Deadlifts and Helen
w/u: 2k run
DB swings, pull ups, push-ups sit-ups, stretch
Helen, Pack:
3 rounds for time
Run 400 m
21 dumbbell swings, 35lbs.
12 pull ups
9:36, treadmill
Did runs slower this time, mostly b/c legs sore from long run and skiing last week, still dropped over 2 and a half minutes
from 13:14 first time around on this in mid-November [my first post on this forum, sigh]. Steadier, more sustainable pace this time.
10 min break, then Deadlifts
Reading and re-reading Starting Strength book. Wanted this to be a form day to practice new knowledge and see how these lifts felt.
Did warmup then 7 sets of 5 reps at 135 lbs. (less than half of my 5 rep max so far)
These went great. I wasn’t as screwed up a I’d feared after reading the Deadlift section, but made some definite changes:
- brought my feet together a few inches and narrowed my grip accordingly.
- got rid of the slight bend in my arms that I never knew was there when I was getting set
- waited a bit before opening my hip angle; think before I wasn’t opening my knee angle enough, starting to clear the knees before opening the hip angle
Also did a bunch of ‘small things’ that made this exercise feel a lot better to me than before, things I may not have done consistently (breathing, head/eye position, etc.)
Big difference I noticed was that I was pulling the bar up along my shins without ripping my hair and skin off, though not sure how much of that was because this wasn’t heavy, but the entire movement felt smoother and more natural.
I’m in absolutely no rush to get to heavy weights on this, and plan to take it slow and steady to make sure I’m doing these as close to properly as possible. Ditto for squats and presses.
