Me vs. Me: Lifting with UCTD

[Artemis00]

ETA - I wish I knew why I got so much stronger all of a sudden. I want to be able to repeat it, continue it, or whatever. Was it cutting out squats? Did I just need more rest time? Was it the added BCAA's/electrolytes? The cooler temperatures? SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!!!

My guess is it was the squats.





But in all seriousness, it may legitimately have been. It probably helped out your recovery with your other two lifts by omitting them.

[SophieM]

Awesome workout! Stay strong and confident, you will hit those openers easy and blast the other 2 attempts! RARRWWW!

Bench attempts are set. Deadlift attempts are fluid depending on how things feel day of.

Glad to see the new job is starting. I hope the transition goes well. I'm assuming the job responsibilities will be similar and it'll be a piece of cake to get started...except for all the paperwork I suppose

This made me lol. But seriously, I'm confused about this all the time. Probably all of the above.

Looking forward to the meet!

Responsibilities may be different since I'm going from psych to medical. I'm not sure how medically acute the patients on the rehabilitation unit will be. Less than a regular inpatient unit, though I'm going to assume sicker than those who can go to the psych hospital. Time will tell.

Probably everything contributed to the marked increase in such a short time. Wish it could go on like that forever!

My guess is it was the squats.



But in all seriousness, it may legitimately have been. It probably helped out your recovery with your other two lifts by omitting them.

Squats definitely probably contributed. Though even Wednesday was better than Monday, and I did squat on Monday. Who knows?

[LadyLore420]

Getting stronger is great. How much longer till you program legs in again, or at least quad dominant movements?

[SophieM]

Getting stronger is great. How much longer till you program legs in again, or at least quad dominant movements?

After the meet. Lots of belt squats in my future.

[SophieM]

Worked up to openers again.

Bench Press - 80 lbs felt heavier than I was expecting, but 90 lbs still moved well.

70 lbs - 3
80 lbs - 3
90 lbs - 3

Deadlift - Used the bumper plates and the bar with the more aggressive knurling. No chalk though.

135 lbs - 3
185 lbs - 1 (didn't move like I thought it should)
205 lbs - 1
205 lbs - 1
205 lbs - 1

Definitely harder than Tuesday. Sitting all day has a lot to do with it, I hope. I plan on foam rolling like crazy when I finally get to the hotel tomorrow. There will definitely be food first though. I'm right at the line between 132/148 (and I weighed in at 122 in May LOL). Just water tomorrow until weigh in.

[thehobbes]

Good luck dudette! Yep, hydrate, roll, and crush your enemies!

Squats are fun MWAH HA HA HA!!!

[itsagoodday]

I plan on foam rolling like crazy when I finally get to the hotel tomorrow. There will definitely be food first though. I'm right at the line between 132/148 (and I weighed in at 122 in May LOL). Just water tomorrow until weigh in.

Good plan! Yeah, that was all I did for weigh ins, too, just waited to eat breakfast until after. (And oh man, don't get me going on moving around different weight classes, I've spanned four weight classes in four years, hahaha!)

Have a blast at the meet! Lift heavy things, have a lot of fun, and I hope there is a purple or red skull kettlebell there waiting for you

[lschepis]

My guess is it was the squats.





But in all seriousness, it may legitimately have been. It probably helped out your recovery with your other two lifts by omitting them.

It's the squat queen!

[SophieM]

Good luck dudette! Yep, hydrate, roll, and crush your enemies!

Squats are fun MWAH HA HA HA!!!

Definitely wouldn't call squats fun!

Good plan! Yeah, that was all I did for weigh ins, too, just waited to eat breakfast until after. (And oh man, don't get me going on moving around different weight classes, I've spanned four weight classes in four years, hahaha!)

Have a blast at the meet! Lift heavy things, have a lot of fun, and I hope there is a purple or red skull kettlebell there waiting for you

It's going to be a long day. I won't weigh in until almost 6:30 this evening.

[Artemis00]

Bench Press - 80 lbs felt heavier than I was expecting, but 90 lbs still moved well.

Definitely harder than Tuesday. Sitting all day has a lot to do with it, I hope. I plan on foam rolling like crazy when I finally get to the hotel tomorrow. There will definitely be food first though. I'm right at the line between 132/148 (and I weighed in at 122 in May LOL). Just water tomorrow until weigh in.

I hate that because it seems to happen all the time. The weight before my heavy attempt feels awful and makes me think adding 10-15 lbs to the bar is gonna be a nightmare. Sometimes it is, but most time it moves fine.

Squats are fun MWAH HA HA HA!!!

No they aren't...they are evil!!!!!

It's the squat queen!

Don't you go insulting me

Definitely wouldn't call squats fun!

It's going to be a long day. I won't weigh in until almost 6:30 this evening.

I can't think of one time where squats have ever been fun. Nope...not once.

Well good luck. Hope you have fun and get a cool trophy

[SophieM]

I hate that because it seems to happen all the time. The weight before my heavy attempt feels awful and makes me think adding 10-15 lbs to the bar is gonna be a nightmare. Sometimes it is, but most time it moves fine.

Exactly. Deadlifts felt similar but I just figured it'd be fine and it was. Deadlifts always are easier meet day so I don't worry about them nearly as much as squat and bench. Squats are a lot harder meet day, probably because of the much thicker bar, and I just psych myself out for bench because I can never figure out where to put myself on the bench for some reason.

Well good luck. Hope you have fun and get a cool trophy

Thanks!

I weighed in at 131 and didn't even have to go down to my sports bra like I thought I would. Yay!

[SophieM]

So, here's what I've been up to since weigh in yesterday.

I had dinner with Gene and Ame at Texas Roadhouse. I had steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. Very good after not eating for almost 24 hours.

This morning, I got to the venue early, finished weighing people in, worked the rack height on the monolift for almost the entire first flight of squats and then relaxed until it was time to warm up for bench.

Warm ups went fine. Did a triple at 70 lbs, a double at 80 lbs, and a single at 90 lbs. There was no warning that bench was going to be bad LOL.

Bench attempt 1 (90 lbs) - Went fine. Not real issue.

Bench attempt 2 and 3 (95 lbs) - Not happening. My left hip was, and still is, rather painful from all the sitting I've been doing in orientation. Probably because of the leg length discrepancy or something? I don't know. Foam rolling/stretching did not help last night/this morning. I couldn't use much leg drive and when I did, it hurt. The sticking point was basically at parallel on the second attempt and right off the chest on my third attempt. Pin presses (or just long pauses) and front delt work should help with that.

Tried to not let bench get in my head too much. Rolled out my glutes, hamstring, and quads some more. Still no relief. Took an anti-inflammatory but I don't know how much it helped. Hip still hurts.

Deadlift warmups were okay. Did some at 135 lbs, 155 lbs, 185 lbs, and singles at 205 lbs. The 205 lbs wasn't moving as fast as I wanted it to but it was good enough .

Deadlift attempt 1 (205 lbs) - No issue. But still not speedy. Decided to take smaller jumps than planned and just try to make all three lifts.

Deadlift attempt 2 (215 lbs) - Still moving slow, but not a grind.

Deadlift attempt 3 (225 lbs) - Still slow but not a completely grind.

SO glad I did not do squats. I don't think I would have been able to with this hip. Hoping the massage will help tomorrow and I plan on standing as much as possible in orientation this coming week.

I stayed to help tear down and load the trailer. Now trying to decide what I want to eat. Thinking IHOP.

Obligatory pictures:






And 225 lbs deadlift

[Artemis00]

Congrats. Awesome trophy and bicep look jacked

Glad the hip didn't mess up the dead lifting. Great job!!!!

[Partyrocking]

Awesome job!

[SophieM]

Congrats. Awesome trophy and bicep look jacked

Glad the hip didn't mess up the dead lifting. Great job!!!!

There were only two purple ones and since I did ironman, I was one of the last to pick. Just glad one was left!

I would have been PISSED if the hip messed up deadlifts, even more so since bench was a disaster. Hip hurts on extension and adduction more than anything.

Awesome job!

Thanks!

[thehobbes]

Wahoo, great job at the meet! Solid looking DL! Ahh that trophy is sweeeet dude. I hope you can work that hip out. Do you have the Supple Leopard book? That book has helped me fix so many injuries like that. I had some weird ass hip thing last year and they show you how to basically roll out your glutes/ass with the LAX ball and I swear it fixed that in like 2 days. I have to keep doing it but it really works, Supple Leopard knows all!

And hell yes to IHOP. Sometimes I get takeout from there and I order like 2 pancake meals and a burger/fries, srs. Not drunk just hungry AF.

[itsagoodday]

Great job at the meet!!! Sorry about the hip, I hope the massage helped out today. And the purple Reaper is wicked

[SophieM]

Wahoo, great job at the meet! Solid looking DL! Ahh that trophy is sweeeet dude. I hope you can work that hip out. Do you have the Supple Leopard book? That book has helped me fix so many injuries like that. I had some weird ass hip thing last year and they show you how to basically roll out your glutes/ass with the LAX ball and I swear it fixed that in like 2 days. I have to keep doing it but it really works, Supple Leopard knows all!

And hell yes to IHOP. Sometimes I get takeout from there and I order like 2 pancake meals and a burger/fries, srs. Not drunk just hungry AF.

I do have Supple Leopard as a PDF. The massage seemed to really help today though. No idea which thing it was that helped, but I'll take it! I plan on standing a lot tomorrow for sure. I also want to walk to/from work as I think that helps, especially the walk home after so much sitting.

IHOP happened. Albeit it was 10 pm when I finally got off my ass and walked over, but it happened.

Great job at the meet!!! Sorry about the hip, I hope the massage helped out today. And the purple Reaper is wicked

The massage definitely helped! Just have to do more standing/walking from now on. I really do think it's because my feet don't reach the floor as well as the leg length issue. At home and my other job, I have a foot stool I put my feet on. Apparently it helps more than I realize!

I love skulls! So basically I love everything Carl makes LOL. I wanted a different color one and this was it! Maybe a kettlebell skull next time if there is any. I really like those also. Though I still need the reaper on the motorcycle. . . .

[anandagirl]

Whoo hooo!!! Nice work chica! GREAT trophy. That makes me want to travel to your neck of the woods to compete

Hope that hip starts cooperating too

[SophieM]

Whoo hooo!!! Nice work chica! GREAT trophy. That makes me want to travel to your neck of the woods to compete

Hope that hip starts cooperating too

Not sure if RPS has any west coast meets or not. I feel like they do, but it wouldn't be the same guy making the trophies. He hand delivers them.

Hip felt like sh!t yesterday but it feels better today for some reason. Not going to argue with it!

~~~~~~

I finally have my unit orientation schedule for my new job. Between my two jobs, my next day off is August 25th. Uh, yeah. Most shifts are day shift, though some are evenings, and some are nights. I may be exhausted, but the check is going to look nice! I will eventually transition to all night shift 7 pm to 7:30 am three days a week.

[anandagirl]

I've looked a couple times. They have CA on their events but nothing scheduled. If I had pushed my trip back another couple of weeks, I could have competed in WA apparently? Maybe someday I'll see one scheduled.

Yay for great paychecks! You'll get through this, and glad to hear the hip is feeling better

[SophieM]

I've looked a couple times. They have CA on their events but nothing scheduled. If I had pushed my trip back another couple of weeks, I could have competed in WA apparently? Maybe someday I'll see one scheduled.

Yay for great paychecks! You'll get through this, and glad to hear the hip is feeling better

I don't know what west coast trophies look like though. You should come to the east coast and get one

[itsagoodday]

I finally have my unit orientation schedule for my new job. Between my two jobs, my next day off is August 25th. Uh, yeah. Most shifts are day shift, though some are evenings, and some are nights. I may be exhausted, but the check is going to look nice! I will eventually transition to all night shift 7 pm to 7:30 am three days a week.

Oh wow! You are my dual job inspiration

You should come to the east coast and get one

I second this. For purely selfish purposes on my part, I think all of you should come out to compete in western NY next spring. The group I've competed with (mostly from the O35 here) is making competing together an annual tradition. Since it may wind up being like 12 guys again, I think we should bolster up the female end of the roster as well Oh and yeah, cool trophies...

[penny0527]

I'm sorry about the hip! I bet if you pulled sumo it would have been hard to deadlift so good thing you pull conventional.

Congrats on that very cool trophy!

Do you get shift differential pay for nights?

[anandagirl]

I second this. For purely selfish purposes on my part, I think all of you should come out to compete in western NY next spring. The group I've competed with (mostly from the O35 here) is making competing together an annual tradition. Since it may wind up being like 12 guys again, I think we should bolster up the female end of the roster as well Oh and yeah, cool trophies...

I gotta get on the meet train But I'm not sure I'm winning a trophy regardless. Unless I go to a really small meet. Where there's less than 4 competitors in my class

[SophieM]

Oh wow! You are my dual job inspiration

I don't recommend anyone work this much LOL. Had I known orientation was going to be mostly 8 hour shifts, I would have had a whole other thought process. I was expecting 3-4 days a week, my three 12's at my new job and an 8 hour shift at my old job. I was not expecting SIX 8 hour shifts a week for almost a month!

I second this. For purely selfish purposes on my part, I think all of you should come out to compete in western NY next spring. The group I've competed with (mostly from the O35 here) is making competing together an annual tradition. Since it may wind up being like 12 guys again, I think we should bolster up the female end of the roster as well Oh and yeah, cool trophies...

Was this the meet in the awesome train station or something?

I'm sorry about the hip! I bet if you pulled sumo it would have been hard to deadlift so good thing you pull conventional.

Congrats on that very cool trophy!

Do you get shift differential pay for nights?

Sumo and I don't get along. My arms are too short for that and my legs are too weak. Not a good combo!

Yes, night shift differential is $4.24/hour. Evening shift is $3.42/hour

I gotta get on the meet train But I'm not sure I'm winning a trophy regardless. Unless I go to a really small meet. Where there's less than 4 competitors in my class

Weight classes normally aren't that big in the meets I've been to. I've never known anyone to not get a trophy.

[thehobbes]

Was this the meet in the awesome train station or something?

I swear I saw that in someone's journal around here recently.

[SophieM]

Finally made it to the gym after work today. Still not lifting, more just conditioning. Man am I out of shape. MUST do more cardio, even if it's just this type of thing which I actually enjoy, kind of.

Battle Ropes
20
20
20
20

Kettlebell Swings
30 lbs - 20
30 lbs - 20
30 lbs - 20
30 lbs - 20

Rotator Cuff Internal External Rotation
8 lbs - 10
8 lbs - 10
8 lbs - 10

Row Machine
50 rows (display doesn't work)

And, that was it LOL. I really do have to figure out how to get in more cardio. Next week I'll see how long my routine takes and the week after I may try to do cardio afterward, add cardio in on the days I don't lift, or something. I don't know what.

I will be so happy when August is over! Here's my August work schedule:

01 - work 7-1530
02 - work 7-1530
03 - off
04 - off
05 - work 7-1530
06 - work 7-1530
07 - work 8-1500
08 - work 8-1630
09 - work 8-1630
10 - work 8-1630
11 - work 8-1630
12 - off (powerlifting meet)
13 - off (drive home)
14 - work 8-1630
15 - work 8-1630
16 - work 8-1630
17 - work 8-1630
18 - work 7-1530
19 - work 7-1530
20 - work 7-1530
21 - work 7-1530
22 - work 8-1630
23 - work 7-1530
24 - work 8-1630
25 - off
26 - work 7-1530
27 - work 7-1530
28 - work 7-1530
29 - off
30 - work 7-1530
31 - work 12:30-1630

[thehobbes]

Wow you have a busy month Sophie! Eat lots and get some sleep in there.

[aquamarine84]

Late to the party but congrats!