Daily Check-in : It's the Fitness Fever-ary
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I meant to lift yesterday but it was randomly beautiful out so I didn't want to squander it indoors.
Squat 120 5x5. Back up to 125 next time.
OHP 55 5x5. I felt fine. I started reading this chapter in Starting Strength (though I haven't posted in the Chapter 3 thread yet) so I had some things to focus on. As @canadianlbs said above, I focused on tightening my behind and pressing from my chest. It really helped.
Deadlift 135 2x5. I de-loaded 50 lbs off this lift to work on form. I was watching some deadlift videos and I didn't feel like I was deadlifting like I should be. I arbitrarily picked 135 because it has the big plates and I don't have to worry about stacking or using the rubber ones. It's also a good weight to work on form - not too easy, not too difficult. This felt good and I paid attention to movements I hadn't been. Undecided if I'll go up by 5 or 10 each workout.
Front squats 55 3x8. I did these in between my OHP sets so that's why I did 55. I also was working on hand placement and form so it helped to do a lighter load.
Rack pulls 115 12" height 3x8.
Straight-leg deads 60 3x8. I usually do 70 with these but last time I did them, I moved like the Tin Man the next day. 60 was easy though (I must've built some strength in my posterior chain!) so I'll try 70 next time.
@IzzyBooNZ I did my first round of 5x5 sticking to the program without accessories besides some planks here and there and cardio. If you're a noob, I'd recommend this approach so that you don't overcomplicate things while you're learning. I started adding in certain accessories that I believe will help my main lifts. I'm not claiming to be an experienced programmer but I'm constantly reading about, discussing, and watching videos on lifting so I'm just applying what I've learned to tailor my workouts a bit for myself. Another thing about accessories I enjoy is it allows me some fun and flexibility. For the main lifts, I follow a set program and I am focused on making progression. Accessories allow me to say, "Meh I don't feel like front squatting as much today" or, "Maybe I'll try chest flys today" and it's OK.0 -
Workout A
Squat 180 lbs 5/5/5/4/4 3rd fail so deload for next time (I am actually kind of glad for a deload, squats at this volume just seem to kill me for the rest of the workout. 3x5 at least for squats might be in my near future.
Bench 90 lbs 5/5/5/4/4 blah
Row 90 lbs 5x5 at least these felt good and solid.
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Workout A today. Did 5 bw squats, 5 with the broomstick, and 5x5 with the empty bar. It's s little easier now, but I think I have form issues because my knees are hurting, so I'm going to video myself and see if I spot anything obvious. Bp I added 2.5 so it was 14.5 today, these still felt easy and light. 14.5 with the rows as well, practiced on aiming for my bra band, but I noticed I don't really touch ground between reps, so need to work on that. Did 14 minutes on my bike, or twice around the block. There is some slight elevation in the block, last week I could only go around once. This week I paced myself better, and was able to go twice.
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Autumnfilly2005 wrote: »I think I have form issues because my knees are hurting, so I'm going to video myself and see if I spot anything obvious.
sometimes if your squats are too quad-dependent it puts pressure on your kneecaps and you can end up hurting. try stretching or rolling the quads in the meantime to see if that brings you any relief, and if it does then think about making sure you push your bum back while you're on the way down. and then at the bottom try to think about pushing up through your posterior-chain muscles to make your hips rise, rather than straightening out by pushing down through your quads to the floor.0 -
pleh. i felt feeble and disconnected today and all the lineups around everything - even the broomstick - were stacked up three or four deep. plus, some guy sneezed right beside me while i was doing some extra stretching right after squats, and i could hear him making sinusy snot-sucking noises the whole rest of the time, and somehow i just suddenly didn't much want to be in the gym touching stuff that he might have touched. so i didn't.
all i did today was squats, and not very well. 2x5@45, 2x5@55, 3x5@65. and tbh that was all i felt capable of.0 -
Today was bootcamp. We did sprints, mountain climbers, burpees, and jump squats. My ankle isn't very happy with me. I rolled it Friday but it hasn't bothered me until today.0
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So much awesome happening these last couple of days! Great job, Gals!
I was feeling kind of "Meh" about the gym today, but got there and had a really good session. After last Wednesday's debacle, this was a nice change of pace.
Random side note: As you all know, I've only ever had DOMS twice, and both times were after week-long (or longer) breaks from lifting. Well, two restorative yoga classes (= very gentle, on the floor the whole time) have me feeling lots of body parts today! I wouldn't call it DOMS, but it's just crazy what different types of movement will do! I was thinking about checking out a "Back to Basics" class in the morning, but have nixed that idea for now. I'll check it out next week.
Workout A
Squats -- 5x5 @ 140 lbs.
- I wasn't sure if I wanted to go up from 135 lbs, but figured I'd try it and see. These were definitely hard! Today was the first time I thought I might fail a rep or two, but I didn't.
- Once I hit 135 lbs., I decided to stay at the same weight for the week, then bump up 5 lbs. per week rather than per session. VERY glad about this decision after today. I just don't think adding 15 lbs. per week is feasible for me anymore.
- Definitely felt improvements with my depth today! YAY!
Bench Press -- 5/5/5/4/4 @ 82.5 lbs.
- Did warmups at 45 lbs, then 2x5 @ 77.5 lbs. because I'm retarded at math / plates. I actually had to add plates twice in order to get to the right weight.
- I think I probably would have gotten all 5x5 if it weren't for those two "extra" sets.
Rows -- 5x5 @ 82.5 lbs.
- I was supposed to go up to 85 lbs. today but just didn't feel like messing with the plates after bench, so just kept it the same and did these. Heavy, but fine.
- I was thinking I would just keep rows and BP the same for ease of use, but I just remembered that I'm trying to hit 95 lbs. on rows this month, so I guess that's not going to work. Oh well.
Accessories:
Bicep Curls / Seated dips machine (Alternating sets)
- Bicep Curls: 3x10 @ 15 lbs.
--- I was at failure by the end of these.
- Seated Dips: 1x10 @ 110 lbs. (too much); 2x10 @ 105 lbs.
--- I do these every session, so will be adding 2.5-5 lbs. per week, rather than per session.
Hip Stretch Routine
- This is both heaven and hell.
xoxo,
C.0 -
A this morning.
Been really difficult to concentrate at it is school holidays and I have a 3,5 and 7 year old demanding attention while I am trying to do it.
Squats- 5x5 60kg (132)
BP 35kg (77)- 3x5 and 2x4. I will need to repeat these next time again, I did this weight last time too. Had I had less distractions this morning I probably would have managed them.
Rows- 5x5 38.5kg (85). I have built platforms and think my form is getting better but I struggle to get the bar to my bra band without curling my wrists at the top. Need to keep reviewing this.
Hoping for a more peaceful work out on Thursday and patience to see me through the day!0 -
@krokador thanks for this list of yoga poses to help with my back. I did a couple of them (with the help of my Wii Balance Board, so tech-savvy), and it helped a lot. After that, I helped my husband to stretch a little. He did a routine with bodyweight squats and some straight leg deadlift (with a 15 pounds kettlebell, lol), and he was like: OMG MY THIGHS HURT SO MUCH, I'M GONNA DIE.
He was cute and pathetic at the same time.
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Them DOMS tend to show up when you do something you're not used to, IE LOTS of volume or you stretch the muscles a bit more than their "ordinary" ROM. Today I have them mostly in my upper back (doing about 80 reps of bent over row with 25lbs in each hand + 5 negative pull-ups throughout the day will do that).
"active recovery" day for me. Which means a 45ish minutes worth of bodyweight lunges, push-ups, more lunges, some yoga, squats, stretches, 1 leg rdls... etc. etc. I worked up quite a sweat in that 6x6 foot square in my living room! (I'll have a more detailed recap on my blog later *hinthint*)
There will be foam rolling and a standing hip mobility sequence tonight!
@fothers365 Try to take a slightly wider grip and think of pulling your elbows back while keeping them as close to your body as possible instead of pulling the bar to your chest. (Think of your hands as hooks.) Sometimes just cueing it differently makes a world of difference!0 -
I'm seriously considering buying a foam roller for our house. While I was pulling et pushing on hubby's limb, I was saying again and again: seriously, if you would love to foam roll those, you would feel soooo great. Oh, god, you'll love foam rolling.
I think that I may have a secret crush for that stupid PVC roll.0 -
Hi! Newbie here, coming out of lurking I am so inspired by all the strong ladies in this group! I'm starting my fourth week of SL 5x5, and last night was workout B. I finally got to move up on some of the lifts, as I had been limited to 50 lbs until I set up my rack and got my 300 lb weight set.
Squats: 5x5 @ 55 lbs (will increase to 60 next time)
OHP: 2x5 @ 35 lbs, 3x5 @ 30 lbs (Ugh, I'll be happy to get up to the olympic bar by the end of the month!)
DL: 1x5 @ 65 lbs (will increase to at least 70 next time)
I can't tell you how much I love this program, and how much progress I'm already seeing. I wish I had taken before pictures, because I'm already noticing a surprising loss in inches. I am trying to eat at TDEE less 15-20%, which is probably 500 calories more than I normally would eat when trying to lose. I love that I can eat like I'm not really on a diet, cut down on the cardio, and I'm losing weight faster than ever before! I'm sure that's just because I'm new to the program, and it will probably stall in the coming weeks, but I am happy enough with the changes I've seen so far that I don't care how long it takes to reach my goal.0 -
I guess I'll come out of lurking as well
I am also on my fourth week of SL. I did workout A last night.
Squats: 5X5 80lbs
BP: 4X5, 1X5 60lbs
Rows: 5X5 55lbs
I think I'm going to have to go back to just the bar on rows though, because my form sucks. I'm also stuck at 30lbs for OHP. Any suggestions on how to improve here?
I am really enjoying the program so far. I needed a change up from my old gym routine and this already feels so rewarding. Seeing all you strong ladies just makes me even more motivated to get there too!
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Workout A
Squat - 1x5 @ 45, 1x5 @ 65, 5x5 @ 95
Bench Press - 1x5 @ 45, 5x5 @
Bent-Over Rows - 1x5 @ 45, 1x5 @ 65, 5x5
Chin-Ups (using assist) - Bodyweight minus 50lbs 1x5, Bodyweight minus 45lbs 2x50 -
Welcome out of the closet, lurkers
OHP is a difficult lift and a lot of us have problems with it. I improved by making sure my form was right by watching videos and reading Starting Strength. For me, my grip was too wide so I brought it in to shoulder width. I also think about pressing from my chest and tightening my glutes. There's a hip element to it too but I haven't yet mastered it. I'm not pressing much but it feels better and I feel stronger making these form and thought tweaks.0 -
Thanks @MissHolidayGolightly. I'll try to change how I think about the lift and focus on my form. Hopefully if I can get that then I'll start to see the improvement.
I just had the library I work at order Starting Strength, so hopefully that will be in soon and I can join the discussion group 0 -
WillRun4Wine I am stuck with just the bar on OHP. I'm noticing my left are is much stronger than my right, so I can get it up on the left side without an issue, but my right is a struggle. Hoping the right side will catch up and even out soon.0
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Hi, I'm a total lurker. First time posting here!
I started Stronglifts at the beginning of Jan after trying NROLFW for a few months and getting really overwhelmed with it. Stronglifts seems to not overwhelm me as much. Here's what I did yesterday on Wkt B:
Squat 2x5@45, 2x3@65, 2x3@95, 5x5@115
OHP (this is the hardest lift for me) 2x5@45, 4/5/4/5/4@65 (2nd time for this weight...really tough)
Deadlift 5x5@125
I finally started bringing flat shoes which seems to have stabilized me quite a bit on squats as they get heavier, but I have my running shoes for an interval run afterwards on the dreadmill. Looking forward to spring where I can just do my lifting and go run outside!
I keep thinking I should make sure I feel confident with a weight before I move up another 5lbs on any given lift. Is there any reason I couldn't slow down my progress and add another week with a weight once I can get it up for 5x5? I've read some on here that make sure they can get it with only 90 seconds rest for 5x5 before they moved it up. I really like that idea.
I love feeling stronger and just want to keep this going safely for the long haul.
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@christiH4000 There is nothing wrong with waiting a little bit to move up in weight. Some people move up once a week instead of each workout, some add in more sets or reps. My way is that I go up every time I get 5x5 with solid form. So if anything felt off I don't count the rep and therefore repeat the weight. The other thing is if I am unsure of a new weight (mostly on OHP because arggggg OHP), I will try it out at the higher weight but if it feels way to heavy I will finish my 5x5 at a lower weight.
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@Llamapants86 - Thank you for the reassurance. Sometimes it's weird because I'm doing this alone so even though I feel like I'm progressing, I still feel unsure of myself.0
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Cardio day. I walked for a little over three miles, which took an hour. I thought I was supposed to get faster as I keep walking, but I keep getting slower. I think maybe I need to add a short (20 min?) speed drill to train myself to walk faster. These long slow days seem to be killing me. I need the distance because I'm doing a 5k in June, but I want to get faster at it too.
I'm only walking the 3 miles now because I plan to start the c25k program at the end of the month, so I'll be adding running then. Should I just wait to start the program, instead of starting speed drills?
My quads also hurt now. Is that normal?0 -
thanks for the response all ! I will stick to SL and in the off days do some core work
Today was my first day on workout B
Holy carp. Overhead press was SO HARD ! I just did the bar ( 20kg) and it was a struggle. Might stick to bar again next time. Did anyone else struggle with this at first?
Deadlifts at a total of 40kg including bar was also hard. I think next time I will try at 30kg cos I found it hard to keep form.
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Today was supposed to be de-loaded squats, but I wanted to try last week's heavy set again after doing some hip, knee and ankle mobility work warm-up. I also realized that on my heavier squats, my knees are buckling in instead of pushing out so I did all of my squat reps with a resistance band around my knees (well, a couple inches above) so it forces me to push outward. It definitely helped with my knee pain & crackling and I was happier with my form.
Squats - warm up + 5@165, 3@175, 3@185lbs then 3x5 @ 135lbs (all with the resistance band)
I think I'm going to repeat this last cycle's squat weights to work on really getting my form down.0 -
It's Amazing the difference 5lbs makes0
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Finally got over myself and squatted with the bar. I moved the bar up farther on my shoulders and it felt much better.0
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@IzzyBooNZ1 - I think pretty much everyone struggles with OHP. I started with a 40 lb fixed barbell and struggled with that.
Squats - 5x5 at 125 lbs. This was a repeat. The women's only gym was dead, so I recorded myself and confirmed that my form needs work. I am not quite hitting parallel (I am pretty much like the SS picture of "often confused with parallel") and my weight is shifting forward. I am going to deload for a bit to fix this before moving on.
Bench Press - 5x5 at 70 lbs. Redeemed myself after my horrible failure on rep 3 last time. I am going to repeat this weight one more time I think.
Row - 5x5 at 75 lbs. Meh. I haven't decided if I am moving up on this yet. It feels weird. I need to figure out how wide my grip should be.0 -
IzzyBooNZ1 wrote: »Holy carp. Overhead press was SO HARD ! I just did the bar ( 20kg) and it was a struggle. Might stick to bar again next time. Did anyone else struggle with this at first?
Yes, ohp is still my nemesis. Every new 5 lbs increment makes me dread workout b. That being said, every time I manage 5x5 on a new weight I feel on top of the world.0
This discussion has been closed.