What's everyone been up to lately?

[rydra_wong]

We haven't had a check-in for a while, and I thought an informal one might be nice. So:

What have you all been up to lately? What are you getting into? What's your latest discovery regarding the lifting of heavy things? Got any new toys or tricks?

Who's got a new achievement to brag about? Who's just getting started and would like some encouragement and cheering? Who's had to take time off owing to injury or life and could use some sympathy? How's it going?

Comments

[weirdquark]

I've been looking at strength standards lately. I haven't been testing my one rep max in any real sense, but I've been lifting for about five months, which puts me at the novice level, and I have been doing multiple reps of about 29% more than what an untrained person's one rep max is on squat and deadlift. And despite how much I complain about how my upper body strength is not improving as fast as I'd like, I'm actually doing multiple reps of the novice one-rep max on the shoulder press these days.

So, uh, I guess my upper body strength is better than I thought it was? I can see the most muscle definition in my arms, but I had figured that was because I'm pear shaped and my body fat is mostly hanging around my lower half and covering whatever muscle gains I've made down there, and not because I've added muscle up above.

[chaostheory635]

Hadn't checked those out in a while! Thanks for the link :)

[rydra_wong]

And despite how much I complain about how my upper body strength is not improving as fast as I'd like, I'm actually doing multiple reps of the novice one-rep max on the shoulder press these days.

W00t! \o/

I haven't been testing my one rep max in any real sense

I do rec trying it (at a point when you're feeling well-rested and have no niggling injuries) -- it can be quite surprising.

I've been looking at strength standards lately.

I admit I tend to collect them, mainly looking for the ones that make me look good. *g* Gubernatrix has an excellent review of various sets of strength standards (and suggestions for her own standards):

http://gubernatrix.co.uk/2008/12/strength-standards-for-women/

[weirdquark]

mainly looking for the ones that make me look good.

Heh. Yeah, I hear that. The exrx.net standards are lower for squat and deadlift, so I'm closer on those than on the gubernatrix ones. ::g:: But her "good" press is lower than the goal for novice, so. I've been doing 4 or 5 reps of 42% of my body weight on press, which is awesome. But clearly I need to step it up on squat and deadlift; the one-rep calculator seems to think that body weight on either are not yet in my reach. This is the only reason I have not gotten around to buying the extra plates that it would take to have enough to lift my body weight.

I do rec trying it (at a point when you're feeling well-rested and have no niggling injuries) -- it can be quite surprising.

I should try deadlifting everything I've got at some point, which is about 88% of my body-weight. More, if I can figure out a clever way to add on my non-adjustable dumbbells and the extra dumbbell bars.

Given my improvised-no-safety squat rack, I'm leery of adding weight too fast there though. Possibly I could surround myself with pillows so I don't damage the floor if I have to drop the bar? I thought about using chairs as a safety so I wouldn't damage me, and may have tried it out but I think I squat lower than the seats because I'm short and can go all the way down, so it interfered more than it helped. Will have to look into that again.