Operation Look Like A Goddess

[stingo]

From your description of your squats, it almost sounds like you're good morninging (GM'ing) out of the hole. I've found that concentrating on pushing through my heels has helped with that.

[ledove]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

I agree with the comment to drop the weights and work on form for a little while. Also I am not seeing any bw squats on your warmups. My trainer always starts me on bw squats so I can think about my form. Then I graduate to bare bar for 20 reps and only then I get to add weights.

Originally Posted by stingo

From your description of your squats, it almost sounds like you're good morninging (GM'ing) out of the hole. I've found that concentrating on pushing through my heels has helped with that.

*takes notes* Squats come up again on Thursday. I'll let you know how they go.

Monday:
eats: 1956 cals; 32.1% fat, 28.4% carbs, 39.5% protein

I'm having several "Well, duh!" moments lately. For one, I want to do 40/30/30 protein/carbs/fat, but I had never done any calculations to figure out how many grams of each that was each day. I finally did that on Sunday and adjusted my SparkPeople ranges to reflect my non-lifting and lifting days. So yesterday, a smidge over on fat, but close enough.

Tuesday:
eats: 1924 cals; 37.3% fat, 24% carbs, 38.7% protein

It's already 9 p.m., and I don't know if I can eat any more. Ugh. Just finished off my PWO shake, too. But all day I've eaten all my food and not been hungry. I did cut my oatmeal in half at snack1, only because I've hardly been able to finish it recently.

Stage 1, Workout B8

Deadlift: 3x8x50lbs
DB Shoulder Press: 3x8x17.5lbs each
Wide Grip Pull Down: 3x8x40lbs
Lunges: 3x8x17.5lbs each
Crunches: 3x15x10 (on chest; arms couldn't hold!)

So after all my whining about my deadlifts, tonight they were smooth as anything. No excessive pulling in back muscles. No lower back pain. No weird and goofy "I'm stuck and can't put down the weights" poses. Up, down. Up, down. Butt stayed up; very little to reset between reps. Felt like I could've had twice as much weight and had no problem. Where have you been for the last few weeks?

Maybe one of the articles I read or videos I watched finally clicked. I have no idea. But everything suddenly worked. Maybe for AMRAP B I'll start with 50 lbs and see how far I can go. :P

So thanks to everyone who's put up with my deadlift and squat whining. I'll get it.

(Now for the next two days, maybe I should obsessively watch Squat videos and let my subconscious work it all out before Thursday night!)

[stingo]

This is the first of a series of videos about squatting. Very helpful.

[MuscleMom23]

Good workouts, good blog!

What style of TKD? I was Chung Do Kwan back in the day LOL!

[ledove]

Thanks, Tom. I've got Lisa~'s post with that series bookmarked somewhere. Just need to watch it.

What style of TKD? I was Chung Do Kwan back in the day LOL!

Chung Do Kwan, too.

[MuscleMom23]

Cool what Dan?

I never made it to my brown belt testing, life got to harried. Hubby is 1st Dan.

You wouldn't happen to be with the Sell crowd?

[stingo]

Thinking of other stuff my trainer's told me to do:

Keep head up so that the back doesn't get rounded. (I use dumbbells so when I started out my eyes would be drawn down to the weights, esp with deadlifts.)
Keeping abs tight.
Concentrate on moving both my head and my butt at the same time (as opposed to moving the latter up first).
Breathing is a good thing to do too.

[ledove]

Originally Posted by MuscleMom23

Cool what Dan?

I never made it to my brown belt testing, life got to harried. Hubby is 1st Dan.

You wouldn't happen to be with the Sell crowd?

Only 1st. Next step toward 2nd is to create my own form, and I keep putting it off. You know, for when I have time... pfft.

No, Master Khan, Burke VA (near DC). We're actually a satellite school down at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg (southwest end of the state).

Originally Posted by stingo

Thinking of other stuff my trainer's told me to do:

Keep head up so that the back doesn't get rounded. (I use dumbbells so when I started out my eyes would be drawn down to the weights, esp with deadlifts.)
Keeping abs tight.
Concentrate on moving both my head and my butt at the same time (as opposed to moving the latter up first).
Breathing is a good thing to do too.

Breathing? Silly thing. Gets in the way.

*takes more notes*

[DirtyMartini]

Hey, I just found your log and really like it! I'll be keeping up with your posts We're in a similar spot in NROL (I'm doing A8 today)

I struggled with deadweight form too. I didn't know I was supposed to actually run the bar up my shins & that caused back issues as well as just general lift problems. I've also noticed that keeping my head up makes a world of difference (a la stingo).

My bf also bought Starting Strength (someone mentioned it earlier) and it's also helped quite a bit. Of course, I've only read through the squats section so far. That helped me realize I wasn't going low enough and my squats have improved quite a bit as a result.

[stingo]

Originally Posted by DirtyMartini

I struggled with deadweight form too. I didn't know I was supposed to actually run the bar up my shins & that caused back issues as well as just general lift problems. I've also noticed that keeping my head up makes a world of difference (a la stingo).

Oh yeah for deadlifts my trainer's suggested re-gripping after each rep. Doing so helps with grip performance, but also ensures it's a true deadlift from the floor.

[SpacecityPaula]

Since you have the power rack, you might try setting the Barbell so that it would be the same height as what it would be with 45 lb plates on each end and doing the lift from that position. If you go down to the NROL4W section, to this thread, and watch Cassandra, Julie and Tracy lift and work on Tracy's DL form. they used risers to help get the bar to the proper height.

[ledove]

Originally Posted by DirtyMartini

Hey, I just found your log and really like it! I'll be keeping up with your posts We're in a similar spot in NROL (I'm doing A8 today)

I struggled with deadweight form too. I didn't know I was supposed to actually run the bar up my shins & that caused back issues as well as just general lift problems. I've also noticed that keeping my head up makes a world of difference (a la stingo).

My bf also bought Starting Strength (someone mentioned it earlier) and it's also helped quite a bit. Of course, I've only read through the squats section so far. That helped me realize I wasn't going low enough and my squats have improved quite a bit as a result.

My squats have been ATG (TKD forces me to be flexible; might as well use it for something!). I think I've somehow not been using my legs on squats and deads. Last night, though, my legs did all the work. Was a very nice change. (Squats, pay attention: you're next.)

I think I'll have to go on a book-buying binge soon here...

Originally Posted by stingo

Oh yeah for deadlifts my trainer's suggested re-gripping after each rep. Doing so helps with grip performance, but also ensures it's a true deadlift from the floor.

I've been doing that, too. I also check to make sure my hips haven't dropped when I lowered the weights, which would lead to squatting the deadlift up.

Originally Posted by SpacecityPaula

Since you have the power rack, you might try setting the Barbell so that it would be the same height as what it would be with 45 lb plates on each end and doing the lift from that position. If you go down to the NROL4W section, to this thread, and watch Cassandra, Julie and Tracy lift and work on Tracy's DL form. they used risers to help get the bar to the proper height.

I tried rack pulls once, but the lowest holes on my power rack are at my knees. So a little too high. I use two 25-lb plates in my lift (my bar is negligible--I need to go on an Olympic buying binge soon, too), and I've been propping them up on four 50-lb plates (2/side).

Come to think of it, I did add another row of 25-lb plates under them last night, which boosted me another inch or so. It didn't really feel any different, but maybe it helped. *shrug*

[ledove]

Stage 1, AMRAP A

I bonked

Instead of a straight AMRAP with my starting weights, I wanted to do AMRAP with my current weights. Just to see. (I'm still working on the macho issues. Even though no one can see me when I work out in my basement.)

It wasn't the weights, really. My arms & legs are tight and tired, and I had few carbs after lunch (bad planning). So, I bonked. No energy = no good.

Squats: (1x10xbw, 1xOH(bw)x5, 1xfront(bw)x5) 1x14x50lbs
Pushups (knuckles): 22
Seated Rows: 1x12x50lbs
Step ups: 1x2x17.5lbs each
Jackknives: did not attempt. Did Plank x 60s and Prone Cobra x 60s instead.

Very annoyed at the pushups. A few weeks ago at TKD I cranked out 45 of them easy and 5 more with effort. (We do sets of 50.) Tonight... splat.

Step ups: that's not a typo. I got 2 on each leg.

Jackknives: I already knew I wouldn't be able to do them. So I didn't endanger myself.

I played around with some of the exercise from Stage 2--the Front Squat/Push Press, BSS, and One Point Rows--with Barbie weights. With Planks & Cobras, that's all I could remember.

Meh. AMRAP B on Saturday, and then a week off.

[kfisherx]

Sounds like the week off is coming non too soon.

[rem1956]

Hi there! You're doing GREAt! Vey impressive workouts.