Daily Chat Thread

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  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Aigre - Interesting. I still am not sure if I do rack pulls right, rarely ever do them, so not sure I'll be trying that any time soon but never know. Nice session as usual with both the lifting and the run.

    Super - No problem. :smile:

    Aubrey - Congrats on finishing stage 1. That is awesome! And oo for 1rm testing, that's always fun.


    For me, today was a bit of an off day. I did go to the gym today even though today was a super lazy one overall. Slept a fair amount as I went to bed a little early yesterday, yet was cold and tired so spent most of the morning on the couch. My period started yesterday, so that hasn't helped with the food factor for this first week in the cut. Lunch today was a container of Ben & Jerry's (not the best diet or dairy wise) though it has been in the freezer for about a month, so guess I do have okay self control for the most part. It was brownie batter core and my verdict is that the original brownie batter ice cream was better. I don't like cold chunks of brownies in my ice cream though they were okay. Anyways, I then napped as had headache and was using heating pad, which brings me to the other nuisance.

    Not sure what I did but have pain in my left shoulder. It as a bit of a dull ache last night and I sleep on my stomach with one arm/hand under the pillow switching between left and right throughout the night. That didn't really help. I used my heating pad this morning but all day it has ached. There was pain while lifting, on elliptical, treadmill, while standing... And mobility is limited. Got an ice pack so going to try doing some cold/heat alternating and hope it improves soon though may have a rough night sleep on the couch tonight to limit myself to the right side.

    Deadlift day

    10 minutes on elliptical for warm up
    deadlift 2x8 @ 135, 1x8 @ 165 and with belt 1x10 @ 185 - Was going to go below 135 but had a plate count fail then couldn't find 2.5's in order to get the 190. The program says 189 but yeah, not going to get that exact.
    sldl off block 2x8 @ 135 - had to reset on the first set and did second with under/over grip
    yates row off block 2x8 @ 65 - Tried 95 but was a struggle. In pain on this one but tried to keep elbows in for it.
    wide grip lat pulldown - nope, too much pain
    one arm db row - 2x10 @ 25 - painful but managed to make it through with the light weight
    glute cable kickback 3x10 @ 20 - added this just cause
    30 minutes walking on treadmill with slight incline

    So yeah, now I'm hope and studying or trying to make myself study. Calories will be around 1700 with low protein and high fat thanks to the ice cream. Oh well. Really must study. Fingers crossed shoulder doesn't hurt as much tomorrow as I'll be in pharmacy and don't need pain distraction.
  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    Had my daughter's 2 year check this morning so had the morning off work which meant I could fit in an extra long gym session before coming in :)

    Squats: 3 x 6 @ 70kg
    Deadlifts: 4, 3 @ 85kg not sure what happened, they felt horrendous, was supposed to be 2 sets of 6

    Back extensions: 4 x 10 with 8kg kettlebell
    Hamstring curls: 3 x 10 @ 15kg
    Plyo box jumps: 5x5 on the 60cm box (24"). It was about my knee height but felt so much higher! I did video this but I look like bambi so I am not posting it. Haha

    Aigre - I apologise I may have missed it, but did you decide on your new program? Is that what you're following right now?
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    edited March 2017
    Happy Tuesday, everyone!

    Dawn - sorry your shoulder is bothering you! But yum on the ice cream.

    Stephie - nice session! Have never tried box jumps. 24" seems high!

    You're going to wish you hadn't asked about programs! :)
    Right now I am doing a program published by Brad Dieter at Eat to Perform...it's one day of each 'big' lift plus accessories. The main lift has an assigned %1RM. It is a lot of accessories. I feel like I have been making some recomp progress on it though, currently on week 10. It goes 30 weeks. It switches to a new phase after retesting 1RMs in week 11, so I was contemplating switching. This program takes a long time, and I am wondering if it would be more efficient to be on a more "powerlifting" style program doing the main lifts more than once per week each.

    I'm still worried about recovery on the 5x5 style programs, given my running.

    So I looked into Wendler and bought both the books and read them but still came out sort of confused. The whole "you can do A, or maybe B. C would be ok, I guess. D is fine. E, F, G, H, I, and J are also options!" Plus, I kind of hate AMRAP :p. But still considering this with the BBB template with an upper/lower split.

    Also found a program put out by Bryce Lewis at The Strength Athlete. He's assigned %1RM and RPE values to everything. It has a lot of exercises I like. It's bench heavy which I thought would be good considering my bench is awful and recovery/running issues. Some feedback from the Eat, Train, Progress forum and from the Gaining forum made it seem like this was a pretty aggressive program though, and I may have issues with recovery especially if I keep up the running.

    So I still don't really know what I'm going to do after next week!

    Today was bench day:
    Incline bench - 1x5@33 lbs, 3x5@55 lbs. Felt heavy at first probably because I skimped on warm up.
    Decline bench - 5x6@46.5 lbs
    DB narrow grip BP - 5x6@20 lbs DBs
    DB fly - 4x8@10lbs DBs
    Overhead tricep press - 4x8@10 lbs

    Then onto the treadmill for 30 minutes of intervals, about 2.75 miles.
  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    edited March 2017
    Aigre - I did put them on Instagram in the end, they felt very high but do not look impressive. My old boss used to do MASSIVE box jump - must have been above his waist. He used to do it in a complex - so he'd sit on a bench, then stand and jump (I'm guessing to stop the pre-jump you can see me doing). He had a weighted vest on too :open_mouth:

    Thanks for your thought process :) you know I'm always on the lookout for programs haha.

    You can always look at candito here: http://www.canditotraininghq.com/free-programs/

    He has the linear progression that I am loosely following, as well as a 6 week program.

    The place I always go to find programs is powerliftingtowin, but that site appears to have a few problems at the moment! I may message the guys IG to see what's going on. He has massive reviews of each lifting program and it's application to powerlifing specifically.

  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Wow, Stephie, that site is awesome! I need to spend some time reading through that, definitely. How do you like the Candito program? About how long does it take?

    Today was Squats day
    Back squats: 1x5@44 lbs, 1x5@53 lbs, 1x5@64 lbs, 1x5@69 lbs (not sure why I did so many warm ups), then 3x5@83 lbs. 83 lbs is my "little big girl" plate (33 lbs bar+25 bumpers), and I remember having that as a goal while I was doing Strong. Also remember trying a rep with that weight in during Phase 6 or 7 and failing miserably. So doing 83 today for 3x5 on a deload and feeling like form was pretty good is definite progress!
    RDLs = 4x8@83 lbs
    RFESS - 4x8@20 lbs
    Reverse lunge - 4x8@44 lbs
    Back extension - 4x30@BW

    Was supposed to do some ab stuff, but I always wimp out on the ab stuff, plus my oblique has been tweaking at me lately, so I am not feeling too bad about it.

    Happy hump day, everyone!
  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    Aigre - I like Candito a lot to be honest. I like that the optional accessories are just that. You can change them every session if you want, you can skip them, you can do whatever you want. His only suggestion is that you stick with the same choices on the "non-optional accessories" for a month before changing.

    It is supposed to be linear progression on the one I run, but with all my working on form stuff I have not been great at progressing the weights. I just pick what I feel like that day.

    The 6 week template is much the same but with prescribed %'s and things.

    Heavy lower day takes me about 50 - 60 minutes but I am rushed with no warm up or cool down! The other 3 days are quicker - I get through those in 45 minutes without rushing at all.

    Nice work on the squats :) I was doing paused squats at 60kg the other week thinking that that was my max for so long when I was doing Stronglifts
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Stephie - thanks! I did spend some time this morning reading through the Powerliftingtowin website as well as the Candito programs. Maybe I will jump on board with one or the other. Candito seems to suggest one can kind of alternate at will depending on how training is going. I'm kind of tempted to start with the 6 week Strength program and then go to the linear one, which I know is backwards.

    I have another week to figure it out!
  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    Not backwards at all. He suggests running the two programs together. Like do a couple of cycles of the 6 week cycle and then do 2-3 months on the linear progression.

    Powerlifting to win is really a pretty special site. That guy has put a lot of work into reviews and programming. He comes from the mark rippetoe school of thought on programming so it's solid theory
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Thanks. My shoulder is feeling better. The ice/heat seemed to help and didn't have too many issues today plus with very little pain today.

    Went to the gym after work. It wasn't too bad though had some waiting for equipment and I decided not to do pause squats or good mornings so someone else could use the rack after me. Had the fixed safety one so had to step away from the safeties in order to squat but the weight isn't heavy yet though still on the tough side since it's 10 reps. Look forward to when it drops down to less than 6 reps per sets.

    squat 2x10 @ 25, 1x10 @ 95, 2x10 @ 145
    overload 230 for 20 count
    single leg curl 2x20 @ 2 (guessing 20 or something)
    leg extension 2x10 @ 4 (40 maybe)
    single leg leg press 3x10 @ 20
    seated calf raise 3x12 @ 6 (60 ish)

    The machines were a little weird as the seat moves when doing the leg curl or extension. Got the lifting done and since shoulder is doing better, hope to try out bench press tomorrow.
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Stephie - what have you been doing for the optional exercises with Candito? Looking through, I am tempted to do something posterior chain-y like hip thrusts, RDLs for the lower day and I don't know what for upper day.

    The thing about the powerlifitngtowin site is that I am not and don't have a goal of being a competitive powerlifter. So I sort of struggle when he says things like "this program doesn't make sense for a powerlifter because the ratio of bench/OHP isn't high enough". But I do sort of have issues finding where I fit into this "sport" after all. I don't want to post pictures of my butt on instagram all day, but I also don't really want to be a competitive lifter. It seems like recreational lifting doesn't have much of a presence!

    Dawn - nice squats! glad your shoulder is feeling better!

    4.1 mile run for me this morning. The second half, I got to turn off my flashlights which hasn't happened in forever. And since it is daylight savings' time this weekend, won't happen again for a while. In retrospect, I should not have planned my 1RM testing time at 4:30 am the week after daylight savings' time starts!
  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    Aigre - for lower body I have tried a few difference ones:
    - RFESS
    - RDL's
    - single leg press
    - back extensions

    I haven't ever tried to hip thrust before!!! I think I should, I just can't figure out how to get it set up at the gym

    Upper body I've done:
    - Tricep pushdowns
    - Bicep curls
    - Lateral raises
    - Push ups

    I think I would benefit from more rowing and work on my back so I think I am going to add in some hangs or something

    I am also in that weird place where I may compete at some point, but it's not definitely going to happen, and I have little interest in doing pure bodybuilding splits. There must be a program out there for us. One of us should just hire @Sidesteel to put it together for us :)

    Dawn - I love your overloads, I'm going to try this one day when squats feel terrible. A co-worker of mine told me that if it's feeling super heavy just do a walkout with even heavier weight and then take it off and try your reps again
  • jo_marnes
    jo_marnes Posts: 1,601 Member
    Hey everyone is doing so well!

    Thanks for the site Stephie - looks like a valuable resource.

    I'm still here reading and rehabbing lol. Back is going ok. Am up to about 70% of my max on DLs again.... but it's slow progress. Especially pulling traditional rather than sumo.

    Squats - well..... also slow progress. But improvement noted

    Bench - ugh. Has not been the focus and made the mistake of looking back at my training logs - weaker than December :'( Crap. Spent a lot of time with physio loosening my pecs to fix my back and appear to have lost strength. Sulk. Always something!
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Jo - glad to see you! Slow progress is still progress! Did you get your trainer/coach situation sorted out?

    Stephie - good info! Yeah, Strong/NROLFW came closest to aligning with my goals, which I THINK are, in order of importance, to 1) stay healthy, 2) get stronger for functional reasons, 3) keep myself interested, 3) make progress in order to help achieve #1, #2, and #3, and 4) look better than before. I didn't list "win a powerlifting meet" or "become a bodybuilder" or "make the fastest progress possible" or "get jacked", KWIM?

    A lot of my annoyances may be in the presentation rather than the actual programming, but it always makes me bristle a bit when it's clear the author thinks the only people interested in the program are young and male. Even Mark Ripptoe's stuff is called "the art of manliness". Why can't a lifting website be about womanliness without being only about glutes??

    Anyway.

    The program I'm doing now has lots of row variations, and I do feel like my back needs the extra work. My favorites are the DB row and the inverted row. If I had a real landmine some of the others may be cool though (T bar row, meadow row).

    I had forgotten back extensions but I do like those a lot. Hip thrusts aren't difficult to set up but I would be super self conscious doing that in a public gym :)

    If I have a chance today I may print out the Candito templates and figure out somewhat of a plan for the optional accessories.

    Did my OHP deload this morning:
    OHP - 3x5@18 kg. I'm changing to kg for my upper body barbell lifts :) I didn't warm up. This was still pretty easy.
    Lateral raises - 4x10@8lbs dbs
    Scrape the rack press - 4x8@15 kg (see, kg!)
    Reverse curls - 5x10@somewhere around 22-24 lbs, I think
    Rear lateral raise - 4x12@8 lbs dbs
    Incline hammer curls - 4x10@10 lbs dbs
    Front raise - 4x10@8 lbs dbs
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Aigre - Good point. A lot of the programs can be run by both but it's rather clear they have more of a focus to a specific gender audience.


    I'm a little behind as I went to the gym Thursday but had no tech with me, didn't even have my cell phone, and it was a really long day. Was near work before 11 am but my shift started at 3 pm, so I did the bench workout then walked on the treadmill for an hour. Then went to starbucks and tried to study. The book has really long chapters so even with having over an hour where I studied (I also did a little novel writing in a notebook) I hadn't even made it through a single chapter. Need to finish that chapter in fact, as it's a long one on nonsterile compounding. Then I worked, which was fine except they didn't have someone for Wine&Spirits, which meant instead of using my time not at the smaller store where I was working thur-fri, I got nothing done, spent the whole shift cashiering and had to stay till 11:30pm. Yesterday morning, I worked at the other store at 9 am and it takes over an hour to get there from my apartment. No gym though as sister's internship has included help set up an art exhibit that opened last night. So, once she finally made it even after the pharmacy had closed and I waited outside for a while, we went to the 14th Factory for the exhibit opening.

    So, thursday's workout was:
    bench 2x10 @ 45, 2x10 @ 75
    close grip pause bench 2x6 @ 65 - supposed to do 10 reps but can't quite get there
    incline bench - 2x10 @ 55
    tried lat pulldown to check on my shoulder, still a slight ache, 1x6 @ 55
    leg raises (attempt at ab work) 2x8 @ bw, shoulder had a tiny ache


    Today should be deadlifts and shoulders, since I didn't go to the gym yesterday. Then lots of studying because next class is on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Only 2 classes left then it's study more on own and sign up for the test.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Went to the gym to attempt some deadlifts. Took a long time as I had to wait for a rack to open up, which ended up with me using the space before it and someone else used the rack since I wasn't doing squats. Beyond that, had someone also in that area used the tbar thing and at one point someone right behind me using the battle ropes. Got a bit crowded but still made it through. Tried the lat pull down at a lightish weight and had a tiny bit of pain but managed.


    deadlift 2x8 @ 135, 1x10 @ 165 and 1x10 @ 185
    stiff leg deadlift on step 2x8 @ 135
    yates row 2x8 @ 75
    wide grip lat pulldown 2x10 @ 60
    one arm db row 2x10 @ 27.5
    treadmill for 30 minutes at 3.0 incline


    Now for some writing and studying. Want to film a protein bar taste test but roommate is home so not sure I'll get the privacy or anything to do that, so we'll see.
  • jo_marnes
    jo_marnes Posts: 1,601 Member
    DawnEmbers wrote: »
    Went to the gym to attempt some deadlifts. Took a long time as I had to wait for a rack to open up, which ended up with me using the space before it and someone else used the rack since I wasn't doing squats.

    Why do you DL in a rack?

    Met some people from a new club yesterday (coaches). TOTALLY different perspective on training than my current club. I'm going to give them a go, despite being very hesitant about getting my 4th coach in 6 months!!! However, I have actually reviewed a lot of things and have had NO progress in 6 mths and I've realised I need to ENJOY my training more. Hoping a new way of thinking will help. Will commit to 12 week program and then at least I'll probably be able to compare between the two.

    Sigh. I'll get there eventually
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Jo - would love to know more about the different approaches between the clubs/trainers. I'm actually impressed there are so many choices! I live in a fairly big metro area and don't think there is even one powerlifting club to join. A few Olympic weightlifting gyms turn up on a google search and one powerlifting gym about an hour away. Hmpf.

    Dawn - 10 deadlifts at 185, wow!

    Yesterday was deadlift day:
    Deadlift - 1x5@103 lbs, 3x5@115 lbs
    Inverted rows - 5x8
    Chin ups - 10x1@1" band. My smallest assistance, these were tough. But when I bought the band I wasn't able to do any. So progress!
    Meadow rows - 5x12
    Cable rows - resistance band, 4x12
    DB rows - 4x12@17.5 lbs

    That ends the deload and I'm up for 1RM tests next week.

    Today I got up and ran 5 miles. It was only 8 degrees. Super chilly. We're supposed to get hit with a giant snow storm this week. So not looking forward to that. I'm done with winter.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    jo_marnes wrote: »
    Why do you DL in a rack?

    The area to DL is right in front of the rack. At this location there are 3 along the wall for squats/deadlift/etc. But for most of the gyms I have deadlifted near the rack because that's the bar the gyms have available for it and the spot where the padding is located on the floor. They don't have a designated deadlift location on its own or a platform.

    Aigre - Thanks. Will be nice when it's not so many reps though. Definitely prefer my deadlifts in the 1-5 rep range.


    Today I combined upper accessory with shoulder day though skipped a couple of things on each one. Had time since switched shifts with a coworker and don't go in until 3 pm, so went to the gym earlier than usual. Not as crowded as yesterday.

    10 minute warm up on elliptical
    Push Press 2x10 @ 45 and 2x8 @ 65
    wide grip bench press 2x10 @ 45 and 2x10 @ 55
    db side lat raise 2x10 @ 10
    bent over db raise 2x10 @ 5
    tricep pushdown 3x12 @ 60 - had slight ache
    face pull 2x12 @ 60
    25 minute walk on treadmill, 20 min 3.0 incline on 3 speed

    Felt the pain a tiny bit in the tricep pushdown. Might have been more of a tricep issue than shoulder, hard to say for sure. Still it's much better than a week ago. And this is the end of the first official week in the 10 week program cycle. 1 down, 9 more to go and looking forward to the lowering of reps per set as I go forward with this one.
  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    Someone walked into my bar as I was squatting today.

    There are not enough expletives in the world.

    I did the rest of my squats, but when I went to do my deadlifts I felt something in my back that obviously got messed up with smacking into him on my descent :(

    I hate other people

    Squats: 3 x 6 @ 60kg - i hit the guy on the second rep of the last set
    Deadlifts 2 x 4 @ 80kg, planned to be 6 but couldn't get it

    No accessories, just came back to work to be annoyed at that guy and hope that my back is alright
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Stephie - sorry about your back, WTF was he thinking? Or just not looking where he was going? I have whacked the bar on the treadmill before, usually during lunges though so at a lighter weight. It is so disconcerting though!

    Dawn - nice workout, how long did that take? Multiple exercises always seem to take me so long.

    Today I tested my 1RM on incline bench.
    Incline bench - 1x5@15kg, 1x5@20 kg, 1x3@25 kg, 1x1@29 kg, 1x1@32 kg, 1x0@35 kg, 1x1@34 kg. So 1RM of 34 kg (74.8 lbs)! I maybe could have gotten 35 kg if I had done the 34 kg first, I was close but just got stuck about halfway up. Next time.

    Was pretty pleased with this considering my estimated 1RM at the beginning of this cycle was 70 lbs and I had never actually lifted that. I haven't done flat bench in a while and not in a long long time at heavy weights, so I think I'll be using this in my calculations for the program I do next.

    Decline bench - 5x6@25kg. For the first 3 sets thought it was 20kg and couldn't figure out why it felt so heavy. Then decided to just go with it.
    Narrow grip DB BP - 5x6@20 lbs dbs
    DB flys - 4x8@10 lbs dbs
    Overhead tricep press - 4x12@10 lbs

    Overall, my arms feel fried. Stuck home today in a giant snowstorm, so that probably wasn't the best idea considering I'll need to shovel later on!
  • jo_marnes
    jo_marnes Posts: 1,601 Member
    Aigre - great! Bench is so slow to progress so you've done great. Why incline though? Out of curiosity. Flat will give you bigger numbers :-)

    Stephie - wtf? Not cool. Good effort on finishing the set.... hope your back is ok.

    In breaking news.... I MAY have fixed my squat. Holy crap. 6 mths of tweaking and finally the tip which has made a huge difference.... LOOK UP. Why did no one say this before? When I look up, my chest stays up and depth is not an issue. Even managed reps at 50kg in the low bar position so my shoulder is getting heaps better at holding it there. And the actual squat is easy. Now I just need to get stronger in the back for the low bar and I'm going to start crushing some heavy squats.... wooohoooooo
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Aigre - Thanks. I don't remember the exact time but it didn't take too long since didn't have to wait much. Usually less than an hour if not standing around. Nice job benching.

    Jo - oooo You can do it!

    Squat Day

    squats 2x10 @ 45, 1x10 @ 95, 1x8 @ 135 and 2x8 @ 155
    overload 235 for 20 count
    good morning 3x10 @ 95
    pause squat 2x5 @ 95
    leg extensions 2x12 @ 55

    Had class this morning then work. Went to the gym after and got most done but had to skip a couple of things since didn't feel like waiting for accessories. I'll have time at the gym tomorrow to do them. Now to maybe get a little fiction writing done.
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Dawn - nice squats!

    Jo - so happy for you that you found the cause of the issues! Incline just cause the program I was working through was more of a body building emphasis I think. Probably to get a little more shoulder involvement. But yeah, I'm going to switch back to flat at this point and see what progress I can make there. I haven't done heavy flat BP since the middle of Strong, so maybe 8-9 months ago. I did some in Strong Curves, but IIRC sets of 10-12. So it will be interesting to see what I can do!

    Squat 1RM test today:
    Probably not the best situation to test. I spent some time shoveling some wet and heavy snow yesterday and did something to my left lat. Everytime I tightened the belt it would spasm. Ugh. But went for it anyway.
    Back squat - 1x5@33 lbs, 1x5@53 lbs, 1x3@64 lbs, 1x2@75 lbs, 1x1@83 lbs, 1x1@94 lbs, 1x1@103 lbs, 1x1@109 lbs, 1x1@114 lbs, 1x1@123 lbs
    Not proud of the form and the bar path, but depth was decent. On a better day, I think I could have gotten 130. Next time.
    Then cause my back was spasming I skipped the rest of the workout, except for the back extensions. Which oddly were the only thing that felt decent.

    Anyway, resting for the rest of today and tomorrow. Hoping back will feel better for OHP and deadlifts on Friday.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Aigre - Thanks. Nice squats for you too even with the non-best situation. Next time you can get that 130 or more.


    Did the accessories from yesterday and a couple others. Had a lot of time after work since sister didn't get done with her internship until 7 and I was done at work at 3:30.

    single leg leg press 3x10 @ 20
    hack squat calf raise 1x15 and 1x20 @ 90
    single leg curl 2x10 @ 47 (2)
    cable kickback 3x12 @ 20
    treadmill for an hour, 55 minutes at 3.2 speed and 3 incline

  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    Thanks ladies - my back is actually alright. Am resting up and stretching but there doesn't seem to be any damage done.

    I was in the middle rack of three, to the left of me was a guy doing rack pulls with 5 - 6 plates each side and a range of motion of about an inch which he roared through. Most annoying. During one of the sets (I didn't know this at the time, because I would have waited to start my set) he had one of hit mates pull off 3 20kg plates in the middle of his reps super quickly and then he did more reps. This was all completely unnecessary and meant I smashed into the guys back when he was pulling plates off.

    They also took nearly every 20kg plate there was, and left them all on the floor.

    Jo - I am so pleased for your squat!! I really hope you have it nailed down :)

    Aigre - great work, saw the squat on IG, depth was good and you fought for it!! Definitely more in the tank if you stop the pitching forward (which is what I do when things get tough too, very frustrating)

    Dawn - Way to get it done.

    I think I've found the new program to run - it's a book called "Thinner, leaner, stronger". Sort of a mix of a bodybuilding and powerlifting routine. Will look into it in more depth and maybe start it next monday. There is a 3 day, 4 day or 5 day routine to pick from
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Stephie - glad your back is ok! Sounds like some bros right there in your gym!

    Yes the pitching forward is so annoying. At some point, I think, I read Sidesteel say that for his clients he programs in some front squats to help with this issue. I may be making that up. But I may try some very light front squats as accessories in my next program (maybe bar only).

    You have programitis like I do :) I have read TLS, it seems solid. The workouts looked long to me, though.

    Dawn - that's a long time on the treadmill, takes some mental fortitude!

    Rest day here again. Back is still sore. I think I pulled it on the darn stupid snow. It's cold and windy out and I really just want to sit in my office and eat. Humpf.
  • StephieWillcox
    StephieWillcox Posts: 627 Member
    I have a serious case of programitis - I just want to find something that is still mainly the big 4, but with some other stuff to keep my interest!

    TLS 5 day routine takes about 45 minutes apparently. Doesn't look too bad. I'm sure the other routines would end up being quite long though.

    Front squats definitely stop the pitching forward. Can't pitch forward or you'll fall over :)

    I can't get in the front rack position though, so I have to use wraps round the bar to hold on to - it works much better for me than the cross arm style. They are in TLS so I may be doing some of those soon, haha
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Stephie - also glad your back is okay and ugh to the bros. I know your feeling on the program aspect too. It's hard to find the one sometimes.

    Aigre - luckily I had my iPod so could listen to music the whole time. Today, I forgot to charge it so the 30 minute walk was more of a challenge.

    Shoulder seems to be doing fine now. Bench went okay but my right elbow isn't liking close grip bench, especially with pausing. I did one set with pause and one without as I'm not getting the weight and reps needed. I might try pausing on wide grip to see if it's any better as do see the benefit of working in pause for bench. Bonus though, found some 2.5 plates at last. These are hard to find at any of the locations.

    band pull apart - 3x15
    bench - 2x10 @ 45, 1x10 @ 65 and 2x10 @ 80
    close grip bench paused - 1x8 @ 45, 1x8 @ 65 and not paused 1x10 @ 65
    incline bench - 2x10 @ 55
    face pull - 3x10 @ 70
    30 minute walk on treadmill at 3 incline and 3.2 speed with 5 minute cool down after lowering incline and speed periodically

    I had to adjust the weights a little because the program calls for ones that I can't do without even smaller micro plates. Technically was supposed to do 79 for bench, 67 for closed grip and 57 for incline. Having to round up or down depending on the lift and how things are feeling since I don't have a way to get the exact odd numbers from the program but oh well.
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Stephie I can't get into front rack either, which I find weird because I am otherwise pretty flexible. When I've done front squats I've done either crossed arms or with straps as you mentioned.

    Dawn - 30 minutes on the treadmill without even music sounds dreadful!

    Well, I am feeling old today. Was leaving my office yesterday, turned a corner, and hit a patch of ice and had a spectacular wipe out. Feet flew out from under me, possessions went flying. Landed on my right glute, elbow and whacked the back of my head pretty well too. This morning my neck is sore as well and I have a giant butt bruise. All along my DH is cautioning me not to hurt myself exercising, and I hurt myself walking on the sidewalk! How stupid.

    Anyway, I'm probably going to take a few days off completely and then start fresh on Monday.

    Have a great weekend everyone!
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Aigre - It is though the gym sort of has music. Some times and locations it's more audible than others. Unfortunately, that day didn't have too much sound. Miss the gym that had the tv's on the treadmills that included access to food network. Best thing to watch while doing cardio.


    Today was an easy day as it was shoulders. I even got to use the dry sauna that was in the women's locker room at this location near the other store. That one has barely anything within walking distance so had a salad I brought in with bleu cheese dressing and buffalo flavored tuna. It was decent but not all that filling. Dinner is leftover vegetables and jungle curry chicken. Will try to get a snack later, still need some protein for today as usual.

    db shoulder press - 2x10 @ 20
    front plate raise - 2x10 @ 25
    side lateral raise - 2x10 @ 12.5
    one chinup at assisted shoulder machine as couldn't get the assisted part working then a couple hangs from it
    15 minutes sauna

    Now to maybe write or work on videos. Have tomorrow off and might finally get around to taking measurements.
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