Perils of Big Thighs and Bridesmaid Dresses

[jessswooo]

Hi Doctor!! What's going on? What's this new workout program you're on? Sorry i just got back to the forum and there's too much excitement haha just trying to say hi!

[mavd]

Hi Doctor!! What's going on? What's this new workout program you're on? Sorry i just got back to the forum and there's too much excitement haha just trying to say hi!

It's a pretty basic Upper/Lower split. Volume seems a little low some days.

https://atlargenutrition.com/baby-got-back-routine/

Considering switching back to PHUL instead....

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout

Although realistically, at my current weight I should be focusing on cutting and not building, so a simple 3 day full body split would suffice. IDK. Right now I'm mostly just happy I'm actually enjoying lifting again for the first time in nearly 2 years.

[mavd]

Went to yoga last night. 60 min chill vinyasa, very hip flexor focused

W4D2
Squats 5x5 65/85/95/105/105
Low foot position leg press 3x8 160/160/160
Single Leg SLDL 3x8 17.5# DB
EZBar Curl 5x5 Bar+25#
Hammer Curl 3x10 15# DBs

Workout was meh. Better than last week's with the back pain, but my knee is still acting up. And my balance is really off right now. Noticed that both during yoga and the SLDL.

Ended up working 11 hours yesterday, and by the time I got home I had time to change and go straight to yoga. Then I made dinner and prepped breakfasts and lunches for the rest of the week then pretty much passed out.

[jessswooo]

It's a pretty basic Upper/Lower split. Volume seems a little low some days.

https://atlargenutrition.com/baby-got-back-routine/

Considering switching back to PHUL instead....

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout

Although realistically, at my current weight I should be focusing on cutting and not building, so a simple 3 day full body split would suffice. IDK. Right now I'm mostly just happy I'm actually enjoying lifting again for the first time in nearly 2 years.

Oo nice. I looked at both work outs. looks like yea the volume is a bit low in the baby's got back program and so much calves lol. I like the type of split they have tho!

3 day full body split! Do it. I enjoy it very much (if you're talking about leg/push/pull split).

[mavd]

Oo nice. I looked at both work outs. looks like yea the volume is a bit low in the baby's got back program and so much calves lol. I like the type of split they have tho!

3 day full body split! Do it. I enjoy it very much (if you're talking about leg/push/pull split).

Yeah calves twice a week feels a bit overkill, but I think it's geared towards men who always seem to lag there. I, on the other hand, have giant muscular calves without working them. Thank you, ballet and high heels :'D

I'm still not sure on switching routines. For now, I've been just adding a bit here and there to the leg days when I have the time.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Went to spin this morning. Quads and inner thighs were on fire. Which makes me feel better about yesterday's low volume quad day! Also, stepped on the scale this morning. 151.0 compared to 152.3 a couple weeks ago. Without regularly checking I can't say if that's real loss or just fluctuation. Haven't been tracking calories but sticking to healthy breakfast, lunch, and snacks with a bit higher calorie dinners because I've been letting the boyfriend cook (read - pizza rolls, chicken wings, hamburgers lmao).

[Fiction2Fitness]

Ah yes, when the guy cooks... all of it sounds delicious though. I never cared much for training calves either so only do it when it's written in the program. It does seem like a guy thing. I know a couple youtubers make jokes about their calves too and the plight of those with small calves, both are male.

[mavd]

W4D3
Wide Grip Assisted Pull Up 5@60#, 4@60#, 4@65#, 2x5@70#
Hammer High Row 5x5@115# (why dis so much easier than wide grip?!)
OHP 5@45#, 2@65# (embarrassing), 3@55#, 2x5@55#, 4@55#
Upright row 8@30#, 2x8@40#
Side Lat Raises 3x10@12.5#DBs
Calf Press 15@160#, 2x12@160#
Lying leg lift w/ hip raise 3x10 (ouch)

Felt weak af doing 45 on OHP for some reason but thought "NO I'M GONNA TOUGH IT OUT AND DO THE PLANNED WEIGHT CUZ I'M NOT A QUITTER" and then had to shameface unload the bar after two ugly hits and a miss.

[mavd]

W4D4 (Saturday)
SLDL w/ deficit 5x5 @135#
High foot position leg press 3x8 @170#
Leg Curl 3x10 @.... I don't remember. 40#?
Walking Lunges 3x12 w/ 20# DBs
Single Arm Skull Crushers 5x5 @20#
Tricep rope pushdown 3x8@25#

Gym was hella crowded. Meant to do stairclimber but they were all occupied so I was like eff it. Meant to lift this am but was a bit hungover from Superbowl shenanigans so I'll go after work. Hooray for only day working this week!

[Fiction2Fitness]

ooo that sounds like a nice week having one work day. Envy. There are certain things where I just won't wait if it's busy in the gym. Squat rack, I'm waiting. Cardio... not so much. ;-)

[mavd]

:wave:

Survived 8 days with parents living in my studio with me. Didn't lift (until this morning) but maintained a high activity level between walking, hiking, kayaking, and horseback riding. The drawback was the food. Way too much eating at restaurants, plus lots of donuts and cookies and ice cream. *sigh* Back to reality now.

Weight this am: 152.8 (argh)

W5D1 of BGB - Horizontal/Upper
Rack Pull 5x5 @135/145/155/155/155
BB Row 3x8 @75/75/75
Bench Press 5x5 @65/75/80/85/85
Incline DB Bench 3x8 w/ 22.5s
Superset A
Cable Row 3x10 @65/80/80
Leg lift 3x10
Superset B
Plate press 3x10 w/5s
Seated Calf Raise 3x12 @50/50/50
Recovery - 15 min sauna

It was really hard to move 155 today, I think because I went on a 3 hour horseback ride yesterday. I am not nor will I ever be an equestrian. That **** hurts.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Sounds like a good week with some fun activities. I haven't gone horseback riding in 10 years. Can imagine being sore after such a ride. mmm food. It's that way when my parents are around too, with just too much food and treats. Stepdad in particular is big on getting food often, eating far more times and much more food than I tend towards. Probably good thing the visits aren't very often. You'll get the weight back down soon though. Hopefully you had fun.

[mavd]

Sounds like a good week with some fun activities. I haven't gone horseback riding in 10 years. Can imagine being sore after such a ride. mmm food. It's that way when my parents are around too, with just too much food and treats. Stepdad in particular is big on getting food often, eating far more times and much more food than I tend towards. Probably good thing the visits aren't very often. You'll get the weight back down soon though. Hopefully you had fun.

I did. I am still mentally not ready to cut/track calories again. For now, I'm just going to increase cardio and hope that is enough to drift the weight downward slowly.

On that note, I did spin class this morning and ordered a few items I need to start swimming laps. I may or may not go back this evening to lift. Today should be squats day and I still have some pinching in my lower back from the horseback riding. It's the same pain that kept me from hitting depth in squats a few weeks ago, so I might hold off so there's a chance I can actually go heavy tomorrow.

Anyway.... the more cardio plan... swimming is really good for my back and easy on the other joints. I think I'm going to aim to swim 2-3 times a week and spin 2-3 times a week. I always like to do my cardio in the morning, but don't have time to do both cardio and lifting before work, so I'm going to have to probably to two-a-days a few times a week to squeeze it all in. In my head it looks something like this....

Sat Lift+Swim
Sun Lift + Kickball (starting in March, maybe swim until then)
Mon Spin PM
Tues Lift AM
Wed Swim AM + Lift PM
Thurs Spin AM
Fri Rest or Swim AM

[Fiction2Fitness]

Understandable. I get so tired of counting calories. It becomes daunting even when take breaks in order to try and combat the struggles with such. I know some do fine without adding in cardio, but it usually helps me too. I'm working on incorporating more myself though I don't swim yet as don't own a suit. Still, it is a good method for cardio and sounds like you have great focus with what you want to do.

[mavd]

Understandable. I get so tired of counting calories. It becomes daunting even when take breaks in order to try and combat the struggles with such. I know some do fine without adding in cardio, but it usually helps me too. I'm working on incorporating more myself though I don't swim yet as don't own a suit. Still, it is a good method for cardio and sounds like you have great focus with what you want to do.

The one and only time I dropped to 18%BF I was doing a loooot of cardio (generally 3-4 rounds of tabata and 15-30 min of steady state 6 days a week). I was also counting calories and only having 1-2 beers a week alcohol wise.

I know the plan sounds like a ****-ton of cardio, but in reality swimming is more physical therapy than cardio for me. Because of my s****osis, my orhtopeadic surgeon has always encouraged swimming. The weightlessness combined with the repetitive stretching does wonders for my poor spine. I used to wear a back brace 23 hours a day, and the only "free" time I got with the brace off was during swimming.

Do you have a CostCo membership? I just picked up a speedo suit there for $20, then added another $25 on Amazon for googles and a swimcap (nerdy, yes, but purple hair and chlorine shouldn't mix).

[mavd]

W5D2 of BGB
Squats 5x5 @ 95/105/115/120/95*
Leg press (low foot placement) 3x8 @ 200/220/220
Leg curl 3x12 @ 40/40/40
BB Curl 5x5 @ 30/40/50/50/50**
DB hammer curl 3x10 w/ 15s

* Loaded 125, set it in place, got shooting pain in back, put that **** back down. I'm too old and not motivated enough to risk having to spend my weekend on the couch. 95 was okay after that.
** Swapped preacher curl for straight BB. The preacher was making my elbow feel ick. Oh, the joys of hypermobility. I don't know that I've ever just straight up curled 50# before though.

Random story time.... super hot, ripped, inked up guy decided to come in and lift with no shirt on today. I conveniently decided to curl facing him. I'm pretty sure he caught me oogling. Oh well. He did spend about 5 minutes taking selfies so I was capable of not actually drooling.

Tonight I have tickets to the Harry Potter Symphony. Super excited!

[Fiction2Fitness]

The symphony sounds amazing. Hope you had a fabulous time.

I don't have a costco membership but could probably get a one piece from target at a reasonable price though have yet to take the plunge despite having access to the section year around here in LA. Still just don't like the idea of wearing a swimsuit. Makes sense in the cardio and other benefits that swimming would have for you.

[mavd]

W5D3 of BGB
Assisted wide grip pull up 5x5 w/ 60/65/70/70/70
Hammer High row 3x8 @ 110/115/115
OHP 5@45 5@55 4@60 with a fail 2x5@55
DB Side lat raise 3x8 w/ 15s
Lat pullover 3x10 @ 15/17.5/20
Standing BB row 3x12 @ 30/40/40
Russian twist 3x10 @10
Calf Raise on leg press 3x12 @200/200/180
22 min swimming (mix of freestyle, backstroke, leg, and single arm isolation with lots of breaks cuz I'm out of shape)
Recovery - 15 min in sauna and leisurely 0.7 mi walk home

[mavd]

W5D4
SLDL with deficit 5x5 @ 95/115/125/130/115
Leg press high foot placement 3x8 @ 180/200/200
Bulgarian split squat w/ DBs 3x8 w/ 15s
Assisted dips 5x5 w/ 70
Triceps rope put down 3x12 @ 25/27/27
Walked the 0.7 mi to/from gym.

[mavd]

Yesterday was the bf's bday, so I didn't do the spin class. And I had too much wine and couldn't lift this morning. I'll go after work but will probably be rushed since I also promised to go to yoga tonight.

[mavd]

Felt strong AF yesterday, and my workout showed it. Very happy with the weights I put up. I'm going to start including my warmup weights and not just my working weights in the log.

W6D1
Rack Pull 5x45 5x95 5x135 5x155 5x160 5x165 5x170
Row 3x8x90
Bench Press 5x45 5x65 5x80 5x85 5x90 5x95 3x100 5x85
Incline DB Press 8 w/ 25s, 8 w/ 27.5s, 8 w/ 30s
Seated Cable Row 8x60 8x65 8x75
Russian Twist w/ 10# plate 3x10

Didn't have time to do a 3rd chest exercise or calf exercise and still get to yoga on time, but I don't really give a fvk about calves and I am pretty sure I toasted the chesticles as much as they needed to be toasted. Haven't benched 100 in 2+ years, and this might be the first time I ever braved it unspotted, but 95 went up pretty easily so I figured why not?! 3rd rep probably shouldn't count because form was deteriorated by then but w/e.

Yoga last night was very hamstring focused. That's fine I guess although my lower back has been out of whack for a week so I would've preferred more stretching there.

Slept like **** again last night, including the smoke detector deciding it needed a new battery at 1am. So yeah, didn't get up at 5. I'll go after work instead.

[mavd]

Didn't lift last night. Planned on spin class this morning but it was canceled so got the lift session in instead.

W6D2
Squat 5x45 5x65 5x95 5x105 5x115 5x125 5x135
Step up w/ overhead KB 3x8 w/ 15# KB
Leg curl 3x8x50
Curtsy lunge 3x8 w/ 17.5# DBs
BB curl 5x5x50
DB hammer curl 3x10 w/ 15s

Might see if I can talk the bf into an on demand spin class tonight.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Looks like things are going well. I considered going to a spin class at the gym, then got asked to work extra hours at a different store so it didn't work out.

Yay for the strong af day!

[mavd]

W6D3
Kickball practice 60 min
10 min bike ride to gym
Assisted wide grip pull up 3x50 2x55 5x55 5x60 5x65 5x65
Hammer High row 1x8x115 2x8x125
OHP 3x5x60 1x4x60 1x5x55
Side lat raise 3x8x15
Kneeling single arm cable row 3x8x37
Upright row 1x8x60 2x8x50
Calf Raise on leg press 3x12x200
Leg raise 3x10
Swimming 25 min
Sauna 20 min
15 min walk home

[mavd]

W6D4
0.8 mi bike ride to gym
SLDL 5x45 5x95 5x115 5x125 3x5x135
Walking lunges 3x8 with 20# DBs
Leg curls 3x8x50
Single arm skull crusher 5x17.5 5x20 3x5x22.5
Triceps rope push down 8x23 8x25 8x27
30 min spin class on Peleton (estimated 240 cal burned)
Leisurely 0.8 mi walk home


So. Sweaty. Peleton is sweet, my gym just bought one. New love.

[mavd]

Did another 30 min Peleton class this morning. Couldn't go quite as hard for a variety of reasons
1. Fasted == lower energy. I know fasted is unnecessary but I can't eat immediately before cardio without barfing.
2. Aunt Flo showed up last night
3. Legs are recovering from yesterday
So yeah, two days back to back probably isn't ideal but I also really don't want to deal with wet hair from swimming in the mornings.

Other health-ish notes. I bought a new mattress this weekend because mine was 8+ years old and caving in the middle. It was a pricey purchase but with my back problems I figured it would be worth the splurge. The last two nights I have slept GREAT. Less hours than I generally think I "need" but waking up rested means I'm probably getting better quality. I'm still getting pretty constant pinching in my lower spine, so hopefully the new bed helps that. I also need to drop back 5-10 pounds because that always helps. I swear my body is only truly happy in a 5 pound window, lighter than 140 is a constant struggle but heavier than 145 is a spike in back pain. I weighed in at 151.8 this morning.

[mavd]

Mini-rant....

I basically only read the Female and Fat Loss sections of this forum these days. But man, that is enough to annoy me at times. I swear the most overused BS here is "skinny fat" and "lean bulk".

You are only skinny fat if you are pushing the low end of a healthy BMI and are overfat (20% for men and 35% for women). Most people labeling themselves skinny fat here are either still actually overweight, or just plain average. I swear, people hit a BMI of 24.5 and immediately claim "skinny". Argh. BMI is not flawed for the average body type, it is only flawed for serious athletes and Asians.

Then there's "lean bulk". This term must've invented itself in the couple years I took off from following bodybuilding. Lean bulking is literally just bulking correctly. Calling it a lean bulk makes people think that they can do it without gaining any fat, which is just confusing the masses even more.

Anyway, didn't feel like lifting this morning even though I was up in time, so I'll go after work instead.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Mini-rant....

I basically only read the Female and Fat Loss sections of this forum these days. But man, that is enough to annoy me at times. I swear the most overused BS here is "skinny fat" and "lean bulk".

You are only skinny fat if you are pushing the low end of a healthy BMI and are overfat (20% for men and 35% for women). Most people labeling themselves skinny fat here are either still actually overweight, or just plain average. I swear, people hit a BMI of 24.5 and immediately claim "skinny". Argh. BMI is not flawed for the average body type, it is only flawed for serious athletes and Asians.

Then there's "lean bulk". This term must've invented itself in the couple years I took off from following bodybuilding. Lean bulking is literally just bulking correctly. Calling it a lean bulk makes people think that they can do it without gaining any fat, which is just confusing the masses even more.

Anyway, didn't feel like lifting this morning even though I was up in time, so I'll go after work instead.

Definitely agree. So many just grab the term "skinny fat" and use it far too often. I mostly stick to just the female forums but still we see a fair share of comments in that regard along with that "lean bulking" one too. I might find bmi pesky (*grumbles about weight range including 100 lbs*) but never will be calling myself skinny fat.

Hope lifting went well for you if you went after work, or whenever you crush the weights next.

[mavd]

Definitely agree. So many just grab the term "skinny fat" and use it far too often. I mostly stick to just the female forums but still we see a fair share of comments in that regard along with that "lean bulking" one too. I might find bmi pesky (*grumbles about weight range including 100 lbs*) but never will be calling myself skinny fat.

Yeah I mean I'm never hitting the bottom of my BMI range either (118? Maybe freshman year of high school). But that's the point. It's a range. Hell, I'm well within healthy BF% but 3 pounds over a healthy BMI and my weight complicates my other health problems.

[mavd]

W7D1 .... Kind of....

Had a meeting run late yesterday and couldn't fit lifting in before yoga so just did yoga. However, the entire yoga class was hip openers and by the end I knew something was wrong. My hips were TOO effing open. I was in half pigeon, which usually gives me a good stretch, and I was able to go full stomach/chest/face to ground while feeling my hip move around freely in the socket. Didn't think too much of it until I got out of bed this morning and that nagging "pinch" in my back has turned into full on crippling sciatic nerve pain. Fuuuuuuuuu..... Tried to lift anyway. Didn't go well. Here's what my workout was, in actual order...

Rack pull - warmup 5 reps w/ the bar hurt, warmup with 95 pounds hurt extremely bad and I quit after 3, abandoned rack pulls
BB Row - warmup 5 reps w/ bar still hurt some but I could manage, 5x65 hurt too much, abandoned rows
Bench (normal form of feet on ground, back arched) - 5 w/ bar was ok, 5 w/ 65 okay, 5 w/ 75 hurt, got frustrated, unloaded bar, planned on abandoning the entire workout, went inside.

Got inside, decided eff this I'm here I might as well do something.

BB Row - 3x8x45
Bench (but with feet on bench and back not arched, this made the lift pain free but obviously weaker) - 5x45 5x65 5x75 5x80
Incline DB Bench - 12 w/ 22.5s, 2x10 w/ 22.5s
Superset
Seated Calf Raise 3x12 w/ 50
Chest plate press 3x10 w/ 5s
Skipped: Rack pull, third back variation, core work

I don't really know whether I should "count" this workout. Previous experience with my hypermobility tells me that it will take 3-4 days for my overstretched muscles to return to normal and start supporting my spine again. There's absolutely no way I'll be able to do squats tomorrow in this condition.

Also, I now have to sit in my crummy office chair at my desk all day when I'd rather be in bed with a heating pad and a bottle of apsrin. Maybe I'll see if the boss will let me work from home this afternoon.

[MissKB]

I hope the boss allows you to work from home! Your workout looks pretty great for not feeling well! FTR: I'd skip rack pulls too hahah.