2ndfloor's progress

[tina722]

Hi!

Did you decide to do another meet?

[BrotherWolf]

I never use collars when I bench press so maybe you could leave the collars off. What do the wrist weights look like?

me neither better off without collars , if you should fail and you don't have a spotter you can dump the weight easily without collars .. that's one reason

the wrist weight are not a bad idea

[2ndfloor]

Hi!

Did you decide to do another meet?

There's a push pull in July I'd like to be ready for.

me neither better off without collars , if you should fail and you don't have a spotter you can dump the weight easily without collars .. that's one reason

the wrist weight are not a bad idea

Lol, I've been doing the "roll of shame" whenever I fail.

CathyVee (sorry I can't figure out how to quote your post from a previous page), I've been using the collars as a makeshift microplate, but they seem too light to make a difference. I'll let you know how the wrist weights work out. I'm heading to the gym later this afternoon.

[BrotherWolf]

Lol, I've been doing the "roll of shame" whenever I fail.

I don't know why they call it that there's no shame in failing... the shame is for those who never lift heavy enough to fail

[2ndfloor]

First time using the wrist weights as microplates!

I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. The wrist weights are 1 lb. each and cost much less than microplates. They fit nicely over the barbell, so much that they looked like they were made for that purpose.

Bench workout:

warm up with bar, 65

5x5 bench 87 lbs. with 3 minutes of rest between sets. These felt manageable. I probably could have done this workout with 90 lbs., but then I'm sure I would have been too tuckered to continue with the dumbbells.

3x5 dumbbell bench 40 lbs. with 3 minutes of rest between sets. I used to be able to do 5x5 after my barbell routine, but I knew after my 3rd set that there was no more left in me.

I'm nowhere near where I used to be at my peak in late March, but at least I'm headed in the right direction.

Finished off the workout with 4x7 assisted dips with 16 lbs. of counterweight and 2:30 minutes of rest between sets.

I'm not even going to post my weight since it's TOM (ugh), but I expect things to go back to normal within a few days.

[2ndfloor]

Pre-workout warm up: one arm dumbbell snatch 1x5 with the 20 and then 1x5 with the 30

Squat workout with the PT:

I showed him my 1 lb. wrist weights to use as microplates, and he laughed in my face. After I warmed up, he loaded the bar to 135 (which is 10 lbs. heavier than what I had been doing on my own) and had me do 2 sets of 5 with it.

2x5 wide stance squat 135 lbs. Each rep was to depth.

Ok, I'm coming back around with the squats. I'm probably where I was at last September with squatting. Need to build back up. I'll see if I can do 3x5 with the 135 next time.

Finished off with various machine stuff.

[tina722]

First time using the wrist weights as microplates!

I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. The wrist weights are 1 lb. each and cost much less than microplates. They fit nicely over the barbell, so much that they looked like they were made for that purpose.

Where did you get them from? I should have done the microplates a long time ago...

I showed him my 1 lb. wrist weights to use as microplates, and he laughed in my face.

?? Wierd. He doesn't think it would be helpful?

[2ndfloor]

Hi, tina! I got them from the bodybuilding.com site. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/va...stweights.html

I think he thought I was a wimp for wanting them, lol. In the end, I'm glad he didn't let me use them for this workout, or else I would have ended up squatting only 127 instead of 135. I'll continue to use them for my bench workouts, though.

[2ndfloor]

Bench day

warm up with bar, 65, 80
5x5 bench 90 lbs. with 4 minutes of rest between sets
3x5 barbell skull crushers 40 lbs. with 2:30 minutes of rest between sets

I usually don't break out the 4 minute rest until I get to 95, but I wanted to make sure I would be able to complete all of my sets/reps. This whole business of regaining my strength has been humbling and slow. I'll use the "microplates" next week to increase the weight to 92.

I've been afraid of working shoulders ever since I hurt my neck doing them. Even when I did dumbbell lateral raises last week, I could feel the area acting up again. I did everything my chiropractor told me to do--warm up slowly, etc.--but it's still a problem.

Weigh in was 124.75 lbs. Still dealing with water retention from TOM. I hope this goes away by tomorrow.

[2ndfloor]

Squat day

warm up with bar, 65, 95
3x5 wide-stance squat 135 lbs. with 4 minutes of rest between sets
2x8 one arm row 40 lbs. with 1:30 of rest between sets

I tried a different warm up sequence with the squats today. Instead of having an intermediary warm up set between 95 and my work set, I went straight to my work set. This seems to work better for me. I may have been warming up too much in the past and taxing myself before I got to my work set. I was surprised at how manageable this workout was for me when I did it this way.

Also, I'm getting the hang of these low-bar, wide-stance squats. I didn't think they would work for me when I first tried them last year, but something just "clicked" after I took a break from squatting altogether and then went back to them low-bar style.

I'm starting to lose strength in my one arm rows. I used to be able to get 3 sets out of these.

[2ndfloor]

Increasing on the squats

warm up with bar, 75, 105
3x5 wide-stance squat 140 with 4 minutes of rest between sets

warm up with 25
2x12 one arm dumbbell row 35 with 1 minute of rest between sets

I initially wanted to do 3x3 on the squats, but after I did my 3rd rep on the 1st set, I just went for the extra 2 since it felt too easy to stop there. I'm looking through my journal from last year, and it appears like I've regained the strength I had back in November. Now... onwards and upwards!

Weighed in at 123.5.

[2ndfloor]

Satisfying bench workout

warm up with bar, 65, 80
3x5 bench 92 followed by 2x5 bench 90 with 4 minutes of rest between sets
3x5 dumbbell bench 40 with 3 minutes of rest between sets
3x7 barbell skull crushers 40 with 2:30 minutes of rest between sets

I feel like I'm almost back where I was when my strength peaked in late March/early April.

[2ndfloor]

Continuing to increase on the squats

warm up with bar, 75, 105
3x5 wide-stance squat 145 with 4 minutes of rest between sets

Supplementary exercises on machines with PT.

My body is really adjusting well to the return to squats. I expected 145 to be difficult for me, but it wasn't. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard, either. After I finished my work sets, I felt like I could have done more.

[2ndfloor]

Bench day

warm up with bar, 65, 80
4x5 bench 92, followed by 1x5 bench 90 (4 minutes rest between sets)
3x5 dumbbell bench 40 (4 minutes rest between sets, with a slow eccentric contraction on the last rep of the last set)

The creepy, pervy guy who doesn't even try to hide that he leers at me was in the corner of the gym that had the assisted dip machine, so I skipped those today.

The 4th set of the bench at 92 lbs. was a tough one, but when I took the 1 lb. weights off each side, 90 lb. felt like a breeze for that last set. Weird difference that 2 lbs. makes!

I've accepted that this unusual weight gain is here to stay. I weighed in at 125.5 lbs. today. 2 lbs. in 2 weeks may not seem like a whole lot to most people here, but it's very rare for me. The hard thing for me to accept is that my strength gain hasn't kept up with the weight gain, so I can't justify being heavier. Back in March, I was at this same level of strength but lighter in body weight.

Can somebody explain how to change the weight on your profile on this new system? When I go to "edit" on my weight in my profile, I change it and click "save," but it just won't save. I click it over and over again, but it doesn't work.

[MaliaBot]

Hmm....just tried to edit my weight and it won't save either. Could be a temporary thing. :|

[2ndfloor]

First time trying out the squat shoes

warm up with bar, 95
3x5 wide stance squat 150 (5 minutes rest between sets)
3x5 one arm dumbbell snatch 35 (2 minutes rest between sets)

The squat shoes felt really good, but they didn't make as much of a difference as I thought they would. I probably need to stay at 145 for another week or two before moving up. So, they are not "magic" shoes, but I'm glad they will help me improve from here on out.

[kjake55]

It sounds like you're getting stronger with every set and being smart about when to move the weight up. Nice work going on in here!

[CathyVee]

Bench day

warm up with bar, 65, 80
4x5 bench 92, followed by 1x5 bench 90 (4 minutes rest between sets)
3x5 dumbbell bench 40 (4 minutes rest between sets, with a slow eccentric contraction on the last rep of the last set)

The creepy, pervy guy who doesn't even try to hide that he leers at me was in the corner of the gym that had the assisted dip machine, so I skipped those today.

The 4th set of the bench at 92 lbs. was a tough one, but when I took the 1 lb. weights off each side, 90 lb. felt like a breeze for that last set. Weird difference that 2 lbs. makes!

I've accepted that this unusual weight gain is here to stay. I weighed in at 125.5 lbs. today. 2 lbs. in 2 weeks may not seem like a whole lot to most people here, but it's very rare for me. The hard thing for me to accept is that my strength gain hasn't kept up with the weight gain, so I can't justify being heavier. Back in March, I was at this same level of strength but lighter in body weight.

Can somebody explain how to change the weight on your profile on this new system? When I go to "edit" on my weight in my profile, I change it and click "save," but it just won't save. I click it over and over again, but it doesn't work.

Maybe it was just temporary as I was able to change my weight today.

Nice squats! How wide is your stance? I might need to try that as I am feeling somewhat unbalanced lately.

That creepy, pervy guy sounds very weird. Have you ever confronted him?

[2ndfloor]

Thanks, guys! Always nice to have a cheering set of friends here!

CathyVee, I'll try to change my weight again. Maybe it will work this time. I use a stance that is slightly wider than the one Mark Rippetoe recommends in Starting Strength. His recommended width is for quad strength and development, but the wider powerlifting style stance is for maximum leverage under heavy loads. About the creepy guy... I've never said anything to him. In the past, I have just pretended to ignore it, but it's starting to really bug me. I think he knows I'm afraid of him, because every time we cross paths, I startle and move to the side to give him a wide berth.

Edit and update: Still no luck with changing the weight in my profile. :/

[2ndfloor]

Squat and upper back/shoulder day

warm up with bar, 75, 115
3x5 wide-stance squat 145 (4 minutes rest between sets)

warm up with 20, 50
5x5 seated cable row 65 (2 minutes rest between sets)

2x10 rotator cuff work, 1st plate on cable machine (I did all exterior and interior rotations, and then I had a 2 minute rest before I repeated)

[tina722]

Weights look good. Which shoes did you end up getting?

[2ndfloor]

Weights look good. Which shoes did you end up getting?

Hi, tina! I got these:

http://www.maxbarbell.com/collection...tlifting-shoes

I've only used them twice since I got them, and they feel really stiff right now, but I guess I'm still breaking them in.

[2ndfloor]

Bench day with the PT:

warm up with bar, 65, 80
3x4 bench 95
3x4 incline dumbbell bench 40 (some were forced reps)
2x10 assisted dips with 22 lbs. of counterweight
2x10 pec machine (I forget how much)

[tina722]

Are you using the shoes for deadlifting also? Which reminds me, I don't think I've seen you do a deadlifting workout lately....???

Bench/squat are looking awesome though. 40s for incline!!

[2ndfloor]

Hi, tina! The squat shoes have a slightly elevated heel which makes one tip forward, so I stick with my ballet slippers for deadlifting. I took a few weeks off from DLs because I was beginning to plateau, so I was trying to see if working on squats for a while would get me out of my rut. Now that I have a shoulder issue that keeps me from doing back squats, I'm going to go back to DLing.

Phew! I have several days' worth of workouts I haven't logged, yet. I'm going to transfer this from my other journal:

6/1/12

Squat workout

warm up with bar, 75, 115
3x5 wide-stance squat 145 lbs. with 4 minutes rest between sets.
Ouch! My shoulder--which has been "tickling" for a while--really took me out of commission on these back squats. (I've had a left shoulder issue ever since switching from high bar to low bar squatting.) I was in so much pain after my last set that I just ended my workout there and went home to ice it.

6/3/12

Deadlift workout

warm up with bar, 135, 175
1x5 deadlift 200 lbs. with left hand pronated
warm up with 30, 50
4x4 seated cable row 70 lbs. with 3 minutes rest between sets

6/4/12

Dumbbell bench workout

warm up with 20, 35 (someone had the 30's)
1x8, 1x7, 1x6, 1x5 dumbbell bench 40 lbs. with 3 minutes rest between sets
My goal had been to do 4x8, but I tired out quickly. Maybe I should shoot for 4x7 next time--perhaps rest 4 minutes--and see what happens.

4x10 triceps push downs 45 lbs. with 2 minutes rest between sets.

My chiropractor gave me some shoulder stretches and rehab exercises. In the meantime, I'm going to get the hang of front squatting to sub for back squats until I can do them again.

[2ndfloor]

First day back to squats after shoulder rest and rehab

warmed up with stretches and rehab shoulder work (clockwise and counterclockwise circles with 7.5 dumbbell)

warm up with bar, 85, 125
3x3 wide-stance squat 155 lbs. with 5 minutes of rest between sets

more rehab shoulder work

I tried a wider grip on the squats which seemed to relieve the stress quite a bit. Also, I'm doing sets of no more than 3 reps each to minimize the amount of time my shoulder is in that position. I'm noticing that the moment I wince the most is the re-racking of the weights when there is that sudden push back on the shoulder once the bar hits the uprights. I just need to be extra gentle with that.

I'm spending more time on rehab exercises than on exercises building strength, but I don't care just as long as I continue to be able to do what I want to do.

[kjake55]

Rehab work is strength building work in a way. Don't get down about it. Keep being smart about things and you'll get back to where you were. You've got great work going on in here for sure. 40# DB bench presses are no joke.

[2ndfloor]

Rehab work is strength building work in a way. Don't get down about it. Keep being smart about things and you'll get back to where you were. You've got great work going on in here for sure. 40# DB bench presses are no joke.

Thanks! You are so right to remind me of that. I just need to be patient and keep at it. BTW, I tried out the front squats, and I don't think they are going to work for me. I'm just going to reduce back squatting in volume and frequency while continuing my rehab exercises.

Bench session with the PT:

warm up with bar, 65, 80
3x3 bench 97 lbs. (first time at this weight and volume; hooray for the "microplates"!)
3x8 incline dumbbell bench 35 lbs.
various ab and tricep assistance exercises

[tina722]

what didn't you like about the fronts? and did you try bb style or olympic?

Nice workouts!!!

[2ndfloor]

^Thanks, tina! I tried doing front squats in the rack position (oly style, bar held in place by fingertips, elbows up), but I don't have the flexibility for that. I know Mark Rippetoe has stretches that can help you get that flexibility, but that then becomes another thing I need to do. I guess I could do it using the other grip (is that bb? style), but that doesn't feel as stable to me for some reason. I saw a video on how to do zerchers yesterday, and I suppose that's always another possibility.

Continuing carefully with the squats:

warm up with bar, 75, 115
3x3 wide stance squat 155 lbs. with 5 minutes rest between sets

Shoulder rehab exercises

These low rep squat sets combined with my shoulder rehab exercises are making a noticeable improvement in my discomfort. When I did my squats today, I only felt a slight tickle instead of the excruciating pain I had a week ago. I like these low rep sets. They are actually better for PL training purposes, but I also like to change things up a bit every now and then, and I don't know how much longer I can do 3x3's before they start to feel stale. I suppose I could go down to doubles or singles, though. :P