Liz's Log

[holvoetn]

Liz, first attempt at 130 (> BW !!) and you ONLY missed 5 reps on a total of 25. I would say that is not bad at all.
Good work !

[XCouchPotato]

Squats, first attempt @130lbs. Failed. But I'm pleased tho' because form felt decent throughout. ... I remember doing walkouts at this weight in June and feeling all the weight bearing down on and compressing my back, and hearing my spine make some kind of cracking/popping sound, and not being able to get the bar clear of the j-hooks without knocking them!

You've come a long way baby!

[LizzyLifts]

Thanks H!
I was happily surprised that's for sure. Lots of surprises working out these last couple of weeks. Now, if only the upper body lifts felt as good....arrrggh.

You've come a long way baby!

ha! So very true thanks X!

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Saturday, November 14th

I woke up feeling slightly sick...worrisome, as the husband is headed out of town. I came close to foregoing the workout today. In the end, as I was walking into the gym, I talked myself into it.

short warm-up, 5min. ellipt., leg swings, squat stretch

Squat - 15lb.x10, 45x10, 95x5, 110x3, 120x2, 130: 5/4/4/5/5
OHP- 45x5, 55: 5/4/5/4/0
D/L- 135x5, 145x3, 155x2, 165x3

again rushed, no time for more.

Squats, second attempt-failed. But they were better today than last time. yay! I went down/up 5 times each set. No good mornings...just too shallow on second and third set. Depth got better on last two sets and I got the bar to actually jump off my shoulders driving up on some reps. I do still feel something in my lower back as i'm squatting. not much but it comes with squats now. It does go away in the next 48 hours. tho' so i haven't been too worried.

OHP, Alright if it is possible for there to be negative progress, then i'm making it here. Now 55lbs. is hard....again.

D/L, used mixed grip at 155 and 165, but forgot the chalk today...i think mostly i missed the last two reps 'cause i lost my 'rythm'/focus thinking too much about my back.

Another observation: since starting this diet my rest times between reps/sets has decreased. I think I've shaved 10 minutes off my total time! I'll record better when I can do a complete workout.

[atypical1]

I bet your soreness is related to a bit of lack of mobility. Make sure you're doing that work as it's as important as the lifts are. Interesting about the impact the diet has on your workout time. Is it just that you have more energy?

Your DL always impresses the heck out of me.

james

[LizzyLifts]

Well ya know....i was wonderin' the same thing. Only i'm thinking it might be the opposite...hyper-extending my lower back at the bottom. Or losing tightness at the bottom/or while descending. I say this for a couple of reasons. 1) when i filmed myself, months ago, i didn't see rounding. 2) i got the idea about hyper-extending and a sore low-back from some of eLvarouza's comments about his low-back trouble. I'll get someone to check my lower-back while squatting.

I do routinely work on mobility in terms of squat stretches, and visualy check my lower-back in that position. Looks like my low-back can maintain an "arch" in that position. Also, i've been routinely doing the side-twists, and bent-knee twists from Robertson/Cressey's M2, plus supermans (is this the type of thing you are thinking of??) I was doing these things pre-work out, but have begun to wonder if it is too much mobility, especially right before lifting. I want my back to be tight and strong, not loose. You see what i mean. So, i'll still do the mobility work, but i'll move it to off days. I'm not sure what exactly to do to build up strength in the lower back.

As for the diet, yes, i feel like i have more energy, totally. Things feel easier. It seems like I don't fatigue as quickly. Also, as I said before the increase in calories changed the quality of my sleep, for the better. So, yes, energy levels, recovery, strength...all affected. Not sure how you separate those things. In a week or so i'll tally up the bf%, weight, calories etc.

Your DL always impresses the heck out of me.

[LizzyLifts]

Initial Diet(at the start of SL5x5)
3/09 - 10/23/09
Starting weight 119lbs. to 126lbs.
bodyfat (calipers) 21% to 17.5%

Training Day, 7 meals, 1,949Cals / 194gProtein / 192gCarb / 36.3gFat
Non-Training Day, 6 meals 1,668Cals / 161.2gProtein / 156.8gCarb / 36.3gFat
1 gallon water/day, ate the same 6 days/wk with one cheat day.
In reality, when I spot checked myself, I was often eating less than stated.
Foods similar to the ones described below.


"Bulking" Diet
Start Date: 10/23/09
starting weight 126lbs., to present ? (will weigh in a week or so)


Training Day, 7 meals, 2,675Cals / 282gProtein / 174.6gCarbs / 63gFat
Non-Training Day, 6 meals, 2,470Cals / 247gProtein / 167.6gCarbs / 63gFat

6am 1 small banana, 1.5 scoops whey in water

9am 4 XL eggwhites+2 whole eggs, 2tbsp.flaxseed meal, 2 slices ezekiel bread, grapefruit juice

pre-workout 1.5 scoops whey+ 1/3cup oats in water
post-workout 1.5 scoops whey+ 20 oz. gatorade

12noon 6 oz. lean meat, 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup spinach

3pm 1 apple, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1.5 scoops whey in water

6pm 6 oz. lean meat, 1/2 cup brown rice, spinach

9pm 1 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 oz. almonds


1.5 gallons water/day
2 mulit vitamins/day

The reality is...during the week i can get most the meals in as written thru lunch...i often forget the afternoon snack since we're on the go...weekends is tough to get all the meals in. i've never actually hit 1.5 gallons H2O...there aren't enough bathrooms where i need them, when i need them!

[pagangoddess]

That's good progress Liz. Down to 17.5% bodyfat.

Looks like a full day's eating. I can understand why you have such a hard time getting all the calories in.

Does the whey mixed with water bother you? I find the taste leaves much to be desired.

[LizzyLifts]

thanks PG, ....i feel like the bodyfat is going back up now...not sure if it is fat, water or what...time will tell. yeah, this eating is pretty crazy. definitely a short term experiment. And yes, the whey-in-water is...actually...awful...at least the brand i'm using. with a little milk it's better. mine doesnt' even dissolve well, so there are lumps to boot. Even so, sometimes i'm looking forward to the shake...'cause it's easier thant EATING. acckkkk.

[LizzyLifts]

Monday, 11/16 Missed Workout

Tuesday, 11/17 at home 10x(5 pull-ups/6push-ups) medium resistance band for pull-ups

Wednesday, 11/18
minimal warm-up, 5 min. elliptical, a few leg-swings, squat stretch.

Squat - 45x11, 95x5, 110x3, 120x2, 130:5x5 PR for reps.
Bench - 45x5, 75:5x5 no spotter
BOR - 80: 5/5/4/4/4
Reverse Crunches - 20/16/16
Pushups - 12/12/11

Evil 8, Tried it! Well actually more like Evil 6, or 7....first attempt, could not remember all 8 exercises Just did a couple of sets. ....tried with just the bar...doable but i was just too wiped out today. I can't front squat at all!

A low energy day...getting to bed too late the last couple of nights and this morning I ate my usual breakfast and pre-workout shake, but then didn't get to the gym for another almost 3 hours...by BOR i was feeling tired out.

Squats, 3rd attempt at 130lbs., got 'em! No real problems and no sensations in my back till the fourth set, and then very minor. Stayed with me for a few hours and seems to have settled now.

Bench, just wussed out today...no spotters available, so i just stayed put at 75lbs. not hard.

BOR, losing energy every set.

ah well, hoping for more sleep!

[XCouchPotato]

Hi Lizzy:

Yeah lack of sleep can mess you up big time. Still you got your Squat PR, congradulations!

[pagangoddess]

Nice job Liz. BW squats 5x5. Impressive.

[LizzyLifts]

X and PG...thanks very much!

Friday, November 20

Squat - 12lb.x10, 45x2x5, 95x5, 115x3, 125x2, 135: 3/3/2/-/-, 125x3, 115x7, 95x10
OHP - 45x5, 55:5x5, 57x3, 45x2x9
D/L - 145x3, 155x2, 165x5 PR for reps, 170x3 PR
lateral raises 10lbs. left/right 15/15, 9/10, 5/6

Squats, things felt heavy getting going today, i'm just getting to bed way to late the last few nights. I let the girls stay up later and then of course when I finally had the house to myself it just felt too good to go to bed.... ....i should know better.

First attempt at 135lbs, failed. I may be over thinking the low back, didn't start to feel it till the 3rd set, but I'm thinking about it all the time. 135 was heavy but doable. I did'nt attempt 5 reps....form was ok on the ones i did, probably a bit shallow tho'. I did the sets at 125, 115, and 95 to sort of check form and see how the low back did. At those weights i have alot better tightness in my lower back at the bottom of the squat....least that is how it feels. Much better depth too.

OHP, I wanted to work on good solid lifts without too much 'lay back'. 55 came out ok...form on 57 for those few reps...ok, i think.

D/L, No problems...I should have gotten 1x5 at 170...waited a bit too long, and the back was feeling tired. Happy to make 1x3 tho'!

[XCouchPotato]

Hi Lizzy:

Congrats on the DL PR!

As for the squats, better to over-think then to really hurt your back. You might just want to stick with 3x5 for a couple of tries then go for 5x5.

[pagangoddess]

Nice pull Liz.

[sgi4950]

Yay Liz! Nice D/L PR. You'll get the squats next time around. Better safe than sorry.

Are you going to give the Evil 8 another try? I found it to be much harder than I anticipated and was shocked at how hard the GM's were with just the bar!

Thanks for writing about your diet. The diet/strength issue is somewhat confusing for me. I want to lose B/F but can't seem to get past my plateau and I wonder how my eating affects my lifts. I'm looking forward to reading your analysis.