Low Expectations

[fishwife]

45, F, cis, 5'3" fluffy (I don't weigh myself)

Long story short and vague: After a major medical procedure a few years ago, lots of shit started breaking: back, wrists, shoulders, a hip, and especially my knees, which were never great but got exponentially worse to the point where just walking was painful. And though I've never been happy-go-lucky at any point in my life, things spiraled into full-blown depression. No idea whether any of this was connected to the procedure or coincidental. Then Life took some really crappy turns.

I took a couple years off from training to deal with Life. Then got back to it in April, starting from scratch. Discovered that my recovery capabilities were radically different (worse) than before.

I had to throw out my old notions of what it was to train and stop thinking in terms of ideal, efficient, etc. and just settle for whatever I could do that didn't make me have to take more than a week off to recover.

At this point, I'm finally starting to approach something I consider physically functional. My immediate goals: be easier on myself because being hard on myself has proved counterproductive, just make progress, just make it into the gym and do something, and just maintain training as a regular part of my life again. Eventually, I may be back at it more seriously, but for now, I'm focusing on the present and thinking one day at a time. No comparing myself to what I could do before. No comparisons to other people.

So behold my log of Low Expectations.

EDIT: All weights will be in pounds, because, rumors to the contrary notwithstanding, I'm an American, and I think in pounds, and my equipment is labeled in pounds.

[Chebass88]

It is great to read how you are rebuilding yourself a little bit at a time. Small changes always add up.

Keep pushing ahead and do what you can do.

[bugbomb]

Get it, fishwife. Good luck keeping yourself in one piece under the bar.

[mgil]

Killer of Joy or Killer of Joints?

Sorry for the lame pun...

Cheers to you joining and improving your strength as Mother Nature allows.

[fishwife]

Thanks, guys.

Starting point back in the beginning of April (working weights):

Squat: None. Had to very light rehab work using leg press.
Deadlift: 115#
Press: 50#
Bench: 60#
Dips: 50# assistance
Chins: none. Asst. pullups.

Today's session:

*

Deadlift
My current gym only has 32mm bars, which sucks for me and all other people with small hands.
135 x 5 DOH
165 x 3 DOH
185 x 1 ALT(R pron)
200 x 1 STRAPS
200 x 1 STRAPS

Dips
3
3

Song of the day:


Short and sweet.

Knees and back were a little sore going in, but they didn't feel worse afterward. That's a win.

Forearm pain (common flexor tendonitis) in the right arm has been an ongoing problem and was registered during DLs but did not exceed a 2 on a scale of 10. That's a win.

*Edited video link

[Kregna]

Are these body weight dips or assisted?

I've trained my sister, and there are some female powerlifters in my gym, but I've been thinking it's not typically a useful exercise for women, due to the difficulty for them (may as well just use bench, which can be incrementally loaded). Obviously you see some utility in doing 3s?

[fishwife]

Are these body weight dips or assisted?

They are unassisted.

I've trained my sister, and there are some female powerlifters in my gym, but I've been thinking it's not typically a useful exercise for women, due to the difficulty for them (may as well just use bench, which can be incrementally loaded).

I bench, too. Just not yesterday.

I think you have a mistaken impression of their difficulty for women. Dips aren't nearly as hard as chins/pulls. I used to do them weighted back in the day. And, unlike chins/pulls, using the assisted machine and increasing load progressively by decreasing assistance will pretty easily and predictably lead to bodyweight dips for most people who are not very overweight.

Obviously you see some utility in doing 3s?

Well, in this case, I do 3s for dips because that's what I can do right now unassisted. When I could do only 1, I did singles. And so forth.

But, yes, 3s are good for some things. A lot of women find 3s to be better for them once they get past novice gains.

[fishwife]

Press
45 x 5
55 x 5
65 x 3
70 x 1
@75: 4, 4, 4, 4

Front Squat
Just added these into the mix. I may regret this, but there was no pain during the sets and just a slight twinge when I left the gym.
@75: 8,8

Music:


*Edited video embed

[chromoly]

fishwife, I cannot do dips due to shoulder issues (I can do chins and pull-ups). I thought I could maybe do some once I reached a bodyweight bench, but I was still unable to do dips (assisted or unassisted). Have you always been able to do them? Or was there a progression you used to to achieve your first dip?

[fishwife]

fishwife, I cannot do dips due to shoulder issues (I can do chins and pull-ups). I thought I could maybe do some once I reached a bodyweight bench, but I was still unable to do dips (assisted or unassisted). Have you always been able to do them? Or was there a progression you used to to achieve your first dip?

I haven't always been able to do them. I had shit upper body strength before I started martial arts and lifting at 29. Had never done a dip or a pullup in my life before then.

The first time around, I used the assisted dip machine and then could do one one day, then worked my way up from there. This time around, once I could do 6-8 dips @ 20# assistance, I could do 1 unassisted dip.

The assisted machine has never led me to chinups/pullups OTOH without doing lots of work with negatives first (bands were relatively new the first time I could do chins/pulls), but it seems to work for dips for me and a couple other women I've trained over the years.

I'm still working my way up to a bodyweight bench and am nowhere near it, but I can do a few dips now. So perhaps I'm better than average at dips?

I'm still a ways away from being able to do chins again.

I would guess that your shoulder problems are the issue. I don't see a reason why a woman who can bench bodyweight would not be able to work up to unassisted dips in very short order.

[fishwife]

Today is a rest day.



Took a long walk to enjoy the weather.

Music:


Knees: 2/10
Left shoulder: 1/10
Right shoulder: OK
Back: OK
Achilles tendons act up when I've been sitting for a while. I think I'll start adding in some calf exercises.

*edited to fix video link

[fishwife]

Fishwife's Bane, i.e., Squat:
45 x 5
85 x 4
105 x 3
@115: 5,5,5

These felt good. Not super easy, but not too much of a grind. No unusual pain during.

Calf raises:
? x 8
? + 10 x 8
? + 20 x 8

The gym has one of those seated calf machines that uses your own bodyweight in addition to plates. So I will likely never know how much weight I'm using. That's fine. I'm just doing these because my Achilles tendons have been hurting a bit when I get up and move around after sitting for a long time. Going by feel, doing the eccentric portion of the movement very slowly, keeping things relatively light for now.

Negative chins:
3 singles (bent arm hang for 10 seconds, slow negative @10+ seconds)

These hurt a lot afterwards. My not-from-golfing golfer's elbow. I keep debating whether these are good for it or not.

Pain inventory:
Weird spasm-like bother in my right peroneus or fibularis brevis or something in my right leg down near the ankle. I think this is just a reaction to the calf raises and nothing to be concerned about. "Poky" type pain right in that divot inside where the LCL meets the fibula, both legs, when I walk or descend stairs. This is a familiar pain post-training. It's not that painful, just feels "off" and therefore kind of gross and a little scary, but nothing's exploded yet, and it's pretty mild today. Back and shoulders feel as normal as my back and shoulders get these days. Golfer's elbow still a bitch but not getting worse and doesn't hurt when I'm not training. I consider this all to be a modest state of winning.

Music:


*edited to fix video link

[hsilman]

Negative chins:
3 singles (bent arm hang for 10 seconds, slow negative @10+ seconds)

These hurt a lot afterwards. My not-from-golfing golfer's elbow. I keep debating whether these are good for it or not.

Having tried them as rehab for the same issue, my experience says "no". As mentioned in another thread, closing spring clips a bunch of times and large amount of hammer curls are the best treatment in my experience.

[Kregna]

Have you tried bands for chin ups?

[fishwife]

Have you tried bands for chin ups?

Bands work for people, so I definitely don't discourage their use at all.

But I've always managed to get to doing chins without them using negatives.

Negative chins:
3 singles (bent arm hang for 10 seconds, slow negative @10+ seconds)

These hurt a lot afterwards. My not-from-golfing golfer's elbow. I keep debating whether these are good for it or not.

Having tried them as rehab for the same issue, my experience says "no". As mentioned in another thread, closing spring clips a bunch of times and large amount of hammer curls are the best treatment in my experience.

I think I remember you talking about this. Thx. I may work in some hammer curls (but not hammar curls) if this continues to bother me a lot.

[fishwife]

Bench:
45 x 5
65 x 5
85 x 5
@95: 4, 4, 4, 4

Front Squat:
@80: 8, 8

Stretching, because these old thews needed it today.

Pain inventory: I actually feel pretty good today.

Music:


*edited to fix video link

[fishwife]

Ugh. Strangely exhausted today. Considered skipping, then decided I'd rather go and wimp out if need be than skip entirely.

Deadlift:
135 x 5 DOH
165 x 3 DOH
185 x 1 ALT (L pron)
200 x 1 STRAPS
185 x 5 STRAPS
[insert bitching about 32mm garbage bars here]

Dips:
4, 4

Pain inventory: My menisci did not enjoy today's workout. Especially in my left knee. Left shoulder felt crappy all day but feels better now. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ In positive news, I'd always had a bulletproof back before the Toomah, and it seems like, although maybe it's unrealistic to expect it to be that good again, it's not my weak link anymore. It certainly doesn't bitch and moan all day and night the way it had been doing the past couple of years, and I'm gradually feeling more confident about stressing it.

Music:


*edited to fix video link

[fishwife]

Press:
45 x 5
55 x 5
65 x 3
70 x 1
@75: 5, 5, 5

Calf raises, slow eccentric:
bw + 25: 8
Fffuuuuuuuuck! Cramps! Discontinued. Calf cramps are the motherfucking worst, and I get them all the damn time.

Kettlebell snatch:
@40: 10 (5 each hand)
Haven't done these for a while. Just a quickie to keep my calluses/grip in working order, since this gym only has KBs with fat handles for dude hands.

Pain inventory: Back DOMS, but pleasantly so. Left shoulder clunking like old machinery (which I guess it kind of is) but no pain today. Had to take the stairs sideways and one at a time this morning, but the knees feel a little better this evening. Golfer's elbow is improving, I think.

Music:


*edited to fix video link

[simonrest]

I like your eclectic taste in music

[fishwife]

I like your eclectic taste in music

I really have no taste in music at all.