Putting my Back On Track!

Training
41

[quote]cholulalula wrote:
I don’t like the hamstring curls either, or machines in general, to be honest. I think the hamstring rollouts are a good choice.

Looks like strength is progressing, keep it up!![/quote]

Thanx cholulalula! Well ya, and that little “pain” that I felt is still there if I climb stairs. I am SO glad I stopped right away. It was my fault though. I jumped up too high. I think I had been up to 50# but not very long, then I jumped to 60#. Stupid… Just that 50# felt easy and I was getting impatient.

42

gee I should post more often because I am forgetting what I have done. Last exercise I posted was Legs last Tuesday.

Wednesday March 14
step class

Thursday March 15-
yoga preceded by machine rows (60#x8x3) and shoulder presses (30#x8x3)

Friday March 16-
yoga

Saturday March 17-
I did Step with some quick weights- not much at all

Sunday March 18-
nil

Monday March 19-
back, section 1. I will post the exercises later but this was my first try at splitting the exercises into 2 groups. Yesterday was the free weight group and now that I have split it up, it includes some anti rotation back exercises like one arm bent over rows etc and some core like plank.

43

Monday March 19

step class

Back: Day 1

Group 1

–Cable/rope Pull-downs:
3x8x60#
–Cable/rope Standing rows:
3x8x60#
–Bent-legged deadlift:
3x8x40#
–Bent-over dumbbell row:
3x8x40#
–Dumbbell straight-legged Good Mornings:
3x8x20#
–Pullovers:
3x8x#15

Group 2

–One-arm Farmers kettleball carry, right/left:
2 laps x 25#,
–One-arm bent-over kettleball row, right/left:
3x8x25#
–Plank
–Suitcase pickup (leg a one arm deadlift),right/left:
3x8x25#
–Seated Chest supported machine row:
3x8x60#
–Seated machine Military Press (new grip):
3x8x30#

I didn’t do the bird-dog.
The whole thing took 60 minutes

44

Tuesday March 20

3x8x single leg romainian deadlifts.

yoga

45

I keep going back to my other journal to watch these videos so I am posting them here too

46
47

DieselCrew.com - Ultimate Two Minute Shoulder Warm-up - YouTube!

48

multifidus

tee hee what kinda name is that??

heavier weights… less reps…

have you thought of something like starting strength or 5/3/1?

i just wonder because in a couple places you say that you got stronger… and i wonder if you get some kinda kick or buzz from that?
when i first joined the gym i did 3 sets of 10-12 reps… machine weights for three months (making steady progress) then free weights for 3 months (bit of a regression while i learned form / woke up my stabilizers then steady progress… the steady progress got me totally hooked! sometimes i had to suck it up, take a load off, and wake up some stabilizers again… bit of a process is that and i expect i gotta find my multifidus at some point…

then i saw this and got well and truly inspired:

maybe you will become a powerlifter or something??

49

[quote]alexus wrote:
multifidus

tee hee what kinda name is that??

heavier weights… less reps…

have you thought of something like starting strength or 5/3/1?

i just wonder because in a couple places you say that you got stronger… and i wonder if you get some kinda kick or buzz from that?
when i first joined the gym i did 3 sets of 10-12 reps… machine weights for three months (making steady progress) then free weights for 3 months (bit of a regression while i learned form / woke up my stabilizers then steady progress… the steady progress got me totally hooked! sometimes i had to suck it up, take a load off, and wake up some stabilizers again… bit of a process is that and i expect i gotta find my multifidus at some point…

then i saw this and got well and truly inspired:

maybe you will become a powerlifter or something??[/quote]

Thanx Alexus !

I had to laugh at the multifidus comment. That video is amazing- I had no idea the barbells bounce so high- .

Well I am so glad I post here. SO glad. I was so resistant to free weights when I started and with the help of some arguments here I can see how much better they are. That’s why I laughed at the multifidus comment because I get it now.

I think I have to work on my confidence just as much as my strength. I think that is what I am doing now. I am getting into a routine and into a groove, and gaining confidence.

I do like getting stronger, that’s the point for me. The more the muscle pulls on the bones, the stronger bones will become. And it has been proven that more weight is better.

I will give 5x3x1 a try. At least a try. I resisted single leg rdl’s and bent over dumbbell rows for so long, and now they are my favorite exercises because I know they are helping me the most.

thanx for visiting!

50

Wednesday March 21

step class

&

LEGS:

weights are total dumbbell weights (R+L)
I cycle through the entire routine 3 times rather than doing each exercise 3 times separately.

–Single-legged Romanian dead lifts to 8"
3x8xBW

–Squats to the ground
3x8x30#

–Calf raises:
3x20x30# with a pause at the top to look right or left and then back to centre

–Dumbbell Lunges
3x8x30# alternating right,left for a total of 16

-Pelvic thrusts with feet on a bench:
3x25xBW#

–Standing hip abductions:
3x20x0# Just right leg

-Dumbbell Bulgarian split squats with back foot on 8" bench
3x8x30# 8 right then 8 left

–Standing hip abductions:
3x20x0# Just left leg

The whole thing took 60 minutes

I did not do the machines tonite- I was too tired and I didn’t want to go past an hour.
I didn’t do the stability ball hamstring rollouts because I ran out of time but also because I could really feel my hamstrings on the pelvic thrusts- my feet were raised higher today than they normally are.

Normally the machines are:
-single-legged seated hamstring curls: 45-#55
-double-legged seated quad extensions: 30-35#
-seated abduction: 70#

I am thinking of breaking the legs into 2 days as well as the back.

51

Good stuff in here!

I think you’re on the right track as Lexi and Lula pointed out. Gain some confidence and awareness on the machines, and then once you feel ok on them move to free weights and compound movements. I think what happened with the hamstring machine is a perfect example of what should happen with all the machines.

52

[quote]Patch2 wrote:
Good stuff in here!

I think you’re on the right track as Lexi and Lula pointed out. Gain some confidence and awareness on the machines, and then once you feel ok on them move to free weights and compound movements. I think what happened with the hamstring machine is a perfect example of what should happen with all the machines. [/quote]

Thank you Patch! I do feel like I could use a lot more weight on the free weights, but it is mostly lack of confidence holding me back. Also, ignorance about my limits. I don’t want to find out where my limits are by blowing a gasket!

53

Thursday March 22- yoga
Friday March 23 - yoga
Saturday March 24 - nil
Sunday March 25 - 3hr hike
Monday March 226 - step class

Lunchtime

–Single-legged Romanian dead lifts to the ground
2x8xBW left,right

–Calf Raises:
20 x BW+30#

–Standing hip abduction
2x20 left,right

–Ronde je jambes
2x24front/24back left, right

After Step- Circuit 1

–Lat Pull-downs:
1x8x70# and 1x8x80#

–Seated Cable Row:
2x8x70#

–Incline Lever Rows:
2x8x(? + 10#)

–45 degree back extensions
2x10x25# held at chest

–45 degree oblique holds
2x30secondsx10#

–Seated Posterior Flies:
2x8x40#

–prone upper back raises with a plate on my back, arms by my side
2x20x25#

Circuit 2

–Cable/rope Pull-downs:
1x8x50# and 1x8x60#

–Cable/rope Standing rows:
2x8x70#

–Pullovers:
2x8x#15

–Supine Chin tucks:
2x30seconds iso hold

–Seated Chest supported machine row:
2x8x70#

–Seated machine Military Press (new grip):
1x8x30# and 1x8x35#

Circuit 3

-Double-legged seated quad extension machine:
1x8x35# and 1x8x40#

-Single-legged seated hamstring curl machine:
1x8x40# and 1x8x45#

-Seated abduction machine:
2x8x70#

The whole thing after class took just under 60 minutes. I am very happy about doing more different types of exercises in the same amount of time. I have decided to reduce to 2 sets- the first being more of a warmup and then increasing the weight on the second set and seeing how many reps I could do. I was surprized because I could still do 8 reps with the increased weights.

54

[quote]Reconstruction wrote:

[quote]Patch2 wrote:
Good stuff in here!

I think you’re on the right track as Lexi and Lula pointed out. Gain some confidence and awareness on the machines, and then once you feel ok on them move to free weights and compound movements. I think what happened with the hamstring machine is a perfect example of what should happen with all the machines. [/quote]

Thank you Patch! I do feel like I could use a lot more weight on the free weights, but it is mostly lack of confidence holding me back. Also, ignorance about my limits. I don’t want to find out where my limits are by blowing a gasket![/quote]

Just as long as you’re not staying stagnant :slight_smile:

55

[quote]Patch2 wrote:

[quote]Reconstruction wrote:

[quote]Patch2 wrote:
Good stuff in here!

I think you’re on the right track as Lexi and Lula pointed out. Gain some confidence and awareness on the machines, and then once you feel ok on them move to free weights and compound movements. I think what happened with the hamstring machine is a perfect example of what should happen with all the machines. [/quote]

Thank you Patch! I do feel like I could use a lot more weight on the free weights, but it is mostly lack of confidence holding me back. Also, ignorance about my limits. I don’t want to find out where my limits are by blowing a gasket![/quote]

Just as long as you’re not staying stagnant :slight_smile:
[/quote]

Thanx Patch, I am the type to always want more :slight_smile: Or new.

56

Tuesday March 27- yoga
Wednesday March 28- step

followed by

Misc body/free weights

weights are total dumbbell weight

-Single-legged Romanian dead lifts to the ground
3x5xBW left,right

–Unsupported Bent over dumbbell row
2x8x30#, 1x8x40#

–Straight-legged dumbbell deadlifts
1x8x30#, 2x8x40#

–Dumbbell Lunges
2x8x30# alternating right,left for a total of 16

–Calf Raises:
1x20x30#, 2x20x40# with a pause at the top to look right or left and then back to centre

–Dumbbell Bulgarian split squat with back foot on 8" bench
2x8x30# 8 right then 8 left

–Standing hip abduction
2x20 left

-Pelvic thrusts with feet on a 12" bench:
1x50xBW both feet, 1x20xBW one foot with other leg in figure 4 on knee, left, right

–Standing hip abduction
2x20 right

–“Kroc” rows
1x8x20#, left, right

–Dumbbell squats to parallel with the ground, dumbbells on shoulders
1x8x30#

I was a bit disorganized as it was new.
The whole thing took 50 minutes.
I will have to do the anti rotation stuff on a separate day.
The deadlifts feel amazing on my hamstrings.

So I am thinking 3 days of combo a week. One day machines, one day free like today, and one day free like today but focusing more on anti rotation- so say bent over rows but with just one arm at a time. etc.

57

I’ve decided to drop the squats.
I just read:
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/21_exercises_for_injury_free_mass

the squats to me are the only exercise that I am doing that feel dangerous. I feel a lot of compressive loading in the knee joint. It doesn’t hurt but it feels quite unusual. Something I have never experienced before. I feel like the really high compressive loading may not be good for the cartilage. At least not at my age. And that is with only 30# on my shoulders.

I may be wrong but I need to follow my instincts- something just feels not normal.

I am keeping the bent over rows and the deadlifts though. I quite like them both and they do not feel dangerous to me. Only the squats feel dangerous.

58

do the squats feel dangerous or do the squats feel odd - because there is quite a difference. some guy choking me in jiu jitzu feels odd - but it isn’t dangerous at all. i remember when muscular failure felt odd - especially on overhead lifts - but it similarly isn’t dangerous at all.

if you feel your knee joints grinding or stabby pain then it would be important to look into what is causing that…

but squats are what keep your knees healthy… and your hips…

59

[quote]alexus wrote:
do the squats feel dangerous or do the squats feel odd - because there is quite a difference. some guy choking me in jiu jitzu feels odd - but it isn’t dangerous at all. i remember when muscular failure felt odd - especially on overhead lifts - but it similarly isn’t dangerous at all.

if you feel your knee joints grinding or stabby pain then it would be important to look into what is causing that…

but squats are what keep your knees healthy… and your hips…

Hi Alexus! No my knees don’t feel grindy and they don’t hurt. They just feel weird. Full. It might be that it is because I am doing the weights after a step aerobics class. My knees often feel a little full after a class- not swollen, just used I guess.

I am revamping my weights to not do legs at least after aerobics.

Re that Asian squat. Ya, I have a hard time with that. I can do it but there is no way I can keep my back perpendicular to the ground, I am leaning way forward. We do those in yoga. Not my favorite pose but I can do it. I guess I will practice. I’d like to know why I can’t keep my back erect. But then I noticed that on real squats, such as what you were doing in your video, the back is leaning forward anyway, so maybe it isn’t a big deal.

Thanx for visiting and I welcome your feedback! I will practice those squats :slight_smile:

60

Thursday March 29- yoga
Friday March 30 - yoga
Sat/Sun - nil

Monday April 2 - step class followed by machine weights

Circuit 1

–Lat Pull-downs:
1x8x80# and 1x8x80#

–Seated Cable Row:
2x8x80#

–Incline Lever Rows:
2x8x(? + 15#)

–45 degree back extensions
3x10x25# held at chest

–Seated Posterior Flies:
1x8x40# , 1x4x55#

Circuit 2

–Seated Chest supported machine row:
2x8x75#

–Seated machine Military Press (new grip):
2x8x35#

Circuit 3

–Cable/rope Pull-downs:
1x8x50# and 1x8x60#

–Cable/rope Standing rows:
2x8x80#

I upped a lot of the weights today. The lat pulldowns were quite difficult to complete on the second set.

The whole thing took 35 minutes.

I really want to start doing weights more often but for less time. That is the way to build bone mass . I read that even splitting the workout with a 4-8 hour break is better that doing all the weights at once. I want to figure out how to do this without having to live at the gym. And still allowing for days off. And I don’t want to drop aerobics, I love aerobics but it does work my legs.

I was very surprised at the ease of the military presses tonight. They were really not that bad at 35#- yet only last week at 35# I thought they were going to kill me. It is nice to feel that sort of improvement.