I feel the need, the need, for cheese.

[PennyCentury]

Hello! This is my first ever workout journal, I'm going to keep it here because it seems as good a place as any, plus you seem like a friendly and interesting bunch and hopefully I'll be able to nick some good ideas off you all as well.

My background:
I'm 38, been working out doing bits and pieces of various stuff since about my mid-twenties when I was training for a long trek in the Himalayas. I did this by doing exercise videos with 1kg dumbells in my front room, plus walked up a few hills. Not exactly Bear Grylls level stuff, but I immediately enjoyed feeling fitter and stronger. Later on I did other things, I ran half marathons and got injured and I rode a bike and walked up more hills and then started doing kettlebells. Then taught myself how to do proper press-ups about 4 years ago, because I always wanted to be able to, then I bought a chin-up bar and taught myself how to use that. Then I started doing crossfit and loved a lot about that but disliked a lot of other stuff (like mandatory hi-fives and ass-blisters from those push ups they make you do), then I left crossfit and started pretty much just lifting on my own at my local gym. This would have been about last November.

My goals:
I dunno. Be stronger, obviously. And I'd like to look strong too, But I really enjoy lifting for its own sake at the moment. Long term, mainly my focus is on staying fit and well for as long as I can, and getting my numbers up. Growing some glutes. And eating a lot of cheese. And setting a good example to my daughters, to mitigate all the terrible examples I set!

I go to the gym between 5 and 6 times a week currently. I almost exclusively lift weights when I'm there but maybe once a fortnight I do a HIIT class and a kettlebell class. I ride my bike to the gym and to work most days (about 15 miles a day) so I feel like that's plenty of cardio.

[PennyCentury]

Today's effort:

Deadlifts:
(soundtrack: Pixies B sides)
7 x 50 kg
6 x 70 kg
6 x 80 kg
2 x 4 x 90 kg
3 x 3 x 90 kg
2 x 6 x 70 kg


Dumbbell bench press:
5 x 5 x 20 kg each (so 40 kg)

Seated shoulder press
5 x 5 x 14 kg each (38 kg)

Back extensions:
4 x 8 with 10 kg plate

Bulgarian split squats:
2 x 8 x 14 kg (28 kg) each leg.

Felt OK afterwards. Just had a lovely curry. Squat day tomorrow.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Interesting journal title. mmm cheese. Nice job with the workout too. That's quite the group of deadlift sets. I like the soundtrack edition. I enjoy listening to the "hard rock" workout station on pandora for things like deadlifts and squats.

[PennyCentury]

Interesting journal title. mmm cheese. Nice job with the workout too. That's quite the group of deadlift sets. I like the soundtrack edition. I enjoy listening to the "hard rock" workout station on pandora for things like deadlifts and squats.

I definitely need to get more metal and rock on my MP3 player for deadlifts and squats. (I've got a crappy cheap one that doesn't stream stuff from the internet) I was a teenager in the 90s and I've rediscovered a lot of my old favourites through desperately needing some suitable lifting music! In the gym I'm also a bit of a sucker for electronic music from that era, stuff like Underworld, Utah Saints, Daft Punk. I lost my MP3 player for ages so I've only started using it in the gym recently - it's been a revelation how much better my focus is when I'm plugged in to something.

Thanks for the compliment! I love deadlifts. They make me feel like a superhero.

I should have added to my first post - I've no idea what I'm doing really. Started off with stronglifts 5 x 5 and have gradually evolved from that as I found it a bit dull and repetitive. I've got a training camp weekend coming up and I hope that gives me some ideas for changing things up and how I can best progress.

[anandagirl]

Need the cheese!

Christopher Moore fan?

IN! (but only if you're a Christopher Moore Fan )

[Fiction2Fitness]

I started lifting with Stronglifts as it was easiest and I'd at least done bench press before. Then I did New Rules of Lifting for Women to try something different (plus it was a gift from stepsister) and to get out of my comfort zone. It had some odd moves and not always strength focused but interesting. I moved on from there as I figured out the types I wanted to focus on more and some goals.

A variety of music is helpful, I've found, but I'll listen to most types. The background music/beat are key factors. I've even done deadlifts to a musical but it's a short clip so better for the 1 rep sets. Alive from Jekyll and Hyde is kind of fun for that. Electronic works too. I just listen to a few pandora stations as it's easy and I can get them louder in my headphones as the gym does play a variety station but it's not even close to being loud enough. Commercial gyms and their not wanting too much noise, go figure. ;-)

[anandagirl]

I did New Rules for Women the first half of this year and then moved on to a version of All Pro's (details in the workouts section of the forum). Haven't done strong lifts but heard great things

[PennyCentury]

Christopher Moore fan?

I've never heard of him until just now, but I think I'd like him: I'm not averse to a bit of comic fantasy, pretty much grew up reading Terry Pratchett. Which of his books would you recommend? The journal title was a dorky reference to "Top Gun", as well as my lifelong love of cheese. I hope you're still in!

Then I did New Rules of Lifting for Women to try something different (plus it was a gift from stepsister) and to get out of my comfort zone. It had some odd moves and not always strength focused but interesting

I've never heard of that book - will have to have a look. I found stronglifts was very focused on always adding weight every week, which was OK at first but I soon found I needed to work a lot on my form at a given weight (particularly for squats) before moving up, so I felt like i was getting 'left behind' by the program. I do tend to get stuck with the same pattern of sets and reps for each exercise, but I've had some great suggestions on here already to do with things like backoff sets and drop sets - neither of which I'd heard of before. I instinctively don't like the idea of following a set all round gym program, but I definitely do want to develop my knowledge so that I have some sort of solid foundation to work with.

What I did today:
For starters I didn't go to the gym. Woke up at 5am with alarm, felt heavy and tired right to my bones after long weekend - long story, involving a dead cat - so went back to sleep. I hardly ever skip the gym, as it basically keeps me sane, so I don't give myself a hard time when I'm not feeling it.

Did day 2 of 100 pushup challenge when I got home from work. 5 sets of push-ups:

10, then 12, then 8, then 8, then 15 (the last set you just had to do more than 12)

I like this program, I've been half-assedly working on my push-ups for a while but until now have just been trying to bust out as many as possible in one go and struggle to do more than 20. This program is supposed to have you doing 100 consecutive push ups in 7 weeks - I sincerely doubt that, but if I get even halfway there I'll be delighted.

[anandagirl]

Well, I love them all, but "Need the Cheese" is a quote from Secondhand Souls. However, you do need to read the first one of that series which is A Dirty Job.

If you read those, I am still in New rules is okay, but I feel like I've made much more strength and weight loss/aesthetic progress on All Pro's. Of course, I also didn't diet for 60% of the program. Go figure. I would pick something you like and definitely work on form. I'm taking a couple steps back now because I'm struggling with form.

[PennyCentury]

Well, I love them all, but "Need the Cheese" is a quote from Secondhand Souls. However, you do need to read the first one of that series which is A Dirty Job.

If you read those, I am still in

Excellent - I'll check out A Dirty Job and see how I get on with it. So far I like his Twitter feed and I think he has a nice face: a good start.

I would pick something you like and definitely work on form. I'm taking a couple steps back now because I'm struggling with form.

I think that's a good, sound tactic - I'm sure it will pay off for you. I need to work on my form on pretty much all my lifts but I find that quite a satisfying process in itself. I've become a lot more aware of my body's strengths and weaknesses since I started lifting than when I was pounding out the miles in my running shoes.

[PennyCentury]

Just quickly getting this down before I get the kids ready for school and me ready for work...

Gym this morning. Felt more like my perky self.
Soundtrack: Utah Saints, Jon Hopkins (Immunity), Daft Punk (Alive 2007)

overhead presses
Warm up with bar (20 kg) x 5
5 x 30 kg
5 x 32.5 kg
5 x 35 kg
3 x 37.5 kg
2 x 40 kg
2 x 1 x 40 kg
Phew!
Then,
6 x 30 kg
8 x 25 kg.

Experimenting with doing these at the beginning of my session, as I always used to do them after squats and I think I was too tired to be at my best. I'm relatively strong in my shoulders (strong compared to the rest of me, that is) and I enjoy this lift.

back squats
Warm up with bar
8 x 40 kg
8 x 50 kg
8 x 60 kg
4 x 8 x 62.5 kg (a couple of crappy reps - I'm not quite ready to move up a weight yet. When I get tired I still collapse forward a bit too much)

then:
10 x 50 kg, paused for 2 seconds at the bottom. These are really helping me, I've started doing them at the end of every squat session.

bench press
Warm up with bar x 6
6 x 40 kg
4 x 6 x 45 kg
1 x 5 x 45 kg
Felt strong like lion! Apart from missing the last rep. I think i might be ready to move up v. soon.
Then 10 quick, and rather wobbly reps, at 30 kg.

assisted pull-ups
9 kg assist:
3 x 5
2 x 4

Then home.

Gym was rammed with people this morning - I think I'm going to need to get there a bit before 6am to be assured of a spot in the power rack. Beautiful day today, and I'm feeling OK.

[PennyCentury]

After a big plate of linguine and a couple of glasses of wine last night, remembered I was supposed to practice my chin-ups yesterday, so I did them then. Pro tip: don't do this.
chin ups
3 x 3
3 x 2

I'm working on these, in the past I've got up to being able to do 5 consecutive ones but I've let them slide because, I dunno, they're hard and they make me feel heavy.

Gym this morning.

deadlifts
Warm-up:
10 x 50 kg

Then speed/volume work:
10 x 10 x 65 kg

Felt pretty pleased with myself until about set 7, then began to struggle. However, knocked out the last 3 or 4 sets OK, and the very last two reps of the last set were properly hard, which makes me think I gauged the weight about right. Had a happy moment when I realised that 10 x 10 x 65 kg is 6.5 metric tons. Hurrah.

There was a man on a bench next to me doing the weirdest exercise with two dumbbells. He was sort of holding them against his abs and rocking at the end of the bench in a quasi-foetal position. Bit distracting.

dumbbell bench press
Decided to go for the 20 kg dumbbells again even though it would be only the second time I've lifted them and I was still feeling wiped from the deadlifts. Began to doubt the wisdom of this as soon as I lifted them off the rack, but persevered. Soundtrack at this point was the intro to one of the tunes on my Daft Punk album - spooky wind and the toll of church bells. This didn't help my inner monologue of "You're going to DIIIEEE"
First set was a bit wobbly, last set was very wobbly, but managed
5 x 5 x 40 kg (20 kg dumbbells)

Then Godzilla pulldowns ((c) thehobbes)
3 x 8 x 47.5 kg

Then a sort of cobbled together superset of lateral dumbbell raises and tricep dumbbell extensions
lateral raises were 3 x 12 x 12 kg (6 kg each)
dumbbell extensions were 3 x 12 x 10 kg

Tonight will be Day 3 of 100 pushup challenge, as well as hoovering the house. I'll try to stay off the wine this time.

[PennyCentury]

Forgot to add above - I noticed my knees buckling inwards slightly on some reps during the deadlifts. I hadn't noticed this before, I don't know if it was because of the speed or what - it didn't happen every rep, and stopped completely when I consciously tried to keep my knees pushed outwards slightly. but something to watch.

[PennyCentury]

Did week 1 day 3 of Hundred Pushups after I got home from work. Videoed the last 15 - my form is not so good as I thought! I've got a lot of mobility in my spine and my back arches quite a bit. Going to need to watch that. Still:

11, then 15, then 9, then 9, then 15 for the final set. Now for dinner.

Edit - video, including puffin' and pantin' on that final 15, to demonstrate back-arch.

[LunaLifts]

IN!

My journal title is a reference to a show that references a song from Top Gun. Lol.

I can see what you mean about the push ups. Are you actively trying to brace your abs (trying to pull your belly button through your spine basically)? It may be that you have the core strength, and just aren't focusing on keeping your abs tight. I try to, but it doesn't always last.

[PennyCentury]

IN!

My journal title is a reference to a show that references a song from Top Gun. Lol.

I can see what you mean about the push ups. Are you actively trying to brace your abs (trying to pull your belly button through your spine basically)? It may be that you have the core strength, and just aren't focusing on keeping your abs tight. I try to, but it doesn't always last.

I think I do start off bracing everything, but as I get tired it gets harder. I showed my husband and he noticed that I'm also letting my head drop which probably isn't helping - next time I'll try to keep my head neutral and focus on the abs and see how it goes.

I wondered if your title was Top Gun-related too! Glad to have you on board!

[FallenAngel80]

Welcome!



Deadlifts also make me feel like a superhero

[LunaLifts]

I think I do start off bracing everything, but as I get tired it gets harder. I showed my husband and he noticed that I'm also letting my head drop which probably isn't helping - next time I'll try to keep my head neutral and focus on the abs and see how it goes.

I wondered if your title was Top Gun-related too! Glad to have you on board!

Never actually seen it, just a huge fan of the show Archer, and he's made like a dozen danger zone references. Including the one in my title.
I probably drop my head too, I should probably film my last sets to see how they look, both decline and regular.

[PennyCentury]

I've started watching Archer a little bit - it usually goes on the TV at the end of a long night drinking and chatting nonsense with friends in our front room - used to be that Family Guy would fit the bill, but Archer has taken top spot.

Hi FallenAngel!

Gym this morning. Meant to start with overhead presses again but forgot, as at that time of the morning I do almost sleepwalk to the rack, and started with back squats like I've been doing for like a year.

back squats
Same as last time mostly - a warm up set, 40 kg for 8, then 50 kg for 8,

then
8 x 60 kg
4 x 8 x 62.5 kg

Still a bit sketchy form on some reps but better than last time, and I felt like I had more to give at the end. I think I'm going up to 65 kg next time and see how I go. This is baby weight for lots of you but squats do not come naturally to me and when I started in Nov 15 I was doing 5 x 5 at 40 kg so there has been some improvement even if I don't yet have an arse to speak of.

Then my paused squats at 10 x 50 kg - paused for maybe 2 - 3 seconds at the bottom.

Then overhead press
warm up with empty bar
5 x 30 kg
5 x 32.5 kg
4 x 35 kg (failed last rep, doubts start creeping in)
3 x 37.5 kg
2 x 40 kg
Then three singles at 40 kg.
Then 5 x 32.5 kg
Then 10 speedy reps (apart from last two or three) at 25 kg.

I feel like a crap circus strongman on OHPs when I'm failing a lift. My puce gurning face and buckling arms! Sometimes I can break through if I'm faltering halfway, and sl-o-o-wly force the bar up, but but at the moment this more than any other lift feels more like a mental than physical battle for me.

pendlay rows
I have only just started doing these again, after veering from the form specified in Strongman 5 x 5, not lifting from the floor each time, being more of a 45 degree angle and lifting from about the knees (don't know what sort of row that is called, but it's not a pendlay row) But I've gone back to the beginning now.
40 kg x 6
42.5 kg x 6 x 4
These feel a lot better than they used to, so I'm going to up the weight next time.

Then when I got home from work, did my 15 chin ups - this time in 4 sets of 3, 1 set of 2, and then another set of 2 for luck (so 16). Better than last time. Progress not perfection!

[LunaLifts]

I like Family Guy too, and a lot of other shows. I try to fit some educational things in the mix so I don't feel as bad about how many shows I keep up with. >.<

Gotta keep your head up. You're working hard, and busting ass, so feel good about it. When the bar doesn't want to go up, rawr like a dinosaur!

I don't do Pendlay rows from the floor. I'd have to bend my knees a ton, or bend my back too far down. I extend my arms all the way back down each time, but that's it. It hits where I need it too, so I'm alright with it. Lol.

[PennyCentury]

I hadn't realised that a pendlay row don't need to be done from the floor! We're the same height and although I do have long monkey arms I have similar problems - my own approach has been to use a pair of big thick 25kg plates to raise the bar up from the floor a few inches so I'm not bending too much. I do like being able to reset for every rep.

I like the idea of the dinosaur roar. I really should allow myself to make more noise in the gym. Lots of the menz do.

[LunaLifts]

I hadn't realised that a pendlay row don't need to be done from the floor! We're the same height and although I do have long monkey arms I have similar problems - my own approach has been to use a pair of big thick 25kg plates to raise the bar up from the floor a few inches so I'm not bending too much. I do like being able to reset for every rep.

I like the idea of the dinosaur roar. I really should allow myself to make more noise in the gym. Lots of the menz do.

I don't know if they're supposed to or not, but I'm not going to bother either. Lol. They work, and that's enough for me. My issue before was the grip position though. For a long time I did more of a bent over row grip, instead of the wide grip Pen rows are supposed to have. >.<
I don't mind not resetting every time since I got straps to use for them. It's so much easier to knock them out when you're not thinking "any second now I'm going to drop this."

Some people say grunting actually helps with lifting. I workout at home so it's not like noise matters, but I only do so when it happens naturally. When you're lifting heavy chit, odd sound are bound to happen. I should roar for the hell of it sometime.

[PennyCentury]

Gym this morning.

RDLs
Second time ever I've done these. I've decided it's not really feasible to keep doing conventional deadlifts 3 times a week so I'm doing one day conventional, one day reduced weight/more volume, one day RDLs.
6 x 50 kg
6 x 60 kg
5 x 6 x 70 kg

Soon I will need to buy wrist straps because my grip was letting me down and my forearms were on fire by the end of these, far more so than my hamstrings or glutes - and surely that's not the point!

Then bench press
6 x 40 kg
2 x 6 x 45 kg
3 x 4 x 47.5 kg
8 x 40 kg

Levelled up weight wise, and it felt good! Maybe 50 kg soon!

Then front squats, which weren't so good. I can't even really remember what I did but I think it was something like

6 x 30 kg
6 x 40 kg
6 x 45 kg
2 x 6 x 50 kg
8 x 40 kg

Didn't have time for anything else.

Need to get some sort of focus in my workouts. I tend to organise them around either a central lift of either back squats or deadlifts, then chest and/or shoulders, then back, then maybe legs again at the end of the session (either front squats or bulgarian split squats usually). I feel like I want to do ALL THE THINGS every time, but that's both unrealistic and I doubt as helpful as concentrating on maybe 3 main lifts each time. Got a sort of lifting bootcamp next weekend which I hope will give me some direction.

Did a lot of cycling today too, maybe about 20 miles all in. Went all the way across town looking for posh tonic for my gin in this shop that didn't have the posh tonic, so had to cycle all the way home with inferior tonic. Still: gin now, and telly.

[FallenAngel80]

Nice lifting Penny! Enjoy your gin

[PennyCentury]

Thanks FallenAngel! I will do my best.

[geek23ka]

you've got a hell of an OHP, penny!

IN

[LunaLifts]

Yes to straps. I love mine, it makes rdls and rows so much better when you can focus on the lift instead of thinking about your arms wanting to give out.

Deadlifting 3x a week is intense. I love deadlifting but I think that'd kill me, lol. At the least I'd need a deload every other week. >.< Liking the new plan though. Do you plan on doing speed deadlifts on the lower weight days, or just adding the volume?

[PennyCentury]

you've got a hell of an OHP, penny!

IN

Ha, thank you! I do seem to be proportionately stronger in my shoulders - not sure why that is, except that I have spent something in the order of 6 years carrying around my daughters on my shoulders (not at the same time, there's three years between them!) as they both hated walking anywhere and i basically can't say no.

Deadlifting 3x a week is intense. I love deadlifting but I think that'd kill me, lol

yeah, it seems like not such a good idea from what I've been reading round here, and I really don't want to bugger my back. I do want to work on them but if I have just the one day when I'm trying to increase my rep max (I rarely go for one rep maxes in anything apart from OHPs) that sounds so obviously sensible I'm not sure why I haven't been doing it till now!

I think I would alternate speed and volume on that day, and really try to focus on good form as well with less weight.

[PennyCentury]

Gym this morning. Felt reasonably perky after semi-early night, fell asleep watching Trumbo in bed.

Started with back squats -
8 x 40 kg
8 x 50 kg
Felt stronger than a while with these.
8 x 60 kg
Decided today was the day to level up, so
4 x 8 x 65 kg
These felt GREAT! Better than sets of 8 at 62.5 kg a few days ago. I mostly managed to keep my chest up, drove through my weak point each time (about midway on the way up).

Then paused squats,
8 x 50 kg, pausing for as long as I could bear it each time.
Then speed squats (or speedier squats),
8 x 40 kg.

This whole set took about 40 minutes, and I feel like it did me a lot of good.

I did dumbbell bench press then:
4 x 5 x 40 kg (2 x 20 kg dumbells)
and a 6 x 40 kg.

Still tired after the squats so these felt a bit wobbly.

Then I did some dumbbell supersets:

3 sets of:
front raises x 10
lateral raises x 10
bent over raises x 10

with 7 kg dumbbells.

They weren't really proper supersets because I was knackered and kept needing to rest. But they did something.

Lovely roast leg of lamb lunch this afternoon, followed by blackberry and apple crumble.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Nice job on the squats and dumbbell work. Way to get at it. :-)