Workout Check-in September

xcalygrl
xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
edited November 23 in Social Groups
I couldn't think of a catchy play on words for the title. I tried to think of something about fall/falling, but those were corny and didn't make much sense. Anyways, in case you didn't know, September is Better Yourself month. Let's do this!

I stopped following 5x5 about 6 weeks ago. I took a couple of weeks off in August to figure out what I was doing, where I wanted to go workout wise, and get my home gym in order. I started back up in mid-August, just kind of doing what I wanted to do. Then I decided I needed some structure, so I hired a remote trainer to write me a program. I'll be working with him for the next 10 weeks. So far, his program is kicking my butt (literally, my glutes have some serious DOMs from the first day of the program).

Workout yesterday:
Bench press 4x10 at 65#.
Push-ups
DB Bench flyes 3x10
Dumbbell overhead press 3x8
Lateral and front dumbbell raises 3x8
«134567

Replies

  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
    Slowly, slowly-lowly, my shoulder gets more range of motion with less pain. Whew. I got 3 more running workouts left, so I'll run another 3 SL workouts after this one. Hey, if I don,t deload squats, means I'll get to 170! Zwee! I'm still sprucing up my rest times with shoulder (bo)rehab work

    Also managed to get more double unders during my warm-up! They,re terrible form, but they still count!

    Squats 155x5x5
    I think if anything I was more upright than 150 2 days ago here. Wasn't easy, but it felt pretty okay. Still have yet to have sore legs from this. The leg press adventure built my endurance up, eh?

    Bench 85x5x5
    Starting to feel a bit more like it should here. No issues with either my elbow OR shoulder. Happy!

    Medium parallel grip pulldowns 55x15, 70x12, 85x8, 100x3x5
    Last 2 sets were a little uncomfortable on the shoulder but it's definitive improvement to the pinching I used to gt a week or two ago. Pendlay rows still a no-go. I did a set of 5 with just the bar and decided nope.


    @xcalygrl I used to be the one starting these threads, and my titles were always cheesy or corny. No harm in that! (Although I gotta say, September doesn,t really pun well. It's also my most melancholic month of the year, usually. I even wrote a piano piece using it as a title.)
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    Oh yeah, I don't mind corny or cheesy @krodador. I just couldn't come up with anything cheesey that made any sense. And it doesn't pun well at all.
  • ar9179
    ar9179 Posts: 374 Member
    I've been sticking to my deficit, Yay! My strength is showing it, boo!

    Squat 145 5x5. Same as Tuesday and I feel ready for 150 next week.
    OHP 65 almost 5x5. My last rep in the second set was really wonky so I didn't count it. I might need to look at those incremental weights.
    DL 205 1x3 Not happy with this. I'm blaming my calorie deficit (1500 isn't THAT low). My grip was giving out and I felt unbalanced. I think I'll practice some lower weight ones before my next DL day.
  • dcresider
    dcresider Posts: 1,272 Member
    Hi all. I broke my IPHone so haven't had my app handy but I've been trying to make do with my workouts even though I took a few breaks in August.

    Today's workout of 5x5:

    Squats : 145 lbs. - I have to keep my back straighter and my hips are so tight that I can't get all the way down. How do I loosen those darn hips?

    Overhead Press: 50 lbs. - Did well but will stay at this weight for a while

    Deadlifts: 150 lbs. - bad form but managed to finish. I have to keep my back straighter and my hips are so tight.

    On my own: 30 assisted dips (level 10), 2 planks at 45 seconds, no cardio except bike to and from work.
  • jessiefrancine
    jessiefrancine Posts: 271 Member
    Successfully resisted a lunch offer today to make sure I got my lifting in. Yay responsibility!

    Squats 5x45,45,55, 65 then 5x5x75 lbs
    OHP 5x45, 45, 50 then 5x5x57.5 lbs
    Deadlift 5x45, 55, 75 then 5x5x90 lbs

    Squats are still good. Deadlift felt good. HOLY FREAKING HARD overhead press. Why is it the hardest one when it's by far the lowest weight? I'm going to try to move up next time I see that lift again and hope I don't stall out.
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    hehe I tried to think of something Septemberish the other day and couldn't so thought id wait for one of you ladies to do it lol

    Lifted on Wednesday night

    Squat 5x5x130lbs
    Bench 5x5x95lbs
    Row 5x5x105lbs

    No accessories was too sore and tired lol
  • dennie24
    dennie24 Posts: 251 Member
    Tonight was
    Bench 10x50,10x70,8x75,6x80
    Row 10x65,10x65,8x70,6x75
    Ohp 12x45,12x45,10x45,8x45
    Lat pull down 12,12,10,8

    I do not like sets of 12 on OHP. I am trying to think of dreamy shoulders to get through it. Maybe someday I will add weights to those sets. The bar is enough for me right now though.
  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
    How about "It's up timber(-me-shivers) time!"?
    Whatever that means? Lol. It's pirate-y!

    I see the struggle with OHP is still going on for you gals. Don't worry, if you keep at it, progress will happen (but in the mean time, adding a push press variation or kettlebell overhead work will do wonders, just an fyi ;))

    And since the stickies don't show new posts: I added videos to have my squat and bench form reviewed if anyone cares to weigh in? Please? :3
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    dcresider wrote: »
    How do I loosen those darn hips?

    i have been taking out my lacrosse ball and just flat lying down on top of it. ball right behind the iliac crest of my hips - you know, on the bum side. then slowly roll up and down and make the ball follow the curve of the bone.

    idek which muscles those are. but if you go from top to bottom along that crest, you'll probably find something. so it's a good diagnostic beginning for digging out what might be tight.

  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    4.5 mile jog this morning. No lifting right now as needed a slight break, weird schedule because of Saturday's 5k and trying to pick new program. I'm considering either push/pull/legs or PHUL. I looked at Wendler's but, like PHUL, the minor issue is them being geared more towards 4 days a week. Until I get a gym closer to where I now live, 3 days is the max. I like the three day aspect of push/pull/legs but there are a few things I can't quite do yet, like pull ups or weighted dips. PHUL has interesting aspects to it, though again 4 day. I could do a 4 day and just have an extra rest day in between, do three lifts a week still. Just not sure yet.
  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
    dcresider wrote: »
    Squats : 145 lbs. - I have to keep my back straighter and my hips are so tight that I can't get all the way down. How do I loosen those darn hips?

    I have found the perfect way to open up my hips with mobility WOD a bit more than a year ago. I have since tweaked it a bit and incorporated through my bodyweight warm-up sequence, but it works like a charm. Seriously, I go from barely hitting parallel to being able to sit in a deep squat without holding on to anything within about 10 minutes and that includes jumping rope! lol

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBHzXF-mVjY

    Give it a try :)

    (I have tried to video my warm-up in the past so I could share, but the results weren't great. My phone doesn,t have a lot of space and won't stand just *anywhere* and my computer camera can only grab so much and I don't have a lot of space at home xD I could try again if people are interested, though.)

  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    Lifted last night

    Squat 5x5x135lbs
    Ohp 5x5x70lbs
    Deadlift 1x5x220lbs

    Upper body superset 3x8
    Lat pull downs
    Dumbbell row
    Overhead thrust thing with dumbbell
    Dumbbell bench press
    Arnold press
    Swiss ball pike push-up

    Stiff today lol
  • threnjen
    threnjen Posts: 687 Member
    Hi everyone,
    I abruptly fell off the wagon many months ago and didn't go to the gym for 4 (4!!!) months. Anyway, I'm back on track and I've been lifting again. I also have recruited a little entourage of friends and I now lift with 2 or 3 other people which is fun. I feel pretty badass teaching my friends. And last week my spouse joined the gym (!!!) and I taught him to lift too. So despite my bad behavior and time off, I've been spreading the gospel of lifting to the unwashed masses :lol:

    Last night after a vacation deload,
    Squats 5x5 70lbs
    Bench 5x5 55lbs
    Rows 5x5 60lbs

    My previous squat record was 100, and I was back up to 85 before vacation a couple weeks ago, so I hope to be breaking my records soon. :)
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
    Thursday's workout

    Squat - 3x5 at 120 lbs. Staying here until my form feels perfect. I think one more session and I will be good to move up.
    Pull ups - 3,2,2 - during squat rest times. I think I need to push these and try that next rep even if it will likely fail.
    Bench - 3x5 at 75 lbs - Good. I took some advice from the video posted a couple weeks ago. I widened my grip a bit and concentrated on strong core, arched back, and foot drive. 75 felt not easy, but not hard either.
    Row - 3x5 at 80 lbs - could have been better.

    Barbell shrugs - 3x8 at 60 lbs. Fine, I will move up.
    Hyperextensions - 3x10 with 25 lbs. Good
    Skullcrushers - 3x12 at 35 lbs. Not bad. May try 3x8 at 40 next time.
    Cable crunches - 3x12 at 50 lbs. Good-hard.
    Barbell curls - 3x8 at 45 lbs. Hard but ok.
  • dennie24
    dennie24 Posts: 251 Member
    Yesterday felt like a good day. I went for a 30 minute jog in the morning and last night I did:

    Squat 4x8x85
    Sumo deadlift 2x8x120
    Hip thrust 3x10x120
    Ab wheel 3x10

    My form on squats looked good so yay on that. I found out that I seem to have a long torso but short arms so that may be why I struggle with conventional deadlift form so much. I tried out sumo and I really liked them so I'm going to finish out the cycle I'm on using sumo and see how that goes. Some deadlift days have me doing a deadlift variation so I am thinking I will do paused conventional deadlifts on those days so I'm not cutting them out completely.
    Happy lifting, all!!
  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
    Still plodding ahead and rehabing the shoulder! Still gets stiff and pinches when I do certain things, so the sprain is not 100% healed, but my strength is slowly coming back and the pain slowly fading, so I ain't gonna stop now.

    every 20s x 3 mins (+1) - burpee tuck jump. Last 3 were 2 double jumps and the last one a triple jump.
    Thinking of this as a pre-activation to get my legs moving without burning out. Those were done before my very last warm-up set (135x2)

    Squats 160x5x5
    Wasn't sure about these going in

    Deadlift 155x5, 165x5, 175x5, 185x5
    OHP 60x5x5
    Deadlifts were kinda heavy. I am far from pulling 270 again but slowly working my way back up. Might be able to handle 200 next time!

    6 min AMRAP
    Push-ups x4
    Recline Rows x6
    Hollow rocks x8

    Managed 5 and 4 push-ups. Not a very good outcome. I haven't done circuits like this in forever and I burned out on the push-ups. I think being at 205 this AM has something to do with it, too. I really let myself go :(

    Face pulls 45x12/15/12
    EZ bar Curls 20x15, 30x2x12
    Overhead 1DB 2H triceps extension (that's a mouthful!) 25x20 - these felt great, like things were popping back into place in my shoulder after the face pulls which, let's face it, kinda hurt. But they'll be worth it in the end!

    Aaand that was it for today! There should be a longish walk this afternoon, tho :)
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited September 2015
    group lifting last night. i'm still constantly forgetting what the rep progressions should be during warmups, so leaving this here for myself: it's 5, 5, 3, 2 and then three work sets of 5. plus on the last set you can just keep going and do as many reps as you've got the gas for. "but leave two in the tank" he keeps telling me. i'm not disciplined enough yet to do that.

    bench: work sets at 65 pounds. i made all three sets of 5 but can't remember now if i got more than that on the last one. i think the starting weight was 35, so my warmups were 35, 45, 55. i think. mr trainer is completely right-brained and struggles a bit with the math. and i'm not used to his variety of special bars or his old-school iron plates yet. mr huge friendly 500-lb-back-squat is also a right-brainy type. so it takes a little committee with all four of us arguing sometimes before we figure out which plates go on next.

    deadlift: 65, 80, 90, 100. i did 8 reps for amrap, but i didn't feel like the deadlifting went totally stellar this time. it was okay but not shiny. lots of talk from him about 'push' and then 'pull', which confuses me because i've never divided dl into two different movements that way, and i'm not FEELING the difference or the transition. also, i need to slow my deadlifts down. they're not pendlay rows, but the biofeedback cues are quite similar. so my body keeps thinking it's about ripping them up and being explosive, just like with rows. i need to train myself to be thinking 'UNFOLD' while i'm doing them. i'm probably going to sneak in a whole bunch of extra very-light reps while i'm at the regular gym, just to try and figure out how that feels.

    accessory: rows in sets of 8. 1x8@35, 1x8@55, 3x8@60. no amrap, and in between sets of bench press he had me doing face-pulls as well for the upper back. i really like this guy's attention to upper-back and rear shoulder work, because i'm trying not to develop the rolled-over-shoulders and internal shoulder rotation that all the bros have. for some reason pec stretching is really hit and miss with me - i do try and do it consistently. but i struggle to find exactly the angle and method for it that does hit my pecs.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Hero Up 5k was today. It took effort getting the costume and makeup done but it was well worth it. So much fun despite the cold morning. My sister had made the hero suggestion, so I created a costume based off Huntress from Birds of Prey. Not a well known one, which was okay. One person commented that it was kind of like from the Incredibles (though I think their outfits had red and not purple but still works fine). The white duct tape around my chest did restrict breathing a tiny bit even though I made sure not to put it tight. I talked to a lady before and after the race who walks the event each year. Also met one of the founders and talked to him for a moment. Most popular hero was Batman. I ended up with a time of 28:24, which I'm very pleased about. Never thought I'd be doing mile runs under 10 minutes but I averaged just over 9 minutes per mile. Ranking wise wasn't too bad either. 7th for my age group+gender, 15th for gender, and 39 overall for the 5k. So, yep, I am quite happy with it all. :sunglasses:
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
    Yay for two workouts this week :p

    Squat - 3x5 at 120 lbs. Think I am good to increase without losing form.
    OHP - 3x5 at 57.5 lbs. Still grindy. I will be here for a while.
    DL - 1x5 at 175 lbs. Booyah! 1.5xBW! Wasn't even that hard. I tried my liquid chalk, and it worked well.
    Rows - 3x5 at 75 lbs - fine.
    Pull ups - 3,2,2. Meh, ok.
    Close grip BP - 3x8 at 65 lbs. Good. Challenging.
    Barbell curls - 3x8 at 45 lbs - still hard, but getting better.
    Cable curls - 3x12 at 50lbs. Might try 55 lbs next.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    krokador wrote: »
    Still plodding ahead and rehabing the shoulder!

    left a comment in the form check for you. like i know enough to have anything useful to say :blush: P

  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    edited September 2015
    It looks like most of you have gone rogue! Not a lot of pure SL5x5 results. I also added because I craved more. I do sumo squats. I lift at home and don't have the advice of a PT like some of you do. Any tips on how to increase strength on the OHP would be appreciated! I am on my 3rd deload. 65 down to 55.

    Question I notice that a lot of you do more than the recommended 1x5 on the DL Mendhi said no warm up. I lift 144 last time and that was difficult. What is your reason for doing more or benefits?

    I also noticed that some of you do pull ups I can't even begin to pull myself up! Someone on the pull-ups thread recommended negative pull ups. Does anyone do those? Or is there a better way to get the strength to do them?

    Squats 5x100 5x105 5x110 5x5 114
    Sumo Squats 5x5 95
    OHP 5x45 5x50 5x55 5x5 57
    DL 1x5 144
  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Any tips on how to increase strength on the OHP would be appreciated! I am on my 3rd deload. 65 down to 55.

    Switch it up and either do DB presses for a while, push presses, or add reps at lower weights on every set instead of sticking to 5x5. As a general rule, 5x5 doesn't work all *that* well for women when it comes to upper body, so allow yourself some play in finding out something that works better for you.
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Question I notice that a lot of you do more than the recommended 1x5 on the DL Mendhi said no warm up. I lift 144 last time and that was difficult. What is your reason for doing more or benefits?

    Not warming up for deadlifts when it gets heavy (or any lifts, really) is asking for trouble. Also, at the moment I'm doing more sets than prescribed because I'm far from what normally should be my work set because of the injury, and I'm trying to build my work capacity back up a bit. It works cuz I'm not at the point where it taxes my CNS so much that I can't workout every other day, so it's all good. I'd dial it back down if I found I couldn't recover well, for sure.
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    I also noticed that some of you do pull ups I can't even begin to pull myself up! Someone on the pull-ups thread recommended negative pull ups. Does anyone do those? Or is there a better way to get the strength to do them?

    Can't do pull-ups either, so I use a resistance band (or 3) to do assisted pull-ups. Negatives are probably okay, however if you don't have the proper set-up (a high step you can just step off of) I wouldn't recommend them, as having to jump up to the bar then decelerate yourself for the negative part can do bad things to your elbows. I speak from experience :/

    I hope that answers your questions! Don't hesitate to ask more :) And also, if you think some have gone rogue, wait til you see the program I'll be jumping into next week ;P



  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    krokador wrote: »
    I hope that answers your questions! Don't hesitate to ask more :) And also, if you think some have gone rogue, wait til you see the program I'll be jumping into next week ;P

    Thanks for the suggestions! It would be nice if there was a program with heavy lifting designed for women. I'll be looking forward to seeing your new program next week.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited September 2015
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Question I notice that a lot of you do more than the recommended 1x5 on the DL Mendhi said no warm up. I lift 144 last time and that was difficult. What is your reason for doing more or benefits?

    i've started with a trainer who likes volume and lots of warmups for newbies, is the reason for my warmup patterns. extra reps with (lower weights and ) GOOD FORM give your body more chances to learn GOOD FORM in a way that becomes automatic habit - what they often call 'muscle memory'.

    i'm all down with it atm, because i don't have the GOOD FORM part of it down. i did sl for a year without any coaching at all, and slid into some bad form habits. that made me decide to wipe my whole data bank and start all over again from day 1.

    plus, me personally . . . i just really like doing deadlifts. so if it means i can do more of them i don't at all mind not caring what weight i'm pulling.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Thanks for the suggestions! It would be nice if there was a program with heavy lifting designed for women. I'll be looking forward to seeing your new program next week.

    sl seems so bro'd up because mehdi's a dick, not because the program itself has anything in it that's especially male-specific. the program itself is fine . . . and you don't need to add 5 pounds every time you work out just because he says you should.

    that's about the only part that needs tinkering for some of us: the weights. the lifts and the way they're divided is actually pretty good. each pairing gives you a push exercise (bench/press) and a pull exercise (row/deadlift). and each pair is designed to complement the other one.

    so workout a is in the horizontal plane (you're working at right angles to your own body). when you bench, you push with the muscles in front of your body. then you do rows, which means you pull with your back. that balances everything around your shoulder joints, which, believe me . . . it's a Good Thing.

    and workout b is in the vertical plane (i.e you move the weights parallel to your body). it has you pushing with the ohp and then pulling with the deadlift. and squats tie it all together.

    it's a good programme, and the 5sets/5reps format is pretty nice. but at least one woman here has completed a programme called new rules of lifting for women, so there are alternatives if sl isn't really appealing to you.
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member

    sl seems so bro'd up because mehdi's a dick


    This ^^

    yes he is

  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Question I notice that a lot of you do more than the recommended 1x5 on the DL Mendhi said no warm up. I lift 144 last time and that was difficult. What is your reason for doing more or benefits?

    I do one set of warm up DL at 135 lbs to make sure I remember to brace my core and back before lifting something really heavy. I also use it to hopefully help with grip strength, as I do double overhand for warm up.
    I also noticed that some of you do pull ups I can't even begin to pull myself up! Someone on the pull-ups thread recommended negative pull ups. Does anyone do those? Or is there a better way to get the strength to do them?

    I did my first pull up this summer. I really wanted to be able to do one. I started with assisted pull ups with the machine at the gym, then moved to negatives. I also did those on the assisted pull up machine. I just folded down the pad and used the steps to reach high enough so that I could hop up above the bar. At first I pretty much dropped like dead weight. It got better. When I was able to do 3x8 slow, controlled negatives, I started trying regular pull ups, and was pretty close.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    psych101 wrote: »
    This ^^

    yes he is

    :D:D:D i love solidarity so much.

    workout x. still kind of on trainer time. except i'm squatting every workout like sl, and doing 5-rep sets a lot of the time. truth is, i don't really know which one i'm doing. but i do squat every time.

    squats: 2x5@45, 1x5@55, 3x5@60, 2x5@65. 5x5@70. guess i did the trainer's warmups (mostly) and the sl work sets. i just couldn't have kept going with extra reps on set 3 of the work sets, but of course that didn't mean i couldn't rest a bit and do another two sets of five, so i did.

    i felt good. still feel good. the form tweaks provided by him and mr back squat seem to be holding up well - i got crazy depth until i decided i don't really need to go down till the bar hits the safeties before i come up. shoulders and upper back really tight but comfortable, felt no lumbar twinge, and most absolute-definitely my posterior chain was involved all the way. @krokador's link to the hip-mobility wod helped a lot and has been making a major difference in getting that depth with a stable pelvis. i added 5 pounds with this workout over the last one i did, and will probably try for 75 on my next one. now that my 'real' form feels like it's coming back i'm starting to feel bulletproof and unstoppable once again.

    ohp: not so great. i'm working to develop the 'shelf' thing for my overhead press, so some of it went really well. but i had lost the rack by that point and i was cleaning the bar, which caused me problems with proper setup once i was up to my work weight. i tried to make it 50 this time, but never got more than 3 reps to each set that i tried. i did many many sets of 3 at that weight though, just trying to make it happen. and also, my warmups were 2x5@30, 1x5@35, 1x3@40, and 1x2@45 pounds. so damn, i did DO overhead pressing today.

    *** i may/think i will ask mr trainer to teach me how to do cleans, because i'm doing them anyway whether i like it or not, most days i press. and besides, they're badass.

    deadlifts: trouble is, i did deadlifts, bench and rows on friday for trainer dude. so that left me a bit stuck for a third lift today, because any one of the remaining options would have been a repeat. i chose deadlifts and put the trainer plates on the bar and for 5 sets of 5. that was 65% of my friday work weight, so really just form exercising. but man i was tired by the last of those sets. might not done the 5th one at all, actually.

    lat work: eh feck it. i just didn't have it for lat work today. did 3x1 negative chins from the handles, and didn't enjoy them at all. so then i did (i think) 3x5 sets of pulldowns from the cable machine, and didn't like those much either. and finally, 3x8@65 of pendlays, since that was the weight on my deadlifting bar. so i guess i got the work in, but it wasn't what anyone would call smooth or well-organized.

    accessory: i did this and i'm proud, so i'll report. with every squat set, after i'd finished the squats or before i started them, i unracked the bar and just stood with it in the ohp starting position. practicing that 'shelf' form and getting a feel for the way that it feels. i guess 10-20 seconds each time, and i did it with all my squat weights at least once, so 45, 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 pounds. i can actually 'shelve' 70 pounds pretty comfortably although i wasn't stupid enough to try pressing it over my head.

    then i came home and put on my tickle-me-elmo pants. they're either yoga pants or pyjamas, but the exciting news is they FIT me now. quite comfortably.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    ooo Fun lifting going on. To add to the warm up talk with deadlifts, I'm not the best at following programs exactly as prescribed. Going rogue is fun, but I just found once it got heavier that I liked having a first warm up set at 135, even though last time I basically did romanian ones for that set. It's the start of the main set up, just need to add whatever I need to that and it's all good. When it's over 200, I may add a couple reps (though not many) at 185 in between as I really start to notice the sudden huge weight difference.


    I lifted tonight after work, though was silly and left my packed gym bag at home. So, I had to drive all the way home, get it, stop by other store for supplies we need at work, then get to the gym It was pretty quiet hough because I tried new. I started PHUL, which is upper/lower split. Today was upper body power, which was fine except my right arm was cranky on a few lifts. Lat pull down bothered shoulder, OHP bothered wrist and skull crushers with the weird ez curl bar made my elbow unhappy. But I made it through and it's interesting so far. Next up is lower power, though I'm probably going to add good mornings on one of the lower body ones because one day is minimal and both days involve calf work and eh. Anyways, numbers...

    Bench press 4x5 @ 85 - not bad, felt heavy at first then fine so ended up 4 sets instead of 3.
    db incline bench 3x8 @ 30 - fine like before, might try increase next time
    bent row 3x5 @ 90 - heavy but used the fixed weight one cause I didn't want to find a bar to use
    lat pulldown 3x8 @ 70 - tried 80 but shoulder ached, was better by the end
    OHP 3x5 @ 65 - started with 75 but nope, wrist hurt, wasn't too bad by the end at this
    bar curl 3x10 @ 30 - eh, it's curls
    skull crusher 2x6 @ whatever the ez bar weighs - awkward. My toes barely touch the ground when using the bench and I'm using 2 plates per foot on regular bench, so that might be an issue. Elbow was a little unhappy and I was really shaky, plus I find that bar very awkward in general to hold and use. Will take some time to get used to it.

    Now it's late and I'm sleepy. Bed time.
  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
    edited September 2015
    DawnEmbers wrote: »
    skull crusher 2x6 @ whatever the ez bar weighs - awkward. My toes barely touch the ground when using the bench and I'm using 2 plates per foot on regular bench, so that might be an issue. Elbow was a little unhappy and I was really shaky, plus I find that bar very awkward in general to hold and use. Will take some time to get used to it.

    Kro-tip (cuz I ain,t a pro, lol) on the skull crushers (and it might save your wrists and elbows down the line): take a slightly wider grip than what would appear comfortable and make sure the bar is in your PALM (and not your fingers, the way you would go with rows) and squeeze it so that your wrist stay neutral - incidentally, the EZ bar makes this easier because you don,t have to over-pronate to match a straight bar. If I recall correctly, my best position was when I actually had my thumb tightly squeezed into the groove of the bar). I injured my wrist by letting it hang loose when I incidentally was doing PHUL 2 years ago. It made a scary ominous crack and I was unable to do push-ups on the floor for MONTHS after that. If you have wrist wraps, I would recommend using them on triceps movements just for overall wrist stability. Better safe than sorry, and it will not take away anything from the movement at all.

    Also, if doing them laying down is iffy because you can,t touch the ground, you could try doing it on an incline instead. Usually, the inclineable benches are a bit lower than the straight ones to begin with, and you can also sit on one of your feet to prop yourself up far enough and still be somewhat stable.

    And if all else fails, a seated overhead 2-arm DB triceps extensions is a good sub :)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbX7Wd8jQ-Q
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