Don't feel bad about the bench press. I've done that too. I had to roll the bar down to my lap where I could sit up and get it off me. It sucked.
Thank you for mentioning that! It makes me feel better I'm not the only one who's done it. Thank god I'm too weak to be lifting weights that could actually kill me.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Food... Sugar cravings have dramatically subsided today. Not sure why, but I honestly don't care. Maybe the dream donut cured me.
Breakfast - 1/2 flax muffin, fried egg, sausage patty
Snack - 1 oz almonds
Lunch - 4 baby back ribs (seasoned, no BBQ sauce) & 1 cup broccoli
Snack - 3 stalks celery with 1oz cream cheese
Dinner - taco salad
Snack - 1 protein ball. I made the NROL4W PB protein bar recipe last night, but instead of forming them into 5 bars, I formed them into 15 balls.
I ate lunch with my coworkers today and, again, got the comments about my healthy lunch. I played nice but started to think about some effective responses. My comments like "well, yeah, I want to be healthy" don't seem to sink in with a couple of people. So, I have a couple in my arsenal now that will probably get teh point across. The worst offender is the kind of guy who always talks about himself, always cracks stupid jokes, always has to be the center of attention... He loves to "jokingly" criticize everyone, and one of my favorite coworkers has talked to her manager about it (this guy told her he was "concerned" about her because she didn't socialize very much and that people might think of her as cold & aloof - wtf? who says that?).
So anyway... the battle rages on, and one day I shall win.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Funny thing... I was getting some tea this morning at work (in the break area), and who happens to stop in the break area herself but the bodybuilder woman I mentioned! She said something to me about the weather and I responded then I just said it - I asked her if she was doing the weightlifting competition for the company. She said yes, and I said I thought it was her and we got to talking... we talked for a good half hour this morning.
Turns out she did her first figure competition this weekend (and said she was completely humbled by the experience) and is starting her first bulking phase. She also said that since she did the weightlifting competition last year, she would be happy to let me do it. So I'm thinking I might... she said she pressed 110 pounds last year & came in 3rd out of 11 women... The competition is 2 months away, and if I can increase by 5 pounds each week, I'll be pressing 130 pounds by the competition... If I am at 140 pounds by that time (which I think I can do - that's a loss of 5 pounds in 2 months) and press 130 pounds, that gives me a score of 183. The winning woman in my division last year scored 171. SO! I think I might go ahead & do it.
We talked about other stuff too - apparently she got a lot of flak for quite a while about her eating (apparently she works with a lot of women who bake a lot and were constantly trying to get her to eat the stuff they brought in). She said it just died down after people figured out she wasn't going to deviate from her clean eating. so that encourages me as well. She was super-nice and very excited about weightlifting so I'm glad I said something. I was afraid she might have the attitude of, "why are you talking to me?" but she wasn't at all. She said she's been lifting for 4 years and absolutely loves it and was very excited just talking to me about it... she's obviously very passionate about it, which was what I was hoping for.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
extra: bench presses
warmups, 45lb bar
3 x 65lbs
3x 85lbs
1 x 90lbs
ALMOST made 95 pounds. ALMOST. I will bench press 100 pounds next time.
Lookit all that RED!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirtyMartini
Food... Sugar cravings have dramatically subsided today. Not sure why, but I honestly don't care. Maybe the dream donut cured me.
Wow... can you send one of those dream-donuts my way? I wish I could be cured that easily!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirtyMartini
Funny thing... I was getting some tea this morning at work (in the break area), and who happens to stop in the break area herself but the bodybuilder woman I mentioned! She said something to me about the weather and I responded then I just said it - I asked her if she was doing the weightlifting competition for the company. She said yes, and I said I thought it was her and we got to talking... we talked for a good half hour this morning.
Turns out she did her first figure competition this weekend (and said she was completely humbled by the experience) and is starting her first bulking phase. She also said that since she did the weightlifting competition last year, she would be happy to let me do it. So I'm thinking I might... she said she pressed 110 pounds last year & came in 3rd out of 11 women... The competition is 2 months away, and if I can increase by 5 pounds each week, I'll be pressing 130 pounds by the competition... If I am at 140 pounds by that time (which I think I can do - that's a loss of 5 pounds in 2 months) and press 130 pounds, that gives me a score of 183. The winning woman in my division last year scored 171. SO! I think I might go ahead & do it.
We talked about other stuff too - apparently she got a lot of flak for quite a while about her eating (apparently she works with a lot of women who bake a lot and were constantly trying to get her to eat the stuff they brought in). She said it just died down after people figured out she wasn't going to deviate from her clean eating. so that encourages me as well. She was super-nice and very excited about weightlifting so I'm glad I said something. I was afraid she might have the attitude of, "why are you talking to me?" but she wasn't at all. She said she's been lifting for 4 years and absolutely loves it and was very excited just talking to me about it... she's obviously very passionate about it, which was what I was hoping for.
First, may I say how GREAT that you finally talked to her? I can be pretty shy myself, so I'm impressed! And you are gonna kick some bootay at that contest!!! Can't wait to hear about it
I know, I really need to get out of it more often!!
I have another story.
On wednesday, as I mentioned I brought my lunch and one of my coworkers was asking me about chinese food. One thing he asked me was if the breading on stuff like chicken was bad. We are sarcastic & joke with each other ALL the time and i thought he was being facetious - so I laughed and then realized he was being sincere so I told him it was...
So Thursday I felt bad for laughing at him and sent him a brief email to apologize. He wrote back & said it didn't bother him at all, and that I'd inspired him to really look at how much sugar he was eating. He was asking me yesterday about controlling energy slumps and how you avoid them if you can't eat sugar to keep your blood sugar up.
So I sent him 3 links, one to the wikipedia page on the glycemic index, one to a john berardi article about fat, protein, and carbs, and another one which I forget now.
He popped by my desk later & thanked me for the articles then started asking me more questions about my weight lifting and results and stuff. So that was kind of neat.
---
I read in one of the John Berardi things last night that led me to think about posting at least one good thing per day. I have been feeling lately like my life is in a great place right now, and I've never felt like this. There has always been something that I wanted to change but felt like I couldn't. But right now there isn't - I love my house, I love kansas city, I'm getting married this fall, I'm working out, I'm eating well, paying off debt, I love my job... I guess part of the feeling, too, is that with this whole weightlifting/body transformation thing has come the feeling that if there's anything I don't like in my life, I can change it.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I know, I really need to get out of it more often!!
I have another story.
On wednesday, as I mentioned I brought my lunch and one of my coworkers was asking me about chinese food. One thing he asked me was if the breading on stuff like chicken was bad. We are sarcastic & joke with each other ALL the time and i thought he was being facetious - so I laughed and then realized he was being sincere so I told him it was...
So Thursday I felt bad for laughing at him and sent him a brief email to apologize. He wrote back & said it didn't bother him at all, and that I'd inspired him to really look at how much sugar he was eating. He was asking me yesterday about controlling energy slumps and how you avoid them if you can't eat sugar to keep your blood sugar up.
So I sent him 3 links, one to the wikipedia page on the glycemic index, one to a john berardi article about fat, protein, and carbs, and another one which I forget now.
He popped by my desk later & thanked me for the articles then started asking me more questions about my weight lifting and results and stuff. So that was kind of neat.
---
I read in one of the John Berardi things last night that led me to think about posting at least one good thing per day. I have been feeling lately like my life is in a great place right now, and I've never felt like this. There has always been something that I wanted to change but felt like I couldn't. But right now there isn't - I love my house, I love kansas city, I'm getting married this fall, I'm working out, I'm eating well, paying off debt, I love my job... I guess part of the feeling, too, is that with this whole weightlifting/body transformation thing has come the feeling that if there's anything I don't like in my life, I can change it.
Very cool about the coworker - maybe he'll be healthier because of you
My shoulders are pretty sore though. Sigh. Probably still dont' have the form perfect.
I tried bench pressing 95 pounds today and completely failed. I thought for sure I'd be able to do it, didn't have a spotter, couldn't get the weights back up and hadn't put the tension clips on the bar so one of the 25lb plates started sliding off... I let it, it fell on the floor, and I got the bar off me (not like it was going to squish me anyway).
If I BP alone without a spotter (or someone home) ... I leave off the clips for exactly that reason - if I get stuck and in any REAL trouble, I can dump the plates (just have to avoid hitting curious canines). That's just how I was taught many moons ago - probably not the best practice.
Good workout today, got pukey during my lunges, thought I was going to barf just a little bit after plank #2, and now I'm kinda shakey all over. I guess those are good signs.
Stage 4, A2 Front squat/push press
3x8 @55
Step-up
3x8 @17.5e
Dumbbell one-point row
3x8 @30e
Static lunge, rear foot elevated
3x8 @17.5e .. pukey feeling starts to set in
Push-up
3x8 (floor)
Before my 2nd set, I thought, "hey I wonder if I could do a T-pushup"... when I got to the top of my first rep, I quickly changed my mind.
Plank
It's a good thing I know these do wonders for core strength because I really believe they came from the devil.
105 sec
120 sec (this is when the visions of puking on the floor began)
120 sec
Cable horizontal wood chop
3x8 @30
I know all the PRs contributed to the nausea. That's ok... I should have a pretty good A3. I'll probably keep most of the weight as it is in this workout, as I don't think I could go any harder.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I was at my desk working and having my 3pm snack: a protein ball and broccoli with vinaigrette dip. A co-worker walked by and asked me what the protein ball was - she asked me if it was a meatball. So I told her and she started asking me about nutrition, how long I've been eating like this, what i like about it, how I learned about it, what got me into it, etc. She started telling me about how she wants to learn about good health - she's pretty thin and she said she's recently realized that thin doesn't equal healthy, and has no idea if she's actually healthy or not.
She was asking me a ton of questions (mostly about vitamins and whole foods and fiber and protein) and I was trying to answer to the best of my ability. She then asked me if I'd ever thought about becoming a nutritionist or something, and i told her that I've looked into it a little bit and might do it someday & work with kids in poorer neighborhoods - not right now though. She said I was like the team nutritionist and needed a sign outside my cube, like "the doctor is in." Someone was waiting to talk to me about a project, sitting in an armchair near my cube. So the coworker asking me all the questions left and I said "NEXT!" We laughed. We cried. It was fun.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
good thing for the day... we bought 4 tomato plants at the farmers' market this morning, all heirloom. I'm looking forward to fresh tomatoes this summer!
I have another good thing as well. I'm digging up an area of the back yard to plant the tomato plants and ran into a slab of concrete about 30"L x 10"D x 2"H, buried about 4" under the ground. At first I wasn't sure what it was but dug around it and managed to pull it up out of the ground - with one arm. It dawned on me as I was carrying it with one arm over to the fence that I don't realize how strong I am sometimes (relative to how puny I used to be). So that was pretty cool.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I weighed in at 147 this morning, hoping to be back around 145. Felt discouraged & disappointed in myself, especially since I've been snacking (only on healthy food... well, and an ounce of dark chocolate) when I feel hungry. Hungry = eat, so I eat and try not to feel guilty about it.
Up 1.5 pounds from 3 weeks ago.
I looked at my belly this morning in the mirror. It's almost flat. The fat is going away so obviously the weight is coming from somewhere else. Hopefully it's all the muscle I'm building, given I was able to set PRs on half your exercises last workout without losing form. And I wore my khakis last week, which I haven't worn in a while, and they were pretty baggy in the waist. Those are my smallest pair of 10s I have. So I'm down to 2 pairs of work pants & 2 pairs of jeans that fit me properly, confirmation that what I'm doing is working.
Last time I gained weight & felt super-strong, I subsequently lost a couple pounds after 5 weeks of stagnation. It's coming.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Those last stubborn pounds are quite hard to lose. I'm finding that if I have a carb load day that it somehow revs things up again. My scale weight can't go much lower, but there is still fat that needs to come off, so it's mighty slow at this point. And frustrating. And, for me, it's the belly fat that's last to go. It just might be that the scale will stay about where it is and I begin the slow process of losing the fat, but gaining lean. The scale stayed the same for me for quite some time this month and just recently budged. After last night's carb load, I think I'll stay away from the scale for a few days! LOL!
Hang in there....I know how you feel but we are definitely moving in the right direction!
It's easy to get stuck on scale numbers (and my pounds DO need to come down a bit! ), but if you see differences and your pants are loose, then keep doing what you're doing - it IS working... I can't wait til I can post that my stupid big belly is shrinking - good job!!!
Thanks missjane and Bytsi. I know you're right missjane - those last bits of fat are so stubborn. I suppose I've had them for so long, they don't want to leave me. I know I should be proud of myself - I'm in the best shape of my life right now. I really am impatient. I should be proud of myself... I haven't been this far into the 140s since 1996, despite years of longing to be. So I'm finally here and still not happy.
I lost 10 pounds and 2 sizes in ~4 months. And that time has sped by actually. I just needed a perspective refresh to remind myself that it's not easy, it takes time, and I've already changed my body more than I expected to. I've also learned a hell of a lot more about nutrition and my body's response to certain macros more than I expected to. It's been pretty fun so far, despite my (everyone's!) desire for immediate results.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Widegrip Deadlift from Box: 1x8 @105, 2x8 @110 Bulgarian split squats:3x8 @25 Underhand grip lat pulldown: 3x8 @90 Reverse lunge from box w/forward reach: 1x8 @15e, 9" step; 2x8 @ 15e 6" step
I wasn't sure if it would be better to do them from the higher step. Turns out I couldn't do them regardless, but I'm not sure if a greater ROM is really what I should be going for anyway. Dumbbell prone cuban snatch: 3x8 @10e. I am going to try 12.5e next time... we'll see. Swiss ball crunch: 3x8 w/25lb plate long arm Reverse Crunch: 3x8 w/swiss ball between knees(boyfriend walked in right when I was doing my 2nd set and gave me the funniest look. ) Lateral flexion: 3x8 both upper & lower Prone Cobra: skipped it. I KNOW, I KNOW... I really didn't feel like doing them, so I didn't. I'll do them next time.
Bench Press: warm-up: 45lbs
3x85
a few attempts at 95 and 100... didn't make it. Maybe Friday!
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
- My belly is suddenly quite a bit flatter. Not sure what happened but hey - can't complain. I'm on my period so maybe I was bloated and now it's gone.
- I made this evening snack tonight that was a mixture of PB, cottage cheese (just a little, low enough to still be TNT), chocolate protein powder, and flax. Delicious and only like 170 calories! I have been on a major chocolate/PB kick lately.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Widegrip Deadlift from Box: 1x8 @105, 2x8 @110 Bulgarian split squats:3x8 @25 Underhand grip lat pulldown: 3x8 @90 Reverse lunge from box w/forward reach: 1x8 @15e, 9" step; 2x8 @ 15e 6" step
I wasn't sure if it would be better to do them from the higher step. Turns out I couldn't do them regardless, but I'm not sure if a greater ROM is really what I should be going for anyway. Dumbbell prone cuban snatch: 3x8 @10e. I am going to try 12.5e next time... we'll see. Swiss ball crunch: 3x8 w/25lb plate long arm Reverse Crunch: 3x8 w/swiss ball between knees(boyfriend walked in right when I was doing my 2nd set and gave me the funniest look. ) Lateral flexion: 3x8 both upper & lower Prone Cobra: skipped it. I KNOW, I KNOW... I really didn't feel like doing them, so I didn't. I'll do them next time.
Bench Press: warm-up: 45lbs
3x85
a few attempts at 95 and 100... didn't make it. Maybe Friday!
I hear ya' on those cobras - yuck! But good job on the workout! I'm sure you'll get that 100# bench any day now
Hey. I just wanted to say that I love that you post your "good things today." It's inspired me to do the same. I've been pretty focused on the "I'm so freaking busy and behind at work" that I haven't appreciated the good things.
And great job on the workouts. Good luck with your bench presses. You'll get there any day now!
Aw, thanks! I can be such a pessimist sometimes, especially when it comes to myself and my goals. Of course, I'm the kind of person who will support & encourage my friends & tell them they can accomplish anything with the right mindset. Hopefully this will condition myself to be a lot more positive - I hope you find it to do the same!
I went to the podiatrist today as I've been having some issues with my feet... plantar wart is going away with some meds, but it hurts like hell. I have some hammertoes, unfortunately, that keep getting worse, and a corn on my right pinky toe. I hate feet. I hate having size 9 feet that are a D-width and can't fit into cute shoes or sandals for the summer. I have cute little toes (except for my hammertoe pinky with the corn, grrr) but I can't show them off because my feet spill out over the sides of sandals and I look stupid trying to wear feminine lady shoes. Grandma shoes for me it is. Bah.
How did my "good thing for the day" turn into a self-loathing post? hm. Anyway.
I went out with one of my friends tonight, whom I haven't seen in ages. I had a dirty martini (heh) and grilled chicken skewers (which were bitsy and I'm not even sure they were worth the $2.95). But it was great to see her and we chatted constantly the whole time. We talked work and our men and working out.
A coworker of mine also asked me out for coffee at lunch today, so we went and she asked my advice on a few things at work. So we chatted and she told me she felt better and shouldn't be so hard on herself.
It was really nice to have some girl time today, and I don't do that often enough for myself.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I went to the podiatrist today as I've been having some issues with my feet... plantar wart is going away with some meds, but it hurts like hell.
Ugh - sorry! Glad the meds are working though... I had two (I wore "cute" shoes, got a nasty blister on my pinky-toe, turned into a wart and grew a "friend" on the bottom of my foot near the pinky toe). To try to summarize a long story, creams and having the podiatrist slice away at it in the office (OW!!!!) didn't work. Had laser surgery, which the idiot doc said would be "quick" and that I'd be fine in 2-3 days.
I was out for a month, nearly 6 weeks. The sugery HURT, and then my foot bled and wept and I had to scrub the scabs to keep them "open"... it was awful. For three weeks I couldn't even wear a shoe, and then for 2-3 more weeks, it'd weep blood every time I walked too much or even tried a workout.
I still have huge scars from it (4 years later), and one of the warts actually came back about a year later (after all that!). I treated it with OTC wart meds at home and it's gone again... I'm TERRIFIED of getting another one. Dang stupid doc nearly maimed me !
So, today was just overall an "off" day for me. First of all, I woke up at our normal time (6am) but was in the middle of a creepy dream ... it's always so hard for me to wake up if I'm dreaming. So I was in morning-zombie mode longer than usual.
Most of the day went fine. I had a VERY productive meeting with a frustrating client today, which was the benchmark of my week so far. Felt good about that. But, I've been crampy all day. I'm coming off a 12-day-long period (yay nuvaring ) and I suspect that my hormones are just all messed up. Though it could be gas/bloating... it's just lower-torso-area-cramping and regardless of the cause it just sucks. May is my last month on the ring, thank god. (I'm also wondering what's going to happen when I stop taking hormones - if it will make any difference in my fat composition since my abs & upper arms are my flabbiest parts and that's where hormonal b.c. deposits fat, apparently.)
And, my plantar wart hurts SO BAD. It's all puffy and squishy and painful now, so I looked up the medicine the doctor used on my foot online. Basically, it causes the skin under the wart to blister, raising up the wart so it can be removed. He said it "shouldn't" interfere with my workouts but might cause some discomfort. I think our definitions of discomfort might be different, because now I have a blister about the size of a peanut on the outer sole of my right foot (right below my baby toe joint). I put moleskin foam around it this morning (with a hole in the middle for the blister) but it still hurt like holy hell all day... I thought about delaying my workout but I'm not that easy to break.
So here we go.
Stage 4, A3 Front squat/push press
3x8 @55 (I tried 60, but did 2 reps of that and knew that wasn't going to happen. I'm going to add 2 of our 1lb plates next time)
Step-up
3x8 @17.5e
Dumbbell one-point row
OK so ... after the step-ups, my blister is starting to really hurt. And I can't do the one-point row on my right foot.
3x4 @30e left foot
3x4 @30e two-point row
Static lunge, rear foot elevated 1x8 @17.5e
... I gave up. My foot hurt really bad, I was tired, I felt sapped, and then I started to cry. Mostly because I wanted to do my workout but couldn't and was frustrated. And then I remembered that the last time I cried during my workout was in stage 2, on the A workout (on 3/19). There's something about this workout that brings out the emotional monster in me I guess.
In any case, I might try to finish tomorrow depending on how my foot goes. If it isn't any better, I'm just going to do some cycling until I can bear weight on my feet again. Now I regret having the doctor put that stuff on my foot. I have some weaker stuff at home that I could have kept using, it just would have taken the wart a lot longer to go away. I need to remember that letting something take longer is okay. It won't kill me.
I consoled myself with some Dagoba 87% chocolate.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
heh, yeah I'm sure it's not the workout itself. In addition to my own stress/frustration, John is studying for a major professional exam that happens next week; whenever he does these (this is #5 iirc), his stress rubs off on me and I get all antsy and stressed.
The workout itself is pretty decent. I've actually gotten the hang of the front squat/push press and quite like it. And I almost like doing push-ups now. Almost.
I'm having some tea right now and am on the couch with the window open (and kitty cat sitting in it) ... the birdies are chirping and I'm relaxing. So that is a good thing.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I hope you're feeling better today. I hate when I get so frustrated and hold it in and then I cry over something not worth crying over. I know its just the whole mess, not the last straw, but still ...
I think consoling yourself with chocolate was a good move.
Oh it was I love dark chocolate. Even just one little bite is enough to put a smile on my face.
I felt a lot better today, so I resumed my workout. I thought about starting over, but I didn't want to over-do it. And I was afraid that I'd get halfway through the workout and fizzle out again, and I really would rather do push-ups than step-ups.
Today: static lunges, rear foot elevated: 3x8x17.5e T-pushups (YEAH!!): 3x8 plank: 90 seconds, 120 seconds, 105 seconds. 120 seconds just sucks. My triceps really hurt on these today, so my arms were giving out before teh rest of my body did. I did the last 30 seconds of my last plank on my hands instead of my forearms. woodchop: 3x8x30
And because I wanted to, swiss-ball crunches: 2x15 with arms overhead, on smaller ball
I felt good after my workout.
Today I ate:
B: 2 sausage patties & 1 egg
S: 1oz almonds/walnuts
L: spinach & bell peppers & chicken & romano dressing
S: pulled pork
D: ground bison patty with mustard & low-carb ketchup and 8 stalks asparagus
S: PB/flax/protein shake
I'm getting a lot better with my veggies. Preparing to transition to precision nutrition has put veggies on my mind.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I KNOW, I KNOW... I really didn't feel like doing them, so I didn't. I'll do them next time.
Maybe Friday!
!
Linear Mode
