Countrygirl Training Log #1

Training Training Logs
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@countrygirl2016

Broadly, yes. Now I’ll give you a long winded answer.

As far as I can tell, your strength progresses in two ways that don’t always move at the same rate. The first path is your limit strength: the absolute heaviest single you can move on a great day. It can increase quite rapidly, but if you keep trying to push your limit strength you’ll quickly find yourself going backwards more than forwards.

The second path is linked to your limit strength, but is different. This is your everyday strength: what you can move on any given day, even the shit ones. As your limit strength increases, so does your everyday strength. However, it increases at a much slower rate - although you can push this pretty constantly simply because it involves moving lighter loads than your absolute limit.

For example, my deadlift max moved from 500 lbs to 550 lbs over about three months. That was my limit strength - a fairly rapid increase, but I had to be bang on song to hit it. Around the time my max was at 500 lbs, I could reliably hit 400 lbs on any given day. That was about 16 months ago. Now, I can reliably hit 520 lbs on any given day. My absolute max now is around 572 to 586 lbs.

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143

The explanation/example you gave made me feel tons better! It makes sense but at the time I don’t think about it any way except for negative. I am doing a lot better and what was hard reps are now easy. My max weight is going to get easy then I’ll have a new max goal. I just need to keep my head on.

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That’s really the only thing that matters. Get that right and the rest tends to follow in a reasonably orderly fashion.

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145

Don’t underestimate the value of learning technique and learning to activate the muscles you’re trying to activate. Be patient with this.

Also, think about your goals. Many of the guys here are Plers. They are concerned with training to lift the heaviest weight they can. Period. That’s very different from how I train because I’m not interested in competitive PLing.

That doesn’t mean that working on hypertrophy and aesthetics/ strength/ general health and fitness/ are mutually exclusive BUT what you do in terms of “progression of the weights,” and even how you perform some of the lifts will be slightly, or maybe REALLY different depending on your goals.

For example, I like Ass to Grass Squats. They serve my purpose really well. They’re great for activating more muscle groups, I have the flexibility to squat low, and they’re great for hypertrophy if you’re focus is more BBing. I can get a lot out of moving a lighter weight for more reps going Ass to Grass, and since I’m learning the Olympic lifts, they are perfect since that’s the bottom position of the Snatch and Clean.

Someone like Marko probably doesn’t need to train squats like that. It’s generally NOT how to move the heaviest load. He gets no extra points for going below parallel. Just using him as an example, but most of the men here who train PLing are looking at less depth. They are also generally training in lower rep ranges as they follow a strength program since that’s their primary goal. Someone like me has zero reason to test my one rep max, except curiosity.

That said, if you train for aesthetics/hypertrophy or strength, you still need to eventually progress to lifting heavier weights, and/or lifting a weight for more reps. You will get stronger over time either way, and you will build a foundation of muscle either way. There is no right or wrong answer, it’s just a matter of priorities.

In the beginning, learning how to activate your glutes or really load your hamstrings may be more important/ serve you better than putting more weight on the bar just to say “I lifted something heavier.” I will get better BOOTY hypertrophy from a lighter weight that I can really control for more reps, than from lifting something that’s heavier.

I like this video a lot. The RDL is a great movement. I do them all the time. Learning how to properly do them will help you progress to a nice DL. You can practice this at home with a broom handle or PVC pipe, or in the gym with just the bar at first.

Also, this relates a little bit to goals with something like a squat like I was talking about above. Discussion of why you might choose to squat one way or another depending on your flexibility and goals.

Basic Learning how to Squat Tips. Good to review now and then. I tend to squat lighter which has let some bad habits creep in. I can loose tightness in my core and dive bomb my squat and still come out of the hole if I’m not getting heavy with them. I’m trying to go back and STOP doing some of that stuff so I’m in better control both going down and coming up. Everybody has a tendency to develop some of these bad habits. Hopefully this will help you NOT go there as you learn.

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146

I just wanted to add - I’m not a great example of someone who has an awesome squat!

BUT I’m coming back to them after taking a long break from squating anything over about 95 lbs. Since I’m not a PLer, I can build glutes/ legs using other movements. I like walking lunges a lot, and BB glute bridges, and RDLs, and Trap Bar DLs, and Machine Hack Squats, you get the idea. BUT I’m back trying to learn to front squat and hoping to work on form so I can give them another try. Mostly because I think they’ll help my Oly lifts, and because they can be fun and challenging to train.

We can do this. :slight_smile:

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@countrygirl2016 @anon71262119

That’s some seriously good advice. Your goals will dictate how you train. The principles governing training apply across the board, but your goals and situation will dictate how those principles are applied in practice.

I think it’s also worth mentioning that what helps now may not later. For about a year after I started PL, I got pretty good results never going over five reps and doing almost no assistance work. After the year mark, I had to add assistance work (rows especially) for higher reps to keep progressing, but keeping my main lifts in the five and under range (and correspondingly close to my limit strength on a regular, frequent basis) still worked. Around six months later backing off on my main lifts to a percentage of a training max of 85-90% and hitting between five and 10 reps with only occasional heavy singles approaching my limit strength while still using plenty of higher rep assistance work became optimal.

What I’ve described pretty much is a carbon copy of a beginner turning intermediate - while the timeframe will differ from person to person, the sequence generally stays the same. The logic behind it is broadly as follows:

  1. You’re a beginner, so the most important thing is to learn correct basic technique (bracing, activation, bar path, etc). Lower reps work well for this. You can go quite heavy reasonably often because your ‘heavy’ is still quite light so recovery is rapid. Your adaptation is too, so your limit strength increases quickly.

  2. You’re still a beginner, but now your technique is kind of OK. You know the basics and you’re starting to work on the finer points. Because your technique is still very much a work in progress, lower reps are still a good idea. However, by now you’re strong enough that little weaknesses start having a significant effect. The solution: assistance work to bring up those weak points. This is generally at lighter loads, so higher reps work well. Because you’re stronger, your limit strength is now high enough that you can’t approach it quite as often and still recover. You also adapt a little more slowly, but progress is still pretty rapid. Your ‘heavy’ is now approaching something that is actually kind of heavy.

  3. You’re no longer a beginner. Your technique still needs work, but more to iron out little wrinkles and get optimised. You can get away with medium to higher reps with occasional heavy low-rep work - in fact, you don’t just get away with it: it is hugely beneficial. Your limit strength is now high enough that if you approach it regularly your recovery is compromised. Your limit strength also increases more slowly now. Working on your everyday strength is going to be the most sustainable way to get stronger, because you’ll do this by working with weights just shy of your limit range, making recovery manageable again. You’ll hit some heavy weights too, but much less frequently. You also need to add muscle to get stronger now - before it was helpful, now it is essential. So, working on reasonably heavy loads you can hit for higher reps and really hitting that assistance work is your best bet. Settle in, because this is going to take a while.

Essentially, what Powerpuff is saying is correct. My only caveat would be that getting stronger almost always works well in the beginning - you just may benefit more from improving your everyday strength more than your limit strength.

For example, instead of busting your arse to bring up your squat’s limit strength, you may find it more useful to improve your ATG squat’s everyday strength, because that’s what will help you move heavier loads for higher reps. That’ll bring your limit strength up too, but as a side effect.

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148

Yes. Completely agree. Just building a foundation is strength based in the beginning. That’s how I lifted when I started. Mostly lots of 5x5 work with the main lift of the day. In the beginning I really didn’t know how to “work” super hard yet so I recovered really fast.

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149

Thanks so much. That made my day. You’re taller and already curvy so you’re going to look more like a Dani Shugart body type than me. All good. I think you’ll be so happy with a little more muscle on your taller frame. You can carry it since you have the height.

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150

That’s another gem. It took me about a year and a half to learn what hard work under the bar meant, or what heavy really felt like.

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@anon71262119 your videos and advice are greatly appreciated :smile: I will be referencing them many times!! I notice when I squat heavier my form is a lot better. Your comment on my potential is motivating because that’s absolutely where I’m wanting to be. I am excited that you understand where I’m at and wanting to go. We are in this together and will support each other in our goals!!! Thank you so very much.

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@MarkKO what you added makes total sense. When you look at it in the perspective you and @anon71262119 talk about it paints a better picture. I’m just so new I don’t know what to expect but never give up on my reps or workout plan. There are different stages and it’s never ending!!

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153

Bench 45lbs 1x12, 65lbs 1x12, 70 2x12 :smiley:
TRX exercise but not sure name… 50 each time
Incline dumbbell press 20lbs 10, 6, 2
Lat pull downs 55lbs 5x12
Shrugs 25lbs 3x15
Incline push-ups 20, 25, 30
Leg raises
Sit-ups
Crunches

That about covers it. I worked with my trainer tonight and felt pumped with my weight increase!!! I made sure my reps were clean and am going to be a happy lady :laughing:

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@anon71262119 do you take any supplements?

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I’m not a huge supplement person. In terms of muscle growth/ lifting supplements I use BCAA’s, creatine, preworkout caffeine (since I don’t drink coffee), and sometimes a whey/casein protein powder like Metabolic Drive or others brands. FWI, there’s lots of research about the safety and effectiveness of creatine for female athletes. Let me know if you have any questions about that.

Other supplements that I take are mostly vitamins and minerals that are recommended for general health/ joint health in athletic people. Daily Multivitamin, Fish Oil, Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM (joint health), Chelated Magnesium (nearly everyone is deficient in Mg from just their normal diet), Calcium, B Complex, Vit D3.

Edited to add: Re: supplements. I’m not saying that some supplements might be helpful, or that all supplements are junk. I’m just saying that a lot of people look for the magic pill. Nutrition and training are WAY more important than supplements. A lot of people waste their time and money looking for “the stack,” while in being in denial about the fact that they need to get consistent with their nutrition and training. If you don’t know who ChickenTuna is, you can go read her philosophy at her blog. She doesn’t use supplements.

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I’ll look into the different things you talked about. I’m not familiar with supplements or vitamins at all and take nothing but some protein. I wasn’t sure if I should take something for muscle recovery or if it would help other ways since my body is kinda messed up with all of the changes. I appreciate your detailed response and will look into it :slight_smile: at least some vitamins wouldn’t hurt!

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Creatne! Fish Oil. Whey in the morning, casein before bed.

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Sure. For the basics on vitamins/ minerals general sups for athletes like creatine, you can search Lyle McDonald Supplements Part 1 and Supplements Part 2. He’s a knowledgable guy and he’s not running a supplement company.

On BCAAs, I don’t think they are necessary if you’re eating well, getting adequate protein. Same with protein powders. They just make it a little easier. Fast. No prep. Portable.

Regarding recovery: How’s your sleep?

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Thank you @The_Myth …such a smart man :grin: I do appreciate your answer!!

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@anon71262119 great, the reference will be a big help especially if he’s not selling anything. Everyone wants me to buy the “miracle supplements” from them. No, my sleep is mostly always bad :weary:

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Creatine daily, BCAAs in my water during training. Whey as a backup or with oats because that’s delicious. Pre trainer if I’m feeling mentally off.

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