Drinker with a Gym Problem

Training
1

so i’ve decided to start a journal in an effort to tap into the resources of some of you powerful women. rather than lurk and post here and there, i am cautiously going to post what my training looks like to get your opinions and perhaps then i can actually track stuff to see what does and doesn’t work for me.

if my journal title sparked you interest, then that’s probably a good thing. i will say that i’m much less of a drinker than i was…waaay less. so it’s no surprise that after 6 solid years of lifting, this is all i’ve got to show for it. however, as of the turn of '09, i began what i consider serious lifting and a serious attempt to minimize my wine consumption. yes, i’m fully aware alcohol kills brain cells, stunts my growth, can make me an asshole and ultimately, slow my muscle development and keep me from getting as lean as i need to be to show off those muscles.

i started lifting around 14 and loved the feeling of trembling legs, shortness of breath and being ready to fall over. i wanted muscles (think Cory Everson era)! i had a BF who was into bb and i read all the M&F mags with him. played softball since i was about 7, stopped in jr year high school cuz i had to work. lifted serious from 18-21, then fell off the wagon til pretty much 30.

6 years later-i’m on a quest to stay healthy enough to lift, get stronger and ultimately be lean enough to have the GP say, “damn, she must work out.” i would like the regulars at my weak sauce gym to say, “get the fuck out of her way, she means business.” and it wouldn’t hurt if i could inspire a few women to stop thinking they just need “to diet and tone up.”

i’ve seen a few of you around fa and here as of recently and have truly enjoyed your posts and knowledge. i’m digging the threads in this PW forum and am hopeful i can make some gains with a bit of insight from you all (or at least a handful of people that find it worthwhile)

-talena

2

[quote]talenaah wrote:
rather than lurk and post here and there, i am cautiously going to post what my training looks like to get your opinions and perhaps then i can actually track stuff to see what does and doesn’t work for me.

-talena [/quote]

so, when you say cautiously post, does that mean you type with only your gloved pinky fingers and have “Monk” clean your keyboard before and after?

gingerly hit the submit button?

oh and where the fuck is this “training?” fucking talk about it and don’t do it.

typical 09’er.

off to a fantastic start.

really.

go on.

3

yay…talenaah started a journal!

[quote]talenaah wrote:
the feeling of trembling legs, shortness of breath and being ready to fall over [/quote]

teehee.

4

[quote]CBear84 wrote:
talenaah wrote:
rather than lurk and post here and there, i am cautiously going to post what my training looks like to get your opinions and perhaps then i can actually track stuff to see what does and doesn’t work for me.

-talena

so, when you say cautiously post, does that mean you type with only your gloved pinky fingers and have “Monk” clean your keyboard before and after?

gingerly hit the submit button?

oh and where the fuck is this “training?” fucking talk about it and don’t do it.

typical 09’er.

off to a fantastic start.

really.

go on. [/quote]

that was the bait for you my dear…

i seriously want killer arms/back so i started following “Molding the Flawless Upper Body” by dr. clay (here if you care to check it out http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/free_online_article//molding_the_flawless_upper_body)

3 non lifting days, back/chest 2x a week, legs once and shoulders/bis/tris/ once, 2 days of some ab crap.

must premise that i spent the last 6 months attacking my legs/ass after doing a boot camp in march. so i’m tweaking his leg routine on some days, and this is what i did yesterday:

no laughing at my low #'s i still use…wtf do you call them? assortment of barbells with set lbs…so i’mlimited by pulling the thing off the rack, carrying it to my spot and throwing it over my head to do squats and dls…still skeered of a real rack.

barbell squats below parallel: 20 x60 lbs, 15 x 60, 12 x 60, 20 x60
seated curls: 10 x80, 8 x110 1 x135 (couldn’t do six so 5 more x 110)
DLs: 15 x 90 lb, 12x 90, 12x 90 (more of RDL i think…my preferred stance)
i use the assisted chin/pull machine and put one foot on pad, working from the calf all the way through to my glutes…3 sets 12 x85lb per leg

stretched a min with some hyperxtensions
then finished up with unilateral leg work. single split squats, single Dl, bulgarian split, only 15 lbs. this seems to stretch me out at the end. NOTE! my hips suck and are incredibly tight…need serious help there

cautious cause you girls put up some serious #s and i’m completely impressed!!!

5

we need to talk about these seated curls. you are talking about hamstrings, right?

if you want killer back and arms just go out and shoot somebody. easy.

6

[quote]CBear84 wrote:
we need to talk about these seated curls. you are talking about hamstrings, right?

if you want killer back and arms just go out and shoot somebody. easy. [/quote]

i’m fully prepared to hear the onslaught…bring it- cause it’s obvious i haven’t been training smart enough.

we don’t have lying leg curl machine. so yes?? hamstrings i reckon.

my .45 hasn’t been cleaned in ages and i’m afraid it will blow up in my face. serious.

7

[quote]talenaah wrote:
CBear84 wrote:
we need to talk about these seated curls. you are talking about hamstrings, right?

if you want killer back and arms just go out and shoot somebody. easy.

i’m fully prepared to hear the onslaught…bring it- cause it’s obvious i haven’t been training smart enough.

we don’t have lying leg curl machine. so yes?? hamstrings i reckon.

my .45 hasn’t been cleaned in ages and i’m afraid it will blow up in my face. serious.

[/quote]

as long as it wasnt bicep curls.

i assume you know the difference between the two?

8

[quote]CBear84 wrote:
talenaah wrote:
CBear84 wrote:
we need to talk about these seated curls. you are talking about hamstrings, right?

if you want killer back and arms just go out and shoot somebody. easy.

i’m fully prepared to hear the onslaught…bring it- cause it’s obvious i haven’t been training smart enough.

we don’t have lying leg curl machine. so yes?? hamstrings i reckon.

my .45 hasn’t been cleaned in ages and i’m afraid it will blow up in my face. serious.

as long as it wasnt bicep curls.

i assume you know the difference between the two? [/quote]

does a hobby horse have a wooden dick?

shall i post the workout so you can tell me if it’s worth a shit or shall i post tomorrow’s routine and you give me some input then?

i will post my #'s tomorrow regardless.

9

this is it…i vary the leg bit up every week.

Weekly Schedule

Sunday: Off
Monday: Chest, Back, and Abs
Tuesday: Quads, Hams, and Calves
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Chest, Back, and Abs
Friday: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, and Calves
Saturday: Off

Monday:
Exercise Sets Reps Rest
1A) Incline (30 degrees) Dumbbell Press 3 12, 10, 8 None
1B) Pull-downs 3 15, 12, 10 90 seconds
2A) One-arm DB Rows 3 15, 12, 10 None
2B) Flat DB Flyes 3 10-15 60-90 seconds
3) Dumbbell Pullovers 3 10-15 60-90 seconds
4) Hanging Leg Raises 4 AMRAP* 60-90 seconds

  • (as many reps as possible)

Tuesday:
Exercise Sets Reps Rest

  1. Barbell Squats 4 20, 15, 12, 20 2 minutes
  2. Lying Leg Curls 3 10, 8, 6 60 seconds
  3. Ham Pull-Throughs (see pics) 3 15, 12, 8 60 seconds
  4. Walking Lunges 3 24-30 total steps 90 seconds
  5. Standing Calf Raises 4 8, 8, 8, 20 60 seconds
  6. Seated Calf Raises 3 20 90 seconds

Thursday:
Exercise Sets Reps Rest

  1. Rack Deadlifts 4 10, 8, 6, 4 2 minutes
    2A) Floor Presses (see pics) 4 5 None
    2B) Overhand Barbell Rows 4 8 90 seconds
    3A) Low Cable Rows 3 12-15 None
    3B) Shallow Incline Flye/Press 3 12-15 60-90 seconds
  2. Dr. Clay’s “Ab Triad”
    A) Floor V-ups 3 15 (or AMRAP) None
    B) Reverse Crunches 3 15 (or AMRAP) None
    C) Regular Crunches 3 15 (or AMRAP) None

Friday:
Exercise Sets Reps Rest

  1. Hanging Clean & Press 4 10, 8, 6, 4 90-120 seconds
  2. Standing Lateral Raises 3 15, 12, 10 60 seconds
  3. Arnold Press 3 10-12 60-90 seconds
    4A) Skull Crushers 3 15, 12, 9 None
    4B) BB Curls 3 15, 12, 9 60-90 seconds
  4. Unilateral DB Calf Raises 3 8-12 60 sec (back and forth)
10

that was too long and im too sleepy.

someone else, please pick up the shit slinging where i’ve left off…

11

[quote]dejavued wrote:
yay…talenaah started a journal!

talenaah wrote:
the feeling of trembling legs, shortness of breath and being ready to fall over

teehee.
[/quote]

thanks dejavued… cool avi btw…

12

Welcome! I wish I had enough knowledge about training to make intelligent comment on your program, but I don’t. Are you steadily able to lift more weight or do more reps on this program? Are you getting the body comp. changes/fat loss you are looking for? If yes, then you are training “smart”. If no, then I’d be interested in hearing what exactly isn’t working for you results-wise.

Last question: do you have access to a power rack/squat rack/whatever its called? Cause I’m calling you out if there is one in your gym and you are just too big a pussy to use it. That sort of thing is just not gonna cut it 'round here.

13

[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
Welcome! I wish I had enough knowledge about training to make intelligent comment on your program, but I don’t. Are you steadily able to lift more weight or do more reps on this program? Are you getting the body comp. changes/fat loss you are looking for? If yes, then you are training “smart”. If no, then I’d be interested in hearing what exactly isn’t working for you results-wise.

Last question: do you have access to a power rack/squat rack/whatever its called? Cause I’m calling you out if there is one in your gym and you are just too big a pussy to use it. That sort of thing is just not gonna cut it 'round here.[/quote]

thanks for stopping in kimba…your back will work as a great motivator for me!

only been on this program for just over a month. made a huge adjustment to my eating program, i was a carb phobe. i am now eating appropriately (carbs every day, adjust levels according to training, most importantly, eating them pre-post WO) the combo of that and this program has allowed me to drop about 2-3 lbs of fat and i’m feeling tighter in shoulders/arms. yes, i’ve been able to increas the weight a bit and will continue to focus on that.

mind you, i kept beating my head for slow fat loss. new mindset…get fuckin stronger, put on some muscle and hopefully some fat starts melting along the way. (no focus on ‘weight loss’)

i will try the real rack next week when i do legs. dumb question of the day…smith machine vs power rack? same…different? i don’t like that assisted rack, but i use it for the exercise called out for tonight’s routine, rack deadlifts. it definitely hits my lower back in a way that i don’t get doing deads from the floor with the (pre-set weight thing) barbell.

i love deads (and variations of) for the way it hits my buns…they are big buns and i like 'em that way.

14

I don’t usually hand out advice here but I’m going to chime in. I’m not a big fan of your program if your goal is strength. It’s haphazard, has exercises that aren’t much bang for your buck and focuses too much on short rest times. The easiest thing to do is to find a good strength program and go with that. Starr’s 5x5, push/pull/legs, ws4sb or wendler’s 5/3/1 are all solid programs.

15

[quote]talenaah wrote:

get fuckin stronger, put on some muscle and hopefully some felt starts melting along the way. (no focus on 'weight loss)[/quote]

If those are are your goals, it seems that you are meeting them on this program. Good for you! If I were you, I’d stick with that program until you stop improving on it. There is something to be said for picking something and sticking with it.

[quote]i will try the real rack next week when i do legs. dumb question of the day…smith machine vs power rack? same…different? i don’t like that assisted rack, but i use it for the exercise called out for tonight’s routine, rack deadlifts. it definitely hits my lower back in a way that i don’t get doing deads from the floor with the (pre-set weight thing) barbell.

i love deads (and variations of) for the way it hits my buns…they are big buns and i like 'em that way. [/quote]

Personally, I am not a fan of the Smith machine for anything else than doing chinups on the bar at the highest setting. The thing I like about lifting is that I’m responsible for stablizing the weight in all dimensions. This works my core strength as well as whatever arm or leg is primarily working. The set track of the Smith machine doesn’t do that for me.

I’d definitely suggest making friends with the power rack for your squats and deads, and work on getting your form correct on those lifts.

16

[quote]rcfromdb wrote:
I don’t usually hand out advice here but I’m going to chime in. I’m not a big fan of your program if your goal is strength. It’s haphazard, has exercises that aren’t much bang for your buck and focuses too much on short rest times. The easiest thing to do is to find a good strength program and go with that. Starr’s 5x5, push/pull/legs, ws4sb or wendler’s 5/3/1 are all solid programs.

[/quote]

please…hand away! that’s why i started this damn journal. :slight_smile:

hopefully i’m not sending mixed messages…yes, i want to be strong and continue to get strong. but i’m certainly not trying to attain powerlifting status or ginormous #s. my ultimate goal is to have arms/back/shoulders that scream for attention. ok-at least beg for a little attention. i’ve been lifting solidly for 6 years and it pisses me off that i have so little to show for it in my upper body. (all the booze in those first 4 years pretty much kept my improvements minimal)

if this program sucks, then by all means people tell me. i picked it cuz i wanted to focus on my upper body. i like having something written down for me to follow-makes it so much easier. strength good, leaning out better. i think i’ve got a handle on the eating part so now i need the proper training program.

thanks so much…

17

So you want to be strong but really you’re more interested in what your upper body looks like? Sounds more like figure aspirations than PL ones - am I right? This is not a bad thing. It’s just important to know exactly what it is you want.

18

[quote]rcfromdb wrote:
So you want to be strong but really you’re more interested in what your upper body looks like? Sounds more like figure aspirations than PL ones - am I right? This is not a bad thing. It’s just important to know exactly what it is you want.[/quote]

do you mean figure aspirations as in figure competitor? that would be a big fat no. i would like my body to represent the amount of work i’ve put into it and will continue to put into it.

is it idiotic of me to be envious of broads who have nary picked up a dumbell and have defined arms and backs? it freakin pisses me off. yeah, genetics, i know. i want to be strong so that when i’m 70, i’m still doing shit. no broken bones, active, all that good stuff. i want to be lean because seeing well defined muscles (everywhere) is sexy.

i’m pretty happy with my legs/booty…for the time being. so i’m shifting focus on upper. that’s what my big deal with that is…

19

[quote]talenaah wrote:
do you mean figure aspirations as in figure competitor? that would be a big fat no. i would like my body to represent the amount of work i’ve put into it and will continue to put into it.

is it idiotic of me to be envious of broads who have nary picked up a dumbell and have defined arms and backs? it freakin pisses me off. yeah, genetics, i know. i want to be strong so that when i’m 70, i’m still doing shit. no broken bones, active, all that good stuff. i want to be lean because seeing well defined muscles (everywhere) is sexy.

i’m pretty happy with my legs/booty…for the time being. so i’m shifting focus on upper. that’s what my big deal with that is…
[/quote]

just my 2 cents… take it or leave it.

but i’ve seen ur pictures and think i have a grasp on ur goals.

it seems to me that those genetics u were cursing… cause you to hold more fat in ur upper back and arms than most other chicks. the lean, ripped look ur going for is going to come only as a result of fat loss.

i think u’ll find building the muscle isn’t as hard for you and that you have a pretty decent muscle mass already.

you can really focus on excellent, hardcore nutrition and make sure to progressively lift heavy weights (pretty much regardless of the program) and do some conditioning… and you’ll reach ur goal.

or you can drink a bit and eat more fun foods (but still get in ur protein, veggies, fats, etc) and really make sure to follow a solid strength program and do lots of exercise and reach ur goal too. and probably reach it in a happier state and with out a big relapse/binges. but it will take quite a while longer.

or do something somewhere in the middle.

there are a lot of paths that will get u where you want to be.

i think you can train like you are or follow a strength based program like one of the one’s rc recommended… and see results either way. but i think seeing strength results and feeling kick ass strong and accomplished gives you a big mental boost that “hypertrophy” style training might not.

not sure if i made sense. i’m a bit blazed. i’ll probably edit this 10 times. lol

20

[quote]dejavued wrote:

just my 2 cents… take it or leave it.

but i’ve seen ur pictures and think i have a grasp on ur goals.

it seems to me that those genetics u were cursing… cause you to hold more fat in ur upper back and arms than most other chicks. the lean, ripped look ur going for is going to come only as a result of fat loss.

i think u’ll find building the muscle isn’t as hard for you and that you have a pretty decent muscle mass already.

you can really focus on excellent, hardcore nutrition and make sure to progressively lift heavy weights (pretty much regardless of the program) and do some conditioning… and you’ll reach ur goal.

or you can drink a bit and eat more fun foods (but still get in ur protein, veggies, fats, etc) and really make sure to follow a solid strength program and do lots of exercise and reach ur goal too. and probably reach it in a happier state and with out a big relapse/binges. but it will take quite a while longer.

or do something somewhere in the middle.

there are a lot of paths that will get u where you want to be.

i think you can train like you are or follow a strength based program like one of the one’s rc recommended… and see results either way. but i think seeing strength results and feeling kick ass strong and accomplished gives you a big mental boost that “hypertrophy” style training might not.

not sure if i made sense. i’m a bit blazed. i’ll probably edit this 10 times. lol
[/quote]

blazed works for you…you totally got it! thank you!!

yes-i need to lose more body fat to reveal a fairly decent muscle base (and keep building on that base). so my focus was so bent on ‘losing fat’ while still lifting, that i seriously think that mental shit was messing me up. my not smart training included: doing a bit too much cardio on weight training days, not eating enough carbs and not likely not keeping an eye on macros/timing (is macros a bad word over here?) i don’t calorie count…

i started this upper program because it was concrete and somethin i could follow. i started eating even more and dropped the already minimal “cardio” to hardly anything. i’m down about 3 lbs so something is working. (shoulders lookin better too)

i figured i will stick with this plan through winter (change the lifting as needed) and see how i look by spring. if i haven’t made enough progress, then i will go balls to the wall. tweak diet, do some serious metabolic stuff, whatever it takes, b/c i’ve been doing the happy medium and i’m no longer satisfied.

i do enjoy my wine (1-2x per month)and live by the 90/10 eating idear…90 clean 10 not so clean. appreciate your input heaps! i need to check out those programs…