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Power/Oly Lifting

Old 04-17-2010, 05:52 AM
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Cool Power/Oly Lifting

I was just wondering if anyone else out there focuses a majority of their workout time training the big movements: squats, deadlifts, bench press, clean and jerk, snatch; plus the big assistance movements: good mornings, high pulls, overhead press, power cleans, box squats, rack pulls, etc.

I personally have found cardio to be somewhat boring (but I do enjoy rowing on the erg machine). I reached first reached my current weight of 160# in high school but I started slowly gaining after P.E. became voluntary (budget cuts). In college I found myself drifting up to 185# on my diet of pizza, beer, and ice cream sandwiches. I'm not a big guy by any measure (well, maybe tall, but not big) so this extra weight made me look like I was due soon. Powerlifting brought me back down again. The first time I deadlifted, I moved 95#. That was two years ago. In February this year I moved 275#.

If you also enjoy tossing around heavy bits of iron every now and then, what do you do? Do you follow a particular program? Do you do any assistance lifts/cardio/stretching/etc regularly? What are your numbers?

The purpose of this thread isn't to "compete" but celebrate new personal records and victorious moments! We have good days and bad days. On good days you feel like you could smash every record in the book. These are few and far between. On bad days you struggle just to haul yourself to the gym, trip over every thread on the floor and strain against every stubborn rep. Come back here to blow some steam!

-Nik

Last edited by tandoorichicken; 04-17-2010 at 05:57 AM.
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Old 04-17-2010, 07:00 AM
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I'm not much of a free weight lifter, because I go to the gym solo and don't have a spotter or buddy. Our gym is also part of the high school so the free weight area is full of young bucks and I'm a middle aged housewife, so it might be weird for me to ask someone randomly. The gym also has a ton of Nautilus equipment and I routinely use that in my workout. This morning I did a little bit of free weight training, I went up from 10 to 15 pounds on all the arm exercises that I do. I also use this thing, it's like an elevated seat back with handle bars. You hang there by your elbows and lift your legs, either straight out or knees bent. Normally I do 10 with legs straight and then 10-20 with knees bent - with lots of breaks and gasping. But today I did them in 2 counts sets, first count with legs straight and second with knees bent, and I went straight thru a set of 20 without stopping. I've also been working on doing real sit-ups, today I did 20 with about 15 degrees of inversion (2 notches on the table). Which I followed with 260 crunches. I used to do 300 full sit-ups everyday, but after 3 pregnancies my stomach muscles are permanently separated down the middle, and it's almost impossible to build them back up, but I'm getting there. I also usually do a bunch of Nautilus arm machines, I try and keep all of them at 10 or higher. I don't really know what the 10 means, because the blocks don't look heavy enough to be 10 pounds, but I grunt and give them a heave-ho anyway. Today for the first time in years I ran. I've been using an elliptical for an hour every morning, but today I put on my shoes and ran for real. Let's just say this, riding on an elliptical is not nearly the same workout as a run, gasp gasp gasp.

Last edited by almeeker; 04-17-2010 at 07:02 AM.
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Old 04-17-2010, 07:59 AM
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Great job! It's actually surprising how much assistance you get from the seat back thing doing leg raises. I can do about 12 non-stop using it. Yesterday I tried doing the same thing but hanging from a pull-up bar and I had to stop after just two! I tried eeking out a couple more but today my abs are sore like they've never been before!

I'm sure the high school kids wouldn't mind giving you a hand if you wanted to bench/squat. They might even be a little impressed/intimidated!

-Nik
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Old 04-17-2010, 02:45 PM
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I used to lift in High School, many many moons ago. For a small person I'm freakishly strong. I got that from dad, and growing up on a farm. But I have to say the equipment is all sort of freaky looking now. Back in the day it was like 10-12 pieces of equipment and some of them homemade. My current gym is absolutely chock full of stuff I can't identify, it's pretty intimidating. They offer a class, which I might sign up for this fall if the time works for me. I don't know about asking one of the students, maybe if I knew their mom or something it would be okay... I do see a lot of the same adults there week after week, maybe it's time to introduce myself and see if any of them need a spotter too. It would be an interesting way to change up the workouts...

I'm not ready to hang from a pull-up bar and do leg lifts, I just got so that I can do them with the seat back. When I was in college I used to see this guy at the gym. He was in absolutely fantastic shape, and the only equipment I ever saw him use was a yoga mat and a set of pull-up bars. He used to do one-armed chin-ups and leg lifts and these weird strength poses sort of like you see the Olympic ring gymnasts do. The yoga poses he did were so advanced the only other time I've ever seen anything like it was on TV.

Last edited by almeeker; 04-17-2010 at 02:58 PM.
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Old 05-27-2010, 04:11 AM
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Default New PRs!

This week:

Deadlift 235# x 5
Power clean 115# x 1

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Old 05-31-2010, 04:34 AM
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Congrats on the new PR's!

I'm a powerlifter. My time in the gym and in the kitchen are focused on that. I use FitDay to help me track that I'm eating ENOUGH calories and what my percentages are (proteins, carbs, sugars).

The compound lifts (squat, bench, dead) are the best lifts out there for raw strength... and they're just plain fun to do
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Old 05-31-2010, 03:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Lifting4JC
Congrats on the new PR's!

I'm a powerlifter. My time in the gym and in the kitchen are focused on that. I use FitDay to help me track that I'm eating ENOUGH calories and what my percentages are (proteins, carbs, sugars).

The compound lifts (squat, bench, dead) are the best lifts out there for raw strength... and they're just plain fun to do
Thanks! I agree that they're über fun.

I'm trying to lift my DL to 300# by the beginning of next year, but right now I'm concentrating on baseline strength stuff and recovery/joint care.

Pleased to meet you.
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Old 05-31-2010, 11:12 PM
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I try to focus on mainly OLY/Compound lifts only...You probably won't ever see me do any direct arm work i.e. curls or tricep pressdowns.

Yesterdays workout consisted of
Hang Cleans
DB Bench (don't like barbell bench because i feel it doesn't work my chest as much)
Chins
DB Rev Lunge
Standing Shoulder Press
Stability Ball Roll outs...

Then went off to run hill sprints...

Alm- You can ask people for help...Most weight lifters are more than happy to help you with a new exercise or to watch your form to make sure you are doing it right....

Tandoor...Your tag line is spot on and I feel the same way on dieting and exercising..Good stuff bro
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Old 06-03-2010, 06:17 AM
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Im an aspiring Figure Competitor
Im doing my first show October 2 The Iron Man Washington...

Anyways I love the weights.. Cardio is my biggest issue, but have been doing pretty good with my sprints lately.

Im a girl so my weights are puny compared to everyone else. But I feel good.
I can do push-ups like a man now (you should have seen me when I first started LOL) love pull-ups too. My squats are only 50lbs 12 reps 4 sets. GOSH I hate walking lunges... Yesturday I did 40 lbs on my overhead tricep extensions.

Love the weights
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Old 06-03-2010, 09:05 AM
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YEEAHH!

Girls that graduate from the pink dumbbells are awesome

Good luck on the show prep!
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