Daedala (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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lifting_heavy_things2011-02-05 03:35 pm
daedala) wrote in lifting_heavy_things2011-02-05 03:35 pm
NROL4W Stage 1
We're on the third week of the first stage of New Rules of Lifting for Women. My sister has dropped out for a bit due to a car accident (she's ok, and she'll start up again when her doctor gives the ok), but my partner and I are still doing it. It's really helpful to have him working out with me -- I haven't put the workout off a day or anything yet.
The first stage of workouts for the book is set up so that the reps decrease: 15 reps in the first week down to 8 reps in the eighth week. This makes it a good way to ease in -- starting with body weight wasn't completely ridiculous, with fifteen reps -- and it's really nice to be able to increase the weight faster because the reps are going down. I've decided that this is very clever psychology on their part. :)
The most important realization I've come to is that I'm not a personal trainer and I don't want to be a personal trainer, even for myself. I like doing the program, getting it done, and knowing it will work. I'd had a fairly regular practice going until I was injured (not lifting) in 2007, and then could never get very far when I tried to restart, and I think it's because it basically wasn't fun to figure it out myself. The whole geek "I can figure it out myself!" is definitely a part of my identity, so it's been weird to let that go. On the other hand, Practical Programming is worth a fair bit used on Amazon, so that's a win!
So far, this workout is fun.
The first stage of workouts for the book is set up so that the reps decrease: 15 reps in the first week down to 8 reps in the eighth week. This makes it a good way to ease in -- starting with body weight wasn't completely ridiculous, with fifteen reps -- and it's really nice to be able to increase the weight faster because the reps are going down. I've decided that this is very clever psychology on their part. :)
The most important realization I've come to is that I'm not a personal trainer and I don't want to be a personal trainer, even for myself. I like doing the program, getting it done, and knowing it will work. I'd had a fairly regular practice going until I was injured (not lifting) in 2007, and then could never get very far when I tried to restart, and I think it's because it basically wasn't fun to figure it out myself. The whole geek "I can figure it out myself!" is definitely a part of my identity, so it's been weird to let that go. On the other hand, Practical Programming is worth a fair bit used on Amazon, so that's a win!
So far, this workout is fun.
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The bar bell squats are scary. I used the empty bar and it was a wobbly affair, plus the bar wants to lie on the knobby end of my spine, and grabbing hold of something so far back with my hands strains my shoulders. It strains them both equally, so at least it's not the bad shoulder acting up, but, ouch. I also did not go down far enough because of the wobbly. And the bar wasn't even heavy.
You said you are doing this with dumbbells? How?
Seated rows were fine (I used 20 kg for starters), thogh I had to improvise some things that I would not want my workplace saftety guy to know of.
Step-ups: Used 2*3 kg just to remind myself that something was there. Couldn't quite convince the trailing leg on the step-ups that it ought to be trailing.
Used the Smith machine for the push-ups, hight 95 cm. Keeping my elbows close to my ribs does strange things to my wrists, so I let them go outwards a little more.
Prone jackknifes on the Swiss ball are a very fun exercise.
I did not have a clock in sight and needed to do a lot of arranging stuff, so the rest periods were all over the place.
I guess I'll do some extra workouts to get into the forms. All in all it was quite short and I felt that I was not doing enough. I added some back hyperextensions because my lower back likes them a lot. However, when I was doing some handstands and intervall running afterwards I noticed that I had done serious work.
All in all, not too bad a start.
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Exrx shows dumbbell squats like this. That is actually what I use for dumbbell deadlifts; when I am doing squats, I try to put the weights up by my shoulders. However, grip strength is a limiting factor, and I'm not sure I'll be able to do that for much longer.
For seated rows, I have been doing one-arm rows instead, because I'm at home without the cable machine.
One thing I found for step-ups, which may or may not apply to you, was that using stairs wasn't good -- to get my leg high enough, I had to use two stairs, which meant I needed to push off with the bottom foot to get the horizontal movement. So if you are using stairs, the horizontal part of the movement might be why you are pushing off with the trailing leg. (I switched to a stable platform where I only have to go up, and am not using the trailing leg any more.)
My pushups started at counter-height, which is pretty close to where you are. The Smith machine better for progression, though (I have to change heights in pretty big jumps). Using pushup handles might help with the wrists, too, though I doubt they would combine well with the Smith. But once you get to the floor, that is something to look into.
I love the prone jackknives. But they are hard! I'd rather do them than the swiss ball crunches, which are boring.
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Have you seen "New Rules of Lifting for Abs" (which is in fact about core strength of all kinds) yet? It is a crunch-free zone! They've come down on the side of the research that suggests that crunches of any kind are more trouble than they're worth. \o/ \o/ \o/
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I don't think it is... I'm going to drag the scales from the treadmill room to the weight room when no one is looking, an find out.
In the meantime, I'll probably better practise with a broom at home and use the dumbbells in the gym. Though grip strength is an issue... maybe less of one when I hold them at shoulder height as I have my palms *under* the dumbbells. I hope.
Steps: I've been using the 10" step from under the push-up bar. Ideal, in theory. It's just that naturally, when climbing stair, I push instead of pulling. Practise, again. I might do the additional round of stage one until I have learned the movements.
Prone jackknives: I'm finding new and entertaining ways to fall off the Swiss ball. *g*
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My understanding, with the step-ups, is that you want your thigh parallel to the ground, so 10" is a bit low (though if you have trouble with higher, by all means do that -- that is what my sister is doing).
Stage 1 has 16 workouts; I'm sure you'll get it by then! For me, squats were one of those things that was hard to coordinate for a while, and then suddenly I got it. (And then the cheap gym only had a Smith machine, which I wouldn't touch, so I'll probably be back to square one with barbells now anyway...)
Prone jackknives are fun when I'm doing them, but getting on the ball is hard. Especially with the bf watching. With ab exercises, it's very interesting just how much concentrating can make them harder.
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Getting on the ball: I do this like flat diving into a pool. Put my chest on it, arms forwards, roll until I can get my hands on the floor on the other side, then roll further forward into right position, while finding the initial balance.
Step: For now, 10" is plenty for me. Especially to get out of the habit of pushing. :-S
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Did workout stage 1, 1B, despite still having sore legs from the squats in 1A.
Weighed the bar, it's 20 kg. Did deadlifts with the empty bar.
Shoulder presses: Barely managed 2*4 kg.
Lounges: I kind of jump back into original position there... that can't be correct form, can it?
Lat pulldowns: fun.
Swiss ball crunches: Boring. Did 15 because I forgot that I was supposed to do only eight, and with hands stretched out over my head. I'm going to use a weight next time. And a smaller ball.
These workouts are really short. My warm-up before and stretching after takes longer than the workouts.
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Working out when one is sore is one of the ways to deal with soreness. If you're sore again, doing bodyweight squats on off-days may help, depending on the kind of soreness. It's unlikely to hurt, anyway. Oh, and with the DLs -- if you have range-of-motion problems, it's totally ok to put the ends of the bar on a platform to raise it, since there aren't weights on the end to do that for you.
With the lunges, yeah, jumping isn't right. I'm not doing particularly well with this exercise, either, because my feet sometimes cramp when I do them (it might be related to my crazy-high arches?). One way to do them is to actually go all the way down, putting your weight on the knee, and then standing up. I might try that if my feet start bothering me again.
The workouts get longer in week 5 -- three sets of everything. I'm kind of happy to ease in like this.
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Maybe you are taking too long of a step?
I don't know; of all the exercises, I feel like lunges are my least competent, because I have to be thinking so much of my feet.
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Do you read the lunges as "two set of fifteen *per leg*" (i.e., 60 total) or "two sets of fiften with alternating legs" (i.e., 30)?
Sixty is hard even at bodyweight, thirty feels more in line with the endurance requirement of the rest of the workout.
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Um, hm. We're doing it like this:
Step forward with right leg, drop, step back
Step forward with left leg, drop, step back
x 15
[other exercise]
Step forward with right leg, drop, step back
Step forward with left leg, drop, step back
x 15
So that's 30 each leg, 60 total. Does that make sense?
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I did Stage 2, workout 2B today. Slowly I'm getting the weights to where I want them -- I did what was recommended and started really light.
At the moment I really want to make use of the fact that I have free time every evening but Wednesday, so I go to the gym three times a week. As soon as everyone has recovered from their colds, I'll be down to Thu, Sat and Sun again.
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I've got the weights at a good level now, too. I had to rest more than I was "supposed" to this time. I'm also at about the point where I can't hold them by my shoulders for a squat (20lb dumbbells = ok, 25lb dumbbells = not so much). I'm going to try a goblet squat, I think.
May I ask why both Saturday and Sunday? Everyone I've read/talked to/etc. suggests a day between workouts, though morning Saturday and evening Sunday are probably close enough to that.
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I expressed that badly -- Thu, Sat and Sun will be the days where I *can* go to the gym. So because of the "not two days in a row" (I *couldn't* do two days in a row at the moment!) I'll manage only two times a week, not three. Which is a little annoying because I had been getting into a nice rhythm and I feel that I'm seeing progress.
About dumbbells at shoulder level: I tried that and got back to the barbell. The issue was less grip strength (having the palm of my hand under the dumbbells helped), but I didn't get the balance right and had to pay too much attention to what my arms were doing.
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Squats with empty 20kg bar went OK -- could go down a good way without overbalancing or bending my back the wrong way. Still, the knobby top of my spine is not safely out of the way. Ouch.
Push-ups against 90 cm height.
Seated rows with 25 kg, that was a good weight. I need to think about a better arrangement of whatever to brace my legs aginst, though -- it came toppling down *g*.
Step-ups again with 2*4 kg. Less pushing off with the trailing leg today, better form overall.
Prone jackknives still fun, and did not fall off the ball this time.
Finished with stretching and three handstands against the wall, just for fun.
Squats with empty 20kg bar went OK -- could go down a good way without overbalancing or bending my back the wrong way. Still, the knobby top of my spine is not safely out of the way. Ouch.
Push-ups against 90 cm height.
Seated rows with 25 kg, that was a good weight. I need to think about a better arrangement of whatever to brace my legs aginst, though -- it came toppling down *g*.
Step-ups again with 2*4 kg. Less pushing off with the trailing leg today, better form overall.
Prone jackknives still fun, and did not fall off the ball this time.
Finished with stretching and three handstands against the wall, just for fun.
<user="daedala">, are you doing the nutrition plan from the book also?
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I'm not doing the diet plan -- I like how I eat. :) That said, their diet looks pretty sane overall. I especially liked the part where they tell you to eat goddammit.
I do have the post-workout protein shakes.
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I find that I personally do much better with, well, a lot more protein than that. :)
Rydra has a great recipe that I am trying to figure out a low-carb version of. Almost there.