Thanks for the support you guys. That scale had it coming.
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How has your mountain biking improved/suffered with this? I'm just starting the program (Stage 1 workout A on Saturday) and I love to ride my bike also. That was the only thing I really used as a workout.... other than my martial arts training. It's still a little too muddy in the Pacific NW to ride mtb, but road season is quickly advancing! I can only
imagine that the lifting will help.
Ooh, another biker! I'm actually a bit worried that my weights workouts will suffer when the weather turns nice. Right now Sunday is my only ride day and spinning classes fill in for cardio. In a few weeks I know I'm going to want to ride after work instead of go to the gym. If I have to, I'll drop down to two weight lifting sessions a week instead of three, but I'm going to try and keep it up for as long as I can.
I've only gotten a few rides in since I started, but I felt pretty strong overall. I can only imagine it will help, you know?
Today I did a local mountain bike time trial. I was curious to see how I stacked up since I've been lucky to get one ride in a week this winter. Here are the results (my name is in bold type):
Name..... time...
Kenny H ...... 30:43
Nate A ........ 31:22
Marty E ....... 35:32
Barry H ....... 35:48
Joshua E ..... 36:09
John N ........ 36:57 Adrien H ...... 37:55
Dennis J ...... 38:23
David R ....... 39:38
Wade C ....... 41:24
Doug H ....... 42:12
Jeff H .......... 44:40
Bill M .......... 46:28
Meredith N ... 49:43
Sarah M ....... 57:01
I'm incredibly happy to have landed in the middle of all the men! It was only five miles, but I haven't put in a hard effort like that since last fall. I think the weight lifting is definitely helping.
Congrats on the race, thats really some kickass time you made. I just looked at your measurements again and its incredible we have almost exactly the same measurements from chest to calf (I just got my husband to measure my bicep and calf). I replied to you on my log about the photos, I will PM you when I upload them.
Oh, and by the way, the BioMeasure scale is totally inaccurate and varies with every measurement depending on your water intake/time of the day/whether your an athelete. I read up a lot about trying to get an accurate fat measurement and I think calipers are the best affordable way to go.
Oh, you're totally right about that BioMeasure scale. It calculated bodyfat based on weight alone, which didn't account for the 4-5 pounds of water weight I was retaining last week. I'll have to hunt down someone at my gym who knows how to use calipers.
Okay, on to my workout from last Saturday:
Workout 1, B #6: 3x10
Deadlift - 65/10, 70/10, 70/10 Dumbell shoulder press- 20/10, 20/7, 15/10 Wide-Grip Lat pulldown - 55/10, 50/10, 50/10 Lunge - 20/10, 15/10, 15/10 (My knees started giving me trouble so I dropped the weight a bit.) Swiss ball crunch- 12, 12, 12
A good day, generally. It looks like my lat pulldown weight dropped a lot, but it's because I am using a different machine than the one I use during the week. On the Atlantis machine I can do 65lbs but on the other one (Precor?) I can only do 50-55lbs. Same exact type of cable machine, wildly different weights. Drives me crazy.
Anyway, my big breakthrough was deadlifting 70 pounds, mostly because a few months ago at the college gym, an Adonis-like young man asked me if I was using the 70lb pre-set bar that was on the floor near me. I told him I wasn't using it, and thanked him for thinking I could even pick it up. His response was, "Hey, you never know!" And he was right!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Monday: rest
Tuesday: Stage 1, WO A #7
Wednesday: spinning class
Thursday:Stage 1, WO B #7
Friday: rest
Saturday: Stage 1, WO A #8 and a spinning class
Sunday: ?
When I was doing my warm-up sets for my shoulder presses I picked up 10 lb dumbbells and cracked up because they felt so light. Hee! I used to think they were the heavy ones.
Today I did the final B workout and my big triumph was FINALLY doing all three sets of shoulder presses with 20lb dumbbells. That's huge for me. I was all shaky and red in the face, but it felt so good!
Now all I have left are the two special workouts which I'll do Thursday and Saturday. Next week I'll probably take most of the week off from the weights, but I might spend one session nailing down all the new stuff in Stage 2.
Oh, stupid gym story:
During the week I workout in a university gym and for the most part the kids are pretty friendly. Today some dude was hogging the (only) squat rack and he kept wandering away from it for ages, leaving a heavily loaded bar set up. I just wanted to do my deadlifts so I asked him if he has much more to do. The answer? "At least three more sets, but you could use that" (gesturing at the Smith machine.)
I told him never mind and just found another oly bar and loaded it on the floor. Meanwhile he continues to do squats with 180 lbs loaded on the bar and has the worst form ever. Barely going to parallel and his heels were coming up with every rep. I felt like winging a plate at his head for wasting his time and mine. Ugh.
I don't talk much about nutrition in my log, but that's mainly because i'm not really trying to lose and I tend to get really really intense (obsessed?) about my calories if I count them. I really just try to aim for balanced meals and snacks, while trying to avoid the junk. Here's what I ate yesterday:
I can totally relate to the squat story. I work out at a university gym and the two squat racks are usually being used by the "squat team"--also known as the group of 4-6 burly young guys who load the bar up with as much weight as it holds and squat and deadlift for hours on end (seriously, I'm there some days for at least an hour and a half, they squat from before I get there until sometime after I leave) while oogling the cardio girls. I end up having to use the preloaded bars from time to time, which I really hate. When I'm lucky, I get there before they do and claim a squat rack.
So last night I did my first "special workout" and it was special, alright, if by special I mean torture. What the crap, Alwyn? Anyway, here's how it went down:
10 minute warm up on elliptical, followed by some stretches, lunges, bodyweight squats. Then:
Squats - 40/32 (ugh. so pukey.)
Push-ups (from a counter) - 30
Seated Row - 60/21
Step-up - 10lb dumbbells/ 23 (each leg, so 46 total)
Prone Jack Knife - 21 (stopped when my arms started shaking really bad.)
Then I decided to go home, got as far as the locker room, turned around and did 14 minutes of HIIT on the stepmill. THEN I WENT HOME. FOR REALS.
But hey, not bad, huh? Here is the difference in weight in Stage 1, lowest and highest:
Sounds like you make some really good gains. And I love your description of your food - especially the sad 1/2 cup of rice. Sometimes I see the portion I alloted myself of something carby and I think, what was the point?
Right? Isn't it awful when you start measuring portions and realize what a cup of something actually looks like? Sadness. Since I'm talking about food, here's what I ate yesterday:
Hello from my rest week! It's boring as crap here. I was really hoping to get some mountain bike rides in this week but the weather has not been cooperating. Instead it's looking about like this:
Monday: spinning class
Tuesday: HIIT on the stepmill
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: practice some of the Stage 2 moves, followed by HIIT
Friday: rest
Saturday: start stage 2 (maybe?) or a spinning class
Sunday: maybe a bike ride if the weather permits
I'm not very good at resting. I'm also FREAKING STARVING. SO HUNGRY NOM NOM. Watch out food! Here I come. (Time for lunch.)
PS. for all three of you that read this log: I work out at two different gyms and the cable machines are wildly different. One of them is a good 15 pounds different than the other and I can't figure out which one is correct. So, I can either do 55-60 or 70-75 depending on the machine and it's driving me crazy not knowing. I should probably see what other people can do in stage 1 and compare?
Stage 2! I messed around on Thursday with the A workout just to practice and work out the routine. Today I did it for real:
Stage 2 - Workout 1A
A1. Front Squat/Push Press -45/8, 45/8
B1. Step-up - 20/10, 20/10 (step w/ 7 risers)
B2. Dumbbell one-point row - 12.5/10, 12.5/10
C1. Static lunge - 12.5/10, 15/10
C2. Push-up - 9, 8 (both sets 30 degree)
D1. Plank - 60 sec, 60 sec
D2. Woodchop - 25/10, 25/10
Thoughts:
Front squat/Push press: these freaking kill my wrists. The weight was fine as far as squatting and pressing, but having my wrists bent backwards was torture, so I guess I need to back away from the oly bar and go with a lighter pre-weighted bar. Wah.
Static lunge: I'm used to these and I can definitely add more weight.
Dumbbell one-point row: hahhahahaaa! Hi-Larious. I row, I fall. I row, I fall. Eventually I hope to do a whole set without losing my balance.
Woodchop: love it. I really love a move like this that I can feel in my abs.
I followed my A workout with a spinning class and then crawled home for my protein shake. Today's was my special Saturday blend: vanilla protein powder, skim milk, a spoonful of peanut butter, a teaspoon of honey, half a banana and some ice all blended up. Not quite a milkshake, but pretty tasty!
On the front push press, make sure that you are pushing with the meaty part of your hands (the heel or ball of your hands?) and not up by your fingers. I made that mistake, it really puts a lot of strain on your wrists, particularly your tendons. Practice rolling the bar from the "squat" position by your fingers to the meaty part of your hands. It's a strange feeling, but once you get it, you'll really be able to increase the weight!
On the front push press, make sure that you are pushing with the meaty part of your hands (the heel or ball of your hands?) and not up by your fingers. I made that mistake, it really puts a lot of strain on your wrists, particularly your tendons. Practice rolling the bar from the "squat" position by your fingers to the meaty part of your hands. It's a strange feeling, but once you get it, you'll really be able to increase the weight!
Thanks for the advice! The push part isn't really a problem, it's having my wrist pulled back so far during the squat (with the bar on my fingers) that really hurts.
Can you try holding the bar farther away from your fingers during the squat part? You might not get your elbows out as far as you would otherwise, but that's ok.
Hmm, maybe, but I think either way I have my wrist bent back so the weight can rest on my fingers. It's really the bend that's hurting me, but I also have seriously puny sad wrists. I'll definitely have to spend some time figuring out what hurts the least! I think I also need to go down in weight - the 30lb bar didn't bother me that much but the 45 lb oly bar was torture.
Ugh, I've been slack about updating but I've certainly been plugging away. Today was the first day that I really and truly just wanted to quit the whole thing. I didn't eat well over the weekend and I felt it.
Stage 2 - Workout 3A
A1. Front Squat/Push Press -40/10, 40/8
B1. Step-up - 20/10, 20/9 (step w/ 7 risers)
B2. Dumbbell one-point row - 20/10, 20/8
C1. Static lunge - 20/10, 20/10
C2. Push-up - 8, 9 (both sets 30 degree)
D1. Plank - 60 sec, 60 sec
D2. Woodchop - 30/10, 35/10
The front squat/push press is still so hard on my wrists that I can't go up in weight, which is frustrating. The step ups and push ups also felt much harder today. I think I'm just having a low energy day. My most recent B workout was last Saturday:
Workout 2B
A1. Wide-grip deadlifts on box - 65/10, 65/10
B1. Bulgarian split squat - 10/10, 15/10
B2. Underhand-grip lat pulldown - 65/10, 65/10 (or 55 depending on which gym I go to!)
C1. Reverse lunge from box - 10/10, 10/10
C2. Dumbbell Cuban Snatch - 5/10, 5/10 (ow. my shoulders don't like these)
I had a great mountain bike ride on Wednesday night - I haven't been riding a lot so I was pleased to see that my bike fitness is still there! Last night I did my B workout and decided to try and go up on everything if I could, or do the higher weight from last workout for both sets (if that makes sense). I felt so much better, stronger and more positive than I did on Tuesday. Anyway:
Workout 2B
A1. Wide-grip deadlifts on box - 65/10, 75/8 +10
B1. Bulgarian split squat - 15/10, 15/10 +5
B2. Underhand-grip lat pulldown - 70/10, 75/10 + 5/10
C1. Reverse lunge from box - 15/10, 10/10 +5 for one set
I did my first Stage 3 workout today and it kicked my butt. The first sets were more about me figuring out what weight to use, so my last set reflects the most challenging weight for each exercise (except for the bench press - 20lb dumbbells made my arms shake for all three sets.)
Stage 3 Workout 1A
A1. One armed dumbbell snatch - 10/6, 15/6, 20/6
B1. Dumbbell single-leg Romanian Deadlift -20/6, 20/6, 25/6
E. Prone Cobra -- 90 , 90 (third one didn't happen because I was running short on time and didn't want to short change my intervals)
Then I did 12 minutes of intervals on the stepmill. It was a frustrating workout because the gym was super crowded and it's hard to do supersets with such long rests in-between when the equipment is so in-demand. some guy doing ball crunches on the floor right next to the lat pulldown snarled at me when I politely asked if he was using it. SORRY. NEXT TIME I'LL JUST STEP ON YOUR HEAD, SIR.
I had the most trouble with the single-leg squats. I tried doing them off a step and it was really hard to balance. I might just try them on the floor next time and see if that's better, because I'd like to add weight. Everything else was fine, but the ab sets get tedious. I like the A workout better, for sure.
Tomorrow is another A workout and then I'm done for the week because I have a two day craft show this weekend. I might try to sneak in a mountain bike ride on Friday if there's time, but otherwise I get a long rest.
I have been really slack about updating this log, mostly because I'm pretty sure no one is reading it anyway! (If you are reading this, how about a comment? Insults are fine too. I'll take what I can get.)
That said, I have still been working my butt off, Stage 3 style. Last night was my B workout:
Stage 3 Workout B3
A. Barbell Romanian deadlift/bent-over row - 65/6, 65/6, 75/6
So, I've been making gradual increases for almost everything. The chest presses are really hard - I can do one set @ 25 but when I try that weight for the next set I can't physically lift the dumbbells into position. I wish there was a 22 lb dumbbell.
I find the overhead squat to be super-awkward. the 10lb dumbbell overhead is really hard for me, so making more gains for that one isn't going to happen in this stage. I've got one more of each workout this week, then I'm going to take a few days off before I start Stage 4.
Here's my week:
Monday: spinning class
Tuesday: B workout
Wednesday: off
Thursday: A workout
Friday: off
Saturday: B workout
Sunday: mountain bike ride
I'm here - I'm reading!
Good job on the workouts!!!
I agree about the overhead squat being awkward - I can only use 10/20# on that one too, and I feel it in my ABS! Must be me attempting to stabilize...
I just read your whole log and it was really encouraging! You are doing so well and making such great progress!! I just did Stage 2 A-1 yesterday and feel like a big dud. No way I could do the front squat push press. I'm going to have to practice that one!
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