100 lb Barbell Squat

I haven't posted my workouts in awhile...vacation sort of got in the way of my workouts.  I did get lots of walking in though!

I have had a number in my mind for what I wanted to squat...100 pounds.  It really seems like a long ways off when you start at just using your bodyweight.  When did I start squatting?  Hmm...can't even remember...but it does seem like forever ago.

I've worked all my way up the numbers though and can now officially say that I can barbell squat 100 pounds (as of yesterday!).  Funny thing...I didn't even know I did it until this morning when I added up my weights.

Side note...I am sore today and can feel all those muscles that helped me get to that 100 pounds.  It's one of those good pains though.  ;)  I am now at 115 pounds and could go up just a little bit more but I am very close to my limit for now at about 5 reps.

Now...I want to get to 150 pounds.  This will take a bit to get there but that is my next goal for a barbell squat.  Little bit at a time and one day I will make this goal too.

Workout on Monday, February 25th, 2013

• Barbell Squat:
  • 100 lb x 9 reps (+78 pts)
  • 95 lb x 9 reps (+76 pts)
  • 95 lb x 9 reps (+76 pts)
• Barbell Hip Thrust:
  • 125 lb x 8 reps (+45 pts)
  • 125 lb x 8 reps (+45 pts)
  • 125 lb x 12 reps (+48 pts)
• Chin-Up:
  • 6 reps || assisted || 75 lb (+13 pts)
  • 6 reps || assisted || 80 lb (+11 pts)
  • 5 reps || assisted || 80 lb (+10 pts)
• Push-Up:
  • 10 reps (+19 pts)
  • 8 reps (+15 pts)
  • 8 reps (+15 pts)
• Bent Over Barbell Row:
  • 30 lb x 15 reps (+29 pts)
  • 30 lb x 15 reps (+29 pts)
  • 30 lb x 15 reps (+29 pts)
• Face Pull:
  • 47 lb x 15 reps (+27 pts)
  • 47 lb x 8 reps (+24 pts)
  • 47 lb x 8 reps (+24 pts)

The Power Rack

I'm slacking on the posts lately but I think I am just gearing up for some major posting next week with photos.  :)  We are heading to a little bit warmer climate than Minnesota and will soon be seeing a very pretty castle.

At the moment I should be thinking of what to pack but I am just trying to get rid of a headache...which isn't an easy thing to do when there are 8 kids who seem to have no volume control.  This is day number 3 or 4 of the headache but at least the sore throat, most of the coughing and congestion are all gone.  We have 2 others in the family that are not in as great of shape though and are at the doctors office now...hopefully getting some medicine to get over this yuck a little faster.  A plane ride with a cold won't be much fun.

My goal is to update my workouts today so that will be something to do later...I can't wait to see how much I have lifted.  The total isn't huge because I have been sick and haven't done all of my workouts each day but it is still better than sitting on the couch doing nothing.

I did want to stay in bed this morning and sleep.  I love sleeping.  :)  I did get up though and went to the gym and my body was fighting me every step of the way this morning.  I am so glad that I got up though and went because I had a GREAT workout at the gym.

I have wanted to try something at the gym and it is just one of those things that are a bit on the intimidating side.  Why big pieces of metal with other pieces of metal on them seem to be BIG SCARY THINGS really is beyond me...but I was set out to figure that out today.  This is the machine that I was going to conquer today!

It really doesn't look like much but it is missing a few pieces...a barbell and weights.  

This power rack was open today at the gym and I've had my eye on it for awhile.  Usually it is busy with guys lifting heavy stuff...doing deadlifts or squats or who knows what else.  This morning though it was almost like there was a light on it and I was supposed to notice that there wasn't a single person close to this and that today was the day to try something new.  Ahhhh!  

I warmed up and then I beelined it over before someone else could grab it.  

What to do, what to do?  I wanted to do some squats today but first I had to figure out the best way to use the machine.  After one failed attempt I realized that maybe standing the other way would work better.  And then..it was like magic.  :)  I added more weights and realized that I can squat a lot more than what I thought I was capable of.  

I had so much fun!  (That may seem really odd for a lot of people...but at 5:45am today I was squatting 95 pounds and I could have done a lot more.  I can't wait to load the bar up again and see how heavy I can really go.)

Boys...you'd better move over because that power rack now has another regular user.  

Finally feeling better!

Where are my posts?  I didn't disappear...I've been sick!

Today I actually feel good, woke up with some energy and am thinking that I am almost done with this 7 day stretch of illness.  I felt terrible through most of the days and sleep was one of my favorite things to do and what my body needed.  I didn't even want to do crunches...that right there says a lot.  :)

I don't skip the gym very often and I had a 4 day stretch of no workouts...and if I don't go to the gym I must really be sick.  I'm almost back to normal...just a nagging cough that my inhaler should help take away soon.

The kids have either had this or are currently in the middle of it.  Micah has a pocket of cough drops with him for school but he doesn't seem to be lacking on the energy part like I was...just has a bit of a cough once in awhile.  Chris is sick though and may be heading to the dr to see if medicine is needed to help him out.

Some exciting news...!!!
Last night I also taught my very own cycling class...MINE!  I had a great time and was super excited to see who might show up for the class.  The gym is a little bit different at night and not my favorite but my job is to teach and encourage those that attend, so that is what I did.  I was told that my class is a lot harder than the class taught by another instructor so at least I know I was challenging that person.  She seemed to have fun and was hooting and hollering throughout the class too which makes it seem like she was having fun or she was just doing that to psyche her body out that she was going to collapse.  I'm also glad that I'm not the "easy" teacher.  I don't want to be the class that people attend and just don't reach their full potential with what they are actually capable of doing.  If you are going to an exercise class you might as well work hard...get the most out of it, right?  Go big or go home...that is what I tell myself when I go to the gym.  If I'm not there to work hard then I might as well just go back to sleep.

There was one overly critical person in the class that I have had the opportunity to meet before and he was his usual self...not as bad as normal but he did have to throw in how he thought I should be sitting on the bike and where my hands should be on the bike.  He may have made a comment about my resistance level too (which he has no idea what I have it set at) but I had already tuned him out so not sure what he actually said.  Not much I can say or do for someone who doesn't respect you and is full of themselves so my only response to him was that what I was doing works for me.  I'm not sure that he should be talking about my form since his was not perfect...I didn't tell him that part but did mention form several times to the group when his was just horrible.

Class was fun...I was exhausted after it and need to figure out what and how to eat before class and how to get some more water in before class too.  I am used to the morning routine but this night stuff I have to figure out.

My workout today was awesome!  I have learned two things though in the last couple of workouts:

1. having a spotter is a good thing to have when doing a bench press.  :)  There is a story with that but to sum it up...I hadn't tried this exercise before and I decided to just do it one day last week.  I was a little too confident in my abilities ;) and you can guess what happened.  I did tell someone at the gym that is a regular who was by me to just watch and if they see me struggling to help me out.  Well...I was putting the barbell back after I was done and as the bar was up on the rack on one side but stuck on my chest on the other side and I was unable to lift it back up...I received some help.  Since then I have a few people that will help spot me and are women that can at least assist me with the weights.  One person even offered this morning so right away I did some bench presses today.
2. when doing a back squat with a barbell it may be a good thing to use a squat rack or power rack to hold the bar for you.  Why, you ask?  I've now reached the point where I am squatting more than what I can successfully push press...meaning...I usually lift a barbell that has weights on it, push it up over my head and then gently put it behind my head and rest it on my shoulders.  I will then do squats and then pull the bar back over my head when I am done.  Today's example would be why...I went to do my first squat and I couldn't even pull the barbell up into my hands and flip my wrists to hold it before I push it up over my head.  I tried once.  Fail.  I decided I would try one more time and just see if I could do it because I really thought that I could do it.  Second time (with an old guy watching me like I was crazy) I did it!  After I finished my squats and the barbell was still on my shoulders waiting for me to bring it back over my head I had a big discussion in my head how I was going to get this off of my shoulders.  I had a moment where I thought I might ask the old guy by me to help me out but then just decided that if I got it on my back that I can get it off of my back.  Piece of cake ...not really.  I did it though and know that next time I use that much weight it will only be on a squat rack.  

Here is my workout today:

• Barbell Bench Press:
  • 55 lb x 10 reps (+59 pts)
  • 75 lb x 2 reps (+38 pts)
  • I had a spotter today...a friend from boxing class had a few minutes to spare and said she would help me if I wanted so I did these right away today.
• Barbell Squat:
  • 75 lb x 8 reps (+65 pts)
  • 65 lb x 8 reps (+60 pts)
  • 65 lb x 8 reps (+60 pts)
  • I'm gonna have to start using the power rack for squats...that first set was almost too heavy to do a push press to get it over my head and onto my back
• Push Press:
  • 75 lb x 1 reps (+23 pts)
  • 65 lb x 1 reps (+22 pts)
  • 65 lb x 1 reps (+22 pts)
  • 65 lb x 6 reps (+42 pts)
  • 55 lb x 7 reps (+41 pts)
  • 55 lb x 7 reps (+41 pts)
• One-Arm Dumbbell Row:
  • 35 lb x 10 reps (+49 pts)
  • 30 lb x 10 reps (+47 pts)
  • 30 lb x 10 reps (+47 pts)
• Seated Leg Curl:
  • 60 lb x 8 reps (+14 pts)
  • 60 lb x 8 reps (+14 pts)
  • 60 lb x 8 reps (+14 pts)
• Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
  • 15 lb x 15 reps (+35 pts)
  • 15 lb x 8 reps (+32 pts)
  • 15 lb x 10 reps (+33 pts)
• Walking (treadmill):
  • 0:06:00 || 0.5 mi (+22 pts)
  • 0:06:00 || 0.5 mi (+22 pts)
  • warm up for set 1 cool down/intervals for set 2 (Intervals at 6.5mps for 30 seconds and then walk at 3 mph for 30 seconds)