Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Dick, you doing Smith machine at a gym? If so, try it on a straight bench and ask someone for a spot. Nothing against the Smith, but especially on the bench, you lose some of the work that your stabilizing muscles do. Great job breaking through!

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

We don't have a regular bench at my gym, actually. (It's a YMCA.)

FWIW, I actually work out on dumbells, for the very reason you mention. I just use the Smith machine to max.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I love going back and forth between dumbbells and straight bench. Kind of gives you a different feel and promotes development of both sides of your chest. You can cheat some with the straight bar if one side is stronger than the other.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

My powerlifting meet didn't go as well as I hoped it would go.
I squatted 365, benched 235 and deadlifted 345.
I made five of my nine lifts. Got stuck at the bottom on my second squat, then I changed my stance and made the same weight on my third attempt.
On the bench, 235 was the most I had ever done in a meet. I tried for 245. The bar made it halfway up before my left foot slipped and I missed the lift.
Deadlift was a shit show. I missed my last two attempts. I was called for a hitch on 370 and at 385, the weight pulled me forward.
It was kind of frustrating because I knew what to do to make the lift, but I just couldn't do it.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

It's been about three months or so since I last posted, mainly because my working out routine pretty much, well, ended. Job issues leading to financial issues leading to end of gym membership leading to me being a fucking slug for all this time. I've lost muscle mass and gained fat mass. Basically I'm a fucking mess.

But I got back at it at home today, starting way way way small. Started the 100 burpee and pullup challenge this morning, and just doing one pullup — one! — was so freaking hard I wanted to cry.

Tonight I did three rounds of pushups, situps and squats, 25, 15 and 10 for a total of 50 each. Tomorrow I'm going to do two pullups and burpees in the morning, and in the afternoon I'll do 50 bench dips, 50 overhead squats with the broomstick and at least three rounds of planks. I'll stay at 50 reps for a week or two, then increase it to, maybe, 75, then up to 100 and so on.

I need to do some cardio, so the jump rope is my easiest option.

Anyway, that's my true confession. I figure if I'm going to toot my horn when I'm kicking ass, I need to be just a truthful when I've went off the rails.

Good work all. I'll be around, but if you don't hear from me for three or four days, cyber kick my ass and get me moving again.

Thanks,
Joe

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Anything, even if it's at home, is better than nothing. You'll be back at it in no time. Just stay dedicated.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Today

2 pullups, 2 burpees
Bench dips: 15, 15, 10, 10 = 50
Overhead squat: 15, 15, 20 = 50
Plank: 1:00, 0:30, 0:47 = 2 minutes, 17 seconds

Yep, it's going to be a long road. Journey of 1,000 miles, etc. etc.

Joe

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Tonight

Drinking a vodka tonic and handing out candy to the kids who come to the door. Many of them seem older than I remember being when I went trick-or-treating, but maybe I'm just old.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (armSTRONGfraud)

Car broke down today, put on a flatbed and towed to the shop. Diagnosis pending, and I can't afford whatever it is.

Finally got to work at 3:30 PM today, to find my PC had decided to brighten my day with the blue screen of death.

Since bad news usually comes in threes, laid low the rest of the day, got home, drank Taj Mahal followed by two wines.

Fortunately, I was put on a drug for PTSD today. Fuck me. How ironic. All hell broke loose after taking the drug.

Today gave me some hope that I might not be a homicidal maniac after all.

Is there such a thing as silent Tourette's? I cuss quietly in my head all the time. Worries me a bit.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Had commander's PT yesterday. Ran a mile, did 30 pushups and 25 wide-arms, ran down Cardiac Hill (I'll try to post a picture later, but imagine a steep incline about 0.2 or 0.25 mile long), did 30 situps and 20 crunches.
Back up the hill, 25 pushups and 20 widearms, down the hill, 25 situps and 20 crunches. Down the hill, 20 situps and 50 flutter kicks. Up the hill, 20 pushups and various arm exercises (overhead arm claps, forward arm claps, etc.). More than one person was hurting by the end of it.
Run a mile back to where we form up. Not fun times, but I'm sure it'll help in the long run.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

What are wide arms?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Wide Arm pushups