 50 3x10 each side
skull crushers 40 2x8 (didn't do last set because I kind of tweaked my bicep (?) It feels fine now but I didn't want to risk it.
Lat pull downs "5" setting 3x8
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@threnjen - Are you using the overhand grip or mixed? I found 135 was the limit for me for overhand grip. I switched to mixed grip and got 145.
I've still been doing overhand, so maybe I will try the mixed grip. Are you doing overhand or underhand with your dominant hand on the mixed grip?
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I skipped cardio yesterday to try and rest off this stupid cold...back at it today:
Squats - 95lb 5x5 - bit of a challenge. I think I'll stay here next workout. And I think I need to do better warmups. I'm doing a set of 10 of the bar and I don't think that's cutting it. I'm considering cutting my post lifting 20 minutes of cardio in favor of a more diligent warmup and adding some more accessory work...
OHP - resigned to stay at 45 lb for who knows... Are there other accessory machines or ideas to work on strength for these? Another research opportunity for me.
DL - 115lb 1x5.
Glutes are definitely sore tonight. Glad it's the weekend and time for rest!0 -
I moved yesterday's run to today and I was very glad I did, gave my knees some time to rest.
It was a tempo run and I am happy with my pace of 6:36 just need to get my km up to 5 (did 3.5km today).
Workout B tonight
This was a little odd because my daughter refused to go to sleep so I kind of worked out with her (I played with her during my rest sets and my husband kept her away from me while I did my work sets). I took a lot of time between sets and it paid off.
Squat 180 lbs 5/5/4/5/5
OHP 70lbs 5x5 I have been stuck here for who knows how long, it seems like forever. I think I will try 75lbs for one set next time just to see exactly how heavy that feels like.
DL 200lbs 1x5 so glad I tried increasing by 5lbs instead of 10 lbs; they were heavy but felt really good form wise. I will try my nemesis of 205lbs next time.0 -
AbsoluteTara79 wrote: »
OHP - resigned to stay at 45 lb for who knows... Are there other accessory machines or ideas to work on strength for these? Another research opportunity for me.
LOL join the club So many of us are members...
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@AbsoluteTara79 - Maybe try adding more reps and sets at the weight you can do until you can work up to the next weight. I haven't tried it but I think I've seen it mentioned somewhere in this group before as a way to break through.
Made it to the gym, though won't sure it would happen this morning since I was so tired. Struggled to fall asleep, headache, woke up often and was awake at 5:30 am on my day off meant most of my day was spent tired. I finally napped around 3pm. Good thing I don't go to the gym till late. Didn't go till well after 9pm this time. But I've officially done 12 weeks of SL. Yay! My back was also feeling better today. It ache a tiny bit in squat and more in OHP but wasn't bad overall. And I managed to get a decent amount of protein despite having a donut this morning. So, not bad overall.
Workout B
Squat - 5x5 @ 135 - Felt okay so went to this instead of 120 or anything like that. Still feels heavy and probably won't get 150 again for a while but that's okay.
OHP - 5x5 @ 55 - Easy on the arms though the spot on back near side ached during some of the sets. I think one issue is the bar is a little too high in the rack so I have to either tip toe to get it out or set it a little too low. Going to try the low setting next time. De-load from failing at 70.
Deadlift - warmup 1x5 @ 135, oops 1x5 @ 197.5 and 1x4 @ 200 - Yeah, I forgot to add one of the 2.5 plates when I was setting up so did one set at 197.5 then realized what was off. Rested and tried at 200 but the last attempted rep my legs were like "no". However, I think if I hadn't messed up I could have done 1x5 @ 200, so I'm counting it as yay made it to 200!
3x8 @ 160 leg press and 30 minute walk on treadmill
Also, I think I need to reassess my lifting schedule. Since I move stuff around on freight day on thursdays, I thought it would be better not to lift that day. But with my schedule now, I lift tuesday night, grit strength wednesday, freight thursday and lift friday. And plan to do a very slow couch to 5k soon so maybe this isn't the best approach. Even with changing to NROLFW in a little bit, I think the stuff on the days before and after freight involving weights is actually going to keep me more tired than if I'd lift after work on freight day and let the days before and after be light cardio/rest. Something I'll be thinking about.0 -
DawnEmbers wrote: »Made it to the gym, though won't sure it would happen this morning since I was so tired.
if you've been lifting for 12 weeks straight, you might be due for a rest week to let your body do more complete growth and catching up. those are serious numbers you've gotten up to as well over only 3 months, so that's something to think about as a factor as well. i mean, just think back to where you started and do the math. your body has done a LOT of adaptation in a relatively short time.
when i find that i keep going to the gym but i feel like i'm just kind of sliding backwards in terms of tiredness, neuromuscular fuzziness and a general inability to 'bounce back' between workouts, i usually start to think about taking a rest. it's amazing how hard it can be to talk myself into it sometimes, but even more amazing is how unfounded all my fears turn out to be when i go back.
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AbsoluteTara79 wrote: »OHP - resigned to stay at 45 lb for who knows... Are there other accessory machines or ideas to work on strength for these? Another research opportunity for me.
Dumbbells of ketllebell presses. Working your arms separately and stabilizing on top will put some strength on them shoulders. Incline presses can be a good one. I'd stay away from machines if you're trying to build strength. Since they do part of the stabilizing work for you, it won't really carry over because it'll leave stabilization as a weak link.
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Just completed my first lifting session after a night shift. It was ok. The gym was busier than I expected for 7:15 on a Saturday morning. I am pretty sure I wouldn't try a session on a weekday though, when I wouldn't be able to get there until 9 am after working 11 pm-7 am because of school drop off. Weekends seem ok though.
Squat - 5x5 at 125 lbs. Pretty good. I am going to stay here next session. My form could be better.
OHP - 3,5,3,5,3 at 55 lbs. My first attempt at 55 lbs. Not horrible. I didn't expect to make it. I was actually shooting for at least 5x3, so I got that. I ran in to a trainer acquaintance of mine. She doesn't work at this gym, but is a member. She gave me a couple tips. She told me I am watching the bar go up, and it will strain my neck, so don't do that. She also said I am locking my knees and to keep them soft. The last one I knew...it was that I sometimes lose tightness in my core and arch my back. All things to work on. The knee one is the hardest for me! Oh, and she said not to wait too long at the bottom or I will lose any momentum I have.
Deadlift - 1x5 at 155 lbs. Also staying at this weight again...I did it, but it felt heavy in my back. I don't want to risk straining something, so I am staying here until I am sure my form is spot on.
@threnjen - I forgot to pay attention to my grip, but I think I had my dominant hand overhand. I just kind of grabbed it however my hands went. I remember reading somewhere that you should actually switch which hand is over and which is under periodically to avoid muscle imbalances, but I forget where!0 -
Looks like everyone is plugging along. I don't really know enough about it to comment, but I'm trying to pick up a few things from what you say.
Yesterday was bootcamp day. I have weak ankles but haven't been wearing my ankle braces for a while because, well I just don't like them. Yesterday I was running in the grass and rolled my ankle. Long story short, I was covered in grass and mud, but the only thing I hurt was my pride.
I don't really see any way I'll be able to make it to the gym today. Hopefully tomorrow. I can squeeze in a third day of 5x5.
Have a great weekend.0
