navis

How is it with online coaches? Do you have a limit on how much you can contact them?

Thank youuuu! Oh and it was paused (vs. TnG last time), so it's a real PR too

WEEK 1 / DAY 5 1. Meet prep: Heavy session this morning, hit loads of PRs! Best one was on bench, I was able to hit 90lbs for the first time since December [2/3] Film each lift once per week: check for squat and bench, didn't film deadlifts because the platform is by the window and I couldn't find an angle where you wouldn't just see my silhouette [1/2] Cardio: no time left! Tomorrow should be lighter and quicker so hopefully I can do it after abs. [1/2] Do Your Damn Abs [4/7] Becoming a Supple Leopard: no time this morning either and I'm too stuffed right now. I'll try and do it before bed, if so I'll add the point tomorrow. [5/7] Log meals off (cut) plan: Today was not good. I kept snacking on cookies and chocolate pretzels at work, which I'm normally good at ignoring. Dinner (below) was not light. I don't know if it's because I'm on my period, the stress of having my mom here, eating out after cutting pretty strictly for 10 weeks, or just using it all as an excuse, but I keep eating even though I'm not actually hungry. Let's pretend my plan is really to stuff myself to the point of being sick so the calories come shooting out either or both ends. Dehydration = abs, right? 2. Keep my sanity: [4/7] Write in journal [1/1] Clean one part of apartment [5/7] Get out of the house/be social [4/7] Read and/or language practice 3. Don't shut down: Still here, still posting! [5/7] Daily updates [0/1] Weekly recap [0/0] Challenge recap [5/7] Participate on other people's threads

Oooh following -- I'd be interested in reading people's thoughts on both of these as well. I'm fairly good with self regulation and discipline so always question the added value of paid programs.

It was capped to ~10 people iirc -- and I found it through meetup.com I am in the US, but haven't found anything here that appealed to me. Most book clubs are modern feminism, female authors, singles only, etc. Why is it so hard to just find a "I f*cking love books" book club? Eh, I prefer lifting on an empty stomach. Right now I just do an intra shake (whey + dextrose) which I particularly enjoy during an intense session. I think part of it at least is down to personal preference, like working out in the morning vs. in the evening. I am worthless in the evening.

The fact that I can't downgrade definitely bugs me, even though I always planned on stopping after a year (which will be in May). I just don't like closing the door on options I think Right now we use a shared Google Sheet. He writes my program for the next couple of sessions and I add RPE and any notes I may have. I also text/email him if I needed to or chat with him when I see him at the gym (which is pretty much every time I'm there). * pausing a second as I realize that my relationship with my trainer is among the most important and stable ones in my life right now * The time commitment if I sign up is three months, which I feel is both long enough to iron out the last few things I really want to address before flying solo, and short enough that I can cope with the total cost (financially and mentally) and be patient while I look forward to trying other programming styles. On another note, powerlifting club sounds awesome! How does it work? Like group training with individual adjustments? How many of you are there? Something else I considered was joining a powerlifting gym, but not until I've outgrown my (cheaper and closer) commercial gym.

WEEK 1 / DAY 4 1. Meet prep: Rest day! Did my mobility exercises before breakfast. Met the family in K-town for quick dinner (bibimbap!) and then went to see a show on Broadway. [0/3] Film each lift once per week [1/2] Cardio [1/2] Do Your Damn Abs [4/7] Becoming a Supple Leopard [4/7] Log meals off (cut) plan -- BIBIMPAP! I love Korean food, it always brings me back to my exchange semester in Seoul. 2. Keep my sanity: I forgot to write in my journal and came home from the theater too late to read or practice any languages. [3/7] Write in journal [1/1] Clean one part of apartment [4/7] Get out of the house/be social [3/7] Read and/or language practice We went to see The Phantom of the Opera, which my aunt and mom picked. I was worried it would be a bit difficult to follow for my 21yo cousin ; I barely feel it's of interest to my generation, and her English is French high school level. When it turned out she couldn't understand any of it my mom and I started bickering because I had made other suggestions and told her I thought most shows would be too difficult for some who isn't fluent. Of course the way she remembers it, the list I gave her was actually the shows I'd already seen and I said Phantom would be the best choice for everyone Aside from that, I had a good time. The staging and costumes were amazing, and I always enjoy a good show. The opera is not my favorite type of performance, so it wouldn't be my top recommendation, but it's a classic and I'm glad I saw it. 3. Don't shut down: Still here, still posting! [4/7] Daily updates [0/1] Weekly recap [0/0] Challenge recap [4/7] Participate on other people's threads

Thursday 23rd March 2017 ** Barbell Squat ** - 185.0 lbs x 1 rep - 155.0 lbs x 6 reps - 155.0 lbs x 6 reps - 155.0 lbs x 6 reps - 155.0 lbs x 6 reps - 155.0 lbs x 6 reps ** Comp Bench Press ** - 90.0 lbs x 1 rep [PR] - 70.0 lbs x 6 reps [PR] - 70.0 lbs x 6 reps - 70.0 lbs x 6 reps - 70.0 lbs x 6 reps - 70.0 lbs x 6 reps ** Sumo Deadlift ** - 230.0 lbs x 1 rep - 210.0 lbs x 2 reps - 210.0 lbs x 2 reps - 210.0 lbs x 2 reps - 210.0 lbs x 6 reps [PR]

So... the lead trainer at my gym emailed me to let me know there's an offer that could have me move from one to four sessions per month with my trainer for what is a decent discount per session. Monthly cost is obviously much higher -- still affordable, but not an investment I'd be willing to make long term. It is something I've thought about doing before ; train 1:1 once a week for a short period of time (2-3 months) before moving on to doing my own programming. Post-meet/long term plan is to not work with a trainer anymore. If I decide to compete again, I'd look into a coach specifically for competition training and handling. Pros are: I like my trainer, he's not a specialist but has trained and competed in powerlifting and has a general interest in it I'm 6 weeks out of my meet, so could use the extra sessions to get more practice with commands, and general pre-meet prep My low bar squat and bench technique still need some fine tuning, so I could get hone in on those post-meet before I stop working with my trainer completely Cons are: The package I am currently on (1 session/month) no longer exists, so I couldn't downgrade later on -- which I suspect is why I regularly get an offer for a discounted upgrade The monthly cost -- it's cheaper than a lot of what I've seen, but my brain still has issues with spending so much in one transaction Does anyone else work with a coach/trainer? On the one hand I see a bunch of programs I'd love to try, on the other what I get now is tailored to me so (hopefully) more productive.

I was only ever part of one Book Club, and it was awesome. We'd go to dinner in a nice restaurant (different one each time), go round the table to introduce ourselves, score the book on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain the score we gave. Once food and drinks arrived we usually broke up into smaller groups and may or may not talk about the book. At the end, a few people would bring suggestions for the next book and we'd vote. It was really more of a "dinner with busy people who read in their spare time" club. But then I went ahead and moved to a different continent If I ever work up the nerve / ambition / commitment to create my own book club, I would totally steal that model.

WEEK 1 / DAY 3 1. Meet prep: Did my damn abs, and my mobility for the day. Did not film any sets yet because today was light, which doesn't really challenge my form. Met the family for drinks (glass of red wine for me) and delicious Italian food. [0/3] Film each lift once per week [1/2] Cardio [1/2] Do Your Damn Abs [3/7] Becoming a Supple Leopard [3/7] Log meals off (cut) plan -- didn't take any pictures tonight, but here's one of the same dish from another time I went. I've always described this dish as spring on a plate, which is fitting seeing as winter is officially over. 2. Keep my sanity: [3/7] Write in journal [1/1] Clean one part of apartment [3/7] Get out of the house/be social [3/7 ] Read and/or language practice 3. Don't shut down: Still here, still posting! [3/7] Daily updates [0/1] Weekly recap [0/0] Challenge recap [3/7] Participate on other people's threads

I was in too much of a shock to react. I also don't think I could have handled whatever else he'd say if I engaged him. So I just stared in silence and nodded a few times as I endured a demonstration of what a curl looks like and had my squat form "corrected" (I think he said I shouldn't use my hips or something).

Even if they are sports medicine specialists, still no guarantee. I met with one earlier this year who had powerlifters (including at least one female) among his patients. After discussing my weight and whether I was trying to cut down to a specific class (which I am not, though I am cutting for general "I want to be leaner" purposes), he told me that 1) powerlifting wasn't enough of a stimulus to burn any fat, following which he gave me exercises to do such as standing hip thrusts every time I get up to pee or dumbbell curls at my desk 2) cut out all carbs of any kind, including fruit and veg, which really leaves meat, fish, eggs and... water? I did not follow his recommendations, or schedule another appointment.

Mhm I live in the East Village, if I ever need another source of income I could definitely find some buyers! I kind of wish you had said that I'll keep that line it in mind for whenever someone comments on my lifting. Seriously though, you are a patient person. Damn.

This is true. I ended up watching Tasting Menu on Netflix,. It was in Spanish, Catalan, English and there was even some Japanese, so I'm counting it towards my Spanish and Japanese practice I finished my novel afterwards so I'm getting all the cerebral points. I really enjoyed the movie by the way, I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind reading subtitles (or speaks all four languages). I guess it's best described as a romantic comedy. The whole story takes place in a restaurant where there are many characters -- some rather eccentric, though not overly goofy. It was uplifting, with just a little bit of darkness giving some bite to an otherwise lighthearted film.

Tuesday 21st March 2017 Lifting ** Comp Bench Press ** - 80.0 lbs x 2 reps - 65.0 lbs x 10 reps - 65.0 lbs x 10 reps - 65.0 lbs x 10 reps - 65.0 lbs x 10 reps ** Lat Pulldown ** - 70.0 lbs x 10 reps - 70.0 lbs x 10 reps - 70.0 lbs x 10 reps - 70.0 lbs x 10 reps ** Seated Cable Row ** - 80.0 lbs x 10 reps - 80.0 lbs x 10 reps - 80.0 lbs x 10 reps - 80.0 lbs x 10 reps Do Your Damn Abs Tall Kneeling Pallof Press: 3x10 Flutter Kicks 3x60s Hollow Body Rock 3x60s Sit Ups 3x8

So... this somehow led to me googling "goat vs. cricket" and discovering the existence of the following: I shall now retreat into my cave and reflect upon everything gone wrong with the world.

WEEK 1 / DAY 2 1. Meet prep: Oops, already forgot about the whole filming my sets goal. Oh well, plenty of time to do it this week. Back on the rowing machine after a 2-3 week hiatus. Thoughts during first set: "either 300m is not as much as it used to be, or my cardio is improving". Thoughts during second to fifth sets: "neeeeeeevermind". Mobility done -- and ouch! Already identifying weaknesses. No off plan meals. [0/3] Film each lift once per week [1/2] Cardio [0/2] Do Your Damn Abs [1/7] Becoming a Supple Leopard [1/7] Log meals off (cut) plan 2. Keep my sanity: Done or in progress. I got the idea from @Taddea Zhaan to troll Netflix for Spanish movies, but I seem to have picked one in Catalan... Oh well, I should probably learn to speak it at some point. [2/7] Write in journal [1/1] Clean one part of apartment [2/7] Get out of the house/be social [2/7 ] Read and/or language practice 3. Don't shut down: Still here, still posting. My family is currently settling into their Airbnb in the next borough. We agreed to meet tomorrow after I get off work seeing as I got no sleep last night (more bad dreams) and they are pretty tired from their flight. [2/7] Daily updates [0/1] Weekly recap [0/0] Challenge recap [2/7] Participate on other people's threads Also, is it me or have the boards been very quiet?

Absolutely. I'm not plant-crazy but I do think they look nice, and I want to be able to say I can keep something other than cockroaches and fungus alive.

That does sound like an intense movie, would you recommend it? I may use it as part of my goal to practice Spanish. I keep killing my plants (ok ok, bamboo) -- never thought of including them in these challenges, maybe I'll give that a go. Nooice.

Monday 20th March 2017 Lifting ** Barbell Squat ** - 165.0 lbs x 5 reps [PR] - 165.0 lbs x 3 reps - 165.0 lbs x 4 reps - 165.0 lbs x 3 reps - 165.0 lbs x 4 reps - 165.0 lbs x 4 reps - 165.0 lbs x 4 reps - 165.0 lbs x 3 reps ** Overhead Press ** - 50.0 lbs x 6 reps - 50.0 lbs x 8 reps - 50.0 lbs x 6 reps ** Sumo Deadlift ** - 175.0 lbs x 5 reps - 175.0 lbs x 10 reps [PR] - 175.0 lbs x 8 reps - 175.0 lbs x 7 reps Self-Inflicted Cardio ** Rowing Machine ** - 318.0 m in 01:19 - 319.0 m in 01:18 - 318.0 m in 01:20 - 315.0 m in 01:20 - 319.0 m in 01:22 Comments I'm particularly happy with the deadlifts since they were beltless and moved really well. Someone was using the platform so I was in an odd spot on the side during the first set, but then I used the platform and it was way better.

Eep, that's awesome lady! It's great you had a friend there to support you. I told any friend who asked about coming to see me they'd have to bring donuts. This is pretty much my post-meet plan: I've probably given my weekend food binge more thought than my openers so far. Sucks about your friends, but it's great that you guys are close enough to keep in touch outside of the forums. For what it's worth, I was sorry to see them disappear from the boards.

Off-topic, but did you ever get round to ordering those well-earned donut shorts? I finally ordered mine yesterday!

Ok so I went offline for a couple of days, but it was good offline. I'm officially starting with the challenge today and needed a bit of a breather before the family arrives (tomorrow!!). WEEK 1 / DAY 1 1. Meet prep: Rest day, so not much to report. It dawned on me that, aside from the awkward sleeping positions I've been taking lately, part of the upper back pain was actually just DOMS. I suppose this means I'must doing something right with my new bench setup -- yay pain! I haven't properly looked into body pillows yet. If I'm able to make myself not sleep on my stomach without pillow support this week, I'll skip the unnecessary investment. I kicked off the mobility program today. I like that it has me pick a personal weakness each day, in addition to working one movement (e.g. press) and one body part. Today was a lot a foam rolling my back while extending or folding my arms, which felt AMAZING. [0/3] Film each lift once per week [0/2] Cardio [0/2] Do Your Damn Abs [1/7] Becoming a Supple Leopard [1/7] Log meals off (cut) plan Had brunch this morning, definitely not on the plan but not that bad either (there's a veggie soup ok!). Pancake and non-featured fries were equally(-ish) split. Note to self: don't go grocery shopping tipsy ; I bought way too much broccoli. 2. Keep my sanity: Construction workers have been in and out of my apartment all week ; my building's entire gas installation is being redone. I haven't had cooking gas since late September (there was a fire while I was at CNF), so I'm happy something's being done. They had to drill holes in my floor and ceiling though so the entire place was covered in a thin layer of dust which had been driving me crazy! I swept, dusted and mopped the hell out of it. Very therapeutic! [1/7] Write in journal [1/7] Clean one part of apartment [1/7] Get out of the house/be social [1/7 ] Read and/or language practice 3. Don't shut down: I didn't post here in the last couple of days, but I went for drinks with my team on Friday, met a friend for coffee yesterday and another one for brunch this morning AND meal prepped for the next two weeks so I don't have to worry about it while my family is in town. I'm calling it a win [1/7] Daily updates [0/1] Weekly recap [0/0] Challenge recap [1/7] Participate on other people's threads