Ham Bone

Merry post Christmas! The holiday was great and all, but I'm glad that the hectic pace is over and we can get back to a settled schedule. Today was squats. Here's what got done:

••••••••••

SQUATS:

Bar x10 wide

95lb x10

125lb x6

(135lb x5) 3x

95lb x10 wide

95lb x10 mid

95lb x10 narrow

SEATED LEG PRESS:

120lb x10

140lb x10

180lb x10

CALF RAISES:

(Seated leg press machine)

(65lb x15) 3x

SEATED LEG EXTENSIONS:

(120lb x10) 3x

MULTI HIP MACHINE:

ABDUCTORS:

(29lb x10) 3x ea. leg

ADDUCTORS:

(35lb x12) 3x ea. leg

•••••••••••

     I don't know exactly what the hell happened, but I had more energy at the gym today than I've had in a very long time. I was a little worried about the squats. My left knee has been wicked stiff due to me standing in the kitchen for hours on end over the past 2 days, and I still had some lingering SI joint pain.  But I got under that bar and those friggin squats were smooth as silk. I don't know if the Christmas ham or the lasagna is to blame but I don't really care. I may have accidentally stumbled onto something here. I had zero knee pain, zero back pain and absolutely zero fatigue. I mean, I'm tired now just from lifting, but not that bone deep tired that I usually am. It feels really good. I'm coining a new phrase  - "Ham Bone makes the Muscle Tone". That's mine, don't steal it. I'm making shirts if anybody wants one, I'll enlist AI to help me out. 

     Any way, I'm chillin' now; having tea and treats, with not a care in the world. Pain free makes a girl happy. I think the only day that will get screwed up next week is Thursday. That puts us officially past all of these holidays. Hopefully the gym won't be too crazy with all the "Resolutionists". This will be my first year dealing with it at a commercial gym. I wish them all luck.

Everything Hurts And I'm Dying

     I didn't train yesterday, not because of my back but I had a wicked migraine. My head was feeling better today so it was off to the gym I went. Here's what got done:

••••••••••

BENCH:

65lb 4 sec. down, 1 sec. pause x10

95lb x12

(115lb x5) 5x

*The following 3 sets were done as quickly as possible. the only rest was taking plates off the bar. They were also all done with a 1 second pause on chest.

95lb x10

85lb x6

65lb x10

SEATED DB PRESS:

25lb x5

30lb x5 / 45lb DB Shrug x25

35lb x5 / 55lb DB Shrug x20

SEATED REAR FLY:

(60lb x12) 3x

80lb x4.5

80lb x5

ISOLATERAL SHOULDER PRESS:

SINGLE ARM

Empty x10 ea.

5lb x10 ea.

10lb x5 ea.

(10lb x6 ea.) 2x

••••••••••

     My head is better, but my back is still not 100%. I intend on working out tomorrow, but I may have to take it easy on weight. Or maybe not. We'll see how I feel when I step under that bar. I've tried rolling and stretching but nothing is really relieving it long term. I try not to go to the Chiropractor unless I really need to and it's looking like I may need to. 

     Frank is also on the injured list. He's got some IT band issues going on and it's making his leg less than happy. He's still got some swelling after too much use and some pain around the knee so he will not be squatting tomorrow. He said he may go and just do some upper body work. At least that way, he keeps moving. He's been stuck on the couch for a few days now, trying to keep the leg elevated and he's going stir crazy.

     We may be a little less than perfect, but we're still trudging forward as much as we can. Neither one of us are spring chickens any more, but that doesn't mean we're on death's door step either. My eyes are still on the prize of that powerlifting comp. next year. So I can't give up. 

     Speaking of eyes, my right one is slightly puffed due to some sort of sinus issue that I've got going on.  Never a dull moment.

I'm Inclined to Progress

     Another Monday has rolled around and that means bench. Tonight was max effort incline again and it went fairly well. Here's what got done:

••••••••••

INCLINE BENCH:

55lb x8

65lb x5

85lb x3

95lb x1

105lb x1

115lb x1

125lb x1

115lb x1.5

95lb x3

SEATED CABLE ROW (narrow):

(70lb x15) 3x

(90lb x6) 2x

BENT CABLE ROW (overhand grip):

(40lb x6) 2x

(30lb x10) 3x

CABLE LAT PULLDOWNS:

(85lb x8) 2x

100lb x5

115lb x5

70lb x12

ELLIPTICAL:

.5 mile, 8:30 minutes

Went up to a resistance of 7 this time, then back down to a 2.

••••••••••

     I am very pleased with the inclines. I added 10lbs over the last try which was 6 weeks ago. I will admit that the last rep was ugly as hell, but it went through a full range of motion, so I'm counting it. There were no real issues with anything else. The elliptical is still hell, but I made progress by going to a higher resistance and shaving 8 seconds off of my previous time. I told you - each time I will get better. 

     Tomorrow is max effort snatch grip deads. I'm slightly worried because my SI joint has been acting up this weekend. I was supposed to call the chiropractor today but forgot. I'm planning on giving it a try tomorrow, but I honestly don't know what will happen. If there are any weird pains, all bets are off and I'll just do some light cardio. I've been doing good not hurting myself and I don't want to start now just when I'm beginning to make real progress. Especially since my lower body seems to be lagging behind my upper. We'll see. I'm going to put the heating pad on it tonight and do some foam rolling to see if I can put everything back where it goes.

     I'm determined to get to that powerlifting comp next year and I won't let stupidity stop me.

You're On, Chat GPT!

     Welp, we are done for the week and I can't say that I'm tired, dog friggin tired. I got in everything that I was supposed to, and I went a wee bit heavier than the 60% that was programmed. Here's what got done:

••••••••••

SQUATS:

Bar x10 wide

95lb x5

(125lb x2) 12x

*I want to give a little detail on those 12 sets of 2. The point is to not rest more than about 20-30 seconds between the sets. Tonight, the first 5 sets were done back to back, no re-racking the weight and not more than 3 breaths between sets. Then I did the same with the next 4 sets. the last 3 sets I re-racked between each set, but only rested about 15-20 seconds between each.

SPLIT SQUATS:

*I did these with weight in the hand on the side of the working leg.

20lb x10 ea.

35lb x8 ea.

50lb x5 ea.

INNER/OUTER THIGH:

OUTER:

(55lb x10) 3x

INNER:

55lb x10

55lb x9

45lb x10

SEATED LEG EXTENSIONS:

(75lb x20) 3x

••••••••••

     The squats felt really good tonight and the weight was moving well. The last 2 sets, my left knee started telling me that it was unhappy. No really bad pain, just a small twinge of pain on the way down. I'm hoping it won't be too stiff tomorrow. It didn't bother me with the split squats and it feels OK now. Fingers crossed we're good. 

     Frank is going to be switching up his programming because he gravitates more towards a body-building split. We're going to see if we can work something out so that we're doing similar things, but we won't be tied at the hip any more. As long as he can spot me when I need it, I'm good! 

On a lighter note, I need to acknowledge Chat GPT because I'm having a blast making images for my blog lol. Someday, I'll be as muscular as the cartoon me. I think Chat GPT just challenged me. OK Chat GPT, I see your challenge and I think I'll rise to it. 

     I also want to give a shout out to the 37 people that read my post yesterday. It's an all-time record for me. Thanks everyone! Don't be afraid to leave a comment here on the blog, or where you saw the link posted. Engagement is a good thing! 

Lifting Through The Grump

     Not too much to say about tonight, it's kind of boring. Let's get right to it:

••••••••••

BENCH:

65lb x12

95lb x5

(115lb x3) 12x

SEATED OVERHEAD PRESS:

(65lb x5) 3x

SHOULDER WORK:

*One of these movements, I have no idea what to call. I found it in a video and I liked it, so I did it. I'll link the video here. For the purpose of these notes, I'm gonna call them L Flys. 

L Fly / Hammer Front Raise / Y Front Raise / Lat. Raise:

8lb x12 ea. 1x

L Fly / Hammer Front Raise / Y Front Raise:

8lb x10 1x

L Fly / Hammer Front Raise / Y Front Raise:

8lb x5 1x

DB Lat Raise:

(6lb x5) 3x

Bent Rear Fly:

6lb x12

8lb x10

8lb x5

*I switched to a lighter weight on the lateral raises because I had a weird grinding with the heavier one. 

MACHINE CRUNCH:

(60lb x20) 3x

60lb x10, x5, x5

•••••••••••

     I feel like I should've done more. I didn't do the cardio like I wanted either. Tomorrow will be different. I went heavier than I was supposed to on the bench but I don't care. I want to start pushing some heavier sets. I plan on doing that with the squats and deads as well. Like I said, not too much to say. I'm kind of in the mood where I just go, grind it out and come home. I'm tired and grumpy but I'm still ahead of the old me that would've been tired and grumpy and sat on the couch being a sloth. 

Down But not Out

     Tonight was a bit of a disappointment. Nothing bad happened, but also, nothing really good happened either. Here's what got done:

••••••••••

BACK SQUATS:

Bar x10

95lb x8

115lb x5

135lb x3

155lb x1

175lb x1

195lb x1

155lb x3

135lb x5

SEATED LEG PRESS:

SINGLE/SINGLE/DOUBLE

80lb x5/x5/x15

100lb x5/x5/x15

60lb x10/x10x20

CALF RAISES:

(60lb x20) 3x

SEATED HAMSTRING CURLS:

100lb x12

120lb x6

80lb x20

SEATED LEG EXTENSIONS:

100lb x12

120lb x6

80lb x20

INNER/OUTER:

(50lb x10) 3x / 70lb x4, (60lb x10) 3x

••••••••••

     Tonight, according to the program, was supposed to be max effort squats with a specialty bar. I don't have access to any kind of specialty bar, so I just went with standard back squats. I was riding pretty high on last night's progression on the bench, but that high didn't carry over to tonight. I was really, really hoping for an increase in my max squat, but as you can see, I'm still at 195lbs. I'm disappointed but I'm trying to not let that disappointment overshadow my overall progress. I'm going to start adding in heavier working sets and more of them. You get better at squatting, by squatting. The 155lb x3 felt pretty good and I was a little bit happy with that.

I don't have too much else to say. Feelin' a little low, a little down, but not out. I'll be back at it on Thursday.

Tied With Myself

     We missed last Friday's training. I hate that we did, but, whatever, I can't go back and change it. We did not, however, miss tonight. Never miss a Monday, or so they say, and I'm glad we didn't because good things happened. Here's what got done:

••••••••••

FLAT BENCH:

Bar 1.5 reps x10

95lb x8

105lb x5

115lb x3

135lb x1

145lb x1

155lb x1

165lb FAIL

155lb x3/4 (frank had to help the last bit of the way

140lb x3

DECLINE BENCH:

(100lb x8) 5x

DB FLY:

(15lb x12) 3x

DB PULLOVER:

30lb x12

40lb x10

45lb x6

ELLIPTICAL TRAINER:

.5 miles 8:38 minutes

••••••••••

     My cardio sucks, as evidenced by the appallingly slow half mile that I slogged through on the elliptical. My plan is to add some form of cardio in at the end of each day. I can't do the treadmill but I figure that swapping off between the elliptical and the bike should be a good mix. 

     Now let's talk about that 155lb. I don't often say it, but I am very pleased with that! I've added 10lbs to my 1RM in 6 weeks. I'm officially tied with myself for the most I've ever benched. I think that's pretty damn good and what I think is all that matters. I ate steak for breakfast, steak and veg for lunch, some fruit and yogurt and yes, a sweet treat. I felt fueled, I felt good and it apparently worked. I'm making a concerted effort to at least add more protein into my diet. I'm not giving up my sweet treats, it's just not gonna happen. It's part of my genetic makeup as an Italian-American. I certainly can moderate the sweet things, and limit them, but I'm not cutting them out completely. 

     Seeing this progress makes me feel hopeful that I may actually get myself strong enough to be in next year's powerlifting comp. Remember, this isn't some professional meet. It's a comp put on by the local Y. I'm under no illusions of being on a level that I'm not legitimately on, but I think I'm fairly strong for a chunky old woman. Is that an actual category, do ya think - "Chunky Old Woman"? It should be. 

     Now I'm going to have my nightly cuppa and bask in the glow of progress. The glow is either progress or dried sweat, I'm not honestly sure. I need to add a shower in there before the cuppa. 

     

Yesterday Today & Tomorrow

     We missed yesterday's session because of a dr. appointment so we pushed Thursday's bench session to today and are going to try and hit Friday's (today's) session tomorrow. If you followed all of that, good for you. Here's what got done tonight:

••••••••••

BENCH:

65lb x10

95lb x10

(115lb x5) 3x

135lb w/4.5" block x4

(135lb w/4.5" block x5) 3x

SEATED DB O.H.:

25lb x5

35lb x2, 30lb x4

30lb x5

INCLINED BENCH:

65lb x10

85lb x5

65lb x12

ISOLATERAL SHOULDER PRESS:

5lb. ea. side x10 (pronated grip)

10lb ea. side x4 (neutral grip)

10lb ea. side x5 (pronated grip)

Single Arm Press:

10lb ea. side x5 ea.

SEATED CABLE FLY:

90lb x10

90lb x7, x3

90lb x6, x4

CRUNCH MACHINE:

(60lb x20) 3x

••••••••••

     I haven't done the crunches in awhile and it shows - I've regressed on those. It's disappointing, but not surprising. I guess my bench was OK. I'm trying to work in those heavier weights because I really want to be able to do sets of 5 with the 135lb. That would be a major benchmark for me (pun absolutely intended).

     The only thing I'll say about my nutrition is that I remembered to take my creatine and vitamins today. I will remain mute on everything else. As usual I will end my night with a cuppa and rest knowing that tomorrow is another opportunity to try again.

Rack It

     Today is Wednesday, our off day but I never posted last night's training notes. I'm slipping up a lot like that lately. I was able to do the rack pulls like I needed, but the rack was occupied so I had to make do with doing them from the j hooks on the squat rack at the back of the room. Here's what got done last night:

••••••••••

RACK PULLS :

111lb x8

133lb x5

199lb x3

243lb x1

*We set the hooks at the correct height for Frank (below knee) which means they were a little lower for me. Better lower than higher

BB RDL:

133lb x10

155lb x10

CHEST SUPPORED DB ROW:

(30lb x10) 3x

BACK EXTENSIONS:

10lb x10

25lb x10

45lb x6

SEATED REAR CABLE FLY:

70lb x10

70lb x6, x2, x2

60lb x10

SEATED CABLE ROW:

(85lb x10) 3x

LAT PRAYERS:

(30lb x10) 3x

••••••••••

     Well, it finally happened. The thing that I had heard about, but had never before seen with my own eyes. I had almost come to believe that it was just an urban legend, something nightmares were made of. Someone was in the power rack.....WITH DUMBBELLS!!! Dun dun dunnnnnn.

     I figured there would be no issue getting into the rack because nobody is ever in the power rack. Of course, there was someone in it and they were mucking around with friggin dumbbells and doing, I think, some barbell rows. Do you really need the rack for that? I mean, if the barbell row gets too heavy, just drop the friggin thing. I was disappointed because I had my heart set on using the safety rails for the pulls, but I'm use to disappointment, like Eeyore (just google him if you're too young to know who that is). I settled for the J hooks on the squat rack at the back of the weight room. We got it done, but it is a little more of a pain lowering the bar back down, especially when the weight is heavy, I'm tired, and now I have to guide it back into the hook. That's OK, the added difficulty builds more muscle, it's true. 

     I suppose I'm happy with the weight, it's about 10lbs more than I can deadlift. If I had straps, I may have been able to get a little more, but I don't and my grip isn't strong enough to hold any more. I want to get my grip stronger and the weights a little heavier before I use straps. I understand they have a purpose, but not for me right now. my hands and forearms truly need to get stronger, just like the rest of me.

     My energy has been low. I keep forgetting to take my creatine and my daily vitamins. I've all but given up on nutrition. OK, I really haven't given up on it, but I feel like it. I'm tired of my own shit when it comes to eating and I don't know how I can make myself more disciplined when it comes to that. I was able to build discipline when it came to actually going to the gym all the time, but now I'm stumbling and failing miserably on this. It's stupid; I'm stupid. I'll eventually figure it out. Right now, I'm going to have tea. 

Go-Go Gadget Floor Press!

     Everything went alright in last night's bench session. No complaints aside from some weird shoiulder issues. Here's what got done:

••••••••••

FLOOR PRESS:

Bar x8

67lb x5

89lb x3

111lb x1

121lb x1

143lb x1

133lb x3

DECLINE BENCH:

95lb x10

105lb x10

115lb x5, x1

CABLE TRICEP PULLDOWN:

25lb x15

30lb x10

35lb x6

SINGLE ARM:

(15lb x10) 2x

CABLE O.H. TRICEP EXT.:

20lb x10

*I stopped doing these because I was feeling them more in my shoulders and not really at all in my tri's. I'm not sure I was doing them correctly. I'll Youtube it and try again.

SEATED TRICEP PUSH DOWN:

(70lb x15) 3x

SEATED CABLE FLY:

80lb x10

80lb x5, 50lb x7

50lb x12

*I was having some grinding in my right shoulder on the 80lb flys, so I lightened it to 50 and it went away. There was no pain, just that grinding sensation that I didn't like. Not sure what the issue was, but I'm guessing it was just tired - like the rest of me. 

••••••••••

     I guess I'm pleased with how things went. I'm honestly not sure if 143lb is good or not. My Flat bench max is 145lb. From what I'm reading, my freakish, go-go Gadget arms may be coming in to play here. I dunno, I'm just hoping that I'm actually getting stronger because, well, that's pretty much the whole point, right? 

     Tonight's session is max effort rack pulls. I don't expect a whole hell of a lot from these, but I'm sure as hell gonna try. Stay tuned.