A sumo deadlift is done just like a regular deadlift except your feet should be pointed out at a 45 degree angel and your knees should track out that way rather then ahead. For **most** people this is easier to get low and it also is good for opening up tight hips.
I am doing squats now. Those with bench and bicep curls are my favorites and seem to get the best results. I was afraid that leg work would upset my running but quite the contrary. Stronger legs help me run faster and squats seem to use different muscles to my distance running muscles so there's no pain running on leg day.
I took your advice and weight train in the morning and run at lunch. I have reduced my running to 3-4 miles as 6 miles a day was starting to fatigue me.
I have also tweaked my diet to get the right balance.
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Defining
If I can join in, it's interesting that you needed to 'ease' yourself into sumo DL, Cheryl. I'm a freaking wreck when I try to use conventional DL technique, but the sumo is sooooooo much more comfortable/easier/stronger for me. Maybe because I'm short?...
You're probably just not mobility-impaired, like I am.
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
S/C/G: 235/201/175
Height: 5'7"
Ian, you're doing great on your weight loss journey, and that's a lot of miles under your belt. I love running long distances, but am laying off it till my calf heals up.
Thanks jamsk8r. I have actually come to the conclusion that weight training is more beneficial for strength and physique than running.
I do like running but all it really does is burn a few calories and improve your heart and lungs. It gives you a nice butt too. But to build and retain muscle, it's all about strength training. So whereas I used to prioritize running, I try to prioritize my lifting now. And I must say, so far so good!
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
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S/C/G: 235/201/175
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Had a great morning at the gym, mostly working, but was able to squeeze in a short workout with some of the peeps. We wanted to do something strongman, so went with 7 reps of ground to overhead (anyhow, but everybody ended up going with a double-overhand grip clean and push press/jerk)...I used 63 for this because I could not grip the freaking fat bar today, lol. My friend showed me later how to do a double-overhand monkey grip and just clean it like normal, worked great and I was able to clean 83 like it was nothing, so will be experimenting more with that grip later. Anyway, back to the workout, so 7 reps with the fat bar from the ground to pressed out overhead, then 60 ft yoke carry (used 235 today since I wanted to go beltless), 10 sumo deadlift high pulls with a kettlebell (used 44 lbs, should have gone up one and used the 53, oh well), then back 60 ft with the yoke and that's one round. We did 3 rounds, didn't bother to run the timer, just getting the work done. Took maybe 10 minutes, and was a good one. My legs were a little trashed from last night's front squats, so by round 3 they did not want to squat down to touch that kettlebell to the floor, lol. Anyway, fun little workout. If you have strongman equipment and experience with the yoke, you might give it try, or sub out something like a sled drag backward, sled drag forward on the way back, for the yoke, or heavy farmer's carry would be another good sub for that.
The reason we went with high pulls for the kettlebells, instead of something more dynamic like a kettlebell swing or snatch, was that the yoke tends to want to swing and put sheering force on the spine so it's a constant challenge to keep the spine stabilized and everything tight and safe, it's all fired up coming off the yoke, so we did not want to follow that up with some possibly reckless form on the kettlebell swings...in going with the high pulls it was easier to focus on (and to coach people through) just bracing the spine and keeping it there throughout the whole movement, and gives it a little break before picking up the yoke again.
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
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Anybody else here trying to lean out/lose bodyfat right now? I know this is the 3FC, but since we have quite a few maintainers that stick around, I don't want to assume. I've got 20 or maybe 30 lbs that I want to peel off, and I'm hoping to do it without losing too much strength and muscle. The reason I say 20 or 30 is that, while I was at 162-165 for quite a while after my initial weight loss, and felt good there, I'm thinking I have more muscle now, so I might not need or want to go that low again. I did the bodyfat truck dunk test recently, and was at 29% with a lean mass of 137 or something like that, so according to their charts, dropping about 20 lbs of FAT would put me right where I want to be, which is as heavy as possible without being fat. I store fat in my stomach mostly, or that's where it's most noticeable, so while I don't feel the need for six-pack abs, I would like to get back down a size in pants and t-shirt, and dropping that weight would make the crossfit bodyweight stuff (like pull-ups and rope climbs) a LOT easier.
I guess my point is, if anybody else is trying to get leaner while still being able to lift heavy, and would like to share their journey over the next few months or however long it takes, I'd be interested. We could start a separate thread if needed, or if nobody minds, since this thread is active right now, maybe we could share here? The basics, I'm thinking: food, water, workouts, weigh-in results/measurements or however you measure your progress, and keep each other motivated to stay on plan. Any takers?
Anybody else here trying to lean out/lose bodyfat right now?
Yes. I have been bouncing between 160-180lbs over the past 6 months or so. I am constantly tweaking my diet to achieve 160, or perhaps below into the 150s. I eat a lot of fish. But I also eat some carbs (oats for breakfast) because they seem to help fuel my workouts. But at my weight it is now very easy to maintain or gain unless I am strict with my cut. I am carrying fat on my stomach and legs.
I track my macros and that helps a little. But I have had major challenges with water retention and, I assume, muscle building because they screw with the scale. Heck, water can even screw with my measurements.
I am convinced there is a sweet spot between diet and weight training and cardio where I can both build muscle and lose body fat without the need to 'bulk'. But it is proving elusive. I am close now, however.
I seem to be heading towards a solution where my calories are low (1500 or so a day), protein is high (0.7-1.0g per lb of body weight), carbs are low-ish (residual of calories..about 100g a day), and fat is low-ish (30% of total calories) but good fats (i.e. omega 3s). All based on trial and error and what seems to work for me. Keeping my sodium in check appears to help as well.
I want to be lighter because it makes my running a lot easier (5lbs makes a huge difference in pace). And, heck, might as well go for the six-pack seeing as I have come this far!
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
S/C/G: 235/201/175
Height: 5'7"
Thanks for the comeback, Ian. I'm thinking new thread would be the polite thing to do, because this has been more of a workout and general lifting chat thread, and it's a good one...probably don't want to clutter it up with a bunch of "here's how my eating went today" posts. I'll give the others a chance to put in their 2 cents, and if there's enough interest for a new thread focusing more of the weight loss for lifters, then I'll start one up tomorrow. I went ahead and changed my ticker and profile to reflect where I'm at right now.
As to the bulking and cutting thing, I've never intentionally done either, but think I may have to learn, now that both muscle gains and fat loss seem harder to achieve. I'm probably in for a long road to get back to where I was, because this time I don't have that noob thing going for me, where a person can easily pack on muscle weight, size and strength while eating in a deficit and shedding fat. I've got some ideas on that, but don't want to go on about it here, till the peeps have had their say on whether to start a separate thread for this or not.
