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…
NROLFW, 2A2
Uh-oh, I’m 0-for-2 on my last two workout updates. Stage 2 is wearing me out! All I want to do when I’m finished is go to sleep. I don’t even want to eat, just sleep. (So, of course, in bizarre way, I think it’s fun.)
Part of it is that these workouts are getting longer. Stage 2 adds a third alternating set, and there are two single-leg exercises. I’m dropping some of the rest times between the alternating exercises and leaving just the last one (before repeating the sets). Still, it’s taking a while.
- Front Squat/Push Press: (1×10xOH/bw, 1×10x20lbs) 1×8x40lbs, 1×5x35lbs, 1×5x30lbs, 1×2x30lbs
- Step Ups: 2×10x10-lb DBs
- DB 1-pt Rows: 1×10x20-lb DBs, 1×10x10-lb DBs
- Static Lunge, rear foot elevated: 2×10x10-lb DBs
- Pushups: 2×10
- Plank: 2×60s
- Woodchop: 2×10x10lbs
My form was off in the front squats and I kept toppling forward, which in turn put more stress on my wrists/forearms, so I had to keep dropping the weight. Meh.
The DB 1-pt Rows, wow–I know I can do a bent-over row with more weight, but it’s the balancing part that gets you. You spend so much energy trying not to fall over!
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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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02.20.08
NROLFW, 1A7
The camcorder battery has been found! So I taped my squats last night. Now I just have to figure out how to get the video on to my computer…
- Squat: (1×10x20) 3×8x55lbs
- Pushups: 3×8 (T-pushups, on knuckles)
- Seated Rows: 3×8x50 lbs
- Step ups: 3×8x17.5lbs each
- Prone Jackknife: 3×15
After that last prone jackknife, I fell sideways off the ball and just hung out in the fetal position for a while. Whew.
The “workout + TKD” is rough, and I only taught at TKD. The workout took a few minutes longer than it had been, so I had to grab my PWO shake and run out the door. At least we first warm-up and then stretch at TKD–felt so good! The real test of the new workout time will be Thursday, when I have my class. Oi!
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02.13.08
NROLFW, 1A6: I want a nap!
Okay, I really don’t. No, wait, I do. Or more coffee. Ooo, coffee…
Hey, pay attention. Time to log:
- Squats: (warmups: 1×5xbw, 1×5x20, 1×5x30) 3×10x50 lbs
- Pushups: 3×10 (T-pushups on knuckles = rug burn. Ow.)
- Seated Rows: 3×10x45 lbs
- Set Ups: 3×10x15 lbs each
- Prone Jackknives: 3×12
Very sleepy/low energy still. Part of it is because I don’t get home from TKD until 10:30 or later and so don’t get enough sleep the night before. I can’t change that, though. *le sigh* I think I might have to move my workouts to after work so that I can sleep more–and I have to admit, I’m not a morning person or a night person but a mid-afternoon/early evening person. But I’d still rather do my workouts first thing in the morning. (Of course, if “first thing” could be 10 a.m., I wouldn’t be having this problem.;)
This week, just to make sure I’m not overeating on carbs, I’m cutting out rice, which I normally use to boost my daily cals. Instead, I get a can of veggies. Did you know that peas have a lot of protein in them? I realize I should have known that, but it somehow never occurred to me. When I tracked them for yesterday, I was surprised at the amount of protein. I’m slow sometimes, I know…
I’m also making an effort to eat more fat; I’ve started adding a handful of walnuts to just about every meal I can.
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02.08.08
NROLFW, 1A5: Still alive
Whew. So last night at TKD, our instructor sends the advanced belts off to do their forms. Then she turned to the black belts. Normally at this point, she’d assign us to one of the advanced belt groups to teach/clean up their form. But noooo, not last night. She decided we need to hit harder, so she sent the two of us off to pummel the heavy bag all night.
Punches, kicks, reverse kicks, more punches. Bring out the focus pads for more kicks. Back to the heavy bag. Gasping, legs like lead, ow…
I did learn that I need to pivot more on left leg kicks; I get lazy and try to just get them out there and end up with zero power. And that I am doing too much with my lower back and not with my hips (this because my lower back hurt at the end of class. Oops.).
And then this morning I get up for 3×10 squats. Ha! Ouch. But made it:
- Squats, 3×10x40 lbs
- Pushups, 3×10 (knuckles, feet on bench)
- Seated Rows, 3×10x40 lbs
- Step Ups, 3×10x30 lbs (total)
- Jackknives, 3×12
I’m still sleepy all day. When I posted that on the NROLFW forums, several people expressed concern; I should be bouncing off the walls by now. Oh. Well. So I’m going to start cutting out the caffeine (even though that’s what keeps me awake during the day:P) and tracking how much I sleep and how often I wake up.
Last night, to bed: 11:15 pm
This morning, up: 6 am
During the night: woke up at 2 am
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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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