Alena - I went to see Porgy & Bess. It was fantastic.
Rhonda - thanks for the exercise link, I had an idea of it but it wasn't clicking either.
Cheryl - hey!
My six year old already thinks he is a teenager... He told me last week that he needed his space. I told him he had 12 years before he had any space of his own.
I have eaten nothing but crap and haven't exercised for three days, including today. I feel pretty terrible today - sinus headache, head congestion, ears ringing, headache. Lydia is right - rest days have a way of finding you.
Shannon Hope you are feeling like a run through the park real soon.
Decent legs workout today. My squats and deadlifts are pitiful right now. My right SI joint is really tender and I'm just real reluctant to load it right now. But I did pull at 135 which is my typical weight. But my backsquat was just the free bar and while it was a complete squat to the bottom, I could feel all sorts of knee's rolling in on the way up which never happens to me. I'm thinking it was a subconscious way of protecting the lower back. After that I just racked it and decided to move on... There were other things I could do that worked fine (step ups/split squats) with just a little weight.
My goal this week is to continue to work on endurance over strength and to eat as clean as possible. It's time to lean out before it's warm enough for skirt weather.
Beautiful day here in NOVA after yesterday's downpours. Nice to see the sun. How's everyone else doin'?
I went to see my trainer but we had a mix-up about the time. So, I did my workout without his guidance and had a cute exchange with a guy at the gym. I do chest presses with only 20 pounds added to the bar, and at about the 8th rep on the second set of 12 my right shoulder sometimes just quits. I asked this young guy with biceps about the size of my thighs and shoulders you wouldn't believe to spot me. He was happy to do so and when I finished he said "Lady, you're strong." He could probably snap my neck in a second but said I was strong... what fun!
For deadlifts I added 110 pounds to the T bar and did 12 reps, then added 10 more pounds and was able to do 6 at that weight before my hands gave out. That's my highest weight using the T bar (or are they called X bars??)
Lydia, you could send us some of that rain, please. We need it.
So today was my first official WOD in well a long time. I went light but it was still rough. We did Roy
5 rounds of
15 deadlifts (I did 105)
20 box jumps (I did step ups)
25 pullups (I did jumping pullups)
My time was just over 32 minutes.
Then after that, we did 400 meter walk with 2 35 lb kettlebells. The walk hurt more than I expected. My legs feel like jelly despite me trying to 'take it easy'. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Morning, everyone. I'm back from HI after a lovely trip but an absolutely brutal 25-hour return journey. (The trip began with an incompetent customer service agent who canceled all of our seats and one of three tickets, and ended with a 6.5 hour drive through the worst snowstorm of the season.) HI was great, though: a bit of rain, as usual, but good body surfing/boogie-boarding, critter-watching, daily beach running, snorkeling, shelling, and hiking. Speaking of, one of the highlights of the trip was an 11-mile day hike on the less tourist-infested section of the NaPali coast. (We saw more wild goats and whales than fellow hikers, which is unusual on Kauai these days.) I was so proud of The Boy, who lead the hike virtually the whole way without a single whine or complaint.
All this activity was accompanied by a lot of eating, too, so who knows how it will all shake out on the scale. That's tomorrow's worry: today is the usual post-vacation, put-out-the-fires-at-work day. Oh, and I also need to track down our lost baggage, which is stuck in either SFO, PHL, or La Guardia, depending on which baggage agent I believe. Fortunately (?), we don't particularly need our shorts and t-shirts quite yet.
Oh Kim, welcome home. So glad you had a great time in HI. The return sounds like a nightmare. These trips are suppose to be relaxing right?
Really great workout today. Seriously good. Hasn't been this good for a long time. Upper body is so fatigued it aches. It hasn't even been an hour since post workout. : I haven't felt this since my workouts last July.
So, does anyone have experience with chia seeds, or have I already asked this? I have some mixed up with FAGE yogurt for my late afternoon feed. Supposed to help boost energy and be filling. It seems promising...If it helps with the late afternoon fatigue+intense post workout hunger I'll let you all know.
I don't know if it was the eight weeks of hard core DB workouts or the increased running in that same time period or a combination of both, but my calves look fantastic today. And my roundhouse kick rocked on Friday.
Well, let's hear for calves and kicks! And really great workouts. Good going everyone. I was at the gym at 6:15 doing UB routine. If I didn't go then I wouldn't be able to go today: too busy.
I have only heard of chia seeds, can't help there.
The bikini was fine. It's been a long time since I've felt this good in my skin, if you know what I mean, and worth every hour in the gym. But, it did lead to a minor skirmish with my mother. I love my mother dearly, and she and I can talk about almost anything, including religion and politics. Anything, that is, except weight and body aesthetics.
Went to the gym this evening for an upper body workout. I wish I could say that it was a great workout like Lydia and Rhonda's, but I can't: all my lifts were down, some pretty significantly. Oh well, I guess that's what I should expect from 2.5 weeks away from the iron: running, hiking, and pullups just don't cut it for keeping up the ol' bench press.
Shannon, your comment about your calves made me giggle, in a good way. Only on a lifting board would someone comment on progress made on *calves*, and everyone else know exactly why such progress is worth a post.
I should probably stop lurking on this board so much, and start posting more regularly (but I'm such a lurker). I'm pretty new to free weight lifting (when I was younger, I used to use weight machines a lot), but started the NROL4W back in late September, and I've now made it through the entire book. I really enjoy lifting heavy (meaning, to fatigue after 6-10 reps, depending on the day, 3 days per week), and am very happy with my strengh gains over the last 6 months, but I've developed chronic joint pain in my shoulders, hips and left wrist. Do you have these problems? I noticed Lydia commenting on a problematic SI joint but suspect that joint problems are probably par for the course with this activity. OTOH, I haven't used a trainer for anything, just youtube videos and a mirror to monitor my form (and the ever-helpful stickies at the top of this forum!). I guess I don't want to spend my old age getting joint replacements and degenerative arthritis, so I'm wondering how much of this is from stuff I can fix (like, lifting too heavy or bad form) vs. from the nature of weight lifting.
Hi Neurodoc. I can't answer your questions about joints with anything except personal experience. I've had a couple of chronic joint issues, one (elbow) that's pretty clearly lifting related and another (hip) that's not as clearly lifting related.
In both cases, form is a big contributor, but so is overuse. I can definitely feel my elbow after a period in which I've been doing a lot of pullups with inadequate rest days between workouts. My hip issue is more likely to be triggered by too much cardio or by too many hours in a car or airplane than by lifting, but once it's inflamed, squatting doesn't help matters.
In terms of immediate treatment, rest + ice is about all that works for me. Some people have good luck with glucosamin, but it doesn't do much for me.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd invest in good coaching from an Oly lifter from day 1, before I got into bad habits by trying to self-teach. Granted, you-tube didn't exist in those days; then again, you-tube videos can teach abysmal form.
That being said, if a particular exercise is giving you joint pain no matter how hard you work on form, try substituting other exercises. No one *has* to do squats or deadlifts, except perhaps powerlifters or aspiring powerlifters.
Another suggestion is to give yourself a training break for a week or two. If you've been lifting since September, you're probably at the point where you need one, if not mentally than physically. Give all those little aches and pains a chance to go away before they become chronic overuse injuries that keep you out of the gym for months.
Hello Neurodoc Congratulations on completing the NROL4W!
Sorry to know you are suffering joint pain. The first day I was introduced to strength training someone told me that there is good pain and there is bad pain. Learn to know the difference. Acute joint paint is a warning to slow things down a bit. Build in some recovery. Just as Kim said, take a week or two off. If you are not seeing improvement and still are in pain seek medical advice from a physician.
You know how our muscles create microtears while lifting and we know to take 48 hours from that activity to heal those tears...same thing with ligaments and tendons. They also will create these little microtears as well. They also need to heal.
Here's something to consider: The muscle tissue is much quicker to heal and adapt to your training loads than your tendons and ligaments. So even though you might be able to ramp up that weight in a short period of time, your connective tendons and ligaments still need a little longer to acclimate to the increased demand.
We also need to be mindful of how much we are loading in weight as well as how often we are engaging that muscle as a primary mover or even a stabilizer in the other exercises we do in our workout that day.
Respect where you are. Embrace what you have already accomplished and allow your body the time necessary to heal.
Are these types of injuries totally preventable? Uhm, no.
What we can do is take preventative approaches that lessen the chance that the injury may occur. That means working with someone who truly understands proper form and is talented enough to be able to coach your body into that position. Someone who can immediately recognize your imbalances and help you correct them with additional exercises in mobility, and range of motion. It means regularly using a foam roller for self myofascial release before and/or after your workout. It means supporting your efforts with sound nutrition and restful sleep.
Best of luck. I hope something in here helps. But at the end of the day please don't just walk around with chronic pain thinking that it's the tradeoff for developing strength.
Hope you are feeling like a run through the park real soon. 
There were other things I could do that worked fine (step ups/split squats) with just a little weight.
He could probably snap my neck in a second but said I was strong... what fun!
: I haven't felt this since my workouts last July.
Congratulations on completing the NROL4W! 
