IrishAmazon

I'll also add this: My dad is 63, and he is doing a linear progression (3x5, Starting Strength style). If recovery becomes an issue, you can also just do what he does, and add an extra day between workouts. It means that your program won't fit neatly on a M, W, F schedule, but it can be helpful.

mgage - I believe you're right. I just finished reading Practical Programming, and one of the things he notes is that older lifters and women may run into problems with a basic linear progression sooner than the ideal lifter (man in his late teens through 20s). He still recommends that everyone start there, but if recovery becomes an issue, don't be afraid to switch to something like Texas Method sooner just because you don't think you've reached some arbitrary line that makes you an intermediate lifter who needs more advanced programming

Yesterday was my recovery/assistance workout. Working sets: Squat @ 115: 2 x 5 OHP @ 75: 3 x 5 Romanian deadlift @ 155: 3 x 8 Inverse body-weight row: 4 x 8 Glute-Ham raise: 3 x 9 Good workout, felt strong and awesome. Then I went to Judo, and things totally fell apart. A new instructor was teaching the class, and I knew I was in trouble when I didn't know how to do half the things he was asking us to do in the warm-up. Managed to land on my neck while trying to do a backwards roll, which was painful and not a good start to things, then spent the entire rest of the class feeling totally lost and frustrated. I'm one of only 2 white belts in the class, and he was introducing so many new (to me) techniques that my head was spinning. I typically enjoy the fact that the rest of the people in the class are much better than I am, because they have really good advice to offer, but it's times like these that I wish I were in a dedicated beginners class. End result: spent the evening with a heat pad on my neck feeling demotivated and unathletic.

Erick - Deadlift is my best lift by leaps and bounds, and that's how it is for my dad and older brother too. I think the fact that we have long legs makes our squatting really inefficient, but our gorilla arms make deadlifting easier

Hi all - This may be a really stupid question, so there's no better place to ask than the comfortable anonymity of the internet. I've been taking Judo classes for about 6 months, and I feel like I'm picking up most things pretty quickly, with the exception of Zenpo Kaitan, or any other kind of backward or forward roll. Even when I was a kid, I didn't do somersaults, because I hate the feeling of being upside down, and it seems like I now have some kind of mental block that I can't get over. So, when I do zenpo kaitan, I end up just crashing to the side. And when I tried to do a backward roll in class tonight, I just ended up hurting my neck. Which is not something I can afford to do, because I have weights to lift. So, tips, tricks, advice to help me get over it? Helpful Youtube videos? Worst case scenario, a martial art I can take up that doesn't involve anything like this?

Hey lostream - Take this advice with a grain of salt, because I'm a fairly new lifter compared to a lot of people on this board, but I'm in a very similar situation - Looking to lose weight without compromising my strength too much, very similar stats (6'0 tall, around 220). I'm doing pretty much exactly what you propose, which is to continue my strength programming, and just focus on keeping my numbers steady rather than increasing them, while eating a mostly paleo diet. I think that Paleo, or something like it, is going to be your BFF if you want to cut weight without losing strength. You don't have to go hardcore Paleo, but I do recommend holding your protein intake steady (or increasing it), while cutting out sugar, bread, pasta, rice, alcohol etc. I also added conditioning workouts on non-lifting days, typically around 15-20 minutes of complexes, farmers carries and sprints, though it looks like you already do that at the end of your workouts. Three weeks in, I'm down 4 lbs, and I actually added weight to my last set of deadlifts. Go figure.

Time really flies when you're too busy for updates! First update is that my little sister asked to postpone the sister vs sister challenge till the next time around, to give her some time to settle into her new job. Which is probably for the best, considering that the goals I set for myself were all a bit of a stretch to begin with. Wednesday was a short conditioning work out - supersets of kettlebell swings and goblet squats with a 35 lb bell, following by 15 minutes of rowing sprints (45 seconds rest, 15 seconds fast). Thursday, I had the terrifying realization that I hadn't done any of the grad school homework that was due that night, so I ended up having to skip Judo to get it done. This weekend, I really had my nose to the grindstone to get my work done ahead of time so that it wouldn't interfere with my life too much. Friday, I had my first dynamic effort day (which I'm doing instead of establishing a new 5 rep max). Working sets: Squats @ 95 lbs: 5 sets of 2, 5 sets of 3. Was definitely getting the weight up faster at the end, as I got more used to trying for speed. OHP (with kettlebells) @ 25 lb per hand: 11 sets of 3. Power clean @ 95: 6 sets of 2, 4 sets of 3. I think doing many short sets of power cleans will really help me get the movement right when I get to heavier weights. Saturday was more conditioning. 5 sets of complexes (3 reps each) with 65 lbs, followed by a fun farmers walk/kettlebell swing combo. Started with the heaviest one (I believe 62 lbs?), did a farmers carry around the weight room, followed by 3 sets of 10 kettlebell swings with the same weight. Then did the same combo with 53 lb bells and 44 lb bells. Followed that with 10 minutes of rowing sprints, same as Wednesday. Today was volume day, with the following working sets: Squats @ 155: 5 x 5 Bench @ 85: 4 sets of 5, 1 set of 10. Weight was much easier than I anticipated Deadlift @ 275: 5. Deadlift @ 305: 3 x 3. On the deadlift, I was only going to go for one set of three, but then there was a bro on the other lifting platform doing sets of 3 with about 175 on the bar (after doing 3 sets of 5 squats with what looked like 155, and not even getting to parallel), and I couldn't help but show off a little. Tomorrow will be more conditioning, and I really need to weigh in to gauge how the weight loss portion of the challenge is going.

Looks like an awesome workout! Keep up the good work, it's great that you're seeing some good results to keep you motivated/

Jefro and Erick - Thanks for the encouragement! CB3 - When reading T-Nation, you have to keep in mind that the information varies drastically by author and goal. If Dan John, Mark Rippetoe or Jim Wendler wrote it, I'll probably pay close attention. Writers I'm not familiar with, or who are clearly writing for an audience of bodybuilders, I'll take with a grain of salt. Yesterday's workout was a brief conditioning session of complexes, farmers carries and kettlebell swings, enough to get me breathing hard and sweating - about 15 minutes including warm-up. I'm trying to get over the idea that to make being in the gym effective, I need a full hour, a mindset that I blame on my past as a chronic cardio girl. Today was the recovery workout for my TM training. Working weights: Squat @ 135: 2 sets of 5 Bench @ 95: 3 x 5 Romanian Deadlift @ 135: 10, 8, 8 Glute-ham raise: 8,8,10 Inverse bodyweight row: 3 x 8 My non-fitness goal is going really well too: As of today, I have slightly over $200 of stuff sold through Ebay and Like Twice.

Jefro - Looks like a great workout! You can also squat with two dumbbells, held up against your shoulders, if you want to increase the weight. Once you learn to power clean, you can add in front squats, because you can power clean the bar from the floor to rack across your shoulders. Another dumbbell based alternative is the lovely Bulgarian split squat: http://www.menshealth.com/workout-center/e/the-quads-sculpting-workout/the-quads-sculpting-workout/dumbbell-bulgarian-split-squat/26832-26831-25968. One benefit of this one is that it will allow you to essentially double your weight lifted with the same dumbbell selection, because you're only squatting with one leg at a time. Doing it with heavy dumbbells will also really work your grip, which will help a lot when your deadlift starts to get heavier. Though if grip failure prevents you from completing the exercise, it might be worth it to get a pair of lifting straps. Nothing beats having access to a squat rack to do a back squat, but you'll definitely still see progress if you sub in the various alternatives. If you decide to add in leg presses to get more weight, I would also continue to do a squat variation for every workout as well, and make sure that you're using your full range of motion on the leg press. You might be surprised how many people can leg press an absurd amount of weight without being able to squat worth a damn. Great work so far, keep it up!

Today was my first day of Texas Method. I'm deloading slightly to let my body get used to the higher volume, and because I'm eating at a deficit. I was re-reading Dan John's article on goblet squats(http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most.../goblet_squats_101), and it clicked that I've been folding my torso down to get to depth, rather than really pushing my knees out and letting my butt sink between my legs. Which means that I was having trouble keeping my chest up, and getting power from the bottom of the squat. Working set numbers: Squat at 145: 5 x 5. With the form corrections, it felt really good.The added volume is a real killer, though, so I'm glad I took the hit to my ego, dropped the weight, and focused on getting each rep in good form. OHP @ 75: 5x5. Word on the street is that the OHP responds really well to volume. Deadlift: 275 x 5, 305 x 2,1,1. Was feeling really good, so I did a heavy double at singles at 305. My next workout on Tuesday is the recovery workout - 2 sets of lighter squats, a couple sets of lighter bench presses, then my assistance work. I'm thinking glute-hamstring raises, inverse body weight rows, and maybe assisted chin-ups. For the duration of the challenge, I think I'll be doing Dynamic Effort sets for my third workout, rather than setting new 2-5 rep maxes.

Jefro - If there isn't a squat rack, stay off the Smith machine, because a lot of people learn bad habits using it. I recommend goblet squats with dumbbells or kettlebells if you don't have access to a squat rack: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most.../goblet_squats_101

Erick, congrats on the kiddo! So impressed that you are still tracking and participating. Kind of makes my lame excuses seem...lamer than usual

This is a really good idea, WildRoss. Adding mine, though I still consider myself an advanced novice at best. 12/1/11 is the first day I started tracking. As you can see, I was doing light weights, high reps, and way too many different arm exercises. In retrospect a waste of time, but at least it put me on the path to swoledom. I started going to the gym with my dad and my youngest brother, who were doing Dan John's Mass Made Simple program to get the little bro ready for football season (sidenote: Highly, highly recommend it for younger guys looking to add some serious muscle mass. It's a tough program, and hard for people with slower recovery, but really effective). On Jan 29, 2012, my dad convinced me to try the barbell complex part of the workout with them. I did 3 sets of 1 rep each at 40 lbs. Which eventually turned in to me doing the full workout with them, because it was way more fun than what I was doing. Finished that program, and on April 3, 2012, started Starting Strength: As you can see, some of my numbers have improved a lot (Deadlift), while others are coming along much more slowly (Overhead press). One of my biggest issues has been consistency of training. I took a lot of that first summer off, only getting to the gym once a week, I also haven't been very consistent end of July and August of this year. Here's hoping my Nerd Fitness challenge will get me back on a regular schedule.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys, it's been a tough week and knowing that someone was holding me accountable really helped me stay on track. I missed my usual Wednesday workout, thanks to work and grad school homework, but I did make it to Judo on Thursday night, and lifted this morning. Working weights: Squat @175: 5,5,5. I'm starting Texas Method on Sunday, and will use the change in programming to deload a bit and work on my form OHP @ 85: 5,5,5. Might stay at this weight for one more workout, then add 2.5 PC @ 125: 2,3,2,1,1,1,1. Weird, I know. I added some weight, so it's getting harder, but a guy at my gym was nice enough to give me some really good coaching. The good news is that I'm typically strong enough to muscle the weight up. The bad news is that you really shouldn't do that. So I think I'm going to add some serious power clean form work at lighter weights, as well as some heavy singles until I get the shrug and hip drive right, because I think I could be lifting a lot more than this. I also need to weigh in today or Sunday to check my progress on that front. For my closet clean-out, it looks like I'm on track to sell between $100 and $150 worth of stuff this weekend

Jefro - Starting Strength is a huge book because it really goes in depth on form - pages and pages on how to do each exercise without hurting yourself. If you just want the basic program, you can find that at the Starting Strength wiki: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs I do recommend reading the book even though it can be overwhelming, even if you end up doing a different program. I didn't bother ("how hard can squatting really be?" Foolish young Amazon), and as a result, spent the first 6 months of training not squatting to depth, which meant that I later had to go back and start over again at a lighter weight once I realized what I was doing wrong. I still refer back to it constantly when I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Good form is what protects you from injuring yourself in stupid ways while lifting big, and Starting Strength is probably the most complete book on the topic. It's also fun for people with a nerdy bent, who like to know not just how, but why.

Today's workout was, to put it mildly, less than good. I've found I can workout every day for a while without compromising my lifting as long as I eat enough and get enough sleep. Well, I failed badly on the sleep part. Partly because I went to bed a little on the late side, and partly because my boyfriend decided that he had things he needed to text me at ONE IN THE MORNING. So, I wake up in a haze to the buzzing of my phone, then spend the next hour trying to get back to sleep, before having to get up at 5:30 for my workout with my dad. Not cool, boyfriend, I'm trying to get swole over here. The upshot? Missed reps, lower weights, sleepwalking through Judo, and generally spending the whole day grouchy. Ugh. Squat @ 175: 5,5,5. Got all the reps, but some of them were ugly. Really need to post a form video so I can get some help. Bench @100: 5, 4, 3. Terrible Deadlift: 295: 5. Knocked some weight off, because after my bench press disaster, I didn't feel like pushing it. Didn't have anything left in the tank for my typical complexes or farmer carries workout finishers. I almost skipped Judo this evening too, but I figured I'd be pissed at myself later if they learned something cool while I wasn't there. I'm not sure how much I retained, but I'm glad I went.

Congrats on the awesome deadlift!

Bavarian split squats are a tool of the devil. Apparently, they are more difficult for women than men because of the way our legs angle inward from wider hips. I presume that's the reason I always feel like I'm about to tip over when I do them. Great first week progress!

I feel your pain CB3 - battling my sweet tooth is probably the hardest challenge for me, because I'm not someone who can just have a little bit of ice cream/a tiny piece of chocolate and be done with it. And to make things worse, my office is one of those that always has a giant bowl of candy in the break room And good luck on the finding a new job/starting a business goal! I actually started my current job, which I love, shortly after completing my first Nerd Fitness challenge, so maybe there's something in the metaphorical water around here that helps people meet even their non-fitness goals.

Today's conditioning workout: Bear complexes: 5 sets of 5 @ 65 lbs, 3 sets of 3 @ 65 Using a 44 lb kettlebell, 3 rounds of 10 goblet squats and 10 kettlebell swings Rowing: 10 minutes, 45 second rest, 15 second sprint. I pretty much wanted to die after all of those, so I think I'm on the right track. I also walked a total of 4 miles today, because the weather continues to be amazing.

Ok, here's my scoring rubric for my PvP challenge with CaraStarbuck. Challenge 1: Lose 15 lbs Lose 10-15 lbs: 5 points Lose 5-9 lbs: 4 points Lose 2-4 lbs: 3 points Lose 0 lbs, but still do 3 strength and 3 conditioning workouts per week: 2 points Lose 0 lbs, but still do 2 strength and 2 conditioning workouts per week: 1 points Challenge 2: Add 15 pounds to my squat. Normally, it would be a bit dumb to try to do both. And it probably still is. But I'm convinced that it's a technique issue, rather than a strength issue. Add 15 lbs: 5 Add 10 lbs: 4 Add 5 lbs: 3 Add no weight, but fix form issues at current weight: 2 Challenge 3: Test for belt promotion Test and pass: 5 Test and fail: 3 (A for effort?) Don't test within boundaries of challenge, but master the zenpo kaitan: 3 Challenge 4: Purge closet and sell $300 worth of stuff Sell $250 - $300: 5 Sell $200 - $249: 4 Sell $150 - $199: 3 Sell $100 - $149: 2 Sell $50 - $99: 1 Total possible points: 20 Bonus points: Each sister gets half a point for completing their own guild's weekly side quest, and one point for completing the other sister's guild's weekly side quest.

We do need a scoring rubric. I think we should both assign ourselves a total of 20 points (so, 5 for each of 4 challenges), and post how many points we get for what. So, if I lose between 10-15 pounds, I get all five points for that challenge. If I lose 8-10, I get 4. Etc.In addition to that, we should get a half point every time we fulfill our team's side quest. To make things even more interesting, we each get 1 point each time we do the side quest of the opposing team, to make sure we're pushing the limits. Sound good?

You joined! I'm so excited I could just eat an entire london broil in one sitting. Oh wait, I already did that. Because that's how Warriors role.

Laura - There's something very freeing about only having clothing in my closet that fits me. Especially if I can get a little money back for the stuff I'm getting rid of