Playing with my new toys

Today, I got to break in my new toys!  I got to the basement to do Fat Loss III B5.  I am sufficiently wiped out!  After 80 squats, my legs are made of Jello.

The equipment worked out perfectly. I'm thrilled!  I liked doing the pull downs on my knees.  I find the position closer to what a chin-up or pull-up would be.  At the gym, I had to sit down unless I wanted to go around swapping bars out with other stations.

It took a total of 1:34 including 12 mintues warming up and foam rolling afterward.  According to SportTracks, I burned around 750 calories!  I think I might be more likely to warm up with this setup, since I won't be worrying if I will be the first to the power cage!

FL3B5

Warm up: 3 minutes jump rope, squats - 5@BW, 4@45#

Front squat - 1x10@55#, 3x10@60#

UH lat pulldown - 4x10@90#

Step-up - 1x10@ 25# ea hand and 6 risers, 3x10@25# ea hand and 7 risers

Dumbbell push press - 4x10@25# ea hand

Squat - 2x20@ 60#

Wide-grip lat pulldown - 2x20@ 70#

Step-up - 2x20@ 15# ea hand and 7 risers

Dumbbell shoulder press - 2x20@ 20# ea hand (last rep was not complete)

Swiss ball crunch - 2x10@ 15# on head

My turn to hog the power cage

Today was a quick lifting session, but VERY hard!  I sped out of bed and to the gym so I could be the first one there.  I wanted the power cage for my deadlifts.  I guess I could do them with dumbbells, but I have been waiting to do regular deadlifts again for so long, I would have been disappointed.  Since I also used the barbell for Romanian deadlifts, I used the cage for the entire half hour.  The guy I knew would come in and probably want the cage, came right after I started my lifts.

This was stage 7 workout 3 from New Rules of Lifting for Women.  It was a killer!  It only lasted 32 minutes after a quick warm-up, but that was plenty!  I'm getting really close to the big girl plates on my deadlifts!!  (Those are the full-sized 45# plates. I used 35# plates plus 5# plates today.)

Warm-up - 1x2@45# deadlift, 1x4@95# deadlift

Deadlift - 1x8@115#, 1x8@125#
Static lunge, rear foot on step - 4x15@20#each hand
Push-up - 4x15 in power cage, 4th hook from bottom (arms mostly in, did better this time, helps to go fast)
Romanian deadlift - 4x15@105# (wow!  huffing and puffing!)
Dumbbell bent-over row - 1x15@30#ea, 1x9+@30#ea, 2x15@25#ea

Barbell bench press!

Well, I managed to do the incline barbell bench press without killing myself! There were a crazy number of people there this morning, so someone would have been able to call 911 for me if I had crushed my windpipe with the bar. I didn't get to do it right away as it is written in the plan, so I was pre-fatigued and maybe would have attempted a bit more.

I was pretty disheartened when I arrived at the gym. I had gotten out to my car, which was not in the garage for various reasons, and the windshield was covered with frost. I'm so spoiled with my garage! So, I dug around in my car in a useless attempt to find a scraper. Then, I remembered I had taken them out in the garage when the possibility for frost seemed a lot way off. Anyway, when I made it to the gym, there was a guy there I knew would be using my power cage a lot, and he was. (I should write my name on it. Maybe that would help.) So, I started with the second group of exercises first. About half way through those, I saw an opening and jumped in to do the bench press and seated row group before continuing with the second group. I didn't want to wait until after the second set, because it is so high rep, I'd be exhausted. I didn't want to make my first attempt at a barbell incline bench press while exhausted!

All in all, things turned out fine. I was at it for about 47 minutes. Not bad. I got there around 4:50 (having wasted a lot of time finding a scraper!) and by the time I left, I counted 8 or 9 people at the gym. That's a lot for so early in the morning. I wonder why? I understand Friday, when people are trying to get in the workout early so they can have fun in the evening, but Tuesday? It's not January 2, either. hmmm...

By the way, my glutes are speaking to me... I think tomorrow is going to be interesting...

There is pretty much no way I can only rest 30secs, so I stopped trying and just went to the next exercise without pausing. Usually, that ended up at 45-60 seconds.

Incline bb bench press - 1x6x45#, 1x6x60# (30deg incline on bench, started after second? set of squats)
Seated row - 1x8@71#, 1x8@77#
DB squat, heals raised - 2x15@20#each (second set last few reps weak), 1x15@15#ea, 1x15@12#ea (heels on 2# dbs, a good use for Barbie-bells!)
DB shoulder press - 1x15@20#ea, 1x15@20#ea, 1x13@20#ea, 1x15@20#ea (had to use some pauses during sets)
Step-up - 4x15@12#ea (this time, stepping forward rather than sideward, much easier! I might still be pushing off a tad, though)
Underhand lat pulldown - 3x15@87#, 1x13@87#