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

[rydra_wong]

he used his left hand to help him push away the floor.

Yep, that's what you should be doing (assuming for the purposes of example that the right hand is the raised one, the one that would be holding a weight).

You want your left hand palm down by your side, hitched up a bit. And your right knee is raised so the sole of your right foot is on the floor.

Then you half-roll to the left, with just enough UP in it that you end up propped on your left elbow. So, less abs work than a plain crunch (for me at least).

One of the things I like about TGUs is that they're difficult, but not inefficient -- given that you're holding a weight above your head, it's the most energy-economical way of getting up off the floor.

I still end up with kicking flailing legs when I'm hitting my limit, but (as with all lifting of heavy things) it gets easier with time and practice.

[weirdquark]

I need to get back to doing TGUs again -- I was doing them on my short workout days, but after I figured out how to improvise a squat rack I replaced them with squats, pull-ups, presses, and swiss-ball crunches. When lifting at my limit for TGUs, it takes me as long to do three sets of five of those as it does to do three sets of five on everything else. Which, to be fair, makes some sense since I do five holding the weight with my left arm and five with the right, so I'm really doing ten reps per set, but you'd think that it would therefore only take me the time it takes me to do two of those four...

TGUs. Slow but awesome. Also, they make me sweat way more than doing anything else for the same amount of time.

[rydra_wong]

but you'd think that it would therefore only take me the time it takes me to do two of those four...

But then a TGU is a multi-stage movement! You've got the rough equivalents of a crunch, a side-plank, and a lunge all in there, with transitional movements between them. All while balancing a heavy weight over your face, which tends to make me slow down and be careful. *g*

This is one reason why they tend to be a big part of my fall-back home workout, when I can't think of anything else to do: they cover everything. Dessert topping and a floor wax!

However, I will say: never do TGUs in shorts on a grippy yoga mat. The knee abrasions are vicious.

after I figured out how to improvise a squat rack I replaced them with squats, pull-ups, presses, and swiss-ball crunches.

Yeah, I definitely go through phases with exercises. There's always the New Shiny and the thing I've just learned how to do. But then it's also nice to cycle back to some old favourites after a while, and see how they've progressed.

[resolute]

OTOH, I held an assisted plank for 45 seconds today, and did TWO sets of 50 crunches, so the core strength is ... getting there.

Honestly, I think the deadlifts are also helping a lot.

[weirdquark]

TGUs are pretty awesome! I like doing lifts that work a lot of different things.

I've been enjoying the front squat-push press combo in NRoLfW -- it does legs AND arms in one easy exercise! Though I don't feel like I'm getting enough mileage out of my squats that way, since my push-press is about what I use for my warm-up weight for a squat. After I finished the stage where I do those, it occurred to me that I might throw some extra plates in a backpack or something, to add weight to the squat without adding it to the press. Though I'm not sure how that would affect my balance. But people do squats with weighted vests, so it's kind of the same, right? (I even have a vest with big pockets, I could totally even distribute tiny plates in them; that's probably a better idea. Yay for improvised equipment.)

[resolute]

Oh oh oh oh oh

The Strength Rituals dvd makes the TGU SO CLEAR. WOW.

[rydra_wong]

Oh yay, your DVD arrived! Isn't it great? So much good info.

And yep, it's possible to be graceful and precise with TGUs when you're lifting less than your max. At your max? You will flail. *g*

[resolute]

Every single person on this dvd looks like a gaffed salmon during TGU. It's SO comforting.