Core RECommit

[Drastic]

Good crowd forming here, great. We'll get a nice head start on the new year.

I hit 4 this week, needed a break on Friday. I'm going for a solid 3 gym visits weekly moving forward.

[Travoli]

2.5/3 weight lifting this week. Tweaked the back on this morning's heavy (for me) squats. I may have to let it rest a couple days.
7/10 self score eating habits.

[rcjordan]

>back

Excellent results with this.  Works waaayy better than the leather lifting belts.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q7ZHSS/

[littleman]

>heavy (for me) squats

What rep range were you doing?

[Travoli]

>lifting belts

I know my core is the weakest link right now. Supplementing abs and back work.

I'm doing the Stronglifts 5x5 program. Completed 5x5 @225lbs. squats this week, and then failed @230lbs. today. This is the range I struggled at earlier this year (1.5x body weight). Pushing through will require more calories, or I could maintain and feel ok about it.

[simplytheresa]

I managed to get out bouldering for a little bit yesterday! It's been a long time, and although I was extremely tentative (still experimenting with a tweaked hip-flexor or psoas in my left hip, so tried to avoid pulling hard) it felt great. Also managed two short slow runs, and more random one-legged chair squats.

I'll try 3 exercise sessions per week and at least 5 stretch sessions (>30 min). The flexibility thing is really killing me these days. 

Also, Travoli - thanks for the tips. I have tended to be a breakfast person, but no eating after 6-7pm was just too early, especially for social situations. I'll try pushing back the breakfast time and give it another go.

[ergophobe]

Supplementing abs and back work.

What are your favorite exercises there? Seems like your weightlifting would cover the back portion. What about the rest?

BTW... my default is planks, sometimes with variations to make them harder. When I'm motivated, Turkish get-ups and spiders. And lately, shoveling gravel, pushing a wheelbarrow and carrying bricks for a retaining wall, but that project is done :-)

[littleman]

4/4 last week.  I've been taking the next daughter down (Maddie, 12 y.o.) along with Kelsey on the weekends lately.

[Travoli]

Back raises and crunches for now. Hoping to get my lower back caught up with my new leg strength.

[littleman]

Hey Travoli, I know you've probably read this before from me, but I really think that keeping the rep range higher is much safer -- especially when dealing with squats and you are on the plus side of 35.  My opinion is really contrary to what is popularly pushed right now from folks like Mark Rippetoe, but all the old lifters I know eventually push their rep rang up to 8+, often as high as 14.

Anyway, good luck with the back injury, I've been there before -- no fun.  Rotating between heat and cold helps.

[creative666]

I'm in!

For me it's more my diet is the problem and it's all self inflicted - but I'm working hard and will check in here  

[Rumbas]

>keeping the rep range higher is much safer

I concur. Personally I'm getting both my strengt up and injury down doing lower weight and higher reps. Still need to work on my conditioning to do more reps though. The older you get the injury prone you are imo.

>in
Probably not getting much done until 2018, but then things needs to get in gear for real..

[DrCool]

I haven't touched a weight for many, many years but a couple months back my wife and I finally started going to the gym. She had wanted a quick, simple weight lifting program and she settled on this: https://www.amazon.com/Barbell-Prescription-Strength-Training-After/dp/0982522770

It has you start with squats, bench presses and overhead presses, and deadlifts. After a few weeks of that you start working in some other exercise like back extensions, chin ups, etc. and we are just getting into that part now.

But is has been fun to see some good gains so far. Yesterday I was at 215 squats, 145 bench, and 245 deadlifts. Hoping I can add another 10-15 pounds on the squats by the end of the year and another 20 to the bench. Our plans are Monday and Wednesday at the gym together in the evening and then Friday work out separate. Our gym closes at 5 on Fridays (it is primarily a Jewish community center) so getting there after work is challenging sometimes.

After the holidays we will probably try and work in a cardio day and make a better eating plan and start with the weight loss. But with just the lifting we are both noticing differences. Our arms and legs are already noticeably bigger and firmer and we have both started using another notch on our belts. Overall I don't want to lose a ton of weight (maybe 10-15 pounds) and cutting out a bit of the junk from our diets should make that happen without too much pain.

[littleman]

Wow , great progress Doc & Mrs. Doc.  Keep us posted.  Weight training while slimming down is a great strategy -- it helps you retain muscle as you lose (fat) weight.

[Travoli]

>rep range

Yeah, 7-9 reps would probably be better for size gains, too. Considering a switch in the near future.