Busy time of year!
My FIL farmed for over 35 years. He just recently retired and is enjoying life again…He sleeps in til 7am now! 
Do you have hired help or no?
No hired help, but my hubby helps on the weekends (he has a 8-5 desk job, 45 minutes from the ranch), my retired dad is around 2-3 days a week & I have a semi-retired Uncle that helps out. So tween all of us we get it done, if they weren’t here I would have to hire someone or have the hubby quit to stay and help me. But he has to support my ranching habit so I need him to stay working, plus the health coverage he gets thru his job is nice too.
2/2/11 Wednesday A.M workout
club swings 10lber
jump rope
shoulder mob stuff
5/3/1 Pressing
warmup
bar x 5
55lbs x 5
65lbs x 5
work sets
100lbs x 5
110lbs x 3
125lbs x 1 (+1 rep with leg drive)
+15lb Dips 5 x 10
seated press
+65lbs x 10
+70lbs x 10
+75lbs x 10
+80lbs x 10
+90lbs x 7
in between seated presses I did 15lb med ball slams. Sometimes is just feels real good to throw things on the ground 
Suspension outward rotation 3 x 10
I dont do a very good job of keeping track of my P.R’s - really at all but I think on the seated presses this is real close. Funny thing I was shooting for 10, but I got to 7 lowered back down and ugh it would not go back up - so I set the bar down on my quads and rolled them for about 30-45 seconds, grabbed the bar and threw it back up and re-racked it. So much for 10 reps. Next week maybe, in the mean time I will jedi mind trick and hopefully persuade my body to do it
I am thinking (feel free to chime in here) that I am going to do my dips with a BW Set x 10, +5lbs x 10 & keeping adding 5lbs a set til I reach 5 sets - just cause I get bored with the same weight & I feel like I am not progressing just sticking with the same weight. I would like to keep my reps around the 8-10 range. Would more progress be made by doing it with the same weight or by progressively adding the lbs? I know it seems like a novice question but am seriously curious here… enlighten me oh wise ones!!!
Oh and I did not get my burpees in last night - epic fail there, so between now and tomorrow night I need to get in 200 burpees. Maybe I will just do a some set of 10 here and there today and do the remainder tomorrow. Gonna walk today too!! Still sub zero temps. Yipee for cold temps - I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as cold weather, just poor clothing choices. At least that is what I am telling myself to help get thru this retartedly cold spell.
15 down 160 to go~
holy fuck.
I understand that ranching is a lifestyle, apart from the great outdoors what to you get from it?
I’m guessing in terms of income its not that stellar.
Just a curious city girl wondering how green the grass is on the other side…
[quote]nlmain wrote:
15 down 160 to go~
holy fuck.
I understand that ranching is a lifestyle, apart from the great outdoors what to you get from it?
I’m guessing in terms of income its not that stellar.
Just a curious city girl wondering how green the grass is on the other side…[/quote]
Um yea well it is mostly the freedom to be my own boss, the lifestyle is the biggest thing, being able to raise my boys in the country. This property has been in our family for a 100 yrs - so there is a lot of draw there for me, sentimental and all that. But aside from the lifestyle, I enjoy working outside, taking care of animals and the science behind that - granted it isn’t rocket science. But there is a a nice meld of muscle, brains and brawn that go on with this job - it is challenging everyday, either mentally or physically. Hope that i cleared it up for ya.
The money is good from it, but the expenses are outrageous so it normally ends up being a bust. Just depends on the calf market and how things are there…it is really one big gamble.
well if your guy’s prices are anything like ours… shouldn’t be a problem making money this year. i’ve NEVER seen the cattle prices this high.
Awesome pressing!!
I don’t know about the dips question, I’m definetely not a wise one, but I think that any kind of progression is good.
You can add more sets, more reps or more weight. Progress in any way possible, and you’ll get stronger at them. Maybe keep adding weight until you’re doing less than your desired reps, then try to add more reps and/or sets, then when you get stronger with that, add more weight until you’re doing less than desired reps, etc.
2/2/11 p.m Workout
15 burpees
1 mile walk with 45lbs
15 burpees
1 mile with 45lbs
15 burpees
1 mile with 45lbs
15 burpess
50 situps
total of
3 miles
60 burpees
50 situps
= spent!
holy fuuuuu,
your pressing astounds me!!!
yep, the farm in the hubby’s family has been in the family for the same amount of time. Which is why it was so hard for the FIL to retire…but he HAD to…the guy could barely move, and the DR’s were dumbfounded as to how he could even walk.
He just got his knee replaced not to long ago.
Farming is in the hubby’s blood and he often thinks of getting out to go take over…I smack him back to reality real quick!! Besides that, they sold everything.
Although the 500+ acres of land and the grand parents’ house are in there WILL and will go to the hubby.
Nothing like being land rich & money poor. That is how most farmers & ranchers are for sure.
Would more progress be made by doing it with the same weight or by progressively adding the lbs?
I’ve been doing 5x5 with squats and presses. When I wanted to progress by seeing the weight go up I’d introduce the new weight for the third set. I chose the third set because that always feels easiest to me (potentiation without too much fatigue). So: 1, 1, 2, 1, 1. Then once that seemed okay I’d move to 1, 2, 2, 1, 1. Then 1, 2, 2, 2, 1. Then either 2 for all sets (new 5x5) or introduce 3 for a middle set and then turn the 1’s into 2’s… It seemed to work for me BUT I’m a beginner so I need to seriously mess things up NOT to see improvements in my strength over time.
I have no idea what might be best for you.
Alexus —duly noted and it is currently in my thought process…
In other news, I have been challenged. My friend wants to get motivated so she has asked if I would do a fitness challenge with her. Now we did this type of thing last year and it worked out well for her & okay for me.
We are on completely different levels so it is more of a challenge in which we each come up with some things that we want to be better @ ourselves over the next 3 months & we just keep accountable to each other…so here I am being me, work out 2 x’s a day 5-6 days a week & then there is my friend who works out on the elliptical and jillian Micheals 3 x’s a week (being generous). Nothing wrong with this I guess if that makes you happy.
Needless to say I am attempting to get all revved up for this thing and excited but it is hard when you are competing against a different level. Debating about changing my routine, challenging myself to do that routine for a 4 month duration and see what kind of body comp changes can be made. So I guess yea it would be a personal challenge that would tie into keeping accountable to my friends challenge - best of both worlds.
Kind of step out of my comfort zone do something that I normally would not do kind of thing… hmm just really thinking out loud here. I am really comfortable with 5/3/1, I love its simplicity and sheer exeretion of power but unless I do something different I really wont be challenging myself to much I would not think so anyhow. UGH not sure why I agreed other than I want to help her out and hoping she will get sick of Jillian and attempt to pick up some weights that aren’t pink.
The challenge starts on Monday the 7th and goes til April 3rd… she is 5’0 guessing about 105lbs or so and does Jilian micheals & p90x once in a while with her hubby. Not that it makes any difference in my decision other than to try and explain the difference between our fitness levels.
As I said more thinking out loud and tinkering with thoughts…
Thats cool that you are helping your friend…
I understand, stepping out of the comfort zone thing…lookit what happened? I’m lost crazy town!
whatever you do, it’s not forever…you can go back to your comfy place later…( I keep telling myself that).
2/3/11 Thursday
Pullups 4 x 4
Burpees - 125
45lb vest walk = 3 miles w/ the alternating burpees after every mile. Did 20 of em. Did the rest burpees after the walk. I was wiped out, I wanted to get 4 miles in but it just wasn’t going to happen.
2/4/11 Friday
bike trainer
club swing (1lber & 10lber)
MOB stuff for hips
5/3/1 Bench & Squat
Bench warmup
worksets
120lbs x 5
135lbs x 3
150lbs x 4 (booooyaaaa!!! very happy with this)
Squat warmup
worksets
145lbs x 5
160lbs x 3
180lbs x 7 (yep that was good too)
some skin the cats in between the sets of squats
pistols 2 x 8
+5lbs pistols 1 x 5
Suspension Flys
2 x 10
1 x 12
Feeling pretty strong and focused today despite being short of sleep, my body is adapting a bit better to my schedule. I get to sleep thru the night tonight though and am looking very forward to that. I might have gotten another rep in on the bench but since I fly solo I didnt want to find out. Squat was nice and deep, held it at the bottom on the lighter sets. All in all not one single complaint with this workout Good stuff today
I forget, do you have a rack? or do you use the pins from your bench to load the squat??
Awesome, strong WORK!!!
[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
I forget, do you have a rack? or do you use the pins from your bench to load the squat??
Awesome, strong WORK!!![/quote]
I load the pins from my bench. A rack is on my wish list though ---- nice dreamin’
awesome bench and squating for someone who’se low on sleep. I couldn’t handle that.
good stuff N8tive!
[quote]
Um yea well it is mostly the freedom to be my own boss, the lifestyle is the biggest thing, being able to raise my boys in the country. This property has been in our family for a 100 yrs - so there is a lot of draw there for me, sentimental and all that. But aside from the lifestyle, I enjoy working outside, taking care of animals and the science behind that - granted it isn’t rocket science. But there is a a nice meld of muscle, brains and brawn that go on with this job - it is challenging everyday, either mentally or physically. Hope that i cleared it up for ya.
The money is good from it, but the expenses are outrageous so it normally ends up being a bust. Just depends on the calf market and how things are there…it is really one big gamble.[/quote]
Hi, Ive been following your thread a few weeks and this post just made me want to say that my wife was also raised on a farm too and I have witnessed that working with the land and animals gives someone an inner strength that is hard to describe. I have on many occasions been out to help with the farm too and the whole family seems to have an incredible inner strength to cope with adversity.
You folks really have to love what you do because it really seems to me that the system of commerce and government really kicks farmers in the rocks.
While I here I also want to really to say you have impressive body to weight strength and lot’s to be proud of. I can’t believe you dont have a power cage yet. I realize that in the rurals finding one on the local craigslist is wishfull thinking, but if you can get one it would be worth every penny as there are hundreds if not thousands of things you can do with one.
[quote]n8tive wrote:
[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
I forget, do you have a rack? or do you use the pins from your bench to load the squat??
Awesome, strong WORK!!![/quote]
I load the pins from my bench. A rack is on my wish list though ---- nice dreamin’[/quote]
well, yay…can’t wait to get my bench then!!
You can easily build a rack…somehow, outta wood. PM inkaddict…he’ll hook you up!!