guild Warrior Meadhall

[Harriet]

18 hours ago, Sepherina said:

Being sick sucks. I hope you feel well soon

 

2 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

That's so frustrating. Rebellious pushups are well known to be the best pushups, however.

 

Thank you both ❤️ 

 

2 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Oh yeah, started my new training block last night and it is fantastic. Barbell rows, how I have missed thee! My quads are still unhappy about lunges, but they'll get over it.

 

Oh, you actually like rows? I mean, good. 

 

1 hour ago, Artemis Prime said:

Your dreams are much healthier than mine. Last night I dreamed I was at a restaurant that served endless pasta.

 

I mean they're more waking longings than actual dreams. Anything could happen if I'm asleep. Bear attacks, tidal waves, demonic hounds, giant giant giant whales, that sort of thing. Not usually lifting or pasta. 

[Sepherina]

2 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Your dreams are much healthier than mine. Last night I dreamed I was at a restaurant that served endless pasta.

Honestly this sounds like heaven!

[Artemis Prime]

53 minutes ago, Sepherina said:

Honestly this sounds like heaven!

It was Olive Garden's never-ending pasta bowl. Which, oddly, has never actually appealed to me that much when awake. Pasta is easy enough to make at home, and if I do decide to order it out, their "single serving" is already massive enough without paying extra for all-you-can-eat. But apparently my subconscious self feels otherwise.

[Artemis Prime]

On 2/13/2024 at 11:28 AM, Harriet said:

Oh, you actually like rows? I mean, good. 

 

I do. I'm not sure what I like about them, particularly, but they always leave me feeling good. Think I might have to swap out barbell for dumbbell rows in my next block, though. It wasn't really noticeable on Monday, but I went a little heavier last night, and my two sides were definitely not pulling evenly. My left side needs to learn to pull its weight!

[Harriet]

1 hour ago, Artemis Prime said:

I do. I'm not sure what I like about them, particularly, but they always leave me feeling good. Think I might have to swap out barbell for dumbbell rows in my next block, though. It wasn't really noticeable on Monday, but I went a little heavier last night, and my two sides were definitely not pulling evenly. My left side needs to learn to pull its weight!

 

Good, good, can't let the side let the side down. 

[Jarric]

On 2/15/2024 at 3:19 PM, Artemis Prime said:

I do. I'm not sure what I like about them, particularly, but they always leave me feeling good. Think I might have to swap out barbell for dumbbell rows in my next block, though. It wasn't really noticeable on Monday, but I went a little heavier last night, and my two sides were definitely not pulling evenly. My left side needs to learn to pull its weight!

 

I'm a big fan of dumbbell rows bent over and kneeing on a bench, something about them just really pleased me. (It might just be that I get to play with the big boy dumbbells )

 

[Harriet]

20 hours ago, Jarric said:

 

I'm a big fan of dumbbell rows bent over and kneeing on a bench, something about them just really pleased me. (It might just be that I get to play with the big boy dumbbells )

 

 

I probably have a totally different scale of small to big when it comes to weights, but I understand. I was beyond excited the first time I put big girl plates on the squat. I think I even drew a picture and put it on my nerd fitness profile. Gotta get back up to that. 

[Artemis Prime]

Workout this morning felt good. I don't know why I always rush lunges, but I made sure to do them slowly today, controlling the descent, and it made a huge difference in how they felt. Also, I did my warmup rows with dumbbells, and my left side knocked them out like nothing, while my right side felt it. So now I'm wondering if it feels like my right side is working harder on barbell rows because it's actually the weaker side, not overcompensating for the other. I'm sorry, lefty-lats. I never should have doubted you!

[Harriet]

18 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

Workout this morning felt good. I don't know why I always rush lunges, but I made sure to do them slowly today, controlling the descent, and it made a huge difference in how they felt. Also, I did my warmup rows with dumbbells, and my left side knocked them out like nothing, while my right side felt it. So now I'm wondering if it feels like my right side is working harder on barbell rows because it's actually the weaker side, not overcompensating for the other. I'm sorry, lefty-lats. I never should have doubted you!

 

Nice. I also need to slow down but with squats. I can't go as heavy if I do them properly, but that's probably for the best.

[Harriet]

I went to the gym for the first time in a month. Alas. I am weaker, but I just used my new approach and warmed up to something that felt pleasantly hard, then went home. Really low reps and sets because I am a frail and sickly thing. Squat, bench and dead hangs. 

[Sovalis]

8 hours ago, Harriet said:

I went to the gym for the first time in a month. Alas. I am weaker, but I just used my new approach and warmed up to something that felt pleasantly hard, then went home. Really low reps and sets because I am a frail and sickly thing. I am preserving my baseline so I can exist with some resilience. Squat, bench and dead hangs. 

Fixed it for you. 

 

You have, in three exercises, done more than I have, Harriet. You’re allowed to speak positively of yourself and your abilities. And you should! Even if they aren’t what you want them to be, all of the wins are still, in fact, wins. ❤️ 

[Harriet]

Gym again today. Only a tiny bit of deadlifts, OHP, and two very lonely pull up jump-to-negatives. My back hurt so I did not gift them with a third companion, but stopped and went home. Feeling pretty weak and tired after the long break but it'll come back if I give it some consistency. Like watering seedlings. My deadlift is a vulnerable tiny seedling that needs my love and care.

[Sepherina]

On 2/21/2024 at 1:52 PM, Harriet said:

Gym again today. Only a tiny bit of deadlifts, OHP, and two very lonely pull up jump-to-negatives. My back hurt so I did not gift them with a third companion, but stopped and went home. Feeling pretty weak and tired after the long break but it'll come back if I give it some consistency. Like watering seedlings. My deadlift is a vulnerable tiny seedling that needs my love and care.

Slow and steady is always best!   You got this! 🌱 💗

 

[Artemis Prime]

On 2/21/2024 at 1:52 PM, Harriet said:

Feeling pretty weak and tired after the long break but it'll come back if I give it some consistency.

It will come back, but it seems that constantly comparing your present lifts to your past PRs could prove too demoralizing in the long run. Perhaps a nice Jason Bourne themed challenge where you develop amnesia in the gym? No memory of how you learned these movements, only a certainty that you are capable of them, if you continue to feel your way forward slowly and with caution?

[Harriet]

1 hour ago, Sepherina said:

Slow and steady is always best!   You got this! 🌱 💗

 

 

Thank you ❤️ 

 

1 hour ago, Artemis Prime said:

It will come back, but it seems that constantly comparing your present lifts to your past PRs could prove too demoralizing in the long run. Perhaps a nice Jason Bourne themed challenge where you develop amnesia in the gym? No memory of how you learned these movements, only a certainty that you are capable of them, if you continue to feel your way forward slowly and with caution?

 

Yeah I'm trying to go by feel. My goal is to have a few "hard" sets but not a bunch that feel "very hard" and I want to feel either energised or a tiny bit tired on the walk home, not absolutely dragging. But of course I look at last week's numbers to try and hit that medium to hard range. Just gotta stay patient. I'm programming for love and consistency because those are the base of the pyramid, with strength and hypertrophy in the middle. 

[Elastigirl]

49 minutes ago, Harriet said:

I'm programming for love and consistency because those are the base of the pyramid, with strength and hypertrophy in the middle. 

Love this!

[Sovalis]

Did my three circuits this morning and they felt quite good. Some of the lifts are getting noticeably easier with the 15 lb weights and I am pleased about this, too. 

 

I hope you are all seeing some consistency! ❤️ 

[Harriet]

I just did upper body today.  I'm hoping it will be less tiring to do upper/lower than including a lower body move every time.

[Sepherina]

Made it yesterday and today to gym. Feeling confident about my deadlifts (125 lbs in the bag!)and my single arm dumbbell presses felt good even at 25lbs.  Slow and steady.  💪

[Harriet]

16 hours ago, Sepherina said:

Made it yesterday and today to gym. Feeling confident about my deadlifts (125 lbs in the bag!)and my single arm dumbbell presses felt good even at 25lbs.  Slow and steady.  💪

 

Noice! Deadlifts for the win! 

[Harriet]

My fatigue doctor wants me to avoid any exercise that requires mouth breathing. Um. But squats? So today I gave it a shot and it turns out I can squat 35kg x 5 and then breathe through my nose to recover. Not sure about heavier weights or higher reps though. Or walking up stairs. Definitely cannot do that. But perhaps this is a good reminder to keep the lifting mild given how sick I am. It's supposed to be the year of gentle wellness not the year of going HAM and gasping for air after exercises that are too hard for me. I will focus on consistency rather than upping the weights and reps too soon.

[Scaly Freak]

7 hours ago, Harriet said:

I will focus on consistency rather than upping the weights and reps too soon.

 

So you'll be playing on Hard Mode.

 

Bold, brave, and very impressive.

[Jarric]

18 hours ago, Harriet said:

My fatigue doctor wants me to avoid any exercise that requires mouth breathing. Um. But squats? So today I gave it a shot and it turns out I can squat 35kg x 5 and then breathe through my nose to recover. Not sure about heavier weights or higher reps though. Or walking up stairs. Definitely cannot do that. But perhaps this is a good reminder to keep the lifting mild given how sick I am. It's supposed to be the year of gentle wellness not the year of going HAM and gasping for air after exercises that are too hard for me. I will focus on consistency rather than upping the weights and reps too soon.

 

My coach always encourages us to breath through the nose only on squats and deadlifts. I'm crap at it, but theoretically it should be possible to go heavy doing that (with practice).

[Harriet]

14 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

So you'll be playing on Hard Mode.

 

Bold, brave, and very impressive.

 

Wurl actually, I'm aiming for medium mode 😛 (instead of following linear progression, I just write next to each of my sets whether it was very easy, easy, medium, hard, or very hard. I was aiming for a few hard sets per exercise, because I love it, but I'm thinking it might have to be the year of mediums.)

 

3 hours ago, Jarric said:

 

My coach always encourages us to breath through the nose only on squats and deadlifts. I'm crap at it, but theoretically it should be possible to go heavy doing that (with practice).

 

Interesting... I thought the only correct way to do a heavy lift is with the valsalva manoeuvre? I mean, I could breathe during a squat or deadlift, but I'd have to go a lot lighter and it would destabilise my back. I was more thinking about how I breathe during the rest. I don't breathe during an actual lift. 

[Harriet]

Okay something cool happened. I went to do my jump-to-negative for the pull-ups (I am so far away from being able to do a full pull up) and I was able to pull myself up a couple of cm (after the jump) to the top of my ROM. That has never happened before--the direction has always been jump to straight down. Every other rep was the same as usual, only the first rep involved a tiny bit of upward pull. Still, it was a pleasant surprise.