Laser Focus

[VO2Maxima]

Oh no, I wasn't going to try to change your routine, I was genuinely curious lol. There are a lot of advocates for cardio during the offseason for general health reasons (I realize "offseason" isn't really the appropriate term for what you're doing, but you get what I mean). I don't do it because I cardio-ed myself out running road races, but I'd never suggest you don't do it if you enjoy it and it helps with recovery. I was out of breath after 5 rep squats so clearly I am no longer a good example of what you should do for endurance or cardiovascular health lol.

[shesprints]

V02, well, last night I got into a bit of an altercation on the Misc and some dude challenged me to a race, so I need to do a little cardio, because we're filming ourselves doing a mile race on June 18th. Wish me luck. LOL I'm so competitive. I guess I don't want to give up running anyway... I still even like training like I did for track. For instance, today I did speed squats.



Today's workout was good! Got in and out decently fast, only 20 min cardio but went fairly hard.

Run: 2 miles, 17:00, 1 incline on TM
warmup with 5:00 at 9:50 pace
then a bit at 9:00 pace
then worked down to
2:00 at 8:27
2:00 at 8:00
2:00 at 7:30
2:00 at 6:58

3 min row to warm up upper body, 660 m

Weights did usual warmup, pulse squats, wide squats, split squats, glute bridge, single leg glute bridge

TONS of band pullaparts, like 5 x 20, because working on keeping shoulders TIGHT when squatting

face pulls 30lb x 10 x 3

speed squats:
bar x 15
65lb x 10
85lb x 8
95lb x 8 x 4
115lb x 5 x 2
135lb x 1, 2, 1

rack pulls (also fast):
135lb x 15
155lb x 10
175lb x 8
195lb x 2, 5 (switched to hook grip)
205lb x 5

decline situps off GHR machine:
15 x 4

cable crunch:
40lb x 15, 50lb x 15 x 3

leg raises balanced with straight arms on dip bars:
10 x 4

pushups x 3 x 7 (:30 rest between sets)

weighted planks (50?lb sandbag) x :30 x 2


Kinda enjoying the running. ALSO ABS! I asked a really jacked trainer in the gym for some advice on good ab stuff to support squatting and then just did what he said.

[VO2Maxima]

If you can do speed squats at 135, that is nowhere near your max. Supposedly speed work is done at like 50% of 1RM. Curious to see how much you can actually squat.

How'd the run feel? Did the sub-7 feel natural, or more "wtf legs used to do this all the time and now they don't know how to run?"

[-Lucifer]

leg raises balanced with straight arms on dip bars:
10 x 4

How did this one go? It's on my 'banned exercises' list.

[shesprints]

@V02, I was pleasantly surprised to find the sub-7:00 felt totally fine--typically my pattern is that even with time off running, anything above 6:30 is still just 'fast running' and not 'omg strain I'm gonna die', aka my form is pretty relaxed. I just get more out of breath than I'd like more quickly! I'd like to edge up to running a full 7:00 mile in the next few weeks then assess from there. So far I can do 1/2 a mile at that pace without form falling apart.

Oh and re: speed squats. It's almost easier for me to do faster squats than slower--it's easier to keep tension and form in a compressed time. But you're clearly right, I know I could go heavier. My legs are nowhere near their max. It's my core and upper body that give out, not legs. I'll work on that.

Lucifer, why are those 'banned'? Do you think they're not effective or are dangerous or what? Not sure what you mean.


SO here I am at Canyon Ranch, which means I am killing myself already and the day's not even over. So far I've done:

40 min spin w/ hard intervals

rowing/circuit training with some different exercises interspersed with 100-300m row for time (100s in 19; 200s in 42-43, 300s in 1:04-1:05) plus some KB squats (32kg), weighted situps, burpees, pushups (I did sets of 10!), clean and press, and planks.

boxing/boxing workout, which included
jogging warmup
jumpropes
pushups
squat thrusts
broad jump, side jump, backwards jump
jumps up stairs (I was the only one who could do a double-foot hop all theh way up two flights)
stair running
sideways stair running
lots of 1:00 heavy bag rounds
plank holds

The boxing was funnnn. I split my knuckles again, but worth it/10. I'm also happy with how my leg strength and explosiveness have improved from the strength training I've been doing!

Tomorrow I'm going to run and lift, and I think that may be about it. IDK what else I'll do today. Whatever I feel like. Probably going to go play this weird version of racketball, since they have that here.

[-Lucifer]

Good to see that you boxed. Some tips:

1. Wrap your hands and then wear gloves (8 oz).
2. Do knuckle pushups to strengthen your wrists and also improve punching power.

Lucifer, why are those 'banned'? Do you think they're not effective or are dangerous or what? Not sure what you mean.

Coregasms, fam. That's why I avoid leg raises of any kind.

[shesprints]

@Lucifer oh LOL I should've known. It's funny, I haven't been getting those lately as long as I stay at 10 reps or below (getting up to 10 is dicey, sometimes it gets iffy at 8...). Good tips on boxing. I used to do knuckle pushups when I did karate as a kid. Memories.


Today I actually had a pretty sick lifting session. I went on a run with a lady who works here and is very strong (120lb bench, which is about how much she weighs, maybe more--she's shortish). We talked about running training, lifting, etc. And she and this other trainer were hanging around the gym so I actually got a spotter for bench and could really test my maxes. I also got some form tips. Apparently I'm not 'setting up' enough to begin bench, i.e. setting shoulders down on the bench and pushing feet into the floor. Those slight tweaks added like 20lb to my bench. Today was PR city--I tried 100lb, it was easy, got three reps, and then put up 105 for 2. Yay! I also deadlifted 195 just 'cause.


Run--3 miles, ~28:00
first outdoor run of the season, hilly and easy, talking to the run guide the whole time
so fun to talk to another woman who's passionate about lifting!

Weights--
usual warmup (pulse squats wide + close stance, split squats, glute bridge, single leg glute bridge)

squats:
bar x 15
65b x 10
95lb x 8 x 3
115lb x 6 x 2
135lb x 3, 4, 5 (rep PR!)

deadlifts:
135b x 10
155lb x 8
175lb x 4 x 3
195lb x 1 (also technically a PR)

incline bench:
bar x 15
75lb x 5 x 3

bench:
85lb x 5 x 3
100lb x 3
105lb x 2 (PR city!)
95lb x 5

bent over rear delt fly:
7.5lb x 8 x 5

ass't chinup:
40lb x 2 x 2, 30lb x 2 x 3


I should do incline bench and DB bench more. I've really not been hitting upper body stuff as much as I have squats and deadlifts... I just so prefer training legs because they're much stronger. But I think there'll be carryover for all lifts once my upper body is stronger.

Oh, technically also PRed the squat, I've never done 135 for 5 before.

Good day today. Plus I am letting myself eat some sugar while I'm here on vacation (I basically said, okay, sugar on weekends this weekend = Sunday + Monday instead of Sat/Sun). So this set of workouts was fueled by chocolate-chip French toast. Still only 440 cal, but very tasty and I seriously felt the carbs buoying me during the workout--no brain fog or mental stall-out.

[-Lucifer]

Hnnnngggg, I love French toast. I've never tried the chocolate chip variety, but I'm jelly as hell.

Congrats on the various PR's. Did a lot of people look at you and 'mire when you were pulling 195?

[phoenix4444]

Nice session the girl!

[shesprints]

Aw Lucifer, I wish you were in the USA so I could take you on vacation here--the food is ridiculously good AND cut-friendly (French toast was 440 cals including syrup... portion was small but satisfying).

No one was looking and 'miring on the deadlift but a 16-year-old boy stopped and 'mired while I squatted. He was like "How much do you squat?!" and I said "155," and he said "wow," and I said, "what sport do you play?" and he said "basketball," and I was like, "Well, squatting could really help your dunk, but you're still young, you have a lot of years to improve." He can already grab rim so he'll be just fine. It was sweet to see a young man that polite.

Oh, I guess the guy and gal I was training with 'mired but they lift a lot so my lifts weren't as impressive to them, though the guy did say he was impressed at my squats and also at my bench form (apparently, I keep my elbows in well).

Thanks phoenix! You inspire me with the heavy lifting and whatnot too. And the food porn. Dang, you don't even need to come to Canyon Ranch because you can do it all yourself.

[VO2Maxima]

Congrats on the bench PR! And oh yeah, setup makes a huge difference. Getting lats and traps tight adds significant weight to my bench. I'm hoping figuring out how to keep my lower/mid-back also translates to more weight...we'll see. Have you seen my bench setup?
Shameless posting of video of myself:

I mean everyone does it differently...some people do the slide through, some people put their feet up on the bench to arch and then drop them to the ground, some people drop backwards (like in my video), etc.
Also nice that you can keep your elbows in while you bench. Clearly I do not (this is why I'm working on keeping my lower/mid-back tightness, and also playing with my grip width).
And yeah having people to lift with makes a difference. Bench liftoff -> adds weight. Confidence of having a spotter -> adds weight. Having someone yell at you -> sometimes adds weight.

[-Lucifer]

Aw Lucifer, I wish you were in the USA so I could take you on vacation here--the food is ridiculously good AND cut-friendly (French toast was 440 cals including syrup... portion was small but satisfying).

TFW 8000+ Miles away.

No one was looking and 'miring on the deadlift but a 16-year-old boy stopped and 'mired while I squatted. He was like "How much do you squat?!" and I said "155," and he said "wow," and I said, "what sport do you play?" and he said "basketball," and I was like, "Well, squatting could really help your dunk, but you're still young, you have a lot of years to improve." He can already grab rim so he'll be just fine. It was sweet to see a young man that polite.

Oh, I guess the guy and gal I was training with 'mired but they lift a lot so my lifts weren't as impressive to them, though the guy did say he was impressed at my squats and also at my bench form (apparently, I keep my elbows in well).

Your lifts are impressive for a regular gym goer. People in my gym would definitely 'mire. I don't think I've seen a female squat even 135 and I've been a member there for five years. I guess they're all afraid they'll wake up one fine day and look like Ronnie Coleman.

[shesprints]

@V02max, I respond well to people chittalking me. It makes me aggressive--sometimes to a fault. I used to have a coach who'd just yell at us in a really frustrated way and somehow I always managed to kick at the end of my sprints just from that. But with benching, encouragement works best because sometimes I don't believe I can get the bar up! Nice video... I definitely, definitely can't arch like you do. (I'd worry about hurting myself?). But I like the sort of upper body wiggle there. I need to get my shoulders set like that.

@Lucifer, you know, just today I saw a female squatting 132! Really good depth and hip thrust, too. She was a heavier lady, though--probably 5'1'' and maybe 150lb? But her form was great, I 'mired. She also deadlifted 160. I just had to remind myself that she weighs more than me, so she has an inherent advantage. (Geez am I competitive).



Yesterday I just did cardio and napped to recover from Canyon Ranch.


Rowing--22:13, 5,000m
Elliptical--18:00, 1.83 'miles'


Today's workout was great! I also ran 3 miles--2 before lifting and 1 after to cool down. I'm doing the first mile or so very easy, in the 9:00 min/mile range, and then doing some speed.

Run--2 miles, 16:47
started off easy and bumped it up to
2:00 at 8:30
2:00 at 8:00
2:00 at 7:30
2:00 at 6:58
1:00 at 6:40
rest easy

I wasn't killing myself; I wanted to save something for lifting.

Lifting, did my usual warmup of pulse squats, etc.

front squat:
bar x 15
65lb x 10
85lb x 8
95lb x 8 x 3
115lb x 3, 3, 1 (then ditched, oof)

barbell OHP behind the neck + in front:
bar x 10 x 2
55lb x 5, 4, 5, 4 (last two in front)

underhand bent over bb rows:
80lb x 10 x 4

snatch grip deadlifts:
125lb x 10 x 4

bicep curls:
17.5lb x 10 x 2
20lb x 8 x 2
22.5lb x 4

tricep pushdowns:
35lb x 10, 30lb x 10 x 3

lateral raise:
7.5lb x 12 x 4

Russian twist (legs elevated)
30lb x 12 x 4

weighted plank:
:30 x 2


1 mile easy run (8:53) to cool down



Funny story, my brother is moving to an apartment across the street from the gym and he came by to check it out while I happened to be lifting! I said hi and air-hugged him because sweaty. I hope he joins, though he doesn't love that it closes at 10pm--he's a late-night workout guy. I don't know how he does it, the kid's nocturnal. I have to get it in in the morning or I just feel gross all day.

Had a nice time chatting to a guy lifting next to me about underhand vs. overhand bb rows. He was like, I never see anyone front squatting, do you do Crossfit? I was like, god no, and he laughed. I explained it was to strengthen my core for regular squatting and said I used to sprint. He used to be a long-jumper, turns out! Track feels.

My dad had a medical scare this week and had some surgery but he's better now. I'm so relieved... we were really worried.

[-Lucifer]

So when's your brother going to meet with Coach Vito for 'wrestling practice'? I'm glad your dad is going to be fine. What'd you buy for him?

[Fiction2Fitness]

Just stopping by to see how you're doing and looks like you're doing quite awesome. Great work. At my small gym that I switched over two a couple of months ago, pretty much I just get noticed for being female and lifting. Numbers aren't even that important, the guys mostly just mention how it's good to see a female who seriously lifts.

[shesprints]

@Lucifer LOL you're cheeky, my brother would be Avi in the story if he's anyone. (Srs, kinda modeled that character after him... the whole laid-back-yet-intense schtick).

@Fiction, that's almost depressing, isn't it? Like the bar is set lower for us... literally, in some cases. I'd rather be admired for achieving something impressive, not just for being a female who lifts, ya know? Mind you--I admire anyone who lifts seriously, male or female. I make SURE to compliment women AND men I see lifting with good form and challenging themselves.

Today I just swam. My butterfly stroke has seriously improved! I'm relatively sure it's because of my improved core strength from lifting... butterfly is a very muscular stroke, so that makes sense. I've moved up lane at practice.


Swim--2200 yards

100 w/u
100 free
100 IM with no freestyle (fly, back, breast, fly)
100 free
100 IM (fly, back, breast, fly)
100 free

3 x the following:
100 IM on 1:50
2 x 50 free on :50
4 x 25 as (easy, underwater as far as possible, sprint, easy) on :30

100 on 1:40 (1:29)
50 easy
2 x 100 on 1:40 (1:28, 1:27)
50 easy
3 x 100 on 1:40 (1:27, 1:26, 1:27)


So far, getting stronger has seriously helped my swimming and my running. I don't think I'll reach the point of diminishing returns for awhile!

My goal is to hit the benchmark for female sprinters... 1.5 x bodyweight squat. That would mean squatting nearly 200lb for me. I think I can do it. Not SOON, but sometime. That should make me faster if I do choose to sprint (maybe in the winter at the indoor track, or next summer) and probably will also make me faster in the pool, along with improved upper body strength. I want to do more pulling, for sure. More rows.

[VO2Maxima]

Glad to hear your dad is doing alright.

Global arch is fine, you won't hurt "break your back" like everyone on Instagram seems to think powerlifters are going to do. It's actually a really stable position. Upper body wiggle is to further tighten the arch and getting traps and lats tight.

What's wrong with front squats? I do them all the time. Did not realize they were considered a Crossfit move...they're just a squat accessory for me.

My goal is to hit the benchmark for female sprinters... 1.5 x bodyweight squat. That would mean squatting nearly 200lb for me. I think I can do it. Not SOON, but sometime.

This is going to be sooner rather than later for you, I think. You most likely have the strength to do it already from sprinting, and just have to teach your neuromuscular system to perform the lift. This is the so-called newbie gains...learning to lift. Your athletic background will give you an advantage since you have a better strength base than most, so once you really learn the lift, I think you'll surprise yourself with how much you can lift.

[shesprints]

@V02, I don't think the guy was implying front squats are only for Crossfitters--just that a lot of people don't do them. Personally, I'm with you, I always just rotated them in as a regular part of squatting. Back when I was doing Olympic lifts, I used to do them even more, which is probably why Crossfitters do them--they're a good complement to cleans. What you say about benching makes sense. I'm not so much afraid of the arch as I am worried I'd do it wrong and wanting to make sure I don't cheat and push too much from my legs. My legs are much stronger than my upper body so I want to even that out.

I'm encouraged by your belief in my latent squat ability. I think you're right, though. I don't feel like I truly activate all of the muscle fibers, you know, that deep-down burn. I feel like I'm still working on just balance and tightness. Once that 'clicks', I think I'll jump up further. I'm thinking as things stand now, I could probably truly max out at 175 (if I were well-rested and cut back a bit on cardio, or added carbs), so I'm not in a terrible place. In terms of my bench press, that I think really is a matter of weakness. Upper body strength is NOT there. But I'll keep trying. Add some incline bench as well because I hear that helps, yeah? And maybe some floor press?

[VO2Maxima]

Incline bench is great, as is close-grip and OHP (military press, seated overhead press, DB overhead press, even push-press...whatever, I don't care, they're all good). Floor press I think is a little more specialized, I'd kind of group that one with band and chain work and, at least IMO, I'd work on hammering the regular variations before you started implementing partial ROM or other specialty work. Remember that going through the entire ROM will strengthen the entire ROM, but partial ROM will only strengthen that ROM plus a little bit more outside. I know I'm saying that and then I go and do arched powerlifter bench (which is how I compete, so that's why I train heavy flat bench that way), but I also try to use a longer ROM for close-grip, and I rest the bar on my sternum between military press reps. But that's only my opinion, I'm sure others will have differing opinions.

[-Lucifer]

Upper body strength is NOT there. But I'll keep trying. Add some incline bench as well because I hear that helps, yeah? And maybe some floor press?

The Floor Press is a great auxiliary movement. I've been doing it for the past three years since I put together my home gym. It takes your legs entirely out of the equation (also the bouncing), so you'll have to use a weight that's lighter than your bench press poundage. Yes, you'll have to go lighter despite it having a shorter RoM.

To get your bench press up, you'll need good technique and strong triceps. All other supporting muscles are also vital, but triceps are the most important ones for obvious reasons. Do more heavy pressing (3-4 reps) as your pressing muscles respond best to low-rep training. You can throw in some high-rep incline presses if you want, but your focus should be low-rep pressing.

[Fiction2Fitness]

@Fiction, that's almost depressing, isn't it? Like the bar is set lower for us... literally, in some cases. I'd rather be admired for achieving something impressive, not just for being a female who lifts, ya know? Mind you--I admire anyone who lifts seriously, male or female. I make SURE to compliment women AND men I see lifting with good form and challenging themselves.

It is a bit sad. The owner of the gym talked to me a little on one of my upper body sessions and mentioned 150 lb squat as maybe seeming intimidating to someone watching, which seems weird to me. I do see a few females lifting but the gym is very small and new so not many people there in general yet. But definitely a minor downer that it's just impressive that I'm lifting at all.

And you'll hit those squat goals. Just keep pushing. I'm so close to 1.5 bodyweight but haven't quite gotten there yet. Maybe the meet. It's a good goal for sure.

[shesprints]

@Lucifer, low reps it is! That's what I did today.

@Fiction, good luck at your meet. 200lb is 1.5 x your bodyweight if you weigh the same as me as indicated in stats, so you're already there actually. But I bet you can add 5lb to that. When's the meet?


I did not feel very well today. My stomach really hurt. I ran okay, but running makes the whole stomach situation worse, so yuck. I wound up running out of energy by the time I got to bench. Next time I lift I will focus on upper body more... I really want to do some more bench variations.

Good news is the run went well!

3 miles, 26:00
easy warmup
.5 mi @ 6:40 pace
jog
.25 mi @ 6:40 pace
jog
1:00 @ 6:40 pace
jog
:40 @ 6:40 pace
easy cooldown

Depressing that I used to be able to run a whole 5k at well under 6:40 but today 6:40 for half a mile felt fairly hard... then again, given that this is my fifth run since January I think I have no cause for complaint.

Lifting--
usual warmup

barbell glute bridge:
135lb x 15 x 2
185lb x 8 3

speed squats:
bar x 12
65lb x 10
95lb x 5 x 5

deadlifts:
135lb x 10 x 4

bench press:
bar x 10 x 2
bar x 10 close grip
65lb x 10
85lb x 4 x 5
95lb x 3, 1

decline situps x 15 x 3



I had soup and rice cakes with lox for lunch. Lox = salty = I think I need electrolytes. I feel yucky.

Happy April Fool's Day. My brother's having a party tonight so that'll be fun. Don't tell--it's a surprise party. I'm bringing crudite and fruit salad 'cause he's all healthy like me. Also beer because beer pong.

[VO2Maxima]

6:40 for an 800 doesn't have to feel hard. I can get you to 60mpw by the end of April, and 80mpw by the end of May.

Oh wut is this the 132 club?

Hey I'm curious (not criticizing, don't worry, just curious), the tons of reps at 45 on bench...do you just do an extremely long warmup or are the reps high enough that you're turning that into a work set?

[shesprints]

Haha, I'm sure my weight fluctuates around that point, but my nutritionist tracks it for me so I'm just going to stick with that number for now. Didn't even notice we all had it in common. We could compete in the same weight class... spoiler alert: I'd lose.

V02, honestly I just did so many reps with the bar because I had to move racks and thus set up twice. I'm practicing setting up. I think I did bench too late in the workout, after I was too tired... but doing it early today, even after a day off, didn't seem to help? Frustrating.... IDK what I'm doing wrong. I even did some pulling moves before to loosen up my shoulders. No dice. Got 4 reps per set of 85lb and that was that.

*shrugs* setup feels better, though, and it got easier, not harder, as the workout progressed. Up to a point. Then it was like my arms just gave out. Core is definitely stronger, pushups are easy from that perspective, but left arm starts shaking.


Workout today...

10 min rower, 2350 m (pretty fast)


trap bar row:
90lb x 8 x 5 (trying new rowing variations to hit my middle back better, felt this for sure in mid/lower back)

pushups (as superset w/ row) x 6 x 4

ass't chinups:
40lb x 5, 3, 3
30lb x 2, 1, 1

bench press:
bar x 15
65lb x 10
85lb x 4 x 5

incline bench:
65lb x 5 x 5 (quite a steep incline for some reason due to the bench setting being odd)

squats:
bar x 10
65lb x 10
95lb x 8
115lb x 6, 8, 8, 6 (this is good, could prob do 8 reps for 115 now but I still don't feel that great)
135lb x 3 x 3

rack pulls:
135lb x 15
155lb x 10
175lb x 8 x 3

20 min elliptical

Kind of went lighter on stuff today because I just don't feel very well. My stomach is still bothering me and I've been logy/sleepy. Meh.

In other news, I have been watching Spartacus. HOLY CHIT YOU GUYS IT IS THE BEST SHOW EVER. ESPECIALLY FOR A LATIN NERD. They actually use Latinate diction and grammar when speaking English in the dialogue. And the gladiators are all hnnngh. And so is Lucy Lawless. And basically just watch this show WATCH IT PLS. It is excellent workout motivation.

[VO2Maxima]

Spartacus was great. Violence, sex, naked jacked men...how can anyone not like that? Actually when I first started watching it, I was like "wtf, this is the cheap version of 300," but it grew on me quickly. RIP Andy Whitfield. Liam McIntyre did a pretty good job filling the role, but Andy *was* Spartacus. And Manu Bennett was, of course, also excellent.

Taking long enough to rest? Rest on compound lifts should be longer than for isolation stuff...might be a tough thing to get your head around since I'm assuming you probably did timed rest on the track. I do as close to complete recovery as I can get. Any chance you were tired from the push-ups? Or tired from the erg machine? I'm glad the setup is getting easier for you though!

I'm going to post a few warm-up articles. Now I don't follow these exactly...my warm-ups are typically shorter than this because I want to be able to make big jumps in case I don't have time to warm-up with little jumps before a meet because the warm-up room is busy or because I mis-time it or something. (Although my warmups are pretty similar to the "low volume" warm-ups on the 1RM page, although admittedly I tend to use numbers that are easier to load because I'm a slacker). But I did kind of take some of this into account when planning my warm-up, particularly how reps drop off significantly as you start to get close to working set weight. No need to pre-exhaust yourself with a weight that's too light for you anyway.
https://www.t-nation.com/training/ho...-a-one-rep-max
https://www.t-nation.com/training/mo...way-to-warm-up
Although now that I'm looking at them, my warmups are pretty similar to the "low volume" warm-ups on the 1RM page, although admittedly I tend to use numbers that are easier to load because I'm a slacker. For example:
Their 185 max bench warmup: 95x5 125x3 145x1 165x1 185x1
If I were maxing out: 95x5 135x3 155x1 175x1 190x1 (if attempting new 1RM...if I were just going for 185 again I'd go 170x1 185x1)
Their 250 max bench warmup: 135x5 175x3 200x2 225x1 250x1
My "I'm going to do a squat set at 250": 135x5 185x3 225x1 250xwhatever
Their 315 315 max bench warmup: 160x3 205x3 235x2 265x1 295x1 315x1
My "I'm going to do a deadlift set at 315": 135x5 (maybe 185x3) 225x3 275x1 295x1 315xwhatever

[shesprints]

@V02, man, I should've known you had watched Spartacus. We have the same tastes. You're like the DC superhero and I'm the Marvel knockoff. :P Interesting note on the warmups. I'm sort of going by feel right now with that, but I'll keep the structure more in mind as I continue. I definitely do take long rests now! I don't even time most of them unless that's the specific focus of the workout. I was doing some reading on the benefits of long rest periods for strength, so I am convinced. Plus, I get my cardio elsewhere/separately, so that means I don't need to do 'conditioning'-style lifting, yeah?

Today, speaking of cardio, I just swam.

I feel AWFUL. My left shoulder is in intense pain, all down my back. It feels like it's freaking always like this and I hate it. But certainly benching made it worse. Pinched my neck sleeping on top of it. This is why I don't push upper body more than I do... but then again, squatting used to leave me more sore and just DOING it more helped. So I don't know what to do--higher or lower frequency for upper body! Help.


Swim--2200 yards

300 easy
200 kick
100 IM
3 x
4 x 25 fast on :30
2 x 100 fast on 1:55, 1:50, 1:45
2 x 50 fly/free

all pretty easy, nothing too fast... 25s fast were 18-20, 100s were only 1:33-1:35

Sore and tiiiired, but finally slept decently last night. May have to skip working out Wednesday because I'm working a lot of hours. But that's okay. I may really need the rest. I'm feeling kind of blah lately.

[VO2Maxima]

I feel AWFUL. My left shoulder is in intense pain, all down my back. It feels like it's freaking always like this and I hate it. But certainly benching made it worse. Pinched my neck sleeping on top of it. This is why I don't push upper body more than I do... but then again, squatting used to leave me more sore and just DOING it more helped. So I don't know what to do--higher or lower frequency for upper body! Help.

Uh, another reason for you to come visit me...just saying: https://www.********.com/syracuseper...echiropractic/ (shameless plug)
But seriously, I wish I could give you advice, but that's a really vague description...I'm not quite sure what to do with that. :/
If your shoulder is getting effed up from bench, 1) check form, 2) add rotator cuff exercises, 3) more pulling. Would you mind typing out your typical schedule?

[phoenix4444]

Sucks about your shoulder. Know that feeling well myself.

I can attest to rotator cuff band work/more pulling helping with shoulder health.

Skip ahead to 7 minute in. I do them for warm-up.

[shesprints]

@Vo2, I'm not sure what you mean by 'type out my schedule'--you see my workout schedule here in its entirety. If you mean day-to-day, I do a lot of teaching, so sitting at a desk with a student or typing or drawing on a board, plus walking around. The shoulder thing feels better, btw, but in general, as a rule, I have pain down the left side of my spine to about scapula level, then pain that also extends from my scapula OUT and feels like it runs through my shoulder and down my arm to the elbow (left elbow is bad, too). Left side shoulder and elbow both 'click' a lot. IDK what to do really. Maybe I will have to come see you! Or at least see a chiro in NYC...

@phoenix, thank for sharing! I actually already do a lot of what he suggests (two of those four stretches) and I DO do band work between sets! I was just doing tons of pullaparts and behind the neck pullaparts today between my sets, in fact. I don't always write that down but will now make note of it.


So today I took a break from upper body and did lower body accessory lifts, fairly light but working on form and tightness. Lo and behold, shoulder feels better.


10 min elliptical
10 min run (with 1 min thrown in at 6:00 pace, whee)


warmup: close stance pulse squats, wide stance pulse squats, unweighted Bulgarian split squats, glute bridge, single-leg glute bridges x 20 each

did a LOT of band pullaparts and behind-the-neck pullaparts in between sets of squats

front squat:
bar x 12
65lb x 10
85lb x 8 x 3
95lb x 5 x 3
115lb x 2 x 2

good mornings:
bar x 12
65lb x 10
85lb x 10
95lb x 8 x 3

snatch grip deadlift:
125lb x 8 x 5

leg press machine calf raise:
200lb x 25 x 4

leg extension:
50lb x 10 x 4

abductor:
110lb x 10 x 4

adductor:
110lb x 10 x 4

Tomorrow is a very busy day, so it'll be a day off working out. Wednesdays look heavy from here to the end of the year so I'll likely move my rest day to that anyhow!

[VO2Maxima]

I actually have no idea what I was going on about in that post. I think I was probably looking for how much pulling and which pull exercises you were doing and was being too lazy to go check haha. Um, let's see, 8pm yesterday...I had probably just gotten home and was being really lazy, sorry.

Okay, I see you have rowing and rear delt fly in there, so that's good. I usually balance my benching and rowing 1:1, and military press and pullups 1:1. Some people will encourage a 2:1 pullush ratio, but I figure deadlift is technically a pulling exercise, so I have that in there to further balance it.

Glad it's feeling better though. So going down your arm, it could be nerve, could be trigger point referral (muscular), probably could be other things that I'd need to actually test. Feel electric/zing-y, or sharp, or something else?