Fitness and Stuff

Tar.Aldarion

Mostly doing sets of fork pickups for the foreseeable future, and not ashamed

Tar.Aldarion

Did very little over christmas apart from fork pickups, a 2.5k jog was it. Back in the gym this week. 4 pounds heavier and I'd do it all again

Monday:

Incline BB BP 1x15 bar
Incline BB BP 1x5 35kg
Incline BB BP 4x5 40kg
overhead press 4x15 28kg
lat pull down 4x20 level 12 60kg
bent over single arm row 4x15 x2 16kg
prone row 4x15 28kg
prone fly 4x15 20kg
walking lunges 4x15 x2
bicep curls 4x15 10kg x2
Tricep extensions 4x15 16kg

Then ran for 40 minutes in the evening. Still sore from that, started out running too long I guess!


Tuesday:

702 cals on crosstrainer in 50 mins, this was hard going oh man.

Today

Incline BB BP 2x5 40kg
Incline BB BP 2x6 40kg
overhead press 4x15 28kg
lat pull down 4x20 level 12 60kg
bent over single arm row 4x15 x2 16kg
prone row 4x15 28kg
prone fly 4x15 20kg
walking lunges 4x15 x2
bicep curls 4x15 10kg x2
Tricep extensions 4x15 16kg

Ah yes doms my old friend!

Tar.Aldarion

Thursday:

crosstrainer 30 mins 400ish cals.


Friday:

Incline BB BP 3x6 40kg
Incline BB BP 2x3 45kg
overhead press 4x15 28kg
lat pull down 4x20 level 12 60kg
bent over single arm row 4x15 x2 16kg
prone row 4x15 28kg
prone fly 4x15 20kg
walking lunges 4x15 x2
bicep curls 4x15 10kg -> 12kg x2
Tricep extensions 4x15 16kg


Monday:

5.1km run.

Incline BB BP 4x6 40kg
overhead press 4x15 28kg
lat pull down 4x20 level 12 60kg
bent over single arm row 4x15 x2 16kg
prone row 4x15 28kg
prone fly 4x15 20kg
walking lunges 4x15 x2
bicep curls 4x15 12kg x2
Tricep extensions 4x15 16kg

Will try and up some weights now. Will walk over to d8fitness for 1.25kg plates some day!

Tar.Aldarion

Today:

crosstrainer 50 mins 740 cals

Tar.Aldarion

A month since I updated this! There was a fire in my apartment block so I've been living in a hotel and not doing much gym for the past month.
Finally made my way over to d8 fitness at the weekend and picked up some 1.25kg plates and have started 5x5. No idea what weights to start at so starting low and looking at form, the weight goes up fast in this so that feels important. Barbell row in particular feels weird as I hit my knee sometimes, anyway. Have done two days so far. Also can only do incline bench at my gym so am substituting it.

Friday, Day 1:

5x5 30KG Barbell squat
5x5 30KG Barbell OHP
1x5 40KG Barbell Deadlift

Today, Day 2:

30kg felt too low to start on anything so put it up a bit as I wanted to use my new plates

5x5 32.5KG Barbell squat
5x5 32.5KG Barbell Incline bench
5x5 32.5KG Barbell Row

Threw in a 1km jog and some lat pulldowns, pushups afterwards both days.

So far the weight is not challenging but that shall soon change, not been doing much in the last month so'll quickly start to catch up to my limits.

Tar.Aldarion

Day 3:

5x5 35KG Barbell squat - Can feel these in my quads a lot, thought I was supposed to in my hamstring so maybe doing that a bit wrong. Weight was grand.

4,5,4,4,4 32.5KG Barbell OHP - Found these hard, was trying to change form during them which may have contributed a lot to missed reps - form isn't right yet. Head doesn't know what it is doing going forward and back

1x5 45KG Barbell Deadlift - Easy weight yet

Alf Veedersane

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Day 3:

5x5 35KG Barbell squat - Can feel these in my quads a lot, thought I was supposed to in my hamstring so maybe doing that a bit wrong. Weight was grand.

I wouldn't worry about it. The hamstrings aren't activated much in the squat, relatively speaking. Nothing wrong with feeling it a lot more in the quads than hams.

Tar.Aldarion

Day 4:

5x5 37.5KG Barbell squat - seemed grand, would like to get lower but the bar is hitting the rack safety bars. I had osgood schlatters when i was younger from too much sports training and felt my knee flare up after the first set, fine after that. Something to watch out for.

5x5 35KG Barbell Incline bench - pretty easy as i was at 45/50kg before I went back to do 5x5.

5x5 35KG Barbell Row - Upper back was a bit sore after, form was bit better but working on it still.

Goat Paddock

Won't go into specifics but I'm about halfway between the weight I was and approximately where I need to be.. Hopefully three more months will get it done!

Tar.Aldarion

Good luck man and welcome to my log! Feel free to post updates

For me, it was a week off drinking and eating on Florida, back now. Universal studios and Kennedy space centre are class

Day 5:

5x5 40KG Barbell squat - Weight was grand, knee bit sore at start then it was fine.

5x5 32.5KG Barbell OHP - Found last rep hard but made them all, not like the missed ones last time. Form feels better.

1x5 50KG Barbell Deadlift - Easy weight yet

Tar.Aldarion

Crosstrainer 50 mins 702 calories, that killed me.

Tar.Aldarion

Day 6:

5x5 42.5KG Barbell squat - right knee sore a bit, especially at beginning, may need to warm up in some way with it

5x5 37.5KG Barbell Incline bench

5x5 37.5KG Barbell Row

Tar.Aldarion

spin/kettlebell/core class today.

Tar.Aldarion

Day 7:

5x5 45KG Barbell squat - Knee bit sore again, anybody do any stretches before squatting, what do you do? I also think I've been doing paused squats as I wait at the bottom to push up for a second? I never just go down and up in some sort of fluid movement, any difference with these? I thought pausing to focus to push up would have been standard but I think not looking a t avideo.

5, 5, 5, 3, 4 35KG Barbell OHP - Missed a couple reps so will have to do this weight again.

2x5 55KG Barbell Deadlift - Easy weight yet. Did an extra set just to practice form.

Mr. CooL ICE

Technique-wise, it could be your knee position. Are your knees always pointing in the same direction as your toes? Are they caving inwards when pushing up? If you have trouble doing that, maybe your lateral quads are weak. Warming up by doing some activation work like this might help.

I've had knee pain in the past and it has almost always been IT band related. A combination of foam rolling quads (especially lateral), glutes and static stretches has worked for me.

For static stretches, the most effective for me involved starting by sitting on the floor with legs crossed. Move your right foot up and over your left leg so it is on the floor to the left of your left knee. Put your arms around your right knee and pull it towards you and into your body. Hold for 30 seconds, and repeat with the other side. It's covered here.

Then again, if your knee pain isn't IT band related, you could ingore the above. But keeping everything loose will do no harm.

Tar.Aldarion

Hey man, thanks for the tips! My knees are always the same direction as my toes. I'll try the warm up though. The problem stems from osgood schlatters as a kid really, it hurts where I have an extra bone growth on my knee. I have poor mobility and don't ever warm up, so need to start there. I'll try out those stretches and see what happens, as you say, having things loose will help.

Tar.Aldarion

Day 8:

5x5 50KG Was supposed to do 47.5KG but forgot to bring down my plates, skipped to 50. Did some stretches first, seemed a little better.

5x5 40KG Barbell Incline bench

5x5 40KG Barbell Row - Still feel form is a bit weak on this one

Tar.Aldarion

Really wanted to just do another day of lifting but it wouldn't have been wise. Did crosstrainer instead, 50 mins @level 16 706 cals

Alf Veedersane

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

5x5 40KG Barbell Row - Still feel form is a bit weak on this one

What do you think is weak about it?

This might be helpful.

Tar.Aldarion

Thanks I'll have a look at that now. I mostly mean my form seems to vary a lot, sometimes I feel like i'm hurting my lower/upper back afterwards.

Wottle

Funny that just wrote same regarding barbell row. Regarding the knee, have you ever tried a foam roller and roll the muscles close to the knee, calf, hamstring, quads and IT?
I find the foam roller a great help.

Tar.Aldarion

yeah it just feels weird! I'll try foam rolling, I haven't done it in a long time due to laziness but must get back to it.

Tar.Aldarion

Today's class was generic core exercise circuits.

Things like sets of :
15x squat jumps
15x pushups
15x toe touches
15xburbees

etc. Was killed by the end of it.

Tar.Aldarion

Can't find my shorts today so this was all done in jeans, or resistance pants as I call them
Fairly painful!

Day 9:

5x5 52.5KG Barbell squat - Did a practice set or two where my knee hurt, then when it was warmed up no problems.

4,5,4,5,5 35KG Barbell OHP - Missed a couple reps again! Dammit. Pretty sore forom class yesterday but found them hard, doubt I'd be doing well at the next weight anyway.

2x5 60KG Barbell Deadlift - Grand, did the extra set because i aint setting up all that stuff for one set

Then tried dips for the first time, just a few sets of 3-4.

Then 3x10 60kg lat pull downs done really slowly.

caviardreams

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Can't find my shorts today so this was all done in jeans, or resistance pants as I call them
.

:eek::eek::eek:

Could be a whole new assistance exercise - jean squats

Tar.Aldarion

I'm pretty sure somebody stole my shorts in work, have new ones now


Anybody ever get bruises lifting? I have a bruise on the outside of my right leg just under knee height by a few inches. Bone is sore to the touch there. i can only assume its from squats somehow. Can see a small one on the same place on left leg now actually, much less bruised.

Tar.Aldarion

Day 10:

Feeling sick today so this was very hard going.

5x5 55KG Barbell Squat. I have noticed that I go down fine but on the way back up my back is rounding (chest is moving forward too) and I am using that to push up the weight, maybe I should drop weight to practice as that seems dangerous for my back.

4,5,5,5,5 42.5KG Barbell Incline bench Missed one rep at the start but I'm sick and was probably out of breath when I started. Dunno if I'll try to go up weight anyway.

5x5 42.5KG Barbell Row - Felt a bit better.

Mr. CooL ICE

Bruises from squatting? Something seriously wrong there. I get bruises from bashing clumsily off benches and stuff, but never squatting.

Regarding back rounding in the squat... How tight is your core. What cues do you use before you descend?

Tar.Aldarion

I'm only guessing to be fair, I see others have got them when googling.

This may be the problem, I have no "cues" apart from breathing, and tighten my shoulderblades before picking up the weight. Then it's just down and up willy nilly, not tightening anything, not doing anything with my hands but holding the bar lightly. Any tips?

Mr. CooL ICE

For squatting cues, there isn't one specific right way, but there are plenty of wrong ways.

For me, I have the bar racked below the top of my shoulders. I pin my shoulders down and back, get under the bar and pull my torso up into the bar. Shoulders never move from here until the bar is racked again. Feet and hips below the bar, deep breath, step back and get feet into position. I fill my entire abdominal cavity with air until I look pregnant, then I try tucking my pecs into my belly while bracing my core and then descend. Knees and hips break simultaneously. Get to bottom position and then I use my legs and glutes to try drive my back backwards and upwards. And repeat.