The "I Did Good" thread

[mobikwa]

What do you mean exactly with balance? As in, do diffrent muscles on different days. Or the amount of crunches vs pushups?

I think he meant being able to do 50 pushups (max) in one set and 50 crunches (max) in one set as being unbalanced in terms of one muscle group's endurance to another.

Personally I never do pushups or situps to those kinds of numbers. Hell, the only pushups I do are diamonds at the end of my arm days to gauge how hard I hit my tri's.

[spudtheimpaler]

What do you mean exactly with balance? As in, do diffrent muscles on different days. Or the amount of crunches vs pushups?

More the latter. For most muscle sets in the body, you have two opposing groups. Triceps vs biceps etc. It's often said (says me, after not looking up any sources) that you should try to ensure that you work out both sets to help prevent injury.

Regarding your crunches, its working a subset of your core muscle group, but my question would probably be better asked as "Are you making sure you work all core muscles, or just those in crunches?". There is some confusion here put out by me also, because I consider pushups as part of my core exercise. Obviously if your arms give up before your core does, then its not really the ideal exercise, I just got caught up in what was already being said.

Sooo! my query is rather - are you only focusing on crunches for core exercise, of which you are doing hundreds? or are the other core muscle groups getting an equivalent amount of exercise? I think if one side of the body is much stronger than the other, there can eventually be injury as when you tense all muscles, one will pull more than the other.

[andy33gmail]

I swam 1.5 miles and then 0.5 miles non-stop on Monday, 1.5 miles non-stop yesterday (Tuesday) (less because I did weights that evening) and I swam 2 miles non-stop today (Wednesday)! Normally stop after every 200m (sorry to mix units!).

While I'm conscious that my average speed while moving was lower, my average speed through the session was greater - so a net gain by removing the pauses!

I also taught myself breast stroke on Monday too; no-one ever taught me it well, and yet I've been teaching it to kids for years; ran through drills in the same way I'd teach a kid, and got to something like full stroke

[tanyamyk]

I worked out every day for 8 weeks It started out as a 30 day personal challenge.. but then I got addicted...
I lost 15 lbs!!

[bbq]

Was aiming for 152lb by christmas and it already 150lb.

[ablasdel]

I did my first chinup in about 16 years last week.
It was my first official weightlifting goal.

I was surprised that it happened so soon I have only been doing it for 1 month.

I'm stoked and wishing a bit that I started doing this years ago.

Go me!

Now for my secondary goals: squatting and benching my body weight.

[psyck0]

Deadlift 315 ho-rah!

[Flying Betty]

I had a minor emotional meltdown about my weight. Soon after I was felling hungry and ate... hummus and celery! Healthy and completely not a binge!

[Zapheod]

A little bit delayed, but..

Last Saturday I finished my "I am out of shape" running training by doing 4 miles in 40 minutes and not being in pain or exhausted. Today I start my "I am sort of in shape and want to run a marathon" training. If all goes well by mid-May I will be running my first marathon.

[Cammy]

I've started running 2 kms 3 times a week and I've already started losing a few pounds. I also started switching over to vegetarian alternatives sometimes, stopped drinking pop and cut down on junk food a lot.

[Bl33s]

I was on my last set of squats, and I decided to go for it. Same weight, same reps. Second last rep, I fall onto my knees and dislocate both of them. That's what I get for going down so low & setting the pins low too. :3

But the "I did good" part about this is that I at least tried to push myself!

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Uhm... I did an hour on the WiiFit, and 100 pushups in sets of 10 throughout the day?

That seems a lot less impressive when I type it out Also, I haven't snacked once today.

Me!

Once!

[psyck0]

I was on my last set of squats, and I decided to go for it. Same weight, same reps. Second last rep, I fall onto my knees and dislocate both of them. That's what I get for going down so low & setting the pins low too. :3

But the "I did good" part about this is that I at least tried to push myself!

Get someone who knows their stuff to check your form. I have no idea how you can fall on your knees without serious form issues. Your weight should be in the middle of your feet and if you fall at all, it should be backwards.

I don't mean to say that you should ever fall, because you should never fall unless you faint or something. If you fall, something is pretty wrong.

Deadlift 330 ho boy. See that video of the guy doing 329 and passing out? I can do 5 of those and stay on my feet.

Still know tons of guys well past 400, which is a very sobering thought.

[andy33gmail]

Get someone who knows their stuff to check your form. I have no idea how you can fall on your knees without serious form issues. Your weight should be in the middle of your feet and if you fall at all, it should be backwards.

Yeah, I've done this, back in my long and chequered past (didn't damage my knees, but that was mostly luck. Ended up lying flat on my tummy. I've done this twice.

Things I was going wrong back then include arching my back forwards, not sitting back enough and pushing with my toes. Would strongly recommend you find an instructor or someone experienced in the excercise. They who may actually know more about squats than the instructor - when I did mine it was recommended that I didn't show squats in the practical exam. I did three times and failed on them the first two. Most people are selfish enough just not to do them, and demonstrate easier excercises.

It frustrates me that people are allowed on squat racks, without decent training and that the gyms just turn a blind eye. People are fucking themselves up for no good reason.

</rant>

[psyck0]

Deadlifted 340 like it was nothing with my new suede powerlifting belt. Damn, that thing is fantastic.

[andy33gmail]

Deadlifted 340 like it was nothing with my new suede powerlifting belt. Damn, that thing is fantastic.

Is that 340 in English or French?

[psyck0]

Imperial, sadly. Working my way up slowly, 5 lbs a week.

[andy33gmail]

Not bad though. I did an unconvincing (not deep enough) one at 286 a week or so ago, and really deep (thighs horizontal) one at 220 on Wednesday. Had to do so much stretching work in the week to get that horizontal position. Hurts though, doesn't it? :=D

[Ingolifs]

After a bad day in the lab I did a rage deadlift of 125 kg - which is 15 more kg than i've ever done before.

[Zapheod]

I ran 10 miles on Saturday. 21 miles total last week. Furthest single run and most distance in a single week.

[bbq]

Managed to press 50kg for 5/4/4. Was fairly happy with that.

[Watcher Of The Skies]

Deadlifted 225 lbs for 5. Was originally just trying to lift it once, because it looks cool having two plates, but then I just kept going. Not a huge weight, but pretty good for a skinny bastard like me.

[Ingolifs]

Deadlifted 225 lbs for 5. Was originally just trying to lift it once, because it looks cool having two plates, but then I just kept going. Not a huge weight, but pretty good for a skinny bastard like me.

There is something immensely satisfying about deadlifting that other lifts can't provide. Just the general meathead feeling of standing there with 100 kilos and a scary-strained face flushed with blood.

[the_stabbage]

Deadlifts make me sweat intensely.

I've never pushed myself with squats or deadlifts, from fear of screwing up my knees. Lately though that's changed. I recently almost deadlifted my body weight, and squats at 3/4.

[Nath]

Learn the right form for squats, and your knees will be better than ever. As for deadlifts, the only way I can think of to hurt your knees is to drop the bar on them. These exercises only really become worth your time with relatively high weights (unless you're doing high rep squats for conditioning or something).

Oh, I have an "I did good" moment. Well, an "I did OK" moment. 1.5 BW squats for sets of 5. Sadly, this says more about my bodyweight than my squat.

[Zapheod]

Finally ran 4 miles in under 40 minutes.

Obviously not fast as compared to some of the serious runners on this forum but seeing as this is the first time I have ever put any significant effort into running I am happy with it. Goal is to eventually get my 5k time down to 25 minutes.

[Gears]

I did 320 pounds on straight leg deadlift. I'm not sure if that's a lot though. I weigh 175...

[Watcher Of The Skies]

Deadlifted 225 lbs for 5. Was originally just trying to lift it once, because it looks cool having two plates, but then I just kept going. Not a huge weight, but pretty good for a skinny bastard like me.

There is something immensely satisfying about deadlifting that other lifts can't provide. Just the general meathead feeling of standing there with 100 kilos and a scary-strained face flushed with blood.

I agree completely. It's just so satisfying that the weight was on the floor, and now it isn't

[iddqd]

Just started Stronglifts 5x5. Feels great and I'm really looking forward to my next workout.

[jtw]

I did 320 pounds on straight leg deadlift. I'm not sure if that's a lot though. I weigh 175...

anyone deadlifting 320 lbs ought to know if it's a lot or not. it puts you solidly into "intermediate" which is more than most people can lift.
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifti ... dards.html
(yes, this is for standard deadlift but straight-legged does less weight)

[andy33gmail]

I just walked from Cambridge to London!!! (UK)

56.8 miles in 14.75 hours

There aren't words to describe how much my legs hurt right now ...

[Zapheod]

After 3 weeks off due to injury and Lasik I got back on my marathon training schedule this week and did a total of 35 miles(5,8,5,17). Just 5 more weeks until my first marathon.

[andy33gmail]

I walked to London again today, and this time part way back. 62.75miles ... I thought it would be nice to get past 100 in European units - 101Km

17.75 hours though ... but with an average speed of 4.72mph for the first 32mph ... I imagine the previous poster will be considerably faster!

[the_stabbage]

A few posts up I mentioned I did deadlifts at my body weight and squats at 3/4 of my body weight.

I now do them at 135lbs each, for reps of 8-10. This is 10lbs more than my body weight. Pretty good improvement for a month!

[Shivari]

Just ran 3.5 miles and I feel like a God, as I don't think I've cranked out that length of run before in my 17 years on this planet.

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty cocky right now.

[andy33gmail]

Ironically, I don't think I've *run* that length in my 21 years on this planet!!! Did run parts of a 3.5 mile commute to work once when I was very late; but I don't bother because it's barely faster (less than 6mph) than my hurried walking speed (more than 5mph). Catch 22!

[Shivari]

Ironically, I don't think I've *run* that length in my 21 years on this planet!!! Did run parts of a 3.5 mile commute to work once when I was very late; but I don't bother because it's barely faster (less than 6mph) than my hurried walking speed (more than 5mph). Catch 22!

Your walking is super impressive though, I doubt I could walk over 60 miles like you did.

[CorruptUser]

Benched 3 sets of 12 reps at 225 lbs (~100 kg) last Friday. Wooo

I may have to start doing 25 reps at 135/~65 kg or something; I don't want to turn into a walking ball of meat.

[Zapheod]

Completed my first marathon yesterday. Not fast but I never walked. Never have I had blisters this big.

Now for a couple weeks of recovery time before I start on something else.

[andy33gmail]

Your feet will toughen with time. Mine last about 30 miles now before I start to have any problems. But they're still a pain.