Back again!

Yes, I've been absent for a little while. I had a couple weeks of vacation, including a week of skiing in Austria. Then I had a week of business trip. Now, I'm TRYING to get back in the swing of things. I did wake up early this morning, but I was still slow getting started.

My mind is still here...

Tuesday, I did a modified version of a Turbulence Training bodyweight routine:
Foam rolling and mobility work
Push-ups - 7 regular+8 elevated, 6 regular+8 elevated
Inverted row - 2x8
1-leg box squat - 2x8/8 risers
Anti-rotation hold - 2x2@20#/15sec (should reduce weight)
Bulgarian split squat - 2x8
Elevated push-up - 2x8 hands on bench
Walking lunges with overhead reach - 2x8
Mountain climbers - 2x12
Jump rope intervals - 8x10s off/20s on

And today I did the third round of my own workout. The last time I did it was over a month ago. In the mean time, I gained 4 pounds (boo! but it was worth it!) so my chin-ups suffered.

My Little Workout #2-3
0:54
Foam rolling and mobility
A1 Chin-up - 3x1
A2 1-leg supine bridge - 3x10/side
B1 Push-up - 3x8
B2 BSS - 3x10 (bodyweight, focussing on left side stability and control)
C1 Overhead press - 3x8/20#each hand
C2 Antirotation iso-hold - 3x3reps/sidex10# for 20s each, 10s rest between, arms straight out, first set standing, others kneeling

With the first set of antirotation holds, I realized most of my energy was going to pulling the cable up. My cable station doesn't have a middle level. So, I changed to kneeling. In the kneeling stance, I felt my abs working a lot more. These are so tough. My heart rate hit its max for the workout and I started sweating. Maybe I should put these earlier in the program!

I purchased Assess and Correct.  I've been reading the downloadable parts and it is excellent.  I've already learned a lot.  Recently, I also picked up the book Women's Strength Training Anatomy, since I've become fascinated with anatomy, particularly muscular anatomy.  That is very handy to have alongside the A&C material!  I will be sure to share more thoughts on these as I use them more.

Upper body day

Not a whole lot to say today.  Not a whole lot of progress on weights.  I even stepped back the cable external rotations to see if my form would change.  It didn't much.  I went from doing the stir the pots on knees to on my toes.  That was a nicer difficulty.  They were too easy before. I need more air in my ball, though.  I've needed that for a while!  Technically the floor presses should have had some of the sets be warm-ups.  But, I was searching for the right weight and didn't want it to drag on forever.  Now that I added up the pounds, I realize I made it a lot heavier than I had thought at the time!


Show and Go, Phase 3, Week 3
1:07
Foam rolling and mobility work
Close-Grip floor press - (warm up 3 @45#) 3 @65#, 3 @75#, 3 @80#, 3 @85#, 3 @90#, 3 @95#
Neutral grip pull-downs with Lynx grips - 6x3 @115#
1-arm cable rotational row - 3x8/side @40#
1-arm DB bench press - 2x8/side @35#
Stir the pot -2x 6/direction on toes
Cable external rotation at 90 degrees - scapular plane - 10/side @5#, 10/side @2.5#
Elbow flexors stretch - 2x30/side
Stability ball adductor stretch on wall - 2x30s

Bench Press PR!

Finally, I've tried a 1-rep max bench press and hit 100 pounds!  Thanks to hubby for spotting me on that!  Luckily, he didn't have to touch the bar, but having him ready to helped get over the mental barrier.

This was the last day of Phase 2.  It was a great phase, but I can't wait until Monday!

Today, I didn't go up on the DBPP.  They were challenging, but the real reason is because I was too lazy to swap around the plates on my adjustable dumbbells every set!  I would have tried 27.5# or 26.25#.

For the cable rows, I actually went down in weight each set because I was unhappy with my form.  The last set had acceptable form.

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 4
Foam rolling and mobility work
Speed Bench - 4x3@60# (50% load), 1x1@100# (PR!!!)
Head supported row, pronated grip - 3x6@40#ea
DB Push Press - 2x6@25#ea
T-push-ups - 3x6 (hands on floor)
Seated cable row - neutral grip - 1x10@100#,1x10@95#, 1x10@90#
Ab wheel iso holds - 3x1@10s
Cable external rotation at 90deg - 2x10/side@5#

Today, hubby actually lifted a bit.  We went over form, especially in the deadlift.  I hope it becomes a habit!

Overhead Squats...

Wow, those overhead squats were very hard!
I started out doing several warm-up bodyweight OH squats with a mop stick.  Those were easy enough, so I thought I'd try the Oly bar.  Nope.  I got the Oly bar into place, but I felt very unstable.  45# was simply too much to start out with.  So, I actually put my 1" plates onto the mop stick for my overhead squats! (I'm pretty sure my former 1" bar has been discarded.  I thought I'd never need it again!  Ooops.)  I'm sure this looked ridiculous.  It worked wonderfully, though.  I was able to put a decent weight on the bar.  Next time, I will use a sturdier stick, though.  This was a cheap plastic one and I think I might have even bent it a little!

I'm going to change the way I report the landmines.  I was reporting the Oly bar + weights all in one number.  I think that is a little misleading because I'm not lifting all of the weight in a normal manner.

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 4
1:05
Foam rolling and mobility work
Overhead squats - (warm-up 15@bodyweight w/mop stick, 5x shoulder dislocations, 5@10# on stick) 1x5@20# on stick, 2x5@25# on stick (stick weighs less than 1#)
Prone Row to External Rotation - 1x8
Feet-Elevated Scap Push-ups - 1x8
Snatch grip rack pulls - (warm-up 3@135#) 3x6@165# (tried 170#, but couldn't make it work)
Side-lying extension-rotation - 2x8/side
DB forward lunges - 3x8/side@32.5#ea
Landmines - 3x5@25# on oly bar
Static calf stretch off step - 2
Kneeling heel to bull stretch - 2

Last week of Phase 2!

Not much to say.  This one was quicker because two exercises were left out.  I still got a good workout, though!

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 4
0:48
Foam rolling and mobility work
Alternating DB press - 1x8@35#ea, 1x12@33.75#ea, 1x9@33.75#ea
Towel eccentric pull-ups - 3x6
Standing 1-arm cable rows - 3x10/side@37.5#
1-leg feet-elevated push-ups - 3x5 (arms on floor, foot up 4")
Supine no money w/band - 2x4@10s
Quadruped chin tucks - 2x

Another round of sumos

I think I'll kind of miss the sumo deadlifts next month.  These were fun.  I see regular deadlifts (I'm not going to "slightly raise" them, as is recommended because I don't have a trap bar) are back again.  That will be good.  With 3-rep sets, I should be seeing some good weight increases.

The lunges felt heavy today.  This is equal to the highest I've done before, and that only for one set.  This time, I did them with the same weight for all three sets. For the sumo deadlifts, I hit my highest 3-rep set, just 5 pounds off my max ever.  This is pretty cool.  I'm feeling the strongest and most well-rounded and mobile I've ever felt.

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 4
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 3@135#, 3@155#, 1@175#) 1x3@185#, 1x3@190#, 1x3@195#
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - 3x6@85#
Yoga plex - 3x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@37.5#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@25#
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x

Quicker this time

I was in a bit more of a hurry this morning and ended up spending only 55 minutes on my workout.  I should be in a hurry all the time!

I'm looking forward to the 1-rep max attempt.  We'll see what I get out of that.

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 3
0:55
Foam rolling and mobility work
Speed Bench - 6x3@60# (60% load)
Head supported row, pronated grip - 4x6@37.5#ea
DB Push Press - 3x6@25#ea
T-push-ups - 3x6 (hands on bar, not elevated)
Seated cable row - neutral grip - 3x10@95#
Ab wheel iso holds - 2x1@12s, 1x1@10s
Cable external rotation at 90deg - 2x5#

Another one down!

Not a whole lot to say today.  It was a great workout.  I'm pretty tentative about increasing the incline BPs, since I can't do them as safely without a spotter compared to regular BPs. Even though weights didn't go up much today, I did improve form.  That counts, too!

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 3
1:20
Foam rolling and mobility work
Low incline barbell press - (warm-up 5@45#, 3@65#) 2x1@85#, 3x3@75#
Wall hip flexor mobs -3x8/side
Neutral grip DB bench press -3x8@35#ea
Towel eccentric pull-ups - 3x6
Standing 1-arm cable rows - 4x10/side@35#
1-leg feet-elevated push-ups - 3x5 (arms on bar, foot up 4")
Supine no money w/band - 2x4@10s
Quadruped chin tucks - 2x

200 Pound Sumo Deadlift!!!!

What a way to start the week!  A 200lb deadlift!  It went well.  In fact, I think I had a few more pounds in me.  I needed to finish the workout some time, though, so I left the rest for another day.

This was a long workout.  About 1:20.  Part of that was because it had an extra set for some of the exercises.  Of course, when deadlifting it takes me a while to set up and build up courage.


Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 3
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 3@135#, 1@175#, 1@185#) 1x1@195#, 1x1@200# (PR!!), 2x3@185#, 1x3@190#
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - 5x6@80#
Yoga plex - 4x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@35#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@25#
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x


Here is what 200 pounds looks like!  (Yes, I could have used the 25# plates, but I was moving up from below 185#.)

Testing out the new equipment

The homemade ab roller appeared just in time.  Today's workout included a use for them!  It performed beautifully.  Better than I did!  :)

I tried a heavier 1 rep load on the bench presses, but I couldn't get it off the supports. So, I dropped 10# and the rep was relatively easy.

Overall, a good hard workout!

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 2
1:09
Foam rolling and mobility work
Speed Bench - 5x3@55# (55% load), 1x1@85#
Head supported row, pronated grip - 4x6@35#ea
DB Push Press - 3x6@25#ea
T-push-ups - 3x6 (hands on bar, not elevated)
Seated cable row - neutral grip - 3x10@95#
Ab wheel iso holds - 1x3@10s (oops), 2x1@10s
Cable external rotation at 90deg - 2x5#

Squatting better!

There were a few interesting things today.  For the last, heaviest squat, I was very aware how much worse my form was than with the lighter weights.  I let my hips move forward.  I don't know if I didn't notice that before or if the "grooving" from the lighter box squats helped me realize that.  We will see going forward, I guess!

The rack pulls are still strange.  Eric recommends straps for these and I can tell why.  I tried something with my yoga strap, but didn't actually use it.  Bare hands was the best, Lynx grips didn't work well.  I might have to look into straps.

This time, I used a towel in the corner of my power rack for the Landmines and I also held on the end where the weights go rather than the grip bar.  These are an amazing core exercise.  Not easy!

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 2
1:10
Foam rolling and mobility work
Front box squats - (60% load) 6x2@60#, 1x1@80#
Prone Row to External Rotation - 3x
Feet-Elevated Scap Push-ups - 3x
Snatch grip rack pulls - 1x6@150#, 1x6@155#, 1x6@160#
Side-lying extension-rotation - 2x8/side
DB forward lunges - 3x8/side@27.5#ea
Landmines - 3x5@65#
Static calf stretch off step - 2
Kneeling heel to bull stretch - 2

Quick report

I gotta run, but here is today's workout!

Oh, I also rejoined Weight Watchers for three months.  Hopefully that will help me keep under control during the holidays!

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 2
1:08
Foam rolling and mobility work
Low incline barbell press - (warm-up 5@45#) 2x2@80#, 2x4@80#
Wall hip flexor mobs -3x8/side
Neutral grip DB bench press -3x8@35#ea
Towel eccentric pull-ups - 3x6
Standing 1-arm cable rows - 4x10/side@35#
1-leg feet-elevated push-ups - 3x5 (arms on bar, foot up 4")
Supine no money w/band - 2x3@10s
Quadruped chin tucks - 2x5

Feeling strong

What a good workout!  Deadlifts, lunges, RDLs...wow!

The sumos went better this time.  I wore long sweats this time, so the knurling didn't scrape my legs.  I struggled with balance a time or two on the reverse lunges.  Not a big deal, though.  Not much else to say right now!


Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 2
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 2@135#, 2@165##) 2x2@180#, 1x4@180#, 1x4@185# (PR!)
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - 3x6@80#, 1x6@85#
Yoga plex - 3x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@35#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@25#
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x

Another one

Not much to say today.  Not a whole lot of sweat.  The speed bench was interesting.  I think my form improved with each set.  It was pretty light, though.  Next week, I'll try a 1-rep max.  I may make use of the safeties again :)


Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 1
1:02
Foam rolling and mobility

Speed bench (50% load) - 6x3@50#
Head-supported row - pronated grip - 2x6@33.75#ea, 1x6@35#ea
DB push press - 3x6@25#ea
T-push-ups - 3x6
Seated cable row - neutral grip - 3x10@90#
Bar rollout iso holds - 3
Cable external rotation at 90 degrees - 2x10/side@5# (hard!)

Thanksgiving lift

What a great way to start off the day!
I am definitely thankful for my health and the health of my family.  I'm also thankful for my awesome weight equipment!!

Today's plan was a bit odd.  I forgot to do the A2 exercise.  A1 (the front box squats) had timed rests, so I didn't think to alternate in the other exercises.  Oops!  Next time.

The snatch grip rack pulls were new to me, too.  I thought I could lift as much as a regular deadlift.  Nope!  Ego checked :)  For some reason, it's harder to start the bar moving at that height (at the bottom edge of my knee cap).

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 1
1:12

Foam rolling and mobility work
Front box squats - (55% load) 6x2@55#
Snatch grip rack pulls - 1x6@145#, 1x6@150#, 1x6@155#
Side-lying extension-rotation - 2x8/side
DB forward lunges - 3x8/side@25#ea
Landmines - (warm-up 5x45#) 1x5@55#, 2x5@60#
Static calf stretch off step - 2
Kneeling heel to bull stretch - 2

Not so much sweat

Toward the end of today's workout, there was a little sweat, but presses just don't bring it out like the deadlifts and squats.

This time, I did the push-ups as prescribed.  I probably didn't get the best depth, but overall not bad.

I'm a lot more cautious with the inclined BB presses, since the safeties aren't as useful.  I could dump the bar down by my legs, but otherwise I need to get it back to the hooks.  I still managed to make my last rep difficult to complete, so I'm happy with that.

I am really liking the Show and Go foam rolling and mobility warm ups.  I feel ready to move when I'm done.  I usually have a somewhat increased heart rate by the end, but no need to be sweating buckets by then.

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 1
1:09
Foam rolling and mobility work
Low incline barbell press - (warm-up 3@45#, 2@65#) 1x2@75#, 1x2@80#, 2x4@80#
Wall hip flexor mobs -3x8/side
Neutral grip DB bench press - 2x8@32.5#ea, 1x8@33.75#ea
Towel eccentric pull-ups - 1x5, 2x6
Standing 1-arm cable rows - 4x10/side@35#
1-leg feet-elevated push-ups - 3x5
Supine no money w/band - 2x3@10s
Quadruped chin tucks - 2x5

What a start to Phase 2!

Today was the first day of Show and Go Phase 2.  I am beat!  Wow.  During the RDLs and cable lifts, my heart rate stayed around 160bpm.  Today's workout brought lots of new moves.  The sumo deadlifts were something I was curious about before, so I was excited to try them out.  It was a weird feeling and I even went back to the computer to check out Eric's video on them in the middle of my warm-up set.  The only issue I see with them is that the wide stance has my shins out on the knurling on the bar rather than the smooth part, as they are with conventional deadlifts.

For the BB reverse lunges, I had to add an extra set because I went past the 90% limit.  Well, I still have one working set slightly under that, but I'll live.  It was trial and error getting the right weight.  One time I lost my balance, but managed to catch myself.  These have a much more unstable feel as compared to DB lunges!  I feel like a tight rope walker.

The knee-break ankle mobs didn't do much for me.  After re-watching the video, I think I'll have to go deeper.  Much more than what I would consider a "knee break".

I weighed in and took measurements.  Although I feel stronger, but all the sweets I've been eating have hit me hard.  I'm up 3 lbs. and my measurements are about the same.  I will commit to reducing my sweet intake over this next phase.  It's only going to get harder this time of year!

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 1
1:24
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 3@135#, 2@155#) 2x2@175#, 1x4@175#, 1x4@180# (PR! but also the first time I've done these ;) )
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - (warm-up 6@65#) 1x6@70#, 2x6@75#, 1x6@80#, 1x6@75#
Yoga plex - 4x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@32.5#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@20# (stance was reversed from demo video)
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x

Done with Phase 1!

A day late, but I got in the last workout from Phase 1 of Show and Go!  After being sick yesterday, sick enough to miss my race, I was surprised how well today went.  I was even not feeling 100% today.  But, I pressed a little higher than I ever have before!

On the eccentric pull-ups, I am really noticing an increase in strength in my back and shoulders.  Before, when I did pull-up (palms away) eccentrics, I could barely control the decent at all.  Now, I can really draw it out.  It feels so strong.  I'm sure I'm still far from an actual pull-up, but it feels nice to make progress on these.

My daughter (3 years) joined in ALL of the mobility moves today and did some dumbbell and cable work along with general playing during the rest.  She busied her self for a long time loading and unloading the cable station. She thought the Walking Spiderman w/Overhead Reach was funny and hard at first, but stuck with it and found her balance.  She was proud that she figured it out.

Tomorrow, I'll weigh and measure.  I don't expect much on the weight front.  I've been eating horribly since Halloween.

Show and Go, Phase 1, Week 4
1:06
Foam rolling and mobility work
Close-grip bench press - (warm-up 10@45#, 3@75#) 1x3@85#, 1x3@90#, 1x2@95# (PR! failed 3rd rep)
Eccentric Pull-up - 3x3
Low incline DB press - 1x6@31.25#ea, 2x6@32.5#ea
Head supported DB row - 1x10@31.25#ea, 2x10@32.5#ea
Prone bridge arm march - 3x10
Side-lying external rotation - arm propped at 30 deg abduction - 3x10@5#
Elbow/wrist flexors stretch - 2x30s/side
3-way band hamstrings stretch - 2x15s/position/side

More DLs

Although I barely eked it out, I hit another deadlift personal record!  Woo hoo!  After last week's drop back, this felt great.  The wall slides got better, too.  The first set went very well.  The other two were not quite as nice.  One more workout in this Phase and on to the next!


Show and Go, Phase 1, Week 4
Foam rolling, mobility work
Deadlifts - (warm-up 5@45#, 5@135#) 1x5@160#, 1x5@165#, 1x5@170#, 1x5@175# (didn't lock out last rep because grip was failing)
Wall ankle mobility - 3x8
Walking DB lunges - 2x6/side@25#ea, 1x6/side@27.5#ea
Quadruped chin tucks - 3x5
Side bridge wall slides - 3x10
Barbell hip thrusts - (warm-up 3@45#) 1x6@65#, 1x6@70#, 1x6@75#
Stability ball adductor stretch on wall - 2@30s
Kneeling heel-to-butt stretch - 2@30s/side

Pressing the limits

Today's lifting session felt really good.  I love challenging myself and winning!  Sometimes I have to step back, but today, I got to step forward a bit.  Last time I attempted the alternating BP presses, I couldn't do 35#.  In fact, my log from two weeks ago has the note "Yuck!" by the attempt and I tweaked something in my shoulder bailing out of the attempt.  This time, with only 3 sets, I decided to try again and I came through challenged, but no yucks!  It is so nice that I can almost micro-load my adjustable DBs in 1.25# increments. That capability really helped me out here.  Two weeks ago, I dropped back to 32.25# then last week I used 33.75# and this week 35#!  When I set up my home gym, I thought they would be temporary, now I'm preferring them over a full set of regular dumbbells.  I also used their adjust-ability today for the hammer curls.  I wanted to try to top the 20# I had been using, but 25#, my heaviest regular DB, was way too much.  22.5# worked, though!  I keep thinking back to what I read about some of the strongmen 100+ years ago who had dumbbells and barbells that you could load with sand.  Talk about micro-loading!

I even improved on my push-ups today.  I went down a notch AND felt like I completed them better.  It was an all-around strong morning.  I thought I was really strong when I did what I thought was my first set of lat pulls.  I thought I had 110# on the cable, but miscalculated and only had 95#.  I must have still been asleep :)

Show and Go, Phase 1, Week 4
Foam rolling and Mobility work
Alternating DB Bench Press - 3x5@35#ea
Neutral grip lat pulldowns -  (warm-up 1x5@95# - loading mistake!) 3x5@110#
Push-ups - 3x10 (hands elevated 9.5")
Seated cable rows - pronated grip - 3x10@90#
Dumbbell hammer curls - 2x8@20#ea, 1x8@22.5#ea
Bent over trap raise - 3x10@8#ea
Oly bar rollout - 3x8
Walking Spiderman w/ overhead reach - 3x5