nice bench PR’s Nadia 
BooYA!
Damn mama! Your bench improves the most on PW. I wish I had such consistent progress.
10 pounds away from a BW bench… that’s so exciting! You’ll get that very soon.
I give you tons of credit to get back in the gymnastics gym. I make myself do at least one flip flop per year to make sure I can still do it, but I’m dying to get back on the bars. Part of me is scared to find out it’s all gone though, that would be a sad, sad day!
I adore your blind confidence in me and my workouts. A typical workout for me usually starts and ends with a complex or some tabata style conditioning. Sandwiched in between I choose 3-5 big lifts, hitting the large muscle groups (I stole that kind of work-out set up from Alpha’s old logs, I believe). Like you, I also turned runner-so I run 3-4 times per week with a long(ish) run on the weekends. I have a few halves coming up this summer so I should be doing more, but to be honest my heart just isn’t in the running at the moment. I’m hoping nice weather coming soon changes that.
GREAT workout! Huge gains on the bench…and a 110 row is impressive as well! With your attitude, I have no doubt BW bench will be reported shortly.
aw, please do start a log here cholulalula (cool name btw). doesn’t matter if your training is more whatever you feel like doing. i think there are a few of us here who train more like that than following much of a program…
that is some nice benching nadia!
Cal, Frenchie, and MIm: Thanks for the bench love!
Nikki: I’m starting to really have to fight for every rep pr, but my 1 rep max keeps going up. I fear a plateau soon, but yeah gains have been super good for me over the last 7 months or so–20lbs–from 95 lbs to 115!
Cholulalu: My confidence was based on the fact that you were a gymnast. Gymnasts are tough. And I agree with Alexus. You should log. I’m always curious how others manage to balance diverse training interests. And I adore the half marathon distance and would like to read about your training there too. Have you looked in to whether there is an adult open gym in your area? No reason you can’t swing bars again.
+++++++++++
Training
Running is my religion. 6 mile run yesterday. Very wet. Nike sensor died about 4 miles in. Body is not perfect, but I felt joy being outside, alone, in the quiet of the early morning.
Hip rehap stuff=tkes, balance work, 100 BW squats, stretching, foam rolling.
Handstands, straddle L sits.
Oops. Hi Alexus!
Looks like you’re serious about bringing your squat up. I’m happy for you. Squats are fantastic. Your other lifts are strong, so why not work on your self-proclaimed weakness.
The talk in here about ‘straddling’ the beam (with force!) brings back MANY memories. Ouch is not sufficient!
Good luck with your hip rehab and running. The trail run that I did last week reminded me of why I started running way back when… moving meditation.
Rehab looks like you are giving it a solid effort.
I was struck by your comment that you are driven to prove your best days as an athlete aren’t behind you. Luckily (I guess) I was a terribly uncoordinated non-athlete in my youth, so my days as an athlete are NOW by default.
Could it be that your athletic accomplishments today might be so different that a comparison to a childhood Nadia just isn’t possible? OK, you might be doing the same gymnastic moves. But you are doing them with an entirely different body. And all of your peer group from back in the day is sitting their fat asses on the couch, while you still got it goin’ on.
I wonder how athletes who are high-level performers in their teens and twenties handle being forty-something. How does a formerly world-record holding sprinter handle being forty-five and trying to run recreationally for example?
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
I was struck by your comment that you are driven to prove your best days as an athlete aren’t behind you.[/quote]
I can so relate to this.
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
Luckily (I guess) I was a terribly uncoordinated non-athlete in my youth, so my days as an athlete are NOW by default.
[/quote]
And I can relate to this. Although I don’t think I was uncoordinated, athletics were just not something I pursued until my late 30s. I never played a sport as a kid. And like O has said, finding competitive powerlifting was like discovering a part of myself I never knew existed.
Pleateaus suck =(
Don’t be discouraged if it happens though, if everyone got a PR each session, there’ll be women curling trains.
Nice running =D
giggling at “curling trains”
Hi
yeah, I’m fitter / stronger etc than i’ve ever been.
there are some guys at my gym who lament not being as strong as they used to be…
and there are some guys at my gym who constantly train to do better than they did before…
sometimes they overlap. othertimes not.
i’d imagine it would be hard, though.
there is one dude who represented the country for Oly Lifting and he doesn’t seem to be able to bear doing them anymore…
i think partly it is because his knees are a bit stuffed. and partly because if you don’t keep up the training your technique deteriorates (and he used to train multiple times per day and he certainly doesn’t do that anymore) and of course he isn’t 18 anymore…
i think he has a pretty kick ass bench these days, though.
Veggie: It’s one of the things I like least about myself–the unwillingness to really work at what doesn’t come naturally to me. I like what I’m good at, and I tend to focus on those things. I’m trying to change. No doubt I would be a much better athlete if I worked as hard at bringing up my weakness as I do at bringing up my strengths.
Kimba: It’s true that I’m not riding the same bike anymore. But, is it also true that an adult female body is less physically capable than an adolescent one? Perhaps on the exercises that I have a measure it is–pullups, pushups, and all the gymnastics elements. But, I also ran my best 5k and track times as a freshman in highschool. This was so even though I ran cross country and track all 4 years. The truth is that I lost my competitive fire when I quit gymnastics. I couldn’t do any other sport but run because I had no sport specific skills. And I thought running was stupid–as in everyone and anyone can run. I just participated.
I wasn’t close to an elite level athlete in running or gymnastics. So I can’t speak to what that experience is like. I think my past accomplishments are in reach. And I’m working towards them–25 pullups, better than a 6 min mile, and a 5k time that starts with the number 20. Maybe I have a better dl and bench then I would have had as a kid. I dunno. It doesn’t really matter. Regardless of where I end up, it feels really good to be competing again–even if it is just against my childhood self. I tell you that little girl was pretty damn tough. And I’m trying to get her back.
Snap: Sport is a beautiful thing. I’m glad you found one you love and have pursued it to the competitive level as an adult. That’s very cool.
Nikki: That’s why I log here–for the advice, support, and encouragment. This getting strong business is a bitch to navigate alone. I feel lucky to have found my way to this community.
Arachne: Curling trains would be a cool.
Alexus: I feel really lucky that I had the opportunity to participate in sports as a kid. And my kid self keeps me motivated. I like chasing her. It’s not a bad perspective to have.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Training 5-3-1 DLS
This was a jack shit day. But a good PR day.
Warm ups, working sets, and then prs.
225x5–1st time pulling 225 for reps. Felt strong
245x3–2nd time ever pulling 245, 1st time for reps. Felt like passing out.
265x1–+15lb PR. Felt like a beast. Ecstatic.
Damn are you sure that the 265 is your max? Looked way too easy for you. Congrats on all those PRs!
awesome PR’s once again!! I hear you on repping the heavy stuff…
WINNING!!!
DUH.
WTF! Those are beastly pulls! I can’t do that and you weigh about as much as my left thigh. Seriously. Maybe you should compete.
5/3/1
BOOM!
A-MAZING!!!
265 - nice pull!