Posts by solid555

Original Post by oldguysrule:

1 mile, walking @4.7 mph

I think that may be my running speed. 

Original Post by awestendorf:

I wish!  I list my weights in total, so 2 dumbbells at 35 lbs each.

Ha ha. I always list the weight of the dumbbells not the total weight, so I was confused (and impressed).

Original Post by awestendorf:

• DB incline bench press: 4 x 4/70

Is this an incline bench press with two 70 pound dumbbells?

April 7:

• Bench press 235 x 6 x 1
• Power clean & Strict press 125 x 6 x 1
• Dumbbell curl 35 x 3 x 10

No, this is not true.

But even if it were true, what would that mean? Well, you would be stronger, healthier, have a lower body fat percentage, and probably look better. Too bad it's not as easy to put on a bunch of muscle as your sister thinks it is.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Just in case solid doesn't see this, I'm going to make a stab at what he's doing - I think his working sets are 5 sets of 1 rep at the top weight. All of the other sets are part of the warm up.

I think it helps to do the warm up sets - you get looser, and if you really aren't feeling it that day, you already know before you get under the bar, and you can adjust accordingly.

How many warm up sets and how you alter them depends on how heavy you are lifting. If I'm doing squats, sets of 5 reps, at 100 lbs (say), I might do bar x5, 65x4,  80x3, 90x2, and then the sets of 100x5. My husband has done something similar (where he warms up with more reps, but his working sets are one rep each), and so it would be a similar progression (higher intervals between warm up sets) and then end with the sets of 1 rep.

It kinda depends on how much time you have and how you are feeling, but I think it's a good thing to do. I do it for the first exercise of the day, and if I'm doing something like Starting Strength, I'd do it for all of the bigger lifts.

Yes, I agree with all of this. You want to strike a balance between being completely warmed up to prevent injury, and on other hand saving your energy for the main lifts. If you are doing a 5x5 program, you are not working anywhere near your 1 rep max. So in that case you don't need a bunch of warm-up sets. Particularly if you are doing a pyramid 5x5 like alphabetsoup.

I also think the warm-up is a good time to work on form. A lot of times I will do a few extra sets with a very light weight and concentrate on perfecting my form. I do this frequently with the squat, because that is a lift I have a lot of trouble with. Again, if you are doing a 5x5 program, then you are already doing so many reps that this is probably not necessary.

Original Post by oldguysrule:

solid: before those heavy lifts, is your warmup something like that described in "Starting Strength?" Dang, you are strong.

Thanks. It has been years since I read the book, but I think I do pretty much what he prescribes. For example, today I squatted 235. So my warm-up was to jog five minutes to the gym and then: Bodyweight x10, 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 165x3, 185x1, 205x1. I also do some stretches in between the warm-up sets.

Chucks are great for lifting. Lose the gloves and the pad. You don't need chalk. I only use chalk for heavy deadlifts. When I first started squatting, the bar really hurt my back, but now I can't feel it no matter how much weight I put on the bar. I think it is a mix of 30% toughening up and getting used to it, and 70% having better form. Take a lower bar position and work on your form.

I disagree with all the posts saying lose the cheat day. Of course, if you are eating a huge amount of food that is not good. But relaxing your rules and eating a few things you wouldn't normally eat can be good for your mental health. And it can help you maintain your eating habits for life.

I think the bigger problem is the under-eating during the week. This makes it more likely that the cheat day turns into a binge. It also adversely affects your metabolism, so that on your cheat day your body is a fat storage machine rather than a fat burning machine.

When I am dropping weight I count calories during the week, but not on the weekend. I also have some wine and eat some desserts, which is something I don't do during the week. I have no problem losing fat doing this.

Yeah, eat more food and have more realistic expectations. Since your calorie targets are low, a pound a week is a better goal. Keep a 500 calorie deficit, including your exercise. So if you are burning 300 calories exercising, your calories consumed should only be 200 calories below sedentary maintenance.

Also, don't expect your weight to proceed down in a straight line. It will bounce around a lot. Enter your weights in the weight log, and use the trend line to monitor.