Has it been a year already? well, almost.imagine where you’ll be this time NEXT year! 
[quote]
That’s alot of progress in eleven months.[/quote]
That’s what I’ve been saying!! Now, the trick is to NOT get all disappointed and stuff as your “progress” starts to trickle off. You’ve pretty much officially graduated past the ‘beginner’ phase and gains will be harder to come by. You’re a highly motivated individual though, so I don’t think it’ll be a concern…
Oh, I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t curl my toes in the OHS. For me it’s more about keeping my torso ‘tight’ as far as maintaining my balance. My .02
[quote]JoeGood wrote:
Thats a lof of progress their Kimba, congrats.
Yeah PW is nice and polite. In 35+ if you don’t do 5/3/1 we eat you.[/quote]
Shit, I had thought about doing a log in 35+ when I start my rehab and comeback. But I don’t do 5/3/1 and don’t want to get eaten!
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]JoeGood wrote:
Thats a lof of progress their Kimba, congrats.
Yeah PW is nice and polite. In 35+ if you don’t do 5/3/1 we eat you.[/quote]
Shit, I had thought about doing a log in 35+ when I start my rehab and comeback. But I don’t do 5/3/1 and don’t want to get eaten!
[/quote]
Just tell everyone its the 5/3/1 snapper variant, we’ll never notice the difference.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
[quote]JoeGood wrote:
Thats a lof of progress their Kimba, congrats.
Yeah PW is nice and polite. In 35+ if you don’t do 5/3/1 we eat you.[/quote]
Shit, I had thought about doing a log in 35+ when I start my rehab and comeback. But I don’t do 5/3/1 and don’t want to get eaten!
[/quote]
yeah, no kiddin’…me either. sounds like the over the hill gang can get downright vicious, eh.
CD, you are definitely right. Progress is harder to come by now. But there are many ways to improve, and not all of them involve lifting more weight.
Today’s deadlift today was a good example of this.
5/3/1 - Wave 5, Week 2 - Sumo Deadlift Day
Sumo Deadlift
from steps:
65# 1 x 5
85# 1 x 5
105# 1 x 3
From floor
135# 1 x 3 <–working
152# 1 x 3 <–working
171# 1 x 2 <–money set
BBB - 135# 5 x 3 reps <–all good form, but my endurance once again wasn’t great
So, I did not get the 3 reps I was looking for on the money set. 2 reps is even a stretch because I stood up in between the reps to totally reset my back and grip (feet stayed where they were, though).
The good news is that my form was acceptable on the 171. In March during week 3, I got 170 for 3 reps with acceptable form, so I can look at this as a PR +1 lb. with acceptable form. Last month I got 175 for 3 reps with unbelievably crappy form. So although I got that weight up, I was pullling it all with my rounded back. Not good, and I wasn’t proud.
I wish I could have gotten more reps on the 135# sets, but I died quickly after a couple of reps. Also, some of the reps went up easy, and some went up hard. I am still learning where all my body parts need to be to get a good pull.
So, I suspect that I’ll be working slowly up from 171 for awhile. As for the belt/no belt issue, my inclination is to hold off for awhile. I could probably lift more weight sooner with the belt, but I’m in no rush.
Kroc Rows
40# 1 x 10, 2 x 5
supersetted with
Neutral grip pullups
3/3/1
This probably wasn’t my nost successful superset ever. But my upper back got a workout.
[quote]CDQAR24 wrote:
You’re a highly motivated individual though, so I don’t think it’ll be a concern…[/quote]
^^^^
even tho you said this
this is still pretty fucked up. even i wouldnt say shit like that. who’s to say she’s still a beginner or not? time put in equals next to nothing. ive been doing this for three years and im still learning how to squat, deadlift, and bench. it’s not for lack of effort, either.
[quote]CBear84 wrote:
[quote]CDQAR24 wrote:
You’re a highly motivated individual though, so I don’t think it’ll be a concern…[/quote]
^^^^
even tho you said this
this is still pretty fucked up. even i wouldnt say shit like that. who’s to say she’s still a beginner or not? time put in equals next to nothing. ive been doing this for three years and im still learning how to squat, deadlift, and bench. it’s not for lack of effort, either. [/quote]
Whoa, I’m not saying anything negative. At least I don’t look at it that way! My point was simply that Kimba has made some AWESOME improvements over her last year (approx.) and for her not to get discouraged IF/WHEN the strides seem to ‘slow down.’
Now, I don’t claim to be an expert (and I’ve been at this ‘weight training game’ for approx. 30 yrs myself) AND we can ALL continue learning new things. I mean, that really IS the point right? We must all continually learn new stuff to make progress, whether that be a new training technique or listening to our body’s responses to the training we’re employing.
And from what I’ve researched and read in her logs…I don’t feel like Kimba should be considered a ‘beginner’ anymore. My OPINION only, from a theoretical point of view anyway.
And Kimba, if I offended, please accept my apology. My observation WAS NOT meant to be anything other than encouraging…AND congrats on the heavy deads! Seems as though your recent improvements in your squat are transferring nicely!
Firstly, excellent work on the money set! And yes, I’d def consider acceptable form with +1 a win.
Secondly, FUCK! So basically if we stand up and totally reset on the DL that doesn’t count as a set? WAH. This is what I do! I simply don’t know how to DL otherwise unless I’m using a weight that’s not challenging.
Also, what is BBB?
And lastly, I forgot to tell you, girl, if you can do a WG pullup, which I know you can, I’m sure you can bust out a weighted pullup. Just sayin’
How you lift is entirely up to you Kimba, that said plenty of people totally reset after every lift of their sets as a method of keeping form good and its generally considered a set.
Its more a matter of preference, IMHO.
I think what CDQAR means is that gains feel exponential when one starts lifting. After a period of time, there’s a tapering of such gains. Two steps forward; one step back. This is certainly true for me. However, I think that Kimba is the queen of identifying progress and putting a positive spin on her workouts. Hence, one of the draws (at least for me) to her log.
Regarding the DLs, I just think spending too much time between reps is a waste of time and energy. That’s not to say that it can’t be considered a “set,” though. Quibbling over nomenclature . . . As the lift gets more intuitive, the lengthy reset between each rep should be shortened.
CD, you’d actually have to TRY and offend me in order to succeed at it. None of this inadvertent crap will do it.
In terms of “beginner-ness”, I feel as CBear does that I am still trying hard to internalize good form on my squats, deads and bench. Some days are more successful than others, but I still feel very wet-behind-the-ears on these lifts.
I took CD’s comment just like Snapper did. When I first got the correct deadlift cues (from CBear & Meat), in one session I went from a PR of 135# up to a PR of 160#. I accept that a 25# PR will probably not happen again on my deads, because I’ve reached the point where the gains are small and hard-fought.
But I’ll be very happy with a pound or two more (or 5 lbs more on a good day), a nicer back arch, or pulling a heavy weight faster off the floor with good hip action.
Maschy, you and I HAVE to reset ourselves between reps because we are new at this and need to think about every damned body part and where it needs to be. Someday, this will be “intuitive” as Snapper puts it, and we’ll be faster between reps.
Standing up and totally resetting has thus far been the most successful reset strategy for me, so I’m happy to hear Joe’s opinion that this is still a set. Holding onto the bar while straigtening my legs then getting back into position doesn’t work for me because I always end up with worse back rounding when I do that.
BBB is “Boring But Big” in 5/3/1 speak. Cliffs Notes = lots of reps, lower weight but enuf to kick my ass.
If my wrist would let me do a chinup, I could probably do at least one weighted chin. Alas, its only neutral grip for now, and I can barely haul my bodyweight up in that position.
No training today except for my ART rehab exercises. Hours at the salon for my every-four-months keratin treatment to tame my frizzy waves, then fighting the grocery store crowds to shop for Mother’s Day brunch at my house tomorrow. Bench and squat day tomorrow AM!
Keratin? never heard of that for frizzy hair (I have naturally curly hair which i loathe and straighten all the time) I am interested…
I just went back an looked - you squat more than your own body weight for multiple reps! Hello!!! Most men I see at my gym can’t do that. Your determination, attitude to learn more, and better your mechanics will take you far beyond what you expected. Correct form is HUUUUGE and many people completely miss it.
My trainer still nit picks my form; even when I think I get it right there is always "watch your knees, don’t swing, focus on the contraction, blah, blah, blah:, you get my point. I do exactly what you do, I have to reset a bit, to rethink every body part and position, its natural when you want to have good form and not get injured.
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
But I’ll be very happy with a pound or two more (or 5 lbs more on a good day), a nicer back arch, or pulling a heavy weight faster off the floor with good hip action.
[/quote]
great stuff, there kimba…always the positive one keepin’ it real…love it.
[quote]
Hours at the salon for my every-four-months keratin treatment to tame my frizzy waves, then fighting the grocery store crowds to shop for Mother’s Day brunch at my house tomorrow. Bench and squat day tomorrow AM![/quote]
i’m sure the hair looks lovely. hope you didn’t beat anyone down at the grocery store and i’m sure you had a great squat and bench this am. enjoy your mother’s day brunch!
Glad to hear that your DL form is improving! Hope your brunch was delicious!
Spirited, thanks for your encouragement! As for the hair issue – I have lots of thick, wavy, frizzy hair that I finally got tired of spending a ton of time with the blow dryer to tame…for an hour or two of smooth until it went wild again. My hairstylist was on me for a year about trying the brazilian keratin treatment, and one day I just told her to do it. Here is a link that explains what this is:
My treatment took about 3.5 hours start to finish, and the product used on me gets rinsed out after an hour so I don’t have to run around for days with the product in my hair (yuck) which is the cheaper version. This will last about four months, and I love it so much that I would give up LOTS of other things in order to keep having it done.
T. and Rachelle, brunch was delicious! However, I ate way too many starchy carbs (bagel, potato salad, strawberry shortcake, cookies, etc., so I’m feeling a bit bloated. Carbs really aren’t my friends, but they sure are Tasty with a Capital T. Oh, and lets not forget the mimosas.
So…squat and bench day was a bit of a challenge. Woke up late and groggy, rushed to the gym and forgot my water bottle with my Surge. It was that kind of day, but a fun training nonetheless.
5/3/1 - Wave 5, Week 2 – Squat and Bench Day
Squats (3 risers/step)
Bar 1 x 10
85# 1 x 3
96# 1 x 3
108# 1 x 5 <–money set felt hard and there was HUGE knee cave on last few reps
BBB - 75# 3 x 10 reps ← form all good.
For some reason, my standard 3 risers plus step depth felt REALLY low to me today. I was hoping for more reps on the money set, but no point in keeping going with that knee cave. Still working the stance.
Bench Press
Bar 1 x 5
60# 1 x 3
68# 1 x 3
76.5# 1 x 6 <–money set, failed on 7
Hoping for more on the money set, but oh well. To put this in perspective, I have previously done 11 reps at 72#, but only 7 reps at 75#, 6 reps at 80#. And the most I’ve ever benched is 85# for 2 reps. There seems to be a steep drop off in the number of reps I can do over 75#. I think the one-rep-max calculators aren’t tailored for me!
Dips
7.5 lb. dumbbell between feet 3 x 10 reps
Two separate dudes commented on these today. Both comments were quite nice, in the “hey, good set” vein. I really like these straightforward positive comments. Maybe it was karmic payback for me saying to a woman in the weight room (a woman! in the weight room!) who was busting out perfect wide grip pullups, “that was awesome”. Which she appreciated and we had a nice little conversation (she is a rower with a lovely upper back).
Cable Pull-throughs (with the D handle) paused for 3 secs. at top and bottom
47.5# 1 x 10
52.5# 2 x 10
I tried extra hard to squeeze my glutes at the top and bring the hips.
Decline pushups (feet on bench)
1 x 10
These were harder than with my feet up on the steps last week. Unsurprisingly as the bench is higher up. I started to sag my middle during the last few reps, so these need some training.
Then it was off to assemble brunch!
told ya you were a dip queen 
you’re inspiring the world Kinba~ brunch was much deserved.
Thats good training, particularly when doing both squat and bench.
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
As for the hair issue – I have lots of thick, wavy, frizzy hair that I finally got tired of spending a ton of time with the blow dryer to tame…for an hour or two of smooth until it went wild again.
[/quote]
Show off.
Yeah, we’ve talked about those 1 RM calculators. But I’m the opposite of you, Kimba. Can do WAY more for one rep than I should be able to do according to the calculators.
N., does the title of dip queen come with a snazzy tiara?
Joe, thanks for the encouragement. Someday I’ll give poor ole bench its own day.
Snapper, I sense you have unresolved issues about your hair. I agree that chicks with fine hair don’t get this situation at all…
Today was military press day in my jammies, first thing in the AM.
5/3/1 - Wave 5, Week 2 - Military Press day
Military Press
52.5# 1 x 3
60# 1 x 3
67.5# 1 x 2 <–money set, PR +2.5 lbs.
I failed on rep 3 in the money set, but got it 2/3 of the way up in slow tortuous fashion before failing it. Still, I’m very happy with this.
Chinups
1 x 2
Felt only somewhat uncomfortable, but I’ll hold off on this grip for now.
WG Pullup
1 x 1
Still can’t do 2.
Pullups
2 x 3
This grip feels good to my wonky left wrist, so I’m officially starting to train this grip again.
Now its time to put my fancy clothes on and stop walking by the chinup bar and banging out reps.