gwnorth's Road to Starting Strength

[gwnorth]

Thanks for the info. I find tightness is an issue also. It is good, though, that you are not compromising form in order to log higher numbers. I see too many folks performing lifts in the most strange ways with far too heavy weights. I am glad that I had very strict, form-obsessed folks helping (including my hubby) when I first started lifting. I am the last person to preach patience, but I am sure, with time, you will be more pleased with form and this will facilitate the lifts you expect.

I find BSS have really helped with my leg shape. I do them @ the Smith machine. I have zilch balance and when I try to do them with DB, I don't get a good session in b/c I spend too much energy on balance. I know I should do them more w/ DB because of this, but oh well. It is hard trying to fit in all the exercises we want to / feel we need to, isn't it? I'll be interested to see what the programs look like once I actually start working w/ my coach

Have a great day!

CC

I need to catch up with your journal. I didn't know you had hired a coach. I'll be popping in soon to see what you've been up to.

[gwnorth]

Workout A

Warm Up

Yoga Push Ups - downward dog to push up
10x1

Goblet Squats
39.5x10x2

Plie Squats
18x10x2

Adductors
100x10x2

Main Set

Bench Press
45x5x1
65x5x1
85x4x1
85x3x1 Grip was too narrow
85x4x1
80x5x1

Felt stronger today. Progress is ever so slow but coming.

Front Squat
45x10x2

These felt much better. I think if I got some wrist wraps, I might be able to hold the bar in the "clean" position which would help enormously.

Back Squat
125x3x1
115x5x1
110x5x1
105x5x1

Still not liking my form (thus the decreasing weights). I'm going to keep on dropping the weight until I can get comfortably parallel and then start rebuilding.

Deadlift
160x5x2

Wide Grip Lat Pull Down
75x10x4

Ready to bump this up.

BB Bent Over Row
55x10x3

Cardio - Treadmill
05:00/0.81k (0.50 mi) warm up
30:00/5.04k (3.13 mi) progression
05:00/0.48k (0.30 mi) cool down

Total 40:00/6.33k (3.93 mi)

Well after a cut back week last week I felt stronger today, even though I came down with a cold on Saturday. It's not that bad, just a bit of a stuffy/runny nose. I cut a few exercises out and reduced my cardio. In fact I had only planned to run for 15-20 minutes after doing my weights but I felt really good and went for the full 30 minutes. I figured since I hadn't run in a week I might need to ease back into it but it went fine.

Today I am officially beginning a cut. I'm 10lbs heavier than in my avi which was taken in April when I upped my calories to "maintenance". I haven't been counting calories or tracking my macros. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat at maintenance without the vigilance of couting calories. Either my body's natural set point is higher than what I'd like it to be, or I suck at reading my body's cues of when it's had enough.

I don't think I'll be able to maintain my current program on fewer calories. I can barely manage as it is and my recovery has been suffering. In order to make this work I'm actually going to follow the general recommendations and cut down some of my cardio. I'm going to drop the spin class for now as I find it very challenging and I'm not really enjoying it. My regular gym doesn't have a pool so when I go back next month, I'll swap out swimming for spinning as I like their spin classes much more. I'll be cutting my swim down to 30 minutes easy pace and my 2 runs from 50 minutes to 40. That will leave me with 2 runs, 1 swim, and 1 yoga. Hopefully that will be ok.

I've calculated my caloric needs to be around 1980 per day and I'll be cutting on 1600. If all goes well, I should see a drop of around 3/4 lbs per week. That means it could take me up to 3.5 months to lose 10 lbs which is slower than I'd like but a good place to start. If I find I am managing well and I'm not losing strength then I might cut back a bit more to speed the process up a bit more. When I was dieting I averaged around 4 lbs a month but then I wasn't that concerned with muscle loss. I was also lifting higher volume/lower weight than what I'm doing now.

So to start today my macros were:
1589 cals
52.5g fat
138g carbs
149g protein

my targets are
1600 cals
60g fat
145-155g carbs
120-135g protein

I don't mind being a bit higher in protein and a little lower in carbs, but I'm going to avoid going as low carb as I did when I was dieting with the hopes that a) I'll have more energy, and b) I'll see less water weight rebound after I finish cutting.

Any way you look at it though, dieting sucks and I'm hungry. I didn't do a very good job of portioning my calories today and had too much at lunch. That left me with 0 cals until dinner by which time I was starving. I'll try to do better tomorrow. I better see some muscle definition at the end of this!

[gwnorth]

Yoga - 1 hr Yin/Restorative Yoga

Not sure I should actually count this as exercise. Lots of stretching poses held for long periods of time. Don't think it burned very many calories.

I had originally planed to swim today and do yoga on Thursday, which is a bit more active class, but they were calling for a chance of thundershowers this morning, so I switched them around.

[CathyVee]

Today I am officially beginning a cut. I'm 10lbs heavier than in my avi which was taken in April when I upped my calories to "maintenance". I haven't been counting calories or tracking my macros. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat at maintenance without the vigilance of couting calories. Either my body's natural set point is higher than what I'd like it to be, or I suck at reading my body's cues of when it's had enough.

I wanted to wish you luck on your cut. I'm dieting, too and I've noticed that we have similar stats and macro targets so it will be nice to follow along with you. I think you'll do fine on 1600 cals. I've been aiming between 1500 and 1600 cals (down almost 8 lbs since May) and have been more diligent lately about tracking and the weight loss has been pretty steady.

I saw your thread in the Fat Loss section and I couldn't believe that one guy wanted you to have 200 grams of protein a day!

[gwnorth]

I wanted to wish you luck on your cut. I'm dieting, too and I've noticed that we have similar stats and macro targets so it will be nice to follow along with you. I think you'll do fine on 1600 cals. I've been aiming between 1500 and 1600 cals (down almost 8 lbs since May) and have been more diligent lately about tracking and the weight loss has been pretty steady.

I saw your thread in the Fat Loss section and I couldn't believe that one guy wanted you to have 200 grams of protein a day!

Best of luck with your cut as well. By the looks of your Avi you have more muscle than me (or at least a more defined back lol). How low are you looking to cut?

When I was dieting I went as low as 1200 cals but that was too hard to stick to and did yucky things to my hormones. 1600 is hard enough to stick to. If I were to eat 200g of protein that would only leave me around 65g of carbs which would make me very very cranky.

[gwnorth]

Workout B

Warm Up

Yoga Push Ups
BWx10x1

Twisting Glute Bridge
BWx6x2 (per side)

Kettlebell Plie Squats
18kgs/39.5x10x2

Kettlebell Goblet Squats
15x10x2

Adductors
110x10x2

Main Set

DB Flat Chest Press
30x8x1
35x5x2
30x8x1

Tried to get the 35s up for the first set but couldn't so did one set with the 30s and then was able to get 2 sets at 35. I tried getting the 35s up a 3rd time though I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to, and I was right, so finished with another set of 30s. It's times like this I miss having a spotter.

Front Squats
45x10x2

These are actually starting to feel really good, but I know I'd do better if I could hold the bar in the "clean position". The biggest issue seems to be the pressure on my wrists, so I bought a new pair of gloves with wrist wraps. I'm curious to see if they will help (might also help with flat chest press too).

Back Squats
100x5x3

Still not 100% parallel but much closer. I'll be sticking with this weight until I'm satisfied with my form.

Overhead BB Push Press
55x5x3

BB Upright Row
50x10x3

DB Shoulder Complex - Alternating lateral and front raises
7.5x20x3

Ham-Glute Raises
BW+10x12x4 w :02 pauses at the top

[gwnorth]

Cardio
30 min easy paced swim with fins

Yoga
1 hr slow flow

Saw the chiropractor this morning and my hips/SI joint/sciatic nerve are doing well. I've really been concentrating on my stretching lately and started using the dreaded foam roller after my lifting sessions which I think is helping. I go back to see him again in a month.

Kids are going rock climbing this evening so I figured I might as well do yoga since my Tuesday class, while great stretching, wasn't very active. This class is also considerably less strenous than the spin class I used to do Thurs evening but decided to drop for now.

[tina722]

Well after a cut back week last week I felt stronger today, even though I came down with a cold on Saturday. It's not that bad, just a bit of a stuffy/runny nose. I cut a few exercises out and reduced my cardio. In fact I had only planned to run for 15-20 minutes after doing my weights but I felt really good and went for the full 30 minutes. I figured since I hadn't run in a week I might need to ease back into it but it went fine.

workout looked really good - all the lifts are moving along nicely. RE: running, I had a similar experience on my trip - I dislike running out here in the city (roads) and on the treadmill, but in the country, on the trails it was soo nice and enjoyable.

Today I am officially beginning a cut. I'm 10lbs heavier than in my avi which was taken in April when I upped my calories to "maintenance". I haven't been counting calories or tracking my macros. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat at maintenance without the vigilance of couting calories. Either my body's natural set point is higher than what I'd like it to be, or I suck at reading my body's cues of when it's had enough.

I don't think I'll be able to maintain my current program on fewer calories. I can barely manage as it is and my recovery has been suffering. In order to make this work I'm actually going to follow the general recommendations and cut down some of my cardio. I'm going to drop the spin class for now as I find it very challenging and I'm not really enjoying it. My regular gym doesn't have a pool so when I go back next month, I'll swap out swimming for spinning as I like their spin classes much more. I'll be cutting my swim down to 30 minutes easy pace and my 2 runs from 50 minutes to 40. That will leave me with 2 runs, 1 swim, and 1 yoga. Hopefully that will be ok.

cutting! I'm kidding - you are a pro at this, should be fine, even if a little uncomfortable at first.

To help with recovery, you could also consider cutting back on your work sets. 2 sets of lat pull downs, fewer sets of bench - that sort of thing.

Calorie/macro targets look good!

Edited to add: I'm glad you like the front squats - I find them a lot easier as well.

[gwnorth]

To help with recovery, you could also consider cutting back on your work sets. 2 sets of lat pull downs, fewer sets of bench - that sort of thing.

Calorie/macro targets look good!

Miranda made a similar recommendation. I've cut out a few of my assistance exercises and I've cut back a bit on my cardio, so I'll see how it goes. I will try continuing to progress with my program as is and play it by ear. If I find I'm not recovering then I'll look at dropping sets.

Edited to add: I'm glad you like the front squats - I find them a lot easier as well.

The squating I find easier, but I'm still struggling with holding the bar.

[gwnorth]

Workout C

Warm Up

Yoga Push Ups
BWx10x1

Twisting Glute Bridge
BWx6x2 (per side)

Kettlebell Plie Squats
18kgs/39.5x10x2

Kettlebell Goblet Squats
15x10x2

Adductors
115x10x2

Main Set

Superset 1
DB Incline Chest Press
25x10x4 - Tried to get the 30's up several times, but just couldn't manage it today
Front Squats
50x10x4 - tried underhand grip with my new gloves w wrist wraps, but I think I'm going to have to stick with crossed arms

Back Squats
85x10x4 - finally getting parallel, so I will start building back up from here

Seated Row
35x10x4

Superset 2
DB Bicep Curls
20x9x2
20x7x1
20x6x1
DB Tricep Extensions
17.5x12x4

Planks - 1 Legged
1:15x2

Cardio - Treadmill
45:00/6.84k (4.25 mi)

[latebloomingmom]

just popping in to see how you are doing and say Hi
I have been so bad about doing this lately I need to catch up..

[gwnorth]

just popping in to see how you are doing and say Hi
I have been so bad about doing this lately I need to catch up..

No worries. You certainly have plenty on your plate at the moment. I just wish I had more support to be able to offer to you.

[gwnorth]

No camp for the kids the next 2 weeks so most of my workouts will be from home.

Workout A

Warm Up

Cardio - Bike
10:00/3.43 mi

Yoga Push Ups
BWx10x1

Dynamic Stretching

Main Set

Bench Press
45x5x1
65x5x1
85x5x2 - these felt so good I decided to go for 90
90x4x1

Wonder if it was because I was working out in the afternoon that I felt so much stronger. Usually I train in the morning.

Front Squat
55x5x2

Back Squat
90x5x2 - meant to do 100lbs but miscalculated
100x5x2 - made the correction, and these felt pretty good. I think the mistaken 2 sets were a good warm up.

Deadlift
165x5x2

Very very difficult and last 2 reps of the last set weren't full lock out

Wide Grip Lat Pull Down
55x10x4 - home machine weights are different than those at the gym

BB Bent Over Row
60x10x4

Side Plank
BWx2 per side @ 0:45

[tina722]

You could try using straps like this to front squat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQb0OZCtqBk


I hadn't realized that you had a home gym? That's pretty cool. Very nive dead numbers - not long ago that you wern't doing them at all.

[gwnorth]

You could try using straps like this to front squat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQb0OZCtqBk

Oooh thank you for that. I think I'll see if I can pick up some straps. That might solve my problem.

I hadn't realized that you had a home gym? That's pretty cool.

Dh is a serial hobbyist and never does anything by half measure. He however invariably starts at a certain level of "equipment" and then decides to upgrade. As a result when he first set up our home gym he bought a squat rack, bar & plates, bench, & dumbells new. A while in he decided he wanted a power cage and managed to pick one up used along with another bench, bar, and more plates. The power rack also has dip bars, pull up/chin handles (as does the squat rack) and a cable attachment, and the bench can be also used for leg extensions and hamstring curls with weight plates. I find that they provide less assistance than the cable/pully machines at the gym and I need to lower my weights on our home equipment. In addition to that we have sundry equipment like an exercise bike (which I hate), stability balls, and an ab roller. I could even ride my road bike indoors on our bike trainer. We also have an inground pool but it's not really big enough to do laps in. You could do it, but it wouldn't be very efficient.

I don't actually need to go to the gym to work out. I just find myself better motivated to workout at the gym when surrounded by like minded people. It's very lonely all by myself in the basement . It does have the advantage that I can set up both the power cage and squat rack to make it easier to move between exercises without constantly having to load and unload the bar and the same if dh and I are working out together. The only thing we don't have that I might like is a treadmill.

Very nice dead numbers - not long ago that you wern't doing them at all.

160lbs on the deads is tough but do-able. 165 is very very tough - you wouldn't think 5lbs would make that much of a difference. I'd love some day to be able to dead 200 lbs. Still you're right. I hurt my back the beginning of May and only started deading again very lightly at the end of June. I was able to increase my weight fairly quickly but I think the gains from here on in are going to be much slower.

[gwnorth]

Cardio
Outdoor Run - 40:00 5.23k/3.25 mi

I haven't run outside in over 3 years. It took a bit of psyching up and necessity to get me out the door. I've been running treadmill exclusively for the past year and a half. With the kids home, it didn't seem to make much sense to drag them to the gym with me so I could run for 30 minutes. As I mentioned to Tina above, despite all the workout equipment we do have, a treadmill is not one of them. So I ran outside and the kids accompanied me on their bikes. Despite their ages (8 and almost 11), they are actually novice bike riders. They only got their training wheels off last year (and I had to send them to camp to get it done as for the life of me I couldn't teach them) and really haven't done very much riding. DS#1 got a new bike this year with gears and is still getting used to it. Both the boys are still fairly wobbly and need much practice. Unfortunately our street isn't one where they can just go out and ride their bikes. I need to accompany them and as a result they haven't done much riding.

The run went surprisingly well. The loop I do starts off downhill which works out well for both the boys and me as it allows us to get our legs warmed up. I spent so much time focusing on the kids and watching out for traffic and obstacles, that it kept me distracted from running and the time flew by. I would have been able to do it quite a bit faster if I had been on my own without having to stop to walk bikes across streets and the occaisional losses of balance, but it was good for all of us.

We'll do it again on Thursday.

[marathonmom262]

Fun run with the kids! I really like heading out with my youngest in the stroller and my 5 year old doing little sprint/walks. We do some running and some walking and suddenly it's been 30 minutes, my daughter and I are both sweaty, and we're back to the house already (I can't really do much more with her because she just gets too tired on those little legs!) Our house is situated at the bottom of a bowl pretty much (our neighborhood is called Forest Hill - very hilly here haha) so it is just too hard to get out with my daughter on a bike and it really sucks to start even a solo run from the house because you can't get into a good groove when you're running up .25 mile steep hill just a few minutes into your run! So I'm super jealous of your downhill start!

How are you feeling with your cut? I had read your posts in the other forums and the advice given and was wondering how you are feeling in general and how happy you are with progress? While I'm technically on "cut" calories for my weight I'm still in a bit of a wait it out phase to get my weight to level off after doing a pretty big increase in cals and decrease in activity. We'll see... but I'm looking forward to following you on a similar adventure!

[gwnorth]

Fun run with the kids! I really like heading out with my youngest in the stroller and my 5 year old doing little sprint/walks. We do some running and some walking and suddenly it's been 30 minutes, my daughter and I are both sweaty, and we're back to the house already (I can't really do much more with her because she just gets too tired on those little legs!) Our house is situated at the bottom of a bowl pretty much (our neighborhood is called Forest Hill - very hilly here haha) so it is just too hard to get out with my daughter on a bike and it really sucks to start even a solo run from the house because you can't get into a good groove when you're running up .25 mile steep hill just a few minutes into your run! So I'm super jealous of your downhill start!

How are you feeling with your cut? I had read your posts in the other forums and the advice given and was wondering how you are feeling in general and how happy you are with progress? While I'm technically on "cut" calories for my weight I'm still in a bit of a wait it out phase to get my weight to level off after doing a pretty big increase in cals and decrease in activity. We'll see... but I'm looking forward to following you on a similar adventure!

I don't know if it's because I'm a better distance runner than sprinter, but it always takes me about 10 min to get my legs and breathing warmed up and into a groove. That's one of the advantages of starting at the top of the "hill". I put hill in " " because it's a fairly gentle down grade going out but a shorter steeper one back up on the way home. I was actually proud that the boys made it up the hill on the way home without having to get off their bikes. Today though my youngest said he'd rather run with me than ride his bike when I run. There's no way he could go the distance but I told him if he wanted to I could go with him on a run and it would be his run. We'd run his pace for as far as he wanted. He's actually pretty fast, but like your daughter it's sprint/walks. I guess it could make for a bit of a fartlek run. For my run he still has to ride his bike.

My cut is going well. Since I'm working out from home this week my cardio is a bit more reduced so I cut my calories down a bit more to maintain the same deficit. Last week was tough in terms of being hungry, but I'm getting back into the groove and better timing my meals to control my appetite. So far on the scale I'm down about 2.5 lbs but part of that is due to TOM. I expect things will be a bit slower from here on in. I have a BIA scale (footplates) at home and while I know they aren't 100% accurate at least it can show me a trend. According to it my bf% has dropped this past week and it is now showing me the lowest bf% it ever has - 28.3%. Regardless of how accurate it is, I take it as a sign that progress is being made.

[gwnorth]

Workout B

Warm Up

Cardio - Stationary Bike
10:00/3.5 mi 90 RPM

Yoga Push Ups
BWx10x1

Twisting Glute Bridge
BWx6x2 (per side)

Dynamic Stretching

Main Set

DB Flat Chest Press
25x5x1
30x8x3

Tried the 35's again but couldn't get them up. Dh gave me some advice on my technique which I will try next time and see if it helps to be able to get the 35's up into position. Since I had to use the 30's I increased my reps.

Front Squats
60x5x2

Back Squats
60x5x1
90x5x1
110x5x3

Very difficult

Superset
Overhead BB Push Press
60x5x3
BB Upright Row
45x10x3

I've been doing 45lb upright rows at the gym and so wanted to increase to 50lbs, but found that I couldn't. At the gym I use a fixed weight bb but at home I have to use the Oly bar and though they weigh the same, the leverage is much tougher with the Oly bar so I had to stay with 45lbs.

DB Shoulder Complex - Alternating lateral and front raises
8x16x4

The gym has 7.5lb dbs but at home I have 8lbs so had to drop the reps a bit. I added an extra set instead.

Ham-Glute Raises - skipped

I have no way to do these at home. I could have done hip thrusters but decided to call it a day and the boys and I jumped in the pool.

[marathonmom262]

Regardless of how accurate it is, I take it as a sign that progress is being made.

I know exactly what you mean - I like to at least use the BIA for a comparison of water weight, what the overall weight says, and how I am feeling. And while the number in itself may be incredibly inaccurate I do agree that it does give you somewhat of a trend over time (for example in January I would see BF numbers between 32 and 36% first thing in the morning - now I regularly see anywhere between 24 and 29% first thing in the morning - I like that trend even if the numbers are totally off!).

I was doing the "my daughter's run" versus "my run" thing for a while when she could still ride in my jogging stroller - as late as this spring I'd still take her out for 3-4 miles in the stroller and in a lot of areas I'd let her do some running with me and I'd push an empty stroller (which actually is harder haha!). Even though I'd get a decent distance in it overall, it was really more for her because we were moving so sporadically. She's just too big for the stroller now though, and we both miss having that special time together - we ran together for 5 years (as long as she can remember) - oh it's so hard sometimes when they are growing up into a new phase of life! Our neighborhood is just too hilly and the sidewalks are too bad (lots of old trees/roots have destroyed it since we are in an older neighborhood) to safely take her out around here on her bike. Maybe in another 2 years I'll feel better about her skills on a bike and being able to ride on the sidewalk and/or side of the road with me!

[gwnorth]

AM
Cardio
Outdoor Run - 51:00/7.02k (4.36 mi)

Ran with the boys on their bikes again. Did a different route on paved fitness trails. The original plan was to do about 6k but we made a couple of wrong turns so ended up with 7k. This run was tougher as the boys generally rode faster and there were fewer needs to stop due to traffic. We did however have one fall off the bike with a corresponding need to fix a bike chain so actual moving time was closer to 45 min.

I wore my GPS watch which informs me my average running pace was 6:37 min/km. I looked back at my watch data history. The last entry I have was for a run in July 2008 as I was training for a 1/2 Ironman Tri (which I didn't end up racing) so it would seem that my last outdoor run was actually 4 years ago. On the bright side, my run pace then was about the same.

PM
Yoga
60 min Slow Flow

[gwnorth]

Workout C - Part I

Warm Up

Cardio - Stationary Bike
10:00/3.35 mi

Yoga Push Ups
BWx10x1

Twisting Glute Bridge
BWx6x1 (per side)

Dynamic Stretching

Main Set

Front Squat
45x5x2
55x10x2

Back Squat
45x5x1
65x5x1
90x10x3

I supersetted the warm up sets and then alternated with a break in between for the work sets. By the time I got to my 3rd set of 10 on the back squats, I was getting the depth I wanted, but by then I was seriously tanked. I need to find the right balance between the volume I need to warm up my hip flexors and still having the endurance to go heavy on my work sets.

Incline Chest Press
25x10x1
30x6x1
25x10x1

Tried to get the 30's up the first time with no success so I did a set with the 25's. DS#1 helped me get the 30's up for the 2nd set, but I realized I was just fooling myself and I just didn't have it in me today, so I finished off with another set of 25's and called it a day. I'll finish the rest of my workout tomorrow. I went and jumped in the pool instead.

I think I over did it yesterday. I had a slight headache after my run, probably due to dehydration. I'm not acclimatized to running in the heat, though with the breeze and occaisional shade it didn't feel that hot to me at the time. The headache came back during Yoga and by the end my legs felt like jello. Had a really rough night. Tossed and turned a lot and had difficulty falling asleep. I just couldn't settle and even when I was asleep I thought I was awake. I woke up frequently during the night and each time with night sweats. I used to think this was a sign of peri-menopause, but I've come to realize it's actually a sign of having pushed my body too far. I probably should have deferred my workout today to tomorrow, but I wanted to get it over with and have 2 solid days off. I just was feeling off all day and it wasn't until after dinner that I started feeling better. Dinner was my weekly "cheat meal" though I've worked the extra calories from today into my weekly deficit so it's not really a cheat. Still it gives my body an extra few hundred calories for the day which should hopefully help with recovery.

[gwnorth]

Procrastinated getting to my workout today so only had time to do the dirty 3. That's ok. Kids will be back in school next week and then I can take all the time I want at the gym.

Workout A

Warm Up

Cardio - Bike 10:00/3.3 mi
Yoga Push Ups
Twisting Glute Bridges
Dynamic Stretching

Main Set

Flat Bench Press
45x8x1
70x5x1
90x2x1
90x1x1
85x3x1
85x2x1
85x3x1

Bench went so well last week I thought I'd jump to 90 and see how it went - obviously not very well

Squat
45x8x2
85x5x1
115x5x3

Much happier with my form on these

Deadlift
45x10x1
95x5x1
125x5x1
165x5x2

165lbs is still really tough and didn't quite get full lockout on the last rep. Will be sticking with this weight. On the upside 125lbs felt pretty effortless.

Beginning week 3 of my cut. So far I'm down 3.5 lbs but I'm not expecting that rate of progress to continue. I imagine things will start to slow down soon. Average macros for the past week were:

1567 cals - 131p/148c/58f

Tomorrow will be a day off as I am taking the kids to the Science Centre.

[tina722]

Nice job with the weight loss!

What do your kids think of your weight lifting? I wish I could get my mom to start. She'll do pilates or "circuit" training, but has very little strength. It would be healthier, if she had more functional strength.

Have fun at the science centre!

[PunkyCindy]

You're being so consistent...congrats!

[Cardioconvert]

Hey gwnorth - where you been? Hope you are good - maybe just going crazy like all us moms with back-to-school days!?!?

Just checking - wondered if you needed your bb world friends to give you a gentle nudge?

CC

[gwnorth]

I'm still around and still working out, just haven't had the drive to post lately. TBH, my social circle consists of other moms from the school and except for the occaisional coffee morning, we pretty much only see each other at the school yard. As a result I don't have much of a social outlet during the summer months. The forum becomes more important to me then for that reason. Now that school's back in session I've been connecting with them again and don't feel as much need to post.

We have been settling into the new school year. Ds#1 just started middle school (grade 6) and begins an half hour earlier and gets out an hour earlier so it's taking a bit to get used to the new schedule. I am back at my regular gym and just finished up my 4 remaining sessions I had left over from my trainer. Now I really am officially on my own, but the summer gave me a good introduction to that so I'm ok with it. I'm still working on getting back to my regular work out schedule though. The first 2 weeks of school have both been shortened weeks (4 days) and next week will be as well, so I haven't gotten 100% back on track, but I'm slowly getting there. The 2 weeks before school started I did't work out that much and I find I've lost some coniditioning and have had to take a bit of a step back in terms of how much I'm lifting. My "cut" lasted 3 weeks and then got derailed and I haven't gotten up the motivation to start it again. Going forward I've decided to take a break from building strength and switch back to a hypertrophy program.

In that vein, my workout on Friday consisted of:

Warm Up
5:00/800m Row
Dynamic Stretching

Superset 1
Squat
45x10x1
65x10x1
80x10x3
Incline DB Press
25x10x5

Superset 2
Lying Hamstring Curls
50x10x5
Seated Row
30x10x5

Superset 3
DB Bicep Curls
15x10x3
DB Tricep Kickback
10x10x3

Planks
BWx1:00x3

The rest of my week looked like:

Monday - PT + 35 min treadmill run
Tuesday - 60 min Yoga
Wed - PT
Thursday - 60 min Spin class

Next week will be a shortened week as I have an out of town funeral to attend on Monday and the kids are off school on Tuesday.

[gwnorth]

Warm Up
Row 5:00/911m
Stretching

Flat Bench Press
45x10x1
60x10x1
70x10x2
70x8x1

Deadlift
45x10x1
85x10x1
115x10x3

Superset 1
DB OH Press
20x10x3
Fixed BB Upright Row
40x10x3

Superset 2
Assisted Chins
BW-40x10x1
BW-40x8x1
BW-40x5x1
Assisted Dips
BW-40x10x1
BW-40x8x2

Side Planks w Hip Hikes
2 per side w 20 hikes

[Cardioconvert]

Hey - great to see around these parts again! Missed your posts!

Glad to hear you are well and still hitting the iron

CC