Deis' Workout Log

[Deis]

Here's the results of my workout yesterday (which a lot of you helped me come up with in this thread - thanks guys!). I was going for 3-5 reps for 5 sets, but I didn't get that far. Judging by how my legs feel today, that was probably a good thing. Still, now I've got a better idea of which weights are available (no barbells, surprisingly) I'll be able to workout more efficiently.

I worked through these in a cycle, starting back at the beginning with a new set when I'd finished.

I started off with a minute on the rowing machine as a warm-up. Then;

Lat-Pulldowns: 5@28 (bad form), 5@21, 5@21, 5@21. The problem I had here was that I had poor form with 28, but I could have done a lot more on 21. Looking back, I wonder if I was honestly trying as hard as I could have been. Next time, I'll try 28.

Assisted Pull-Ups (the weight is a counter-weight, so lower is better): 5@35, 5@35, 5@35, 5@35. I was kipping, particularly in the last set. Should I put the counterweight up a bit, or is kipping okay at this point?

Dumbell Bench Press (weight is what I held in each hand): 5@5, 5@5, 5@5, 5@5. My left arm was shaking quite a lot, which threw my form off a bit. Plans for today are to google exactly what constitutes good form for dumbell bench presses. I also intend to stay at this weight for now. I'm a bit nervous about going up any higher, since it does feel a bit dangerous to be lifting weights I'm not totally sure about above my body.

Goblet Squats: 5@5, 5@5, 5@7.5, 5@10. I was dropping into Garland pose here, but that seemed to work for me. Am I going too easy on myself by dropping right down, or will this be just as effective? My legs think it is.

Dumbell Deadlift (weight is what I held in each hand): 5@10, 5@10, 5@5, 5@7.5 I could lift ten, but my form was poor, so I went down to five to work on that. Then I went back up to 7.5, where I think I'll stay for now.

Pistol Squats (I can't actually do these, so this is me falling on my ass a lot. I alternated sides, so half the reps to get how many I did on each leg): 4@5, 4@2.5, 2@7.5. On the 2.5, I did actually succeed in not falling over, but couldn't successfully get back up. Improvement!

Tricep thing: 5@5, 5@5. I decided to skip this, for now and the foreseeable future. Firstly, I don't need to target specific muscle groups until my overall strength has improved. Secondly, this workout, with only 4 sets, took me about 50 minutes.

Dumbell Overhead Press (weight is what I held in each hand): 5@5 (bad form), 5@2.5 (too easy), 5@5, 5@5.

At the end of the workout, I held a plank for 4x15s (so moving up to 3x20 next time) did a full salute to the sun (yoga), and pigeon pose for a bit. Then another (slow and gentle) minute on the rowing machine and out.

I want to cut out a few of these, since, as I said, this took far too long. Can anyone spot any obvious redudancies? I would like to keep both the lat-pulldown and assisted pull-ups; they use a different grip (LPD is wide grip, APU is parallel grip) so I gather they use different muscles. I am cutting out the tricep thing, and I still intend to practice pistol squats, but not, perhaps, as a part of this routine.

That said, it's entirely possible that the time was taken up by examing the dumbells and generally exploring the gym. We'll have to see on Monday.

Incidentally, at women's only time, I was the only person using the weights.

[Morrigainz]

I would get rid of the pistol squat (I know you said you want to keep it..haha) at least until you are a little stronger. If you focus on goblet squats I think you'll get better results...since you're working BOTH legs along with your glutes.

As far as the squats...just make sure your weight is on your heels, not the balls of your feet...you should really feel it in your legs and butt when you're coming back up.

I'd also skip the lat pulldown (another one you want to keep..I know!!) because you're already getting a pull movement with the pullups. I think once you've developed more, you can focus on doing more with different types of muscles, but for now, a push (press), a pull (pullup), a squat and a hip hinge (deadlift) is enough. But enough preaching on that topic. And I'm not an expert anyway

I haven't tried an OHP yet but I'd like to add a clean & press to my workouts...we'll see.

GREAT JOB getting in there and getting your workout done!!

Incidentally, I'm not surprised you were the only woman using weights. Maybe you'll inspire someone!

[Deis]

I can cut the pistol squats out of the routine; my boyfriend has a 7.5kg kettlebell I can use on weekends, so I'll just do them at home.

It does seem like I've got two pulls, two pushes, one squat, and one hip hinge. I think I might have to cut out the bench press, purely because I may not have access to the bench most days. I pinched it out of the smith machine, but men use that when they're allowed in the gym, and I can't be moving the bench every time (the only women-only times are Wednesday morning and Thursday night, so it's only practical to attend one session:().

On Monday, I'll try the same routine, cutting out the things I mentioned. If it still takes too long, I'll cut out the lat-pulldowns until I can do a body-weight pull-up, since there are pull-up bars nearby that I can use when I don't need a counter weight. At that point, I'll put the pulldowns back in and take the assisted pull-ups out.

[Morrigainz]

Sure you can! Just say "Back off, buzzard!" You've got just as much right to be there and use the equipment as they do.

How much time are you trying to allot for your workouts?

[Deis]

I could pinch the bench, but it's heavy and awkward. I suppose I could just lie the wrong way up and lift free weights on it where it is.

At busy times, people are only allowed in the gym for an hour, but they're less strict about booting people when it's empty.

[Deis]

Saturday, I did 4 x 20 secs of plank, so now I'm aiming for 3 x 30 secs. I'll aim to do that later today.

I'm next planning on go to the gym on Wednesday morning, simply because I've been ill over the weekend. I've also been suffering with severe DOMS in my thighs; I haven't been able to walk easily for days. I think I overdid it.

I decided to record my vital statistics today, for posterity. All measurements are in lbs/in, and my height is 5'5 1/2 - 5'6.

Weight: 131.25lbs

Bicep: 11

Bust: 37.5

Waist: 27.25

Hips: 36.5

Thigh: 19.75

What I really want, is a bigger arse. A proper muscley powerful one. Which will, incidentally, take me closer to the 0.7 waist to hip ratio. Can't be bad.

I'm also swimming and running today, but running is recorded on my phone, and swimming is what I do to relax. Some days, it consists of turning somersaults for half an hour.

[Morrigainz]

Holy cow you are a skinny minnie! I'm 5'3" ish and weigh 137-138 ish.

I want a bigger bootay too

Hope the DOMS goes away soon and that you feel better. Do you like bananas? Supposedly they help with soreness

[Deis]

I do like bananas. I'll try to eat more of them.

(Sticking this in here because it seems like the best place to keep track).

Over the past two days, I've been timing myself while reading the last hundred pages of books. I use the last hundred so I read the right amount, and don't go over. I'm not speed-reading; these are books I happen to be reading for enjoyment, and speed-reading would suck the fun right out of that. All I do is set the time, and read the last hundred pages at a comfortable pace.

Results so far are;

Paul Magrs' Conjugal Rites: 20 mins, 15 secs.

Scarlett Thomas' Our Tragic Universe: 40 mins, 39.7 secs.

[Deis]

Today's workout;

Assisted Pull-Up: 5@35, 5@30, 5@30, 4@30, 2@30.

Lat Pulldowns: 5@21, 5@21, 5@28 (can't quite take it down to my chest, but 21 is way too easy, so I figure taking 28 down to my chin and trying to get it all the way down to my chest will work better), 5@28, 5@28.

Dumbbell Bench Press (weight refers to each hand, not total): 5@10, 5@15, 5@15 (I did try it with 20 here, but I almost dropped it on myself, so went back down), 2@10 (right arm could keep going, left arm really struggled), 1@20 (left arm weak!).

Goblet Squats: 5@15, 5@ 15, 4@20 (my right hip clicked out of joint here. It does that. It can be quite painful if I do movements that pull on it, which, unfortunately this is. I left these out of the cycle, then came back to do the last two sets at the end). 5@15 (went down a weight, and only squatted to parallel, rather than Garland, which seemed easier on my hip), 5@15 (again, only to parallel).

Dumbbell Deadlifts (weight refers to each hand, not total): 5@15, 3@10 1@ 15 1@20 (all one set - I was experimenting), 5@20, 5@20. (My hip gave me some trouble during these. I also found myself rocking forward on to my toes when I went up a weight. What I did was, rock back into a garland, come up to a parallel squat, then lift straight up from there).

Overhead Press: 5@10, 5@10, 5@15, 5@15, 5@15.

I finished with Planks: 25 (misread clock), 30, 30, 35. So next time, I'm up to 4 x 40.

Cooldown was two salutes to the sun and a minute on the bike (rowing machine was occupied).

Then I went swimming. My hip clicked back into place at some point when I was in the water.

I learned to do breaststroke today. I normally work on making my front crawl more efficient, but breaststroke was fun. I'm also less tempted to overuse my legs, so it's really handy for getting me used to relying on my arms.

I was in the gym between 11am-12pm, and in the pool for half an hour after that. I discovered today that 12pm-1pm on a Wednesday is the absolute worst time to be in the pool. Luckily, women's-only gym time doesn't end till 1pm, so I can just shuffle everything back an hour.

Other stuff that happened today; twice, I walked up to a bus stop just as the bus was pulling up, and didn't have to wait at all. I got a £5 love-to-shop voucher for doing a chlamydia test. And, I forgot to bring spare underwear to the pool (I wore my swimsuit under my clothes while I was in the gym; it's not like I need any more support than the suit gives me) and had to go commando on the way home. It was not as chilly as you might expect. Layers are awesome.

Edit 2: Just realised that my amounts above are inaccurate; I'm actually lifting more than I think. Correcting.

[Deis]

Planks (plan);

4 x 15, 4 x 20, 4 x 30, 3 x 40, 3 x 50, 3 x 60, 3 x 70, 3 x 80, 3 x 90, 3 x 100, 3 x 120.

When I'm able to hold a plank for 120 secs, I'll start doing it with weights, going up in increments of 5kg.

Just filmed myself doing a plank, and discovered that I've been arching my back. I redid the 4 x 30 secs without arching - it hurt a lot more, but did work my lower back, which is one of my weak spots.

[Deis]

Today, I did;

30 Star Jumps

Squats: 50, 28, 22.

Knee Push-Ups: 4, 9, 11, 10, 6. I am concerned about my form on these. I'll experiment with incline push-ups, maybe find a level I can do perfectly and work back down.

Bent-Over Rows (using my hardback collected edition of Lost Girls, which weights approximately 7lbs*): 20 right, 20 left.

Planks: 40secs, 40 secs, 40secs, 40secs.

*I weighed myself and myself-holding-the-books on the scale, and subtracted one from the other. It goes to the nearest 1/4lb.

I also timed myself reading the last hundred pages of the following books ('®' means rereading - I have a theory that this makes a difference);

The Collector ® - 49:03:4 = 2943.4 seconds

Harvey Angell and the Ghost Child - 29:39:4 = 1779.4 seconds

Harvey Angell Beats Time - 28:08:6 = 1748.6 seconds.

This means my average speed for 100 pages of new-to-me books is 1795.675 seconds, or 29:55:7, all books is 2025.22 seconds, or 33:45:22, and my average for rereading books is 2943.4 seconds, or 49:03:4.

I'm not correcting for variables of style (the two Harvey Angell books are aimed at children), size of font, or size of pages, because I simply cba.

Edit: A bit of experimenting with push ups reveals that I can do decent knee push-ups, taking my chest to an inch above the ground, then back up without letting myself drop, though I do tend to raise my hips at the end. So I'll go with those, but focus on making every one perfect.

Edit 2:

Thirteen Reasons Why - 28:41:7.

[Deis]

Spent today playing with yoga. I can do a full shoulder stand, and half a hand-stand (legs are still resting on the wall). I've also found that Hindu push-ups are actually easier for me than normal push-ups or knee push-ups. I'm an inch or two away from touching my toes, but I'm a lot better than I thought at triangle and warrior poses. It seems that using the salute to the sun as cool down stretches really helps with flexibility.

[Deis]

Today's Workout

30 Star Jumps

Squats: 50, 50.

Hindu Push-Ups: 10, 10.

1-Armed Rows: 30r, 30l

Salute to the Sun x 2

I'll do the planks later - I hurt too much now.

[This is Seth]

Did you end up pulling the trigger on those dumb bells you were showing me?

[Morrigainz]

I <3 yoga...so good for you! How are you feeling today?

[Deis]

Did you end up pulling the trigger on those dumb bells you were showing me?

I got 'em, yeah. Amazon should have got them here by Monday. Only problem is, as you can see below, I already outpaced them with deadlifts, so I'll have to get some more. I'm thinking a set of 4 x 5kg, then a barbell. That should last me for a good few months.

I <3 yoga...so good for you! How are you feeling today?

Tbh, I've been feeling run down for days. I had a migraine Tuesday and yesterday, and I've been getting early nights and trying to eat better. Haven't run or swum since last week.

I felt better today though, so I went to lift weights at the gym. Results as follows;

1 minute on the rowing machine.

Assisted Pull-Up: 5@30, 5@30, 5@30,, 5@30, 5@30. I really stuggled with the last one, but I still plan to move up to a 25kg counterweight next time.

Lat Pulldown Machine was busted, so I skipped it.

Dumbbell Bench Press (weight is total weight, not each hand): 5@15, 5@15, 5@15, 5@15, 5@15. Levelling up on this one too. I'm a little nervous about dropping them on myself, but I can't let that hold me back.

Goblet Squat: 5@10, 5@10, 5@12.5, 5@12.5, 5@12.5. Next time, I'll start on the 12.5kg, and think about moving up to 15kg.

Dumbbell Deadlift (weight is total): 5@20, 5@25, 5@25, 5@25, 5@25. Next time, I'll start on 25kg, then move up to 30kg for subsequent reps.

About halfway through, I looked at the weight, and thought it looked so small, and seemed so unimpressive. Then I recalled that I only weigh 57kg, so I'm almost lifting half my bodyweight.

Overhead Press: 5@10, 5@10, 5@10, 1@15 4@10, 5@10. Next time, I'll start on 15kg and do 10kg when I can't take it any longer.

Finished with two salutes to the sun, and a very slow minute on the cycling thing, with arm stretches. Can just about touch my toes again.

My reservation of New Rules of Lifting For Women came into the library. Just reading the first few pages, and I already love it. It really inspired me to push myself. I hope those ladies staring at me learned something.

Speaking of reading;

7. House of Many Ways - 22:29:6 = 1349.6 seconds

8. Goodnight Nobody - 42:46:4 = 2566.4 seconds.

This means my average speed for 100 pages of new-to-me books is 1602.55 seconds, or 26:42:6, all books is 1970.48 seconds, or 32:50:5, and my average for rereading books is 2943.4 seconds, or 49:03:4.

[Deis]

Swam this afternoon, for about half an hour. Came home and played with the first workout from New Rules of Lifting for Women. Results as follows;

30 star jumps.

Squats: 15@8, 15@18. I held two dumbbells up to my shoulders, each weighing 4kg. Next time, I'll hold them at my sides, hanging down.

Push Ups: I used a table which is about mid-thigh height on me. I managed 10, then 5 on the second set. I don't know why these are so hard for me. I know my left arm is weaker - I could really feel it struggling.

Bentover Row: 15@8, though I think my form was pretty bad. I did the next 15 with no weight at all, to see if I could get the hang of the form, but I'm still not sure.

Prone Jackknife: couldn't get the balance right.

At this point, I gave up for today, feeling a bit depressed.

Also;

Hell's Belle's (penultimate 100 pages) - 27:19:6 = 1639.6 seconds

Hell's Belle's (final 100 pages) - 24:12:7 = 1452.7 seconds

[Deis]

I had another go at Workout A from New Rules.

30 Star Jumps.

Squats: 15@8, 15@10. I reckon I can go up a bit here.

Push-ups: 15, 15. For these, I put a wooden chest on top of my table, to get a surface that's about hip height on me. My form was a little shaky here, so I'm going to stay at this level for a bit.

Bent-over Rows: 15@5, 15@5. My form was much better this time, so I intend to go up a bit.

Step ups: 15@8 each side, 15@13 each side. I used that wooden chest, which is just over 7 inches tall. I'm going to stay at 13kg for a bit, since I think I was using my trailing leg a bit too much.

Prone Jack knifes: 15, 15. My form wasn't perfect on these, but I should be much better at them soon, if I carry on with this.

Salute to the sun x 2.

I've also noticed that a meal or snack high in sugar leaves me feeling extremely ill. I'm going to switch to stevia, and see how I feel.

[Morrigainz]

Those prone jackknifes are killer! I could only do 10 (out of scheduled 12) on the second set of my last workout. I just do NOT have the balance...but it's getting there.

WTG on keeping up with it!

[Deis]

Haha, I fell off the ball for every other one! And I kept curling myself up, so if I did manage three in a row, I'd find I was closer to all fours than a plank!

I could feel that really working even with sloppy form, so I will stick with them. I found that leaving my step-up chest on the floor, and putting it behind the ball really help. It stopped it rolling too far back, at least.

[Deis]

Went swimming today. It all just suddenly clicked. Still some work to do, to make my stoke more efficient, and to learn tumble turns, but I feel pretty good about it.

There were schoolkids in the pool today, having lessons just like I used to, from the same teacher! She didn't remember me, but I remembered her, and I hope it gave her a warm glow, that she had instilled a love of swimming in me that had lasted fourteen years.

Also in the pool; one of the lifeguards. Yumyum.

Anyway, because of the kids, I was doing widths of 11m, rather than lengths of 25m. So, I did;

4 x 3 widths, with 30 seconds rest each between each set.

3 x 5 widths, with as much rest as I needed to get my breath back.

I considered walking the half a mile from the bus stop to the pool my warm up, and turned somersaults for my active cool down. One of those widths I did without taking a breath, which I'm quite proud of. I also noticed that it used to take me eight strokes to cover the 11m, and now it only takes me 6.

Just letting my dinner go down, and then I'll do workout B of New Rules. I'm still just playing around with these, figuring out the right weights, and how to do them with my home gym stuff. A few exercises, like the prone jackknives, the weighted lunges, the swiss ball crunches, and the pullovers are stuff I've not done before. That's why I'm not going to start counting these workouts until next week.

Edit:

Workout B

Deadlifts: 15@15, 15:15. Seems like a good weight.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 15@7, 15@7. Tried lifting 10kg, but couldn't do the reps.

Pullover: 15@2, 15@2. I found that going any higher seemed to pull on my left shoulder too much.

Lunge: L15:2, R15@2, L15@2, R15@2. These really hurt!

Swiss Ball Crunch: 8@BW, 8@BW. Barely felt them.

[Morrigainz]

Hey girl, where you at???

I hate swiss ball crunches and the stupid jackknife things...I swear.

I just made it to 20 lb (9.1 kg) shoulder presses yesterday...they are tough!

[Deis]

Been ill all week, so I slacked off a bit. I also started tracking at Fitocracy, since they give me points. I like getting points.