[quote]Mascherano wrote:
Hey mama, I think finding a coach is a great idea! Especially because you are at a level where some professional direction would be invaluable to your progress.
You might also want to consider finding a coach that you can work with from a distance if you don’t have one nearby (plus they also might be cheaper). I for one still hit up Squat1000 for training and program advice and he’s helped my tons! Critiqued form and my programs and has been a great friend through all my lifting. I don’t think he’s on TN anymore, but you could PM him, maybe ask if he has any recs? I’ll also get in touch with him and see what he thinks, maybe he knows something we dont.
And like MiMsie said, you’re not in a rush, so you can take time to experiment and try new things, which might actually be a great respite from the heavy lifting.
Also, how many times a week do you train your chins? Do you do pullups with other grips? Mine are completely suffering!! Want.yours.now.[/quote]
I do chins 1-2x/week. I used to do them 3x/week, but now I usually just do them on my back day and maybe 1 other day. I will incorporate weighted chins sometimes too, which I feel help a lot. The mixed grip thing was experimental and I haven’t really stuck with it long enough to see if it had an impact on my pull up strength. Sometimes I will do sets of chins to failure across. It is brutal but I think this has helped me progress in the past. I also like lat pull downs for “practice” and to help me identify where my lats connect and really get used to contracting them hard. hth!!
Gah, I do need a coach! Thanks so much for your input and advice. I need to rush off and do homework now because I have a wedding to go to tonight about an hr and a half drive away(where I have purposely decided to drive home from after the reception so I won’t drink). lol. That way, I can really get my head in right place on Sunday and worry about my programming/finding a coach after the gym.
So I turned to my awesome boyfriend for help in writing me a program. I figured he may be able to take a more objective perspective and help me get my ass in gear. He also gave some tough love wherein I realized it may be my attitude that is the root of the problem. I dug deep and figured out I may just be lacking in my rest/recovery time and my diet. I need more sleep, more meditation, more active recovery, less extraneous cardio, and ultimately more protein and less high GI carbs. Here is the new program I will be following:
Sunday:
Weeks 1-3: heavy flat bench for sets across or working up to a max
accessories include weighted dips, pushups, floor press, push downs, close grip bench, triceps extensions. will be picking 2-3 to do any given Sunday.
Week 4: Dumbbell bench
Monday:
Weeks 1-3: Squats, sets across
accessories include good mornings, ham curls, hypers, hip thrusts
Week 4: Leg press plus accessories to target hams
Thursday:
Incline Bench for some sort of PR
Dumbbell or shoulder press
curls
Friday:
Weeks 1&3: Deadlifts for PR
leg press, or lunges, focus on quads
Weeks 2&4: Weighted chins, quad accessory, dumbbell rows, and curls
I’ll also throw calves in a few times a week. I’m going to scale my cardio back to 2-3 days a week and make one of those days sled work, one day incline treadmill, and one day swimming if I feel so inclined. Looking at this program, it looks awesome for me. I’m really excited to get started. I just need to remain focused at all times and not freak out if I am not setting PRs every day. Effort and intensity are where its at, and I know I can bring both I know. I’m looking to MAINTAIN weight with a much greater interest in protein. New rule is whatever I put in my mouth, even if its just something quick on the run, must have a macro breakdown of >50% unless it is EFAs or the odd teaspoon of peanut butter. 8 or more hours of sleep a night at all costs. Ok, I’m out and off to bed. Thanks again everyone for the support through these confusing times!! Woo hoo excited to get my bench on tomorrow.
don’t fret on the chunk out of the wall. comes with being a meathead. plus if the fees are steep they already have incidentals like that calculated in there.
Good on you for working through the confusion and getting to place of clarity. Lots of high GI carbs may have contributed to the problem – I know they do a number on my mood and how I feel.
SQUAT EVERY DAY…jk, maybe not every day, but squat sometimes…jeez
I warmed up a lot more today with some bird dog body weight shit and glute bridges and what have you
Squats:
barx10
115x8(added set for additional warm up!)
135x6
155x6(another extra set)
185x5
205x4
215x3x3(worksets)
205x5
185x10(all or nothin back off set)
man! I had an epiphany yesterday during bench press. If I take my time warming up and make sure my form is dandy and everything is firing like its supposed to, I do better, sooo more warmup sets for me.
Good mornings:
barx10
65x8
85x6
100x5x2
Leg press
4 plates x20
leg extensions
4 plates 2 chips x18
standing leg curl
15x3
Now I must say, this workout was different than the leg days I have been doing recently. Same exercises, but completely different feel. Less sweating, but more intensity and recovery time between sets. I love training both ways, so I’m going to keep doing both.
[quote]owlie wrote:
myofascial release, you are my best and only friend. [/quote]
This is a lifesaver, I need to find someone in AL that really knows it!
Just a tip I got when learning Westside (I know that’s not what you’re doing). Always train the tricep extensors, light weights, it’s a small muscle. Accessories like Tates, rolling db, jm’s on bench day
[quote]owlie wrote:
myofascial release, you are my best and only friend. [/quote]
This is a lifesaver, I need to find someone in AL that really knows it!
Just a tip I got when learning Westside (I know that’s not what you’re doing). Always train the tricep extensors, light weights, it’s a small muscle. Accessories like Tates, rolling db, jm’s on bench day
[/quote]
I will definitely be taking that advice. Keep the tips rolling if you have even the slightest whim. If I follow the tested advice of the wise, maybe, just maybe one day I will bench >200 raw which is one of my biggest dreams.
9/24/10
Really shat all over my deadlift:
135x5x2
185x3
185x5
205x3
225x3-was supposed to pull these for 3 singles, got confused, yes seriously this happened, and pulled for a set of 3
240-felt shitty
240-failed, lost confidence
My deadlift form is all over the place. I NEED to deadlift every week. Thinking of just going back to pulling 2s and 3s and keeping all the weight sub maximal. Need to fix my form, and I just can’t recover quickly enough from max effort sets of 5+. Ugh, deadlifts, What am I doing?!?!
You mentioned that you wanted to maintain strength, right? Why not just stay below your max(80-90%?) and lift 5 sets of 3…or 3x5…something like that. 1 day could be deadlifts and another could be rack pulls? I dunno!
Owlie, my deadlift form is all over the place sometimes too - if anything that’s the lift where I always want and try to have someone watch me who knows what they are doing. I also never look in the mirror when I deadlift, it forced me to learn how to set up not by look but by feel - just a suggestion to throw out there.
Ramped up weight today, but ended up doing 2 sets of 3 at the end.
Squats:
Bodyweight squats, bird-dog, other absurd looking but effective stretching, with intense kill face on. Succeeded in warming up both mind and spirit.
barx10
115x6
135x5
155x5-shut up body, you are not dying. Moment of insight: sometimes my body panics right before I start to get heavy. This is an illegitimate response to the prospect of hard work. Ignore unless profusely bleeding
185x5
195x5
205x5
210x5
220x3x2
back off set
135x20
Goodmornings
barx10
65x10
85x8x3
I was sucking down water my whole workout without peeing and my belt started to get extra tight right around the last set of goodmornings.
