Lifting like girls

Tom, the workouts are the only time I have for me.....plus my insomnia is horrible right now, so doing them when I can't sleep ;) you are crushing it!

Thanks, Lisa! I will check it out. Have fun with your live workout! Can't wait to hear about it!

Today is chest, shoulders, and tri's.....honestly am exhausted, and would love to put this off a day.....will tackle tonight. Have a dr appointment today, my sinus infection is back, but with a lot of blood.

Back to studying.

Hi Roz and Justine
 
Hi commando friends!
Justine, I'm sending you and your husband all my very best wishes and my condolences. Thinking of you. xx

Lib, you're superwoman. That's all I got.

Karen, awesome and killer KB work!

Tom, I would cry after 15 sets of shoulder work. Hats off!

Lisa, great work, as always! I figured we could be workout twins today, I so I did Get Steppin' Live after a VERY short (like 15 mins, tops) UB workout (military press and a tri-set of bodybuilding stuff). LOOOOOOVED it. This is just the right intensity and length for me these days. Are there other live step w/os in this vein?

Yesterday was DLs, worked up through prescribed percentages to one set of 8 at 252.5# (I think). Then good mornings, step ups, chins, and planks. I was definitely feeling REALLY low-energy yesterday, so I added some extra calories because I'm not doing any competing or anything... so I will pace myself. Two more weeks, if I feel like it...
Basically planning to train my butt off for two weeks then just take a couple weeks' break, do bodyweight stuff, lots of walking, etc.

Oh, BTW, the RP folks are coming out with female physique training templates (basically bodybuilding/figure-style training). I may do this next just because I feel I need a break from powerlifting-style training, I'm just getting burnt out on it. They haven't been released yet, I'll keep you posted.
BTW, I think you can save $10 on any of the RP (Renaissance Periodization) e-books or templates with the code 'rpdiet'. I think...

OK, gotta try to get this gal down for a nap!
 
Yay Fridays!! Well another arm day come and gone. I got some pretty good tri work, but bi stuff still rough! I did 3 sets of kickbacks 30s 1x12 and 40s 2x10. I used a pronated grip and it was ok. I tried some skullcrushers, but gave them up. I was able to do 4 sets of tri pushdowns and finished tris with 100 rep close grip pushups, 2x20 2x15 3x10. For bis, I couldn't do any type of curls, so it was back to iso flexes, 12 sets of 20.(really getting tired of these, but seem to be the only thing I can get done for bis, I hope I am not being counterproductive by shortening the tendon!) I finished with some ab stuff, 4 sets of 12 pulley crunches and 2x25 crunches. Roz, 252x8 is SUPER!!! That ROCKS! Lisa, hope you enjoy the step w/o (better you than me!!) Karen, still swinging the bells?? Justine. still thinking of you guys!
 
Lib, hope your sinus infection goes away! Never feel bad about taking a rest day when you're under the weather, but knowing you, you probably did STS anyway!!! What is it with insomnia? I used to be a great sleeper as a kid/youth, then I hit adulthood and motherhood. What the heck?

Tom, progress for you to be able to work on those tri's! Hopefully your bi's will be obedient and play along soon, too. IDK if your iso flexes are counterproductive since I'm no physical therapist, but if they're not hurting your body...just your brain because your getting sick of them...they 'probably' aren't doing damage. But what do I know?

Justine, hope you travel safely.

Karen, hey!

Roz, oh heck yeah on Get Steppin' Live!!! Nothing like doing some step on a Friday to start the weekend party. We do get giddy over our step workouts and our hi/lo workouts, don't we? You might also try Power Step from 12/3/15. It's about 40 mins. It is more power-y and blast-y as opposed to an overall steady state workout, but it is fun fun fun and the time flies because nothing is overly repetitive.

Great weekend to you all. I hope to be back tomorrow, but might just be popping in to "Like" what I see until Monday.
 
I am a leg day survivor! I did however make the mistake of videoing the debacle. I AM NOT PARELLEL! I don't think I am going to be able to get that way either. I even videoed bar only, and I still wasn't parallel, but maybe I am just too stiff to get there, and the options are A) work on flexibility or B) go with it...I choose B!! I feel really worked after leg day, so it must be working something. On squats I went from bar only to 195# and did sets of 5. At 195# I did 2x5 and finished with 155x8. I am as deep on these as I was on the bar only, so guess it will have to do! I did 2 sets of reverse lunges 2x5 at 115# and dumbbell static lunges, 2x8 each with 50s. Glute bridges followed, 205# 4x20 and finished with barbell calf raises 205# x 25 x20 x20 and donkey presses 2x20. I NEVER was flexible, almost failed my senior football physical because I couldn't get anywhere near touching my toes, so since competition is not in my future, I am going to do the best and deepest I can and say @$#% it!!! One of these days I will probable have some new hips, and we will see if they are any better!!lol! Keep on keeping on Iron Sistas!!
 
Tom- made me laugh so much! The thought of getting new hips and making sure they're ones which will help your squat depth. I totally agree with going to whatever depth works for you though. I think that below parallel works the glutes a bit more, but that's it.

Roz- I've read RP for women, and loved it. Will take a second or third reading yo absorb, however. I may start with a week of just monitoring my calories and macros - something I've never done before (can you believe it???)

Lisa, saw the latest live and thought of you!

Karen, lib xxx to you both

I'll be back in the game tomorrow ( dreading the 5 second paused squats...)
 
I'm back. I don't usually work on Friday, but I went yesterday. Had a bunch of stuff to get done, and it's always nice to work when there are no phone calls. Every time I read your posts, I am amazed at the work you all are doing. Tom, the one thing that helped me get a lower squat, was a goblet squat. I could use the kettlebell as a counter balance, until I got the form down. But, if you find a good bargain on hips, let me know. I could use a new pair. Roz and Justine, I think I'm going to order the e book. It has received a great endorsement, from two of my favorite people, and I will be ready for a cut, when I finish this KB program. Lib, Lisa, I hear your pain. I have terrible insomnia. When I was younger, I slept like a baby. As I get older, it gets worse. For me, it's two Tylenol PM, about an hour before I go to bed. But, then again, when I take Tylenol, there are some mornings I wake up feeling hung over. It's not every time I take it, and I haven't figured out what triggers it. Takes about an hour to snap out of my coma.
So, yesterday was workout A of KB Burn. Same drill, 15 minutes of TGU, 6 sets of 3 reps. Goblet squats, with one arm rows. Then the swings. Haven't gone up in weight. Just adding more reps and sets. I've been adding something metabolic, on my off KB days. Going to leave the HoCo for the Summer. I got a pretty good cut, doing HoCo last Summer, so will do the same, in the coming months. Besides, this KB workout, leaves me with DOMS every time I do it. So nothing super killer intense on my off days. Keep up the great work, everyone!
 
Hi everyone!
Justine, excited to hear your thoughts on RP. Of course, if measuring is too stressful, you can always just loosely apply the principles. Sometimes I enjoy a streak of measuring to satisfy my OCD, but probably not year-round.
Karen, if you go for it, I'll also be interested to hear what you think!
I think one undeniable positive about the program is that it was created/written by a bunch of PhDs in exercise nutrition, etc., so all the principles/suggestions based on the most current research.

Considered switching to maintenance (i.e., stopping my cut, but they suggest monitoring your intake to stay where you are for 1-3 months after cutting so you don't just bounce back to where you were) today because I was soooo tired, slept poorly, and I'm questioning if my body 'wants' me to get any leaner at this point. Not sure of the answer. But I am liking what I see! I can kinda trace my obliques around to my back, and I'm definitely seeing the most quad separation I ever have (I'm probably most excited about this). I usually have some abs, but they are definitely more 'colorful', if you will. Sorry if this is TMI. I will say, though, I'd be fine to stop here. Feeling strong and liking the way I look is important to me, but beyond a certain point, it gets less important. If that makes sense. (This is totally unrelated to the assessment of RP -- RP rocks! And I will keep using it to mass and cut in the future. I just know that my body wouldn't be pleased if I were like sub-15% bodyfat, regardless of the eating that got me there.)

I also did squats today. 6x5 at 175#. I have also been videoing my squats in recent weeks. I can squat to parallel but I will say, when I squat with a heavy bar on my back and hit parallel, it feels like I must have gone far beyond parallel! Parallel is farther than you think! So Tom, I agree, who cares?! You don't need to squat to parallel for it to 'work', no way. And in Commando Land, it always counts.
Oh ok... then front squats 145x3 and 125x3x8. RDLs 175x3x12 and walking lunges 2x30# DBs 3x20 steps. Then 3x30 ab rollouts becuase I'm sick of planks!!
Lisa! I did 5 mins of Power Step for a warmup then 10 more minutes after... loved it! :D

I hear my DD waking from her nap... 'see' you all soon!
Roz
 
Roz, if I needed any more encouragement to do RP, hearing about your obliques and quad separation would do it. Certainly not tmi ! Like you, I can always see my abs, but that extra pop from getting leaner would be great.

I started monitoring my food intake today - quite an eye opener. If, as I suspect, I'm at a maintenance level, then I must have a reasonable metabolism.... 3000 calories or so! And I said Roz's calorie intake for her cut sounded high! Mine will be 2500 ish. I also don't eat as much protein as I thought, despite having some with every meal (I'm at 90-100g, RP suggest 120g), and given I don't eat bread, pasta etc, my carbs are surprisingly high (but about right). I'm going to have to switch out some fat for protein (goodbye nut butter).

Today's workout was the start of month 4 of HTS. I get to squat 3x per week, and deadlift the same amount!

Supersets of:
Paused back squats (6) and hip circles
Shin box and double elevated split squats
Pull up iso holds and speed deadlifts (6)
DB press and pull ups (max)

The paused back squats were a2g, so I went light (37kg 5x6). The 5 second pause at the bottom makes a difference!

The speed deadlifts I did at 50kg, because 50% of 6rm was suggested. I maybe could have gone higher. It's suggested that you do them band resisted, so that it is tough at the top, so I'll try that next week.

Karen, I'll be interested to hear what you think of RP, if you get it. I wonder if it's any different from competition stuff you've done before?
 
Hi everyone, I finally got to chest, shoulders, and triceps.....two days late. Drop sets were killers!

Restorative justice training was incredible! I ended up signing up for family group conference training also. I know smack me. But, it will help me in my grad school project goal. Which is my ultimate goal.

Running to study.....

Hi everyone
 
Justine, I'm totally unsurprised to hear that you maintain at around 3k cals between your lifting, cardio/metcon, and epic walks.
On the RP templates, nut butters are counted towards fats and you don't have to double-count towards protein. (Does that help? Or were you saying you needed more nut butters anyways?)
If you try it, I think you'll love the performance-enhancing benefits as much as the aesthetic ones. Oh, and high-volume heavy-lifting days can involve a sugary drink and some homemade pizza afterwards :) ...if you so choose.

I have to say, I've found the templates to be worth every penny. It just simplifies everything. But that's just my experience. You'll probably stay on base for a good long while. I'm guessing that's ~2,500 cals for moderate days. I was closer to 2,500 cals when I started my cut over a month ago, but there's generally a (temporary) metabolic slow-down after several weeks and you need to cut a little deeper (which is where I am now, but still not too bad, over 2k cals/day).

Lib, those Meso 2 UB workouts are tough and LONG!!! Great work and so glad you enjoyed the training!

Today was bench... warmed up with my gloves and the warmup from Rock It Sock It Live. I'm trying to cram a ton of weight training (I want to finish a phase before we go away), so I'm realizing I may have to wait till after vacation to really milk my gloves for all they're worth... my shoulders and little UB muscles are just too fatigued to add a lot more UB work, even if it's just endurance. :(

Oh yeah so, bench, 91# 6x5 and 1x10, BD rows, and a bodybuilding triset. Then the rest (~20 mins) of Power Step Live -- love!!! Hope to get out and walk a little later today. It's 50ish.

OK, take care, all! Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Roz
 
Sunday Salutations Ladies! You guys are making me jealous with things "poppin out" everywhere! I'm better at things "rollin out" lol! I'm afraid if I tried to cut, I might disappear! Congrats on the definition Commando sisters....sigh! Today was chest day here, I moved it up a day because I am going to FL. to help my youngest son get a house ready to sell Thursday afternoon, and I want to get the days in before I leave. The house that he is selling is in Tallahassee and I wont have a chance to get my "iron fix". I again was relegated to dumbbells for flat bench, and I decided to do longer rep sets. 50s x8 60s x8 70s x8 x12 (I didn't feel like trying 80s here, don't want to chance an injury, and I wussed out, went for a longer second set instead). I have never tried 80s before...maybe next time! Then 60s x 12 50s x14 to finish flat bench. For incline I did 135. 2x8 and 115, 6x8. I admire the science y'all apply to your w/0's. The research you undertake is incredible! I'm applying the principles of "second hand learning" and MY research is the stuff y'all discuss!! I am such a load...but keep on "edumacatin" me, I'm bound to absorb something!! Hope everyone has had a great weekend!!
 
Going to add a boomtown rats song to my playlist- tell me why I don't like Mondays...
Because there is an hour and twenty of HTS torture!

Supersets:
Swiss ball rollouts and heavy deadlifts (5x3 @97kg)
Low end front squats and a sort of circle drawing thing with the foot
ITYW shoulder raise and hip thrusts (20 reps)
Batwing rows (5 reps with 10sec pause at the top) and half kneeling landmine press (12 each side)

If that doesn't sound too bad, let me just explain the front squat- 10 (yes TEN) low end pulses = 1 rep. Each set was 6 reps. 3 sets. Appears I did 180 low ends. Ow. Needless to say it was a very light bar!

Lib, can't wait to hear what you think of afterburn (my nemesis!)
Tom, great volume on goose deadlifts. Do you keep track of total weight lifted each session? That's massive.
And, yes, you're right about the research- I do get a little obsessive!!!

Roz, I'm afraid I need less fat and more protein, so no almond butter for me:(.
I may not go for sugary drinks, but I'm up for a it of homemade pizza! Anyway, I've sort of started on my cut. I say sort of, because it's going to take a bit of working out quite what to eat. I love to cook, so I'll have to spend some time calculating the macros for the meals I make the most often.
95# bench sounds great. Are you following a weightlifting plan? Or doing your own thing?

Karen, Lisa, what's the news?
 
Friends, I'm back! 'Twas a busy weekend and a busy Monday. Mostly good, but some whopper 4-year-old moments always included in the festivities.

Saturday I did Low Impact Cardio + Strength w/Step Live (6/11/15). @MomInVT , the "Low Impact Cardio" of this workout is done on the step, some straight cardio and some MWT--basically it is about 30 mins cardio (including the warm up) and is reminiscent of AT. Could make a good add on for ya. Power Step Live is surely a winner, huh?

Today I did LIC, which was the only thing that sounded good on this blah Monday morning. @Justinef , I loathe Mondays too. I have had an endless stream of Mondays with zero mojo. I had to YouTube The Boomtown Rats and I Don't Like Monday. Never heard of 'em, very retro! I would hate Mondays too, if I had to do what you did today. Holy low end hell!!! ;) Like Roz said, not at all surprised that your maintenance cals are so high. Good gravy, with all the walking you do I'm surprised you're not at the 3250/3500 level!

Tom, lots of science going on here. I blame it on the engineers Karen and Justine, as well as the brilliant Roz. Lib keeps us together with her mediation skills, and I think you and I just keep it wild and unpredictable? Let's go with that! LOL on the new hips. I'm going to agree with Justine and Roz about the AtoG thing, not necessary. Just maximize your range of motion. Sure, you might be able to get lower by experimenting with foot position and bar position, etc, but ROM is so different from person to person.

Lib, you are such a go-getter. Ugh, those drop sets. Endless, right??? Cathe is so cruel with the push-ups sometimes. I think you will love your new DVDs. They will challenge you in different ways, which is a good thing. Don't be discouraged if AB kills you, in particular, because I'm pretty sure that Roz, Justine, and I all feel like Cathe should be charged with attempted murder for producing that workout! (Don't ask Karen, because she thinks it's easy, ha!)

Karen, hey!!!! How are you, girl?

Roz, have I talked to you yet? What's there to say, other than you are consistently awesome. :cool: I hear you on the shoulder stuff. I feel like my shoulders get worked even during a run-of-the-mill step workout. When one is going as heavy and hard as you, it makes sense that the shoulders would get fatigued and angry! Excited for you to take a getaway. :)

Have a good night, friends!
 
I had a "Shakira Morning" today,,,my hips don't lie! I did legs Sat, and deads yesterday, just to soon I think to hit em again. I did some calf raises with 115 x 50 and some crunches and some 1 leg, unweighted glute bridges and a few narrow stance bwt squats, but that was it. No reason to force it, there will be another day! Have a better one all!!
 
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