Finisterre

Gym again today. Front squat 3 @ 40/50/55kg. Felt much better than last time. Deficit deadlift 4x5 @ 82.5kg. First set normal grip, then mixed grip. Attempted a hook grip but I think my hands are too small... Close grip bench 4x6 @ 35kg. Honestly bench is feeling so much better these days DB rows 4x8 @ 18kg Dips 4xAMRAP. 20 @ 130lbs, 3x10 @ 120lbs Pull ups 4xAMRAP. 4x10@100lbs. All in all not too shabby First set at 40kg

I've managed to get this batch (my boyfriend's best friend and her boyfriend both work in a pharmacy and checked it for me <3) so I'm ok for another month... Thank you! I'm known as thighs of steel around hoop. The walk on water is a fairly basic move with flexed feet but pointing does rather increase the difficulty...

Wednesday is hoop day, so that was a happy time. Didn't do anything new but worked on some transitions and made old moves look pretty. Then stayed for open training and made my poor hoop teacher try things what I found on the interwebs... https://www.instagram.com/p/BVF4CNbBHLf/?taken-by=science_and_static Today I headed into the gym again. Paused bench 4x5 @ 35kg "Paused" squat 4x5 @ 57.5kg Deadlift 3 @ 73/83/95kg Lat pulldowns 1x12 @ 59kg (because I confused myself), 3x12 at 39kg Dips 4x12 @ 130lbs Drove to Edinburgh, voted, went to get my prescription. Discovered there's a manufacturing problem with the meds that make me a functional human so I might not be able to get them. Indefinitely. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

I'm staying at my parents' this week to help my sister out while they're on holiday so have got a week's membership to the local branch of a chain of gyms and OMG I HATE IT. Did my first session in there on Sunday and. Well. Wandered to the weights area. Two Smith machines, two squat racks, ONE BENCH and ONE deadlift platform. And the floor is a weird tile thing so there's always a slight uneven bit under your feet for squats. And the plates are weird. And don't come in anything smaller than 1.25kg. Not that I'm fussy or anything... But anyway. Sunday: Front squat was meant to be 3x5 at 65/75/85% but I think I went in too heavy and wasn't feeling it so kept it at ~47kg for all three sets Deficit deadlifts started terribly. The bar they had on the platform was horribly smooth, and I'd forgotten my chalk so the first set was a nightmare. Swapped the bar out and switched to a mixed grip and it was all fine. Close grip bench was fine as well. DB rows I went up to 18kg. Dips 4xAMRAP - these are getting soooooo much better. Did 20 in the first set with 140lbs assistance then 3x15 at 130lbs. Pullups 4xAMRAP - slowly improving. 15/10/10/10 at 110lbs (I think) Monday: Got up, turned the horses out, had some protein porridge then went in to the gym early in the hopes I'd have a quiet gym....nah apparently nobody around here has a job......... Squat - 70/80/90% x 3. Felt pretty good. I think my issues atm are that I hate the squat racks here. They make me feel really claustrophobic which isn't helpful. Paused bench. Happened. Nothing exciting. Block deadlift. Remembered my chalk but still had to mixed grip it. Felt fine. Barbell rows. 45kg. All good. DB shoulder press. Only 8kg because that was all I could get in weights but got em done. Today I'm resting. It's miserable so no playing with ponies I am going to see the new Alien film this evening though so that should be good! I've also emailed my mum to ask if I can borrow my parents' Discovery to drive 400 miles on Saturday so if you hear hysterical laughing that'll be her reacting to that...

Turns out the answer was indeed MORE FOOD. Shocker. Had a good session. 5 x 65/75/85% deadlifts 3 x 5 paused squats 3 x 5 paused bench 4 x 12 assisted dips 4 x 12 lat pulldowns Deadlifts felt goooooood tonight. Did the first two sets without chalk so feeling extra snazzy about that! Squats happened. Number 5 of each set was getting tricky but that should get easier. Bench was bench. Fuck bench. Dips are improving. Did the first three sets with 140lbs of assistance, dropped it to 130 for the last set. Had to pause a couple of times within it but considering when I started the programme I couldn't get through the 12 with 150lbs I'll take it! Lat pulldowns are my faaaaaaaves. Circus girls know how to do lats. 36kg. Proper form (unlike the other people who were doing lat pulldowns around me. Not that I'm a gym snob or anything...). Did some light stretching afterwards. My left leg is pissy atm so didn't do much with it but did some back stuff and right splits. And came home for some duck for dinner.

Yeah I am definitely going to have to rejig things. Maybe do the salad lunches on non-lifting days and have something more substantial on lifting days...

SO. Thursday. I was super good with eating till after dinner where I devoured half a packet of rich tea biscuits. Omnomnom. However. I may have hit a snag. I had a super good lunch of salad with some tuna. 174 calories, high in protein. Plus a scone in the afternoon. But that was it. And then I went to the gym to lift and just felt super weak. Like I managed everything but it felt like way more effort than it should. So, was this because it's my first session with my new 1RMs (so slightly higher weight), orrrrr did I not have enough to eat during the day. Questions, questions... So today I'm going to have a proper meal at lunch, then lift again this evening and see what happens. Hmmmmmm... I was also very naughty and didn't stretch off last night. I'm not too stiff and sore this morning which is good but this is not the way flexibility is made...

Welcome, welcome!

No, this is not a comment on myself, but this month's theme is...... Mr Incredible Be strong! Carry on lifting programme! 1RMs were tested on Monday and I'm at: 110kg deadlift 75kg squat 45kg bench At 85kg bodyweight. Not bad for one month of training, but it's not good enough!! Next 1RM test I'd like to get that to 125/85/50. This may be a bit ambitious, but go big or go home right? At any rate, this is just follow the programme, pick stuff up, put stuff down. Elastigirl I've been really good about stretching after lifting sessions and my flexibility is coming back in leaps and bounds. I even put my foot on my head whilst standing the other day! So carry this on as well Mirage Bad girl turned good computery woman.... PhD shit. Second draft of chapter 1. First draft of introduction. Finish new data analysis. Uggghhhhh Edna Mode Harsh but true... Diet needs fixing. Count calories/macros. Try not to be shit. The usual

So basically everything is going pretty well other than the eating. But I have a Plan to improve that. Didn't get to OT last week because it was cancelled on Wednesday and I couldn't be arsed on Saturday. Lifting is so much fun! I am definitely enjoying it! Especially when I'm next to a guy sweating and groaning deadlifting my warmup weight (I know I know, the only competition is yourself, but I do like outlifting guys...).

Added today's "pick up heavy stuff" numbers since it turns out I can count them!

Ooohhhh well now...

I've got a stupid question for @Anim07734 It is only bodyweight exercises that count right?

I've worked most of it out now, though there's a few exercises that I understand the concept of but plan to hold off on until I can get a form check on them. I've said I want to focus on bench for the first block, so it's geared towards that whilst keeping deadlifts and squats in. So we have: Back squats (fine) Paused bench (fine) Block deadlift (just going to normal deadlift) Barbell row (nopity nope) DB shoulder press (probably going to see if there's a machine I can use instead and be slightly less likely to brain myself) Deadlift (fine) Paused squats (fine) Lat pulldowns (fine) Dips (fine) Front squat (nopity nope) Deficit deadlift (going to normal again) Close grip bench (fine) DB row (noooope) Chin ups (fine) Obviously not all in one session

Had hoop class last night, was reasonably productive! There was no OT on though because someone was using the rig for a swinging trapeze class, but hung out with boyfriend's best friend while she waited for her boyfriend to come pick her up. So I get brownie points for that Today was highly unproductive at work because Badminton Horse Trials are on and I decided to put that on "in the background". Hm. Went for a swim again after work. Three sets of 10 lengths, and did each set in ~8 minutes. The third set was a little slower but I'll take that. There's way less rest time going on which I'm quite pleased with. Got my lifting programme. Don't really understand it. Many emails to trainer may be incoming. This is not helped by the fact his other half gave birth at the weekend so our session on Tuesday has been postponed for a couple of weeks. I reckon I can work most of it out though, and anything that I still don't understand after emailing etc I can just....ignore....for now.