Author Topic: Strength & Fitness 2016  (Read 402863 times)

monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1250 on: July 15, 2016, 01:16:26 PM »
This skeleton discussion is interesting to me because something I'm currently debating is what the "thing" I need to do to get to the splits.

I'm WILDLY more bendy than I was at the beginning of the year when I started trying for the splits, but I have NO idea what is holding me back or what the extra "stretches" I can do to get to the splits. I'm starting to wonder if it might just be not possible for my hip flexors to do that.

JoRocka

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1251 on: July 15, 2016, 03:08:00 PM »
Some people I believe are simply incapable of getting to the splits from a skeletal perspective.  That being said. I think it's a worth while goal to pursue for a good two years before giving up on it.
Check out fit and bendy,  they are digital videos that can be purchased specificity training into these exercises.  That might help you out. Also.  Invest in yoga blocks if you don't have them. They have made a huge difference in my stretching flexibility world.

I had a fail today. Testing the rest of my one rep max numbers. Bench was a solid 190. Ass mostly down.

But my deadlift oh my deadlift. Sigh. 315 was a fight. And 320 wasn't budging.  I feel perhaps under fed and the antibiotics and the infection probably not helping. But damn. Not happy. Not happy at all. Sigh.  Oh well.  Better luck next time.

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Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1252 on: July 15, 2016, 05:55:00 PM »
Some people I believe are simply incapable of getting to the splits from a skeletal perspective.  That being said. I think it's a worth while goal to pursue for a good two years before giving up on it.
Check out fit and bendy,  they are digital videos that can be purchased specificity training into these exercises.  That might help you out. Also.  Invest in yoga blocks if you don't have them. They have made a huge difference in my stretching flexibility world.

I had a fail today. Testing the rest of my one rep max numbers. Bench was a solid 190. Ass mostly down.

But my deadlift oh my deadlift. Sigh. 315 was a fight. And 320 wasn't budging.  I feel perhaps under fed and the antibiotics and the infection probably not helping. But damn. Not happy. Not happy at all. Sigh.  Oh well.  Better luck next time.

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Sorry about the DL disappointment, I can relate to that feeling. I hate those days when you're just not feeling it and everything is a grind. But a 190 bench is beastly. Nice work!

Damn it feels good to start lifting heavy again!

My lifting partner really pushed me this morning on deadlifts

315 x 5
365 x 5
405 x 5
435 x 5
455 x 5 Boom! Haven't deadlifted that weight/reps since 2013

And yay for your DL success! :)

I also had a solid DL day myself yesterday, hitting a 30lb 1RM PR off a deficit at 505. It's crazy to reflect on the fact that 15 months ago I couldn't lift 315 off the ground.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1253 on: July 15, 2016, 06:16:44 PM »
So, I finally ran a sub 13:00 2 mile on a record APFT, so that is one goal down.

I have gained about 10 pounds so far this year, and have seen fairly steady gains in the lifting department. I am currently staying at about 180 on my squat, and 205 on the deadlift. I seemed to have plateaued. Pull ups are at about 10 until muscle failure. I am still maxing the pushup and sit up events on the APFT, so no change there.

I've got that goal marked as complete. Awesome!! Are there pullup events in the APFT (I'm assuming that stands for Army Physical Fitness Test...I know I put it on the goal description post, but I'm really lazy).

Nope, they have them on the Marine PFT, and since I have Marines in my shop, I can't let them show me up all the time. But, if they ever change it to add them, I will already be well on my way to doing well :D

brute

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1254 on: July 16, 2016, 03:55:18 PM »
Some people I believe are simply incapable of getting to the splits from a skeletal perspective.  That being said. I think it's a worth while goal to pursue for a good two years before giving up on it.
Check out fit and bendy,  they are digital videos that can be purchased specificity training into these exercises.  That might help you out. Also.  Invest in yoga blocks if you don't have them. They have made a huge difference in my stretching flexibility world.

I had a fail today. Testing the rest of my one rep max numbers. Bench was a solid 190. Ass mostly down.

But my deadlift oh my deadlift. Sigh. 315 was a fight. And 320 wasn't budging.  I feel perhaps under fed and the antibiotics and the infection probably not helping. But damn. Not happy. Not happy at all. Sigh.  Oh well.  Better luck next time.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

Nice work on the bench. Sorry to hear about the deadlift. Too little food and antibiotics can destroy your strength though. Try again in a couple weeks, I bet you power through. If not, there's always nose tork.

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1255 on: July 18, 2016, 07:38:36 AM »
Checking in... I've been really upping my cycling and swimming workouts in anticipation of the triathlon at the end of the month and backing off my run mileage a bit (it's just a sprint, so only a 5K run), so imagine my surprise when I busted out a 33 second 5K PR this weekend! I went out at a fast (for me) but didn't feel too hard to maintain pace. At the halfway point I was passed by a woman in my age group who I know generally runs just a bit faster than me. So I made it my goal to stick with her and I did. She still edged me at the finish line, but I was happy to walk away with a shiny new PR and a third place age group award. Unfortunately I've given up all pretense of any strength work over the last couple of weeks. Sigh.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1256 on: July 18, 2016, 12:23:54 PM »
I had a great weekend!

6 mile hike on Saturday, with 1000' elevation gain. I set the pace for the group, which felt like a nice payoff. Then went to the gym on Sunday, for 3x15 on all exercises. The last set was supposed to be 1x11 for each exercise, but I was feeling good and pushed. Felt good at the time, but it was a mistake to push my lumbar spine. Had to take the day off, to lie on my back, consume codine, and ice my butt cheek. Sigh. Boy takes three step forward, boy gets cocky, boy reverts back a step.

On the fitness side, may I post my weight graph? I know there's a weightloss thread, and I don't want to force this one in a direction it don't want to go. I'll take it down if anyone requests. In the meantime!


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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1257 on: July 18, 2016, 12:26:33 PM »
Nice trend line SS! And weight is a pretty common metric here, just not the only metric. Post away!

SoccerLounge

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1258 on: July 18, 2016, 05:27:16 PM »
so imagine my surprise when I busted out a 33 second 5K PR this weekend!

I should think so, as that's over 300mph! Well done on the sprint work!

;)

(I'm just being pedantically jealous! Congrats on the PR :) )

Edit - awesome pics allsummerlong! Hiking is my own preferred cardio - I go on short hikes a couple times a week, and longer hikes once a month or so - so as far as I'm concerned, keep bringing those hike reports.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2016, 05:29:25 PM by SoccerLounge »

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1259 on: July 18, 2016, 05:31:43 PM »
I did an upper body workout today.

This is notable. Time was (ie, end of last year) I couldn't do an "upper body workout" because I would do one set of one thing and then be done... so there was no such thing as a full workout just for my upper body.

So today is very exciting. I've always suffered from major "noodle arm" syndrome. My sports growing up were: soccer, horseback riding, rhythmic gymnastics, track, and dance... those are all primarily leg-based activities!

Today I used our barbell and did 5x5 each of push press and "bro curls" (bicep curls with the bar, heh). Also some pull ups in there for good measure. (I'm still jumping for pull ups though, still can't chain them/do them from a hang). Husband was impressed with the vein I had going on one of my biceps, and is jealous I have better genetics for vasculature than him =P I have to win somewhere, right???

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1260 on: July 19, 2016, 06:21:59 AM »
I'm toying with the idea of signing up for a powerlifting meet.

I've never done one and think it would be great motivation to get my big 3 up to snuff, as well as get my weight down a bit to get into a light heavyweight class.

Anyone have recommendations on something close to NYC/Long Island in the November/December time frame?

brute

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1261 on: July 19, 2016, 07:33:06 AM »
I'm toying with the idea of signing up for a powerlifting meet.

I've never done one and think it would be great motivation to get my big 3 up to snuff, as well as get my weight down a bit to get into a light heavyweight class.

Anyone have recommendations on something close to NYC/Long Island in the November/December time frame?

Here's the list of good ones in your area this year.

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/new-york

Let me know if you need an online training partner. I could use some motivation to quit screwing around and get stronger.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1262 on: July 19, 2016, 09:17:51 AM »
I'm toying with the idea of signing up for a powerlifting meet.

I've never done one and think it would be great motivation to get my big 3 up to snuff, as well as get my weight down a bit to get into a light heavyweight class.

Anyone have recommendations on something close to NYC/Long Island in the November/December time frame?

Here's the list of good ones in your area this year.

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/new-york

Let me know if you need an online training partner. I could use some motivation to quit screwing around and get stronger.

That's a great site! Unfortunately if I want to do a proper 16 week training block/meet periodization there aren't many meets end of November/early December.

I PM'd you regarding online training partner, I could also use the accountability/motivation.

wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1263 on: July 19, 2016, 09:20:26 AM »
So glad to find this thread!  I'm in.  :)

My goals:
40 min workout, 6 days a week  (for now will consist of Jillian Michaels DVDs)
20-30 min walk everyday

Yesterday:  did JM 30 Day Shred, 2 sets back to back = 40 min workout; did not get my walk in though.

Today I'm feeling unmotivated and sluggish; didn't sleep well.  I need to remind my brain that the workout is non-negotiable. 

Being accountable here will be a great motivator for me.

Darcy
« Last Edit: July 19, 2016, 01:46:10 PM by M.Darcy »

monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1264 on: July 19, 2016, 10:39:06 AM »
Missed working out yesterday, totally regretted it from a mental health perspective. Very glad I made it to class before work today, it's going to be another 12-14 hour day at the office.

JoRocka- Thank you so much for the Fit and Bendy recommendation! I am going to try to work in the full hour-long video in twice this week, and will report back on progress!

SoccerLounge

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1265 on: July 19, 2016, 07:00:24 PM »
Today I'm feeling unmotivated and sluggish; didn't sleep well.  I need to remind my brain that the workout is non-negotiable.

Sometimes, you just have to do that. After a 13 hour work day plus only a few hours' sleep the night before, I sure didn't feel like it. Then I went and busted out a strong set! If you can bully the mind to just get started, the results are often worth it. :)

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1266 on: July 19, 2016, 10:25:57 PM »
Registered for the Brisbane 1/2 Marathon. Feeling fairly happy with training progress (on the back of a 19km run on the weekend). Almost into taper now.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1267 on: July 20, 2016, 05:47:39 AM »
So glad to find this thread!  I'm in.  :)

My goals:
40 min workout, 6 days a week  (for now will consist of Jillian Michaels DVDs)
20-30 min walk everyday

Yesterday:  did JM 30 Day Shred, 2 sets back to back = 40 min workout; did not get my walk in though.

Today I'm feeling unmotivated and sluggish; didn't sleep well.  I need to remind my brain that the workout is non-negotiable. 

Being accountable here will be a great motivator for me.

Darcy

Glad to have you here. Did you want to formalize some goals and I'll get them added to the tracking post?

Registered for the Brisbane 1/2 Marathon. Feeling fairly happy with training progress (on the back of a 19km run on the weekend). Almost into taper now.

Sweet! Do you have any time goals or anything like that? I know you want to complete the full Brisbane Marathon in < 01:50:00. Anything for this 1/2?

meerkat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1268 on: July 20, 2016, 06:00:34 AM »
Oh the difference sleep makes. Yesterday I got almost nine hours (catching up from the terrible sleep the night before) and by the end of the day there was a lot of green showing on my Fitbit's dashboard. It was already dark out by the time I saw this or else I might have been tempted to take the dog for a walk just to get the mileage *cough* and catch pokemon *cough*.

I need to remember to revise my work out plan since I've been making progress. Some things I don't need any more and I want to add "hanging on to the bar for up to 30 seconds" to strengthen my hands (this doesn't need to go onto the tracking post here, it's a stepping stone to my pull up goal). I also want to pull up the FitRanx level 1 test and put myself through it again to see where I'm at on that.

Let's try this attaching a picture thing...

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1269 on: July 20, 2016, 06:41:44 AM »
Pulled this beautiful Wednesday morning

Barbell Deadlift
315 x 5
365 x 3
405 x 2
445 x 2
465 x 2
485 x 1 RPE ~8.5-9

wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1270 on: July 20, 2016, 09:55:49 AM »
Glad to have you here. Did you want to formalize some goals and I'll get them added to the tracking (Jordanread)

Thanks Jordanread!  Hmmm... not sure I have any formal goals right now.  I'm not an athlete and the only times I've injured myself are when I was trying to be one.  I think for me the goals are just to have physical health be a part of my everyday life. 

If it changes I'll let you know.

Darcy

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1271 on: July 20, 2016, 11:01:58 AM »
Glad to have you here. Did you want to formalize some goals and I'll get them added to the tracking (Jordanread)

Thanks Jordanread!  Hmmm... not sure I have any formal goals right now.  I'm not an athlete and the only times I've injured myself are when I was trying to be one.  I think for me the goals are just to have physical health be a part of my everyday life. 

If it changes I'll let you know.

Darcy

Not a problem. It's a fun place around here.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1272 on: July 20, 2016, 11:48:24 AM »
Today I'm feeling unmotivated and sluggish; didn't sleep well.  I need to remind my brain that the workout is non-negotiable.

Sometimes, you just have to do that. After a 13 hour work day plus only a few hours' sleep the night before, I sure didn't feel like it. Then I went and busted out a strong set! If you can bully the mind to just get started, the results are often worth it. :)

They definitely are! Yesterday was one of those days that was a real grind for me, both because I didn't particularly feel like going, and also because the entire workout just felt hard and unpleasant. What's interesting is that I actually didn't have to push myself mentally very much, despite all of that. I started working out regularly a little over three years ago. It took me maybe 3-4 months to get past needing to actively force myself to go every other scheduled gym day, and build exercise into a habit. After that, I only occasionally had to force myself to get my lazy ass off the couch (maybe a couple times a month).

After about a year and half of this (~2 years after starting), I hit an inflection point where my brain finally was legitimately "tricked" into viewing exercise as non-negotiable. It's weird, but even on days I feel like crap, I find myself heading to the gym without even considering that I could choose not to go. It's kind of like going to work on a particularly unpleasant Monday. You gotta do it, so you just do. But unlike work, the satisfaction and personal benefits I have derived from this habit have been immense. Definitely worth the grind at the beginning of the process!

My reward this time? Had trouble getting out of bed today (not really, but kinda)... Some lower body abuse yesterday. And I loved it...afterwards anyway.

Close-stance box squat - 5x3 @325lbs
Deadlift - 5x3 @425lbs
Deficit beltless stiff leg deadlift - 3x5 @335lbs
Crapload of ab work

It hurts so good :)

wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1273 on: July 20, 2016, 12:58:12 PM »
Glad to have you here. Did you want to formalize some goals and I'll get them added to the tracking (Jordanread)

Thanks Jordanread!  Hmmm... not sure I have any formal goals right now.  I'm not an athlete and the only times I've injured myself are when I was trying to be one.  I think for me the goals are just to have physical health be a part of my everyday life. 

If it changes I'll let you know.

Darcy

Not a problem. It's a fun place around here.

Oh wait, I made some goals!  Can you add me to the list?

Darcy's 2016 Strength & Fitness Goals:

1.  3 months of regular workouts = at least 5 days a week
2.  6 months of regular workouts = at least 5 days a week, with increasing difficulty of workout

Thanks!


wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1274 on: July 20, 2016, 01:07:51 PM »
@SoccerLounge and @Lagom - thanks for the encouragement!  Yesterday I was able to do my workout by tricking my mind - I told myself I only had to do one shred, which is 20 mins and very doable, and the 2nd shred was optional.  The first set was kinda hard, harder than it's been in a while, but I pushed on and finished 2 of them.  That was a workout.  I was exhausted after and pretty much collapsed.

Last night I got to bed earlier and got some rest and this morning I was able to do 2 shreds pretty well.  Still a good workout but not as tiring as yesterday.  And I also did my walk!  Yay! 

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1275 on: July 20, 2016, 02:47:08 PM »
Glad to have you here. Did you want to formalize some goals and I'll get them added to the tracking (Jordanread)

Thanks Jordanread!  Hmmm... not sure I have any formal goals right now.  I'm not an athlete and the only times I've injured myself are when I was trying to be one.  I think for me the goals are just to have physical health be a part of my everyday life. 

If it changes I'll let you know.

Darcy

Not a problem. It's a fun place around here.

Oh wait, I made some goals!  Can you add me to the list?

Darcy's 2016 Strength & Fitness Goals:

1.  3 months of regular workouts = at least 5 days a week
2.  6 months of regular workouts = at least 5 days a week, with increasing difficulty of workout

Thanks!


I've got you added to the tracking post. I suppose it's all official now.

brute

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1276 on: July 20, 2016, 03:30:19 PM »
Got some quality bench pressing in today. Worked up to 255 x 3x3. Not huge, but bench has always been a problem lift for me. Each rep was paused and solid.

After that, hit some overhead pressing, working up to 225 for 3 singles. A little shaky, but this is the first time I've pressed overhead in a year, even since I tore my right trap.

So, a long way from my goals, but with the wedding and honeymoon over, I have more time to train. On the downside, I'm a little worried I broke a bone in my left hand. it's hot and sweaty here in kansas city, and I nearly dropped a plate on my foot, but I caught it. Yay. Except I smashed my left hand between the plate and one of the pegs on the rack that holds the plates. Bruising pretty badly, but we'll see. It doesn't hurt too much if I don't poke at it, so ice and elevation it is.

Edit--
Good news, doesnt' seem to be broken. Bruised pretty good, but no real swelling. Not worth getting an xray of really. Makes me miss my last employer though, free medical on site, including xrays.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2016, 06:16:09 AM by brute »

SoccerLounge

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1277 on: July 20, 2016, 07:00:18 PM »
Advantage of flexible rest days in my schedule: I didn't feel bad about not working out today so that I could bake stuff instead. (Counterproductive pursuits, go!)

Disadvantage of flexible rest days in my schedule: Now I have to go four days til my next rest day. I should point out here that my schedule is designed such that four-days-in-a-row incorporates a variety of exercises and difficulties so as not to constitute excessive demands on one part of my body or one element of my training. Still... no being lazy the next four days. I actually kind of like the mild, self-imposed "pressure".

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1278 on: July 21, 2016, 12:44:54 PM »
Advantage of flexible rest days in my schedule: I didn't feel bad about not working out today so that I could bake stuff instead. (Counterproductive pursuits, go!)


DH is a fabulous baker. It's one of the reasons I run. I mean, I like being healthy and stuff, I LOVE the amazing things being in shape allows me to do, but I also really like cupcakes.

Woo! has it turned steamy outside this week. All of my paces (running and cycling) have suffered as has some motivation. But I've hit my workouts so far and took advantage of the Y membership for an air conditioned run last night. We've had such a mild summer so far, I forgot how miserable real summer weather can be when it comes to outdoor cardio.

wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1279 on: July 21, 2016, 02:53:23 PM »
I've been holding steady on my workouts and meeting my goals so I feel really good.  The workouts have been a bit tough but I'm really noticing the new muscle development which keeps me motivated to push myself each morning.

Setting long-term goals for Jordanread's post also made me look at when I started working out and I realized it's been over 9 weeks.  I'm 2/3 of the way to hitting my first goal!  Whoo-hoo! 

I'm also doing the sugar-free challenge and I think the two are working well together.

@hudsoncat - that's nice you can use the Y.  I'm thinking of using it next winter for swimming.  I miss it (the swimming) and just love going there when it's all quiet and deserted.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2016, 02:57:25 PM by M.Darcy »

SoccerLounge

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1280 on: July 21, 2016, 04:16:26 PM »
I almost quit on a hike today. I was most of the way up, it was a very difficult hike technically (very uneven cambered - sideways gradient - ground with enough rocks to have to use my hands semi-frequently). My calves just didn't want to go on.

Turns out I was less than one minute from the top of the mountain. If I'd turned back, I'd never have known how close I was.

(This post is written like some sort of Life Lesson, but it's not meant to be! It's just... what happened! :) )

Longwaytogo

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1281 on: July 22, 2016, 07:23:40 AM »
Weight lifting still too inconsistent; going to try to be better next 5 weeks or so.

Had my best/most amount of Mountain biking recently. 6 rides totaling about 75 miles over the last two weeks.

~ 5 weeks until my Spartan race, trying to work on my Burpees as that is the penalty for uncompleted obstacles. Man they are way harder than you would think. I'm up to 50 about every other day, but I'm doing 5 sets of 10. The penalty is 30!! No wonder it seems to take some people 2-3 hours to get through this 5K course.

Goals between now and race day August 27:

-Get weight to 205 (currently 212) - Stretch goal Sub 200

-Complete a set of 30 burpees in under 3 minutes (no current time, going to try and time myself this weekend)

-Try to find a place to practice a rope climb (this is typically one of the obstacles)

-Run 3 miles at least 4 times (BUT BUT biking is so much more fun)

Jordan - No need to add these to my yearly goals; I will post an update around race day how I do with these.


Everyone is doing great!!

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1282 on: July 22, 2016, 09:55:41 AM »
Still sore from my Tuesday workout, at a level that hasn't happened for well over a year. I now suspect I know why my squat went down last cycle. I've been sabotaging myself by sandbagging workouts. If I'm being honest, Tuesday was the first time I pushed through the entire prescribed reps/sets on a heavy squat day in some time. I've been consistently skipping the last set, using a few % lower weight, etc., because I hate squatting so much. I was convincing myself that I wasn't doing this too often, but I think it was worse than I thought. Time to refocus. Upper body today, but gonna grind as much as necessary from here on out with the squat!

wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1283 on: July 22, 2016, 11:29:20 AM »
Question for the ladies on this thread:

Do you change your workout routines during your monthly cycle?  The last couple of months I've found that I feel well enough to do my workout on my period days but then after my period I feel really tired and end up missing a couple of days of working out.    So I'm wondering if maybe I should plan to just not workout for a couple of days to let my body do it's thing.  Or I can do a shorter workout to stay in the routine but not over tax my body. 

Just wondering what everyone else's experiences have been. 

Darcy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1284 on: July 22, 2016, 12:27:42 PM »
Hello Miss Darcy, I found this article very interesting, and informative. Geared towards optimizing weight loss, but also addresses what kinds of exercises to do during each phase. I've spent the last 45 days tracking my weight daily, and ya know, actually paying attention to wtf is going on. My (very limited) dataset has backed up with the article is saying re: hormonaly driven fat storage/loss.

Now, cue many people screwing up their faces and saying "Sailor Sam is a GIRL????"

monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1285 on: July 22, 2016, 12:48:15 PM »
Question for the ladies on this thread:

Do you change your workout routines during your monthly cycle?  The last couple of months I've found that I feel well enough to do my workout on my period days but then after my period I feel really tired and end up missing a couple of days of working out.    So I'm wondering if maybe I should plan to just not workout for a couple of days to let my body do it's thing.  Or I can do a shorter workout to stay in the routine but not over tax my body. 

Just wondering what everyone else's experiences have been. 

Darcy
I haven't mastered figuring out a routine, but since I started a new immunosuppressant 6 months ago, I have an "inexplicable" migraine/fatigue right before my cycle starts and I'm always confused about why I can't work out as hard. It's only occurred to me recently this might be cycle-related and now I'm endeavoring to track it and figure it out. I have noticed that I seem to be OK working out on those days, but I need to focus on more restorative exercise (pilates, Barre, yoga) instead of things that are hard on my body (weight lifting).

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1286 on: July 22, 2016, 03:33:06 PM »
I have a question for the lifters:

I've recently taken up lifting heavy things. I started trying the StrongLifts program but since my gym doesn't have a squat or bench rack I've had to tweak it a bit. But I've been steadily adding weight to my deadlift and yesterday I pulled 145lbs. Not huge compared to many of you but I'm excited to be closing in on the 150lbs mark. But I'm getting close to being at my max weight with good form. I'm lifting in a free gym in DH's work's basement which has no trainers and rarely even anyone else in there so I don't have anyone to spot/watch my form.
How do you handle hitting your max? I'm worried about trying to lift beyond my max and hurting myself. How do you decide when you've hit your max with good form? What's the best way to proceed after that? I've been adding 5-10lbs per session, do I just hang out at my max for a while once I find it or should I cut back some and add back each time again?

So I'll comment with the disclaimer that I am not a certified trainer. But I do consider myself a somewhat experienced lifter at this point. First off, 150 is a great number for someone at your experience level. Very nice work!

As for form, there are a few things to consider. First, make sure you truly do have good form at lower weights. There are a number of online forums where you can post a video of yourself and get critiqued on that if you are not totally confident about this. Once you know what you look like when you are deadlifting correctly (which can vary a bit from person to person. For example, because of my build I bend my knees less than most), you can just video yourself during workouts and review to make sure you're staying on track. In my opinion, deadlift is actually one of the safer lifts as long as you have good fundamentals (which many do not). As you get more experienced, you'll also develop the body awareness to know when something is off, at which point you can just drop the bar.

While not necessary at your strength level, you may want to eventually consider buying a powerlifting belt, especially as you move up towards 200 and beyond. Used correctly, they are a big help with keeping your core braced, which in turn helps you keep better form. I would personally recommend you only wear it when lifting weights at the higher end of your range though.  It's an expense, but a worthwhile one and they build them tough, so it'll last forever.

Finally, most people do not have 100% perfect form on a 1RM attempt, and that's OK. You certainly don't want to be horribly rounding your back, jerking the bar, or doing something funky like hitching the bar, but small form mistakes are not going to lead to injury unless you are already injured or if you are using that same questionable form over and over on non max effort lifts. I'm not saying you shouldn't strive for perfect form on a max attempt, but it will be fine if it's not quite there. Incidentally, even as a beginner, I wouldn't recommend maxing out more often than every 6-8 weeks at a minimum (I regularly go 12-16 without maxing).

Hope that's helpful. Lifting is awesome and only gets more fun as your strength improves. Keep up the good work! :)
« Last Edit: July 22, 2016, 03:34:44 PM by Lagom »

SoccerLounge

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1287 on: July 23, 2016, 01:09:18 PM »
I ache all over from my lifts yesterday - in the good way. It's nice to be (very slowly, per my program) sneaking up into the kind of weights that will provoke mild DOMS and 'post-lifting wobbles' again!

redbird

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1288 on: July 23, 2016, 03:04:02 PM »
I'm about 60 days out from moving (do not know where yet - a separate issue) and I had this disturbing revelation today that moving is going to SUCK because I really need to get in better shape. So I did some research, put together a fitness plan, got my DH on board, and we bought some lightweight dumbbells. Tomorrow will be our first official exercise day. Day 1 of a week seemed like a good place to start.

Not looking forward to being sore, but I'm looking forward to both losing a little weight and to get in better shape. If it helps me even a little for moving, I'll be happy, but regardless I fully intend to continue this long term. I was glad DH was so willing to get onboard too. If we have someone to keep each other honest and motivated, that'll just make it easier.

marty998

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1289 on: July 24, 2016, 01:44:34 AM »
Well... my local fun run was today. Finished the 11k's in a time of 59:55

Goal not achieved (sub 57), but still smashed last year's time of 1:05:59 by over 6 minutes... which I think translates to being 1km further up the road this time around.

I stopped to walk only once this year (last year 3 times)... at the last hill at the 9km mark... probably due to all my so called "training" being 4-6km runs.

Anyway, happy enough with the gains... will try and go for 55 minutes next year :)

horsepoor

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1290 on: July 24, 2016, 09:47:10 AM »
I need to get back to running a bit more regularly, since I signed up for the Rim to Rim 7.5 mile run in September.  Doubt I'll beat my last time, which I think was around 1:10.  It's a fun race that starts at a country club in the bottom of the Snake River Canyon, runs 500' up switchbacks, over Perrine Bridge, then back down the other side of the canyon rim and across a footbridge over the river.  My goal at the beginning of this thread was to run the Zeitgeist half marathon in November, but I may be working in DC for a stint at that time, so I haven't signed up.  Being prepped for RtR would put me in a good spot to get ready for the HM if I'm here to run it.

So that means getting up and running before work, since the forecast is for 100 degree days through the end of the month.  I've been deadlifting about once a week lately and hitting up to 175#.  I feel like that's a pretty good spot for me, since I'm not looking to put on muscle mass.  Balance is good, and I'm making progress on single-leg squats, bench and pushups, having neglected upper body training outside of kettlebells for quite a while.  Have plenty of fat to shed after a couple months of lackadaisical eating/drinking capped off with a food-centric vacation.

Longwaytogo

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1291 on: July 24, 2016, 10:17:55 AM »
Well... my local fun run was today. Finished the 11k's in a time of 59:55

Goal not achieved (sub 57), but still smashed last year's time of 1:05:59 by over 6 minutes... which I think translates to being 1km further up the road this time around.

I stopped to walk only once this year (last year 3 times)... at the last hill at the 9km mark... probably due to all my so called "training" being 4-6km runs.

Anyway, happy enough with the gains... will try and go for 55 minutes next year :)

Awesome job!! 6 mins is a great one year improvement.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1292 on: July 24, 2016, 11:32:43 AM »

Thanks. I'll have to have DH come with me sometime to record my lift so I can check (have others check) my form.

But what do you do between maxes? Deload and add back or something completely obvious that I'm not thinking of? I suppose it may matter that I'm not doing 1RMs, I'm doing 3 sets of 5 reps and am just getting where adding more weight will either keep me from completing or possibly cause injury

If you have a smart phone with a selfie option and something to lean it against that gives a good side angle, that can work just as well for recording a video. I will often to this and then delete the video afterwards to save room.

tldr on the below: De-load and working back up works just fine for beginner to intermediate lifters. I'm not sure how much you know so I've expanded on that a bit:

There are many philosophies on programming, but the most common one for beginners to intermediate lifters is a linear progression program. You can Google a lot of examples to get a feel of what you think fits your goals best. One of the more highly regarded would be Starting Strength, which is detailed in a book, but you can find outlines of the program through a Google search as well. It doesn't have you deadlift as much as other programs though. In general, the basic premise of these programs is a series of mid range rep schemes (like what you are doing with 3x5) at which you increase 5-10lbs/week (typically 5 on squat/bench and 5-10 on DL). It sounds like this is basically what you've been doing. To reset after a 1RM, you just start over with the same program from a % of the max (something like 60-70%) and work up again. If one week feels especially hard or you miss a weight, but you haven't maxed yet, just repeat the week without adding weight.

There are so many variations you could do that I'm not sure it would be helpful for me to get into them, especially since I mostly only know about my own programming, which is pretty different than linear progression at this point. In case it's helpful, I did find one deadlift program from about a year ago, when I was working through a high volume linear progression model. I think at this point my max was somewhere in the 335-365 range (as a 195lb man), so I was an advanced beginner. I was lifting M/W/F (squat/upper body/deadlift) using the following program for my deadlifts. Accessories each deadlift day consisted of 5x10 rows, 5x10 lat pulldowns, and ab work. This is one of a million examples, but I always like seeing exactly what other people are doing, so perhaps it will be helpful. I believe when it says add 10lbs, 20lbs, etc., it means from week 1, as opposed to adding that much on top of the previous week. So week 3 & 5 use the same weights, for example.

W1
4x4@70%; 2x2@80%; 70%x8

W2
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8

W3
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8 add 10lbs

W4
Accessories only

W5
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8 add 10lbs

W6
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8 add 20lbs

W7
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8 add 30lbs

W8
Accessories only

W9
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8 add 30lbs

W10
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8 add 40lbs

W11
4x4@70%; 80%x2; 90%x2; 70%x8 add 50lbs

W12
Accessories only

W13
Deadlift Max

« Last Edit: July 29, 2016, 06:09:46 PM by Lagom »

wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1293 on: July 25, 2016, 12:06:43 PM »
Hello Miss Darcy, I found this article very interesting, and informative. Geared towards optimizing weight loss, but also addresses what kinds of exercises to do during each phase. I've spent the last 45 days tracking my weight daily, and ya know, actually paying attention to wtf is going on. My (very limited) dataset has backed up with the article is saying re: hormonaly driven fat storage/loss.

Now, cue many people screwing up their faces and saying "Sailor Sam is a GIRL????"

Hey Sailor Sam!  Thanks for this article.  Very informative.  And according to it strength training is the thing to do during your menstrual cycle so that's what I'm doing and it's working our pretty well.  I do get more tired than normal but I can still get the benefits of a good workout and I found myself less cravy of junk food and sugar than normal. 

wildbeast

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1294 on: July 25, 2016, 12:11:41 PM »
Question for the ladies on this thread:

Do you change your workout routines during your monthly cycle?  The last couple of months I've found that I feel well enough to do my workout on my period days but then after my period I feel really tired and end up missing a couple of days of working out.    So I'm wondering if maybe I should plan to just not workout for a couple of days to let my body do it's thing.  Or I can do a shorter workout to stay in the routine but not over tax my body. 

Just wondering what everyone else's experiences have been. 

Darcy
I haven't mastered figuring out a routine, but since I started a new immunosuppressant 6 months ago, I have an "inexplicable" migraine/fatigue right before my cycle starts and I'm always confused about why I can't work out as hard. It's only occurred to me recently this might be cycle-related and now I'm endeavoring to track it and figure it out. I have noticed that I seem to be OK working out on those days, but I need to focus on more restorative exercise (pilates, Barre, yoga) instead of things that are hard on my body (weight lifting).

Hey monstermonster!  You might want to check out the article provided by Sailor Sam.  It's very good.  When I've done cardio in the past while on my cycle, I found that I could barely do it.  My stamina was just shot.  Of course, you're body might be different.  But the article says strength training is what we should do on our cycle and I tried it and was pleasantly surprised that I could still work out, not as much as normal, but still got a really good workout in.  Oh, and I read somewhere that there's certain yoga poses we need to avoid during our cycle as well.  I forgot which ones but I'm sure you can google it.  Good luck!  Let us know what you find.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1295 on: July 25, 2016, 05:01:08 PM »
Guys. Guys. Guys.

I did a clean and jerk with 95lbs. I put 95lbs ABOVE MY HEAD and got a great lockout and help it. I have NOODLES for arms. They are like 5' long and about 4" around, so you have NO IDEA how excited I am about this.

Also, my husband pointed out yesterday when I was brushing my hair that I actually have biceps, that you can SEE (kinda sorta). This is a novel and delightful experience.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1296 on: July 25, 2016, 05:33:34 PM »
Guys. Guys. Guys.

I did a clean and jerk with 95lbs. I put 95lbs ABOVE MY HEAD and got a great lockout and help it. I have NOODLES for arms. They are like 5' long and about 4" around, so you have NO IDEA how excited I am about this.

Also, my husband pointed out yesterday when I was brushing my hair that I actually have biceps, that you can SEE (kinda sorta). This is a novel and delightful experience.

Ha that's awesome! Great work! Next stop is 100+!

I can definitely relate to how you feel. While I often have to remind myself not to humblebrag about the weights I can lift today (it's just so damn exciting to be strong when you were weak your whole life!), let it be known that I was mega skinny fat before I began my fitness journey. Something like 6'4" 170lbs (male) with a flabby belly and arms so skinny I could almost wrap my hand all the way around my arm at the bicep. I could barely bench the bar for a few reps and running 400m totally depleted me.

Sometimes I think back to that time (only 3 years ago) and it feels like I am a totally different person. For all of the downsides of being unhealthy for many years of my youth, I do think I appreciate the changes in my body so much more having gone through this as an adult, than I would if I had always been fit. I suppose it's a sort of body dismorphism, but in a good way. It really is worth the early pain, and once you start to make visible progress, it gets so much more fun and motivating! :)



use2betrix

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1297 on: July 25, 2016, 06:03:18 PM »
Started bulking Saturday. Quickly reminded how much harder it is than cutting.

Total for workout days: 3505 calories, 327g carbs, 83g fat, 342g protein

SoccerLounge

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1298 on: July 25, 2016, 07:12:21 PM »
Started bulking Saturday. Quickly reminded how much harder it is than cutting.

Total for workout days: 3505 calories, 327g carbs, 83g fat, 342g protein

Just dirty bulk on Snickers bars and McD's. You know you want to*




* - maybe not ;)

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #1299 on: July 25, 2016, 07:41:49 PM »
Started bulking Saturday. Quickly reminded how much harder it is than cutting.

Total for workout days: 3505 calories, 327g carbs, 83g fat, 342g protein

Just dirty bulk on Snickers bars and McD's. You know you want to*




* - maybe not ;)

Man, I respect bodybuilders that bother to track all that stuff, but give me a dirty bulk any day where I don't have to count anything to make gains. Fortunately, I have found one recipe that helps a lot while being semi healthy (or at least not McDonald's level unhealthy). Protein shake with whole milk, a couple giant scoops of peanut butter, a banana, and a scoop of protein powder.  Tastes pretty good, lots of good fat and protein, and ridiculously caloric. One or two of those a day and I can get away with eating semi-clean the rest of the time while continuing my lazy-man's bulking. :)