Just finished workout 7A. I was really excited with my numbers! Love the lower reps.

Squat- 130 lbs (59 kg)
Push up- Did 16 straight-leg on the floor. The last 8 I went down on my knees.
Dumbbell Row (for Seated Row)- 35 lb (15.9 kg) dumbbells
Step-up- 35 lb (15.9 kg) dumbbells on highest step I can use
Prone Jackknife- I've been subbing the prone pike to make it tougher, but with the higher weights it's really tough to complete those with good form, so I'm going back to the prone jackknifes next workout!

question for you laides about the seated row...i'm using a cable system with a short straight bar and i'm not feeling like i can get the range of motion i need to really squeeze my shoulder blades. what kind of bar are you ladies using? i was thinking of switching to something other than the straight bar...

I have a double handle grip that looks like a V. Or if they have a rope attachment, you could use that.

I just finished week 1. I actually started last week but after the first workout I was sore for 4 days. Just the thought of going to the bathroom brought tears to my eyes. Those squats killed my legs. So i took time to recover and restarted it this week. I love it and can't wait to see how I progress.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a fabulous day :-)

Seated row - I use the V shaped handle too.

Someone mentioned finding the step-up's too easy. I use a step from a step class that can be raised or lowered. Yesterday I added another level, whew! Hard work. My thighs are still feeling it.

Last night was Stage 1, B-2 for me. I added weight from B-1 to all with adding reps to the swiss ball crunch. I had to substitute squats with dumbells instead of the lunges because the gym was so crowded, there was no where to lunge. I had to fight for my tiny bit of space to crunch.

I added 10 pounds to lat pulldowns for a total of 70 pounds. It was a real fight to get to the end of the reps. I thought I'd be sore as heck this morning, but my muscles don't even feel as if I worked out last night. What gives?

I'm hoping for some delayed pain so that I feel as if I am accomplishing something.

I did however, have the gym staff measure my body fat. I've lost another 1.5% in the last 19 days. That's a pretty nice NSV.

for the prone jackknife i'm going to try turning those into a pike.

LOL...i misread the book and did pikes instead. Felt like a wuss cause I couldn't get near the required reps...then AFTER the last WO, I saw that I was doing the hardest variation! LOL@ me!

:laugh: in the book photos is the model doing a sorta pike? she's more in a V position than a neutral back position.

what's everyone's favorite and least favorite exercise in stage 1?

my favorite is the step up (actually it isnt but i'm trying to lie to myself that it is since I'll also be doing it in stage 2 so I better get used to it :laugh: )

least favorite is swiss ball crunch and that's mainly because i need to figure out how to make these harder. maybe i'll jump to using a 45 pound plate on my chest?

for the prone jackknife i'm going to try turning those into a pike.

LOL...i misread the book and did pikes instead. Felt like a wuss cause I couldn't get near the required reps...then AFTER the last WO, I saw that I was doing the hardest variation! LOL@ me!

:laugh: in the book photos is the model doing a sorta pike? she's more in a V position than a neutral back position.

what's everyone's favorite and least favorite exercise in stage 1?

my favorite is the step up (actually it isnt but i'm trying to lie to myself that it is since I'll also be doing it in stage 2 so I better get used to it :laugh: )

least favorite is swiss ball crunch and that's mainly because i need to figure out how to make these harder. maybe i'll jump to using a 45 pound plate on my chest?

With a pike, the legs stay straight, rather than tucking in toward the chest. B-R-U-T-A-L!

For crunches, have you tried using a lighter weight but holding it at your forehead or with your arms above your head? The farther the weight is from the pivot point (your abs) the more apparent force it takes to move it. Careful about neck strain doing it that way though. You still need to lead with your chin.

I've just done 5A, and this time feel I've had a proper workout. It really helps doing 3 sets instead of 2. My new arm pic also shows clear muscle growth (to me, anyway, lol!) - difficult to believe it is developing so quickly. I remember a trainer once told me I am unusual for a woman in that I can build muscle easily, but I didn't pay much attention at the time. And I wouldn't have thought I had much testosterone left by my mid-50s!

It was interesting this evening because my squat rack (my partner, Steve) was struggling to get the barbell up to my shoulders. Not sure what will happen if/when I get stronger still; he'd better start working out himself, I suppose.

I weighed my bar and dumbells this evening, so here's what I managed as total weights (it isn't an olympic bar):

Squat 33.5 kg (73.7 lbs) x 3
Push-ups 10 x 3 on the flat (Yessss!)
Seated row 12 kg (26.4 lbs) each x 3
Step-ups 12 kg each x 3
Jackknife 12 kg each x 3

My favourite? I think it is the deadlift, as I feel like a proper lifter but for some reason it doesn't seem too difficult. Least favourite is the seated row 'cos i'm doing it with dumbbells.

Today was my last A workout before the AMAP sets. it felt weird but good knowing I'd not really be doing this set again.
I know my jackknifes still aren't quite right.