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Stephie - oh, it's a little different here, the closings are separate. So you could be potentially in contract to sell your house, close on another house you are buying, then have your buyer back out and own two houses! When we moved about 2 years ago, we sold our house and for various reasons had to close before we could move out, so we were "renting" our house from our buyers. Either way so stressful!
Dawn - sorry your hands aren't behaving. Glad you got in a good workout though!
Squats today:
Back squat - 1x5@44, 1x5@53, 1x3@83, 3x3@90, 2x2@95 Tried the small plates thing on warm up but they were too slippery on my floor and may be dangerous. Need some shelf liner or something to hold them down. Form wasn't the greatest. The belt didn't seem to make as much of a difference as it did in my deadlift.
RDL - 4x8@95 lbs
RFESS - 4x8@16 lbs
Reverse lunges - 4x8@44 lbs
Back extensions - 4x30@BW
Valslide push aways - 4x10
Reverse crunches - 5x100 -
Fell off the lifting wagon quite a while ago. But I'm going to try to get back on. And I'm feeling crummy right now and need to vent - my husband just doesn't *get* it.
That 17-day-diet kind of ruined food for me. It was too extreme. I've eaten like CRAP since October, started drinking soda again, and only get to the gym a couple times a week to treadmill with a work friend. I haven't gained any weight, but I seem to be getting rounder in the belly...making my clothes hellishly uncomfortable and making me feel really self-conscious.
The worst part of it all is that I'm constantly gassy and bloated. I mean, I've always been gassy, but it seems worse now than it ever has been. I suspect is has more to do with my PCOS than anything else, so I was looking at trying a PCOS friendly diet. Now, I know one or two of you also have PCOS so I wanted to hit you up for a good bank of recipes and information. There seem to be a lot of for-profit sites out there...so I just wanted to get info straight from the ladies who are goign through the same thing.
Thank you everyone!!
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Aigre - I'm confused. What are you using the plates for?
SuperMel - yup, any kind of crazy diet will do that. Oh well, live and learn. Glad to see you back
My workouts are tough as usual - just because my body is ruined rather than anything else. Although, I think I am actually finally perhaps starting so see a small change. My shoulder was definitely looser yesterday and could focus more on the lifts than pain reduction processes! It's a long road - really want to stop having to spend money on fixing things. At least the physio is free.
I have realised I've been in a bad place with training - it has stopped being fun. I am looking for a new club to train with. Too much hx and grief where I'm at now. Need a fresh start I think. Might take time to implement, but that's ok.0 -
Jo - Stephie posted for form feedback on the Eat, Train, Progress forum for her squat cause she felt like she was leaning too far forwards. Someone posted this link http://yashathoughts.com/check-your-balance/ where you put small plates under your midfoot to check if you are rocking towards heels or toes while squatting. I have the same problem so thought I would try it out, but the plates were sliding too much on the floor for me to feel safe.
Sorry your training isn't fun. How long have you been in your current club? I remember you were having issues with a trainer/coach some time ago.
Supermel - Glad to see you back! Hope you those issues straightened out. I don't have PCOS but also get an upset tummy when I eat poorly.
Anyway, 4.0 mile run for me today. Was actually starting to get light towards the end of it, which was exciting! Spring is coming!0 -
Supermel - it's me with PCOS. Things that have helped in the past (my nutrition is absolutely terrible right now):
Option 1) not eating carbs with dinner (I still ate veggies and things, just no "traditional" carbs) but no restriction the rest of the time
Option 2) full on Atkins
Option 3) keeping carbs at 100g or less
Option 4) taking 4g of inositol daily (can use this in combo with any of the above)
Option 5) intermittent fasting (generally 8pm until noon the next day)
I have an appointment to see a nutritionist in April and I'm hoping she will help me get back on track. If she says anything worthwhile I will let you know a lot of people swear by exercise (especially heavy lifting) for women with PCOS. Since that is fairly constant in my life I don't know if it's helped anything
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OHP day today:
OHP - 1x5@33 lbs, 1x3@44 lbs, 3x3@50 lbs, 2x2@51.5 lbs Ever so slowly improving on this!
Lateral raises - 4x10@8 lbs dbs
Scrape the rack press - 4x8@35.5 lbs
Reverse curls - 5x10@20 lbs
Rear lateral raise - 4x12@8 lbs dbs
Incline hammer curl - 4x10@10 lbs dbs
Front raise - 4x10@10 lbs dbs
TGIF everyone!1 -
@StephieWillcox Thank you! I will try some of the things you noted and see what helps and what doesn't. I would love to know what your nutritionist says.
@jo_marnes Glad to be back! I have a big life transition coming up soon, so I'll need my lifting ladies to help get me through! Leaving work to be with my 4 littles in a few weeks. The second oldest has sensory issues and we think fewer transitions would help. Also, my husband's trying to get tenure at his university and hasn't been able to get much published because he's been spending so much time running the kids around (my job is not flexible, so he's taken the brunt).
@AigreDoux TGIF! CHEERS!
How much do the bench press bars weight without weight on them??0 -
SuperMelinator wrote: »
How much do the bench press bars weight without weight on them??
Generally, if they are Olympic bars (same as squat rack etc) then 20kg0 -
Upper body day after work at the other store.
band pulls - 3x12
bench - 2x10 @ 45, 1x8 @ 70, 3x6 @ 95
pause bench - 3x6 @ 65 with a 5 count pause
tricep pushdown - 3x10 @ 50
face pull - 3x12 @ 60
overhead tricep ext - 3x10 @ 30
Then walked around 40 minutes on the treadmill at 3.2 speed and 2 incline. Would have been more like 20 but sister went to my main store instead of the one I was actually working at today. Funny cause she dropped me off this morning but forgot.
Tomorrow is her birthday so we'll be having fun and trying to find free stuff for her along with the writing group meeting at panera.0 -
I have one more week of Stage 1 left! Thank goodness, it's getting boring!! Haha! Anyway, I wanted to ask, did anyone go straight into Stage 2? I know the book says to take a week off, but my wedding is in early July, so I don't have time to waste. I also know taking a week off will get me out of my routine and it'll be all the harder to go back. However, I understand the reasoning behind it.
Also, is Stage 2 Workout B as bad as it looks?? It seems like it'll take over an hour!0 -
Aubrey - not sure, since I did Strong and not NROLFW, but at least in Strong he doesn't keep the suggestion to take a week off in between. So I think as long as you're feeling ok, I would go for it! Maybe edge towards a little lighter weights and call it an "intro" or "deload" week.
Supermel - wow, that is a big transition! How old are your kids? Hopefully will lead to less stress overall.
Dawn - hope your sister had a good birthday!
Yesterday did deadlifts -
Deadlifts - 1x5@83 lbs, 1x5@103 lbs, 1x3@125 lbs, 3x3@130 lbs, 2x2@140 lbs
Inverted row - 5x8
Chin ups - 10x4 with assistance band
Meadow rows - 5x12 with bar
Cable rows - 4x12 with resistance band
DB rows - 4x12@17.5 lbs dbs
Today was a 7.2 mile run.0 -
Aigre - Thanks. We did have fun and she spent the evening/night out with her friends too. We still have cupcakes left. So many cupcakes.
Aubrey - It has been so long that I can't remember how long it took me. Now, I usually take at least an hour, sometimes longer if I have to wait a while for the squat rack. But yeah, I either didn't rest between stages or I used that in between week to try out the new moves when it was doing stuff I hadn't done before. Could test out different weights and reps before having to do the day. Plus, that way I could find where things were at the gym as I still wasn't sure on some of those gifts when I did that program.
Testing out some lifts as I've decided on a program to basically follow. I lost my excel that had the peak cycle I used the last few times, sadly, when computer crashed. Didn't have that backed up yet. Can't find the same site again, so I'm going to try something a little different. Ed Coan's 10 week peak cycle. It's 5 days a week, which is one more than I am used to but three are upper body with one as bench, one as shoulders (which I'm probably going to do push press instead of should press) and an accessory day. I might add a little on some of them, like I did the walk-out(over-load) that I had to do in the previous program cycles on squats as it is helpful to get used to heavier weights. But for the most part, trying out what is listed including the accessories... Okay, I might skip abs and iffy on the calves but the rest I will do. lol
Just getting started, not on the working weights yet but hope to get starting in the near future as I'm doing a 13 week cut.
high bar squats - 2x10 @ 45, 1x10 @ 95, 3x8 @ 135 (no belt today)
overload - 225 counting to 20
sumo deadlift - 1x8 @ 135, 3x8 @ 165 (I added this cause I wanted to)
"deep" single leg leg press - 2x6 @ 20
leg extension - 2x12 @ 55
single leg curl - 2x10 @ 30
The single leg leg press was harder than expected. While I haven't done leg press in a long time, figured I'd be able to handle at least 50. I never counted the sled but know it has some weight. Still, thought it wouldn't be that hard but it was a challenge. Also, it calls for "deep" but I don't know if that's possible as I am short with short legs so it won't go any deeper since it hits the safety. Always struggled with some of the equipment like the leg press with the height issue.
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aubreyjordan wrote: »I have one more week of Stage 1 left! Thank goodness, it's getting boring!! Haha! Anyway, I wanted to ask, did anyone go straight into Stage 2? I know the book says to take a week off, but my wedding is in early July, so I don't have time to waste. I also know taking a week off will get me out of my routine and it'll be all the harder to go back. However, I understand the reasoning behind it.
Also, is Stage 2 Workout B as bad as it looks?? It seems like it'll take over an hour!
Go right into Stage 2....your body is ready to keep-it-up and you are working to a July deadline. If you find, when in Stage 2 (or later stages) that your body NEEDS a break, take one. Sometimes even 4- or 5- days will do it (there is NO magic to the "7" number).
Also, I did find NROL4W the MOST honest book to be able to get the workouts done in one hour....other workouts I have really had trouble doing that, but NROL4W seemed to be doable (so long as the weights weren't spread out all over the gym!). My suggestion if it is getting to be too many minutes is to drop some sets down to "2" from "3"...making sure your next workout the moves you did "2" on you do "3 sets" on the next time, etc.1 -
@aubreyjordan You'll be fine to go right into stage 2, but like Beeps says, just pay attention to your body. In one of the last stages I did with NROLFW (4 or 5), the one-leg squats cause some hip pain for me, but I didn't realize it until I had done it a few times - that was back in Oct, and I still have quite a bit of pain.
@AigreDoux The kids are 7(!), 6, 4 and 1.5.
@jo_marnes This bench press bar was thinner and shorter than the Oly bar...I think I was able to put 10 or 15 on each side but it was hard and I didn't have a spotter so I couldn't really go for broke.
What do you guys do for lifts that should have spotters when you don't have one?? Go lighter? I always wondered this because I see groups of dudes take turns spotting each other, but I don't have a group of anyone at my gym.0 -
SuperMelinator wrote: »What do you guys do for lifts that should have spotters when you don't have one?? Go lighter? I always wondered this because I see groups of dudes take turns spotting each other, but I don't have a group of anyone at my gym.
I've never really had a spotter other than during the powerlifting meet. For me, it depends on the lift and how much weight is involved. Some are obviously easier like deadlifts or even squats, though I know some squat outside the rack without safeties and that would be a little different than with safety bars in place.
For bench, I know I have two options. If it's almost but not quite there, most benches have a lower spot to rack. It's the easier option if can bail that way. However, can't always rerack. I know some have practiced failing on lifts. Probably should have done that with lighter weights but still figured something out.
Basically, I still go for a new PR and such alone even on bench. Even though it's heavy for me, I don't yet feel it's a weight I'd have to worry about crushing me and my fails are very slow, just can't get it back up. So, I'm not worried even when I don't get it.
The most awkward fail was the incline bench. It wasn't even super heavy since I can flat bench more, but didn't know what I was doing. Even with others around, no one offered to help. Basically, I tried to slide myself out from under it so the bar ended up resting on the bench then removed the weights. Not the best method, honestly.
On flat bench, I have now failed a few different times, even at a non-one rep max attempt. Failed a 125 attempt and found that all I had to do was let it rest on my chest, roll is down to my stomach, sit up then lift it up off me. Wish I had someone to film me at times as I could probably do a video on that for youtube.
Not sure if that helps you but that is what I do so far since I'm always lifting alone.0 -
Supermel - I work out at home so never have a spotter. I do have a power rack though and I'm always careful to set the safeties at the correct height if I think failure is a possibility. I've failed a few bench attempts and incline bench attempts. I don't think I've ever failed a squat, but I have intentionally set it down on the safeties for various reasons. I think I've heard some people leave the collars off the bar. That way if you fail you just tip the bar to one side, make a giant crash, get everyone in the gym to look at you, but get out safely
Beeps - how are you, lady? Nice to see you back!
Dawn - you are so good about your own programming. So nice how you know yourself so well!
Anyway, bench day for me today:
Incline bench - 1x5@33 lbs, 1x3@53 lbs, 1x3@58 lbs, 5x2@65 lbs. 65 lbs feeling better and better
Decline bench - 5x6@45 lbs
Narrow drip DB BP - 5x6@20 lbs dbs
DB fly - 4x8@10 lbs dbs
Overhead tricep press - 4x12@10 lbs
Then got on the treadmill for a 30 min interval run, about 2.75-ish miles.
The program I'm doing now has a deload next week and then tests 1RMs the week after. I have never tested 1RMs before, so I have some reading to do on how to do that. After that, I could continue with the hypertrophy phase of this program, but I'm considering switching to Bryce Lewis's intermediate powerlifting program. I don't know if I really consider myself an intermediate yet, and not even sure I'm a powerlifter, but I may have a go. It's got 3 bench days, 2 deadlift days, 2 squat days, and even hip thrusts. Only thing I like that is missing is chin ups. There's obviously more emphasis on the 'big 3' than accessories, so sort of want to try that for a while and see how my body responds.
Program is here if anyone has any feedback on it! http://thestrengthathlete.com/freebies/0 -
Aigre - Thanks. I like testing maxes. Fun part of the end in a peak cycle, even without a meet to compete in there is that point where you try and hit the new pr.
Beeps - It is nice to see you. No PR is still worth a cheer. I known some who post their light days, reloads and such. Still worth mentioning that you got stuff done, at least to me. Miss seeing the "boom" just a little bit in here. ;-)
Today was easy but busy. Studied a little before work and after I got home with the shift being all in the pharmacy. Also, went to the gym after work to test out the bench day. Both odd in having 5 days a week for the program but also with 3 days upper body. Today was just bench. Tomorrow is shoulders... Yeah, seems like a guy wrote this for sure, lol. Well, the name Ed Can does give that away too.
band pulls 3x12
bench 2x10 @ 45, 1x10 @ 65, 2x10 @ 75
close grip paused bench 1x6 @ 45, 1x7 and 1x10 @ 55
incline bench 2x10 @ 55
standing calf raises 2x10 @ 90
Close grip was awkward as I have never done it before. Incline involved working in with a guy who was nice let me use it too. Was also supposed to do something for abs but meh, it was enough of a push to do the pesky calves. The standing machine is also a little too tall so not sure I get quite a good range of motion on it. Maybe I should use the smith machine or something for those. hmmm
Need to sleep soon. Finished the stuff for tomorrow's class, which is at a new location further away that doesn't even have tables for us, long story. Going to need coffee in the morning for sure.0 -
Today I tried something different - over on nerdfitness there was a challenge to see how much volume you could deadlift in 5 minutes.
Beginner female target was 2000lbs, advanced female 4000lbs (same as beginner male) and advanced male 6000lbs.
I work in kg so this was already a small problem for me but I figured out the maths eventually.
Decided to lift 60kg (5RM is 90kg for reference) as I thought this was light enough to be able to pull it multiple times, but heavy enough that I didn't have to do 100 deadlifts in 5 minutes.
Was aiming for the advanced female target (31 reps).
Ended up with sets of 10, 8, 8, 5 - getting me the advanced total. Got beginner at 1:09 and advanced at 3:23 so I had time left but there was no way I wanted to try to get 15 more to get the advanced male target!!
Quite enjoyed trying something different 0 -
Fantastic deadlifts, Stephie!
Nice benching, Dawn!
Beeps, no need for PRs!
Squat day for me today:
Back squat - 1x5@33 lbs, 1x5@53 lbs, 1x3@74 lbs, 5x2@95 lbs with belt. Next time will do one of the warm up sets with belt as well, as it felt a bit weird going into the work sets with the belt after having warmed up without it.
RDL - 4x8@95 lbs
RFESS - 4x8@20 lbs
Reverse lunge - 4x8@44 lbs
Back extension - 4x30@BW
Was supposed to do abs too but ran out of time. I am going to try to do them tonight. I swear. I really am this time. Someone has to yell at me if I don't 0
