Fittreelol Member

This. At this point you've been not lifting longer than you had been lifting. Plus relaxin can hang around for up to a year so you might not be used to lifting with that additional flexibility. Start at the beginning and you'll be back in no time!

Welcome to the dark side! Glad to hear you're enjoying the workouts. Feel free to post details in the monthly thread currently found: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10523096/m-ar-uch-lifting-is-good-for-you/p1

Yes many traditional ab exercises can definitely make diastasis recti worse. I'm adding to the "talk to a PT or your Dr." crowd.

Hooray squat and DL PR on the same day! I planned a testish day to get a feel for where my squat and deadlift are so I can plan prep for my May meet. No bench since I'm dealing with a shoulder impingement from sleeping like an idiot. It has improved, but I didn't want to put additional strain on things if I didn't have to.…

Oops. ATP. A little dyslexic here. @canadianlbs That's awesome! Although I'm worried about the RA people who apparently have malaria too. I wonder if the water retention caused by creatine causes the muscles to pull on the bones a bit more and give you an eensy bit more joint space.

It's great to hear you're having such fantastic progress. Your progress is probably due to a bit of muscle memory as well as new neuromuscular adaptations. Creatine works by minutely increasing the amount of APT your body can produce anaerobically. It doesn't directly increase strength, but by allowing you to perform an…

I like to do the opposite and look at how I'd do at CPU nationals. I'd be so much stronger in Canada!

I think you look great, but I agree the average persons view is a little skewed. Before I ever started anything resembling fitness I had a huge girl crush on Zuzka Light, but I remember thinking her shoulders and upper back were super huyoooge. Years later I compete in powerlifting. My upper back could eat hers for…

Hello @Jenxbowers. Overall you have an excellent squat for a beginner...or compared to most people I've seen squat at a commercial gym. Things to keep doing: mini squat to unrack bar, maintain depth (your hitting parallel which a lot of people don't have the mobility for initially), and keep that great spinal alignment.…

Increasing 5# on dumbbells is A LOT. I think you would be fine to start with the bar, and may even find it significantly easier because the smaller stabilizing muscles don't have to work as hard. If you prefer to stay with DB a popular method of progression is to add a rep each session before adding weight. So you'd do…

I hit a double DL PR on Saturday while my gym bro hit a cartwheel PR. Previous single PR (actual) was only 10 lbs more than this. I was super geeked. I can't wait to test squat and deadlift in a few weeks. 84kg class for those who monitor such things. Password is 'mfp' https://vimeo.com/203130830

Chicken soup might solve your problem. >:) I love hash for dinner, lunch, breakfast, or really any time with 2-3 fried eggs on top. http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-make-breakfast-hash-without-a-recipe-article I've been meaning to try https://www.budgetbytes.com/2017/01/bibimbap-ultimate-bowl-meal/, but I…

Hi! That sounds frustrating. Can you explain your method of using dumbbells for upper body lifts? How much is each db, how are you increasing, etc. Dumbbells are significantly more challenging than a barbell which may be why you're having the issue. Adequate protein is very important when losing weight because it helps…

Novel incoming: I recommend a combination of milestones, SMART, controllable factors. Milestones are exactly what they sound like, and something I see a lot of people do on MFP in regards to weight loss. They want to lose 50 or 100 or maybe only 20 lbs, but they break this down into more manageable chunks or milestones of…

Things to keep in mind: -When you first start lifting your muscles will retain water for repair which can mask a few lb loss. -If you're not weighing often it can *seem* like the scale stays the same, when in reality you weighed in on a "heavy" day due to water retention from any number of things; hormonal fluctuations, a…

Equipment FAQ- What is it, what does it do, and do I need it? (Post in progress!) We'll start at the ground and work our way up. Shoes Knee sleeves and Knee wraps Knee sleeves if worn are usually used on the squat and for some people the deadlift. They are typically made of neoprene and vary in thickness between 3 and 7mm.…

Am I correct in thinking if you're doing 5/3/1 that you're only squatting 1 day a week? Some of his templates have squatting more days which is why I'm asking. If you're only squatting 1 day a week then maybe you could try to find a day where the squat rack is available, and plan on that day being your squat day. Or if…

If you prefer a flat shoe for squats I think SABO deadlift is superior. They are arguably better than chucks on deadlift because you're losing a whole 1/2" of ROM, but for practical purposes that probably doesn't really matter much. Women's chucks are too narrow for me, and men's chucks didn't SEEM too wide, but when I…

You might want to peep on Rori Alter's IG. She was a dancer before she started powerlifting and it definitely shows in both her squat and deadlift. She's super strong too, and not just some random chick with a weird stance. ETA link: https://www.instagram.com/rorimegan/?hl=en

I compete in PL, but a lot of my friends compete in Strongman. I go to a PL/Strongman gym that has all the toys, and also hosts 2 strongman shows a year. Around here (Eastern PA/MD) at least it's very common to have "Strongman Saturdays" where people pay a drop in fee and do implement training- not just at my gym, but at…

I agree that upper body plyo on upper body days and lower body plyo on lower body days would be the best way to incorporate it. I believe the general consensus is to perform explosive work first in a workout (after appropriate warmup) so if you're doing true plyo I would do that first then start your weight training.

I have the OG Sabo deadlifts I use for squats and deads #liftinghipster, but I think they have red+black and blue+black available in the deadlift shoe as well now. There's also the metal powerlifting shoe that's been around for quite a while: https://www.elitefts.com/metal-powerlifting-shoes.html…

Stress incontinence is very common among female athletes as they tend to have a very strong core without *as* strong of a pelvic floor so when the core muscles contract it pushes on the bladder and the only place urine can go is down/ out. It can definitely be prevented or at least minimized. -Learning to brace correctly-…

I do direct ab training a couple times a week as part of my powerlifting training, but only 1-2 exercises per training session and it's always the last accessory. I also do erector spinae and stabilizing spinal muscle work. I prefer isometric work (planks, ab roll outs, pallof press, bird dog, back extension with hip…

I agree that you should check with your Dr. to make sure it's okay to train again. After you're cleared keep in mind that ligaments can be loose for up to a year after giving birth so make sure to keep a hawk eye on form and make sure your movements are controlled.

I do face pulls fairly often with a very light resistance band when I'm too lazy to walk to the adjustable cable machine. I wouldn't say any upper body pulling replaces them as it depends on what your goals are for the exercise. I keep them super light to focus on rhomboids/middle traps/external rotators/rear delts; it's…

You can treat yourself for BPPV. I'm surprised someone hasn't taught you to do that if you've been treated repeatedly for it. You can google positional changes and try it yourself. Although BPPV isn't typically associated with sinus issues so that might actually be something else currently. I suffer from "middle ear…

Have you checked under the bed?

It sounds like it *could* be coracobrachialis tendonitis or similar.

I should add for anyone new and lurking there are two different types of deloads. One is a planned "light" week which could be a week completely off, a week with lower volume, a week with lower intensity, or any combination of the above. There is also a deload where you lower the weights because of failure or form and work…