That looks like a really solid workout. No slacking on the foam rolling! What sort of stretching do you do?
Not enough, but I’m limited for time in the mornings. I generally stretch between sets but I’m still damn stiff - it’s the all day sitting. I’ll always finish by lying on the ground with my butt against a wall and my legs up the wall in a Y. It’s a good way to relax and unkink my back. I also roll my feet on a tennis ball at work, and often use it to massage my hips, butt and knotty back (basically I shove it between me and a wall and then roll it around).
I just don’t want to be arsed with all that stuff when I get home from work, but I know I ought to.
Thanks for reminding me about the tennis ball/foot thing. I need to remember to do that more often.
The only stretch that I’m really good about is my hip flexor stretch.
Aunt Flo arrived this morning so wasn’t feeling too chipper, but figured squats would be good for those cramps. I didn’t go “heavy” today (I mean heavy for me) as I was attempting to video my form.
First vid is my warm-up, overhead squats with the bodybar. My APT is very noticeable in these. nb, wearing my battered Nike Frees - I prefer a little heel when squatting due to my lack of ankle mobility.
Squats
Step, 5 risers
1 x bar x 15
1 x 30kg (66lbs) x 12
3 x 40kg (88lbs) x 10
(Was pretty knackered after this)
I had someone video me on the 40s and saw I was only really making parallel if I sat back on my arse, which I didn’t for the first couple of reps. Note that the video was on the third of the three sets.
So I decided to lose a riser.
Step, 4 risers
2 x 40kg x 6
Didn’t video these but I could feel my back rounding more. Not sure if going to 4 risers at this point is a good move as I don’t have the mobility to do them well.
Got rid of the box altogether.
2 x 40kg x 6
The guy who shot this did it from the back so you get a nice view of my huge arse. Sorry 'bout that. You can really see how fucked my right ankle is when he pulls back a bit. My knee does not track over it at all.
Still a lot of work to do on these.
Gym was getting very crowded at this point.
Barbell hip thrusts (on ground
3 x 70kg (154lbs) x 10
Cable leg abduction
3 x 12.5kg (27.5lbs) x 8
Then did some hyperextensions but got pissed off with the number of people in the gym, felt hungry and decided to go home for brekkie.
Just my observation, but if you think about leading with your chest out of the hole, it would be a LOT easier! Oh, and pushing the elbows forward!
Good work! 
Cal, its great to see you! I love videos.
I wish I was qualified to give advice here, but I’m not. If I were you, I would go directly to the “Feedback from Meat” thread in the Over 35 forum and post those squat videos for him to look at. His cues and suggestions have helped me SO MUCH. I think he could really make some good suggestions here.
Thanks for the tips ladies. I’ve posted over on the Meat thread as you suggested. I’ve got a lot of structural issues which kept me from squatting for years but this time I’m not giving up. My main goal is to squat properly to parallel without doing a good morning at the same time. (I so wish I had longer shins!)
I did not want to train this morning. My butt was pretty sore from yesterday and my lower back was killing me (it’s been niggly for a while but it’s worse cos of the cramps). I told myself I’d feel better if I trained and went anyway.
Did a lot more mobilisation than usual (I did CBear’s plate foot slide thing - that’s pretty damned hard work with a 10kg plate) then started with my usual triset of death…but I sucked.
Triset
Pull-ups: 3, 2, 2
Push ups (feet on box): 10, 10, 10
KB swings (12kg): 20, 20, 20
The pull-ups sucked because I’ve put on 5lbs in two weeks. Some of that will be PMS water weight but the little jiggly belly that appeared suggest not all. My own fault - I’ve been eating too much chocolate and nuts. I’ll do a carnivore week Monday to Friday to get rid of those cravings and give myself a kick up my elephantine arse.
Bench
1 x 20 x bar (slow)
1 x 20 x 30kg (66lbs) (fast)
1 x 10 x 50kg (110lbs)
5 x 5 x 57.5kg (126.5lbs)
I added another 2.5kgs over last time and honestly thought it would be hard, but aside from the last couple of reps of the last set, I found it quite manageable.
I did neck bridges between sets (not the floor ones - I put the back of my head on the bench, body parallel to the floor, knees bent, feet flat on the floor - and hold it for 20-30 seconds). I’m trying to strengthen my neck at the moment. My major passion (outside the gym and playing computer games) is riding rollercoasters, and I’ve noticed that as I’ve got older, I’m getting headaches on some of them from the rattling around. So I’m aiming to build up a nice, thick neck like a Formula 1 driver so I can stay headache free.
Power rack pull-ups
5 x 5
My regular pull-ups were so piss poor this week I supplemented with these. (Kind of like the assisted pull-ups here: STUMPTUOUS.COM Mistressing the pullup - STUMPTUOUS.COM only with my foot on a second barbell. The barbell did move around a bit though - bench would probably be better).
2 x Superset
Seated good mornings, 30kg (66lbs) x 10
Alternate arm kb snatches (12kg) x 10 (per arm)
I was actually pretty whupped by this time so went into the other room (the cardio and machines room) and did my cooldown. Did some kb windmill stretches and a bunch of other stuff. I’d been in the gym a fair while by this point and stomach was starting to growl so called it a day.
Brunch was 3 egg goat cheese omelette with 3 rashers of bacon and a cuppa.
It’s funny that you are talking about pull ups so much, because I had a dream last night where I could do em like I’ve been doing them my whole life!!
I wonder that means, hmm…
Thanks for that article!! I love that site I’ve been doing a lot of assisted pull-up work lately, love it
I’ve had pull-up dreams. I’ve had dreams where I can do one-arm pull-ups. And I’m always disappointed when I wake up.
[quote]Cal Jones wrote:
I’ve had pull-up dreams. I’ve had dreams where I can do one-arm pull-ups. And I’m always disappointed when I wake up. :)[/quote]
you have pullup dreams, i have dreams of a 3plate deadlift. sorry i came in late on the squat videos, sounds like meat (although i havent been over there to look) is guiding you in the right direction.
sorry the plate slides were so rough! maybe a 5kg plate next time? i dont see it as a working set, purely activation/warmup.
ps- you’re adorable!
I must admit I did try the 5kg to start and did that with both feet (both ways) before trying the 10. I got some funny looks from the people in the gym but they tend to look at me as though I’m some sort of exotic she-beast anyway. Almost all the females who train there are training to be skinny, not strong so I’m a bit of a novelty - I guess that’s the case for a lot of us who post here.
Cal, good benching! Even if the pull-ups sucked, clearly not everything did. A training day can be saved by just one good thing happening, aye?
Your arse isn’t elephantine. I’m assuming a carnivore week is mostly animal protein.
Do you have bands for the assisted pullups? I love mine. Although I did try the stumptuous method once and liked well enough.
I don’t have bands but the place I got my kettlebells has started stocking them, so I may get some.
Today’s workout
Box Squats
(still on 5 risers)
1 x 20 x bar
1 x 15 x 30kg (66lbs)
1 x 10 x 40kg (88lbs)
3 x 5 x 50kg (110lbs)
(Did 20 weightless hip thrusts, feet on a box, shoulders on floor, in between each set).
Back was really snarky this morning. Ended up buying some of those heat pads from Boots and wearing it while I was at work. I need to sort this.
Weighted hip thrusts
(Shoulders on box, feet on floor)
5 x 5 x 70kg (154lbs)
These were hard. On reflection I’d be better off with less weight and more reps, I think.
Superset
Good mornings, empty oly bar only: 10, 10
Overhead squats, 5kg body bar: 20, 20
Then did some hyperextension variants and stretching.
Considering a deload next week, to give my poor beleagured spine a break, and concentrate on corrective and core work.
better take care of that back, girlie. your plan sounds like a good one to me. thanks for posting the videos…your arse is not huge. i should go check that meat thread to see what kind of feedback you are getting to see if i can get some more tips. i also need to go see what exactly these hip thrusts entail…
I agree: deload and less weight on the hip thrusts for more reps. Maybe spend the training time next week on mobility drills? A massage perhaps?
Back pain just sucks.
Hi Cal, your work is looking solid.
Ill say there is nothing is wrong with a huge arse.
I saw your vids, first in Meats thread, nice work.
very solid work.
I have similar hip, knee, ankle tracking stuff.
Turns out my hips are not level, the right hips is higher, so that
knee and ankle rotate in
there are a few things that helped me I see you foam/foot roll.
I am a huge fan of OH squats I try to do them every lower body workout
and concentrate on pushing the ass/hips back and knees out.
ankle wall mobilization
I do 10 straight ahead 5 each in , out.
and stuff for the psoas
foam rolling and glute activation help with knee tracking too.
Thanks for those - I’d seen the ankle one before but not the second one, so that was useful.
No workout yesterday - had to go into work early to cover for a sick colleague. Tomorrow (Friday) is my turn to go in earlier as well, so I had to make do with today.
Despite getting 8 hours sleep for the first time since I was on holiday, I didn’t feel great. I feel like I’m fighting off the cold my colleague got, perhaps. Neck and back were especially annoying.
Overhead Press
2 x 12 x bar
5 x 5 x 30kg (66lbs)
(I did bench neck bridges between sets).
Incline Dumbell Press
1 x 16kg (35lbs) x 11
2 x 18kg (40lbs) x 8
Body rows (on Smith Machine)
3 x 10
(These are the ones where you hang under the bar and pull yourself up to it. It’s about the only thing I’ll use the Smith Machine for).
Superset
Assisted pull-ups (20kg assist): 10, 6 (shoulder started hurting so I cut it short)
Dips: 10, 10
Straight arm pull-down
3 x 25kg (55lbs) x 10
Some stretching but had to rush out of the gym to get my washing to the launderette, seeing as I’d not managed to do that yesterday. How exciting my life is right now.