05.19.08
More BJJ lifting fun
Last week during warmups at BJJ, we added two body lifts. In the first, your partner sits in front of you, back to you; you squat down, lock your arms under his arms/around his chest, and squat up. Lift him up 5x, then lock your arms around his waist, and carry him down the mat; set him down; repeat. In the second, your partner faces you; grab one wrist and the same-side leg and lift him on your shoulder (fireman carry). Lift 5x; on the 5th, carry him down the mat; set down; repeat.
The first night I did them, I got stuck with a ~190-lb guy. He had no problem with me. I could barely get him off the floor! For the carrying part, I had to switch with someone else because I couldn’t lift the first guy’s feet off the ground. In the fireman carry, I grabbed a slightly lighter guy. (But only slightly! He’s dense…)
I was trying more for speed that first night, to keep up with the guys. I sacrificed a bit of form, which was bad–all week my back has hurt a lot. It’s been a week of stretching, warm showers, ibuprofen, and pain. And BJJ around all of that. Yes, I’m nuts, I’m sure.
The second night, our coach felt bad for me, I think, having to try to lift the really big guys, so he put me with the smallest guy on the team, ~145lbs. That was almost doable =P. We only did the first lift, but I really really focused on my form. The next morning, my back didn’t hurt any more than it already did, so that’s a good sign.
The carry part of that first lift really hits your glutes and hamstrings. (The second night, my glutes and hammies were seriously close to cramping. They be working hard.) Push your hips out in front so that the majority of the weight is resting on your hips/abs and down. You don’t want that weight on your back. Your arms and back should just be along to stabilize your partner against your body. Pull your shoulder blades back and in to keep your back from rounding. (Do the same on the fireman carry, too.)
If you don’t have a willing partner of liftable weight, you can always make one: sandbags (here or here), weighted to order. Have some fun with your lifting.
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03.21.08
Changing my mind
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| Photo by LollyKnit |
I started doing New Rules of Lifting For Women earlier this year because I wanted to:
- get in shape
- have a routine
At the time, I didn’t put too much thought into it. Here was a new program right when I wanted to start and the background, nutrition, and workout information seemed good, so I thought I’d use it for a few months and then go on. I’d cut my calories, lose body fat, and get muscle definition. Yippee. This is what a women thinks when she hears “exercise”, even if it’s presented as a strength-training workout.
However, the longer I’m in this program, the more I’m realizing that this isn’t just about getting in shape. It’s not about looking good in a bikini or tank top anymore. It’s about the lifts. Squats, Deadlifts, Bulgarian Split Squats, those blasted Cuban snatches, thrusters, HIIT: these things that frighten my body but that fascinate my mind.
What am I capable of? How much more can I lift? This isn’t like other sports I’ve played. The competition is much more with yourself because the training is the competition. Every day under the bar is game day. Every day is different. Every day, something can be measurably improved. I get better and stronger because I choose to add more weight.
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03.17.08
Ego Lifting
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| Photo by Rick Audet |
My younger brother lifts and has lifted for about 4 years now. He usually doesn’t want to talk to me about what he does in the gym, but he was feeling talkative this weekend so I asked him about his workout. He’s usually at the gym for a few hours, several days a week. What does he do there?
He does a body-building type split. For legs, he said, he does calf raises, leg presses, leg extensions, and lunges. I asked him about squats and deadlifts. “No,” he said, “they hurt my back.” He does know they’re good, so props for that, but he says he injured his back about a year ago doing 250-lb Bent-Over Rows and now does nothing that might involve the possibility that his back would bend. (In other words, whatever he did hurt a lot and he doesn’t want to repeat it.)
I asked about dropping the weight down and retraining his back to stay out of the lift, which is what I had to do with my squats and DLs. “No,” he said, “I won’t do anything that means I have to drop the weights.” Not even if it’s a better exercise than the ones you’re doing?
“No, I lift for ego. I want people to look over and see the amount of weight I’m using and be impressed. I don’t really care what exercises I have to do, but I will only do exercises where I can use several hundred pounds.”
And, yes, my brother has little stick legs despite his “several hundred pounds” on those leg machines. And, yes, he does want to be bigger.
I wonder how many other guys lift like this. (I’m guessing a lot.) Only do exercises that let them use massive weights, even if the actual strength and size gains are minimal. Pump out a grunting flat bench-press but never do pushups. Do lunges until their forearms are screaming but never try a raised lunge, reverse lunge, Bulgarian Split Squat, or step up. Refuse to try a new exercise because they can’t use the same weight as an exercise they think is similar.
Lifting for your ego? Around other guys sweating it out in the gym? You want to train just like them and look just like them (and they’re not all that impressive)? And yet you think this will somehow make them all want to talk to you and ask you your “secret” (but you train the same way they do)…
What about being “that guy” who does all the crazy lifts in the corner, getting stronger and bigger by the week, that guy who everyone copies as soon as he leaves (and then they realize that silly-looking lift is hard but works everything hard)…
My brother said I wouldn’t understand because I’m a girl and so it’s okay for me to use lighter weights. Trust me, kid, girls have egos, too, when it comes to weights. I hated having to admit to dropping my squat and DL weights because my form stunk–and I train alone in my basement! But when I’m up to squatting and DL’ing my body weight and more, then I’ll have some ego in my lifting…
03.14.08
NROLFW, Stage 2B1
Oops, I was supposed to post this yesterday. Instead, I took the day off from work and slept. Woke up to eat and slept again. Didn’t get much sleep Wednesday night after 2B1, probably because of the intervals getting my heart rate up. Whew.
Anyways:
- Wide Grip Deadlift: (1×10x20lbs, 1×5x40lbs) 2×10x50lbs
- Bulgarian Split Squat: 2×10xbw
- Underhand Pulldown: 2×10x50lbs
- Reverse Lunge + Reach: 2×10x10-lbs DBs
- DB Cuban Snatch: 2×10x5-lbs DBs
- Swiss Ball Crunch: 2×10x10lbs
- Reverse Crunch: 2×10
- Flexion #1: 2×10
- Prone Cobra: 90s
- HIIT (road running): 3x(1min/2min), 1x(30s/2min)
Wowzers. This workout isn’t easy. Really, all of these workouts look so innocent on paper, but once you add heavy weights and start working through them, they’re anything but. And some of these exercises (BSS, Cuban, and flexion) look really easy, so you want to add more weight, but it’s really almost impossible! I was tired enough after the weights part, but I figured that intervals were there as a finisher anyway, so I went outside and ran as many as I could (which was far fewer than I’d thought I could).
I was so sore after 2A1, lasting until Wednesday evening. But I’m not so sore after 2B1, just so tired.
Part of the sleeping problem, I think, is that this workout took so long. Probably an hour to an hour fifteen minutes for the weights, plus the intervals afterward. Part of the time problem is the two single-leg exercises. I may drop the rest after those and just do straight supersets; I did that on the two crunches/flexion superset.
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02.27.08
NROLFW, 1B8: Deads
The last regular workout of Stage 1. Wow.
- Deadlifts: (1×10x20) 3×8x50lbs
- DB Shoulder Press: 3×8x17.5lbs each
- Wide Grip Pull Down: 3×8x40lbs
- Lunges: 3×8x17.5lbs each
- Crunches: 3×8x10lbs (Swiss ball*)
*Arms too tired to hold the dumbbell out, long-arm style.
Last week all I could do was whine about my deadlifts; I couldn’t seem to get them, I looked goofy when I taped myself, nothing was working, yadda yadda yadda. Last night, easy peasy. Up, down, up, down. No extraneous pain, no issues. ??
I’ve been watching deadlift videos and reading deadlift articles since last week. Maybe one of them finally reset my brain correctly? I don’t know. All I know is, I finally got the deadlifts to work beautifully.
In another *headdesk* moment, I finally calculated the exact grams of proteins, carbs, and fat I need to aim for every day. Yes, this is a very basic and very “Well, duh” thing, but I just didn’t do it. Anyway, I want 40/30/30, protein/carbs/fat, so:
- Workout days: 2200 calories:
- protein: 220 g
- carbs: 165 g
- fat: 73 g
- Non-workout days: 1900 calories:
- protein: 190 g
- carbs: 143 g
- fat: 63 g
Knowing those numbers doesn’t change the fact that I’m reactive rather than proactive about tracking my food. But at least I’m not stuck depending on percentages, and I can see where I need to adjust a little easier. Besides, as I eat the same things again and again, I’ll be able to fit things in on the fly a little better.
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02.23.08
NROLFW, 1A8
I watched the video from Tuesday and Thursday. I can tell that my back is rounding a bit right before coming up in the squat or going down in the deadlift. And I look goofy trying to get down from the deadlift. Other than that, though, I think I’m just overthinking this. Meh.
- Squats: 1×8x60lbs, 2×8x50
- T-Pushups: 3×8x10 lbs (on knuckles, then grab 10-lb db)
- Seated Rows: 2×8x55lbs, 1×8x50
- Step Ups: 3×8x35lbs
- Prone Jackknife: 2×15 / Reverse Crunch: 1×15*
*Had to bail on the last set of prone jackknives because I was sliding off the ball!
So that’s the last official workout A from Stage 1; I just have the AMRAP (as many reps as possible) workout later this week. Wow. Hard to believe I’ve been on NROLFW for so long now…
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02.22.08
NROLFW, 1B7: *headdesk*
Deadlifts are making me cry. I love them. I want them.
I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.
- Deadlift: (1×10x20, 1×8x50) 1×8x70lbs, 2×8x50lbs
- DB Shoulder Press: 3×8x35lbs
- Wide Grip Pulldowns: 3×8x40lbs
- Lunges: 3×8x35lbs
- Crunches: 3×15x10lbs (long arm, Swiss ball)
After last week’s DLs, I went hunting for any information I could find about doing deadlifts, and I really thought I’d found the problem/solution. I tried it last night on the first set, and the only thing I could feel was my lower back (very low, in the middle) screaming. Okay, that was bad.
Dropped the weight and tried again. Lower back. Argh!! Tried again, trying to do more of what I’d done before, and then couldn’t get the weights down again. *headdesk*
The first solution should probably be to drop the weight even more and get the movement down. But that’s just it–I have the form at lower weights, or I can’t tell that I don’t because the weight’s too light and I feel nothing.
But, like the squats on Tuesday, these DLs were taped, so I’ll spend tonight and tomorrow trying to get the video off the tape and on to my computer.
Two more regular workouts and then the two special AMRAP workouts, and I’ll be done with Stage 1. 
02.11.08
NROLFW, 1B5: Grip Gripe
I was supposed to sleep more over the weekend… Yeah, that didn’t happen. Too many things to do and to watch. I did take a few naps, and I think those helped me stay up later. Oops. (I was wonderfully sore all weekend, too.)
Weighed in and measured yesterday.
- weight: 133.8 lbs (UP 2.6 lbs)
- body fat %: 25.1% (DOWN 0.8% = 0.4 lbs)
- lean muscle: 95.2 lbs (UP 2.8 lbs)
- Waist: 29″
- Hips: 39.5″
- Right Bicep: 11.25″
- Left Bicep: 10.75″
- Chest (armpits): 33″
- Chest (bust): 34.5″
- Right Thigh: 23.5″
- Left Thigh: 22.5″
- Right Calf: 15″
- Left Calf: 14.5″
First of all, I’m lopsided, and I find this funny. 
Second, for the weight/fat/muscle… I’m just wondering if that can right. I’m a girl, for crying out loud; my body-building little brother can’t put on that much muscle mass in two weeks. (And I gained the “mass” in my stomach (bad) and hips (really not where we want that)). Sure, it’s probably water weight, but it’s weird water. Well, if nothing else, at least I (hopefully) lost fat. And this morning at work, someone complimented me and said it looks like I’m losing weight. I’ll take that as a positive.
Then this morning was a comedy of errors. Spilled Gatorade + Protein on the white carpet–clean it up. Then couldn’t do math to set up all the weights: 5+5+2.5+…wait, what was the question? Deadlift form stunk. My legs seem to not be involved at all. Grip failed on Lunges, though it was starting to fail earlier.
- Deadlifts: 3×10x55 lbs (grip started failing here; kept switching alternate grips)
- DB Shoulder Press: 3×10x30 lbs
- Wide Grip Pulldowns: 3×10x40 lbs (grip failing here, too)
- Lunges: 1×10x30 lbs, 2×10x20 lbs (grip failed after first leg; switched to lower weights to rest, then switched back on the last set. Grip failed again. But both legs got at least one set at 30 lbs.)
- Crunches: 3×12x10 lbs (long arm)
As soon as I find the battery to the camcorder, I have got to tape my deadlifts and squats and make sure I have the right form. *grumble*
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02.06.08
NROLFW, 1B4: Get a Grip!
My grip is failing. 
By the end of deadlifts this morning, the pinky side of my right hand (the last two fingers) was unable to grip the bar. I finally switched to an alternate grip, with that side facing away.
Then in the lunges, I had the same problem and no way to change my grip. The dumbbell in my right hand was sagging–almost perpendicular to the floor by the end! Holding the dumbbells up by my shoulders didn’t work so well, either, since I’d already reduced my arms to rubber.
I’ve already looked at StrongLift’s suggestions for deadlift grip, but the grip issue is also in my lunges (and step-ups, from Monday). I think a lot of it is that my pinky and ring finger on my right hand have less work to do than all the other fingers when I type/use the mouse. I’m paying attention to those two as I type right now, and I notice that I don’t use them nearly as much as the other fingers or even as much as the same fingers on the left hand. So I think I need to work on engaging that half of my right hand more throughout the day.
All my weights today were really heavy by the end. Those last few reps… whew. Got them out, somehow.
Deadlifts: 2×12x50 lbs
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 2×12x30 lbs (total)
Wide Grip Pulldowns: 2×12x30 lbs
Lunges: 2×12x30 lbs (total)
Crunches: 2×12x10 lbs (on Swiss ball, long arm)
I just noticed I haven’t mentioned my sleeping problems for the last two weeks. Probably too sleep-deprived to remember… 
Anyway, the last two weeks (that is, since starting this program), I’ve had trouble sleeping. I’ve been waking up 2-3 times per night for no reason. I fall asleep with no problem initially and after each wake-up. So for the last two weeks, I’ve been really sleepy all day and have needed extra coffee just to make it to 5 p.m.
I finally noticed Monday night (yeah, I’m slow) that Lou mentions that your sleep patterns may be disrupted when you first start the program. So I’m not abnormal. Well, at least not in this. But then last night I slept soundly and woke up three minutes before my alarm went off. I’d call that a success.
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02.01.08
NROLFW, 1B3: Owie #2
Last night at TKD, the advanced belts got in trouble for talking too loudly and interrupting the class before them. So at the beginning of their class, there was a lecture and then pushups+. Even though we black belts were teaching in the previous class and not part of the too-loudness, we are also part of the advanced belt class, so we had got to do the pushup matrix with them.
50 knuckle pushups, 50 bodyweight squats, 50 crunches.
I was proud of my pushups: I didn’t have to really slow down until about 45 (but then those last 5 were killer!). Squats, I did full squats while most everyone else did quarter squats; by about 40, my legs were tired. (Even if it’s a punishment, still ought to get the most benefit, right?) Crunches, easyness.
Then I taught the brown belts their combos. I demonstrated the first one, back leg front/round, back leg round/side–owie, that’s a hamstring!! Ow, ow, ow. I had to sit down to teach for a while and try to work out that owie. I think it’s a hamstring; it’s high up on the back of my left leg, inside a bit, and localized–but it hurt!
And then this morning was deadlifts. Ha, funny. I had already decided to try rack pulls–I thought they’d bring the bar up higher because, with my wimpy weights, it still sits on the ground. The rack brought the bar up higher alright: almost to my knees. Um, I’m short, and apparently shorter than I thought. But before 7 a.m., I can’t make decisions very well, so I just left it. Might have been a good move, with the pull/whatever in my leg.
The pulley on the back of the power rack makes for lots of fun. And a long-arm crunch on the Swiss ball with a 10-lb dumbbell–good times. At least I managed to count to 12 today, instead of 15 as on Wednesday. Sheesh.
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