I don't know... you said you heard a pop? I don't think a pinched nerve would do that, but then again, I don't know what in your neck WOULD make that noise.

I didn't actually hear it - but it felt like a crack or something. I feel better today so I suspect it's minor.

First full lifting session in a week. I feel like I've lost strength but I increased my weight in bent-over row, so I guess not everything got weak.

krampus! You look amazing!

So sorry you injured yourself, are you feeling better now? It sucked to take a rest when I effed up my back, but it was certainly better than risking more injury I hope you are better!


So on Saturday I didn't even realize I increased my squat weight. I was wondering why they were a bit harder and I realized I had put more weight on the bar (apparently I was not good at math that day ). I am actually just getting over the soreness...just in time for some light weights tonight :]

I do feel better now. I am scared/wary of lifting to full capacity for lat pulldown and bench press, but it's a definite, marked improvement.

Congrats on the new high squat weight! I have been doing dumbbell squats (still scared of the rack/don't have a spotter) with 2 x 30 lb dumbbells. The BURN in my butt is great.

Is it non-advisable to do full/lower body lifting the day after heavy upper body lifting, e.g. Monday back/biceps/rows and Tuesday leg press/squats/lunges?

Anybody interested in keeping this thread going? I'm a lifting junkie, too, and came back to 3FC to help me get a few more pounds off. I'm a crossfit addict, love to play at strongman (but can't say I'm good enough to compete, lol), just finished my first ultramarathon distance run...plan to focus on strength gains and strongman for the next few months.

jamsk8r: I've seen you in the lifting forum in the days of yore, and I hope you'll hang around in this thread and brag about your awesome power. You're very inspirational!
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I finished NROL4W a little over a week ago. After 6 months of forcing myself to maintain my scale weight (and eating a lot!), I'm now working on the last bit of fat loss-- don't know how many pounds I want to lose, probably not many. I'm just after a bit more muscle definition and really want those thighs to shrink. My abs are starting to show a little definition (see new avatar! ), my arms are looking pretty good, but those blasted, blasted thighs...

I'm getting my first taste in a long while of lifting on a deficit, and BOO! Weights down very slightly, I need longer rest times, recover more slowly between workouts, etc. But I don't think I'll be doing this for too long, so I'm sucking it up.

Did pistol squats for the first time in a little while yesterday, and YEAH my quads are sore today.

Ooh, pistols, nice! I can't quite get one yet, but I'm SO close! Hopefully a couple pounds down will help with that, too. I haven't had a workout since Monday, but at least my job is physical enough. (yard work, mostly)

Monday we did 1RM rack jerks. Got 135 after two misses, for a 5 lb PR (woot!). Almost got 140, but didn't split low enough and couldn't lock it out...technique...dangit! I know what you mean about losing strength. I lost some training for that ultramarathon. I've been getting some PRs lately on some lifts, but others, like deadlift, atlas stones, it's obvious the long runs and high carb diet took a toll on more than my waistline. I had fun doing the run, but am looking forward to just focusing on lifting for a while.

Congratulations on seeing some abs. I'm actually hoping to see mine some day. I know I have some, somewhere, lol. For me, my body always likes to put fat on my stomach first, and it comes off there last. I figure, like you, I'll have to take it down pretty lean to see definition in the stubborn places!

I hurt my lower back a little doing dumbbell squats (with only 50# LOL) on Monday, so sadly I'll be "off" today.

sumire WOAH look at those abs! Lifting at a deficit sucks. Sometimes I get so hungry I have to stop and go home and eat. I somehow doubt your thighs are anywhere near as "bad" as you seem to think they are...

jamsk8r Congrats on PRs!

jamsk8r: Holy crap, with that rack jerk & your ultramarathon, you are the total package. Totally. Awesome. Congrats on the PRs.

krampus: Sorry about the back! Hope you snap back to normal soon. 50# is nothing to be ashamed of, btw!

I do try to be realistic about my thighs. But I definitely have noticeable saddlebag issues still going on, and quite a lot of cellulite. I don't know whether I'm going to be able to get rid of this, but I'll give it a shot. I'm not willing to go to an underweight BMI, so I have a healthy cut-off in mind, after which if I'm not perfect, turns out I'll just have to accept my body as it is.

I tell myself, of course, that I can then start working again on building more muscle so I'll look better, etc etc, but I'm trying to discourage myself from this line of thinking, as I think that's just another way for me of indefinitely postponing self-acceptance. Not discouraging myself from actually doing it, mind you (I do want to build more muscle & get stronger), but not relying on it to "fix" the way I look...
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Quick maintenance workout yesterday. Amazing how quickly "I can do a chin-up!!!" turns into "I can only do one chin-up!" and then "I got my second chin-up!" turns into "I can only do two chin-ups!". I must be in a mood this week (PMS I guess ). Perspective...

Sumire, if your current plan doesn't give you the results you want, you might look into the paleo diet. I haven't quite been able to get there myself, as I still like a little sugar and milk in my tea. You can always tell the paleo people at my gym, though, since they are lean, muscular, freakishly strong, and faster/better at everything, lol. I'd like to get there some day, to at least try it out for myself. I know it works, but black tea...shudder!

Krampus, hope you will heal quickly! And what she said, a DB squat is way harder, IMO, than a back squat, and 50# is a good one! Grip is always the limiting factor for me on stuff like that.

Never did get time for my own workout at the gym last night. Won't likely get one today, either, unless I get home at a reasonable hour so I can do something at home. I plan to make sure I schedule things better for next week, so I can still get my own gym time in.

Has anyone else noticed how much you can freaking eat while lifting and still lose?

I've been dropping weight eating well over 2000 calories a day. I even cut out some exercise in the hopes I would stop losing. I coasted for a while but started dropping again. I haven't been losing strength though, and I've noticed I've gotten a little stronger! Strange!

Oh well, I'm trying to gain some weight (really weird to want to do this) so hopefully through eating a lot of good food I can do that. I'm at 1400 cals so far when I'm usually at less than that before dinner and I feel stuffed!

I bought myself a giant bag of pistachios...yum! My favorite nut

My goal is to get back up to 120, with most of that being muscle weight hopefully.

S, good luck with the gains. You might enjoy the site liftbigeatbig (dotcom?). It's fun to read and look at the pics, if nothing else.

I've got gym cleaning today, and I think I'll do some heavy deads and practice stone loading first. Might do a little sweaty workout after, maybe sprints and heavy power cleans?

Hi feather-lifters!!
I'm relatively new(read A LOT but haven't posted too much).

A little about me, I'm now mainly maintaining(tryna re-take off a few pounds) but I'm basically 5'0, 118pounds.
I've recently really got into lifting - as in enjoying it now. I do a lot of running otherwise.

My main goal is to try and TONE up my stomach. You incredibly fit ladies, have you found that lifting has done that for you? Or is it mainly a very healthy diet? I struggle with chocolate, that's my downfall, so I know I need to try and find a way to do better moderation with that!

As you can see by my post count, I'm a lot newer to this board than you! Based off of my own experience and what I've read from others and the research I've seen, diet is absolutely crucial to not only the maintenance of muscle mass but also it's visibility - you can lift weights all you like, but if your body fat % is too high, you'll never get to see the results of all your hard work! It'll all be buried under a layer of fat, so to speak.

In the end, a healthy diet (high in lean proteins and green vegetables) and a good exercise regimen are both pretty important - but diet edges out the actual weight lifting aspect just the tiniest bit, in my opinion.