I was reading a post last week and decided it was worth trying for awhile. I'm forever looking for something to keep my workouts interesting, so I figured Id give it a shot.

3 sets of 8, if you can do it, go heavier.

Sounds easy. Turns out it was. Thats bad. That tells me Ive been cheating myself of hard workouts for awhile.

I always try to start my workouts with a compound movement. They take the most energy and use a wider variety of muscles. Then go on to isolation of muscle groups. Full body workout, 4 days a week.

Ill put my numbers in my workout log, in case anyone was interested. My main point here was this....I THOUGHT I was still working out hard, but I had just gotten into a comfort zone. Shaking it up, once again, its a good thing.

Hey cool!!!!!

I just switched from front squats and back squats to bulgarian split squats.

Have you tried them? They're my new love affair.......

I must say, that I DO have to cheat and use the stupid smith machine because there is NO WAY IN HELL that I can balance a barbell on my traps and then do a split squat. But, on the upside, I can do 85 pounds and I can barely walk today. Yeah!!!

Yes, yes, I'm a sicko.

I haven't been able to progress from my 25lb dumbbells for my arnold presses, so I started doing push presses instead. Same muscle group, but I can push press 70lbs instead of just a measly 50. Booyah!

I'm still stuck on 30lbs for my low incline dumbbell presses but that's only cuz I can't get the stupid %(*^&!~ 35's UP yet by myself. Grrrrr. But I can press them if someone helps me with the first one. Though I rarely ask because even though you'd THINK all the "dudes" in the gym would know how, they do NOT and I almost dropped the weight on my face! Fools!

Anyway Leaddog, glad to hear you've increased your weights.

I've actually started training every THIRD day for the past three weeks because my lifting has gotten so heavy. When I was doing it every other day, I too was a bit skurrrred to go up in weight because then I may be sore the next day and just ONE day inbetween workouts may not be enough recovery time.

Now I can fully go balls out if I want, hurt for a day and a half and then be RARIN' to go by my training day.

RARRRRRR!

Carry on!

Julia

Awesome ladies..Ghoulia, you are getting scary strong there my dear..
Here's a little tip for incline dumbell presses..sorry if you already know this.
Sit on the bench and put the dumbellls on your knees

Lay back on the bench..now with your knees Kick one dumbell up to the starting position and then do the same with the other.

I have seen guys kick them up(myself included when I go heavy and no one is there to spot me) before they lay back.

Of course it is hard once you are able to do the 120's my dear..then you will need two spotters.

I am offering my services to you..

OH Sir Steve, I have tried it, I have tried it! My knees no WORKIE! I'm picking my thirties up off the floor and basically flinging them into the air, whilst leaning back on my bench at the same time.

The knee pop does not work for Mother. Sucks!

My friend Ed *DOES* do them with the 120's!!!! and asks *me* to spot him. Um, hello? Those things weigh more than I do, foo'!

Ah well, good times.

I did get ONE 35 up once though.... my blindness (no, I'm not really blind) prevented me from seeing that I'd grabbed a 30 AND a 35. Man, my right arm was SO much weaker for once, I couldn't barely press the thing twice. Put them down and then noticed the discrepancy. Idjiot! Ha! Then I sat there and chuckled to myself like a moron.

I shoullllllld be doing bench presses by now, but I'm skeered of 'em by myself. Might chop me ol' head off!

Julia

Julia,
How about flat bench dumbell presses...you may use even more weight with those.

Try close grip benches..your hands no closer than 12' apart..less weight will be used, but you'll hit your chest hard and that is one of the best excercise for the tri's...it's that long head very hard and you can work up to some good poundages over time.

And it is not as hard on the shoulders...

May I ask, are you trying to do parallel bar dips at all??

Oh I've done the close grip bench benches. My triceps were worthless for at least 5 days after. HA! I think my grip was like 6 inches apart. It was a killer, but I still need a spotter.

How can I do the flat bench dumbbell presses when I can barely do the low incline ones? I don't get how i'll get the db's up there.

I do not do parallel bar dips but I do do weighted bench dips. Sit on one bench, feet on the other bench, 35lb plate in my lap, then lower. That's a killer too. LOVE IT.

Ouch..Julia..the bench dip is one of the most dangerous excercises you can do..google Joseph Horrigan, he of the Soft
Tissue institute..he details some excercises that can cause some serious injury..That excercise is bad for you shoulders,wrists and elbows..

Here is a little nugget from Jason Ferrugia, a world reknown trainer..
Bench Dips- This is another weight training exercise that I did for many years and now regret. I routinely did this exercise with four 45 pound plates on my lap. Little did I realize at the time that bench dips put your shoulder in a very dangerous position and can eventually lead to serious problems. While this exercise is useful in building muscle it is also dangerous. If shoulder safety is a concern I recommend that you avoid this exercise and stick with parallel bar dips for building muscle.

Charles Poliquin has also written about the bench dip. He say it puts your should in a very precarious position and cause impingement..so the more you do it, the more chance of injury down the road.

We don't want those purty shoulders injured now do we??

Egads, heavens no we don't.

All right, I'm training today and will try the parallel bar dips instead.

There are three stations for it at my gym (one includes that gravitron thing) so I have no excuse!

Thanks Steve!

And, by the by.... it never hurt my wrists or shoulders whilst doing it, yet, but, it didn't feel so hot on ye old thumb area... so there's that.

I mean, you really can't do shit without your thumbs, right?