More Training and More Gains!

Before I start I want to say that the deficit deadlifts I posted for last time were done without using straps. The last time I attempted them was with straps, and I got up to 225. So, only 10 pounds lighter without the straps is pretty awesome considering how difficult they are.

Now, on with the rest of it. It's still going awesome. I'm loving being able to train out of the house more and more everyday. Especially if our suspicions on the bar being heavier are correct. We have a couple of things we'll need to figure out for some bits of training, but it's good overall.

There isn't a whole lot to talk about, though, so I suppose I'll get on with the numbers. I've had increases in everything, so I'm really happy. I'm happier with some more then others, but that's always going to be the case. Without further delay, though, here are my numbers!

Full Clean and Push Press: 100x2x1
Klokov Presses: 75x2x1
Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlifts: 195x3x3

I wont have much to talk about when it comes to my training tomorrow. I've just got Sandbag Carries and the whole pushing the car thing. I'll post how much I carried for the sandbag on, since I can change the weight on that, when I make my post next week. Thank you all for reading!

Another Day, Another Awesome Training Session

There is something very liberating about being able to train out of your home. Our 6th wedding anniversary is coming up next week, which is the Iron anniversary. So, we sort of have a combined gift for one another not. We got a squat rack, barbell, plates and a bench. It's very fitting given the anniversary, and our training method. Especially since we have both come to love weight training.

So, for the last couple of days we were able to just train in our house. Since we started working with the new barbell, though, we have become increasingly certain that it's heavier then the one at the gym. Of course, we can't be completely certain of this without actually weighing both bars, though. We have our suspicions, but they'll have to remain just that.

Being able to train at home has been awesome, though. As I said in my last blog, we've decided to go with the Strong Man/Woman training. So we started that Monday. I'll be posting my numbers for both Monday and Tuesday, and then I'll post again after my next training day.

Monday:
Seated Overhead Press: 85x2x1
Clean and Push Press: 90x2x1
Push Ups: 150

Tuesday:
Back Squats: 225x2x5
Deficit Deadlifts: 205x3x1

For my back squats I actually did 235 for two reps, but I couldn't get it for more then one set unfortunately. Deficit Deadlifts are done by standing a little elevated from the ground. Though I couldn't do it for 3 reps, I did pull 215 this way for one. So I'm pretty happy with that. The weight I pulled for reps is still higher then what I did last time I did this training style.

Anyway, that's about all I have to post for today. Thank you all for reading.

More One Rep Maxes

Alright, so I found my one rep max for my squat and deadlifts on Saturday. They were not nearly as drastic a difference as my bench was, but I'm still happy with it. I've also decided what I'm going to do for my training from this point forward. I'm pretty much going back to Strongman! So, that should be fun.

I enjoyed the Strong Man, or Woman, training when I did it last time. I'm also a bit stronger then I was then so I should be able to do even more with it now then I was before. I also seemed to react really well to the more intense training, and the conditioning day, when it came to the re-composition of my body.

I don't know how far I will go with the training, or if I will try to compete in any Strong Woman competitions or not. As long as I have fun with the training, though, and get the results that I want then that is what's most important. Wish me luck on it!

Anyway, for my squats I was only able to get to 235 lbs. So, only about 10 pounds more then what I rep out. I still think it should have been higher and I'm not sure why I couldn't do the 245. My deadlifts were 255. Again, I think I should have been able to do the 265, and I almost did. I just couldn't lock out when I got it up.

I'll try to find my one rep again in a few months. For now, though, I'm reasonable satisfied. That's the most I've ever pulled with perfect form, and with my squats being below parallel. So it's still something to be proud of, even if it's not as much as I wanted to move. Thank you all for reading again!

Finding One Rep Maxes is Fun!

So, while I decide what I'm going to do I am sort of just goofing off this week and finding out what my one rep maxes are on a couple of lifts. I'm also taking a couple of extra days to do some mobility work. So, it's a nice deload sort of week with some surprises for me.

I went to train on Wednesday and had some surprising, and not so surprising, results. Well, really only one surprising result. Now, I was suppose to start off with my over head press, but both of the racks were taken and I ended up starting with the bench. Normally I wouldn't do both in the same day, but I'm not really trying to make progress, just maintain so I think it will be alright.

The bench press was amazing and I am extremely happy with what happened. I did 135 lbs for two reps, and then I did 150 for one rep! I didn't think I would get that high. I thought I would be lucky to get 135 because of how much lower then that my five rep max is. I still can't stop grinning when I think about it.

My overhead press and the Klokov (behind the head push press) were both less impressive. For the overhead press I was only able to do 85 lbs for one, and on the Klokov press I did 75 for one. Of course, by the time I got to the last one I was completely and totally exhausted so I'm not really all that surprised that it was so low.

Additionally, today I worked with the lacrosse ball on my back a bit and also used some voodoo take to try to work out some kinks in my muscles. The voodoo tape is good, but painful! I'll get used to it the more I use it I think. Though, maybe it's one of those things that you never really get used to. I don't really know. It's good stuff, though.

Anyway, I'll be seeing what my one rep max for squats and deadlifts are tomorrow. Hopefully they are both fairly impressive. Thank you all for reading!

Another Change is Coming

 So, it's come time for me to officially change my training. I'll post my numbers, or lack thereof for a couple of lifts, later as always. It's coming to a point where I need to do something else to help push my lifts further. I'm torn, though. I'm torn between going back to Strong Woman training, or moving on to the Texas Method.

For this week I'm just going to do a deload. This means I'm not going to try to increase anything, but just maintain while I decide what I want to do. The problem I'm running into with the sort of training I want to do from this point forward is that I'm not as certain of what I want to compete in as I had been at the start. The Olympic lifts look fun, but so does a lot of this stuff.

If anyone has a suggestion, or would like to give me advise on what they think I should move on to then I'm open to it. Either way, though, I will decide by next week so that I can get the ball rolling again. Thank you in advance for any suggestions that are made.

On a side note, I got a few comments on the numbers I pulled. That's always fun. One of the people I talked to competes in Power Lifting and said that my numbers were close to what he usually sees at the meets. Though, apparently there is one woman that lifts a lot more, and she's apparently been doing it since she was very young. I wish I had gotten her name so that I could look her up, but oh well. Maybe next time I see him I'll get it.

Alright, on to the numbers. I've missed my squats the past couple of times due to hitting my wall, and also likely because I didn't eat enough. I also missed my deadlifts. I'm not that surprised on that, though. My deadlifts and squats run pretty close together, so generally if I miss one I'm going to miss the other.

8/14
Squats: 227.5 Missed
Overhead Press: 80x3x5
Deadlift: Missed

8/17
Squats: 225 Missed
Bench: 117.5x3x5
Power Clean: 90x5x3

As always, thank you all for reading. I really appreciate it.

Being Sick Sucks

So, when I went to train Saturday I was a bit under the weather. I wasn't going to let it keep me from going, though. So I went, and I did well on everything but my squats. I think it was partially due to me being sick, but mostly due to the lack of mobility work that's been done to my calf.

I have a place in one of my legs that hurts, and I need to work on mobility for it to keep it from hindering my lifts. I got through as many of the squats as I could, though it wasn't nearly as many as I would have liked. Of course, I would have rather not missed due to something that I totally could have prevented. I'll get it tomorrow, though, and get my squats moving like they are suppose to again.

Other then that, it went very well. Though my calf was still wonky I made my cleans and of course it didn't prevent my bench from moving up. I don't think it will be long before I'm forced to start making lower jumps on the bench press. As much as I want to get to 135 before it happens, I am starting to think I wont quite make it. Still, I'm glad they are moving along so well.

Not much else to talk about, so I'll just get on with the numbers. Thank you all for reading!

Squats: Missed
Bench Press: 115x3x5
Power Clean: 90x5x3

Note:
It seems that I freeze up a bit when certain people watch me on the cleans. Primarily my husband. I don't know why, and it's something I have to get past. If anyone has a suggestion on how I can get past messing up when I know he's watching me, I'm open to them. I flourish with an audience for everything but that, it seems. So far, anyway.

Another Day, Another Lift

Yesterday went alright so far at lifting goes. I missed my Overhead Press, but we sort of expected that. We need to get half pound plates so that I can make a jump every time, instead of every other time. We'll have those soon enough. I'll probably need them before to much longer on my bench press too.

I made everything else, and had some good conversations with a couple of regulars up there that I like. There was a group of people doing bench presses towards the end of my deadlifts. I talked to them a little bit, which only started because their math was off when they were trying to figure out the weight they were pushing. Two of them, a man and woman, said I was stronger then them because of what I was deadlifting for one of my warm up sets. The other was benching the same I was deadlifting.

When the woman with them did her bench presses, though, they put fairly light weight on it. Which is find, at least she was doing them. I almost said something, though, because one of the men with her guided it up and down the whole time. She commented that the first weight didn't feel heavy, and it took a lot for me not to say "Obviously you didn't, because he was doing a good portion of the work for you." I thought better of it, though.

Anyway, that's about all I'm going to rant over. Even if there were other things that made me shake my head. So, it's that time again. Time for me to post my numbers! Thanks for reading.

Squats - 225x3x5
Overhead Press - Missed
Deadlift - 240x1x5

A Couple of Days Behind

So, I didn't make the last blog as I should have, so this is going to include the numbers for two days. Everything is moving along fairly well, except for my squats. I hit a bit of a bump with those Saturday, so I'll have to do 225 over again. I also am likely going to have to drop down to 2.5 pound jumps on those for a little while until I'm finally forced to switch to the Texas method for them.

Anyway, there's not a lot to talk about other then the numbers. Everything it moving along well enough. My bench presses are going beautifully. I don't really have a lot to complain about other then not being able to make a 5 pound jump on my Power Cleans to bring it back up to 90 lbs. As long as it moves, though, then I'm happy enough.

I don't think that anything really notable happened. I suppose it's time to move on to the numbers now. Thank you all for reading. Here they are now.

Numbers from July 31st:
Squats: 220x3x5
Overhead Press: 77.5x3x5
Deadlift: 235x1x5

Numbers from August 3rd:
Squats: 225 (I was high on a few of these, and flat out missed the last one.)
Bench Press: 112.5x3x5
Power Cleans: 87.5x5x3