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Thread: Building Curves

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    Registered User ilovethe80s's Avatar
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    Building Curves

    I'm a mom, I never know when I am going to have time. Some weeks I might be able to do 30 minute each morning before kids are up. Other weeks, I might be able to entertain them with a movie for 45 minutes for 3 sessions or have my husband help out with them on the weekends. So, my routine is flexible. But most of the time I've been doing the following split (due to time):
    Quads
    Back + Bi's
    Shoulders + Calves
    Hams
    Chest + Tris

    I'm switching to a 3day/wk schedule to see if it helps with my energy levels

    Goals:
    My goals, get stronger, look stronger, and feel good. I have to say, aesthetics-wise, I have no complaints with the 1 body part per day thing - I get visible results, quickly. But I'm tired and sore more days than not. I do not get much rest, that's part of the problem, but that's not changing anytime soon (young kids and work nights) so I need to work with what I've got.

    I do mostly compound exercises, so I'm thinking that even though I was doing 25 minute single body part routines, I was still overtraining and hitting the same muscle groups too often.

    Eating:
    I've been bulking for a year. I'm always trying to add size, I've been trying over a decade. Now looking at my stats, I am 140 pounds right now and 5'7. I used to be only 105, so it does not make sense that I could still possibly be a bean pole. But I do feel that way - I have heard of people who lose weight and always see themselves as heavy - I think the same goes for those of us who were always skinny and frail. I make sure I get 2500-3000 cals depending on the day, then whatever else on top of that. Thank goodness I don't have to cut because I hate counting cals precisely. My eating is healthy though, always has been. Oats, sweet potatoes, chicken, sardines, whey, veggies, green smoothies, tea, some fruit. No artificial anything. Peanut butter, nuts and dried fruit help me jack up my cals.

    Supplements:
    I take no supplements - I am a bit overly cautious with my food and supplements make me nervous. Tried creatine briefly with AMAZING results, but still, no not for me. I have BCAA but always forget to take it.

    Why I don't do abs:
    I'm still struggling to regain core strength after my last baby, and I think I'm winning the battle now. The last pregnancy herniated my abdomen to the point that my belly button had to be removed completely. I have a big side to side slash in its place along with crinkled loose skin and it is all puckered along the incision, so there is no point in me trying to get abs for aesthetic purposes. I had the hernia thing going on for a full year after the baby, and when I finally had surgery, I was in a thick rubber garment to hold the intestines in, I could not hold myself upright for more than a few minutes at a time. So I pretty much lost ALL core strength. After surgery, though my other body parts were strong enough, I could not even perform a simple squat or pullup because it felt like my intestines ripping out and then my abs would give out on me. You don't realize how much you actually use your core for everything. I still can't do crunches and maybe won't ever, but I think I am keeping the abs strong enough w the heavy lifting,

    So, back to the point, lately I am leaning toward the 3 day/ week thing. Because I do feel tired more often than not and I want to see if this is better. More rest days. Aesthetics-wise, the 5 day thing is amazing, I think it really works for my body. But recovery is an issue, not point looking good if you feel craptacular.
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    Registered User ilovethe80s's Avatar
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    My Workout (Work in Progress - always is :)

    This is my current favorite split. As always, a work in progress, but I am really liking it:

    Day 1: Hams, Back + Biceps
    a. Deadlifts -
    I start with Romanian deadlifts with 135lbs. As the sets progress, I add weight and change the stance to a sumo deadlift and the last set is 245 lbs.
    Reps: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
    Rest: 120 seconds in beginning - up to 3 minutes in last sets

    b. Ball hamstring curl OR ham/ glute raise
    Reps: 15 15 15
    Rest: 45 seconds to 1 minute

    c. Pull ups -20 total in under 3 minutes, then a few negatives I think pull ups are one of the most important back exercises when done UNassisted - even if you are stuck trying to pull yourself up for like 5 minutes straight, it is better than assisted IMO. It just feels totally different.

    d. Either Barbell Rows or Inverted Rows
    Reps: 10, 8, 6, 4
    Rest: 120 seconds
    For bb row - start with 95lbs, finish with 135lbs

    e. Chin Up
    Reps: 5, 5, 5
    very slow, usually fatigued by now so will cheat a bit with a chair.
    Rest: 120 seconds

    f. Dumbbell or Barbell curl, some variation
    Reps:
    EITHER run the rack on a ball concentration curl
    OR
    12, 10 8, 6 for barbell or dumbbell curl variation
    Rest: 1 minute
    Starting with 20 pound dumbbells, ending with 35's. *Note: I do not always do or finish these - usually I am dead from the chins and have to cut out early. Unlike the bigger exercises, I don't allow myself extra time to wait to see if I can get a bigger set with more rest - I just let it go to failure then stop. These are just if I feel like I did not work bis to full potential for whatever reason.


    Day 2: Shoulders, Tri's Calves
    (Tri's on shoulder day is a recent move - I've always done them with chest and liked that. But I moved chest to quad day which sucks the life out of me, and tri's there too were that little something extra to make it unbearable. I am still changing the tri work up a bit each week to find the best combo - I liked this week's a lot and think I'll keep it for a while):
    Warm up: Butterfly OR
    Warm up 2 : Handstand Shoulder press (depending on what I ate pre-workout lol)

    a. Military Press
    Reps: 10, 8, 6, 4, 15
    *after that set of 4 - I unload the bar and with no rest, press it up till failure
    Rest: 120 seconds, a little more if I need it

    b. Rear delt raise (this is like, to rest after the military presses- I don't always do something here)
    Reps: 10, 10, 10
    Rest: 45 seconds
    I use light weight for these, go slow and really concentrate on form. Have also used 'band face pull' here and liked that.

    c. Lateral Raises - run the rack
    Start with 20lb dumbbells and do 8 reps. Immediately after (no rest), grab 15's and pump out 8 more reps, being careful not to let weight drop to sides. Then immediately grab 10 pound plates (I find I keep my form better on the last set with plates) and with super-strict form, knock out 8 more.
    Rest: 1 minute
    Repeat 3 times. This set has been in my routine for ages and I just started making it through the last set, so I am going to up the reps a bit or hang onto the 20lbers a little longer in each set.

    d. SUPERSET - Bench Dip and Machine Calf Raise
    -Bench Dip: 45 lb plate on lap
    Reps: 10 10 8 (can't get 10 here yet)
    superset with (go straight to this exercise, no rest in between)
    -Calf raise (on leg press w 4 plates)
    I do not start counting till I get a burn on these. I usually do 15, and if nothing yet, I do a static hold for a while, then pump them out THROUGH the burn, till I physically can't do another.

    e.SUPERSET - EITHER Dip station Tricep Dip or Close-grip bench with some other calf raise
    for dip station dip:
    Reps: 10 10 10
    For close grip bench:
    Reps: 10, 8, 6, 4 OR 15 depending on mood
    calf raise:
    3 sets - anywhere from 12 to 25 reps depending on what I'm doing

    f. Tricep - rope pulley
    only 20 lbs by now lol
    squeeze HARD at the end of each
    Reps: 10 10 as many as possible


    e. Jump up and down like jump rope, on one foot at a time. I put on some jumpy music and try to jump through it while strtching tri's and shoulders. Favorites right now are Blur - Song 2 and Modest Mouse - Dance Hall


    Day 3; Quads + Chest
    There are no supersets to be had with any quad work lol
    a. SQUAT
    I start with regular squats with 135lbs, butt to the ground. As the sets progress, I add weight and change the stance to a sumo squat, to parallel and the last set is 245 lbs.
    Reps: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
    Rest: 120 seconds in beginning - up to 3 minutes in last sets

    b. Barbell Static lunge
    I just keep the weight at 115 for all of these, too tird from the squats to do anything fancy
    Reps: 10 10 10
    Rest: Ideally I'd like to rest for a minute and a half or so, bt my rests here have been up to 3 minutes, and sometimes I need a 30 second break between legs! This is by far my hardest day.

    There used to be a leg extension now but I am dropping it and working on beefing up that barbell lunge instead. But if am dead tired, a few sets of extensions here so I can rest.

    Regardless - I rest 5 minutes here, then:

    c. Bench
    am REALLy working on getting these up so I can bench my body weight, no spotter makes it a little harder but not impossible. Right now I start at 75 and end at 105, but this is steadily climbing each week.
    Reps: 10, 8, 6, 4
    Rest: up to 2 minutes

    d. Dip
    (Might not be necessary after bench, but I really love doing these. On a day I am short on time, I'll cut these)
    Reps: 10 10 10

    e. Reverse Grip bench press
    Reps: 10, 8, 6, 15 (last set unload the bar right away and burn it out)
    Rest: 1 minute

    f. Pushups till failure
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    eats carbs before bed triangle's Avatar
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    In! Your workouts look intense!

    Originally Posted by ilovethe80s View Post
    I used to be only 105, so it does not make sense that I could still possibly be a bean pole. But I do feel that way - I have heard of people who lose weight and always see themselves as heavy - I think the same goes for those of us who were always skinny and frail.
    I know exactly how that feels, I think you're right about it going the same way for former skinny people.
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    Originally Posted by triangle View Post
    In! Your workouts look intense!



    I know exactly how that feels, I think you're right about it going the same way for former skinny people.
    Thanks! I just subscribed to yours as well - I see you've been trying to gain and also switched to a split. Yeah its funny, even with clothes, i always feel like I am going to need XS and then end up in a Medium, so I know I've got to be bigger than I think I am. You've got lots of hard earned muscle on your frame - looking great!
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    Hi

    I have a friend at work who is thin, has facial bone structure people pay to have, and she doesn't like it and has been trying to gain weight in her face...sigh...we are always as humans trying to change something!
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    Originally Posted by ilovethe80s View Post
    Thanks! I just subscribed to yours as well - I see you've been trying to gain and also switched to a split. Yeah its funny, even with clothes, i always feel like I am going to need XS and then end up in a Medium, so I know I've got to be bigger than I think I am. You've got lots of hard earned muscle on your frame - looking great!
    Thank you
    Just had a look at your photos, you've made awesome progress! Definitely not a beanpole anymore.
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    In!
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    Hi, good luck building the curves.
    I know whlat you mean about the core being in all the lifts... had a C-section here in Botswana 18 months ago and it was 9months before I could walk properly... they really butchered me... and like that I could feel my abs connected to everything in every movement I made... not good...
    I'll stick my head in every so often to see how you're getting on if that's ok...
    Getting there slowly.... and slowlier

    OK... so all my stats are rubbish at the moment...


    DL - 220lbs.... finally... still aiming for 330....
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    Continue to make posts to keep your progress current. Good luck!
    When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
    For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.

    Do not take my statements as advice for your own actions.
    All discussion on this site is for entertainment value only.
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    Gettin' back up again Rowyn's Avatar
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    In on first page! Just started finding the time to read the journals section, its cool to hear what everyone is up to, how they started, personal challenges/goals, all that jazz.


    Awesome weights there, lady. 'Specially your BB rows and sumo squats! You are pretty dedicated to be getting it done in between kid obligation, that takes LOADS of energy and willpower to use "free" time as gym time. Way to go!


    Jean
    "A champion is someone who gets up even when he can't" ---Jack Dempsey

    I eat for living, not just lifting.
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    Originally Posted by AbramsAM View Post
    Hi

    I have a friend at work who is thin, has facial bone structure people pay to have, and she doesn't like it and has been trying to gain weight in her face...sigh...we are always as humans trying to change something!
    Very true

    Originally Posted by bearybear View Post
    In!
    Thanks!

    Originally Posted by smdiskin View Post
    Hi, good luck building the curves.
    I know whlat you mean about the core being in all the lifts... had a C-section here in Botswana 18 months ago and it was 9months before I could walk properly... they really butchered me... and like that I could feel my abs connected to everything in every movement I made... not good...
    I'll stick my head in every so often to see how you're getting on if that's ok...
    Sounds great, thanks. & sorry to hear about your c-section!

    Originally Posted by theyoungblood View Post
    Continue to make posts to keep your progress current. Good luck!
    Will do, thanks

    Originally Posted by Rowyn View Post
    In on first page! Just started finding the time to read the journals section, its cool to hear what everyone is up to, how they started, personal challenges/goals, all that jazz.


    Awesome weights there, lady. 'Specially your BB rows and sumo squats! You are pretty dedicated to be getting it done in between kid obligation, that takes LOADS of energy and willpower to use "free" time as gym time. Way to go!


    Jean
    Thank you! It is challenging trying to get the workouts in with kids. Luckily I can always find a way to fit it, even if it is me hanging on the pull up bar with the kids hanging onto my legs lol. Just looking at your transformation pics too - what a difference in 8 weeks!
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    Here is my week of workouts (this past week):

    Sunday: HAMS + SPRINTS

    Still on my 1 part/day split here (the old "I'll start my new life.. on Monday deal lol"), meant to do my back too, but for some reason was NOT wanting anything to do with pull ups today. Sunday night sprinting session was BEAUTEOUS! Went at dusk, warmed up with a .5 mile run to the sidewalked road by the park. It is perfectly straight path with flowering trees overhanging like an arc, some leaves and flowers barely grazing me. The sidewalk ends in a perfect vanishing point -I lfocus on the vanishing point and book it as fast as I can. Just 5 50 meter sprints. There were green fireflies everywhere- it was ethereal and out of this world, the music was perfect, like a dream really. I didn't want it to end.

    So starting the combined split routine:

    WEDNESDAY: QUADS + CHEST

    Did not enjoy my squats this week because hams were still too sore. This happens often. Going to make sure I always stretch deep the night before squats, and that I have had a couple of days rest from legs before squat day.

    Static lunges made up for the squats - I finished the sets for once (3 sets, 10 reps with 115lbs - normally I can't get past 8). I was still a dizzy, sweaty mess at the end of all of the leg stuff. I still felt like I had a little something in me after the lunges - not enough for another set though - so I did a couple of leg extensions, but regretted it. I wished that I had just allowed another minute of two of rest and just done another set of lunges. So note that for next time. Pack up that stupid waste of time extension attachment thing and stick it in the attic.

    Chest was pretty exciting though - up another 5 pounds, plus an extra rep on the last set. Dips were awesome as always - I really love those. I subbed the usual Reverse gip bench with flyes. I'm not trying to move a ton of weight on flyes, and I only wait 45 seconds between sets. 15 pounds feels too light, 20 feels like I am breaking my form a the bottom of the movement - will give these another week to see if I want to keep them for a while or not. I jump right down for my pushups after that and consistently face-plant at 20.


    FRIDAY: HAMS, BACK + BI'S

    Woke up in the morning psyched to deadlift. Enjoyed it much. Switched up the ham curls - I did SLDL's 30's in each hand following the deadlifting ceremony. Those give me a burn, a totally different feel from regular deads. (Had to sit with the foam roller in that spot where your butt meets your leg with both my kids on my lap to relieve that muscle later. ) Then, just one set of ball hamstring curls - to failure. I originally set the interval timer to stop at 1 minute but that was too ambitious, was done at 25 reps.

    K, so after that, my pullups sucked! First set - got 3. wtf happened, I was up to 5 before. next set - 2! So then I wasted a bunch of time doing more sets trying to get more. Each set - 2 pullups was it. So after like 10 sets, I switched to negatives. What I should have done, is given myself a # to reach within a certain time limit instead. And hang onto the bar longer - finally in the end I just held onto that bar and pulled with all my might for like 30 seconds straight. That's what I should have been doing before, and I would have wasted much less time.

    So after that whole shenanigan, I declared myself a weakling that day and crossed rows off the lists in favor of inverted rows. They went well. Then chin ups - went MUCH better than the pullups. At this point, my bi's were burning (that last pull up set where I help onto the bar burned them out already) so not much was needed. I pumped out 12 reps of curls (dumbbells, but NOT alternating as I feel that is harder, plus takes less time) with just 15 pounds. Then 10 reps at 20 lbs, 8 reps at 25 pounds - my last set was only 5 reps with 30lbs (rested a minute in between each) - the last 2 I cheated on the way up and resisted down. So that was a success.

    SATURDAY: MUST REST, BUT WANT TO LIFT SOOO BAD

    I love to work out on the weekends because my husband is home to watch the kids. I can blast my music, work out uninterrupted and honestly, it is my favorite past-time, my escape. But I have that 'falling asleep at the table, vibrating muscles, creeping death soreness, can't stretch enough, pins and needles all over me, lethargic' feeling again, so I know my body is repairing itself and needs to rest today. Besides, today would be shoulders, tri's and calves - do I really want to do military presses after my bout with wide-grip pullups yesterday? I feel like their are giant vultures on my shoulders, digging their talons into my muscles.

    Stretch and foam roll are the only things on the menu today - my hams are getting worse as the day goes on.

    SUNDAY: SHOULDERS, TRI'S, CALVES + SPRINTS

    Very, very glad I rested yesterday. Was sore and tired yesterday, another day would have put me back on the misery train for sure.
    I miss doing tri's with chest, they just seem to go together, but here goes:

    Military presses - note I have not stated the weight I use for this. Because it is just plain embarrassing! I know I can do more.. I just for some reason am stuck on stupid each time I do this exercise. ... I am exhausting myself with too many reps in my beginning sets. I start with only 55 pounds for 12 reps - so by the time I get to any real weight, I've already done like 40 presses and am exhausted. So knowing this, today, I do the same thing again. Wtf? lol. At least I waited 3 minutes between sets at the end instead of 1:20. Still, next time reps scheme will be 8, 6, 4, 4, 2.

    Rear-delt fly - Whatever. Boring. lol. This is never something I write home about. Prob should have skipped this and worked more on presses.

    Lateral raise Run the rack - ANYTHING but boring. Holy burn, batman! Now that's it for shoulders, on to triceps:

    Dips: Got a big bursa on my knee and the weight plate is hitting it so I did these on my dip station, but straight up (instead of leaning forward) to get the tri's more. I have a fantasy of doing these weighted lol

    Close Grip bench - didn't get what I was looking for out of these today. will do skullcrushers next time. Supersetted these with calf raises on the leg press (4 plates, 25 reps)

    Rope pulley
    And here we are again folks with my 20lb rope pulleys lol! Hey, no shame right, just want to burn out my tri's so I need to lock out and contract properly. Supersetted these with Standing calf raises

    For some reason I did fail on the rope pulleys- but it felt nowhere near excruciating. So I hopped back over to dip to failure. Went down for my first one and could not get back up! So I guess I got 'em afterall

    Sunday night sprints:
    Got my playlist and I'm ready. Went at dusk again. Sometimes I like really fast music to sprint too, but sometimes I like slower stuff too, like Ray Charles or Brookville. Today It's London Calling - The Clash, Blur - Song 2, 19th Nervous Breakdown -Rolling Stones, Faint-Linkin Park, Spanish Bombs- The Clash. That's roughly 15 minutes with my warm-up run to my spot. A few fireflies out, not as many as last week though. I had to break my run to walk for a bit. I saw a man acting strange at the end of the road, so I slowed down to proceed with caution. He was kind of falling all over, but when I got closer I saw it was just a kid on a skateboard. Been watching too many zombie movies lol.

    And that concludes the week. Th only thing I am still working through is my shoulder/ tri day. I' m thinking of putting shoulders with quads, that way chest and tri's can be reunited. That would mean no more handstand presses (hells no after squats), and my military press could suffer.... hmm decisions decisions. Ok, anyway - No workouts now till either Tuesday or Wednesday (whichever day the kids aren't up at the crack of dawn!)
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    wow!!

    Woman, your training is intense!!! I love it! You rock! Def. No bean pole, no chance. Your HARD work is paying off big time!
    Mom to four and always getting stronger!
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    Great journal! Keep going and writing all about it.
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    Yesterday: Quads + Chest:
    Quads:
    Just 6 sets of squats, then static lunges (no more of this extension garbage lol). The static lunges got me more than the squats! I've had back squats in my routine, always first, for a decade now. Never thought I'd say it - but I might be burnt out from them. It takes me forever to get mentally prepared for them, you'd think I was jumping out of an airplane. Then I find that I am disappointed with my sets, I have to keep telling myself to slow down, sit in it, feel it, don't just rush through. My sumo's are fine, but regular squats have just been not so good.

    Since my squat day is technically my 'quad day', I don't want to rely only on my beloved sumo's. So this might be a good time to revisit the front squat.

    I'll probably be popping onto the bb forums to get some front squat advice. Front squat is the one remaining exercise that I have yet to work through since surgery - squats, deads, pull ups - I didn't think I could ever do any of those again bc of the intra abdominal pressure, and now, after lots of rehab, they are fine - so no reason this would be any different.

    I gave it a quick go a few months back, and it was drama with the grip and bar positioning, in addition to the abdominal issue. I am standing there with just a 85lb bar, can't find a comfortable position for my hands, I'm thinking my collarbone is going to snap and am like "why am I going through this when I could just backsquat over 3x this weight with no issues?" But in the little success I had, I felt a nice pull in my quads (along with my abdomen - ugh) that I don't get as much of with my back squat.

    So if I want to work on that - now is the time. Since my static lunges are going so well, I can rely on that to fail my quads. Then no worries about not getting the intensity from the front squat for a while. Maybe I will move my static lunge back up to 135 so I get less reps out of it, that way I can start light with the Front squat and get my technique down.

    Bench - I need to bench when my husband is home to spot me this weekend. Bench presses have been
    12 reps at 85 pounds
    10 reps at 95 pounds
    6 reps at 105 pounds
    4 reps at 115 pounds
    Resting 1:20 between sets

    After this, 3-4 sets of dips, 8-10 reps each set.

    My chest goals were
    #1 to bench my body weight, and
    #2 to dip with a plate.
    I'm thinking if I cut down my sets and move up my weight on the bench (with a spot of course), I might be able to get a higher bench. So I'll try that next time. Bench used to be my worst lift. Now military press is officially my embarrassing lift lol.

    Then on the following chest day, I'll start with the dips, when I'm fresh. And I'll see if I can knock out a few with a plate. My fantasy is a 25lb plate... I'm drooling thinking about it

    Originally Posted by jagadzie View Post
    Woman, your training is intense!!! I love it! You rock! Def. No bean pole, no chance. Your HARD work is paying off big time!
    Originally Posted by coconuttree2009 View Post
    Great journal! Keep going and writing all about it.

    Thanks ladies
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    Definitely sub'd!

    Most impressed with your squat and lunge weight. Good for you that you haven't allowed your surgery to hold you back. Your progress pics are amazing.
    Your body is a temple, but only if you treat it as one!

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    Deadlift Perils:

    Ham/ Back + Bicep Combo FAIL
    So a combined Back/ hamstring day does not work out for me at this point in life. I'm accepting that now. Back gets shafted, big time. Must hit pull-ups when fresh and rested.

    So yesterday, Ham/ Back/ Bi Day is now just Hams/ Calves
    I lowered the dl weight (cringe) in hopes of better recovery
    Tried:
    1. 6 sets of deads (same as usual), starting with Straight leg deads at 135/ 12 reps, going to sumo as the weight increases, but this time ending up at 6 reps at 205.

    Previously, I was dong my last 2 sets at 245 (2 reps each). My deadlift days are exciting while its going on, but I was having a SEVERE issue with recovery. Those last 2 sets were literally knocking me out for days, it was beating a dead horse. Time to scale back.

    After my 6 sets, I decreased the weight and did RDL's. Just 3 sets of 10. I thought at the time that I used too little weight - 135. I felt a nice pull/ burn on my last couple of reps in the last set but not the devastation I am usually after.

    Immediately after RDL's. I hopped down for 2 sets of ball curls to failure. Set timer for 1:20, failed in 45 seconds, waited a minute, then went again.

    Felt good after this but later that day was wondering if it was enough. Today I got my answer - it was just perfect. I'm pretty sore, just fatigued enough. However I am not falling asleep standing up, unable to move and feeling lethargic. Somewhere along the line, I got it in my head that I need to max out on every set and then some.

    I paired my deadlift day with calves. I did the calves first - it worked out great. Served as the perfect warm-up. I dread doing anything after deads, so getting the calves out of the way first is a good move.

    Calf Circuit:
    Lunges on toes (20 reps or until burn get going)
    Standing Calf Raise on stair with weight - 15 reps
    Straight leg jump (2 minutes continuous)
    Standing Calf Raise on stair, no weight - through burn, to failure

    And the other one I use sometimes:
    75 reps of ANY calf exercise - stopping to rest only when I fail, rest barely long enough to get going again and stop when I get to 75. Pushing PAST the burn of course

    Today: Rest. I made myself a deal to always rest the day after deadlifts. I'll do my back Friday. I'll get to the bottom of this overtraining business yet.


    Originally Posted by dawndm View Post
    Definitely sub'd!

    Most impressed with your squat and lunge weight. Good for you that you haven't allowed your surgery to hold you back. Your progress pics are amazing.
    Thank you!!
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    Saturday: Back/ Bi day

    Pull-ups: 25 in under 5 minutes, then 5 negatives as punishment when I missed it by 3, lol.
    Landminer Rows (JUST what I needed to break up the monotony of rows - as an added bonus, was able to do negative reps since could help up with other hand. Loving these!)
    Chin-ups: 3 sets of 5 slow
    Bicep Curls (I feel embarrassed doing these lately for some reason - like I should just put more effort into chin-ups instead) 15@15lbs, 12@20lbs, 8@25lbs,6@25lbs
    The first set very light weight because I did them right after chins with no rest.


    Sunday - SQUAT DAY
    I hit my squat goal, so now I am working on Front Squats/ cleans. As part of that, not allowing myself to squat more than I can clean. And right now, that is 90 pounds! Less than half of my back squat. I am NOT a smooth cleaner, I don't know when to add the momentum, when to jump etc. Did pretty good today though (other than whacking the giant bursa on my knee with the bar - ouch! Hopefully will not need it drained again).

    The higher reps can actually be a good thing for me. I think with my squatting prior to this, I was doing more strength/ powerlifting. My warm up sets were 10 or so reps, but my real squats, 2-4. I am really happy with my strength numbers everywhere( except for military press) so the goal now is hypertrophy. I want to actually see some of this stuff in the mirror. And if that entails slowing it down, adding reps, so be it. My legs to me just didn't look like they do 240lb squats and deads (though so real changes have taken place recently - more on that in the next post). So much for that 'big weights=bulk" theory that many have.

    I have actually been working on my squat a lot OUTSIDE the gym. Taking cues from my kids actually. I noticed last time I front squatted, I had sort of a 'deer on ice' stance at the bottom of the squat, and having a more difficult time getting all the way down. To remedy this, I have been hanging out in a deep squat. When my toddlers squat (playing or whatever), their feet are flat on the ground. When I squat down in daily life, I tend to roll up on my toes. I have been squatting all the way down with flat feet - at the grocery, picking up stuff in the house, playing with the kids, etc. Was uncomfortable at first, of all places, it was really pulling on whatever muscles are near the shin. But it did help, it strengthened and loosened up whatever muscles needed to be - my squats today went MUCH better than last week.

    So today:
    Front Squat (cleaning the weight) - 3 sets of 10 with just 95 pounds - butt to the ground
    Sumo squat 3 sets ending up at 185 pounds for 8 reps (less than I was doing before)
    Barbell Static Lunges (3 sets of 10 with 115 pounds)
    75 calf raises (stopping briefly only when I burn out totally, then keep going as soon as I can)

    Tonight is my sprint night, always an adventure having that the same day as squats. Looks like it will be a nice evening, got my playlist ready, fireflies have been out lately, should be a good session.
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    Originally Posted by ilovethe80s View Post


    Landminer Rows (JUST what I needed to break up the monotony of rows - as an added bonus, was able to do negative reps since could help up with other hand. Loving these!)
    What are landminer rows? Tried to google it but couldn't find anything related.


    Originally Posted by ilovethe80s View Post
    I have actually been working on my squat a lot OUTSIDE the gym. Taking cues from my kids actually. I noticed last time I front squatted, I had sort of a 'deer on ice' stance at the bottom of the squat, and having a more difficult time getting all the way down. To remedy this, I have been hanging out in a deep squat. When my toddlers squat (playing or whatever), their feet are flat on the ground. When I squat down in daily life, I tend to roll up on my toes. I have been squatting all the way down with flat feet - at the grocery, picking up stuff in the house, playing with the kids, etc. Was uncomfortable at first, of all places, it was really pulling on whatever muscles are near the shin. But it did help, it strengthened and loosened up whatever muscles needed to be - my squats today went MUCH better than last week.
    I been trying to squat at home too, but I need to hang onto something when I squat down while keeping my feet flat. Otherwise I fall backwards, so i can see I need to practice more. I'm not sure if this means my hams are tight, ankles are tight or both!
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    Originally Posted by dawndm View Post
    What are landminer rows? Tried to google it but couldn't find anything related.(
    Here is a vid:


    ok vid didn't seem to post in the output so here is a link:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbVwg-FWZm0

    I really enjoy these. In addition to the obvious back work, my abs and my butt actually felt this one a lot. So I feel like I did not compromise on the back effort, but incorporated back and glutes there as well. Love it.

    Originally Posted by dawndm View Post
    I been trying to squat at home too, but I need to hang onto something when I squat down while keeping my feet flat. Otherwise I fall backwards, so i can see I need to practice more. I'm not sure if this means my hams are tight, ankles are tight or both!
    That is the exact issue I was having! I don't know when it came to this, I think I was just squatting heavier and heavier and somewhere along the lines started only coming to parallel to accommodate the heavier weight. And tight muscles on top of that so when it came to front squats, which are really meaning to go to the ground, I realized I couldn't do it any more. It was ruining my squat, but hanging out in a squat stretch often, even in just 1 week, really helped tons.
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    i'd never heard of those nor seen them done but i LOVE them from the looks of that vid! totally trying them!
    eta- and--- front squat with butt to the ground- REALLY??! i am super impressed- you have been rocking the weights!!! great work!
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    Thanks for the vid. They're a wee bit like t-bar rows but look a tad more difficult. I'll have to add these to my routines.
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    This Week
    It's really cute how I attempted to put myself of a set 3-day schedule. I might be gung-ho for a workout, but my kids have other plans! I have GOT to stay flexible - that is really the only reason I am in any kind of shape.

    So I'm just going by what I have time for. 1 bodypart, 2, whatever. Here's what's working these days:
    Hams + calves
    Back/ bi's
    Quads + calves
    Shoulders/ Chest/ Tris

    Those body parts in that order. Don't even have to get it all in a week. If I get 3 parts one day, ok, one - whatever I can get. I just always put a couple of days of rest after deads and try not to lift 2 days in a row. Just being consistent lifting in general is what is important anyway, I don't know why I keep feeling like I need to be on some rigid schedule right now.

    Tuesday : Shoulders/ Chest/ Tris
    This was a hot mess. Kids got up way earlier than anticipated so I had to stop about every 20 seconds or so - and I overcompensated for that. I NEVER work out like this, this was an off-day for sure, but here's what I ended up with:

    Military Press x6 (don't get too excited - they were quite lame actually which explains the rest of the workout lol)
    Cuban Press x3
    Dip x 3
    Close Gip Bench x 4
    Bench x 4
    Close Grip Pushups - just 1 set
    Rope Pulley - run the rack
    Military Press (back again after defeat) - going for 20 single reps - got 5 (will explain below)

    First of all - this body part combo makes sense on paper, but has been giving me issues for some time. I have been prioritizing chest lately and my bench is up at 105 for reps. My original goal was body weight, but I am actually feeling pretty satisfied with my bench. I am more concerned at this point with refocusing on the military press. I've been leaning toward doing some snatches and clean & jerks (as part of my new-found enthusiasm for cleaning the weight for squats). I just feel like military press is a little more relevant to that and if I am doing chest/ shoulders on the same day - I can only prioritize one.

    So I started with military press - going for 6 sets. Starting weight (warmup) - 65 lbs. Did 12 reps. Moved up to 75 pounds - 2 reps??? Well what in the flying f?? Ok, so rest a full 3 minutes (little one wanted more snacks anyway) and try this again. 2 reps again. Cursing, I get back to 65 pounds - a whopping 6 reps. Next set - 5 reps - and the last 2 are push presses!

    Geez. After that, I practiced my hang clean a a dozen or so times.

    I skipped my usual run the rack laterals in favor of Cuban Presses since the presses took less time and the kids needed adjustments every minute or so.

    Dips went great, as did cg benches. I'd been hating on the close grip bench lately - I got lazy with my form at some point and was not keeping my elbows in tight. This time I did and boy did I feel it. Regular benches were not originally on the menu, but I was so excited over my close-grips, I did benches as well. I only managed 80 pounds and for the first time ever - GOT STUCK! I set the weight down on my lower chest, , rolled it to my hips, sat up and pushed the bar off to the side. Did another set, got stuck AGAIN, repeated the process. I mean, really. So in once sense - great, I finally went to failure on a bench - but in another sense - yeah but it was with 80 pounds??

    While chewing on that tidbit of info, I did a set of close grip pushups to failure, ran the rack on the rope pulley and then got a brilliant idea.

    I was still fuming over the military presses. So I decided to try something that I read about from a book. The book is about squatting, but I am sure the method could apply to gaining strength in any major lift.

    Basically what you want to do, is select the weight that you can complete 10 reps with, but do 20. Take 3 good breaths between each rep.

    So here I am back with this 65lb barbell, set to do 20 reps. I got 5. Grrrrr.

    I got sore only hours after my 'workout'. Intensely sore. And then some cramps... I think my monthly friend is ready to arrive - that would explain a lot.

    Thursday - Deads?
    So if my frienemy does not arrive, it will be deadlifts tomorrow.

    Camping Back Workout Saturday
    Then this weekend I am going camping. I have my back workout planned out for the woods on Saturday and am really psychd up for it. I'll be doing my 25 in 5 Pull ups from a tree branch, and then I am sure I can find something out in the woods more than heavy enough to row. Then some slow chin ups and if I want to curl after that, load up a backpack with heavy rocks and curl it.

    I'm not worried about looking odd. What might look odd is if my deadlift day ends up being in the woods. In that case, I'll be bringing a hammer, nails and handle bars to the woods to nail to a giant log so I can deadlift strongman style. Ha! No reason to miss a workout folks. Except for period that is - that's about the only thing that can hold me down. lol.

    Originally Posted by jagadzie View Post
    front squat with butt to the ground
    Thanks! This came as a result of sitting around in the squat stretch - when I front-squatted after that, it felt like butt to the ground was the way to go - it feels really comfortable actually. I did notice that my butt and hams were a lot more sore after the butt to the ground front squats though - usually it is mainly my quads. And whatever muscle that is on the front of the shin is really affected by it as well - I never felt much there with a regular squat.
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    I'm impressed that you can concentrate on lifting with all your wee one's competing for your attention.

    I'm off camping soon too so might take some of your tips on board and try some logging lifts. I was worried about losing my oh so precious little muscle while I'm away.

    I'm also impressed with the way you do your workouts by how you feel at the time.
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    awesome workouts you go girl
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  26. #26
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    Deadlift mission for the day - Make sure I am not relying to much on my Versagrips.

    My DL shot up after getting them. I don't like to feel like I am relying on gear too much, so I wanted to make sure I could still do some decent deads sans the grips.

    Here's the workout:
    Calf Circuit (warm up) - walking lunges on toes, 20 weighted calf raises, straight leg jump 2 minutes, calf raises till burnout
    Deadlifts x 6 - last 2 sets were 245 (said I wasn't going to do that to myself anymore lol)
    RDL x 3
    Ball Hamstring Curl 2x to failure

    Work has been crazy - I only got a couple of hours of sleep last night, will only get a couple tonight as well then off to Shenandoah Valley tomorrow and I do want to feel somewhat alive for that. But I woke up very anxious to deadlift (gotta love it when that happens). So I got up early but my younger one heard me and came down too. He was good though!

    Warmed up with 135lbs for 12 reps. Then jumped to 185. Then 205. And I got so excited that before I knew it, 245. Versa-grip-free! I waited almost 3 minutes between most sets so they were strong (usually I don't get that long bc trying to hurry before kids are up)

    So after that, RDL's with only 135 (10 reps each set). THEN I wanted my grips. With the RDL's, I am really just burning out my hams the rest of the way. So the bar just barely taps the ground with each rep, and I am not resting just a minute or so between sets.

    With my real deadlifts, I am doing full deadlifts. The bar hits (ok, BANGS) the ground for a second between each rep. When I get to the really heavy sets, I fix my grip every single time that weight comes down. I caved and used my grips on my last set of RDLs. Fine by me. The bigger lifts are what I was concerned with anyway.

    Followed that with my usual ball curl. Geez I have had this same routine for AGES. But it's simple, it's fairly short and it works. So why change. The only thing I would like to change is the ball curl to a ham/glute raise, but I can't kneel on my left knee due to a bursa. Whatever. I think I will be doing this same ham routine my entire life, I love it lol.

    Ok so after that went to the park with my kids and DAYUM I don't know when my 4 year old got so good at soccer. We had so much fun playing and woah my legs have had it today now.


    Originally Posted by dawndm View Post
    I'm off camping soon too so might take some of your tips on board and try some logging lifts. I was worried about losing my oh so precious little muscle while I'm away..
    Have an awesome trip! Don't lose those muscles on your trip girl! Log lifting, kettlebell backbacks full of rocks, tree branch pull ups + dips, handstand pushups against a tree; you'll find a way
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  27. #27
    Registered User coconuttree2009's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by ilovethe80s View Post
    Deadlift mission for the day - Make sure I am not relying to much on my Versagrips.

    My DL shot up after getting them. I don't like to feel like I am relying on gear too much, so I wanted to make sure I could still do some decent deads sans the grips.

    Here's the workout:
    Calf Circuit (warm up) - walking lunges on toes, 20 weighted calf raises, straight leg jump 2 minutes, calf raises till burnout
    Deadlifts x 6 - last 2 sets were 245 (said I wasn't going to do that to myself anymore lol)
    RDL x 3
    Ball Hamstring Curl 2x to failure

    Work has been crazy - I only got a couple of hours of sleep last night, will only get a couple tonight as well then off to Shenandoah Valley tomorrow and I do want to feel somewhat alive for that. But I woke up very anxious to deadlift (gotta love it when that happens). So I got up early but my younger one heard me and came down too. He was good though!

    Warmed up with 135lbs for 12 reps. Then jumped to 185. Then 205. And I got so excited that before I knew it, 245. Versa-grip-free! I waited almost 3 minutes between most sets so they were strong (usually I don't get that long bc trying to hurry before kids are up)

    So after that, RDL's with only 135 (10 reps each set). THEN I wanted my grips. With the RDL's, I am really just burning out my hams the rest of the way. So the bar just barely taps the ground with each rep, and I am not resting just a minute or so between sets.

    With my real deadlifts, I am doing full deadlifts. The bar hits (ok, BANGS) the ground for a second between each rep. When I get to the really heavy sets, I fix my grip every single time that weight comes down. I caved and used my grips on my last set of RDLs. Fine by me. The bigger lifts are what I was concerned with anyway.

    Followed that with my usual ball curl. Geez I have had this same routine for AGES. But it's simple, it's fairly short and it works. So why change. The only thing I would like to change is the ball curl to a ham/glute raise, but I can't kneel on my left knee due to a bursa. Whatever. I think I will be doing this same ham routine my entire life, I love it lol.

    Ok so after that went to the park with my kids and DAYUM I don't know when my 4 year old got so good at soccer. We had so much fun playing and woah my legs have had it today now.



    Have an awesome trip! Don't lose those muscles on your trip girl! Log lifting, kettlebell backbacks full of rocks, tree branch pull ups + dips, handstand pushups against a tree; you'll find a way

    245lbs without versagrip? - Fantastic! I can't pass 130lbs without my grips.
    Are you wearing weightlifting belt? I've been warned to wear one for deadlifts and squats over my bodyweight to avoid hernia.
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  28. #28
    Registered User ilovethe80s's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by coconuttree2009 View Post
    245lbs without versagrip? - Fantastic! I can't pass 130lbs without my grips.
    Are you wearing weightlifting belt? I've been warned to wear one for deadlifts and squats over my bodyweight to avoid hernia.
    Hmm, you raise an interesting point. Is this an abdominal hernia being avoided by a belt, or is it more for the back?

    I did have abdominal hernias which I had to have operated on - they got progressively worse then intestines got caught inside (from pregnancy though - not deadlifting). Before the surgery, I was in a tight rubber abdominal binder because I could not hold myself up. Eventually, I lost ALL abdominal strength. When I started recovering from surgery, I still had to wear binder to stay upright because abs were so weak. I could not squat or deadlift (or even open a window)- even with no weight at all, because my abs were so weak. So at that point I wore my binder, plus a weight belt, and deadlifted anyway.

    I rehabbed my squats and deads for a full year, and eventually they got better than how they were when I left off. I did not like having to go from lifting 180 or whatever I was doing at the time, to no weight at all, but I had to build my core back up. This meant getting rid of the belt AND the binder (had to wait until I could stand and walk without binder first). So I spent tons of time on squats/ deads that were really not challenging for legs, but were strengthening my abs, and didn't progress in weight til the abs could take it.

    So out of habit now, I do really concentrate on holding those abs in for my squats and deads, and I am really conscious of that area. Also out of habit, I do stomach vacuums while recovering from my sets. But you are right, with the amount I am lifting now, I have been wondering if it would be a good idea to bring the belt back. Maybe have an 'over 200 pounds' rule, just to be safe. Up to 185 I feel very strong, but over 200 is a different kind of strain.
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  29. #29
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    Originally Posted by ilovethe80s View Post
    Hmm, you raise an interesting point. Is this an abdominal hernia being avoided by a belt, or is it more for the back?

    I did have abdominal hernias which I had to have operated on - they got progressively worse then intestines got caught inside (from pregnancy though - not deadlifting). Before the surgery, I was in a tight rubber abdominal binder because I could not hold myself up. Eventually, I lost ALL abdominal strength. When I started recovering from surgery, I still had to wear binder to stay upright because abs were so weak. I could not squat or deadlift (or even open a window)- even with no weight at all, because my abs were so weak. So at that point I wore my binder, plus a weight belt, and deadlifted anyway.

    I rehabbed my squats and deads for a full year, and eventually they got better than how they were when I left off. I did not like having to go from lifting 180 or whatever I was doing at the time, to no weight at all, but I had to build my core back up. This meant getting rid of the belt AND the binder (had to wait until I could stand and walk without binder first). So I spent tons of time on squats/ deads that were really not challenging for legs, but were strengthening my abs, and didn't progress in weight til the abs could take it.

    So out of habit now, I do really concentrate on holding those abs in for my squats and deads, and I am really conscious of that area. Also out of habit, I do stomach vacuums while recovering from my sets. But you are right, with the amount I am lifting now, I have been wondering if it would be a good idea to bring the belt back. Maybe have an 'over 200 pounds' rule, just to be safe. Up to 185 I feel very strong, but over 200 is a different kind of strain.
    It's for back too but mainly for abdominal hernia - the belt suppose to hold you in.
    I think it's a good idea with weights over 200lbs especially with your history. I still despite the warning don't normally bother with the belt with weights below 200lbs but when I am going for my PB (currently 210lbs) I do wear belt. You know know what they say - better safe than sorry.
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  30. #30
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    Shoulder/ Chest Tri (My official sloppy disaster day -trying to get it under control)
    Prioritizing presses over chest training/ benches now. I am actually thinking of omitting the bench, it just doesn't do it for me right now and zaps energy from stuff I actually care about.

    After spending so long focusing on strength (which I am still doing with some areas), I'm starting to become more conscious of aesthetics/ hypertrophy - and triceps are actually over chest on the priority list. I read a great article (posted courtesy of a fellow bb.com'er) thet really confirmed my thoughts about presses. Basically, if you can press it - you can bench it. So there you have it.

    My shoulders are without a doubt my best muscle aesthetically, but they are my weakest. Go figure. I think my goal now, is to bring up my weak strength points (really just shoulders now, and I want to work on my clean) and THEN focus on some real hypertrophy. Want to have the strength to back it up or I feel foolish lol.

    So here's what I went with with today (The C/C1 stuff indicates a superset):

    A. Military Press 20 single reps at just 65 pounds which i begrudgingly edited to 55 when I saw it wasn't happening
    I'm trying something new here with the 20 singles. I'm using a technique I had read about in a book(for squatting - where you pick a weight you can do for 10 reps and do 20, with 3 good breaths between each rep).

    I think this technique is good for me right now since
    1. My shoulders (in my own experience and also backed by the article I had just read) respond well to volume.
    2. I have been overdoing it - not satisfied unless I max out each session and then even try to burn it out beyond that. This will keep me in check (for shoulders, at least).
    3. My shoulders are clicking. Something's off, I'm sure it will straighten itself out eventually, but I feel better rehabbing a bit with this than piling on more weight right now

    Yeah, it would be a lot more excitement to get 100 pounds over my head, but I'm not worried about that, I know I can get there eventually this way. The path I am on is working everywhere else, but shoulders need a little extra help. 240lb deadlift and 65 pound shoulder press should not be going on on the same body. Time to even things out.


    B. Hang Clean 3x5 (just for practice - still brand new at this clean business and trying not to crush my clavicle).

    This was a 50% success rate, but my last set was 105 when last time I was struggling with 85lbs - so definite progress! This is one of the most confidence-inspiring exercises I have ever done. Every other rep I was failing. Because I am still new a this, I need to think through the movement. There is much to remember and it is not intuitive to me. Pull the bar (scarecrow shape with arms), jump, dive under the bar, catch on delts... When I hold the bar thinking 'uh oh I don't think I can do this, its not gonna land right, I'm gonna crush myself or drop the bar'.... guess what - it happens. When I pick up that bar and tell myself step by step what I should be doing - success. You can't second guess yourself, or you fail.

    I had this same feeling when learning how to deadlift, and now it is my best lift by far and they bring me tons of excitement. So I'm feeling good about this.

    When I started getting beat by the hang cleans, I swapped out my music for Vivaldi's Four Seasons in hopes of better concentration. What an awesome cd to work out to.

    C. Dumbell Alternating Press x 5
    This is also new. I meant to do just 4 sets, going for sets of 10. I only got that my 1st set which is fine, it just means I won't be progressing on weight for a while here. My 3rd set I only got 6 so I thought I was pretty much done. But my 4th set I did that rocking side to side thing and getting into that rhythm brought me back up to a set of 8. So, one more set after that.

    C1. Dip x 4
    Not sure I like supersetting these. I love dips, but my reps were 6 5 5 10. On the last one, I waited a good 3 minutes which is why it was a little better. I think it is a long road to dipping with a plate if I keep supersetting these. Still enjoyed them - one of my favorite exercises.

    D. Close Grip Bench x4
    No comment other than I really like these right now

    D1. Lateral Raise x 3
    No regrets about not doing the usual run the rack. Running the rack always made lateral raises a good bulk of my shoulder routine. Do they really need to be? No. This was a prefect pairing for a superset.

    E. Rope Pulley x 3

    F. Push up to failure - 11!! This caught me by surprise - thought I'd get more.

    By the end of this, I felt as though I had rocks taped to my triceps and my shoulders were swelled, we we might have a winning chest/ shoulder routine (for now anyway) after months of trial and error.

    Well, if I get enough rest tonight, tomorrow is deadlift day. And now that I have met my strength goals, thinking of changing a few things up there as well. All this change is too much excitement. lol
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