nelie – I just have to join GEAA on the praise: your leg press weight numbers are completely AWESOME! 570lbs! Wow! :cp:

I’ve been looking into adding some Deadlifts in my program – since it’s considered one of the basic and universal exercises *and* a really good exercise for hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
I have a question about whether to choose regular deadlifts or stifflegged deadlifts?
(I tried stifflegged deadlifts yesterday, and my hamstrings are really, really sore today)
But when people talk about doing deadlifts, they talk about the regular kind where you bend your knees, no?
Do any of you have preferences? Do you prefer one over the other? Do you do both? Alternate?

Good morning, Mette! Like you figured out, deadlifts and stiff-legged deadlifts are two different exercises that hit different muscle groups, so whichever you pick depends on what you're trying to work. The stiff-legged ones are fantastic for hamstrings (as you can feel!). Regular deadlifts (I think most people mean these when they say "deadlift") are a classic compound exercise that works most of your body -- legs, butt, arms, back etc.

I like both and do both. :D The stiff-legged ones are strictly hamstrings, so I do those on Leg Day. Sometimes I'll do regular deadlifts on Leg Day and sometimes on Back Day, since they target both those muscle groups -- it depends on what else I'm doing for those workouts (I change exercises every week).

I need to use lifting straps for regular deadlifts since my grip isn't strong enough to handle the weight that I can deadlift (my back and legs are stronger than my upper body). Have you tried regular deadlifts yet? Did you like them?

Meg - what are lifting straps and how do they work?

This is what a lifting strap looks like:

http://store1.yimg.com/I/bodyworks-n...n_1803_1673494

You put one on each wrist like a bracelet and wrap the long end around the bar so that they're snug. That way the weight of the bar is suspended from your wrists and forearms and not only in your hands. My hands aren't strong enough to hold 155# without help, but I can deadlift that with straps on.

Here's a link to some videos on how to put them on and use them: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/strapsvid.htm

Hope that helps! :D

Cool! I am not going to need anything like that for a little while yet! :)

I love stiff legged dead lifts. I'm not anywhere near 155lbs tho'! Those and squats ... Krista's influence I guess. I actually love leg day altogether!
I'm still tweaking ... adding more cardio, trying to find things heavier to lift.
If my archaic calipers are even remotely accurate, I've lost a couple of %'s of body fat. The scale says another half pound down.

:lol: don't worry, Susan, I'm nowhere near 155# either on stiff-legged dead lifts -- I think my arms would pull out of my shoulders at that weight! Nope, that's for regular deadlifts with the lifting straps.

If anyone's confused about the two kinds of deadlifts, this is a regular deadlift: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...BDeadlift.html and this is stiff-legged (which I've also heard called Romanian deadlifts): http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...gDeadlift.html . It took me a long time to figure out that they're different and which are which. :o

I'm with you -- I love Leg Day now, though truthfully I dreaded it at first. I guess I was kind of intimidated by the heavy weights and how sore I was the next day (now I like being sore, sick pup that I am! :lol: ).

Congrats on the BF going down!

Good morning everyone,

I've been reading, but wanted to check in myself.

I've been dealing with an injury for a few weeks and am beyond frustrated. Somehow, in the course of my regular workout, I ended up with a pinched nerve. My GP says it is from an inflammation of the muscles in my rear. It really doesn't feel like spine, but more like hip or simply that area in the back. It was bad at first, with pain and numbness down the leg and foot. After a week of rest and anti-inflammatories, the pain and numbness down the leg and into the foot has been gone. Unfortunately, the pain at the origin site (butt/hip/whatever) keeps cycling on and off. I went back to workouts after a week, being very careful with that area. If anything even caused a twinge, I stopped immediately. Walking had not aggravated it, so I continued my cardio on the treadmill. It will be absolutely gone for days, then flare up again. The last time, I was on my feet at work all day, felt strong, felt great in fact. Then went out for new walking shoes after work, sat down to try them on and when I stood up, OUCH! Pain and spasming in that area. I headed over to the gym anyway for my workout with my trainer but simply couldn't go forward. Everything was aggravating it. Now, another week off. This time, even off cardio as walking on the treadmill was aggravating it. I am so NOT happy about this! I am considering going to a chiropractor this week. I am really not sure what else to do. I am terrified that if I give up all workouts, including cardio, for a week that I won't go back. I am scared I will lose all the strength and fitness gains I have made.

My bf had made plans for us to go horseback riding last weekend, and we had to change plans due to the injury. I was so sad about that! That is something I have wanted to do as I lost weight (trust me, no horse could have handled me at 300+ pounds, not that I even could have gotten up there in the first place). He is SUCH a sweetheart to have thought of it, and I felt so bad to have to ruin his surprise!
Eating is okay. Eating away from home is a challenge, but I am learning more each time. Each time is slightly better, but still not 100%.

Going to work this morning. Going to the beach tomorrow, am hoping to take a long walk in the sand, and am hoping that won't aggravate the nerve.

So, I am trying to stay motivated during this very frustrating time.

On a positive note, I weighed in on Wed and have a 10 lb weight loss in total. That puts me at or below my previous stable weight. Now, I can begin working in uncharted territory. It will be fun to see what each 5 or 10 lb loss will bring.

Dawna

Someone special has a birthday today ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBIN!

Have a wonderful day! :balloons:

:gift: :cheers: Happy Birthday Robin!! :dance::grouphug:


p.s.: Same day as DH's!!

Good morning girls :wave: Just back from a very good jog... I jogged yesterday too and it just wasn't as good it was more of a walk, but at least I was out there... As mentionned today is Dh's birthday also... I will have my parents over for supper, just a stir fry and BBQ some kind of meat...

We went out with some friends last night for some Thai food... Way too much sugar in that stuff!! But I ate it anyways and I'm back on track today...

Hope everyone has a great day, chin up and lets be careful out there!!

TTFN...:wave:

Birthday Girl checking in for duty!

Thank you for those wonderful birthday wishes Meg and Ilene. They became part of a truly great day .... DH and I met up with my wonderful brother, whom I see all too seldom, for a gala birthday lunch and gab fest. After a meandering country drive home, I got a call from one of my best gal pals in San Francisco, and I opened a handful of cards from hither and yon. The best is yet to come -- Next weekend, DH and I are going to the Brandywine Valley (think Maryland/Delaware) to attend the national Airedale Terrier Specialty Show, and to visit all of those gorgeous homes and gardens that the DuPonts built with all their gorgeous $$. It should be a wonderful trip, even though I'll have to cart along the laptop just to keep up with email from w**k. I figure it's a small price to pay.

Not much else to report. Food is only so-so, and I haven't been in the gym in a week. I can sure tell the difference. So, it's off to pack the gym bag, make lunches and generally gird myself for another week. Have a peaceful Sunday evening chickies.

Hugs and love,

Hope you had a good birthday, Airegrrrl!!!

Wave to me next week-end, I'm only about 5 miles up the road :) If you go to Winterthur, you'll be about a mile from where I grew up. Unfortunately, NOT on one of the duPont estates. Make sure you get to the Brandywine River Museum, Longwood Gardens, and Winterthur. There are so many gorgeous places around here. Do you know where you are staying?

Today's workout was grooming a large standard poodle who has been masquerading as a black bear for the last month and a half. I cancelled her lasting grooming apptointment in the middle of August (her haircuts cost far more than mine!), and just did her muzzle, "topknot", and ears a few weeks ago. I knew the whole job would be a trauma- last time I tried it I only got 1 side of her done before she decided ENOUGH! Today I couldn't put it off any longer. LOL! It took 2 1/2 hours! The clippers wouldn't even go through her coat and I had to scissors the entire dog before I could even start with the clippers. We went through 1/2 a box of dog biscuits. I might have eaten one, it was such bedlam :dizzy: . It certainly doesn't look professional, but I don't think it's any worse that some of the cuts she's gotten from professional groomers at 50-60 bucks a cut. If I do this every couple of weeks it shouldn't take nearly so long, and maybe we can both get through it. Haha, she's lying at my feet, giving me a dirty look every once in a while.

Clean eats- actually hardly any eats. Unless I actually ate a dog biscuit.
I checked the nutrional panel and the ratios are just about perfect. Who knew???? And I've been craving crunchy food for years :^:

Mel

:lol3: :lol3: :lol3: on the dog biscuits! Next time you stop by, I know what to serve with coffee!!