Ah, I love the pickle jar PR!
Mmmm pickles are my weakness. If I didn’t have a little bit of self control I’d eat the whole jar. Crunch, crunch!
I agree. Pickles are yummy–hence the frustratioin/cursing when the jar is uncooperative.
Deadlifts today.
My BBB soreness has finally resolved. Still taking it easy though.
DLs bar x 10
135x5
155x5
175x5x3
A wee bit of some not very good good mornings and hanging leg raises.
Here’s my third set at 175–checking for back rounding–I don’t think it’s so bad. My husband says I need a belt. I have a feeling I’ll be getting one for Christmas. I hope he picked out a nice color.
I don’t think the back rounding is bad either, the first rep was probably the best.
I hope Santa leaves a belt in your stocking ;D
Hopefully your hubby knows your favorite color. If not, pay attention to sneaky questions like “Honey, will you prefer dinner on a red or blue plate? Oh, blue? You like blue, huh?”
Honestly, I’d take any one of those reps at 175 for myself. I don’t see any rounding. Indeed, the first rep was more back-arched but your hips came up first, which didn’t happen on the succeeding reps where your back was straight but not arched.
Clearly that isn’t even close to your one-rep max.
A belt has helped me a little on deadlifts, but its mostly in my head that I’m “safer” with it on.
I hope that Santa is bringing me cute running shorts. Granted, I won’t be able to use them outside for many months, but there is always the treadmill.
[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:
Hopefully your hubby knows your favorite color. If not, pay attention to sneaky questions like “Honey, will you prefer dinner on a red or blue plate? Oh, blue? You like blue, huh?”[/quote]
Nikki: Picturing my husband surreptitiously trying to figure out what color I would like makes me laugh. I suspect that what color to choose won’t enter his mind unless and until he is forced to make a color choice.
Kimba: I hope you get your cute running shorts too. Treadmill running is a no go for me. It is so boring and hard. Luckily, I live in a fairly temperate climate so I have a choice.
My deadlift 1 rep max is 225. I’ve pulled 185 for 5, but after that it is singleville for me–190x1, ect. I’ve been stuck at 185x5 for awhile. I’m hoping I can do better than that this go around.
I’m kinda indifferent about the belt right now; (if I get one) I’ll try it for sure. Mabye it will give me the illusion of a waist. That’s worth something.
Training
4 mile run. Easy. But I’m feeling stiff. I haven’t been stretching as much lately. The Christmas tree has taken over my spot.
I haven’t been stuck, but I don’t train the DL regularly.
you’ll get past it eventually and then be stuck again, only at a higher number. 
Great work on the pullup video!
Great work woman! And glad the doms resolved.
I didn’t see much rounding either, and I agree the first rep was nice and tight. You made it look super easy!
The only thing I noticed is that your butt is higher on the last few reps than on your first rep, so maybe it feels like your using your back more, thus the rounding? Not sure, just something to think about.
Lol @ the pickle jar PR! HAHA! I love it when people ask me to open their jars or carry heavy objects up stairs and things like that, makes me feel super strong and efficient.
Mim: No DL plateaus? I’m excited to see what you will be able to do, assuming you focus your training on strength gains. I suspect you have a huge potential for strength. (Whispers pick powerlifting or strongman!) And I know you’re right, plateaus are a part of the game. Add virtuous patience to my Christmas list. I have none when it comes to training.
Thanks Timmyo! I heart pullups.
Mascherano: Thank you. And I do feel like I pull with my back. Getting my butt down will likely help with that. My almost downward dog looking like deadlifts are probably not exactly right.
4 mile run today. And stretching. Shit if I didn’t get all tight and nasty from my 1 week lay off from stretching. That’s my one complaint about getting older–consistency is key or regression seems to occur almost immediately. Curses.
Nope, I’ve never maxed out on the DL…I’ve never kept adding weight to ‘grind one out.’ Makes me curious!!
Regarding the DL vid: Your first rep looks very nice. After that, your form deteriorates. It almost looks like you’re doing RDLs to me. I criticize because I’ve thrown my back out twice DLing and making the same mistake. I strongly advise you to reset between each rep instead of doing touch-and-go. It will help you drop your hips down and pull with your hammies and glutes more on each rep rather than relying on your back.
And I’m with you on the reps. I won’t do more than three at a working weight. Just wrote it into my contract, in fact. But I can keep adding the weight and pull singles for a good long time.
Yeah, being a middle-aged lady means never, ever stopping because the consequences are extremely dire.
How do you track your runs for mileage and pace?
Shows a lot! Pullups are character building.
I heart resting between reps 
I have the same thing with stretching (or mobility drills). Even one days total rest and my body is cranky / creaky as hell next time. Great running.
Nadia, you must be as old as me then because I can regress quickly as well. I’m the worst with remembering to stretch, then when I do, it’s a lot of "ooh… ooh… ugh"s ;D
Mim: Sounds like it’s time to start testing those limits.
Kpsnap: Agreed. I pull with my back. My glutes and hammies are comparatively weak. I have much form work to do. But I love touch and go–I’m not sure I can give it up. Uggh. I’m like a spoiled child.
Kimba: “Lady” and “middle aged” should never be used in the same sentence. Each standing alone is awful enough. I jest. And I agree–staying active is key to aging well. And as a wise person once told me, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to spend a lot more of your life being old than you ever did being young.
Alexus and Nikki: Ahh I love you guys. And you’re right–it’s a cop out to blame my regression on my age. It’s a simple (and ageless) principle: you get out what you put in.
I do a lot of computer work, though (which reinforces my postural problems of tight hip flexors, cranky lumbar spine, rounded forwards shoulders, tight hamstrings, anterior pelvic tilt etc). I’m also not as young as I used to be 
And have old joint injuries… Must get back to taking fish oil, actually (over 1 gram of EPA daily) because that really did help my joints recover a lot. I need to relearn deadlifting because I tend to pull with my back (extending my hips too soon rather than getting under it properly with my legs and using them till it is past my knees). Crap. I do tend to regress when form Nazi isn’t criticizing me…
Alexus: You’ve had a fair bit of physical challenges to overcome. You’re moving forward and doing well. There’s always going to be something to work on. That’s the challenge and the fun.
+++++++++
My half-marathon results are in. I ran well and feel really good about the effort, finishing in just under 1:55 (average pace per mile 8:47). I’m particularly happy with those results because at about mile 8 I had to stop, wait in line, and use a port-a-potty.
Truthfully, I wasn’t excited about running this race. It felt like something I had to get through before I could get to my 5-3-1 week, where I feel poised to set some rep prs. I thought I had decided that my running was going to take a back seat to my strength goals, but I feel less certain about that now. The only thing I am certain of is that I feel really grateful to be occupying this body-as healthy and strong as it is.
I really should be nicer to it.