resolute: (Default)
resolute ([personal profile] resolute) wrote in [community profile] lifting_heavy_things2012-01-01 01:37 pm

Video tutorials

Happy New Year, all!

Today is a rest day for me, and I am taking this opportunity to refine and re-examine my lifting goals. First and foremost, I think I need to let go of the weight-based goals I have, and focus instead on incremental improvement. Why? Because in my efforts to Lift More Weight, I am screwing my form.

I am spending the day watching the Starting Strength demo videos:

http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/videos

(Not sure of availability outside the U.S.?)

I think in the new year I am going to pull back to, say, 80% of the weight I am lifting and work steadily on form. This frustrates me, emotionally, you know? I like measuring the gains in numbers. I like measuring the increases in the weights. But ...

But my knees are killing me, and I know it's from bad squat form. And my shoulders are constantly sore, and I know it's from bad press and bench form. And I *cannot* get past 165# on my deadlift and 95# on my bench, and I know it's because my form is bad and my auxilliary muscles are not keeping up with the weight.

So.

I don't make New Year's Resolutions. Resolve is not a decision, it's a process. In the coming year I am going to back up and improve my process. I will practice the good form and not worry about Fitocracy points or what the guys next to me are squatting. I will try Good Mornings, and Romanian Deadlifts, and Sumo Deadlifts, and I will learn the proper forms for them.

What about the rest of you? What Heavy Things are you going to lift this year? What are you going to learn or try?
coffeetime: (irony)

[personal profile] coffeetime 2012-01-01 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Once this injury heals up, I'm going to concentrate on lifting my own body, specifically with pull-ups. The injury was caused (I think) by my overzealous pursuit of this goal! So I will have to take it very easy. Originally I had planned to get to 10 pull-ups by my birthday (June) but now I'm giving myself until at least September, because if I hurt this muscle again, success will be a long, long way off. I'm going to start with push-ups and reverse push-ups to build some strength without really stressing my lower back.

I also want to get to 5 handstand push-ups. I haven't tried these yet, but I was watching two guys in the gym doing them and I was jealous.

I have another goal of yoga 2x a week. That's a lot harder because I can't always afford yoga class, and I often don't have time to go. It's hard to do at home because my husband and son are both noisy, and they resent my needing to have the house quiet to focus on yoga, so I have to wait until they're both out of the house, which is pretty impossible!

coffeetime: (Default)

[personal profile] coffeetime 2012-01-01 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I keep telling myself I'm an athlete, and my body keeps stabbing me in the back! But I will win, as I am patient and persistent.

I'm very proud of my 15-year-old. He's always been a couch potato and had started to put on weight. Now that he's getting into karate, the weight has stabilized and he can outdo me in push-ups for the first time ever. He's going to be able to lift a moose if he keeps this up.