Off for a Wander

Update as of December 9, 2014
So, all those goals I listed below are still in the “To Do” column. Not great progress. No excuses, but I’m putting all that quantitative stuff on the back burner. For now, my goal is just keep moving, keep lifting, keep my flexibility up, and keep having fun with it.

As of today I’m following Madcow, but hell, that could change at any time. I’m a woman, I’m allowed to change my mind!

Stats
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Height: 5’4"
Weight: 145

Short Term Goals (End of September)

  1. Squat Bodyweight for 5 reps. Current 1RM max is 135 with some knee collapse.
  2. Run a mile in 9 minutes or less. Currently running no miles.
  3. Cut 5 pounds

Training
Following a slightly modified Greyskull LCI Method, with a little extra running and using a linear progression format on the 4 big lifts. Basic format looks like this:

  • Big Lift 2x5, 1x5+ (Squat, Press, Bench) or 1x5+ (Deadlift)
  • Circuit of 3 or 4 moves
  • Short High Intensity Interval or Finisher
    There’s a lot of flexibility in this template, so I’ll tweak as necessary.
    There’s also 1 bodyweight exercise day, 1 cardio day and 1 rest day.

Diet
I’m Pescetarian (no chicken or red meat) and I struggle with getting over 100 grams of protein each day. I’ve added protein powders to the mix, which helps. A typical day of clean eating looks like:
9am Coffee + Whey + Coconut oil
Noon Rice, Lentils, Tofu, Vegetables, Olive Oil
3pm Greek yogurt, chia seeds, banana
5pm Workout, drink some carbs and electrolytes
8pm Pasta, white beans, green salad with oil based dressing

1900 calories
215 grams carbs
63 grams fat
120 grams protein

I’m far from perfect here, especially at dinner.

History
I’ve never really been athletic. I didn’t play sports in school and the only competitive athletics I’ve done are a couple of 5Ks. I attended a Crossfit gym for about a year and learned a lot about lifting and a little about training. I’ve learned a lot more about training through this and many other sites. Now I’m staring down the rifle barrel of middle age and know I better get myself strong and relatively lean if I want to be healthy in the future.

Training 5:30 pm
1/4 mile jog

Squat - 95# 5, 5, 7

Circuit
5 sets of 5
Squat 45#
Push Press 45#
Chin Grip Pulldown 50#
8:10

Interval
Tabata Dumbbell Swings 20#
12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13 - 93 total

Solid Plan. Let us know if we can help you out in any way

Tuesday June 17, 2014

Press 65# 5, 5, 8

Circuit
5 sets of 5
Barbell Clean and Press 45#
Dumbbell Pushup/Row 8#
8:07

Interval
:30 on :30 rest for 4 Minutes, Burpees
9, 5, 7, 7 - 28 total

Notes: Burpees. Sigh. I started out too hard and gassed in the 2nd round. Next time I’ll definitely get a higher total. The circuit was tough. I think planking while doing the dumbbell row is the hardest bit.

Nutrition:
Macros from yesterday: 192 carbs, 54 fat, 112 protein, 1707 cals. That was pretty close to perfect. I could have gone up a few calories, but I’m happy with that.

Wednesday June 18, 2014
Wednesdays in this program are bodyweight exercise day. Chinups, pushups, and leg raises are recommended.

I was (am) pretty sore in my hamstrings, shoulders and intercostals (strange feeling), so I did a few sets of pushups, lying leg raises and bodyweight squats to get some blood flowing. I also did 6 chins in between loads of laundry because my chinup bar is next to my washing machine in the garage.

6/20/2014

I’ve been slowly trying to build up a little base with running. Until recently I was so deconditioned for moderate intensity cardio that my lungs burned after an easy 1/4 mile. Pathetic.

Anyway, at the start of my warmup, I began jogging 1/4 mile. I’ve been adding 1 additional mail box every day, for an extra 20 to 30 yards of jogging per day. It’s not much, but it’s a way to do some progression without killing myself before the workout.

So:
1/4 jog 2 mailboxes
Warmup stuff (dislocates, light good mornings, windmill twists, etc.)

Deadlift #115 x 8

Circuit 5 sets of 6
TRX Row
Muscle Snatch #35
7:29

Interval
Tabata Band slams
10, 11, 11, 12, 13, 12, 12, 13 - 94 total

I realized AFTER my deadlift set that I never took off my squishy running shoes. No wonder they felt a little off. The circuit went well and my traps are crazy sore today.

My program called for Tabata Sledge Hammer Swings, but I don’t own a sledge hammer. I managed to attach a broomstick to an elastic band to try to simulate the motion. It was… weird. I need to just make a medicine ball so I can do slams.

Diet: I’ve been over my macros for the past 2 days. Alcohol was the culprit. It will continue to be an issue tonight. After that, I think I need to take a week off. Can’t lose weight this way.

6/21/2014

Warmup: 1/4 3 mailbox jog

Bench 85# 5, 5, 8

Circuit
3 sets of 8
Pushups
Chin grip pulldowns 50#
Dumbbell Snatch 15# L/R
Didn’t time

Interval
1/4 mile run - FAIL

Well, hell. I thought I would run a quarter mile at a “fast” pace, but got totally ahead of myself and burnt out after 200 yards. I just couldn’t breathe. I’m in worse cardio shape than I thought.

So, today was frustrating. Just need to keep on pushing, I guess.

Monday June 22, 2014

Warmup: 1/4 mile + 4 mailbox jog

Squat 100# 5, 5, 6 - ended last set because it was turning into a “squat morning” deal

Circuit
5 sets of 5
Front Squat 55#
Press 45#
Cable Row 50#
7:45

Burpees :30 on, :30 rest for 5 minutes
8, 7, 7 6, 8 - 36 total

On the burpees, it was actually my legs that were giving out, more than my lungs. Towards the end of a round, I just couldn’t convince my legs to get back up to my hands. Felt kind of “dead.”

Overall this was a pretty good workout.

Followed it up with a 2 mile walk with my husband.

Tuesday June 24, 2014

Warmup: 1/4 mile 5 mailbox jog

Press 67.5# 5, 5, 7 - pressing is such a mystery to me. I’ve been stalling out at 75# or so for a year now. I’m now doing microplates and hoping to just push through this ceiling I seem to have.

Circuit
6 rounds of 5
Gladiator Pushups 3# dumbbells - yes, 3# dumbbells. These things suck so bad!
Squat Clean 45#
13:35

With the circuit taking so long thanks to the Gladiator Pushups, I called the workout there.

I need to transition my training time. I live in south Florida and it’s 90 degrees in the garage at 6pm. I waited until almost 9pm today to train, but I think I need to switch to mornings to stay consistent. I’m a little lost on how to do this as I’ve always been an afternoon/evening trainee.

Your plan looks good! Much respect to you for the Gladiator push ups. To be honest, I had to look them up. I have done them before, but didn’t know what they were called. I agree, they suck. Also, burpees are of the devil! Keep up the good work! I will be following along.

Weight this morning was 143.2. Down from 144.5 a week ago. Some of this is water, for sure, but I’m happy with it.

[quote]tim48040 wrote:
Your plan looks good! Much respect to you for the Gladiator push ups. To be honest, I had to look them up. I have done them before, but didn’t know what they were called. I agree, they suck. Also, burpees are of the devil! Keep up the good work! I will be following along.[/quote]

Thanks, Tim. Yes, burpees were invented by an evil person!!

Thursday June 26, 2014

1/2 mile jog - accumulated enough mailboxes to reach 1/2 mile. I’ll keep the warmup jog here for a while.

Deadlift 120# 10 reps

Circuit - 5 rounds
Complex of
5 Front Squats
5 Push Presses
5 Front Squats to strict Presses
all done with 45#
10 situps
10:29

Farmer’s Walks 25# per hand
3 trips of ~150 feet

Trained at 9:30am when it was ONLY 85 degrees. May have to push that a bit earlier.

My husband heard me grunting to press the empty bar on the last 1 or 2 complexes. He thought that was pretty funny. I suggested he try it for 50 reps and see how it feels!

Friday, June 27 2014

1/2 mile jog

Bench 90# 5, 5, 8

Circuit 5 rounds of 5
Pushup
Rack Chins
Pistols to Bench
8:30

Tabata Kettlebell Swings
12, 12, 12, 11, 11 - and after that I bonked. I need to get my AM nutrition in a better place. I’ve always had blood sugar issues with morning workouts and it’s time to figure this out.

Saturday June 28, 2014

Two hours of mulching. Functional fitness!!

1/2 Mile Jog
Warmup

Squat 105#
5, 5, 5
I felt a little mentally off on squats. Part of it is probably the adjustment to morning training. On my first work set, my knees were collapsing inward, so I really focused on the “knees out” cue, which helped the next two sets. I probably had another couple reps in me on the AMRAP set, but I didn’t find that extra gear today.

Circuit 3 rounds of 8 reps
Front Squat 55#
Push Press 20# Dumbbells
Pullup Grip Pulldown 50#
7:05

Interval
Dumbbell Snatches - alternating hands w/ 15# bell
:30 on :30 rest for 4 rounds
11, 11, 11, 12

Kept it within my limits today. I had a larger breakfast, which helped, I think. I don’t know that I’m ever going to love morning training, but it was already 80 at 8:30 am today, so I think I’m stuck with it until the end of September or so.

Tuesday July 1, 2014

Jog and warmup

Press 70# 5, 5, 8

3 rounds of 8 reps
Clean and Press 45#
Dumbbell Pushup/Row 8#
8:23

Jump Rope, 5 rounds of :30 on :30 off

Press was good. The circuit really fried my shoulders. I’ve never been sure what this “pump” people talk is, but I think I might have had that today!

For breakfast I had 1 sugary Greek yogurt with fruit included and 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt. That worked pretty well. I’ll stick with that for now.

Edited b/c my post was cut short. Huh.

You know your stuff. I really like your training layout.

Thanks for stopping by, csulli. I’m basically following the Greyskull LCI program. I’ve followed the Greyskull LP in the past and wanted to cut some fat, which is what the LCI is about. I think it’s a solid layout and has a lot of room to customize. It’s also just close enough to Crossfit, without the nonsense.

Thursday July 3, 2014

1/2 Mile 1 mailbox jog, warmup, mobility, etc

Deadlift 125# 10

Circuit 6 rounds of 6
TRX Row
Muscle Snatch 45#
8:29

KB Swings 20#
4x25

My phone battery went dead just after I finished the circuit, so I couldn’t time to kettlebell swings. I realized I took way too much rest without the clock beeping at me.

Also, Bodyweight has been right around 145-145.5 all week. I started taking creatine last week, so I wonder if it’s just water retention.