Adena

How the heck do you find tofu for 98 cents a carton??? The cheapest one I can find is $2.59. I save money by mostly using brown rice and dried lentils and chickpeas for a lot of my meals, but still. Organic veggies are way expensive, at least here. I just joined a CSA to save and still be able to eat organic, so that should help in another month or so. But the other side of the coin is, I seriously eat a lot. I'm not trying to be lean, I'm powerlifting, and I really feel the difference in the gym (in a good way, strength-wise) when I have been eating a lot. So I'm sure that's part of why I spend so much. I'm kind of confused about why it's so much cheaper for you there, although I know California is the biggest agricultural state...but I also live in an agricultural state, and the majority of my groceries are local...hm. I'll definitely check out that link.

Bench Day Bench: 1x5x85 1x3x95 1x6x105 I ate a lot of spaghetti today. Apparently, that's just what I needed. Bench for volume: 1x12x65 4x10x65 Bench with bands: 3x10x45 Push-Ups: 3x10 Dips: 1x8 2x5 The only downside to this is, I weighed in at 136. So, I have to gain approximately five more pounds to lift five more pounds? Something about that doesn't seem quite right... Ah well, squat day tonight, and then I'll begin Deload Week and try to fit in lots of cardio and healthy foods, and less nuts...We'll see how it goes!

I thought you all lifted tiny pink plastic dumbells? Ha, I am kidding! My wife lifts as well and she uses the real iron. She used to be my training partner. Our daughter no longer makes that possible. Barb, I'm a girl and I lift reasonably heavy weights. I just thought the description of that exercise sounded a bit silly, so I was laughing about it.

Thanks guys! I was pretty stoked about that 205 deadlift!

I probably end up spending about $400 per month on mostly my own food. I cook a few meals a week to share with my boyfriend. I don't buy any protein shakes or supplements, I just eat a lot! Also, it's all organic, which is automatically more expensive, unforutnately...

Sounds like a great day! Nice job!

SOHP Day SOHP: 1x5x55 1x3x65 1x2x70 BOR: 1x15x75 1x12x75 One Arm DB Press: 3 sets each arm, with 25 lb dumbbell - I never remember how much I do for each arm. Assisted Pull-Ups & Chin-Ups Deadlift Day Deadlift: 1x5x160 1x3x185 1x3x205 Good Mornings: 3x12x135 Farmer's Walks with 45 lb plates Plate pinches with two 5 lb plates Various planks Hanging Leg Raises: 3x10

That freaking rules.

Squat Day Squats: 1x5x135 (I forgot I was doing sets of three, so I did 5 reps by mistake, then remembered to do three for the next set.) 1x3x150 1x3x165 This last set was a bit shaky, but I got it. Box Squat: 1x15x115 2x12x115 Lunges for a longer distance than usual with 25 lb plate overhead; I think next time I'll upgrade to the 35 pound plate, or maybe start lunging around with a bar and plates. I'm not sure that's safe, though. Leg Press: 3x15x280 Leg Curl: 3x15x65 So I really hate leg press and curls, and they don't seem to be hindering my progress in squats, but I have my doubts about whether they're really helping me any. Anyone have any suggestions for how I can mix up my leg day? I want to continue doing squats and box squats of course, and lunges are just plain fun. But for the last two exercises, I'd like to do something different.

Hahaha! I've been wondering why they have so many "cleanse" products at health food stores. I guess they sell well....

Wow, that's a ridiculously large amount of weight to lose! Nicely done!

One thing that helps me a lot is "contrast showers." When you take a shower after your workout, run the water as hot as you can stand it for about 30 seconds, then as cold as you can stand it for about 30 seconds. Repeat a couple of times.

Hey, I do neck bridges on both the front and back, too. I've been forgetting them lately, though. They definitely help your neck strength.

Lobster-thanks! I have still higher goals, and hopefully I'll reach those, too! I think I'm about to be able to deadlift two plates pretty soon, so that's neat. Chewy-I'm not sure about those tricep things I did. They felt pretty awkward. I won't know if they really help me until I start to see more gains in my bench, I guess. I think benching with bands is a pretty good idea, though, because I did those last week and already this week I was feeling a bit stronger. Time will tell! It's cool that we synced up. We'll probably get out of sync again next week, though, because I don't know if I'm going to have time to go back to strength training four times a week. I also haven't decided if it's more beneficial for me to just strength train three times per week, and thus devote another day to cardio. I kind of like doing that. Wish I had a gym buddy here in Des Moines so I could have a better spotter!

If you want to get bigger and/or stronger, then yes, definitely.

Do you mean like Arnold Presses? Or like swinging your arm in a windmill fashion? Oh jeez, now I'm imagining a whole bunch of girls windmilling their arms with tiny dumbbells!

Bench Day Bench Press: 1x3x80 1x3x90 1x3x100 I had a really bad spotter for the last set. A whole lot of touching the bar, "It's all you, it's all you!" etc...he also yanked the bar out of my hands and racked it after the third rep, and I could've actually done another rep this time. Well, a bad spotting incident happens to everyone once in a while. I guess it was just my turn. I decided to add more volume at this point with lighter weight. I was intending to do sets of ten with about a minute rest between each set, and I think I actually went a bit too heavy. 1x12x45 1x10x65 4x6x65 I guess it wore me out quickly. Next I moved on to benching the bar with wimpy cardio bands: 3x5x45 + bands Then I did these things where you put either a plate or a dumbbell behind your head while seated, then raise it up above your head. Tricep extensions? I'm not sure what they're called. 1x10x25 2x8x25 Push-Ups: 2x10 1x8 Dips: 1x7 I only did one set because I realized I was taking a pretty long time and I was pretty beat at this point anyway. So I was annoyed at the spotter, but I think I can tell I'm starting to gain a smidgen of strength again. All in all, kind of a neutral lifting day. They can't all be winners. At least I had a righteous deadlift day on Monday.

Yes! Awesome!

I feel like I have to go grocery shopping at least three times a week, and my fridge and cupboards are always full. I don't know what that's about. I don't know what's going to happen when my boyfriend and I decide to get married. I guess we'll have to invest in a second fridge! Sorry you've had to use 100% pea protein, that stuff is vile! I'm glad to see you're making a conscious effort to be strict about bent over rows and good mornings. I could see those two causing some injuries if you're not careful. I stick to pretty light weights on both of those because I'm so paranoid about my form.

Where have all the vegetables gone? I see you eat lots of tempeh and almonds, but the last couple of days no vegetables at all! Not that I blame you, tempeh and almonds are two of my favorite things, too! Nice job on all the swimming, by the way. Practice makes perfect!

Deadlift Day Deadlift: 1x3x150 1x3x175 1x6x195 Farmer's Walk with 45 lb plates Plate pinches with two 5 lb plates Good Mornings: 5x12x115 Hanging Leg Raises: 3x10

I have oatmeal with flax seed and peanut butter, and a tofu scramble pretty much every morning. If I need a little kick in the seat of the pants, I'll drink a cup of yerba mate.

I don't see any reason at all why being a vegan would affect your testosterone levels. The silly stuff about soy giving you man boobs is false. I get a lot of health and nutrition information from http://www.veganhealth.org/ and http://jacknorrisrd.com/ if that helps any.

Standing Overhead Press Day SOHP: 1x3x55 1x3x60 1x3x70 BOR: 1x15x70 1x12x75 1x8x75 One Arm DB Press with 25lb dumbbell: It's really hard for me to remember exactly what I did with each hand. It's always slightly less with the left than the right, but I'm trying to be around the 8-12 rep range for each hand. At the moment, I'm not able to do that for every set with the left hand, so I'm going to stick with a 25 lb dumbbell until my lefty is a little stronger. Assisted Pull-Ups & Chin-Ups

I'm really glad to hear your shoulder is doing better! The other injuries will heal when they heal, I guess. I'm glad you're showing some restraint and not trying to do heavy squats for now, or something. I know how annoying it is to hold back because of an injury. I guess some people at my gym have a few things behind the gym for caveman drills, like tires for flipping, sledgehammers, and sleds. Some Saturday morning when I'm bored maybe I'll drop by. I always think people won't have stuff to scale, though.....I like that sort of thing, but I'm kind of a wee little mighty mite, at least for now.