T Nation

Train Like a Fishe

Powerful Women
#21

Upper Body 2 Day:
Bench Press for speed 8x3 @ 50% desired 1RM, so at 60lbs
Close Grip Bench Press
80 lbs x 4
90 lbs x 4
95 lbs x 3 (failed on 4th, midway up to lockout)
85 lbs x 4
1 arm cable rows (squeezing the bejeezus out of my back at the top of the rep, and trying to retract my pesky shoulder blades)
4 sets x 10 reps x 36 lbs
Superset x 2:
Chins to failure (2-3 reps)
Scap Pushups 10 reps
Reverse Crunches 10 reps

Today Lower Body 1 Day:
Speed Squat: 6x2x90 lbs
Squat Heavy Singles: 3 sets x 1 rep x 145 lbs
The heavy squat was supposed to be 2x2 with 145 lbs and 150 lbs, however I wasn’t setting up right. Not squeezing my back, not getting tightly set with the bar, so the 145 lbs was the heaviest it’s ever felt. And I got really frustrated with that. Luckily the boyfriend was around to comment on this, and not let me pout about not getting 150x2. He’s really good about giving me a kick in the ass when I need one. Otherwise my frustration gets the best of me. BUT…I need to learn how to control myself, my own expectations, and become a better self spotter.
DB Reverse Lunges from deficit
3 sets x 8 reps with 30’s
1 leg hip thrusts 3x8/side
Donkey Calf Raises with 160 lb friend on my back 3x failure (10, 13, and 15 reps respectively)

#22

[quote]jnfishe wrote:
become a better self spotter.
[/quote]

^^This can be tricky. I’ve learned to trust the safeties and just pray that I don’t pitch forward. I won’t squat in gear without a spot, though.

#23

True. I guess what I really meant is to become in tune with how my form is by feel. I’ve gotten spoiled with my training partners always checking my form and calling out cues. “Chest Up” has saved me from dumping the bar countless times, which I think is so interesting.
Upper Body 1 Yesterday
Bench Press
3 reps x 95lbs
3 x 100lbs
2x105 lbs (new 2 rep max! Previous 1 RM is 105, hopefully not anymore…)
2x4x95lbs

Chins: 2/2/2/2/1 (BW - felt real weak today, need more sleep! I’ve been cruising on 4-5 hrs a night for too long. I have to be at the hospital at 6am, so I usually wake up at 5:30ish. But no matter what, it’s impossible for me to go to bed before 12 or 1am.)

Scap Pushups 3x10
1 arm DB Row 3x8/arm with 40s, 40s, 35s

DB Prone Trap Raise 3x8 (with 2.5 lb DB’s, just going for feeling the scapular retract back and down and activating the middle traps - I got this exercise from Eric Cressey’s book Maximum Strength)
Cable Face Pulls 3x8x30lbs

#24

nice PR - bench is a tough one.

#25

Thanks!
So I have been sick the past few days, still managing to lift, but not feeling very with it due to a combination of sudafed and lack of sleep.
Upper Body 2 - on Saturday
Speed Bench Press
6 sets x 3 reps x 65 lbs
Close Grip Bench Press
95 lbs x 4 reps
100 lbs x 4 reps (PR!)
2 sets x 4 reps x 95 lbs
Accessory work with one arm cable rows, chins, scap push ups, and reverse crunches

I’m hoping that all these bench pr’s mean that my true 1 RM is higher than 105 (115 maybe…), because I’m testing in about 2 weeks.

Today Lower Body 1 (high volume week)
Speed Squat
10 sets x 2 reps x 100 lbs (approx 65% of desired 1RM of 170 lbs)
Elevated Deadlifts
4 sets x 1 rep x 155 lbs
Reverse Lunges from a deficit
3 sets x 10 reps with 30’s

  • these almost killed me, I was so miserably tired after the squats and deads, I must’ve looked so unhappy to everyone else in the gym
    Standing Calf Raises
    1 leg hip thrusts
    Then proceeded to eat two chicken breasts, two cartons of strawberries, a huge grande mocha thing from starbucks, and two chocolate truffles. Still not done eating though, time to house some leftover beef stew from last night!!
#26

a bench Pr’s after a cold - well done.

squats, deads and lunges on the same day… no wonder you felt used up. eat and rest!

#27

Thanks nlmain - done and done! Finally caught up on sleep, and food intake.
The day after the leg work out I went to my amazing massage therapist, who proceeded to MURK my calves and hams. The quads and glutes got in on the fun too. This woman truly is a gem. We have a little tropical storm coming so in between squalls we got our upper body lift in:
Bench Press Singles
95 lbs, 100, 105, 100, 95, 95

  • 105 went up nicely, so a 110 PR in a week or maybe even 115 seems likely as long as I keep my head in the right place.
    Chins 6 sets x2 reps x BW
    Scap Pushups 3x10
    DB 1 arm rows 3x10 with 35s
    Some fun face pulls and prone trap raises for the scapular retraction

And I think the tropical storm jacked up my appetite, because here was dinner:
Apple immediately post lift
Beef stew with tons of veggies (1 hr post lift)
Salad with turkey and veggies (salad for me means an entire bag of lettuce in ginormous bowl with an entire package of turkey)
Just plain salad to “top off”
1 episode of Jersey Shore (guilty pleasure!)
Sleep… :slight_smile:

#28

|_|

#29

I’ve been MIA for a few days, school and football season took over. It’s also a MAJOR deload week for me. Friday me and my two training partners are going to test our 1RM in the bench, deadlift, and squat. We’ll also test our broad jump, and our 3 RM for chin ups. So I’ve been trying to eat well, do lots of dynamic mobilizations, stretch, and do some light singles (at 50% 1RM) to practice my form.
I’m hoping for PR’s in all the lifts - a 5 lb PR will make me happy, but I’m really aiming for more, especially in the bench and deadlift. Chins I have already made progress since I started this 3 month cycle only able to do one chin, and now I can do three bodyweight.

Then after our testing day, it’s off to a celebratory chow-down of sushi. Big weekend after that too - UM vs FSU FOOTBALL GAME AHHHHH GO CANES!!!

#30

Okay here’s my testing day results:
Body Weight: 131 lbs
Broad Jump: 72 inches (PR)
Squat: 150 lbs
Bench Press: 110 lbs (PR)
Deadlift: 160 (ties PR)
Chins: 2 1/2 (almost made it, PR for a testing day, all time PR is 3 body weight)

I have lost too much weight! I feel like my muscle is leaving me! The boyfriend/personal trainer/motivational life coach is writing our new program. It’s called “GET BIG” haha. Higher rep ranges, some more metabolic conditioning work, and more eating for me. I was bad and skipped too many breakfasts, and I just can’t make that up later in the day. So time to set the alarm for 5am-ish to have time to eat.

#31

sounds like a plan - and hard boiled eggs, a shake, or quick cook oates only take a few minutes to make and eat.

#32

Ok I’ve been successful thus far getting up early and eating breakfast, already I feel a whole lot better throughout the day (duh!). I’ve been managing to stuff my face with coffee, 5 egg omelet, and a bowl of fruit in 30 minutes before dashing out the door!

Last week I just messed around in the gym, doing random fun exercises I like (trap bar deadlifts, face pulls, hip thrusts while singing bootylicious, etc).

This week we started a new program called “P Body Beefcake X”, not to be confused with P90X. It’s higher rep ranges, maybe working more on hypertrophy than pure strength. Here’s Day 1 leg day:

Free Squat
3x8x115 lbs
1x12x105 lbs

Hip Thrusts
2x12x65 lbs
-hip flexor mobilizations in between sets

Natural Glute Ham Raise
3x5

Slide Board Body Saw
3x10

Done! Although it took a while because I took a lot of rest in between squatting sets to coach my training partners and catch my breath.

#33

Upper Body 2
Really trying to increase my intensity on upper body days.
2 Board Press
3x10x85 lbs
1 arm cable rows
3x10x40 lbs/arm
Pushups shins elevated
2x12
Neutral grip chest supported row
4x8x35 lbs
Face Pulls
3x8x40 lbs
Scapular Wall Slides
3x8
“Finishing superset”
Reverse Crunches 3x10, Bicep curls 3x10, Skullcrushers 3x10

Sushi rolls
3x8xYUMMY

#34

Really really fun lower body day!

Barbell Bulgarian Split Squats
4x6x65lbs
Barbell Good Mornings
3x12x95 lbs

Then…6 sets of pushing my boyfriend’s car 30 yards! (it’s a honda fit)

#35

Upper Body Day:
DB Low Incline Neutral Grip Press
4x6x30 lbs
Pushups
2x12
DB 1 arm row
1x6x35, strip set: 1x12x35, 1x6x30, 1x5x25
Then some random stuff I hadn’t planned out:
Assisted chins 3x6
—DB bent over row 3x6
Neutral Grip DB Press
3x6x15’s
Seated Row
3x6x70

Then it was a beautiful Miami day, so I walked along the water for 30 minutes, very refreshing and relaxing.

#36

Squats
3x7x120lbs
-felt like i was going to vomit after the first set, 7 reps at 120 is serious work for me
1x15x105 lbs
-last week I did 105lbs for 12 reps, so I decided to up the ante and do 15
BB Hip Thrusts
2x10x65 lbs
Natural Glute Ham Raise
3x5
Slide Board Body Saws
3x10

I really drilled “sitting back” and “chest up” today on the squats. I think my best set form wise was the 105 for 15.