lwow

Deload week! And it couldn't come soon enough. I think my CNS was starting to get pretty rough. The downside of this is that I get to eat a lot less this week, especially on non-training days like today. For no apparent reason my office is full of candy and doughnuts, and the coffee maker is still MIA. Yesterday I got a massage, which I think released a lot that needed to let go in my hips and upper back, but was somewhat wince inducing. I hit the gym after work and did a light workout: Bench 10x3 @ 65# Push ups 10x3 DB bench x50 @25# 30 second side planks any time I need to take a break 20 - planks 16 - planks 14 - planks Lots of mobility and love for my shoulders Is, Ws, Ts, Ws, Ls Pec flys sleeper stretch indian club swings quality time with a lacrosse ball My coach is pushing for another contest on May 14, so just 6 weeks after the contest I am prepping for now. I am on the fence about it, but there is a firetruck pull which would be pretty fun. Then again, there are 2 overhead events (max log press, and 90# circus DB!) which are not my forte. The other events are tire flip (500 lbs) and a car deadlift.

umm...no?

I love your meal names. I just have breakfast 1, breakfast 2, lunch 1, lunch 2, after-work-meal (soon to be called afternoon tea), and dinner.

I love the tiny superpowers that lifting gives you. All the "huh, I don't think I used to be able to do that before" moments in daily living.

I do notice that people are less sociable in the morning than they used to be. Supposedly the new one is coming in this week, and there is a starbucks a block away, so we are not cut off from the supply.

Eating Day 49 on the nutrition plan with 7 days to go. The next step is aiming for certain macros and mostly keeping with the same kind of eating I have been doing but with some more flexibility for having a life (clean, 5 meals a day, high protein, no sugar, lots of green). So far, in 7 weeks, I have dropped 8 pounds, which is legit fat loss. I also think that I have put on a significant amount of muscle for 7 weeks (1-2 lbs would be reasonable), but it is tough to measure, but would mean an equivalent amount of fat lost that is not showing on the scale. The evidence is apparent in my progress photos though, I have a center line between my abs, and that I can pull my jeans down without undoing the button. Training Saturday- trained dynamic bench press and accessory. Strongman Sunday! - Dynamic squats 2x8 @ 105 Moderate squats 3x3 @ 135 Sand bag carries - 50 foot down and back 80# one way #100 back. Sand bag pics x6 4x400m running - kept consistent @ about 2:10 per lap, which for me feels pretty good, but there is a lot of room for improvement, will try to break 2:00 for at least 1 lap next week Next- Rest day today, the rest of the week is a de-load and I am so ready for that. My next cycle will end with my contest in 6 weeks. Other I scheduled a sports massage for tomorrow. My upper back and neck are so tight and causing horrible headaches. After 2 and a half months of not traveling for work, there is a chance that will start up again which would cause some serious challenges for training and eating. I am trying to get into the habit of hot lemon water in the morning. The coffee maker at work broke, so that will help.

If protein pancakes are what you are looking for try kodiak cakes mix - they are so tasty, and you can make mug cakes in the microwave with it too. Protein powder is alright, I use optimum nutrition and muscle pharm which seem to not have a ton of nasty stuff in them. I like to mix them into yogurt as well as just with water, maybe that could help your digestive challenges with it? Sometimes the only way to have consistency is to wing it. If you are having a weird week and still making it to the gym, that sounds like a win

PR DAY! For a long time my dead lift has been lagging. When I started lifting (5/14), I could eke out about #175 1RM, training for my first show I got #215 on an axle waaaaay back in August 2014. Then I broke my vertebrae - so delays, and I've just had my dead lift stuck at #225 as of early January which has been SO frustrating to me. A few technique changes, a lot of clean eating and a lot of volume in 2 months later, I just hit #245. And it was not so bad. I really think I could have broken #250 at least last night - annoyingly, my coach had other plans. Like fat grip farmers holds, russian twists, glute ham raises, and bulgarian split squats. He did note that as far as 245 lifts go, this one is somewhat harder because of the way the weights are loaded and that the largest plate is smaller than a regulation plate, so this has an element of lifting from a deficit as well. This is good news all around, but especially for my contest. For dead lifts I can certainly open at 240, if I keep at it, maybe even open at 260! I need to get past this contest first, but I am thinking that breaking 300 is going to be this year.

Inzer has a reputation for very very slow shipping on their belts, it's not just you.

Rest day yesterday, gym night tonight. Going in for a 1 on 1 with coach. The gym is great -- often the best part of my day. So glad I found lifting. The chiropractor was amazing yesterday, he felt around my spine, said, "oh, you're all locked up" crunched me around a bit and now I feel like I can exorcist my head around and I can pull my shoulders to where they are supposed to sit instead of curling forward. I also just found a groupon for 3 discounted massages at the building next to my work. I didn't even know it was there and they specialize in sports massage. Oh happy day. Last night I fell asleep at 9, still feeling tired all the time, probably just that part of the training cycle. As of this weekend, just 5 more weeks of training before the contest. Need work on Farmers and Circus DB especially, but I am getting there. If I were a betting gal, I would bet that I will be maxing my deadlift again soon, and I am betting I break 240 which would be a nice place for me to be right now. If I can comfortably hit 240 for contest, I can attempt 260 and 280 which would be fantastic. Down a pound today (205), though it is not the end all metric of success, it is nice to see the scale moving in the right direction again. I think I could break 200 before contest which would be a nice place to be.

Another great use for your new bands - to help with your knees caving in while squatting, put a band around just below your knees to have something to put pressure against. I found this to be super-helpful to have some feedback on when I was caving in.

This is basically the best explanation of strongman programming I've seen. For footwork, I've never done any specific work for it besides focusing on it when I am training for moving events, and conditioning work (sprints, prowler, erg). I'm not sure there is a good drill for learning to move your legs while under a lot of weight besides moving your legs while under a lot of weight. The normal cues for moving with something like a yoke/farmers handles are to "traintrack" your feet (make them parallel so you don't trip yourself) take short, deliberate steps - you should hear your foot smack the ground with every step, and to move like a lego-man - keep very square, no hip swaying.

Decent night at the gym especially considering that my afternoon/evening was plagued by a very intense headache. I didn't have coffee or tea yesterday, and I am guessing it was some kind of caffeine withdrawal. Lots of strict DB OHP, I was easily working with a 35# weight for 5 reps at a time. So that had me pretty happy. I did lots of upper body accessory work and some incline benching. Nothing super notable, but I was happy that I got the workout in despite feeling like crap. I hydrated hard and hit bed early. After a good night of sleep, I am feeling 100% better. Today is another rest day- going to the chiropractor in just a bit which should get all my kinks out. These last 2 weeks of my strict nutrition plan are about dropping fat, so the extra carbs I was getting to eat the last few weeks are gone again. It feels like a sprint to the finish-line. For the first time in this process, I am starting to feel like I just want to eat like a normal person again and not spend all this time with food prep. I had crazy candy cravings earlier in the week which was also a first since starting this plan (Jan 4). This is a long 8 weeks. I really miss going out for dinner. I am seeing aesthetic and performance results though; and that makes me happy.

Yeah, in addition to the normal trickiness of tacky, as soon as i got it all over my hands and forearms, I had the brilliant timing to ask if we had any oil to take it off. As luck would have it, we were fresh out. My awesome husband went to the drug store across the street and got some baby oil so I could de-tacky. Amazing rest day yesterday. Worked from home due to beautiful snow and took a glorious nap instead of a lunch break. Despite eating a ton, I felt hungry all day, so I suspect that means my body was doing some serious recovery. Still on my nutrition plan, this is week 7. Yesterday was the first time in a month and a half that I found myself craving candy, I've felt like I have gotten off light with the cravings, but yesterday it hit hard. I had a small piece of candied ginger, a protein bar and tea which helped. Gym session tonight, and glorious chiropractor tomorrow.

Bench PR on Saturday, and I know I could have done more! I was doing sets with my coach and he was just stacking weight on without telling me how much was on. We got up to 115, which is a 5 lb PR and it went up smooth. It wasn't in programming to max out though, so 120 will be another day. Saturday, I also hosted a party and managed to not drink and ate very well. As of today, I have 2 weeks left on the nutrition plan strict version. Yesterday, STRONGMAN SUNDAY! I worked on circus dumb bell with a pause drill. Still not quite where I want to be with that one, I worked with 30-40 lbs so I could focus on technique, contest is @ 70. At this point, I am hoping for 2-3 reps, but still a long time to go until contest. I got to work on stones with tacky and tape. I went up to contest weight (150) and found that I am really comfortable with that weight. I think I can aim to get 8 reps on that event (stone over 44" bar) which I think is a fair bit higher than my original goal. It will be more of a cardio event than a strength one, but that is where I might shine. The guys also worked on farmers holds and sandbag carries, and did not do stones. It took me so long to get set up with tape and tacky, and then un-tacky that I missed farmers holds, but I already did them earlier this week and my upper back is pretty fried. Last we did team sprints, .15 miles x10 in a 3 person rotation on the air dyne. More character building. Today is a rest day and a snow day, working from home

Decent workout last night. Squats and farmers picks... it had it's ups and downs. HA! Safety bar squats Heavy sets of 8 , 4 sets, worked up to 140 for my last set and started failing. I didn't feel great about that. I know I can squat more, but I am not feeling my best for sure, and I am not sure how the safety bar affects how much you can lift. I don't know though, maybe for sets of 8, I am ok with 140? Farmers picks and hold 3x5, hold for 20 on the last pick 90 per hand - easy 120 per hand - went up just fine, hold was challenging, but I could have gone much longer 155 per hand - too ambitious. I also forgot that this is not a 35 pound jump, but a 70 pound jump due to this being per hand. I was disappointed that I didn't hit it, but it is within my grasp. I was pretty tired by this point 140 per hand - got it Reverse hypers 10x3 100# I left kind of woozy and crashed when I got home - well, after a protein shake and an awesome stir fry per the nutritional plan cooked as a team with my husband. I can chop and prep and clean, but he can really cook. It was amazing. Great night of sleep last night and a day off - well sort of. Tonight I have a pole dance fitness class in recognition of valentines day. I am suspecting some CNS fatigue, so lots of protein, and carbs today, I have pasta with meat sauce for dinner! I'll get to bed early, and maybe try to get a massage this weekend. 6 weeks of training until contest week. It seems simultaneously very far away and too soon.

When DOMS strikes. I don't know what I did. Maybe it was Sunday, maybe my Tuesday workout? But suddenly my low abs, lats and tris are screaming. At least it feels like I finally figured out how to engage my lats. And I am finding out everything I do on a daily basis that uses lats because it feels like maybe they were hit by a truck in my sleep. ...but I can't lie, I actually really like it. It feels like progress. Back to the gym tonight for more. In the meantime, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Thanks for the great counterpoint - that is the frustrating thing with nutrition. There is no right answer...or a lot of right answers I guess if you are more optimistic. The best I can figure is to try a method, stick to it, and track your progress. If you are not making progress, adjust and repeat. To me it just sounded like there was a trend of afternoon hunger and lack of muscle development which sounds like a cry for food.

So you are more of an champagne aficionado? Edit: cannot computer Edit: cannot computer

That egg pic is a thing of nightmares. Nice workouts!

I do cardio....it's for a friend

Bench is much harder than it looks. Here, take this thing and hold it over your body, let it down to touch your torso. Now lift it up so it doesn't crush your vital organs or your face. This is a weird hobby. After 2 years of trying to get this one figured out, I am just now starting to feel like I am beginning to understand bench. The best thing has been working with knowledgeable folks at my gym to watch my form and advise. I have done a complete form overhaul in the last month or so and it is feeling so much better. I experimented a lot with grip and have been working on getting the path of the bar to be better - thinking of it kind of like an OHP. My last big cue is to re-set every time and make sure I am engaging my back and legs with a good breath. I'm still not there, but at least it is starting to make sense. I also get the glute cramps! I feel like such a spaz that I am doing bench and I'm all "ow, my leg" I am so glad I'm not the only one! Good luck!

A very sedentary day yesterday, but with good food and then a good workout. Rest day today. If I ever win the lottery or anything I am going to hire a personal assistant to peel all my hard boiled eggs. Pushups 8x3 no assistance, this is a big win for me and the completion of a long term goal. Sets of real, good ROM pushups Bench 3x4 2 second pause at the bottom of the first rep of each set @95 lbs 6x4 @ 100 Strict close grip OHP 6x4 65, 75, 70, 70 Accessory BB pendlay rows @ 75 w/ Bodyweight tricep extentions Rolling tris w/ Scarecrows

I am not a nutrition expert, and it looks like you are a gal who knows how to drop a pound, but to me all of this says - eat more. 1700 calories and aiming lower is a very tiny amount of food when you are lifting - if you are looking to put on muscle and become anti-fragile, it sounds like you are going to need to add food. I am 5'8" and around 207, but also a size 12-14 so I am pretty solidly built. In the past I have lost weight aiming for around 1700 while lifting, and I have wound up starving myself, gaining weight and being very unhappy. I experimented with calories (clean food though) and find that I do a lot better at around 2300-2400, more on training days than rest days. With higher calories I can lose fat and put on muscle. Granted, it is a lot slower than the progress on just weight loss that you will see with just low calories, but your actual progress toward health is better I would be that in the past when it was easy to put on muscle, that you were eating more to fuel that process. It sounds like your body is screaming for a pre dinner snack so it can build the muscles you are putting in the work for. What if you just ate something more substantial then? That is when I do my shake, when I am coming home from work and starving - 1 scoop protein, 1/2 cup kefir, 1 carrot, 1 cup kale, 1 cup broccoli, 3/4 cup mixed berries. It fills me right up before the gym and packed with nutrients. It is about 200 calories, but packs a punch. All that said, you are going to know what is best for you, so take it all with a grain of salt.

Based on the health benefits I am seeing (higher energy, better hair/skin, etc.) i think I have the motivation to continue without the motivation of contest prep. I am mostly worried about a slow decent back toward unhealthy. But spring will be a good time to keep momentum, no hibernation instinct kicking in and no big holidays for food. Thankfully too, this program has been such a jolt to my system that the things I considered a cheat in the past sound disgusting to me, and ones I consider a cheat now, are things that I considered reasonably healthy before. I guess I am saying this is good because it falls into my long term goal of my worst behavior getting incrementally better over time. Can we install this guy at the gym for congrats on things? Dude in a sharp suit all givin a sassy 'grats - that'll get me lifting more.