Didn't get round to anything yesterday as 600 box hedging plants arrived and I spent all day planting them. Just finished them off today. There's always something to do in my garden.
This morning I did my first workout B from stage 3. Found this altogether a bit dull.
Stage 3 Workout B1 Barbell Romanian Deadlift and bent-over row
3 x 6 28kg
Alternating sets Partial single leg squat
1 x 6 bodyweight
1 x 6 5kg
1 x 6 8kg
Just trying to find a challenging weight here..
and
Wide grip lat pulldown
1 x 6 72lbs
2 x 6 68lbs
I choose 72lbs as this was the final weight I was using in stage 1 but I guess I must have lost a bit of strength from not doing this move for a few weeks as I found it too hard to keep good form.
Alternating sets Back extension
3 x 6
I don't have a back extension machine since I work out at home. Tried this exercise using my step to support my hips and with my feet over the roller thing at the bottom of my cable machine. I definitely felt it but I'm not sure it's ideal. Book suggests prone cobra as substitute but there are already 3 x 90sec of these later in this workout.
and
YTWL
2 x 6 3kg
1 x 6 5lbs
Superset (no rests) Swiss ball crunch
3 x 6 9kg with feet on step
Hip flexion
3 x 6 (back to my "sort-of pikes" - middle set was good.
Lateral flexion (Swiss ball side crunch)
3 x 6
Then Prone cobra
3 x 90sec
This has suddenly become much easier. Not sure why.
3x 1min intervals on bike with 2min rest in between.
This workout is also looooong.
Today I did 50min of moderate intensity step aerobics. And made a big batch of cup cakes for the children's lunch boxes without licking the spoon . Mind you I haven't iced them yet....
The dumbell snatch videos were very helpful and I felt a lot more comfortable doing this exercise today.
One-armed dumbell snatch
1 x 6 7kg
1 x 6 6kg
1 x 6 7kg
I dropped the weight in the middle set because I felt my form was poor on the first set. But then I suddenly seemed to get the hang of it and found I needed to go heavier again.
Alternating sets of: Dumbell single-leg Romanian deadlift
1 x 6 (2x7kg)
2 x 6 (2x8kg)
and
Barbell bent-over row
1 x 6 23kg
1 x 6 28kg
1 x 6 33kg
First set was too light - I miscalculated what I had on the barbell.
I did these two as a superset with a rest in between each pair.
Same on the following two exercises:
Alternating sets of: Dumbell single-arm overhead squat
2 x 6 8kg in one hand, 4kg in other
1 x 6 10kg in one hand, 5kg in other
This seemed quite a bit easier this time, it's amazing how quickly your body adapts.
and
Dumbell incline bench press
1 x 6 10kg
2 x 6 11kg (2lb wrist weights + 10kg dumbell)
I still love bench presses, they are so satisfying!
Superset: Planks (variation 2 on floor)
3 x 90sec
and
Reverse woodchop
2 x 6 holding 5kg plate
1 x 6 with 7kg dumbell
Body weight matrix
2 sets 24 squats, 12 lunges each leg, 12 lunge jumps each leg, 24 squat jumps. The first set took 2m49, the second 2m19 as I sped up considerably on the first 24 squats.
Today I had planned to do a short high intensity workout. Then I spent all afternoon cleaning and I was knackered. I had a cup of tea and a scone and thought about starting my exercise but I just didn't have the will. So I had another cup of tea and a honey sandwich instead (good exchange that - honey sandwich instead of exercise). At 5pm the phone rang - it was my husband to say he was on the way home with the kids (they had been out all afternoon) and I knew there would be back in about 40min. Almost without realising it I found myself putting on my workout kit and training shoes and I decided to go for a run. It felt really good to get out in the fresh air and I ran for about 30min.
So it was steady state rather than HIIT but I don't run often so it's more challenging to me than step or cycling. And something's better than nothing...it was funny how my body almost decided to do it without my brain.
Don't you love it when your body just refuses to let you skip a workout? Your run sounds wonderful... I haven't really run since starting NROL4W, and I've been getting that itch a little bit now that the weather's getting nice... I'm with you though - for SS, running makes me work harder than anything else (I am not born to run!)... Good job getting that workout in!
Barbell Romanian Deadlift and bent-over row
3 x 6 28kg I think I will be at this weight for a while, it really is my limit.
Alternating sets done as a superset with rest between each pair rather than each set Partial single leg squat
2 x 6 8kg
1 x 6 9kg
and
Wide grip lat pulldown
2 x 6 68lbs
1 x 6 72lbs
Alternating sets done as a superset Back extension
3 x 6
I used the substitute suggested by Lisa over on the NROLW board which is glute/hamstring raises lying over the ball on a bench. I can't remember what she called it. I think I need ankle weights as it was not that hard.
I'm wondering about an exercise I've done in Cathe videos before where you put your back on the ball and feet on the ground a bit like a Swiss ball crunch and then raise and lower your hips. That is a really killer for glutes and hamstrings.
and
YTWL
3 x 6 5lbs
ouch
Superset (no rests) Swiss ball crunch
3 x 6 9kg with feet on step
Hip flexion
3 x 6 mixture of pikes and roll-ins. Rather poor on third set.
Lateral flexion (Swiss ball side crunch)
1 x 6
1 x 6 with 5kg weight
1 x 6
I tried to add weight but had real trouble getting in a position where I could balance and hold the weight. I am particularly wobbly on my right side.
Then Prone cobra
3 x 90sec
Gosh this is a boring exercise..
Intervals: 3min warm-up, 4 x 1min hard, 2 min rest, 1 min cooldown on exercise bike.
Alternating sets of: Dumbell single-leg Romanian deadlift
3 x 6 (2x8kg) I was quite wobbly on the third set.
and
Barbell bent-over row
3 x 6 33kg
This was tough. My lower back has been stiff and sore the rest of the day so I possibly overdid it. Again I did these two as a superset with a rest in between each pair.
Same on the following two exercises:
Alternating sets of: Dumbell single-arm overhead squat
3 x 6 10kg in one hand, 5kg in other
and
Dumbell incline bench press
1 x 6 11kg
2 x 6 12kg
Superset: Planks (variation 2 on floor)
3 x 90sec
and
Reverse woodchop
2 x 6 holding 5kg plate
1 x 6 with 7kg dumbell
Body weight matrix
2 sets 24 squats, 12 lunges each leg, 12 lunge jumps each leg, 24 squat jumps. The first set took 2m19, the second 2m15. Not nice and not easy but better each time I do them.
Today was Stage 3 Workout B3. My lower back is still quite stiff and sore from Wednesday so I dropped my weight a bit for the Romanian DL /row.
Barbell Romanian Deadlift and bent-over row
3 x 6 25.5kg
Alternating sets done as a superset with rest between each pair rather than each set Partial single leg squat
1 x 6 9kg
1 x 6 10kg
1 x 6 12kg
and
Wide grip lat pulldown
2 x 6 72lbs
1 x 6 80lbs These were definitely my limit - I think I was sacrificing form a bit here.
Alternating sets done as a superset Back extension
1 x 6 bw
1 x 6 5kg db
1 x 6 9kg db
I trieed a different version again - glute and hamstring squeezes where you rest your back on the ball and your feet on the ground and lift your hips, squeezing the buttocks. You can add a weight onto your lap to make it harder. I thought this was quite a good substitute but am happy to be corrected by anyone who knows better .
YTWL
3 x 6 5lbs
Superset (no rests) Swiss ball crunch
3 x 6 9kg with feet on step
Hip flexion
3 x 6 pikes (sort of)
Lateral flexion (Swiss ball side crunch)
3 x 6 with 5kg weight
I can manage this well lying on my left side but find it really hard to balance on my right.
Then Prone cobra
3 x 90sec
Intervals: 3min warm-up, 4 x 1min hard, 2 min rest, 1 min cooldown on exercise bike. Amazingly I felt really good doing my intervals today. Got my heart rate up to 182 which is quite near my maximum (around 188-190 I think). Also I was pleased to see my heart rate drops about 24% in the first minute of rest after the interval which I think is quite good.
I think it is a sort of mixture. In the past I never had problems, but last year I went on a trip to Iceland and for some reason the low passenger seat in the hire car really irritated my lower back - after a couple of weeks it wasn't improving and I saw a physio and she said it was just inflammation and gave me some exercises and some acupuncture and it healed up pretty quick. But since then whenever I lift a bit heavy or exercise a bit hard I tend to feel it in my lower back and it is partly DOMS but it does get quite stiff and achey also. Gardening doesn't help either plus my youngest son (a big 6 year old) who has special needs can need lifting or carrying sometimes which requires all my strength.
Having said that it actually seems much better today and it improves if I do the physio exercises and stretching and keep moving rather than sitting still. But I do worry that I will damage it permanently if I'm not careful so I think I will lower the weight a bit again next time.
Bet you wish you hadn't asked now - I appreciate your input though.
You might want to post about this in the injury forum as you're more likely to get some advice from professional sources (aka not me). Proper lifting technique will do a lot for you, but if there's a weak link in your chain it might be best to find it and address that issue.
__________________
Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Forgot to say that today I did the Cathe "Drill Max" cardio premix which is basically 40min of pretty intense cardio. Not really steady state but not strictly intervals either.
I'm getting near the end of stage 3. I did workout A4 today.
One-armed dumbell snatch
2 x 6 7kg
1 x 8 8kg
I'm better on my left than right on these even though I'm right-handed. It may be because I have a funny lump on my bone near the top of my right arm. I find it affects my ability to use my triceps especially presumably because the muscle has to lie over the lump.
Alternating sets of: Dumbell single-leg Romanian deadlift
1 x 6 (2x8kg)
2 x 6 (2x9kg)
and
Barbell bent-over row
2 x 6 28kg
1 x 6 30.5kg
I lowered the weight again since I didn't seem to help my back last time I did 33kg.
Alternating sets of: Dumbell single-arm overhead squat
2 x 6 10kg in one hand, 5kg in other
1 x 6 12kg in one hand, 6kg in other
and
Dumbell incline bench press
3 x 6 12kg
Superset: Planks (variation 2 on floor)
3 x 90sec
and
Reverse woodchop
3 x 6 with 7kg dumbell
Body weight matrix
2 sets 24 squats, 12 lunges each leg, 12 lunge jumps each leg, 24 squat jumps. The first set took 2m16, the second 2m12.
I realised when I finished this today that I was supposed to be resting twice as long as it took in between sets. I have just been taking as long it took in rest ie. 2min. Oh well a bit late now...
Last workout of Stage 3 today and I'm not sorry to see the last of it for a while - I found workout B quite boring really and very long.
I lowered my weight again for the rows/RDLs because having searched the injury forum for info on lower back soreness, it seems that poor form is coming up quite often as a cause and I thought I had better lower my weight and really concentrate on form. My back has been feeling better anyway and I don't feel I worsened it at all with this exercise.
Workout 4B Barbell Romanian Deadlift and bent-over row 3 x 6 23kg
Alternating sets done as a superset with rest between each pair rather than each set Partial single leg squat
3 x 6 12kg
and
Wide grip lat pulldown
3 x 6 72lbs
Alternating sets done as a superset Back extension
3 x 6 9kg db
Glute and hamstring squeezes substituted again.
and
YTWL
3 x 6 5lbs
Superset (no rests) Swiss ball crunch
3 x 6 9kg with feet on step
Hip flexion
3 x 6 pikes
Lateral flexion (Swiss ball side crunch)
3 x 6 with 5kg weight
Then Prone cobra
3 x 90sec
Intervals: 4min warm-up, 4 x 1min hard, 2 min rest, 1 min cooldown on exercise bike. Struggled more with getting my heart rate up today.
I'd suggest having someone else (who knows what to look for) watch your form. It might save some guesswork.
You are right - the trouble is I work out at home, so not really anyone to ask. I guess I could video myself and see if there's anything obvious. My husband would give his twopenneth worth also but he's probably at about the same level as me in terms of expertise.
Thinking about it some more, maybe it would even be worth hiring someone for a couple of hours to go through all the lifts with me. I'm not naturally athletic and I am sure I will be making some mistakes.
Yes, I think that would be a good idea - the time you save (and the mistakes you correct) will be well worth it.
I found somebody at a local gym who says he can help me and have a session booked next week so hopefully he knows what he is doing and it will be useful.
On Friday morning last week I did 1/2 hour of kickboxing.
Then I was away at my parents-in-law until yesterday evening. I didn't do anything on those three days but it fitted in quite well with the end of stage 3 since I was planning to take a short break then anyway. My diet was not good at my parents-in-law. Pretty much have to eat what I'm given as MIL is supersensitive to any implied criticism of her cooking. Lots of processed stuff, white bread - it's frustrating because they are not things I even really want to eat but anyway only for 3 days.
I got my husband to do my measurements at the end of stage 3 but didn't get round to posting them.
Red is current measurements, end of stage2, stage1 and starting results in brackets.
Weight - 144lbs (146.5, 146.5, 149)
% fat - 26% (25.5, 25.5%, 26.7%)
Neck - 32cm (32, 32, 32.5cm)
Shoulders - 96.5cm (98, 98.5, 99cm)
Chest - 86cm (86, 88, 89cm)
Waist - 78cm (78, 78, 80cm)
Bicep - 29cm (29, 29, 29cm)
Forearm - 25cm (25, 24, 24cm)
Thigh - 58cm (58.5, 59, 60.5cm)
Calf - 37cm (37.5, 38, 38cm)
I was a bit disappointed with these because I am feeling my clothes getting loser, the scale shows a drop and I am liking the changes in the mirror but that is not reflected in the results really. I am not sure about the % fat - Dh does get quite variable results with that and when there is only a small change I think it is hard to measure accurately.
Alternating sets of Step-ups (18in step)
1 x 8 (9kg)
2 x 8 (10kg)
I've just realised that normally I use 2 dumbells for this but today I only used one, so I halved my weight - I was thinking it was remarkably easy compared to last time.
and
Dumbbell one-point row
3 x 8 9kg
Alternating sets of Static lung, rear foot elevated
2 x 8 (9kgx2)
1 x 8 (10kg x 2)
and
Push-up
3 x 8 full
Superset Plank (variation 2 - on floor)
1 x 1m45
1 x 1m30 couldn't get up to 2m.
and
Woodchop on ball (substitute for cable horizontal woodchop)
2 x 10 (1x 8kg dumbbell)
I could go heavier here, but I am not really happy with how I do this exercise and so it seems a bit stupid.
I've been a bit short of time the last two days because we have had a consultant from the US visiting us to help us with a therapy that we do with our youngest son. So I didn't manage to do anything yesterday and then since I didn't think I would have time for weights + intervals today, I did an hour step interval workout and I will do just the lifting tomorrow.
.
. Mind you I haven't iced them yet....
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- I appreciate your input though.
Linear Mode
