moonlady's training log

[moonlady]

Here is me:

I'm a scientist who lives in northern CA. Grew up in MD, moved out to the west coast 10 years ago and never looked back. Marty talks about Catoctin Mtn. -- I think I went to girlscout camp there many eons ago. :)

Wt: ~125
Ht: 5'5"
Age: 32 (hitting 33 in a couple of weeks)

I've been lifting for many years but shied away from all the fitness magazines (they make my bs filter clog up). The result was I didn't know many of the techniques to get past the inevitable plateaus, and I've been stuck for a few years at nearly the same weights.

Finally I went online and learned more about weight lifting. Recently I started periodizing my workout, and in the next few weeks I'll find out if it's working or not. Last fall I downloaded a 12-week periodized workout, input my numbers, and went through it all. But at the end, when I started a new spreadsheet with bigger numbers, I couldn't do it -- I needed something more personalized to me. So I put something together myself that I started about a month ago. I'm just now getting to weights that really challenge me (maybe I spent too much time ramping up last month).

Any suggestions are welcome!

Short-term goals:
- Buy a heart rate monitor for my cardio work (I've long suspected that this is what is keeping me from being a good runner). I'm looking at the Acumen Eon Basix Plus ES-WP because it's cheap, has the gadgets I want, and comes in a size to fit women.
- In the next 4-5 weeks work on my current mesocycle and get through this nasty plateau.

Long-term goals:
- Squat my body weight
- Bench my body weight (altho I might be able to do this now with the bar, but I tend to work out with dumbbells)
- Somehow get my non-active husband to be more active (but he has to want it)

Uber long-term goal:
- Be an astronaut and go to Mars!

[Tom]

Well, you know the big picture, and you've worked with periodization before. I'd suggest that, rather than marching to a spreadsheet, you use the periodization to figure out what your own working weights are. For example, say you're going to do 2 weeks each of 10, 8, 6, and 4 reps. In each of these intervals, work up to a max (10-rep max, 8-rep max, 6-rep max, 4-rep max). You don't necessarily have to "max out" to the point where you're a quivering mass of jelly at the end of the last rep; just get an idea of how much weight you can handle for 10, 8, 6, and 4 reps. Keep track of these in a spreadsheet, and the next time you come to that rep range, try to push yourself to add weight and/or reps.

Make sense?

[CinnamonGirl]

I'm so glad you decided to start a training log, Moonlady. I look forward to following your progress (and learning from you too).

[Bobcat]

but he has to want it

Bingeaux.

I maintained a family membership at the YMCA for about a decade before my wife decided she wasn't going to put up with out-of-control blood sugar any more and started coming with me regularly. We're now training partners and have taken to entering powerlifting meets together. It happened when she decided she wanted it to.

Lead by example is all I can say.

[CinnamonGirl]

Re: your uber long term goal . . . what are you doing to accomplish that?

[vinay]

Here is me:

I'm a scientist who lives in northern CA. Grew up in MD, moved out to the west coast 10 years ago and never looked back. Marty talks about Catoctin Mtn. -- I think I went to girlscout camp there many eons ago. :)
...
...

Uber long-term goal:
- Be an astronaut and go to Mars!

Hello,

What do you do ? Whats your research area ? Do you turn into a werewolf when you see the moon ? :)

- Vinay

[moonlady]

[
Hello,

What do you do ? Whats your research area ? Do you turn into a werewolf when you see the moon ? :)

- Vinay

I study martian climate change and surface processes. NASA now has 3 orbiters and 2 rovers on Mars, all of which collect a lot of data (and pretty pictures) that we can use to learn about Mars' past. I'm interested in finding out how the climate has changed recently (in the past 100 years, say) in order to find out if it's anything like Earth's recent climate change (yes, global warming is real, we just don't know how much is natural and how much humans created). Mars has huge dust storms that sometimes cover the entire planet, so it can be a very dramatic place. We don't really understand yet why the dust storms happen so irregularly and grow so big.
Mars is a very neat place.

I don't think I turn into a werewolf. My 2 cats would be snacks for such a beast, and yet they are still around. When I wake up one morning and find them gone I'll start worrying. ;)

CinnamonGirl: NASA's next astronaut deadline is in mid 2007, so it's no use applying yet. I'm officially qualified as I stand, but I can always improve. My swimming skills are not great, altho probably good enough for them. I'm going to start learning to fly (a plane) in a month, which isn't necessary for the job, but it doesn't hurt, and it sounds fun. Wow, it's kinda scary to talk about this with strangers, almost like it's real. I guess that's what these logs are for anyway.

Bobcat: how sweet! My husband occasionally says he wants to get in shape, but he means it like "someday I want to own an island", not "so let's go to the gym after lunch". The few times I've gotten him there he's tried to lift the same amount as I do. How in the world do I persuade him that it's okay if he can't? He can manage it, kind of, but he's VERY sore the next day. So right now I'm waiting for the rain to stop so we can go on some hikes, just to get his blood going.

Tom: I think I understand what you mean. Right now the spreadsheet is there mostly to record what I managed to do, and how hard or easy it was. I don't fill in anything past what I think I can do next week based on what I accomplished this week.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 2 starting 3/15/06

Friday 3/17/06 (Legs and abs day)

Cardio: 30 min + 5 cooldown on treadmill, 249 cal burned. Went up to 9 deg incline at 3.7 mph, heartrate stayed below 150 bpm (if you trust those handlebars, which I probably shouldn't)

Squats --- 67.5, 5x6 --- (easier than 3x10!, should go up to 70)
Roller ab crunches --- 3x15 --- (never fun)
Back hyperextensions --- 12.5, 3x15 --- (getting easy, should go up to 15)
Leg curls --- 120 (lbs?), 3x10 --- (still hard)
Standing calf raise --- 180 (lbs?), 3x10 --- not too hard)

[Tom]

Tom: I think I understand what you mean. Right now the spreadsheet is there mostly to record what I managed to do, and how hard or easy it was. I don't fill in anything past what I think I can do next week based on what I accomplished this week.

Yep. That's what I'm talking about. The first time through, you're just figuring out where you are -- sounds like you've already done that. The next time, try to beat what you did before. I think this approach is more useful than going by some arbitrary set of percentage values. You can find formulas that purport to predict what your 1-rep max will be given your 10-rep max as input, but they're pretty bogus.

[vinay]

[
Hello,

What do you do ? Whats your research area ? Do you turn into a werewolf when you see the moon ? :)

- Vinay

I study martian climate change and surface processes. NASA now has 3 orbiters and 2 rovers on Mars, all of which collect a lot of data (and pretty pictures) that we can use to learn about Mars' past. I'm interested in finding out how the climate has changed recently (in the past 100 years, say) in order to find out if it's anything like Earth's recent climate change (yes, global warming is real, we just don't know how much is natural and how much humans created). Mars has huge dust storms that sometimes cover the entire planet, so it can be a very dramatic place. We don't really understand yet why the dust storms happen so irregularly and grow so big.
Mars is a very neat place.


I can tell my friends that I know an astronaut :). I read there are future missions to study the atmosphere on Mars by dropping lots of tiny probes and stuff. Are you part of that also? I wonder if its easy to find out the climate changes on Mars. We study way more data from many more sources on Earth and cant decide if SUVs are ok or not.

Bench pressing your body weight indicates you are fit. Is the squat problem because you havent tried to squat before ?

[childresspta]

(yes, global warming is real, we just don't know how much is natural and how much humans created).

Halleluiah, An honest Scientist. Its so refreshing.

Jerimiah

[moonlady]

I can tell my friends that I know an astronaut :). I read there are future missions to study the atmosphere on Mars by dropping lots of tiny probes and stuff. Are you part of that also? I wonder if its easy to find out the climate changes on Mars. We study way more data from many more sources on Earth and cant decide if SUVs are ok or not.

Bench pressing your body weight indicates you are fit. Is the squat problem because you havent tried to squat before ?

Well I'm not there yet... still only in my dreams. But maybe next year. And if not then, then maybe in the next cycle (they had been every 2 years but with the Columbia accident it might change).

On squats, I just started them last September, with the bar alone. Mistress Krista has a nice long explanation of how to do them -- I go way deep like she and Marty recommend. So I started light and moved up to 5x9 of 65 lbs by December. Give me 3 months and I'll bump it up some more.

Bench presses, on the other hand, I've been doing in some fashion for 11 years, so I'm much more comfortable pulling out the 40's and seeing where I can go.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 2 starting 3/15/06

Sun 3/19/06 (Isolation day)

Cardio: 30 min + 5 cooldown on elliptical, 340 cal burned. Went up to "level 8" in resistance. Usually can go up to 9 but today seemed tough. No HRM on this machine.

I'm currently wondering how I'm going to juggle any HRM I buy with my walkman. I'll look like a robot with all those wires sticking out of me. People may point and stare. :)

Dumbbell curl -- 42.5, 2x5, 1x4 -- wanted 3x5, so I hit my limit today
Dumbbell upright row -- 42.5, 3x5 -- hurts at first but gets better
Dumbbell wrist curl -- 12.5, 3x5 -- getting easy but I don't want to work these hard and get hurt
Reverse dumbbell wrist curl -- 10, 3x5 -- see above for DB wrist curl
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 42.5, 3x5 -- not too hard, must go up

I may pair the upright row to the curl weight to keep me from going up too fast and hurting myself. It almost hurts in the first set, but then in the second and third feels better. Hmm, could be I just need to warm up.

[CinnamonGirl]

CinnamonGirl: NASA's next astronaut deadline is in mid 2007, so it's no use applying yet. I'm officially qualified as I stand, but I can always improve. My swimming skills are not great, altho probably good enough for them. I'm going to start learning to fly (a plane) in a month, which isn't necessary for the job, but it doesn't hurt, and it sounds fun. Wow, it's kinda scary to talk about this with strangers, almost like it's real. I guess that's what these logs are for anyway.

That is too cool, moonlady! It's great to have someone in our community who has goals on the magnitude of yours.

[ms_irreverent]

I
Dumbbell upright row -- 42.5, 3x5 -- hurts at first but gets better
.

Marty would be the first to tell you that if something hurts, don't do it. Are you talking about acute pain or more along the lines of stiffness from not being warmed up? If it's the latter, you might try a warm-up set at a very light weight.

[Tom]

I agree with Ms_I on the pain thing.

Also, if you're working on moving your bench up, I'd move the dumbbell overhead presses to be the first exercise you do, and hit them hard. These are a great exercise for your deltoids and general shoulder stability. Make the weight go up with these and your bench will likely go up accordingly.

Also also, why so many curls? IMHO, there are better things to spend your time on. If you do chinups (or pulldowns on the lat pulldown machine), you can hit forearms, biceps, and lats all at once.

[ms_irreverent]

You sure about that, Tom? Aren't shoulder presses considered an isolation exercise as opposed to a compound, which bench press is? It's my understanding that compound should be done ahead of isolation. Before I dropped those and the incline presses, Marty had me do bench press first and then follow with the other two (with incline preceding shoulder).

[Tom]

You sure about that, Tom? Aren't shoulder presses considered an isolation exercise as opposed to a compound, which bench press is? It's my understanding that compound should be done ahead of isolation. Before I dropped those and the incline presses, Marty had me do bench press first and then follow with the other two (with incline preceding shoulder).

I was thinking in terms of the classic 4-day split of:
Monday: squat day + assistance exercises
Wednesday: bench day + assistance exercises
Friday: deadlift day + assistance exercises
Saturday: overhead presses + assistance exercises

Marty once said that this split has "built more hard bodies than General Motors." :)

I'd assume that the workout we're discussing is the "overhead presses + assistance" day in the framework above. Of the exercises listed, the overhead press certainly deserves pride of place. :)

If you're going to do bench and overhead presses in the same workout, you ought to do the bench press first. Unless you're using the bench press as an assistance exercise to improve your overhead pressing. :)

[moonlady]

Marty would be the first to tell you that if something hurts, don't do it. Are you talking about acute pain or more along the lines of stiffness from not being warmed up? If it's the latter, you might try a warm-up set at a very light weight.

It's not a sharp pain, otherwise I wouldn't do it. I suspect it's a matter of not being warmed up, since it only happens in the first set. I'll try doing a set at half my normal weight first and see if that helps -- if it does then that answers that question. If it doesn't, I might look into another exercise.

[moonlady]

Also, if you're working on moving your bench up, I'd move the dumbbell overhead presses to be the first exercise you do, and hit them hard. These are a great exercise for your deltoids and general shoulder stability. Make the weight go up with these and your bench will likely go up accordingly.

Also also, why so many curls? IMHO, there are better things to spend your time on. If you do chinups (or pulldowns on the lat pulldown machine), you can hit forearms, biceps, and lats all at once.

This is my isolation day. I used to do chest/tricep/shoulder and back/bicep days, but I decided to mix it up a bit in the hopes of getting me off this plateau. I'll probably go back to it next mesocycle since it seems to be the recommended routine. Maybe I'll work on my shoulders on my leg day to break the chest/triceps/shoulder day up a little. I'll also be adding deadlifts and probably assisted dips.

Wednesday is my compound day, I'll be reporting back on that in a couple of days: assisted pullups, rows, dumbbell chest press and dumbbell incline chest press.

I guess I do 3 sets of curls because I tend to do 3 sets of everything. The isolation day is there to supplement my compound exercises. The wrist curls seem necessary -- I used to press with the bar and remember my wrists aching and feeling wobbly, so they were my weak link (seriously they're tiny, less than 6" around). They also give me something to do inbetween bicep curls while I'm "resting".

Make sense or would you recommend any changes?

[Tom]

It makes sense. It's always a good idea to work your weak points. I _would_ suggest moving the overhead presses to the top of the workout, though. You know, there was a time when a lifter was judged according to his/her overhead press, and the bench press was just a weird exercise that people sometimes did to make their overhead presses go up. :)

One suggestion: since you're aiming for specific bench and squat goals, it might be helpful to start thinking of "bench day" and "squat day" instead of thinking in terms of body parts. On squat day, start out with squats. Do your warmups, then your work sets. Then move on to your assistance exercises. Same basic structure for bench -- do the bench first, then do some assistance work.

[Tom]

re: wrists

Do some poking around at Ironmind.com

http://www.ironmind.com/ironcms/opencms/ironmind/

Here's a good starting point
http://www.ironmind.com/ironcms/export/IronMind/Main/crushedtodust1.html

They have a ton of info and products oriented toward building hand, wrist, and finger strength. In particular, John Brookfield has a monthly column of tips for grip and wrist strength.
http://www.ironmind.com/ironcms/export/IronMind/GripTips/griptip.html

Don't be put off by the big weights that Brookfield uses. The same exercises that he uses can work for you; just adjust the weights downward.

[moonlady]

Wow, great links! I didn't know there was such a market for grip training (of course it seems obvious in hindsight). Thanks so much!

I'll move the overhead press to the first part of the workout. I do agree that it's a compound exercise, but figured that since the exercises I was doing before it were working mostly different muscles it didn't matter too much. No big to switch it around, especially if it help.

On the "leg" day I do squats first (unless somebody is hogging the squat cage, cuz I could be waiting around for a while). When I switch things around next mesocycle I'll be sure to put the compound exercises first, makes sense to do those first anyway. Hmm, I might put the overhead presses on my "leg/squat" day rather than the "chest" day just to keep 'em separate. I'll figure it out.

[ironeagle6]

Moonlady, welcome to the herd. Sorry I haven't posted sooner.

I bet it's funny when folks say, "what are you some kind of rocket scientist or something", and you say, "well, yes, I am!"

I'm sure the scientist in you has no problem in laying out that great training cycle. Don't forget your intuition and listen to your body when things work and don't seem to work.

Ron, aka Old Olympic Lifter, is a prime example of longevity in the iron game. He is currently on another path to self discovery, always learning and applying his new found knowledge to his program.

All the best in all your endeavors!

[Tom]

You're welcome. Ironmind is a good outfit. They're not cheap, but their products are rock-solid and nigh-indestructible.

One other suggestion: if bench and squat improvements are your thing, you might try the workout that Marty has his "cat herd" proteges doing. It's 3 times a week, squat, bench, then deadlift. I believe that they only do 1 work set (that is, they do a couple light sets to warm up, then one hard set, then on to the next exercise), start out at 12 reps or so and work down to lower reps over a number of weeks. You could quiz him during the live chat next Tuesday for more concrete info.

At any rate, this type of workout gives you a ton of practice with the basic lifts. If you're plateaued, this ought to be a good way off it.

[childresspta]

I bet it's funny when folks say, "what are you some kind of rocket scientist or something", and you say, "well, yes, I am!"

My brother in-law has a denim shirt with Marvin on it that says just that, "Why yes, I am a Rocket Scientist". He used to design the circuit boards on missles. He was also playing a fighter simulation game and relized he had designed the missles that his plane was firing. Then he got bored and went to law school.

Jerimiah

[moonlady]

I bet it's funny when folks say, "what are you some kind of rocket scientist or something", and you say, "well, yes, I am!"

My brother in-law has a denim shirt with Marvin on it that says just that, "Why yes, I am a Rocket Scientist". He used to design the circuit boards on missles. He was also playing a fighter simulation game and relized he had designed the missles that his plane was firing. Then he got bored and went to law school.

Jerimiah

Well technically I'm a scientist, not an aerospace engineer. I don't build the rockets or the instruments, I just play with the pretty pictures they send back. (In reality that means I get less pay but a bigger office, a tradeoff I'm not sure I'd have gone for if I'd known in the beginning. *shrug*) But for most of the public that's close enough. Marvin is my hero!

Tom: I'll think about the Cat Herd routine. I think I'll mess around with my own routine, mixing it up and learning deadlifts, for another 6 week round. I'd also like to try dips, maybe as a replacement for some of the tricep isolation work I've been doing but feels a bit awkward. If that doesn't work out I'll give the Cat Herd routine some serious thought. If my method does work, then it will eventually stop working anyway, and I'll look into it. I like the simplicity of it.

[moonlady]

Moonlady, welcome to the herd. Sorry I haven't posted sooner.

I'm sure the scientist in you has no problem in laying out that great training cycle. Don't forget your intuition and listen to your body when things work and don't seem to work.

Nice to meet you and thanks!

I love laying out a spreadsheet and filling it in. I'm the nerdy type, so if it doesn't get filled in I feel like I didn't do my homework and might fail the test :lol: .

But good point on the intution part, that has been an acquired skill. This week my cardio elliptical work seems harder and I can't get all 350 cal burned off like usual. I tend to find this happening over time in my cardio work: I lengthen the time and slowly add resistance to burn off a respectable number of calories. It works for a month or two and then gets hard. I suspect it's time to get that heart rate monitor -- I think my nerd spreadsheet mentality is making me push myself too hard, and it will backfire if I don't slow down. Things feel good on the weights, tho.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 3 starting 3/22/06

Wed 3/22/06 (Compound day, high volume/low resistance day)

Cardio: 30 min + 5 cooldown on elliptical, 335 cal burned. Went up to "level 8" in resistance. Getting harder as I said in the post above, I think it's time for that HRM (but broke right now!).

Assisted pullup -- 60, 3x13 -- assist of 60 lbs (the lower the assist the more of my body weight I'm working)
Seated row machine -- 60, 3x13 -- never did like the DB row
DB chest press -- 55, 3x13
DB incline press -- 45, 3x13

I did them all, so next week I go up. *cheers*

[Tom]

Tom: I'll think about the Cat Herd routine. I think I'll mess around with my own routine, mixing it up and learning deadlifts, for another 6 week round. I'd also like to try dips, maybe as a replacement for some of the tricep isolation work I've been doing but feels a bit awkward. If that doesn't work out I'll give the Cat Herd routine some serious thought. If my method does work, then it will eventually stop working anyway, and I'll look into it. I like the simplicity of it.

Sounds like a plan. I think all of us are playing it by ear to some extent. Try stuff, figure out what works, ditch what doesn't, repeat as necessary. :)

Dips are a great exercise. In addition to the triceps, they hit the pecs and lats. If I were to be confined to just one upper-body exercise for the rest of my life, that's the one I'd pick. :)

The plus with the Cat Herd plan is that it gives you a lot of reps with the Big Three. In addition to plain old muscle-building, it gives you a lot of chances to perfect your technique. The powerlifts aren't quite as technique-intensive as figure-skating, but technique _does_ play a significant role. There's an old saying that goes, "If you want to press a lot, you have to press a lot." :)

[moonlady]

Today is my normal leg workout day, tempered by a slightly lighter cardio than normal. But I've been dead to the world for the past few days and I've noticed my cardio work being harder than usual for the past week or so.

Either I'm working too hard (probably on the cardio) or I'm getting a cold. That, and work has been stressful -- I feel isolated, unappreciated, and just found out I won't be getting as big of a raise as I would have liked (y'all wouldn't believe the pittance scientists will work for, and that means that with housing prices in the Bay area I may never get to own... well, it's depressing). Wow, sorry to sound so down.

Yesterday I ordered a HRM, so that will help me out when it arrives in the mail. Today I still feel tired (slept to 11 am, and it's a work day), so I'll take the day off. If I feel good next week I'll go an extra gym day and make it up. If not, then it's worth the time to let my body rest up. (As I am learning from Marty.)

[ironeagle6]

Perk up Moonlady! Shake off those blues, get rested, and go to the gym and kick some butt!

The raise and recognition will come. Be patient! Everything in it's time. :D

[vinay]

Today is my normal leg workout day, tempered by a slightly lighter cardio than normal. But I've been dead to the world for the past few days and I've noticed my cardio work being harder than usual for the past week or so.

Either I'm working too hard (probably on the cardio) or I'm getting a cold. That, and work has been stressful -- I feel isolated, unappreciated, and just found out I won't be getting as big of a raise as I would have liked (y'all wouldn't believe the pittance scientists will work for, and that means that with housing prices in the Bay area I may never get to own... well, it's depressing). Wow, sorry to sound so down.

Yesterday I ordered a HRM, so that will help me out when it arrives in the mail. Today I still feel tired (slept to 11 am, and it's a work day), so I'll take the day off. If I feel good next week I'll go an extra gym day and make it up. If not, then it's worth the time to let my body rest up. (As I am learning from Marty.)

An average MS makes more money than the average PhD in the sciences. :) Keep thinking you are doing something wonderful for mankind, however unappreciated it is.

[guitarfreak]

Besides being a musician I'm a software engineer and love science as do my kids, who I just took to a science and math fair. My eleven year old left saying "I LOVE science and math!" In fact, my AIM id is scEYEnce - representing the seeing eye of science. And I can attest to the fact that you will LOVE your heart rate monitor. I've only had it for a few weeks but I've logged all of the stats from my sessions with it. I can hardly wait to graph it!



Today is my normal leg workout day, tempered by a slightly lighter cardio than normal. But I've been dead to the world for the past few days and I've noticed my cardio work being harder than usual for the past week or so.

Either I'm working too hard (probably on the cardio) or I'm getting a cold. That, and work has been stressful -- I feel isolated, unappreciated, and just found out I won't be getting as big of a raise as I would have liked (y'all wouldn't believe the pittance scientists will work for, and that means that with housing prices in the Bay area I may never get to own... well, it's depressing). Wow, sorry to sound so down.

Yesterday I ordered a HRM, so that will help me out when it arrives in the mail. Today I still feel tired (slept to 11 am, and it's a work day), so I'll take the day off. If I feel good next week I'll go an extra gym day and make it up. If not, then it's worth the time to let my body rest up. (As I am learning from Marty.)

[moonlady]

Thanks for the encouragement, everybody. It helps a lot -- I should have gone looking for this years ago.

I took the latter half of last week off to recover from feeling blah, and then threw a 10 hour party on Saturday that required much rest on Sunday. So today (Monday) I did a partial workout, a short cardio and squats.

Cardio: 15 min + 5 cooldown on treadmill, up to 9 deg incline and 3.8 mph, burned ~130 cal.

Squats -- 70 lbs, 5x6 -- not too hard, will go up next time


The HRM is in the mail, trying to be delivered. It's agony! I want it NOW! *stomps foot* Yes, I imagine I'll have lots of fun playing with it and making graphs. I am indeed that kind of person. Go nerds!

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 4 starting 3/29/06

Wed 3/29/06 (Compound day, low volume/high intensity day)

Cardio: 30 min + 5 cooldown on elliptical, 225 cal burned. Been worried recently I'm overdoing it on cardio, so I made sure the machine said my HR was less than 150 all the time. That's why the calories burned are fewer.

The HRM is in the mail, or possibly in the building manager's office. Now if she'd only be home when I stopped by to pick it up, I could have a new fun toy. But no.

Assisted pullup -- 30 lbs, 1x5,1x4,1x3 -- assist of 30 lbs, couldn't do 3x5 as planned which means this is where I'll be working until I can do 'em.
DB chest press -- 80 lbs, 3x5 (YES)
Seated row machine -- 90 lbs, 3x5 -- tough mostly because of slippery handles, bah
DB incline press -- 65 lbs 1x0, 50 lbs 1x5, 52.5 lbs 1x5, 60 lbs 1x5

I have question I'll pose in another topic that relates to my problems with the DB incline press. My trouble is not in doing the pushing, but in getting the silly DB's up into the starting position to begin with. I know I can do the 65 lbs if I could only get in position first. Most annoying.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 4 starting 3/29/06

Mon 4/2/06 (Squat day) -- short day to make up for being away this weekend

Cardio: 20 min + 5 cooldown on treadmill, up to 5.5 deg incline at 3.3 mph. Using my BRAND NEW HRM I kept my heart rate between 110 and 120, aiming for my 60%ARHM and burned about 100 cal. The calories are estimated because I kept the HRM band on while I was lifting to see what squats did to my heart. Turns out it went up to about 155 while squatting. Neat.

Squats -- 75 lbs, 5x6 -- finally getting heavy enough I can feel my lower back doing a little bit of work. Yes, I am arching my lower back and sticking out my butt for all to see, so I think the muscles are doing what they're supposed to be doing.

A side note: this weekend my husband and I flew to the Mojave Desert to go camping. There are some lovely dunes there that I just love to play on, and this time we went "upstream" to play on the small sand streamers and sand-choked hills that have the sand that feeds into a big dunefield downwind. It was much fun.

Anyways, I had just gotten my brand new HRM and wanted to play with it a little. My husband is a private pilot, so we flew down from here to the desert. I found out that once in the air something in the motor of the plane affects the HRM and it was registering a heart rate of 220-240 bpm, even when I took the band off. So, no nifty geekery of measurements up in the air, which is too bad. We were both wondering what the high altitude would do to my heart rate, and how much my pulse changes as we lift off, hit turbulence, or come in to land. No such luck, I guess I'll have to do it the old fashoined way and feel my pulse by hand.

[CinnamonGirl]

I found out that once in the air something in the motor of the plane affects the HRM and it was registering a heart rate of 220-240 bpm, even when I took the band off.

It must be nice to be able to fly to the Mojave for camping! (And to be able to conduct experiments with HRMS!) I have a pilot in my family too!

[moonlady]

It's my birthday! I'm 33, so that's 1/3 of a century old. Go me!

No gym today, tomorrow is the compound workout day.

[Bobcat]

It's my birthday! I'm 33, so that's 1/3 of a century old. Go me!

No gym today, tomorrow is the compound workout day.

Happy birthday, youngster! Are you doing anything special?

[guitarfreak]

It's my birthday! I'm 33, so that's 1/3 of a century old. Go me!.

Happy Birthday. Not quite 1/3 of a century old... you still have about 121.666666666666666666 days left for that.

[CinnamonGirl]

Happy Birthday, and many happy, fit returns!

[ms_irreverent]

Happy birthday, young lady!

[moonlady]

Thanks, all!

Happy Birthday. Not quite 1/3 of a century old... you still have about 121.666666666666666666 days left for that.

OK, I'll report back on Aug. 3. You want I should account for being born at 2:20 PM EDT? That might tip me over to 6:02 AM Aug 4 EDT, which is 3:02 AM Aug 4 PDT where I now live. All of which goes to show I'm great at avoiding getting work done, which I should be doing now.

I'm going out to dinner to a restaurant of my choice, not sure yet where to go. And I'm expecting some flight gear as a gift from DH as he is inclined to get me flying too. No objections here.

[guitarfreak]

3:02 AM Aug 4 PDT
Yes, mark it on your calendar and set your alarm. :-)

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 5 starting 4/5/06

Wed 4/5/06 (Compound exercise day, moderate volume/moderate intensity day, so shooting for 3x10)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown on elliptical, up to resistance level 3. 110<HR<120 most of the time (boy does it bounce around a lot!), aiming for 60%ARHM, burned 120 cal.

Assisted pullup -- 50 lbs assist, 3x10
Dumbbell chest press -- 70 lbs, 3x10
Dumbbell incline press -- 60 lbs, 3x10 (hard to clean them but I made it)
Seated row machine -- 80 (lbs?), 3x10

A bit shaky and slightly nauseous today, maybe I'm just sick of the rain (I think March was the wettest month on record around here, and April isn't much better). But I managed to do everything as planned, even tho it's getting really tough as the weights go up. That means I'm truly challenging myself, which is good.

[childresspta]

Way to go on the increases. You haven't really worked out until you have puked at least once.

Jerimiah

[moonlady]

Well, no puking today, at least. :P

Mesocycle 2, Week 5 starting 4/5/06

Fri 4/7/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: All the treadmills busy, so I used the elliptical thing (I tend to do just walking on squat days so I don't work out my legs too much beforehand, but today it didn't work out). 20 min + 2 cooldown, up to resistance level 3. 110<HR<120 most of the time, burned 128 cal. Interesting that I averaged around 130-135 strides per minute to keep my HR up past 110, whereas a few days ago I had to keep it down to about 115 strides per minute to keep my HR down below 120. Am I magically more fit, or does my HR fluctuate that much, or is my HRM wacky? Only the nose knows. More workouts with the HRM will tell.

Squats -- 80 lbs, 5x6
Leg curls -- 120 "lbs", 3x10
Standing calf raise -- 180 "lbs", 3x10
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Back extension -- 10 lbs, 3x15

I'm going to have to look up how my HRM calculates calories burnt. All I input into the thing was my age, no info on weight or gender (altho it's meant to be a women's HRM) or anything else. I think it does it simply by my HR alone.

I left the HRM on while working out to see how many calories I burn lifting, and it came out to about 170 for the above workout. Seems like a lot, but my HR goes up every time I'm lifting, so I think it adds up. Interesting. Now I'm wondering how my body burns calories, and if the HR method alone really reflects what I'm burning.

[ms_irreverent]

Am I magically more fit, or does my HR fluctuate that much, or is my HRM wacky?


HRMs can be thrown off by other monitors in proximity, including those built into the equipment, so it's possible you encountered that.

[moonlady]

This is true. Next time I'll make sure of where I am -- some of the machines have built-in HRM's and some don't. The one I used today didn't but it was right next to some that did. Good idea.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 6 starting 4/9/06

Sun 4/9/06 (Compound muscle day, high volume/low intensity day)

I switched this out with my normal Sunday routine since DH came along (yay).

Cardio: Treadmill walking, 20 min + 2 cooldown, up to 6 deg incline at 3.5 mph. Burned 109 cal, at 110<HR<120 or 60%ARHM. Had to walk a little faster this time to keep my HR up, so I think I'm getting a little more fit. Or maybe just had a good day. No interference with other machines, at least today.

Assisted pullup -- 50 lbs assist, 1x13, 1x12, 1x8 (Shooting for 3x13 so I've hit my cap here. We'll see if I improve next week.)
Seated row machine -- 70 (lbs?), 2x13, 1x8 (ditto for assisted pullup)
Dumbbell chest press -- 60 lbs, 3x13
Dumbbell incline press -- 50 lbs, 3x13

DH did the same cardio, then did assisted pullups, dumbbell chest press, and squats. I think he's a sumo squatter because that position didn't hurt his knees like the standard one. He turns his toes out a lot, which I think is ok, but I'll go read up on it to see. He doesn't go down deep, but I think that's a flexibility issue that will get better with time.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 6 starting 4/9/06

Wed 4/12/06 (Isolation exercise day, moderate volume/moderate intensity day)

Cardio: Elliptical machine, 20 min, up to resistance level 6. 120<HR<130 mostly, ~65% ARHM. Burned ~120 calories.

Arm Curls -- 35 lbs, 3x10 (hard but good)
Upright Row -- 35 lbs, 3x10
Writs Curls -- 12.5 lbs, 3x10 (too easy)
Wrist Extension -- 10 lbs, 3x10
Shoulder Press -- 35 lbs, 3x10 (too easy)
Triceps Extension -- 12.5 lbs (each arm), 3x10 -- don't like this exercise, I'll switch to dips next week.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 2, Week 6 starting 4/9/06

Fri 4/14/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Treadmill, 20 min + 2 cooldown, up to 6 deg incline and 3.5 mph, 120<HR<130 for 65%ARH. Burned 129 cal. The brand spanking new treadmills have built-in fans! Way cool.

Squats -- 85 lbs, 5x6 (getting really hard, this is good!)
Standing calf raise -- 180 "lbs", 3x10
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Back extension -- 10 lbs, 3x15 (too easy but didn't feel like walking across the whole gym to pick up a 15 lb dumbbell -- I'll do it next week)
Leg curls -- 120 "lbs", 3x10

I might stick at 85 lbs for squats next week, just so I don't go up more and lose form. I'm not sure how good my form looks anyway when all of my concentration is on being able to stand up straight with all that weight on my back -- one more week at this weight so I can try to focus on it and see how I'm doing.

[moonlady]

It's my week off, but since my DH planned on going to the gym, I didn't want to disappoint him (if I seem to slack off he may want to as well). So I thought I'd see how much I could bench press with the bar, since I usually use dumbbells, and also find out if I could do pullups with my whole body weight. So:

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown on treadmill, up to 6.5 deg incline and 3.5 mph, 120<HR<130 at 65% ARHM. Burned 120 calories.

Bench press: 8x45, 1x95, 1x105, 1x115, 0x120 (too bad, I was hoping to get up to my body weight, so that's a little ways off)
Pullups: 1x1 (almost 2!), 1x1, 1x1

I think I can easily go up on the barbell presses -- I think that since I've been using the dumbbells for so many years (about 5) I've lost some of whatever it is that lets me be good with the barbell. At the same time I don't want to lose the nice stability I get from using dumbbells. I'll try to find a way to switch it around from time to time. Maybe next mesocycle I'll use the bar, now that I've got a partner.

And yay! I didn't think I'd be able to do a pullup, but I did 3 of 'em! *bounce* *bounce* So I guess I should wean myself off the gravitron thingie and be a big girl.

[ms_irreverent]

Way to go!

[Tom]

Nice work on the pullups and the bench press. You are one strong gal! :)

[CinnamonGirl]

Wow! 8)

[moonlady]

Thanks! I was actually a little disappointed about the bench press. But it will come.

[moonlady]

Week off, so cardio only today.

Cardio: 25 min + 3 cooldown on elliptical, up to resistance level 6. 120<HR<130 mostly, ~65% ARHM. Burned 163 calories.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 1 starting 4/24/06

Sun 4/24/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Treadmill, 25 min + 2 cooldown, up to 8 deg incline and 3.6 mph, 120<HR<130 for 65%ARHR. Burned 153 cal.

Squats -- 85 lbs, 5x6
Standing calf raise -- 180 "lbs", 3x10
Ab roller machine thing -- 3x15
Back extension -- 15 lbs, 3x15
Leg curls -- forgot 'em! whoops...

Squats still tough, but I focussed on pushing up the weight through my heels rather than the balls of my feet -- I haven't had any balance problems but everybody says that's where the weight should be, so that's where I'll try to put it.

[ms_irreverent]

If you're doing squats, you don't have to worry about curls. The squats are a dynamite workout for hamstrings.

[Bobcat]

That they are! Ms_i is dead-on. I haven't done a leg curl in years.

On the other hand, if you have a wee streak of masochism and want to add some hamstring assistance to your squats, good mornings will richly repay your efforts.

[John Prink]

Squats still tough, but I focussed on pushing up the weight through my heels rather than the balls of my feet -- I haven't had any balance problems but everybody says that's where the weight should be, so that's where I'll try to put it.[/quote]

Are you squatting with a "heeled" shoe? I wear Olympic weightlifting shoes when I squat, but I was just curious......you could elevate your heels on a small piece of plywood or plates.....

Cheers,

JP

[moonlady]

Bobcat & Ms I -- yep, it's hamstrings I'm trying to isolate after the squats, so maybe the goodmornings will be a decent replacement for the Chair O' Torture. After squats, I feel it mostly in my quads the next day, so I want to make sure I'm hitting the hamstrings too.

John -- I don't really have a heeled shoe -- just a normal running shoe with about 1/2" of squishy shoey stuff on the bottom. What's the advantage of putting my heels up?

[John Prink]

Bobcat & Ms I -- yep, it's hamstrings I'm trying to isolate after the squats, so maybe the goodmornings will be a decent replacement for the Chair O' Torture. After squats, I feel it mostly in my quads the next day, so I want to make sure I'm hitting the hamstrings too.

John -- I don't really have a heeled shoe -- just a normal running shoe with about 1/2" of squishy shoey stuff on the bottom. What's the advantage of putting my heels up?

Putting your heels up allows you to squat a little more comfortably until you build more flexibilty in your hips and ankles. I found when I started doing direct hamstring work (leg curls) my knees didn't hurt anymore and I was more flexible in the squat. But I also squat with weightlifting shoes which have a heel and are very solid - not much "give" in the shoe.

JP

[guitarfreak]

Dead lifts and stiffleg deadlifts for hamstrings... and more!

[moonlady]

Ah, I see. I think my hamstrings are flexible enough -- I go very deep in my squats and arch my back the whole way down, and my hamstrings don't ever get sore. I just want to make sure that on the way up I'm pushing through my heels, not the ball of the foot. My heels don't come off the ground or anything (especially not with 85lbs on my back). I don't feel unstable pushing through the ball, but everything I read says to push through the heel (maybe it will matter when I'm pushing up more weight?).

Horray! I'm starting deadlifts tomorrow. I'll just do the bar and watch my form to see how it goes. Nobody at the gym ever uses that platform. *grin*

[JeffS]

Moonlady, you're probably being told to push from your heels rather than on the balls of your feet to avoid knee problems.

When squatting you want your shins to be as near to vertical as possible (with variations for different builds/leverage factors). If you are up on the balls of your feet you are more likely to have your shins forward. Ideally you want to have your knees centered over your feet while squatting.

As far as not feeling much in your hamstrings from squats, I suspect that you are just going straight up and down (and subsequently involving mostly quads). Try leading with your butt - initiate the movement by sitting back and down rather than just going straight up and down. At the same time, "spread the floor with your feet - forcing knees outward in what is known as the Bridges flair after powerlifting great, Mike Bridges.

Use the same motion while doing good mornings and Romanian Deadlifts -push the butt back to initiate the movement. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how sore your hamstrings will be the next day.

[Bobcat]

Only one thing I can add to Jeff's cornucopia of squat knowledge. Even if you are a "quad squatter," one thing you want to avoid as you handle heavier weights is coming up with too much of the weight on the balls of your feet. If you've got a lot of weight on your back and you come up that way, you'll pitch forward. And the combination of good mornings and Romanian deadlifts will build powerful hamstrings.

Let me pick up on something John said, too. Many narrow stance squatters--such as I--like to squat in olympic weightlifting shoes. They have an elevated heel, a flat outsole and a very stiff midsole. They allow you to push through your heels with a leverage and comfort advantage . . . depending on how you are built. But whatever your body type, you should try to get away from squatting in "squishy" shoes such as running shoes. When you squat, your feet need stability. Also, squishy shoes deny you the advantage of the extensor reflex.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 1 starting 4/24/06

Wed 4/26/06 (Deadlift day--first one!)

Cardio: Elliptical, 25 min + 3 cooldown, up to "level 6" and 110-125 steps per minute. 120<HR<130 for 65% ARHR, burned 159 cal.

DL platform busy! Move on to pullups.
Pullups -- 1x2, 1x1
DL -- 45 lb bar, 1x5 regular stance, 4x5 sumo stance
Dumbbell Shoulder Presses -- 50 lbs, 3x5 (stuck these in today so I'm not totally worn out on bench/incline bench day)
Dumbell Arm Curls -- 40 lbs, 3x5
Pullups -- 1x1, hung there till I dropped to work on my grip.

Comments/question on DL: I think I had my form down pretty well, being a beginner and all, but the &%$# bar kept scraping on my leg, leaving red marks on my oh-so-pale skin. That's why I switched to sumo, but it still happened. Do y'all move the bar forward as you bring it up to avoid knocking your legs? Or am I doing something wrong?

[guitarfreak]

Comments/question on DL: I think I had my form down pretty well, being a beginner and all, but the &%$# bar kept scraping on my leg, leaving red marks on my oh-so-pale skin. That's why I switched to sumo, but it still happened. Do y'all move the bar forward as you bring it up to avoid knocking your legs? Or am I doing something wrong?

I start with the bar up against my shins per the way Marty showed me. I used to have the same problem you have with the bar scrapping up against my knees. I had read over and over that you need to keep your shins verticle but I didn't get it. When I went to Marty he had me start with the bar completely against my shins. It was a subtle thing that changed the whole deadlift movement for me and I immediately pulled 45 pounds more than I ever had in the past. It is now my favorite lift.

[Bobcat]

You want to keep the bar as close to your body as you can. As it goes out, you have to exert more force to pull it up to lockout.

Lots of good deadlifters have marked shins. Some wear duct tape or soccer shin guards in competition. There are even jokes about it; e.g., you know you're a powerlifter if your doctor asks for a blood sample and you show him your shins. :lol:

It is possible to learn to keep the bar close to your body and only occasionally make contact.

Marked legs don't necessarily mean you're doing it wrong.

[moonlady]

Duct tape?!? At least we ladies shave our legs. You guys are nuts. :lol:

OK, I'll wear pants instead of shorts on DL day now. And work on vertical shins, altho that's hard to tell with only the mirror in front of me. Sounds like it might be the same problem I have with squats, so maybe it's something to focus on.

Thanks!

[Bobcat]

Duct tape?!? At least we ladies shave our legs. You guys are nuts. :lol:

I don't recall saying they were all men . . . . In fact, there are some excellent female deadlifters. My own wife holds an AAU world record in the lift. She didn't use duct tape--but that's not to say that none of the women do. And I've seen photos of plenty of women in soccer shin guards or micro-thin over the calf socks.

[moonlady]

I know. But it's one thing for a woman to strap duct tape on her legs and go lift weights. Quite another for a hairy guy to do it, knowing a free "waxing" is in order later on.

[Bobcat]

Quite another for a hairy guy to do it, knowing a free "waxing" is in order later on.

I think they depiliate one way or another before they put on the duct tape. :lol:

[Tom]

I think the shinguards idea is the most sane alternative if this is a problem for you. It's never been a problem for me, but maybe that means I'm doing it wrong. :)

[whistler]

Hi Moonlady,

In competition, we used lots of baby powder on the front of our legs to give the bar a smooth ride up during deadlifts. Just try not to get it all over your hands, you don't want a "smooth" (slippery) grip.

In practice, I just put on some sweatpants for the deads. That way I have one less thing to worry about (scraping up my legs), and I can focus more on the lift.

Hope that helps :)

[guitarfreak]

Okay.. this morning was my deadlift routine and so I was very conscious about how starting with the bar touching your shins changes the lift. It's a bit counter intutive to think that starting with the bar touching your shins would keep you from scraping your shins and knees. But doing it today... it definitely changes the angle the bar comes up... different leverage. Hard to describe really.
After Marty had showed me how to do this I would still revert occasionally to the bar being about 4 or 5 inches out in front of me until I got used to the form. But there is a lot less power to be had.. and of course my knees were in the way.. now that's the main thing I focus on. Starting with the bar touching my shins.. and going all the way back down to where the plates are kissing the floor and the bar is once again up against my shins. I used to end up with bruised shins and knees doing this lift, not to mention a torn up back once. Until your post about it, I had kind of forgotten about the bruises cause since I've learned the proper form I haven't had any.
I hope all these suggestions help, but I would really recommed doing whatever you can to find the right technique for you whether you do conventional or sumo, which I've not myself ever done. Maybe there is someone at your gym who is an excellent deadlifter? I know I read LOTS about the lift and thought I had good technique until I went and had the Cat Herd and Marty see me lift and tell me how horrible my form was.
Also, I don't know if there are any of Marty's t-shirts available... but they've got an excellent diagram on them.
Good luck and I hope you end up loving deadlifts as much as I do.

[moonlady]

Hmm, baby powder. That would probably work too. Interesting to see these secondary uses for everyday products, but I suppose it's a very human thing to do: use what you got.

I'll see if I can find one of the main trainers next time and get some input. That's a good suggestion, guitarfreak. I'll also spend some time playing around with it to see if I can figure it out at home.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 1 starting 4/24/06

Fri 4/28/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Treadmill, 25 min + 2 cooldown, up to 7.5 deg incline, 3.6 mph. 120<HR<130 for 65%ARHR, burned ~150 cal.

Squat rack busy (grr).
Standing calf raise machine -- 195 "lbs", 3x10
Squats -- 5x45, 6x65, 2x6x85, 5x87.5, 2x6x65 (decided 5x6x87.5 was too much, better to work my way up to it)
SLDL -- 20 lbs (tiny barbell), 3x10
Ab roller machine -- 3x15

On the squats I focused on getting my butt down and I think I could feel it more in my glutes and hamstrings than last week. Maybe that's the trick -- we'll see about DOMS tomorrow (of course the SLDL could also cause it).

[childresspta]

Your right on there with your squats. The deeper you go the more you will feel your glutes and hams. Way to go.

Jerimiah

[JeffS]

An old powerlifter trick with the baby powder.

Sprinkle on legs and use the bottom of the bottle to spread it around thus avoiding getting powder on hands and causing slick grip.

[moonlady]

The things you learn when you get more into a hobby. And later on, it's not so much the things you learn but the things you're doing that are odd.

Mesocycle 3, Week 1 starting 4/23/06

Mon 5/1/06 (BP day, high volume, low intensity) Was supposed to be Sunday but had a long day trolling around Half Moon Bay and flying home, so DH and I were exhausted.

Cardio: Elliptical, 25 min + 5 cooldown, 130<HR<140 for 70%ARHM. Burned 176 cal and got up to "level 7 and 8" on resistance, around 105-120 steps per minute. I can feel it getting harder to get my HR up, which at first feels like I have to work harder to get up there. Until I realize that no, it means I can work harder, which is the whole point. And then it feels really good.

Dumbbell chest press -- 62.5 lbs, 3x13
Dumbbell incline chest press -- 52.5 lbs, 3x13 (willpower, damn I'm good)
Upright rows -- 35 lbs, 3x13
Gravitron assisted dips -- 80 lbs, 3x13 (too easy, but this was my first time doing dips so I'll make sure it gets harder)

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 2 starting 5/1/06

Wed 5/3/06 (DL day, moderate intensity and volume)

Cardio: Walking on treadmill, 25 min + 2 cooldown, 130<HR<140 for 70%ARHM. Burned 158 cal, up to 9 deg angle and 3.5-3.6 mph.

Deadlift -- 50 lbs, 5x6
Assisted pullup -- 40 lbs assist, 1x10,1x5,1x4
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 45 lbs, 1x10,1x9,1x8
Dumbbell arm curls -- 40 lbs, 1x6,1x5,1x4

DL's went well -- I think they were hitting my knees last week because I was lifting my back up too fast. This week I let my legs straighten out a little sooner with the back going up a little slower, and things went pretty well. I can tell that puts more pressure on the back but then this is a back exercise as well as a leg exercise, so I suppose that's to be expected.

All other exercises were supposed to be 3x10, but I guess I wore myself out doing the DL's. That's ok. My grip felt stronger today too, a good sign.

[Tom]

When I'm deadlifting, I usually run through the following steps:
- step up to the bar, and get my feet where I want them
- grab the bar
- lock my elbows out straight
- set the arch in my back
- drop down to starting position
- when it's go-time, I think "drive your feet through the floor." This visualization seems to make everything else fall into place. I don't think of picking up the bar. I think of holding onto the bar and punching my feet through the floor.

[moonlady]

The "feet through the floor" thing will come as I load on more plates. For now I'm only up to 50 lbs, so I can make sure the form is good and comfortable before I start really working on it.

An extra: our "squat rack" which really isn't much of a squat rack, not being adjustable, has an extra little stopper on its edge (looks a little like this (http://www.gymcor.com/squatrack.html)). It's at just the right height that when I pull the bar off the rack and step back I have to shrug a little bit to clear the stopper. So one extra little back movement at the beginning of the set -- and as the plates build up I'll get a workout just from getting the whole thing set up. Nifty.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 2 starting 5/1/06

Friday 5/5/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Walking on treadmill, 25 min + 2 cooldown, 130<HR<140 for 70%ARHM. Burned 158 cal, worked around 9-11 deg angle at 3.7-3.8 mph. Yay, I'm going faster for the same effort. I hope to start jogging in a few weeks.

Squat rack (such as it is) busy, with a waiting list. Everybody's real nice about it, but I really wish we had 2 of 'em at the gym. So doing other stuff first, which I know isn't optimal.
Standing calf raise -- 195 "lbs", 3x10
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
SLDL -- 30 lbs -- 2x10 (didn't do 3rd set as usual because I was up next for the squat rack and didn't want to overdo it)
Squats -- 6x45, 6x70, 3x6x90, 6x70, focused on holding in abs as I've realized I've not been doing that

Hey! Next week I can shoot for 95 lbs on my squats and load up the 25 lb plates! *bounce* *bounce* :D

I also stopped SLDL's today because of a very faint pain in the upper middle part of my back that didn't feel much like muscle soreness. Also feeling ever so slight pain in my left knee. After Tobes' post over in the Beginner Forum I've realized that my knees can do that while I'm on the elliptical machine, so I'll switch completely to walking for now and see if it eases. If not, I'll see a doctor. But it's very faint, so hopefully not a problem yet.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 2 starting 5/1/06

Sunday 5/7/06 (Bench press day, low volume, high intensity)

Cardio: Walking on treadmill, 25 min + 3 cooldown, 135<HR<145 for 75%ARHM. Burned 163 cal, worked at 9-11 deg angle, 3.6-3.8 mph.

Dumbbell chest press -- 82.5 lbs, 1x5, 1x5, 1x5
Dumbbell incline press -- 65 lbs, 1x3, 1x5, 1x4 (trouble cleaning, even with DH's help -- maybe I need to start working on cleans)
Upright rows -- 45 lbs, 3x5
Assisted dips -- 60 "lbs" of assist, 3x5

It seems odd to me that a few weeks ago I was able to clean and press the same amount without problems. Then suddenly I couldn't clean that amount, and this week I couldn't clean it and also had trouble pressing it once I got it up there. Ah, to dream of steady progress.

[Tom]

Well, progress is never linear, and sometimes it runs backwards. Any changes in routine, nutrition, etc this week? Unusual stress? Lost weight? Changes in diet? Change in workout time? Little things can sometimes make a big difference.

Are you doing incline presses with a pair of 65-pound dumbbells? If so, wow! That's impressive.

[moonlady]

Are you doing incline presses with a pair of 65-pound dumbbells? If so, wow! That's impressive.

LOL, I wish. No, it's the 30's with four of my magnetic 1.25 lb incrementals stuck on their ends. It adds up to 65 lbs total.

Might be subtle changes in just about anything. At least my cardio, squats, and deadlifts are getting better. Who knows, maybe I worked my chest too hard a week ago and I'm still not recovered, or something like that.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 3 starting 5/10/06

Wed 5/10/06 (DL day)

Cardio: Walked/jogged on treadmill at 4 mph, no incline. Ran until HR>150, then walked until HR<140, lather, rinse, repeat. %75 ARHM, burned something like 175 cal.

Dealift -- 55 lbs, 5x6
Assisted pullups next but goobers hogging the Gravitron. (But it was my turn to hog it!)
DB Row -- 20 lbs (each arm), 3x13
DB Arm Curl -- 40 lbs, 1x6 (considering dropping the curls and working on more important things like rows)
Shoulder press next but kinda blew out my shoulders this weekend doing presses, so giving them a break.
Goobers still on Gravitron, so regular old pullups -- 1x1, 1x0 (not great but not bad considering they were at the end of the workout)

[Bobcat]

Assisted pullups next but goobers hogging the Gravitron. (But it was my turn to hog it!)

. . .

Goobers still on Gravitron

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Keep plugging, moonlady. There will come a time when the frivolous ones will skulk away in terror as soon as the thought of keeping you from a serious workout crosses their beady little minds. 8)

[CinnamonGirl]

Are you doing incline presses with a pair of 65-pound dumbbells? If so, wow! That's impressive.

LOL, I wish. No, it's the 30's with four of my magnetic 1.25 lb incrementals stuck on their ends. It adds up to 65 lbs total.

I'm glad you asked moonlady about this Tom . . . because I was thinking the same thing!! :shock:

[moonlady]

For two-handed exercises I put in the total amount. Bigger numbers make me happier. :wink: FWIW, I don't think I've seen too many people doing incline presses with the 65's. But I'm still young. Wait.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 3 starting 5/10/06

Fri 5/12/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Walked at 3.7-3.8 mph, 11-12 deg incline, 140<HR<150 for 75%ARHM, buned 149 cal.

Squat -- 6x45, 6x75, 3x6x95, 6x75 (w00t)
Standing calf raise -- 195 "lbs", 3x10
SLDL -- 40 lbs, 3x10 (I was checking my back in a side mirror for a flat/arched back and realized my legs were bending some, so these might better be called Romanian DL's, which is ok too)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15 (interesting how I always feel it, it never gets easy)

Whoops, meant to start cleans to help me set up my DB presses. Forgot.

[vinay]

Mesocycle 3, Week 3 starting 5/10/06

Fri 5/12/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Walked at 3.7-3.8 mph, 11-12 deg incline, 140<HR<150 for 75%ARHM, buned 149 cal.

Squat -- 6x45, 6x75, 3x6x95, 6x75 (w00t)
Standing calf raise -- 195 "lbs", 3x10
SLDL -- 40 lbs, 3x10 (I was checking my back in a side mirror for a flat/arched back and realized my legs were bending some, so these might better be called Romanian DL's, which is ok too)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15 (interesting how I always feel it, it never gets easy)

Whoops, meant to start cleans to help me set up my DB presses. Forgot.

You could try cleans with your shoulders or back instead of legs :). So you are still on track.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 3 starting 5/10/06

Sun 5/14/06 (Bench press day)

Cardio: Walked 3.9-4 mph, 11-12 deg incline, 140<HR<150 for 75%ARHM, burned 158 cal.

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 10x65, 10x75, 8x75
Dumbbell incline pres -- 10x60, 10x62.5, 7x62.5
Gravitron assisted dips -- 70 "lbs" assist, 3x10
4 random chinups while waiting for DH to finish Gravitron sets.

Yeah, I'll find a place to stick some cleans. Maybe this Wed, my DL day. Or whenever I need something to do while waiting on the squat rack.

I started barbell presses, after realizing that doing exclusively dumbbell presses for 5 years has led to weakened wrists and chest muscles. I don't want to give up the dumbbells altogether, so I think I'll alternate using the barbell with the incline and flat bench. Right now I can bench about as much with dumbbells as I can with the barbell. It's weird.

[Tom]

I predict that your strength in the barbell lifts will come up quickly after you get used to them. I agree that you should keep up the dumbbell lifting too. They do a better job of recruiting the stabilizer muscles than barbell lifts.

[moonlady]

That's what I'm hoping for, Tom. I'd given up barbell presses because it required a lifting partner, and I'd heard dumbbells were better for the stabilizing muscles. It's only recently I found out I've been missing out from not using the barbell. So I'll do both. And I'm hoping my barbell presses will rise quickly (and possibly enhance my dumbbell presses). Either way, variety is king.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 4 starting 5/17/06

Wed 5/17/06 (DL day)

Cardio: Walked/jogged on treadmill at 4 mph, no incline, for 25 min +5 cooldown. 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM, burned 168 cal. Hoping to slowly replace walking with all jogging.

Deadlift -- 60 lbs, 5x6
Parallel grip chinups -- 1x2,1x1,1x0
DB Row -- 30 lbs (each arm), 3x5
DB Shoulder Press -- 52.5 lbs, 3x5
DB Arm Curl -- 40 lbs, 1x9,1x6,1x3 (was supposed to be 42.5 but those 20 lb DB's always feel so heavy I can't bring myself to stick on more weight... I'm chicken)

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 4 starting 5/17/06

Fri 5/19/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Walked on treadmill at 4 mph, 9-11 deg incline, for 25 min + 2 cooldown, 140<HR<150 for 75%ARHM, burned 158 cal.

Squat rack busy, so:
Standing calf raise -- 195 "lbs", 3x10
My turn:
Squat -- 6x45, 6x75, 3x6x100 :D , 6x75
SLDL -- 50 lbs, 3x10, think I'll stay at this weight for a while. I can feel it nicely in my lower back and I don't want to push it with this particular exercise.
Ab roller machine -- 3x15

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 4 starting 5/17/06

Sun 5/21/06 (Chest day, high volume, low intensity)

Cardio: Tried running/walking at 4 mph, 0 deg incline for 140<HR<150 at 75% ARHM. But today wasn't good for running (I dunno, maybe it's raining and I'm feeling cranky or something), so at 15 min slowed down and walked at 3.7 mph, 10 deg incline, same HR range. Something like 150 cals burned.

Barbell chest press: 8x45, 3x13x65
Dumbbell incline press: 3x15x50 (was supposed to be 3x13 at 55 lbs but I forgot to bring my incrementals in from the rain, so I bumped up the volume. Ow.)
Dumbbell upright row: 2x13x40, 9x40 (arms tired from presses)
Gravitron assisted dips: 70 "lbs" assist, 3x13

DH did 3x10 with 70 lbs in dumbbells (35's). Yay DH!

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 3, Week 5 starting 5/24/06

Wed 5/24/06 (DL day)

Cardio: Walk/run at 4 mph, 140<HR<150 for 75%ARHM. Still can't run steady for more than a minute or two at a time. Hopefully that will change as the weeks go by. 159 cals burned.

Deadlift: 65 lbs, 5x6
Dumbbell shoulder press: 45 lbs, 2x10, 1x7
Gravitron assisted pullup: 40 "lbs" of assist, 1x10, 1x5, 1x5
Dumbbell row: 25 lbs (each arm), 3x10

[moonlady]

Mesoscale 3, Week 5 starting 5/24/06

Fri, 5/26/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Mostly walking, some running at varying slopes, 4 mph. 145<HR<155 for 75-80% ARHM. Burned 177 cals.

Squat: 6x45, 6x75, 6x105, 2x3x105, 6x75 (wanted 3x6x105, didn't quite make 'em all)
Standing calf raise: 195 "lbs", 3x10
SLDL: 50lbs, 3x10
Abs: tired and ab roller benches busy, went home

I've been tired this week, and finally rolled off the steady gains I've made in squats (week 1 of this mesocycle I was doing 85 lbs, this week I went up to 105). Almost time for a week's break, then I'll figure out where to go next.

[moonlady]

Mesoscale 3, Week 6 starting 5/31/06

Wed, 5/31/06 (Deadlift day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: walking/running for 15 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, 140<HR<150 for 75%ARHM. Burned 99 cals. I took it easy since I've been feeling tired for the past week. I'm taking off a week to rest anyway after today, so hopefully I'll come back rested.

DL-- 6x70
Supersets of:
->Shoulder press -- 2x13x40, 1x10x40 (wanted 3x13)
->DB row -- 3x13x20 (each arm)
Assisted pullup -- 50 "lbs" assist, 1x13, 1x7, 1x5 (wanted 3x13)

Good to know there's work to be done.

[moonlady]

Well, I had my week off and I thoroughly enjoyed not having to hit the gym. Just as I was feeling the pangs to not go back.. wouldn't it be nice to just sit around... I went back anyway because I always do and totally kicked a$$ today. Yep, I'm hooked.

Mesoscale 4, Week 1 starting 6/9/06

Fri 6/9/06 (Squat day, high intensity low volume)

Cardio: Walking/running at 4mph for 25 min + 2 min cooldown. 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM. My first running period lasted 5:20 before I had to drop to a walk, about 1:30 longer than last time. Finally, some improvement.

Squat -- 6x45, 4x75, 3x3x105, 4x75
Standing calf raise -- 210 "lbs", 3x5
SLDL -- 50 lbs, 3x10
Chinups -- 1x3, 1x2, 1x1 (yay)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 1 starting 6/9/06 (whoops, did I use work-related jargon last time and type in "mesoscale" by mistake? Yep, I did...)

Wed 6/15/06 (Chest press day, low intensity and high volume)

Cardio: Usual walking/running 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM. First running period lasted something like 6 min, so I think I'm improving.

BB chest press -- 8x45, 3x13x75
DB incline press -- 3x13x52.5 (two 26.25's)
DB upright row -- 3x13x40 (two 20's)
Assisted dips -- 3x13x60 "lbs" of assist

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 1 starting 6/9/06

Fri 6/16/06 (DL day, high intensity and low volume)

Cardio: Usual walking/running 25 min + 2 cooldown, 4 mph, 140<HR<150 for 75%ARHM. First running period lasted 5:20, total walking time of ~10 min.

Deadlift -- 5x6x75 lbs
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x5x52.5 lbs (total, each arm at 26.25 lbs)
Dumbbell row -- 3x5x32.5 lbs (each arm)
Arm curls -- 1x3, 1x2, 1x1 45 lbs (empty barbell)

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 2 starting 6/18.06

Sun 6/18/06 (Chest press day, low volume and high intensity)

Cardio: ~26+2 cooldown at 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM, 4 mph. First 15 min was the usual walk/run, first run was 7:45 long. After that I walked at 10-12 deg incline. I decided to add a little variety so I could build up a little strength in addition to endurance.

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 3x5x90 lbs
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x5x65 lbs total (32.5 lbs each arm)
Dumbbell upright row -- 3x5x45 lbs total (22.5 lbs each arm) These hurt my shoulders, so I'll see if I can find a replacement exercise. I just don't like 'em.
Assisted dips -- 3x5x40 "lbs" of assist. These hurt my palms as I put my bodyweight down on them. I suspect I'll get used to it -- it doesn't seem like the kind of hurt that's damaging, just the kind I'm not used to.

DH moved his DB bench press from 70 up to 80 lbs (total) today and squatted 85 lbs. Good to see him making progress.

[moonlady]

It's my 100th post! And my 1st year anniversary! Go me! Happy solstice everybody!

Mesocycle 4, Week 2 starting 6/18/06

Wed 6/21/06 (Squat day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: 25 walking/running +2 cooldown at 4 mph, 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM. It was hot today, so my first run lasted 4 min. before my HR shot up above 150. Still better than a couple of weeks ago, tho.

Squat -- 8x45, 8x75, 3x8x90, 8x75 (oy, that was tough... but I did it)
SLDL -- 3x10x50 lbs
Calf raise -- 3x10x75 (done on Smith monstrosity, with toes perched on 10 lb weights -- we don't have little steps at the gym)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Chinups -- 3,2,2,1 (interspersed throughout the other sets)

I'd slowed down on my earlier squat sets of 5x6xX (where X ramped up by 5 lbs every week until I crapped out at 105 lbs). So it's time to do something new. I decided to switch between squat weeks of 3x3x105 and 3x8x90 (going up 5 lbs every week I'm successful). That way I can work on both strength and endurance (or those fast and slow twitch fibers folks talk about). So next week I'll try 3x3x110 and then the following week do 3x8x95. We'll see how it goes.

[CinnamonGirl]

It's my 100th post! And my 1st year anniversary! Go me! Happy solstice everybody!
Congratulations on your anniversary, and as for your 100th post, we are glad you're here!

[moonlady]

Thank you! I am happy to rate two yin-yang swirlies. :lol:

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 2 starting 6/18/06

Fri 6/23/06 (Deadlift day, moderate volume and moderate intensity)

Cardio: 25 min walking/running + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, the usual 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM. Hot again today, but not as bad, and it showed: my first run lasted 4:20, longer than on Wednesday. Burned something like 156 cal.

Deadlift -- 5x6x80 lbs, grip feels stronger than before
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 10x45, 10x45, 7x45 (22.5 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x10x45)
Goobers hogging the 25 lb dumbbells, so:
Barbell arm curls -- 5x45, 3x45, 3x45 (luv being able to curl the bar)
Dumbbell row -- 3x10x25 (each arm, this time straddling a bench -- got to keep an eye on my back so it doesn't round, not easy after those arm curls)

I can feel something in my back compensating on the DL's when I'm getting tired. I'll see if I can figure it out -- maybe I'm rounding out my back? I can't see it for lack of mirrors but I can feel it happening. I'll want to correct it before I get to really heavy weights.

[Tom]

I find that my deadlift form breaks down under 2 conditions:
1) When my back is fatigued
2) When I'm pulling way more weight than I can handle.

I'd suggest keeping the deadlift reps somewhere in the 3-5 rep range, and resetting after every rep -- that is, set the weight down and re-check the arch in your back. If you feel yourself losing the arch, end the set and do something else.

I've had a couple back problems this year from deadlifts. The first was when I pulled a max single the day after doing a bunch of high-repitition back exercises. The second was when I did a bunch of very heavy singles. They all went well until the last one, which re-tweaked what I'd tweaked before.

Anyway, if you're remotely sane about it, you probably won't have any problems. Just keep a good arch in your back at all times, and end the set if you feel your form breaking down.

[moonlady]

Hmm. Well I'm definitely not working with too much weight. Not yet -- I'm adding 5 lbs each week, hoping to get a good feel for it by the time I get to serious weights. I'm fairly certain I could do at least 20 lbs more.

At 80 lbs I can't set the weight down (only got 10 lb plates on plus the littler ones), so if I set it down I'll be bending down too far to pick it up. Maybe when I get to 95 lbs, I can use the 25's and set it down.

But I'll stop the sets when I feel things being funny. That's good advice.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 3 starting 6/26/06

Mon 6/26/06 (Press day, moderate volume and moderate intensity)

Cardio: 15 min walking/running, followed by 10 minutes of walking at an 11 deg incline, all at 4 mph. Worked in the usual range, 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM. Not hot but humid today, could be worse. Burned the usual 159 cal, and my first run was 6:00 long.

Hmm, lunch rush at the gym. Goobers on all the equipment DH and I want to use. No benches available, and the single squat cage is occupied.
Assisted dips -- 3x10x50 "lbs" assist
Flat benches still used up by goobers.
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x10x62.5 lbs (31.25 lbs in each arm), helpful loading up from DH
Still no flat barbell benches.
Dumbbell chest press -- 1x5x80 lbs (80 lbs total, had meant to do 3x10x80 lbs with the barbell)
Barbell chest press -- 1x5x80 lbs, 1x0x80 lbs (owee, wore myself out)

Just one of those days.

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 3 starting 6/26/06

Wed 6/28/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Standard run/walk, see above. First run 5:00.

Goobers at squat machine throughout, so I wound up skipping the squats. Not good -- complained to management about the single power cage that's always in use. Was informed that the cigar store next door may go out of business and allow the gym to expand again. Nice.

Marty! Why'd you have to go and make squats popular? How's a girl supposed to get a good workout when everybody is in the way? :roll: :wink:


SLDL -- 3x10x50 lbs, too easy cuz I don't feel it later on. Must increase weight.
Standing calf raise on Smith monstrosity -- 3x10x45 lbs (one leg at a time)
Chin ups -- 3,3,2

[Bobcat]

Marty! Why'd you have to go and make squats popular? How's a girl supposed to get a good workout when everybody is in the way? :roll: :wink:

Does your gym have a trap bar? Trap bar deadlifts aren't "real" squats, but they capture a little bit of the squat flavor. You gotta do something to look fierce enough for pretenders to want to clear a path when you head for the rack! :twisted:

[moonlady]

I haven't seen a trap bar, but I could ask around. Maybe they've got one hiding somewhere. Not a bad idea in any event, as I could take it to a corner where I could really watch my form.

Mesocycle 4, Week 3 starting 6/26/06

Fri 6/30/06 (Deadlift day, squat makeup)

Cardio: Standard run/walk (see above), first run 4:15.

Deadlift -- 5x6x85 lbs, did these with access to a 2nd mirror. I think my back stays pretty flat, altho it's hard to watch myself every time.
Squats -- 6x45, 4x75, 3x110, 2x2x110, 4x75 (was shooting for 3x3x110, nearly made it)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 13x40, 11x40, 10x40 (20 lbs each arm, was shooting for 3x13x40)
Dumbbell row -- 3x13x20 lbs (20 lbs each arm, straddling the bench)
Barbell arm curls (empty bar, 45 lbs) -- 3,2,3

Am I crazy for doing both DL and squat lifts today? Probably. We'll see how my back feels tomorrow.

[Bobcat]

Am I crazy for doing both DL and squat lifts today?

No.

[moonlady]

Am I crazy for doing both DL and squat lifts today?

No.

OK then. Cuz I'll probably do both again tomorrow.

Out this week (moving across town). I figure I've done my exercise by lifting furniture and boxes.

We bought a grill and made yummy steaks to feed the folks that helped us load and unload boxes. A worthy investment. Perhaps shrimp next.

[whistler]

Am I crazy for doing both DL and squat lifts today? Probably. We'll see how my back feels tomorrow.

Marty started us cats out with all three lifts each session, so no, it's not a bad thing.

However, make sure you squat first, because deadlifting works your spinal erector muscles (the verticle ones that stabilize your spine), and if those are shot when you squat, you'll be in a bunch of trouble balance-wise. We squat - bench - deadlift, so the back muscles worked in the squat have at least a little time to recover before the deadlifts.

[moonlady]

Marty started us cats out with all three lifts each session, so no, it's not a bad thing.

An excellent point. I've been doing the squats first, mostly because I'm still lifting more weight with the squats and I don't want to go into it too tired. But that's a good point about the spinal erectors -- they're the reason I felt weird about doing both lifts on the same day.

Mesocycle 4, Week 4 starting 7/7/06

Fri 7/7/06 (Squats and Deadlifts together today, making up for not being around this week)

Cardio: Standard run/walk, 4.0 mph, 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM. First run 7:50 (yay).

Squats -- 6x45, 4x75, 3x3x110, 4x75
Deadlifts -- 3x6x90
Barbell arm curls (empty bar, 45 lbs) -- 5,3,3

On the deadlifts I was going for 5x6x90 but my lower back started to feel sore, so I stopped. I think it wasn't sore from the deadlifts so much as all of the heavy lifting I've been doing this week, followed by a PR on the squats. They still feel sore (maybe just DOMS tho).

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 5 starting 7/9/06

Sun 7/9/06 (Press day, high intensity and low volume)

Cardio: Hill walk on treadmill, 3.8 mph at ~11-13 deg incline. Hot today and needed a break from running. Normal 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM, burned 158 cal.

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 3x5x95
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x5x70 (35 lbs each arm)
Assisted dips -- 30 "lbs" of assist, 3x5
Scaption -- 3x10x10 (5 lbs each arm)

The scaption I found in Lori Incledon's book "Strength Training for Women". It's halfway between a lateral raise and front raise, so it works both the lateral and anterior delts. I'm looking for something to replace the upright rows that were hurting my shoulder a bit -- I suspect they hurt because I'm not working some of my smaller shoulder muscles enough. I may add on another exercise or two as time goes by, if this seems to help.

[ms_irreverent]

Hey, thanks for giving me an idea. I never heard of scaption, so I googled it, and it appears to be something that might be very useful for me!

Incidentally, if you read this (http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/15/08/20.html) article, I think you'll find some confirmation of your thinking about small and large muscle engagement.

[moonlady]

Thanks for the link! That will give me some more ideas.

Lori says something along the lines of: since your shoulder is a universal joint (which most mammals don't have -- my cats couldn't do lateral raises) we sacrifice some stability in exchange for versatility. So training one set of muscles over another could easily cause problems. I've been focusing mainly on the deltiods (anterior and lateral) but there are a whole lot of smaller muscles in the shoulder that I've ignored.

That website mentions something interesting: that working at high weights forces you to use your larger muscles more than your smaller muscles, sometimes keeping your smaller muscles from developing. More support, I suppose, for periodization (I do notice that the feel is very different when I use lighter weights -- I really do feel my muscles better. But maybe that's just because I'm not putting all of my attention on Getting. The. Stupid. Weight. Up!)

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 5 starting 7/9/06

Wed 7/12/06 (Deadlift day, moderate intensity and volume)

Cardio: Standard 4 mph walk/run for 25 min +2 cooldown, 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM, burning 158 cal.

Deadlifts -- 5x6x90
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x10x45, 9x45 (22.5 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x10... oh so close)
Dumbbell row -- 3x10x25 (25 lbs in each arm)
Barbell arm curl -- 3, 3, 2 (45 lbs, empty bar)

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 5 starting 7/9/06

Fri 7/14/06 (Squat day, low intensity and high volume)

Cardio: Standard 4 mph walk/run for 25 min + 2 cooldown, 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM, burned 158 cal. First run was 3:45 (warm day again today but I can't help but notice my lack of progress on running vs. walking).

Goober on squat rack. Goobers on ab roller machines. Drat. On to:
Standing calf raise on Smith -- 3x10x65 lbs
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Squats -- 8x45, 3x8x90 (whoops, forgot my intermediate 75 lbs sets... but it doesn't really matter on a light day, I suppose)
Chin ups -- 4,3,2,1 (been using a parallel grip)
SLDL -- 3x10x60 lbs

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 6 starting 7/19/06

Mon 7/19/06 (Chest press day, moderate intensity and volume)

Cardio: Walk at 3.8-4.0 mph up to around 7 deg incline, 25 min + 2 cooldown, 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM, burned 159 cal.

Barbell chest press -- 3x10x85
Dumbbell incline press -- 10x65, 2x6x65 (32.5 lbs each arm, was shooting for 3x10)
Scaption -- 4x10x10 (5 lbs each arm -- found 10 lbs in each arm too hard to do many, odd coming off of 4x that with upright rows, so I have a feeling this is good for me)
Assisted dips -- 3x10x40 "lbs" assist

[moonlady]

Mesocycle 4, Week 6 starting 7/17/06 (got date wrong in last post)

Wed 7/19/06 (Squat day, high intensity)

Cardio: Standard walk/run at 4 mph for 25 min + 2 cooldown, keeping 140<HR<150 for 75% ARHM. First run lasted 3:30, burned 159 cals. Hmm, I don't seem to be improving.

Squat -- 4x45, 4x75, 3x115, 2x115, 3x115, 4x75 (was shooting for 3x115 in the middle there but the bar just really wanted to sink down and not. go. up. hey are these things magnetic? :roll: )
Ab roller bench -- 3x15
Chinups -- 4, 3, 2, 1 (hey my body can count backwards!)
SLDL -- 3x10x60

[moonlady]

Sun 7/30/06 (Press day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: 15 min -- walked with increasing speed and incline up to 4 mph and 10 deg. 10 min -- ran/walked at 4 mph, 150<HR<160 for 80% ARHM.

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 10x75, 8x75, 6x76 (paused at the bottom on these, so volume is lower than normal -- boy that makes it tough!)
Dumbbell incline press -- 10x55, 8x55, 6x55
Scaption -- 3x10x10 (felt these in the front delts)
Assisted dips -- 2x13x50 "lbs", 10x50 "lbs" of assist

This mesocycle I'm going to do paused sets on squats and flat bench presses on the low intensity days. That will mean fewer reps, but better form, which will hopefully lead to more reps and more weight in the long run. So says Marty, and I choose to believe him. For 6 weeks anyway.

[moonlady]

Wed 8/2/06 (Squat day, low intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, 150<HR<160 for 80% ARHM, ran/walked at 4 mph. First run was 7:50, had to stop running and walk 6 times.

Paused squats -- 8x45, 3x8x90 (that was tough)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Chinups -- 3 (just one set today)
SLDL -- 3x10x65
Standing calf raise machine -- 3x10x205 "lbs"

[moonlady]

Fri 8/4/06 (Deadlift day, high intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM, ran/walked at 4 mph. First run was 8:30, had to stop running and walk 4 times.

Deadlift -- 3x6x95, 6x45, 6x55 (stopped and dropped the weight when I saw my back rounding out in the corner mirror)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x5x55, 4x55 (27.5 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x5)
Dumbbell row -- 3x5x32.5 (in each arm, alternating)
Barbell arms curls -- 4, 3, 2, 1 (45 lbs)

[Tom]

Looks like you're making good progress with the runs. How's your perceived exertion during that first run?

[moonlady]

Thanks for asking! Yes, the running seems to be better, and letting my HR go up to 160 doesn't feel too taxing. I'll try this for a few more weeks and see if I can increase my running vs. walking times.

[moonlady]

Wed 8/9/06 (Squat day, high intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM, ran/walked at 4 mph. First run was 5:35, had to stop running and walk 4 times. Definitely an improvement.

Squat -- 3x45, 3x75, 3x3x115, 3x75
Chin ups -- 4,2,1,1
Assisted dips -- 3x5x20 "lbs" of assist (missed chest day on Sun, so doing a few chest/tricep exercises during the week)
Standing calf raise -- 3x10x95 (on Smith machine)
SLDL -- 3x10x65

Whoops, forgot to do abs.

[moonlady]

Fri 8/11/06 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM, ran/walked at 4 mph. First run was 8:30, had to stop running and walk 4 times.

Deadlift -- 6x45, 6x55, 6x65, 6x75, 6x85
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x10x45, 6x45 (22.5 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x10)
Dumbbell rows -- 3x10x25 (25 lbs in each arm)
Barbell arm curl -- 5,3,1,1

I noticed my back rounding out at higher weights in the DL. It's tough to see but I found a corner spot in the gym where I can check myself from the side. So it's back on down to lower weights while I test it out. I think I might have rounded out on one of the 85 lb lifts -- I'll go up next week and keep an eye out. I think I'm rounding out my back because I'm not using my upper back and arms enough, and relying on my legs to get the weight up.

[moonlady]

Sun 8/13/06 (Chest press day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, walking on an incline at 3.7-3.9 mph. Incline went up to 13 deg. Burned something like 157 cal.

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 10x90, 2x4x90 (was shooting for 3x10)
Dumbbell incline press -- 10x65, 2x8x65 (32.5 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x10)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)
Assisted dips -- 3x10x40 "lbs" of assist

[moonlady]

Wed 8/16/06 (Squat day, low intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. First run was 10:30 min, had to stop and walk 3 times. It was a good day. \:D/

Squats -- 8x45, 3x8x95 (paused)
Chinups -- 4,2,2,2
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
SLDL -- 3x10x65
Standing calf raise -- 3x10x100 (on Smith machine)

[moonlady]

Fri 8/18/06 (DL day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. First run was 9:00 min, had to stop and walk 3 times.

Deadlift -- 8x45, 8x65, 2x8x85, 8x95 (watching back in a mirror for rounding, looked ok)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x13x40, 9x40 (20 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x13)
Dumbbell rows -- 3x13x20 (each arm)
Empty barbell arm curls -- 5, 4, 2, 2

[moonlady]

Wed 8/23/06 (Squat day, high intensity and low volume)

Drat. Missed my press day again this week -- busy with out-of-town friends visiting.

Cardio: 28 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. First run was 11:10 min, had to stop and walk 3 times.

Squat -- 4x45, 4x75, 3x3x120, 4x75
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Chinups -- 4, 3, 2
Assisted Dips (making up for Sunday a bit) -- 3x10x30 "lbs of assist"
SLDL -- 3x10x70

[moonlady]

Fri 8/25/06 (DL day)

Cardio: 28 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. First run was 9:30 min, had to stop and walk 5 times.

Deadlift -- 6x45, 2x6x85, 6x95, 6x85 (back rounded on 95 lbs, not on 85, so I went back down in the last set)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x5x55 (27.5 lbs in each arm, could barely clean 'em... maybe I'll lighten it up by doing these standing up, been doing 'em in a chair which is cheating, sort of.)
Dumbbell row -- 3x5x32.5 (in each arm, alternating)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)
Arm curls with empty barbell -- 6, 4, 2, 2

[ms_irreverent]

Fri 8/25/06 (DL day)


Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x5x55 (27.5 lbs in each arm, could barely clean 'em... maybe I'll lighten it up by doing these standing up, been doing 'em in a chair which is cheating, sort of.)


Cheating? Why do you say that? Marty always has us do dumbbell shoulder presses seated.

[moonlady]

Really? I always figured I wouldn't be able to lift as much while standing up. I'm in a chair that has a back, and I'm pretty sure that in leaning on it I gain some leverage. Seems to me that standing up (or sitting up without a back) I'd have to use my trunk muscles to stabilize myself while lifting, but I can brace them with a chair back. Haven't tried it yet, tho.

[moonlady]

Sun 8/13/06 (Chest press day, low volume and high intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, walking on up to a 13 deg incline at 3.9 mph, burning something like 157 cal. HR stayed below 150 bpm.

Barbell chest press -- 5x45, 5x100, 2x4x100 (was shooting for 3x5x100)
Dumbbell incline press -- 2x5x75, 4x75 (37.5 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x5x75)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)
Assisted dips -- 3x5x20 "lbs" of assist (lightest assist on the machine, so I guess next week it's bodyweight unassisted dips!)

DH says that apparently I made some dude gape while benching the 75 lbs. :lol: This guy had brought his girlfriend with him and was having her do overhead presses with 5 lb weights "Very good! Now do 8 to 12 of these...". With luck, he learned something today. And my ego is floating out beyond the stratosphere. 8)

[ms_irreverent]

Really? I always figured I wouldn't be able to lift as much while standing up. I'm in a chair that has a back, and I'm pretty sure that in leaning on it I gain some leverage. Seems to me that standing up (or sitting up without a back) I'd have to use my trunk muscles to stabilize myself while lifting, but I can brace them with a chair back. Haven't tried it yet, tho.

Well, you probably would have to use less weight, but it's not the amount of weight, it's the quality of the lift that counts. If you are working your shoulders with a press, that is the area that should be getting the concentration, and you shouldn't have to be worrying about stabilizing your back.

This is not to say that you shouldn't ever do them standing up, of course. You can do whichever you prefer. The point is that seated is just as valid an exercise as standing.

[moonlady]

This is not to say that you shouldn't ever do them standing up, of course. You can do whichever you prefer. The point is that seated is just as valid an exercise as standing.

I suppose it works either way. But if I'm lifting so much I have trouble cleaning it, one way to make life easier is by standing up. I won't be able to lift as much, so I won't have trouble cleaning it. At the same time, I'll still be working just as hard.

I also figure this falls under Marty's ethic of whole body workouts -- the more compound a move is, the better it works your body in less time. So if standing up (or sitting up) includes more of my back and abdomen muscles, then it might be more efficient. But you're right, it does work both ways.

[moonlady]

Wed 8/30/06 (Squat day, low intensity and high volume)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. First run was 16:20 min, had to stop and walk only one time. Looks like things are improving. :D

Squat -- 8x45, 3x8x100 (paused)
SLDL -- 3x10x70
Standing calf raises -- 10x105 on Smith machine, then 10x205, 10x215 on machine (goober on the Smith machine)
No ab work or chinups, as goobers hogging 'em. I'll make up for it on Friday.

[ms_irreverent]

Nice improvement on the run!

[moonlady]

Thanks, Ms. I!

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. First run was 15 min, had to stop and walk twice. Not bad, but not as good as last time. Life isn't supposed to be linear.

Deadlift -- 6x45, 6x85, 3x6x95 (still working out back rounding, seemed better this week)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x10x45 (22.5 lbs in each arm)
Dumbbell row -- 3x10x25 (each arm, alternating between sets)
Arm curls (empty barbell) -- 6, 4, 2, 2

[moonlady]

Wed 9/6/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. First run was 18:10 min, had to stop and walk once. OK, so I stretched it a bit to make sure my body really wanted its HR to be above 160 so I could have a longer first run... but I didn't cheat by much.

Squat -- 4x45, 4x75, 3x3x125, 4x75 Body Weight!!! (Been waiting for this all summer!)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Chinups - 4,3 (didn't finish as found 3 goobers rotating sets on the machine later)
SLDL -- 3x10x70
Standing calf raise (Smith machine) -- 3x10x105

I'm totally happy about the squat lift today. OK, so the last rep in the last 2 sets were iffy, but they did go up in the end. Oh, for a gym full of female lifters to actually look impressed as I put 80 lbs of weight on the bar. But no. Maybe when I hit 250. :twisted:

[Bobcat]

I'm totally happy about the squat lift today.

As well you should be. =D>

[CinnamonGirl]

=D> =D> \:D/ =D> =D>

[moonlady]

Thanks!

[moonlady]

Fri 9/9/06 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph with 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. Didn't have to stop and walk. :D So I went above 160 for the last 2 min, but I don't care. Yay! What a great way to round out this mesocycle.

Deadlift -- 6x45, 5x6x95 (Did this in front of regular mirror so I couldn't watch my back for rounding... maybe next week I'll try this somewhere else)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x13x40, 11x40 (20 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x13)
Dumbbell row -- 3x13x20 (each arm)
Arm curls (empty barbell) -- 6, 4, 3, 2, 1

[moonlady]

Sun 9/10/06 (Bench press day, med intensity and med volume)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, walking at 3.9 mph on an incline at 11 deg, HR<160 bpm.

Barbell bench press -- 10x45, 9x90, 7x90, 5x90 (working my way up to 3x10x90)
Dumbbell incline press -- 10x65, 7x65, 8x65 (32.5 lbs in each arm, working up to 3x10x65)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)
Assisted dips -- 10x30, 2x6x30 "lbs" of assist (working up to 3x10x30)

Next: a week off!

[whistler]

Nice bench presses, Moonlady! Keep up the good work!

Do you deadlift conventional or sumo style? Off pins, or off the floor?

[moonlady]

Thanks! I actually wasn't feeling too great about the presses -- I'm under some weird "uber-me" impression that I should be able to bench my body weight by now. But I'm making huge gains in my squats so I'll shut up and be happy with that for a while. Hey, you're benching more than me now! Congrats!

I guess I deadlift from pins -- it's not a real power rack, just one with arms coming out that are at almost the right height for me to start deadlifting (it's about an inch lower than where my arms hang naturally, also a good height to squat down to and crawl out from under if my body decides I just won't make it back up this time). I've deadlifted from the floor but I don't use the big 45 plates yet, so it's a little awkward. That and my gym isn't set up for space like that -- it's full of machines, blah.

[moonlady]

Sun 9/17/06 (Bench press day, low intensity and high volume)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, walking at up to 4 mph on an incline up to 13 deg, HR<160 bpm. Burned around 158 cal.

Goobers on the flat benches, so incline first:
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x13x55 (27.5 lbs in each arm)
Barbell bench press -- 10x45, 13x75, 11x75, 9x75 (was shooting for 3x13x75... still, an improvement over a month ago on 7/30/06)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm, wow this one seems to get harder with time)
Assisted dips -- 2x13x40, 10x40 "lbs" of assistance (was shooting for 3x13x40)

My presses failed mostly because of my right wrist. A while back I'd considered strenghthening my wrists because of this but then it stopped being a problem. It's a problem again, so I guess I'll have to look into it again.

[moonlady]

Wed 9/20/06 (Squats and deadlifts today, going out of town this weekend)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph within 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. Had to stop and walk once, first run 19:10 min.

Today is a combination of the big lifts from squat and deadlift days, since I'll be missing my Friday workout.

Squats -- 8x45, 8x105, 2x5x105 (these were paused, and I was shooting for 3x8x105)
Chinup -- 4,2,2,2
Deadlifts -- 3x3x95 (was meant to be 100 lbs but I forgot to stick the little 2.5s on the bar)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x10x50, 8x50 (25 lbs in each arm... this was supposed to be a 3x5x60 day but I couldn't clean the 30's, so it turned into a 3x10x50 day. Well, almost.)

Wow, those paused squats really wipe me out. I know my HR gets well above 170 when I do them. I sweat more than when I'm running! No matter, a burned calorie is a burned calorie no matter how it's done. Maybe it's just that I don't see other folks working so hard on their lifts (barring the grunting guys swinging their arm curls up, but I don't count them).

[moonlady]

Fri 9/29/06 (Deadlifts, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph within 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. Had to stop and walk twice, first run 13:00 min.

Deadlift -- 8x45, 3x8x75
Shoulder press -- 2x13x40, 12x40 (20 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x13x40)
Dumbbell row -- 3x13x22.5, alternating arms (why was it harder this time?)
Empty barbell arm curls -- 3,2,2,2 (interspersed with grip work, holding the bar for 60 s overhand or underhand).

OK, so I've been out of town and a little bit sick, so I didn't do as well today as I probably could have. My curls are down and the rows seemed really hard. But all considered I did okay today.

[moonlady]

Mon 10/2/06 (Bench day, but light since no spotter today)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown. Ran/walked at 4 mph at 145<HR<160 for 80% ARHM. Had to stop and walk once at 19:30 min.

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 8x80, 6x80, 5x80 (was supposed to be 3x10x90 today, but no partner... alas, I see my presses slipping away without constant upkeep so maybe having DH as a gym partner is not working so well)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 lbs (10 lbs in each arm, interspersed with various grip work)
Bodyweight dips -- 3, 1, 1

Light day today, no dumbbell inclines as usual. Hmm, altho I have no room in my apartment, maybe it's time to start looking into getting my own equipment anyway. Dunno where I'd put it, but missing Sunday bench days (with DH as a spotter so I can lift hard) is taking a toll.

[moonlady]

Wed 10/4/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: 20 min running on treadmill at 4 mph. HR was higher than usual, and the elementary school next door was having its roof tarred (some of which I could smell inside), so I decided to get off just in case it was causing me problems.

Squats -- 8x45, 8x105, 7x105, 5x105, 8x75 (paused, was shooting for 3x8x105)
Chinups -- 4, 2, 2, 1
Ab roller bench -- 3x15
SLDL -- 3x10x75 (would go up but I'm limited by grip, which I've been working on)
Standing calf raise machine -- 3x10x210 "lbs"

[moonlady]

Sunday, 10/8/06 (Chest press day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown walking at up to 4 mph and 8 deg incline. Burned 158 cal.

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 13x75, 12x75, 7x75 (was shooting for 3x13x75... eh, a little ways off yet)
Dumbbell chest press -- 10x60, 8x60, 6x60 (was shooting for 3x13x60, so yep, not my best day)
Assisted dips -- 13x40, 10x40, 8x40 "lbs" of assist

[moonlady]

Wed, 10/11/06 (Squat day, high intensity and low volume)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown running/walking at 4 mph. Had to stop and walk twice, first run was 12 min.

Goober on squat rack.
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Chinups -- 4, 2
Another goober on squat rack!
SLDL -- 3x10x80 lbs, limited by my grip, not my back or hamstrings. Hopefully this will improve.
Standing calf raise machine -- 3x10x210 "lbs"
Squats -- 4x45, 4x75, 3x10x110


I went light on the squats as recently I've been told my squat ascent is a little asymetric. I noticed it this time -- it's subtle and shows up more when I'm tired, say at the end of a set. It probably becomes more noticeable with higher weights.

[moonlady]

Fri 10/13/06 (Deadlift day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: walked/ran 25 min + 2 cooldown with 145<HR<160. First run was 10:00, had to stop and walk twice. Hmm, I seem to be getting worse on this.

Deadlift -- 8x45, 3x8x80 (easy to keep good form since this is a light weight for me)
Barbell arm curls -- 6, 3, 3, 3, 1 (interspersed with some wrist/grip work)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 13x40, 11x40, 9x40 (20 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x13x40)
Dumbbell row -- 3x13x20 (20 lbs in each arm, alternating)

I still seem unable to improve much on running. I'll try buying new running shoes to see if this helps -- could be I'm just running on ancient tread.

[moonlady]

Mon 10/16/06 (Chest press day)

Cardio: 25 + 2 min walking up to 10 deg incline and 4 mph, generally keeping HR<160.

Barbell chest press -- 10x45, 2x10x80, 8x80 (by myself again today, so I'm lifting a hair lighter without a spotter)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)
Grip work with barbell (my eensy wrists are still my weak point)
Bodyweight dips -- 5, 3, 2 (body shaking all the way down and up, but hey, it did go down and up again so I'm happy :D)

[moonlady]

Friday 10/20/06 (Deadlift day, high intensity and low volume)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown running/walking at 4 mph, 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk twice, first run was 10:00. Seems I'm getting worse. Hmm.

Deadlift -- 4x45, 3x3x105
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x5x50 (25 lbs in each arm -- whoops, should have done more than that, no wonder it seemed so easy!)
Dumbbell rows -- 3x5x25 (25 lbs in each arm, alternating)
Empty barbell arm curls -- 6, 4, 3, 2 (mixed in with some grip work)

[moonlady]

Bah. No gym this weekend: I'm learning to fly and I get so exhausted after a flight that I can't drag myself to the gym. I'd forgotten how something mentally taxing can influence your body physically. I'll have to find a way to work around that.

And no gym today, as I have a cold. Nothing serious, but I imagine the other gym patrons wouldn't appreciate the mucus-laden equipment I'd leave behind. ;)

[moonlady]

Was out sick last week, so I'm taking it easy this week. I'm in the *cough*cough* stage, so I'm not contagious anymore but I still feel a little icky.

Mon 10/30/06 (Bench press day)

Cardio: Walked slowly on the treadmill, working up to 3.7 mph and 4 deg incline at 25 min. HR stayed below about 130.

Goobers on flat benches so:
Bodyweight dips -- 5, 3, 3
Dumbbell chest press -- 10x70, 2x6x70 (35 lbs in each arm)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)

[CinnamonGirl]

Bah. No gym this weekend: I'm learning to fly and I get so exhausted after a flight that I can't drag myself to the gym. I'd forgotten how something mentally taxing can influence your body physically. I'll have to find a way to work around that.

Fixed wing or rotor?

I imagine that the adrenalin you had surging through your system probably raised your metabolism. Even if not, you probably are better off not trying to work out on the days you fly until your lessons are less physically taxing.

My daughter is a pilot, and she says flying rocks!

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g145/vaiduokliukas/72799605244a3782d3d26d.gif

[moonlady]

Fixed wing or rotor?

I imagine that the adrenalin you had surging through your system probably raised your metabolism. Even if not, you probably are better off not trying to work out on the days you fly until your lessons are less physically taxing.

My daughter is a pilot, and she says flying rocks!


Kewl. I fly fixed wings: itty bitty Cessnas. They're cheaper than anything else.

And yeah, getting past the first learning curve will help with the energy level. Right now it takes all I've got (the lizard part of my brain still wants me to start screaming becuz I'm off the ground) to focus on doing what I need to do. I'm gonna join the 99's and see if I can get one of their scholarships. Awesome for your daughter, I now have total respect for folks who do this stuff!

[moonlady]

Wed, 11/1/06 (Squat day, still going easy from last week's cold)

Cardio: walking on treadmill, working up to 3.7 mph at 6 deg incline. Burned something like 100 cal, depending on whether you believe my HR more or less than the treadmill. Both have their drawbacks.

Squat -- 5x45, 5x105, 3x105, 2x105 (was shooting for 3x5x105, but wow I got tired)
Chinups -- 3, 2
Ab roller bench -- 3x15
SLDL -- 3x10x75
Standing calf raise machine -- 3x10x210 "lbs" (why can I push up 1.7X my body weight but I still don't have killer calves? Ah well, it could be worse)

[moonlady]

Sunday 11/5/06 (Chest press day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: Tried my normal run/walk at 4 mph for 25 min + 2 cooldown, keeping 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk 4x, first run was 6 min. Well. I've been sick.

Barbell chest press -- 10x45, 3x13x75, 10x75 (wanted 3x13x75)
Dumbbell incline press - 10x60, 8x60, 5x60 (wanted 3x13x60, needs work)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm; this one never gets easier)
Assisted dips -- 13, 10, 9x40 "lbs" of assist

DH went with me to the gym and while he was doing squats I stepped in to have him check the twist in my spine. It's confirmed: I do twist leftwards on ascent, even when I can't tell myself. Got word on another forum that overhead squats work the core muscles and might help with this -- couldn't hurt to try 'em.

[moonlady]

Fri, 11/10/06 (deadlift day)

Cardio: Running/walking 25+2 min at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160. First run was 9:00, had to stop and walk 3x.


Deadlift -- 3x3x105
Barbell arm curls -- 5 (just one set)
Overhead squat -- 3x5x20 (smallest bar at the gym is 20 lbs)
Shoulder press -- 3x5x50
Dumbell row -- 3x5x30 (30 lbs in each arm)

I'd read that overhead squats may help me strengthen my core muscles, which may be my weak point in regular squats. Can't hurt to try 'em for a couple months and see if they help...

Headed to Boulder for the week. I'll try to hit the gym at the hotel, if it looks good.

[moonlady]

Was out of town last week -- went to Boulder for a workshop. Nice town.

Mon 11/20/06 (Chest press day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4 mph and keeping 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk just once, first run was 15 min. Nice to see that, it's better than it had been for a while.

Barbell chest press -- 10x45, 10x80, 8x80, 6x80 (was supposed to be 3x10x80, but I guess I lost a bit when I went out of town)
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x10x50 (yeah, I probably could have done more)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (dumbbells, 10 lbs in each hand)
Goobers on the parallel bars, so no dips today.

Checked out another local gym but it seemed comparable to mine and it didn't have a pool. I long for a garage of my own. (Hmm, could I fit a pool in it?)

[John Prink]

No garage! Oh the humanity! LOL!! Gotta have a garage....I was lucky enough to find the only house on the west coast (I think) with a BASEMENT....a real basement with plenty of head room for overhead work (I'm vertically challenged anyway) and a power rack.....

JP =)

[moonlady]

Nope, no garage. We're lucky to have two parking spaces reserved for us in our apartment complex. Last place DH had to park out on the street, so we consider this an upgrade.

Wed 11/22/06 Squat day

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown running on treadmill at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160. Managed to run for 21 min before having to walk, so I'm still improving. I spent last week in Boulder at a higher elevation, so I'm wondering if that helped at all.

No squats for a while -- that uneven ascent thing has me worried. Got a tip to work on overhead squats, as they will strengthen my core muscles, which may be my weak point anyway. Maybe that will help. But wow are they tough!

SLDL -- 3x10x80
OH Squat -- 10x, 8x, 8x20 (20 lb bar is the lightest little bar in our gym, it's cute)
Chinups -- 2, 2, 2
Ab roller machine -- 3x15

No DOMS from the OH squats. It was my shoulders giving out on holding up that weight, not anything else, so it looks like this is yet another Full Body exercise (TM). I figure it will be good for me anyway, even if I'm quitting on squats for a while. At least till the end of this mesocycle.

[moonlady]

Fri 11/24/06 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running/walking at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160. Walked one time at 15:00, and walked the rest of the way because of a nasty stitch in my side that would not quit (they're mean, they are, those stitches).

Deadlift -- 8x45, 3x8x90
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 13x40, 2x11x40 (someday soon this will be 3x13x40, 20 lbs in each arm)
Dumbbell row -- 3x13x40 (20 lbs in each arm, alternating)
Barbell arm curls -- 5, 3, 3
Standing calf raise -- 3x10x210 "lbs"

[moonlady]

Mon 11/27/06 (Chest press day, high volume and low intensity)

Cardio: walk run for 25 min + 2 cooldown, keeping 145<HR<160. Walked 1x, first run lasted 20:30. Getting better. Maybe I'll experiment with increasing running speed and shortening the workout time for variety -- if periodization works with weights, why not with cardio too?

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 2x13x75, 10x75
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x13x50 (25 lbs in each arm)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm, this one is still tough even tho I'm using the eensy weights -- life is not linear!)
Assisted dips -- 3x13x40 "lbs" of assist

A good workout. I was very glad to get all of my reps in on the incline bench and dips, but I'll have to work on the flat bench presses.

Rant: the flat benches at the gym (with barbell racks) aren't adjustable for height, which means that without a spotter I have to be able to press the weight all the way up in order to rack it. This can be entertaining when I slip into my mode of "I'm gonna do all the reps no matter how hard they are." Just because I can push it all the way up doesn't mean I can get the extra 1/2" to rack it. And yes, I can complain to the gym about it, but they never do much when I complain. My kingdom for half an inch! I'll just have to remember to be cautious.

[moonlady]

Wed 11/29/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown running at 5 mph till HR>160, then walking at 4 mph till HR<145. Had to stop and walk 3x, first run was 6:00. I decided to mix around running times and speeds in the hopes that it will shake up my system a bit. Go me.

Overhead squat: 3x10x20 (20 lb bar, next week I'll bring in my magnetic 1.25 lb weights to stick on it)
Ab roller machine -- 3x15, supersetted with:
Chinups -- 3, 2, 2, 1
Stiff legged deadlifts -- 3x10x80 (I'm still limited in these mostly by my grip, bah)
Calf raise machine -- 3x10x210 "lbs" (In the vain hope of building up calf muscles a bit, no other good reason, I just want sexy legs. But hey, they're sexy already. Vanity just won't quit.)

[moonlady]

Fri 12/1/06 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown running at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160. For the second time (this year) I didn't have to stop and walk. Excellent.

Deadlift -- 4x45, 3x3x110
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x5x50 (25 lbs in each arm)
Dumbbell rows -- 4x5x25 (25 lbs in each arm, alternating -- these were easy enough that I did an extra set, I'll have to go up to 30 lbs next time)
Barbell arm curls -- 5, 4, 4, 3, 2 (someday this will be 5x5)
Did some grip work holding the barbell inbetween curl sets.

I think all of the weights were too low today. I've been out of town and/or sick in the past two months, so I've been slowly getting back to where I was before, and I think I'm there now. I suspect the other easy sets were why I pushed out so many curls -- I'd rather that effort was expended on compound lifts. Well, at least my biceps got a heluva workout today. :)

[moonlady]

Monday, 12/04/06 (Chest press day, high intensity and low volume)

Cardio: walk/run for 20 min + 2 cooldown, mostly at 5 mph (walking at 4 mph), keeping 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk 2x, first run was 8:00, burned ~130 cal.

Barbell chest press -- 5x45, 3x5x85 (yeah, I know I can probably do more, but I'm doing this without a spotter so I don't want to do anything stupid)
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x5x60 (barely cleaned 'em... hmm, maybe I should do a couple of workout just doing that)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)
Dips -- goober on the dip/chinup bar, bah. I'm lazy.

[moonlady]

Wed 12/06/06 (Squat day)

Cardio: Ran (no walking! yay) for 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160. Burned ~160 cal.

Overhead squat -- 3x10x20 (itsy 20 lb bar, didn't go up in weight this week as I decided to work on form and keep the dang bar behind my head. My arms want it to come forward as I squat down. I was pretty successful. It requires a wider grip, and I can feel my upper back working a bit to hold it back.)

SLDL -- 3x10x80
Ab roller machine -- 3x15, supersetted with:
Chin ups -- 2, 2, 2, 2, 1
Standing calf raise machine -- 3x10x210 "lbs"

[John Prink]

Training is looking really good.....=)

JP

[moonlady]

Thanks! I had DOMS in my lower back yesterday, so I guess that means I was doing the OH squats right. Yay!

[John Prink]

I'm impressed that you're doing those....I was never really good at them. If I had been then I know my squat snatch would've been much better. I settled for a very good split style instead....and lots of stares from meatheads in the gym who had absolutely no idea what I was doing or why....LOL!!

The OH squat will definitely put muscle in all the right places, that's for sure! A perfectly performed OH squat is a beautiful thing.

One question; with the wide grip, are you able to get the bar behind your head? Just curious. If so, you're doing them right...FYI.

Cheers,

JP

[moonlady]

Yeah, it's actually easier to get the bar behind my head with a wide grip. Something about locking the elbows helps. I'm using, oh, probably my rear delts/traps/whatever else I've got back there to consciously hold the bar back. Even so it wants to come forward as I squat down, but I think I get a better workout when I hold it back. Maybe it's a flexibility issue as well, and as I continue to do them it will get easier to hold them back.

[moonlady]

Sun. 12/10/06, Deadlift day

Cardio: Ran for 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160.

Deadlift -- 8x45, 2x8x95 (quit after that because I noticed a slight pain in my lower back, but only after I put it down -- hmm, maybe reracking the bar at the end of the set is done poorly)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 13x40, 2x11x40 (20 lbs in each arm, was shooting for 3x13x40)
Dumbbell row -- 3x13x20 (each arm, alternating sets)
Barbell arm curl -- 5, 4, 3, 2, 2 (supersetted with some grip work, just holding the bar)
One last deadlift set -- 8x45, did it with just the bar to see what happened and the pain was gone.

[moonlady]

Sunday Dec 17 (Chest press day plus SLDL's, 2x this week to the gym)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown running (5 mph)/walking (4 mph), keeping 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk 3x, first run was 6:00.

Chest press -- 3x10x80
SLDL -- 3x10x80
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x10x60 (30 in each arm) woot.
Bodyweight dips -- 2, 1, 0 (wow, must've burned out my energy on the presses)

Been eating somewhat poorly lately: conference last week, lots of parties, etc.

[moonlady]

Wow. I spent a week in rainy cold MD for Christmas. There is nothing cuter than my nieces opening up their presents.

And then this past week I've had a cold. Having been through sickness and two weeks away from the gym in the past, I know what needs to be done. This week I'm doing my regular weight, but only one set instead of my normal three. Next week if I feel better I'll do two sets. Ever feel like you're always catching up?

Sunday 12/31, Chest press day

Cardio: walking at 3.5 mph for 20 min + 2 cooldown, slowly increasing incline up to 6 deg. Easy peasy.

Barbell chest press -- 1x10x80
Dumbbell incline press -- 1x10x60 (30 lbs in each arm, needed DH to help me clean 'em)
Scaption -- 1x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm, dumbbells)
Bodyweight dips -- 3

[moonlady]

Wed, 1/3/07 (Squat day)

Still recovering from vacation and a cold, so one set for each exercise at the gym this week.

And whoops! I left my shorts at home and had to do my routine in my tan cords. I'm sure I looked silly. I kept my cardio at 5 min so I wouldn't sweat in my work pants.

Cardio: 5 min on elliptical.

Overhead squat -- 1x10x20 (felt awkward again, but then it's been a few weeks since I did this).
SLDL -- 1x10x80
Standing calf raise machine -- 1x10x210 "lbs"
Pullups -- 2 (goober on the regular bars, so I had to go to the uber-high bar for an overhand grip; had to jump to get to it -- boy is that ever so much harder than starting from standing with a parallel grip!)

One set for everything, and it went by really fast. Still, I have slight DOMS in my lower back today, so I know I'm doing this the right way by taking it slow.

[moonlady]

1/7/07 (Chest press day)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown running on treadmill at 4 mph. It seems my HRM batteries have been worn out. Or maybe I really did run for 10 minutes with a HR of 60bpm. Hah. ;)

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 2x10x80
Dumbbell incline press -- 10x60, 7x60 (still working back up to where I was before the holidays!)
Dumbbell row -- 1x10x25 (25 lbs in each arm, alternating)
Deadlift -- 8x45, 8x95
Barbell arm curl -- 3x45
Bodyweight Dips -- 3, 1

OK, today I did 2 sets for the starting week exercises and 1 set for the exercises I was supposed to have done on Friday. I missed Friday -- work is getting crazy, so I think I'll have to shift my workout days around a bit.

[moonlady]

Wed 1/10/07 (Squat day, still on OH squats)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, running and keeping HR<160. Stopped to walk once at 16 min for about 30 sec. I guess next week I'll get back to my normal times of 25 min/4 mph and 20 min/5 mph.

Overhead squat -- 2x10x20 (still feels a little funny, pulls on my shoulders a bit. Guess I won't be going up in weight very fast on this one.)
SLDL -- 2x10x80
Standing calf raise machine -- 2x10x210 "lbs"
Ab roller machine -- 2x15
Chin ups -- 3, 2, 1

[moonlady]

Sunday 1/14/07 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown running at 4 mph, keeping HR<160. Okay, cheating a little bit in the last minute, I let my HR go above 160 a little.

(last day of 2 sets)
Deadlift -- 3x45, 2x3x110
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x5x50 (25 lbs in each arm)
Arm curls -- 4, 3 (with some grip work holding the bar after each set)
Dumbbell row -- 2x5x25 (25 lbs in each arm)

[moonlady]

Wed 1/17/07 (Chest press day)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown at 5 mph (4 mph for 1st 2 min), keeping 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk 3x, first run was 6:00.

Barbell chest press -- 10x45, 3x10x80
Dumbbell incline press - 10x60, 2x10x50 (30 then 25 lbs in each arm -- couldn't clean the 30's more than once, on my own at the gym today)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm, these are tough)
Bodyweight dips -- 4, 3, 1, 1

[moonlady]

Fri 1/19/07 (Squat day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160ish, didn't have to stop (cheating on the 160 HR limit a little bit tho).

OH squat - 3x10x20, supersetted with
SLDL -- 3x10x80
Standing calf raise -- 3x10x210 "lbs"
Ab roller machine -- 3x15, supersetted with
Chin ups -- 2, 2, 1, 1, 1

[moonlady]

Monday 1/22/07 (Deadlift day, low intensity and high volume)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, keeping HR<160 bpm. Yay, had a good run and didn't have to stop.

Lunchtime at the gym, goobers everywhere.
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 2x13x40, 11x40 (20 lbs in each arm)
Dumbbell rows -- 3x13x20 (20 lbs in each arm, alternating sets)
Deadlift -- 3x8x95
Empty barbell arm curls -- 4, 2, 2, 1, supersetted with grip work: holding the bar

Hmm. Maybe I'll spend a few weeks doing dumbbell cleans inbetween my presses, so I can more reliably clean the higher weights. I can't always count on DH being there, and I don't really trust the goobers. Besides, it never hurts to change things around a little.

[moonlady]

Wed 1/24/07 (Chest press day)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown running at 5 mph or walking at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk 4x, first run was 5:30 (first 2 min of running were at 4 mph to ramp up).

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 2x10x82.5, 6x82.5
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x10x50 (25 lbs in each arm -- for this I put the dumbbells down every 3 reps so I could work on my cleaning, and this defintely made things harder)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm)
Dips -- 10x20, 2x5x20 "lbs" of assist (goober on the regular parallel bars, had to use the Gravitron)

[moonlady]

Sunday 1/28/07 (Squat day)

Huh, I guess I only made it to the gym twice this past week.

Cardio: Running at 4 mph for 25 min + 2 cooldown, keeping HR<160. Got new earbuds for my walkman phone and listened to ABBA most of the way. Very cool.

Overhead squat -- 3x10x20, supersetted with:
SLDL -- 3x10x80
Standing calf raise -- 3x10x210 "lbs"
Chin ups -- 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, supersetted with:
Ab roller thing -- 3x15

OH squats feel a little more comfortable now. I think I'll round out this mesocycle with 20 lbs and then work my way up veerry slowly.

[moonlady]

*moan* my laptop fan died! As I await new components in the mail, I am borrowing another computer to log in. Unfortunately my workout spreadsheet is on my laptop, so this is mostly a guess as to what I did:

Wednesday (2/1/07?)

Cardio -- 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4mph, keeping HR<160. Didn't have to stop and walk. Yay.

Deadllift -- 4x45, 3x3x115
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x5x50 (25 lbs in each arm, stopping to re-clean 'em at rep #3 so I can work on that part too).
Dumbbell row -- 3x5x25 (for each arm, alternating sets)
Arm curls with empty bar -- 5, 3, 3, 2, 1 supersetted with some grip work holding the bar


Sunday (2/4/07)

Cardio -- 20 min + 2 cooldown, running at 4mph for 2 min then ramping up to 5mph. Keeping HR<160 and walking at 4mph when I had to stop. Stopped 2x, first run was... uh... 8 min or so?

Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm, boy these are easier when they're the first thing you do... did these while DH did his squats)
Chest press -- 7, 6, 5x85 (drat, wanted 3x10)
Incline dumbbell press -- 10, 8, 8x60 (30 lbs in each arm)
Dips -- 3, 0, 1, 1

Sunday turned out to be an off day. But at least the gym was empty from the superbowl.

[CinnamonGirl]

Sorry to hear about your computer, Moonlady!

Your workouts look focused and purposeful. Keep up the good work!

[moonlady]

Thanks! I've noticed some things improve (I'm running better now) but others don't (my bench press seems stuck around 80 lbs for 3 sets of 10 and an 1MR of ~115 lbs, and even with periodization and hard work it seems to float around that approximate value). I'm wondering if with some of my lifts I'm maxing out for my age and weight and eating habits. That's not entirely a bad thing... but with an A- personality I am motivated by progress. I guess I'll just have to find other things to improve on in my workout. Squats and deadlifts...

In any event it's nice to know I appear organized from the outside :D. (Even the elegant swan paddles furiously.)

Finally got to the gym today, at 4:30 pm so the gym was crowded.

Cardio: Goobers on the treadmills so elliptical today, 20 min + 2 cooldown, alternating between 12 sec of fast steps with 18 sec of slow easy steps (a poor man's HIIT, I suppose).

Overhead squats -- 3x10x20, supersetted with:
SLDL -- 3x10x80
Standing calf raise -- 3x10x210 "lbs" of assist
Chin ups -- 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, supersetted with:
Ab roller machine thing -- 3x15

Looks like last week's workout. Time to challenge myself some more.

[moonlady]

Sunday 2/11/07 Chest press day

Cardio -- 20 min + 2 cooldown, running at 5 mph till HR<160 and walking at 4 mph till HR>145. First run was 5:20, had to stop and walk about 5x -- not a really good run day today. I just really am not good at running.

Goobers on the benches. So incline first.
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x10x60 (30 lbs in each arm)
Goobers still on the benches. So decline this week. Why not?
Barbell decline press -- 10x85, 2x9x85 (was going for 3x10)
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm), supersetted with
Bodyweight dips -- 2, 2, 4

[moonlady]

Thurs 2/15/07 Deadlift day

Cardio: Goobers on the treadmills. Drat. More of the elliptical 12sec/18sec of high/low intensity, this time for 25 min. Two or three breaks in there where I spent a minute at low intensity.

Deadlifts -- 2x8x100, 6x100 (wanted 3x8 but these just kicked my butt)
Barbell arm curls -- 5
Dumbbell rows -- 3x10x25 (each arm)

Gave up on the rest of the workout as I was feeling beat.

[moonlady]

Wow, I'm up to cycle 3 already?

Cardio -- 25 min + 2 cooldown running at 4 mph, keeping HR<160 (and only cheating an eensy bit). Seems I've got the running very slow process down, now to work on 5 mph this year.

I thought I'd have to start swimming for the astronaut program, but they're not accepting applications this year either. The last astro class was 2004 (used to be there was a class every 2 years of ~20 folks). I figure what with the planned end of the shuttle program and ambiguous start of whatever will replace it, and the 10 year wait from acceptance into the astronaut program till the typical first (and possibly only) mission, they just don't want any more of us cluttering up the waiting list these days.

Funny, what with all that's been in the news recently I'm beginning to wonder if being an astronaut is worth the effort. Well, I won't give up hope yet.

Barbell chest press -- 10x45, 10x85, 8x85, 7x85
Dumbbell scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs in each arm), supersetted with:
Dumbbell incline press -- 3x10x50 (25 lbs in each arm, stopping to re-clean 'em 3 times per set, want to work on cleans)
Drat, goober on the parallel bars.
Assisted (gravitron) dips -- 8x20, 5x20 "lbs" of assist (the minimum on that thing)
Goober off the parallel bars.
Bodyweight dip -- 1

[moonlady]

Tuesday, 2/27/07 (Squat day)

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph on treadmill. Keeping 145<HR<160, had to stop and walk twice, first run was 10 min. Guess 2 days isn't enough for recovery.

Overhead squat -- 3x10x20, supersetted with:
SLDL -- 2x10x90, 8x90 (didn't get in last 2 reps because my grip limits me, these are all overhand)
Standing calf raise machine -- 3x10x225 "lbs" (I wants curvy calves!)
Bodyweight chinups -- 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, supersetted with:
Ab roller thing -- 3x15

Another tuff chick was in the gym doing SLDLs too -- less weight but she went WAY down. Oh, to have that sort of flexibility in my hamstrings... It sort of baffles me that my quads are always loose, letting me squat way down with a nice arched back, but my hamstrings and hips are tight enough that I can barely touch my toes with straight legs. Bodies are so weird.

[moonlady]

Sunday, 3/4/07 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown on elliptical, alternating 12 sec of fast (>160 steps per min) with 18 sec of slow (<120 step per min) to simulate HIIT.

Goober on squat rack. Resembled Borat, but American.
Empty barbell arm curls -- 5, 3, supersetted with grip work (hold bar for 60 s)
Squat rack free.
Deadlifts -- 3x45, 4x3x115 (got to use the 35 lb weights! makes me feel buff)
Empty barbell arm curls -- 3, 3, 3, supersetted with more grip work
Dumbbell shoulder presses -- 3x5x50 (25 lbs in each arm, these seemed hard and tough to clean today), supersetted with:
Dumbbell rows -- 3x10x25 (25 lbs in each arm, alternating between sets)

[moonlady]

Thursday, 3/8/07 (Squat day)

Cardio: I wanted to run my usual 25 min + 2 cooldown at 4 mph, keeping 145<HR<160, but apparently I've reverted back to my moonlady-can't-run days and I had to stop for my first walk at 8 min (becuz my HR went above 160).

How frustrating to have achieved such a simple goal with a year's worth of work, only to suddenly lose it -- my last couple of runs have been like this. I gave up at 20 min out of frustration (on my 3rd walk). I can accept that I'm not a natural-born runner, but really now, is it so much to ask to run a 15 minute mile in its entirety? :mad2:

At least the rest of the workout went alright.

Overhead squat -- 3x10x22.5, supersetted with:
SLDL -- 3x10x90 (barely made 'em all, limited by my grip)
Standing calf raise -- 3x10x225 "lbs"
Bodyweight chinups -- 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, supersetted with:
Ab roller thingy -- 3x15

[moonlady]

Saturday, 3/10/07 (Deadlift/chest press day)

Cardio: Well, it was better than Thursday. Run/walk for 25 min + 2 cooldown, keeping 145<HR<160. Had to stop and walk twice, first run was 9:30.

Deadlift -- 8x45, 2x8x100, 6x100
Barbell chest press -- 10x85, 2x5x85
Arm curls -- 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, supersetted with grip work (holding the bar for 60 s) OK, this was probably too many arm curls that could have been better spent on, say, chinups. But I'm lazy.
Bodyweight dips -- 5, 3, 3

<judgemental leet speak>
Oh, the goobers. One guy on the leg extension machine, banging down the weight with every rep. Two women doing nothing but arm curl sets, over and over. Gah.
</judgemental leet speak>

[moonlady]

Tuesday, 3/20/07 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: goobers on the treadmill, so elliptical machine today. 20 min + 2 cooldown on elliptical, alternating 12 sec of fast (>170 steps per min) with 18 sec of slow (<120 steps per min).

Deadlift -- 4x45, 4x3x120 -- got to watch that back and keep it arched, consciously, all the time.
Dumbbell rows -- 3x5x25 (each arm, alternating sets)
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 3x5x50 (25 lbs each arm)
Arm curls -- 5, 4, 3, 1, 1, supersetted with grip work (holding bar for 60 sec)

[moonlady]

Sunday, 3/25/07 (Chest press day)

Cardio: ran for 25 min + 2 cooldown, keeping HR<160bpm (amazing, after 2 weeks without running, and suddenly I can go without stopping? weird...)

Barbell chest press -- 8x45, 10x85, 2x5x85
Scaption -- 3x10x20 (10 lbs each arm)
Dumbbell incline press -- 2x10x60, 9x60 (30 lbs in each arm)
Bodyweight dips -- 2, 1, 1

[moonlady]

Tuesday, 3/27/07, Squat day

Cardio: 20 min + 2 cooldown on the elliptical machine. Alternated 12 sec of fast (~160 steps per min) with 18 sec of slow (<120 steps per min). This wasn't a constant thing, as my left knee twinged a bit (maybe I wasn't warmed up?).

Overhead squat -- 3x10x22.5, supersetted with:
SLDL -- 3x10x90 (barely held on -- limited by my grip)
Standing calf raise machine -- 3x10x225 "lbs"
Ab roller machine -- 3x15
Chinups -- 2, 2, 2, 1, 1

[moonlady]

Wow, I just realized I'd put 1997 instead of 2007 in my subject. LOL.

Sunday, 4/1/07, Chest press day

Cardio: 25 min + 2 cooldown, running with HR<160 at 4 mph. Didn't have to stop, yay. This seems to work better when I only run once a week. Seriously, now, could I have been overtraining by running 1.75 mi 3x per week? How could that be when marathon trainers run for 10 mi on their "off days"? My body is such a bizarre mystery.

Incline dumbbell press -- 3x10x30 (30 lbs in each arm)
Scaption -- 3x10x10 (10 lbs in each arm)
Barbell chest press -- 9x85, 2x5x85 (yep, I'm getting worse again, bah)
Dips -- skipped, off to a party.

[moonlady]

Ah, I missed recording a week's worth of workouts.
And then I went to Hawaii for a week.
And then last week I got sick...
But here I am. And still on the first page of threads!

Sun 4/22/07 (Chest day), taking it slow because of the cold

Cardio: 15 min + 2 cooldown running 4 mph, keeping HR<160bpm.

Barbell chest press -- 10x45, 10x75
Dumbbell incline press -- 10x50 (with the 25's)
Scaption -- 10x20 (with the 10's)
Bodyweight dips -- 5, 4

One set of reps this week, two next week, then back to normal on the 3rd week (assuming all goes well).

[moonlady]

Tues 4/25/07 (Squat day)

Cardio: 15 min + 2 cooldown on elliptical, going fast for 12 sec and then slow for 18 sec (poor man's HIIT).

Overhead squat -- 10x20
SLDL -- 10x90
Ab curl machine -- 15
Goober on pullup gadget, so:
Gravitron pullup/chinup -- 2, 4 with 20 lbs "assist"
Standing calf raise -- 10x225 "lbs"

[moonlady]

Thurs 4/26/07 (Deadlift day)

Cardio: 15 min + 2 cooldown running at 4 mph on treadmill, keeping HR<160bpm (ok, cheating a little).

Deadlift -- 4x45, 4x120
Arm curls (empty barbell) -- 5, 4
Grip work (holding barbell for 60 sec) -- x2
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 10x50 (with 25's)
Dumbbell rows -- 10x25 (each arm)

[moonlady]

I haven't been posting my workouts. I guess I fell off the wagon a bit this spring, but not completely. I've been busy, and I got a new laptop so I had to restart my personal workout spreadsheet... these are a few of my favorite excuses .:nopity:

But anyway, I'm starting week 2 of a new mesocycle and things are going well. I'm back to doing squats again, this time with DH to watch my ascent and make sure it's not twisty. I've traded out the barbell press for pushups, for a change that will hopefully push me a bit farther up in how much I can lift (I'm tired of struggling past the 100lb mark, darnit).

I'll try to post every now and then. Last week I deadlifted 125 lbs, my bodyweight :hurray: , and I think I mostly had good form. So things are going well there.

Onward.

[moonlady]

Haven't written in in a while. I've been pretty good about getting my workout done. Here's today:

Thu, 6/7/07

Cardio: Well, on Thursdays I've been trying 15 minutes of treadmill running at 5 mph, slowing to a 4 mph walk when HR>160. Today is warm (75F), and warmer yet in my car, so I was pretty hot by the time I got to the gym. So I probably ran for a total of 3-5 minuts at 5 mph, with many 4 mph walks inbetween -- my HR would shoot up from ~145 to ~165 in about 30 seconds. Such is life.

Supersets of:
Sumo deadlifts -- 3x10x50
Empty barbell arm curls -- 5, 5, 4, 3, 2
Grip work (holding empty barbell for 60 sec) -- 4x

Supersets of:
Dumbbell shoulder press -- 10, 8, 6x25s
Dumbbell rows -- 3x10x25s

Yes, the sumo deads are really light. I'm alternating weeks with these and my normal deads, which are up around 125 lbs (my bodyweight! yay!). I'm using the 50 lb sumos as a way to keep my form really nice and to stretch out my hams and work on my flexibility. I'll probably work my way up to 75 lbs or so and then stay there for a while, while pushing my normal deads ever upwards (get to work towards the big girl plates next!). Well, that's the plan anyway. We'll see how it works.

[moonlady]

It's been a while. I've been busy in the gym, with some improvements. I can now reliably run a mile and a half at 4 mph, which took me a surprisingly long time to accomplish. Thursday I deadlifted 130lbs, which means next time I get to try with the big-girl plates! Woo hoo! :hurray: I'm squatting again on Sundays with my husband watching my form, and although he says it looks good, I'm still stuck at what I consider to be a low weight. But I'm sure that will change.

Thursday, 8/8/07, Deadlift day

Cardo: Whoops, left my HRM in the car. So I did the "alpine pass" workout on the treadmill, which changed around the speed and incline at which I walked. Otherwise I'd have been running, but I don't like to run without the HRM.

Deadlifts: 3x45, 4x3x130 (PR)

Supersets of:
Empty bar arm curls: 5x5 (PR)
Grip work, holding the bar for 60 seconds: 4x

Supersets of:
Dumbbell shoulder press: 10, 9, 7x25s
Dumbbell row, straddling bench: 3x10x30ss