Adena

DELOAD WEEK Standing Overhead Press Day Overhead Press: 3x5x45 Bent Over Rows: 3x12x55 One-Arm Dumbbell Press: 3x10x20 (right hand) 3x8x20 (left hand) Chin-Ups: 3x3xBW Assisted Pull-Ups: 3x8 Deadlift Day Deadlifts: 1x5x75 1x5x95 1x5x115 Good Mornings: 5x12x95 Hanging Leg Raises: 5x20 Various Planks held for a minute each; the ones where you balance on your forearms and toes, the ones where you turn over and balance on your butt, and side planks. Bench Press Day Bench Press: 1x5x45 1x5x55 1x5x65 J & Press: 3x10x45 Dumbbell Chest Press: 3x12x20lb dumbbells Dips: 1x10 1x8 1x4 Push-ups: 3x10 Squat Day Squats: 1x5x70 1x5x85 1x100 Box Squats: 3x12x105 Lunges with 10lb plate overhead Leg Press: 3x12x260 Leg Curls: 1x12x50 I wasn't quite situated right in the leg curl machine and thought I pulled my hamstring, but it ended up fine since I didn't push it after that point. I was a little nervous, though. V-Ups: 1x20 2x10 No-Momentum Sit-Ups: 3x30

Does anyone here do "contrast showers" to prevent DOMS? Works like a charm for me. All you do is take a shower after your training session and run the water as hot as you can stand it on the sore muscles for 30 seconds, then as cold as you can stand it for 30 seconds. Repeat a couple of times. As long as I do this pretty quickly after I get home, I don't get sore at all the next day.

Tee-hee.

Yes they are! +1 +2

It's good to see that you're doing bench press, squats, and deadlifts. Try doing them with heavier weight for less reps. Three to five reps is great for strength (and mass) gains.

Oh yeah, I forgot about those! I was intending to work them into my routine at some point. Thanks for reminding me. I used to do those with cinder blocks around the parking lot at my old gym. I guess that's not technically the same thing, but it helps your grip a lot. One thing I've heard is that there are two different types of grip, pinch grip and crush grip. Pinch grip is what you use when you're holding two plates together in your hand, and crush grip would be more like closing your fist. It's a lot harder for me to think of exercises for crush grip, other than buying grippers. You can get them with several different levels of resistance. Come to think of it, I'll just get myself some grippers.

I mostly feel it in my lower back and sometimes my grip. Anybody have recommendations for grip exercises? So far all I do are plate pinches... ...grab two 5 pound plates and pinch them until they slip. Have the other hand ready to catch the plates. It doesn't really work unless the plates are pretty smooth.

Ack, I know what it's like accidentally running through puddles and getting blisters! I usually just refuse to run outside until all of our annual spring flooding is over.

Bench Press Day Bench Press: 1x5x70 1x3x80 1x3x90 On the last set you're supposed to do 1 rep and more if you can. I was pretty excited about pumping out three! Dumbbell Chest Press: 3x12x50 (25 lb dumbbells) Push-Ups: 3x10 Dips: 1x10 1x8 1x4 After I finished my training, I found my powerlifting buddy Wes to ask him what his top five assistance lifts were for bench press. Not one of them was on my list for today! He showed me how to do a J & Press, which he says is definitely the best. I'll try it out next week. Squat Day Squats: 1x5x125 1x3x140 1x1x160 Oh man, I really struggled with that last set. But I got it! Box Squats: 3x12x105 Lunges with a 25 lb plate overhead (this really got me sweating) Leg Press: 3x12x260 Leg Curls: 3x12x50 For my ab work, I did V-Ups and No Momentum Sit-Ups.

Yes, that's exactly what I do. I think. The other day when I was trying for 185, I had a competitive powerlifter helping me with my form. That's pretty much what he had me do, although it seemed like he squatted lower than I did to get down to the bar. Maybe he just made me overthink it. If I had video on my camera, I would have more people critique my form.

Deadlift Day Deadlifts: 1x5x140 1x3x160 1x2x180 The last set you are supposed to do one rep and more if you feel like you can. I had to readjust my grip on my weenie left hand between, but I say it still counts. Good Mornings: 1x10x95 4x10x105 Hanging Leg Raises: 5x20 Various Planks I have to say, on paper my training looks pretty good. I mean, my 1RM is 185 and I was able to lift 180 twice. But something just feels off about my deadlift form. I think my butt is still kind of in the air. But if I squat down to the bar all the way, my hands touch the floor. That doesn't seem quite right. I used to pump these out without all the thinking, but now I'm rethinking my form and it's not helping....

So when I signed up at my gym, they said I could have a free session with a personal trainer. At first I was kind of like, "uhhh, no thanks..." but then they said I could pick from a bodybuilding or powerlifting trainer. I perked up at that, and said, "a powerlifting trainer would be good." So anyway, a few days later I went back for my scheduled appointment with the personal trainer. As I was talking with him he became pretty animated when I started talking about compound lifts and doing heavy weight for low reps for strength gains, and explained the training program I had used before. He was pretty impressed that I even knew what a compound lift was. Then he asked me what my diet was like. I was fully expecting him to say I needed to eat meat and drink lots of milk, so I was a little nervous. I told him I was vegan and he got really excited at this point. "Really? One of our top lifters' wives is vegan, so he ends up eating that way about 80% of the time, and he's doing great! That's awesome!" I was like, "Yep, it sure is." And then I explained more to him about what my daily diet was like. He had me spell out "quinoa" so he could try it sometime, haha. Just thought this cute story might bring a smile to someone's face.

So last night I invented a recipe, born of hunger, and the desire to use up my homemade seitan sitting in the fridge. I was kind of just estimating and sprinkling herbs and spices on it as it cooked, so the measurements might not be exactly what you need. First, I cut a chunk of seitan into three pieces, about chicken breast size. Then I put them in a skillet with a little olive oil. Next, I added some spices to the top of each chunk of setian. I turned them over and added some more spices. It was probably about 1/4 tsp of sage, 1/4 tsp rosemary, about 1/2-1 tsp each thyme, tarragon, and summer savory. Once they had simmered enough to dry out a little and brown on each side, I added a splash of mirin (the only all natural cooking wine I can find in my town) and let it cook off, then turned each chunk of seitan again and repeated the process. It turned out SO FREAKIN' GOOD! This was just enough seitan for little ol' me for one meal, so you would want to increase the spices accordingly if you were cooking for several people.

Overhead Press Day SOHP: was supposed to go like this: 1x5x50 1x3x55 1x1+x60 But on the last set, I was able to do three reps of 60! That is a huge improvement. This lift is very difficult for me. Hopefully pushing it on that last set will help me increase my 1RM. One-Arm Dumbbell Press 2x10x20 1x8x20 (for my right arm) 3x8x20 (for my left arm) Assisted Pull-Ups: 3x10 Assisted Chin-Ups: 3x8 ish... Bent Over Rows: 2x10x65 1x8x65 This week I've been trying to do assistance lifts that will actually assist me in the key lift for today. So far my Bench and Overhead Press Days have been a little haphazard. I feel pretty focused right about now.

I went vegetarian in the summer of 2003, then vegan about two or three months after that. So now I've been vegan for about seven and a half years.

Awww, thanks!

I bet you can squat 135, at least for a 1RM. Way to go!

SOHP Day Standing Overhead Press: 1x3x45 1x3x55 1x3x60 Dips: 5x8 I think I did less repetitions on the fourth and fifth set, but I'm not sure. Chin-Ups (Unassisted) 5x2 20 minutes worth of sprints on the elliptical, one minute sprints with one minute rest between Deadlift Day Deadlifts: 1x3x135 1x3x155 1x1x185 ...followed by a couple of attempts at 205. I'm not quite there yet, but I will be! Good Mornings: 5x12x95 Hanging Leg Raises: 5x20 Various planks, held for a minute each Bench Day Bench: 1x3x70 1x3x80 1x3x90 Dumbbell Chest Press: 1x10x40 (20 lb dumbbells) 2x10x50 (25 lb dumbbells) Pullovers: 1x20x10 2x20x25 Bent Over Rows: 2x10x65 1x8x65 Push-ups: 3x10 20 minutes of sprints on the stationary bike (1 minute sprints, 1 minute rests between) Squat Day Squats: 1x3x135 1x3x145 1x3x155 Box Squats: 3x10x95 Lunges: One set with just my bodyweight, two sets with a ten lb plate held overhead...I lunged for about 16 steps on each side Leg Press: 3x15x240 Leg Curls: 1x20x35 2x10x50 V-Ups and No Momentum Sit-Ups...too exhausted to do hanging leg raises. This workout took me forever, but it was fun!

Yeah, I'm a little worried about reducing my calorie intake because I know I'll struggle with progression. But anyway, I guess this is a typical day's diet: Breakfast: tofu scramble (about 1/2 a block of tofu with yummy spices, just a little oil and about 1/8 tsp salt) oatmeal (1/2 cup when dry, spoonful of peanut butter and a spoonful of brown sugar, dash of cinnamon, about 1 Tbsp milled flax seed) 1 cup of green tea Snack: Ten almonds, dry roasted, no salt Handful of carrot sticks Lunch: chickpea quinoa pilaf (not sure how big the portion is. I guess if I smooshed it out on a dinner plate it would fill almost the whole plate.) spinach salad with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar Snack: Hummus and a pita (very thin pitas, but they're still about 100 calories a pita, and lots of hummus, I guess about four tablespoons) Dinner: Yam and Lentil stew (very heavy on the lentils, has a little oil, onions, tomatoes, and spices, and I add 1 Tbsp milled flax seed to my bowl when it's done cooking and ready) Steamed broccoli with salt and pepper Smoothie (1 cup soy milk, 1 banana, about 6 strawberries, a dash of cinnamon and ginger) 1 cup rooibos tea This diet is kind of a recent development, so maybe I just need to give it more time. I've been using less oil when I cook, and just add more water to the pot if I think the food is sticking, rather than adding more oil. I also cut back on the peanut butter intake, haha. I think breakfast is the hardest for me because I can't handle the taste of oatmeal without sugar, and I also don't like it with fruit. Maybe I'll pick up some stevia next time I go to the store.

Haha, I know. Their facial expressions are hilarious.

This is me right now: http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt352/adenaxvx/DSCI0025.jpg If anyone has any ideas on how I can reduce my belly without losing any strength, that would be cool. I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder, though. I'm just into powerlifting, but I think I should be able to do that without such a flabby belly. In addition to lifting that focuses on the key compound lifts (bench, squats, deadlifts, and overhead press), I do cardio about five times a week. I usually do endurance type stuff on the days I don't lift two or three days a week, and I do sprints on the elliptical or the bike after I lift sometimes. Whenever the snow melts, I'll probably hit the bike trails and whatnot. My diet is pretty clean, but I'm still working on reducing my sugar intake. Right now I have two cheat days on Saturday and Sunday when I mostly eat healthy, but I allow myself some cookies and pancakes here and there. Another recent decision I made was to reduce how much peanut butter I was eating per day. Man, I love peanut butter. Any ideas?

http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt352/adenaxvx/DSCI0024.jpg

So.....no sources for that then? You just sort of kind of think that the antinutrient content will be decreased by using baking soda? Anyone?

Thanks! I feel like a badass when I can have a plate on each side. Now that I can deadlift and squat over my bodyweight, my short term goal is to bench my bodyweight. I've gained just a little. I'm at 128 now.

Squat Day Squats 1x5x100 1x5x120 1x5x135 one set of lunges around the gym with 20 lb dumbbells Leg Press 5x15x I think 240, but that doesn't sound right Leg Curl 5x12x35 V-Ups 3x20 No Momentum Sit-Ups 3x30 Tonight I will just do a little cardio. More updates at the end of the week!