04.01.08
NROLFW, 3A1
I have been run over by a truck…
- One-arm DB snatch: 3×6x20lb –I love these!
- DB single-leg RDL: 1×6x10lb DBs, 2×6x20lb DB (switched from 2 10-lb DBs to 1 20-lb DB–balance improved)
- Bent-over Row: 3×6x40lbs
- DB single-arm OH squat: 3×6x5/10lb DB (oops–lighter weight is supposed to go overhead)
- DB incline press: 1×6x10lb DBs, 1×6x15lbs DBs, 1×6x20lbs DBs
- Planks: 3×90s
- Reverse Wood Chop: 3×6x10lbs
Followed by the Bodyweight Matrix:
- 24 bw squats — easy
- 12 lunges/leg — yawn
- 12 jump lunges/leg — ouchies. Quads quit working about halfway through, and feet get stuck to the ground…
- the end…
You’re supposed to repeat the BW Matrix, but I could hardly move my legs. Still sore and stiff today. Whew.
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03.31.08
Women and Exercise
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| Photo by heavyweightgeek |
I’ve noticed that women usually hear the word “exercise” or “workout” and immediately jump to “losing weight.” We’ve been convinced that exercise is only good for changing the number on the scale.
Eat less, exercise more. It’s the mantra we’ve been taught. I’m too fat. It’s what we tell ourselves every day. So when we see a program like New Rules of Lifting for Women, we jump on board and expect weight loss to follow quickly.
And then… Weeks pass, and we look the same. The scale has gone up instead of down. We compare our “before” and “current” pictures, and we look the same. Even when other people tell us that there’s more definition in our abs/legs/face or that our butt looks higher, we don’t believe them. “Those pants” still don’t fit–or are even tighter!
I’m exercising, we think. Why am I not losing weight? We worry that the program isn’t working, that it’s another gimmick and we’ve been had. Sure, we can lift heavier weights than we thought; we’re sore in muscles we didn’t know we had; we have more energy than ever before. But still we long for hours of cardio and high reps with pink dumbbells; at least the scale moved in the “right” direction back then.
This isn’t just a physical transformation we’re going through. It’s a mental and a physiological one, as well. We must retrain our minds to focus on the goal and not current obstacles; we must learn patience and trust. We must learn that the standards we’re using to judge our progress may not be accurate. We must teach our bodies to adjust to the new demands on them; we must fuel our bodies for the activities we put them through. This is a metamorphosis.
What are we becoming?
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03.11.08
NROLFW, Stage 2A1
I just finished a week off from NROLFW. The off week ended up coming at just the right time; VT was on spring break and I was heading off to visit a friend. Anyway, so last night I started Stage 2.
Pre-workout: 1 scoop Full-Blown Extreme, Berry Blast, + 1 scoop Iso-Extreme, Berry Blast
- Front Squat/Push Press: (squat: 1×10xbw; fspp:1×10x20lbs) 2×10x40lbs
- Step Ups: Lx10×20-lb DB, Rx10×10-lb DBs; Rx10×20-lb DB, Lx10×10-lb DB
- Dumbbell 1-Point Row: 2×10x10-lb DBs
- Static Lunge (rear foot elevated): 2×10xbw*
- Pushups: 2×10 (elbows close)
- Plank: 1×60s; 1×45s, 1×15s
- Horizontal Woodchop (on Swiss ball): 2×10x10-lbs
*My big toes don’t bend that way…? Huh? And this was just hard after everything else. Ugh.
Ack, there are still step ups. Why don’t these go away?? They hurt! *end whine*
The thrusters (front squat/push press) take a lot out of you. I barely finished that second set. By rep 7 I was slowing down, but I pushed through to finish the other reps.
This workout took me nearly an hour. I had to pause between legs on step ups and lunges. And then all I wanted was to go to bed. Today, I’m sore and stiff. Ooo, yeah.
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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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02.01.08
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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01.28.08
NROLFW, Day 9: Oof
I work out first thing in the morning. Get up, pour a cup of coffee, and hit the weights. After the workout, coffee + ice + protein = yum.
NROLFW–and everyone else–recommends that you eat first. But I usually get nauseated if I have anything on my stomach… Then again, I’ve been getting nauseated anyway…so this morning I decided to try eating first. Ezekiel bread + peanut butter. I don’t know that I noticed any difference, but that was probably because I was too busy trying to not knock myself in the head with my dumbbells. I didn’t get sick, though, so that’s a good thing.
But then, because I had to wait about 30 minutes before working out, I didn’t have time to eat breakfast, so I had to have a protein shake and half a bagel as I ran out the door. Three more protein shakes are scheduled for snacks. I like my protein shakes, but eating food is definitely better. I’ll have to cook a batch of something tonight (probably chicken. It’s always chicken=P).
(My power rack is up and kicking! And my itty-bitty Swiss ball (55 cm) is actually bigger than I thought. And the foam roller is my new best friend.)
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