This week, after four weeks of maximum caring for myself, listening to my body, spreading my workouts across the week (avoiding consecutive days), trying not to overdo anything at any time, I finally felt alive.  Really alive.  Alive in a way I haven’t felt for as long as I can remember.  I’m waking up each morning ready to go.

Last week I started to find that I was desperate to do something physically tough each day.  I felt like I had the choice of whether I would dig on the allotment or do a workout each day.  There was no lethargy and no exhaustion.  It was an amazing feeling and it has translated into my workouts.

I’ve been carefully spreading my workouts over alternate days, digging on the allotment on the in-between days for the last couple of weeks and building up the time I spent digging as I adjusted.  However, this Thursday I felt lively and keen to do a workout, despite an awesome workout on Wednesday.  Accompanying that was a light dusting of snow that was falling and a forecast for Friday that showed bright sun and temperatures back above freezing again.  So I decided that I would hit the gym and move my digging to Friday.  I had my doubts that the squats would be alright, but it turned out to be yet another amazing workout.

It’s official.  I am getting better!

Plan and results for last week

Workout 1: – Monday

• Back squat: 75kg – 5×3, 3×2 – I felt so good that I threw in an extra set of three reps, completing 6×3, 2×2.  I wondered if there was another set of three in there too, but decided not to push my luck.
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 6×3, 2×2 – completed.
• Chin ups: 8×3 – completed although some of the final reps were tough.

Workout 2: – Wednesday

• RDL: 95kg – 2×3, 6×2 – oh my word this felt fabulous, so I just kept going with the sets of three reps.  Final count was 4×3, 4×2!
• Hip thrusts: 140kg – 8×2 – again, this felt amazing.  I decided not to push my luck with a set of three reps and just did the planned workout, but I did make sure I held some full extension static hold on all my second reps instead.

Workout 3: – Thursday

• Back squat: 75kg – 6×3, 2×2 – Having done this rep scheme at my last workout, I again added a bonus rep, completing 8×3.  At last, I finish 75kg.  Again.
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 7×3, 1×2 – Completed and decided to add on the final third rep, so I did 8×3.  I’m not looking forward to 30kg next week though.
• Chin ups: 1×4, 7×3 – the fourth rep stung hard.  I’m not a volume person, especially on my upper body, having principally trained myself as a strength athlete, but I made it.

Plan for this week

Workout 1:

• Back squat: 78kg – 8×2
• Partial barbell overhead press: 30kg – 8×2
• Chin ups: 2×4, 6×3

Workout 2:

• RDL: 95kg – 5×3, 3×2
• Hip thrusts: 140kg – 1×3, 7×2

Workout 3:

• Back squat: 78kg – 1×3, 7×2
• Partial barbell overhead press: 30kg – 1×3, 7×2
• Chin ups: 3×4, 5×3

No related posts.

So the fact that I had stalled quite horribly on my squat and was not even doing the base level with 78kg of 8×2 despite three weeks of working at it meant I needed to call it quits and drop the weight.

I dropped the weight to 75kg and have instantly started seeing some improvement.  For the first session I just did as many sets of three as I felt able to do (considering I’d done 1×3, 7×2 with 75kg on my first session back after Christmas) and then I built from that for my second squat workout.

Plan and results for last week

Workout 1:

• Back squat: 78kg – 6×2, 2×1 – so I managed 75kg 3×3, 5×2 but struggled with the third rep of the third set, hence leaving it at that.  That’s three workouts I wasted since I’d have hit that on my third workout of the year rather than my sixth if I’d just stuck with it at the start of the year.
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 4×3, 4×2 – completed with no problem.
• Chin ups: 6×3, 2×2 – again no problems.

Workout 2:

• RDL: 95kg – 7×2, 1×1 – this was an amazing workout as I felt so strong.  Suddenly it felt like I was a whole new person lifting those weights.  1×3, 7×2 – fantastic progress and finally back onto the Hepburn run.
• Hip thrusts: 135kg – 8×3 – amazingly I even managed this after all that extra work on my RDLs.

Workout 3:

• Back squat: 78kg – 7×2, 1×1 – sticking with the new progress I managed 75kg 4×3, 4×2.
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 5×3, 3×2 – I managed this although it was harder than Monday.  I think I really benefit from the day “off” on Sunday when I teach all day, since every other day I’m either working out or digging on the allotment.
• Chin ups: 7×3, 1×2 – like the overhead press this was definitely harder than Monday, just as happened last week.

Plan for this week

Workout 1:

• Back squat: 75kg – 5×3, 3×2
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 6×3, 2×2
• Chin ups: 8×3

Workout 2:

• RDL: 95kg – 2×3, 6×2
• Hip thrusts: 140kg – 8×2 – time to start progressing this properly now

Workout 3:

• Back squat: 75kg – 6×3, 2×2
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 7×3, 1×2
• Chin ups: 1×4, 7×3

Related posts:

1. Powerlifting progress 2012: week two
2. Powerlifting progress 2012: week five
3. Powerlifting progress 2012: week three

As the day progressed and I kept rolling every few hours for 45 minutes at a time (not really recommended – I was bruised to within an inch of my life by the end of the day) I located the problem a little further down my back to my left spinal erector where the bottom of the lat is found which made sense.  For much of the previous day I had been sat at the bottom end of a piano keyboard twisting in the lower back in order to play examples to pupils with my upper body looking as theirs should, straight onto the keyboard.

By Tuesday morning there was only the slightest hint of a twinge – mostly bruising rather than actual pain this time – so I went ahead with my workout. I felt amazing in the gym, which was perhaps partly thanks to the extra day off.  Noticeably I didn’t feel quite so marvellous for my second squat workout of the week.

Plan and results for last week

Workout 1:

• Back squat: 78kg – 6×2, 2×1 – I didn’t do this.  I just did 5×2, 3×1.  My decision to not add a rep was because several of my second reps weren’t getting to the box height but also I reduced my rest periods back down to where they were before Christmas (squats on 3 minutes rather than on a combination of 4 and 5 minutes).  I also did the doubles consecutively, so really it was an improvement on before.
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 8×3 – Ha!  This was an extremely optimistic aim.  I did what should have been the workout for today, following Hepburn, 1×3, 7×2.
• Chin ups: 4×3, 4×2 – I was really pleased that I managed full range of motion on all my reps this week.  So full in fact that I accidentally wacked the underside of my chin on the third rep of my fourth set on my way back down.  That’s got to be a good sign!

Workout 2:

• RDL: 95kg – 6×2, 2×1 – Completed as planned though my hands haven’t quite got their callouses back yet so it’s quite sore still.
• Hip thrusts: 130kg – 8×3 – Completed as planned and I really am set back on my old timing of 1.5 minutes.

Workout 3:

• Back squat: 78kg – 7×2, 1×1 – still 5×2, 3×1 I’m afraid.  I did try to do a second rep on my sixth set but only got a few inches out of the bottom before having to go back down and put the bar on the bottom pins.  Hugely tedious having to de-rack the bar and re-rack it at the right height again in the middle of a workout.  Several of my reps didn’t get to full depth either.  I wish I knew what is wrong with my squat although I am suspicious that it has something to do with poor upper back mobility that I’ve had since getting back from my walking trip over the New Year.  I can’t get the bar as low as I could before Christmas.
• Partial barbell overhead press: 30kg – 8×2 – I decided to stay with the Hepburn approach and aimed for 2×3, 6×2.  However I managed an extra rep and did 3×3, 5×2.  At least some
• Chin ups: 5×3, 3×2 – managed these, though perhaps not as easily as on Tuesday.

Plan for this week

Workout 1:

• Back squat: 78kg – 6×2, 2×1
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 4×3, 4×2
• Chin ups: 6×3, 2×2

Workout 2:

• RDL: 95kg – 7×2, 1×1
• Hip thrusts: 135kg – 8×3

Workout 3:

• Back squat: 78kg – 7×2, 1×1
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 5×3, 3×2
• Chin ups: 7×3, 1×2

Related posts:

1. Powerlifting progress 2012: week two
2. Powerlifting progress 2012: week four
3. Powerlifting progress 2012: week five

The interesting bit is that I am not feeling the difficulty in my legs but in my mid-back, around the base of the lats.  In the past I’ve seen huge improvement to both my RDL and back squat when I’ve been better able to engage my lats but now I can’t even convince my lats to contract, especially on the right.  To make sure I don’t lose too much acclimatisation to the heavier weights I decided to move them up a notch but, when necessary, do singles.

Plan and results for last week

Workout 1:

• Back squat: 78kg – 2,1,2,2,2,1,1,1 – this hurt a lot.
• Partial barbell overhead press: 25kg – 8×3 – easy!
• Chin ups: 2×3, 6×2

Workout 2:

• RDL: 95kg – 5×2, 3×1 – I dropped to singles because my back was popping out (at the weak point) on the second rep of my fourth and fifth set.
• Hip thrusts: 125kg – 8×3 – much better form than week one and felt easy.

Workout 3:

• Back squat: 78kg – 2,2,2,2,1,2,1,1 – an extra set of two on workout one but not in the right place.  Sets 5-8 felt completely different and hellishly hard when compared to the first four sets (though they didn’t feel easy either).
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 8×2
• Chin ups: 3×3, 5×2

Plan for this week

Workout 1:

• Back squat: 78kg – 6×2, 2×1
• Partial barbell overhead press: 28kg – 8×3
• Chin ups: 4×3, 4×2

Workout 2:

• RDL: 95kg – 6×2, 2×1
• Hip thrusts: 130kg – 8×3

Workout 3:

• Back squat: 78kg – 7×2, 1×1
• Partial barbell overhead press: 30kg – 8×2
• Chin ups: 5×3, 3×2

Related posts:

1. Powerlifting progress 2012: week four
2. Powerlifting progress 2012: week three
3. Powerlifting progress 2012: week five

*****

Caffeine enhances upper body strength in resistance-trained women

Goldstein E, Jacobs P L, Whitehurst M, Penhollow T and Antonio J.  Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2010; 7:18-23. (Free copy of the study here.)

The study

The aim of this study was to establish whether the ingestion of caffeine improved upper body strength performance in women.  It’s refreshing because it has a focus specifically on women, tailoring the study parameters to fit round expectations of the test participants.  I was also excited by the fact that it used resistance-trained women.  Far too often studies looking at strength performance use untrained individuals and the results are then extrapolated to all people, however anyone who has been doing strength training for a while will be aware that in those first couple of years of training the novice trainee can do almost anything and gain strength as a result.

This was research on resistance trained women - much more relevant!

The participants

Taking a quick look at the women they used for this study there were a few criteria that had to be met:

• Age 18-45.
• Participate in resistance training activities for a minimum of 3-5 days per week for the 6 month period immediately prior to enrolment in the study.
• An ability to bench press 70% of their (individual) bodyweight.

The authors ended up with a group of 15 women who met all of these criteria

Throughout the discussion section of the paper there are comments that could be easily overlooked but which, in my opinion, are more revealing about women (in general) than the study itself.  The first of these is relevant here as the authors note that they struggled to recruit resistance-trained women with an ability to bench press 70% of individual body weight.  They go on to comment: “many recreationally trained women, who frequently participate in resistance training, underestimate the conditioning that is essential for a female to bench press a relatively high percentage of body weight.”

Some thoughts about women and resistance training

This statement from the authors is fascinating.

Firstly I would agree that it is, on the surface, difficult to find women who carry out regular resistance training of the sort I write about on this blog (eg. meaningful weights) and this says a lot about the state of women’s fitness training.  Despite the recent upsurge in women training with real weights, those of use who lift decent amounts of iron are still in a definite minority and even an endangered species (by the official guidelines).

Secondly, 70% of bodyweight is not a huge weight for those who train powerlifting moves on a regular basis but neither is it easy.  Based on my own experience which was, admittedly, hindered by upper body mobility and stability issues from my desk job and hobbies, 70% took dedicated training but wasn’t too difficult – I think I probably got there in just under 6 months once I started introducing bench press as a specific exercise.  70%-80% took far more effort than the first 70% and above 80% has taken specific training working on my bench press weaknesses.

Thirdly, it is clear that the authors knew and understood their test subjects since they went for a weight that is challenging for anyone who isn’t dedicated to resistance training and it also highlights the clear difference between men and women in this area, since mean seem to routinely get to this sort of weight with far less difficulty as far as I can tell and therefore a more sensible cut off for them might have been closer to 100% of individual body weight.  See a graph I put together for one of my earliest articles – there’s a 74% difference between percentage of bodyweight benched by a light men’s class and a light women’s class at competition level.

Finally, given the points above and the statement that many women who frequently participated in resistance training underestimated their ability to bench press 70% of individual bodyweight, I wonder if there is a potential lack of understanding about what resistance training really is and/or a lack of progression in most women’s training programmes – perhaps going to the gym 3 times a week to do the same programme with the same weight and therefore not getting any stronger once they pass a certain point.  As I said earlier, 6 months of progressive training got me to 70% without too much difficulty and the women in this research had to have been training 3-5 times a week for the previous 6 months.  Is there a need for more and better education about effective training programmes in the public domain?

Preparation for testing and supplementation

The 15 women attended three sessions at the testing laboratory.  The first was a familiarisation session where they were “instructed on proper technique and mechanics of the bench press exercise, according to the standard methods defined by Baechle and Earle and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.”  They also did various tests to determine whether they met the criteria of being able to bench press 70% of their individual bodyweight.

At sessions two and three, the test sessions, the participants were asked to continue their usual exercise and diet lifestyle in the seven days leading up to each test day, recording their complete diet on two week days and a weekend day.  This meant that diets could be compared between test subjects to ensure they were consistent.

In the 24 hours before the test the participants were asked to refrain from vigorous activity and avoid any caffeinated food and drink and had to report to the test after a 12 hour period without food.  Essentially this is eliminating any caffeine from the system and ensuring that the test subjects all arrive in a similar fasted state.

One exercise trial was performed with caffeine and one without, although neither the participants nor the testers knew which was which as the caffeine was administered 60 minutes before testing as 6mg/kg dissolved in 16.9 ounces of flavoured Propel Fitness Water and the placebo on the non-caffeine week was 16.9 ounces of this same flavoured Propel Fitness Water without the caffeine dissolved in it.

The experiment tests

Interestingly the researchers decided to carry out two tests.  First they tested one rep max (1RM) by doing a controlled warm-up from 12-15 reps with 50% of 1RM through to singles with 90% of 1RM and then continuing singles until failure.  This is a classic way to test 1RM.

Despite the strenuous nature of doing a 1RM test, the participants then had a five minute rest before testing muscular endurance by doing as many reps as possible at 60% of their 1RM.

Heart rate, blood pressure and RPE (rating of perceived exertion – a scale used by most fitness professionals) were all tested at rest (presumably not long after ingesting the supplement), 60 minutes after ingesting the supplement (immediately before the 1RM testing) and 5 seconds after completing the muscular endurance test.

Results

I have reproduced the main results reported in the paper below:

When I saw the results I struggled to see how the authors had concluded that there was a difference, but then I considered in more detail what might be statistically significant in the context of a 1RM.  Most of us know that adding 1kg to your 1RM is something to be proud of.  Especially on bench press where the numbers you are dealing with are small and 1kg is therefore a notable percentage of the lift.  In consequence the authors have concluded: “acute caffeine supplementation appears to be effective for enhancing strength performance in resistance-trained women”.  It seems a reasonable conclusion although with the results they got I think there are probably other things that can be done before

Possible issue with the experiment

Unfortunately any sort of 1RM and muscular endurance testing will, inevitably, produce a slight training effect (though only slight when not training to failure).  In addition, these women were asked to continue training as usual between tests.  As a result there is a good possibility that their bench press naturally improved by a slight amount between the tests.  Whether it could improve enough to affect the result is uncertain and we have no idea which test came first – if they mixed it up (doing placebo with only half the group at the first test and then swapping these sub-groups) then this potential training effect should be removed.  Using women who are already established at resistance training and able to bench press 70% of their bodyweight could also minimise the risk of this having any impact.

Diet results

Do you remember that I mentioned earlier that the participants had to record their diet for 3 days during the week leading up to each test?  These results show that protein and carbohydrate intake in the weeks preceding both the placebo and caffeinated tests are similar with the only variant being to fat intake levels.  It reveals interesting information about the diet of 15 average women who participate in resistance training when no focus is being put on their diets.

Using the caffeine test results as an example, the mean (± standard deviation) intake each day was 2,083 ± 1,095 kcal, being made up of 102 ± 39 g protein, 256 ± 186 g carbohydrate and 117 ±181 g fat (this increases to 145 ± 274 g in the placebo week).  The mean body mass was 63.6 ± 8.3 kg (140lb), so it seems that most of the women were deficient in protein when compared to the standard recommendation for those doing resistance training of 1-1.5g protein per pound of lean bodyweight – unless, on average, 30% of their bodyweight was fat.

Is this an indication that, in general, most women who don’t analyse what they eat could do with replacing some of the carbs in their diet with additional protein? This is certainly a suspicion I’ve been developing over the last few years when I’ve been eating out for lunches and dinners with work.  The amount of protein on offer always seems limited yet the people I’m with seem to think it is an enormous amount of meat or fish.

More meat required with the veg (Image: paleo pine nut stuffed chicken thighs)

Some caffeine discoveries

The participants reflect a group with wide range of normal daily caffeine intake, from zero to 416 mg per day.  Most of the participants didn’t show any major responses to the 6 mg/kg of caffeine, compared to a separate study published in 2007 and referred to in this study.  When the women in that earlier test were given 9 mg/kg and reported feelings of “profuse sweating, body tremors, dizziness and vomiting.”  However, three of the women habitually consumed 0-41 mg of caffeine per day and reported some interesting side-effects.

Among their side-effects were “intense emotional responses, including an expressed inability to verbally communicate, focus, and/or remain still, as well as the feeling of wanting to cry.”  This last point I find particularly interesting as it suggests a hormonal reaction to the caffeine in the women who never or rarely ingested any caffeine.  Despite feeling like this, two of these three women still performed better in the muscular endurance phase of testing when under the influence of the caffeine.  That’s the part of the test where, in general, there was no statistically significant improvement in the group as a whole after taking caffeine.

Thoughts and conclusions

So there is plenty to digest in this piece of research.  Not only is there the conclusion reached by the researchers that slight caffeine supplementation may enhance strength performance for those of us who do resistance training, but there are also a few other things to learn.

I’ve hypothesised above that there is potentially a lack of education in the public domain about effective progressive resistance training.  I also think that the results imply that some women are still protein deficient in their diets.  To hypothesise about why this may be would be taking this too far as there are all sorts of possible causes.  If these women are following an unweighed and unmeasured diet then just a few suggestions might include a lack of availability of protein or it’s perceived prohibitive cost, perseverance of the myth that high protein diets cause kidney failure, or that these women are bulking their diets out with wheat produce so that they are too full to eat adequate protein.

Finally, is the impact of the caffeine on those women who rarely consume any caffeine.  I found the record of the emotional side-effects particularly interesting as this is the first time I’ve seen mention of these effects despite having suffered them myself from time to time when I’ve over-done the black tea and coffee.  Yet the participants noticing these side effects still saw a benefit from the caffeine to their muscular endurance despite apparently feeling weepy while on the bench.

Once I get back into my bench press I might start taking in a mug or two of coffee an hour before my workout, although until then I will continue with a couple of mugs of weak black tea each morning so that the extra caffeine isn’t a shock to the system.

Related posts:

1. Weight training women
2. Blog-watch: should women run?
3. Pod-watch: Super Human Radio for women!

I hope all my reader’s have had a break over the Festive period and are feeling enthused for a fresh start on 2012, just as I am.  2011 was a tough year for me.  I knew that I would be giving up my full-time job at the end of the year moving to a more mixed role of full-time musician to bring in the money that I need with the aim of a five-day “weekend” from Monday to Friday to take me away from the desk, give me more time to be active and mobile, leave me with time to train, and remove as much stress as possible from my life.

To prepare I spent most of 2011 doing a seven-day working week as I put more effort into my music, setting myself up with a reliable income stream from it before I handed in my notice from the desk job.  Unsurprisingly I finished off 2011 incredibly ill.  There was an unpleasant bug going round the UK and both Chris and I succumbed to it before Christmas without any hesitation, leaving us both bed-bound for a couple of days and without an ability to eat much of anything for over a week.

After a break over the Christmas period I thought I would share some of the things I have planned for 2012.  This is my statement of intent for the year that this blog is going to be spruced up a bit!

Workout plan for 2012

While I would like to report on my training for the end of 2011 I didn’t actually do anything for the last two weeks, since I was far too sick to leave my bed, let alone get into the gym for the week before Christmas and was then away on a six day walking trip after Christmas.  As expected after such a long break (12 December to 3 January plus 6 days of strenuous walking) I’ve knocked back my numbers quite horribly.  The figures below compare my final December workouts to the figures I got in my workouts last week.

• Back squat: 80kg 3×3, 5×2 down to 75kg 1×3, 7×2
• RDL: 95kg 8×3 down to 90kg 8×3
• Partial overhead press: 20kg 8×3 to 25kg 8×2 (so no loss here, but it was a new exercise in December)
• Hip thrust: 145kg 2×3, 4×2 down to 120kg 8×3 (I’m not so surprised about this – when I put the weight up to 145kg I struggled to get full extension so I stopped my warm up when I hit a weight I felt I was working hard with this time – I expect this to increase reasonably quickly).

Farewell ye great and mighty hip thrust

In 2012 I would like to finally get a handle on my bench press.  I’m going to increase to 3 workouts a week but also cut the size of the workouts slightly.  Part of the reason for this is that I have gained an allotment at the start of 2012 and anticipate doing some pretty hard digging a few times each week – I don’t want to burn out.

In a few weeks time this should be taking the following format:

1. Back squat then superset partial overhead press with chins
2. Superset Bench press with a row and then hip thrusts
3. RDLs and Hip thrusts

Until I get my squat back I’ll be doing workouts 1, 3 then 1 again each week.

I’ve no doubt this will change as I progress through the year and get used to not sitting at a desk all week but I really do want to crack the bench press this year and see if I can get to competition shape by Christmas.

Figure improvements in 2012

I let myself go a bit towards the end of 2011.  I’d made a conscious decision not to strictly diet at any point in 2011 as I was aware of an unhealthy relationship with food that developed through my 3 months of really hard dieting at the end of 2010.  I wanted time to heal that ticking psychological time-bomb.  I was also aware that there would be no free meals out with clients in 2012 and this year would be naturally easier to diet (for starters, no endless supplies of cake on the cabinets at work for birthdays and successful target achievement and competitions and… you get the drift).

No more cake lying about on a daily basis to tempt me

• 15 January to 15 February 2012 – I intend doing a 30 day Paleo Challenge at the start of the year.  It’s pretty much underway now, I didn’t really make a note of exactly when it started since there was much rubbish to cut out of my diet anyway, but there might be something inappropriate on Chris’s birthday this week, so it officially starts on 15 January after the partying finishes.  I know the dates above aren’t really 30 days but as 15 February is my birthday, it seems an appropriate date to stop the challenge.
• January – March 2012 – I will also be getting some of the excess fat off my hips and glutes.  This is one of my experiments for this year though.  I’ve done enough cutting diets in the last few years to know that the only way I could previously get results was an incredibly strict and repetitive food regime, fewer than 950 calories each day, and various cardio strategies over the years.  Despite looking “almost awesome” in December 2010 at the end of my last dieting phase I could never get rid of the handles of fat on the tops of my hips.  They got smaller but never went.  Through monitoring and measuring this year I want to see if the following appear to be true:
  • The fact that stress hinders fat loss is documented in several books on our shelves, hopefully I will find that I finally can shift those lumps of fat that sit at the top of each hip.
  • Reading any bodybuilding article or book by the old school bodybuilders, there is very little “cardio” mentioned.  However, they don’t sit around doing nothing either.  I’m going to see if I can lose weight without a complete starvation diet simply through the fact that I am more mobile each day and therefore using more calories.
  • Being based at home most days should also enable me to try something else too – eating when hungry.  I will always have foods that are appropriate to hand and so I intend eating food when I feel hungry and, where possible, stopping when full.  I will also eat something that appeals and not count the calories of it.  Again, this should hopefully have a positive affect on my figure and it will be interesting to see if I am able to lose weight this way without the psychological issues that come from a regimented calorie-restricted diet.  It will also be interesting to see how much I end up ingesting each day, what foods I tend to favour and what the macronutrient ratio looks like.

The shampoo experiment

I’ve always had trouble with my hair.  It’s thin, limp and hangs in rat-tails unless it’s within half a week since I visited the hairdresser.  It also gets greasy incredibly fast – I’ve never been able to contemplate leaving it unwashed even for one day as I wake up each morning with greasy-looking hair, even if it was washed the evening before.

This first month away from work without clients and internal meetings and a strict “business-acceptable” dress code finally gives me the opportunity I’ve been waiting for to try the shampoo-free experiment.  I can wear headscarves as much as I want and nobody needs to know what my hair looks like.  Everyone’s blog-posts I’ve read about trying this has agreed that it starts to look good after the first month, so I started this experiment on 27 December, when we left for the walking trip.  I’ll be blogging about my progress with photo evidence.

Technical research

Those of you who have been reading my blog for some time will have noticed that the quantity and quality of my technical research posts went sharply downhill towards the end of last year as I had less and less time to read up on topics.

Back to a bit of technical research

This year there are no excuses and areas I want to learn about include:

• Endometriosis – several of my friends have struggled with this and I think it is surprisingly common.  I’d like to understand more about it, both what it is like as someone with endometriosis and also what the known and suspected causes and potential solutions (if any) may be.
• Palaeolithic female figures – this is a much longer term project that could take more than just this year, but I’d like to see what I can learn about the figures of early females through skeletal structure and imagery.  It’s going to be delving back into my degree as an archaeologist.
• Women and bench press – for obvious reasons I’d like to learn more about whether it really is true that women struggle more with the upper body than the lower body when it comes to strength and, if so, why.
• Ketogenic diets – I promised someone at the end of 2010 that I would look into this and I never did.  This year I’m going to learn more about them.
• Metabolic Type diet – again, this has been mentioned to me and I am very skeptical but I shouldn’t be skeptical when I know almost nothing about them, so I’m going to at least read a couple of books and understand it better.

As I learn about these I will write about them on the blog.  However, I’m keen to research areas that other people would also like to learn more about, so please do leave a comment or send me an email through the contact form if you have other topics you would be interested to learn more about from me.

I hope you have all got similarly ambitious plans and intentions for 2012, whether in your personal life, in the gym or at work.  Please do let me know if you miss anything from the articles I used to write or if there is something you’d like me to be writing about but which you aren’t seeing.

Best of luck to you all for a happy and fulfilled year!

Related posts:

1. Why do women start weight training?
2. Setting New Year resolutions
3. Iron Lady: interview with Laura Trimble (part 1)

Overall not a bad week, except for the whole upper body assistance work.  I’ll be giving that some more attention next year when I’m not sat at a desk working every day.

Plan and results for last week

Workout 1:

• RDL: 95kg – 8×3 - got it.  Though it gave my abs, lats and lower back a beating so…
• RDL: 72kg – 2×9, 1×8 - …I didn’t do this.
• Kettlebell push press: 24kg – 8×1   - so I thought I might give this a shot, but it turned out I couldn’t reliably get the kettle bell above my head.  After some discussion with Chris I started doing partial overhead presses with the barbell instead trying to hit that weak crossover point just before the triceps kick in.  I did 20kg 8×3 on 1 minute.  Not too hard so I’ll put the weight up next week.
• Hip thrusts: 145kg – 1×3, 7×2 - I made it but the last couple of sets were not to full extension.  It’s going to take time to adjust to this new weight.

Workout 2: 

• Back squat: 80kg – 3×3, 5×2 - I managed it, although some of my reps on the last couple of sets weren’t so pretty, but I felt strong and the first four sets were fantastic with me doing quality form and sitting back a long way.  My gluteus were definitely doing their bit.
• Inverted rows: 8×6 (4 second hold) - bit of a mess but I think my lats were a bit worn out by the Saturday afternoon workout – 3×6, 3×5, 2×4
• Hip thrusts: 145kg – 2×3, 6×2

Plan for this week

Workout 1:

• RDL: 100kg – 8×2 – should I try it?
• Partial overhead press: 25kg – 8×3
• Hip thrusts: 145kg – 3×3, 5×2

Workout 2: 

• Back squat: 80kg – 4×3, 4×2
• Inverted rows: 8×6 (4 second hold) – no idea if I’ll manage this at last
• Hip thrusts: 145kg – 4×3, 4×2

Related posts:

1. Powerlifting progress 2011: week forty-nine
2. Powerlifting progress 2011: week forty-eight
3. Powerlifting progress 2011: week thirty-seven

Gloves can have their uses

Back then I was partly struggling with the coldness of our gym.  The bar was so cold that it was unpleasant to touch and my fingers would cramp with cold and stop being able to grip the bar if I didn’t wear some gloves.  This is the reason my original confession came back to me now as the gym has been slowly getting colder again.  I was also trying to avoid getting callouses since they were interfering with my violin playing and pulling threads in clothes.

Two years later

We’ve moved on two years and things have changed.  I no longer wear gloves in the gym.

I don’t know exactly when it happened, except that it must have happened in the summer months sometime (because nothing would induce me to suddenly start holding a freezing cold bar with bare hands in the middle of winter).  I suspect it happened sometime when I was doing a lot of pull-ups.  My gloves were becoming old and stretched so that I couldn’t keep a good grip on the pull-up bar – the solution was to take them off for that part of my workout.

With time I must have slowly got fed up with taking my gloves on and off and these days I just never put them on.

The value of gloves

When I was first wearing gloves they were incredibly helpful.  My grip wasn’t particularly good and I struggled to hold onto the bar.  Somehow the gloves (especially when they were still close-fitting) helped me with my grip.  It was only once they became too stretched that they were no longer any good for the grip.

If I could go back and repeat my first few lifting days I don’t think I would change anything.  I’m still convinced that the gloves were actually a huge assistance in getting me to a certain point in my lifting skills.  If I had waited until my grip had caught up with the rest of me, I would have been waiting a long time at certain exercises where, over time my grip has caught up and in the meantime my skills in those exercises has increased massively.  Especially things like squatting where the grip is only a small part of the exercise but you do need to be secure enough in the grip department to not be worrying about holding the bar as you rack and de-rack.

The callouses issue

One of my reasons for wearing gloves originally was to avoid callouses.  Initially it worked, but as the gloves got old and the padding wore off I found that I got callouses with the gloves anyway and the wrinkling of the gloves could actually make it worse.

I’ve found that with some care I can look after callouses so that they don’t cause problems for me.  I try to soften them up and I use a PedEgg to remove the sharp corners that appear on the edges from time to time.  With a little dedication and not picking at them too much I can keep them under control.

Don’t be ashamed

I may not wear gloves any more but I would still support anyone who chooses to wear them.  Don’t be ashamed if you want to wear gloves to lift.  Perhaps make sure that you are always aware of why you wear them and, from time to time, have a go at lifting without them to see what it is like.  However, just because someone is slamming the use of gloves on an article or forum, don’t let it bother you.  If you have a reason for wearing them, especially if you are in your first few years of lifting, then go ahead and use them.

Related posts:

1. Wearing gloves: a confession

Mentally I was starting to fail with my workouts, including my squats.  The effect is starting to show in my workout records, as you’ll see below.  I’m ready for a break and just need to battle through until Christmas.  I’m going to be doing another walking trip just after Christmas so I’ll have an enforced 6 day break from the garage (though it’s definitely classified as “active” rest),  I just need to make it until then.  I doubt I’m the only one out there who is counting down the days and weeks until Christmas though.  Are you struggling too?

Plan and results for last week

Workout 1:

• RDL: 95kg – 7×3, 1×2
• RDL: 72kg – 1×9, 2×8- I did a set of 9 reps then I got about 4 reps into the second set and gave up.  I don’t know why but I just couldn’t face it any more.  It’s a mental struggle I’m finding increasingly sneaking up on me during my workouts and is a good sign that I need some rest.
• Kettlebell push press: 20kg – 8×4    – either I lost count or I finally managed this.  Hurrah!  No idea what to do next though.
• Hip thrusts: 140kg – 8×3- there was much pain in my glutes towards the end of this, but I managed it.

Workout 2: 

• Back squat: 80kg – 3×3, 5×2- I just about squeezed out two sets of three reps and then called it, so I only managed 2×3, 6×2.  Each rep wobbled and crawled out of the hole with fear I would make it down, let alone back up again.  I forgot to put on my wrist wraps which might explain part of the problem.
• Inverted rows: 8×6 (4 second hold) - I managed a set of 6 reps but the final rep I couldn’t get near the bar.  As a result I did 1×6, 7×5, but the reps were good.
• Hip thrusts: 145kg – 8×2- continuing my shocking form for this workout I managed 7×2 but by the sixth and seventh set I was really struggling to get the bar off the floor so I called it at 7 sets.

Plan for this week

Workout 1:

• RDL: 95kg – 8×3
• RDL: 72kg – 2×9, 1×8
• Kettlebell push press: 24kg – 8×1   For fun!
• Hip thrusts: 145kg – 1×3, 7×2

Workout 2: 

• Back squat: 80kg – 3×3, 5×2
• Inverted rows: 8×6 (4 second hold)
• Hip thrusts: 145kg – 2×3, 6×2

Related posts:

1. Powerlifting progress 2011: week forty-seven
2. Powerlifting progress 2011: week forty
3. Powerlifting progress 2011: week forty-four

With everything listed here I have just one wish – that I’d discovered them about 20 years earlier.

Supplements

I’ve tried quite a few different combinations over the last few years and have settled on the following as the essentials for me at the moment:

Pill popping Ammi

• Fish oil – If I leave this out for a while I find my hair getting less glossy and my joints get a bit creaky.  I even have a favourite brand – the strongest one on the UK market.
• Glucosamine condroitin – I can’t actually tell the difference with this one if I stop taking it, but the research supports the fact that, long-term I should be taking it.
• Vitamin D – I live in the UK and I do a desk job that keeps me indoor all day when the weak sun we have here is out and about.  Since I started taking this I’ve felt happier, healthier and when I’ve had colds they’ve been the kind that make my nose run without the fuggy head to go with it. (Except colds brought on by sudden removal of extreme stress which are still bad, but they aren’t really colds.)
• Magnesium – This has made an amazing change to my life.  I will never again go without a sack of Epsom Salts in the bathroom.
  

  Magnesium Epsom Salts

• Digestive supplements – When I am more stressed I take digestive enzymes, probiotics and hydrochloric acid tablets with my meals to aid with digestion.  I’ve found it reduces the digestion problems I otherwise get at times of stress and also seems to result in better nutrient extraction (I certainly seem to show less nutrient deficiency than I used to).

Mooncup

The mooncup is a brand of vaginal cup for collecting menstrual flow.  It’s made of silicone and sits inside the vagina unobtrusively collecting menstrual flow.

Mooncup

Thanks to this I haven’t bought tampons or other sanitary products for years now and the mooncup has more than paid for itself in the money I’ve saved and the peace of mind.  It is clean, quick and easy.

If I think my period might start while on holiday, I can just slip this into my washbag or rucksack.  I no longer have to worry that I might have a forgetful morning during my period week and fail to take sufficient sanitary products to get me through the work day – if I need to I can just empty it into the toilet and start again.

Every woman, without exception, should have one of these.  In fact, they should give one away to every girl as she reaches puberty.  It would solve so many financial and environmental problems.

Vibram FiveFingers

If I had the choice I’d live in these all the time.  As it is I tend to wear them for work if I’m not in my home office or with a client and am therefore with people who don’t know me so well.  In fact, in 14 months I’ve worn them so much, both indoors and on long-distance treks, that I’ve worn through the rubber soles in a few places, the sole is almost worn through elsewhere, the fabric has a hole on the top along one of the seams and I’m just counting the days until the next shipment of Vibrams arrives in the UK at the start of January (with plenty in my size again – currently there are none available in the UK in my size unless I’m prepared to trek to the other end of the country since I need to do a re-fit to a new size and want to look at the new designs and sole thicknesses).

My dying Vibrams

The rubber has completely worn through in places and it's so thin across the ball of the foot now that the ripple grip has all gone

Free weights

It might seem excessive to have your own free weights and, to be fair, we have two of us using them, which makes it more worthwhile.  Despite all of that I would strongly recommend people get their own free weights if they have a corner of a room where they can be fitted.

Just a few of our free weights plates (the rack would be full if they weren't scattered round the garage)

Free weights have done more for my body composition, health and well-being than anything else you’ll find in a gym and they aren’t that expensive to set yourself up with a basic collection.  We treated ourselves to a cheap squat rack from Decathlon, which was probably the most expensive bit (we’ve since had to upgrade to a proper Powerrack because Chris is now shifting weights that are at the upper-limit of the old rack’s range and it was getting dangerous having to walk backwards for big distances with a heavy bar on your back to squat and have no lower bar as a safety).

The old squat rack now rusting in the garden

Other than the rack, we got ourselves a bar for barbell work (again, cheap from Decathlon – it didn’t need to be Olympic style), a few dumbbell kits which came with 10kg of 2kg and 1kg plates already included, and then stocked up on some more iron plates (a few 20kg, 10kg, 5kg and 0.5kg plates).  On average the plates (again, Decathlon is the friend of UK lifters) cost £1 per 1kg so yes, there is a capital outlay, but neither of us has paid gym fees for at least 3 years now which, at about £45 per month (and not always having all the equipment you want available when you want it) means we’ve made a saving in the long run.

Having your own weights in-house also has some definite benefits although there are also problems.

Bar pad

This deserves a mention all of its own.  I don’t remember what exercise we originally got this for, but it was before we had discovered the hip thrust and I know it definitely wasn’t bought to “protect the back of the neck during squatting” which is what every shop assistant was describing it as when I was phoning round to find a replacement.

Bar pad - essential for hip thrusts

I quickly realised that some padding was needed to protect the pelvic and hip bones in the hip thrust since I had no muscular padding in those areas.  I had a moment of genius and started using the bar pad.  Imagine my disappointment a year later when Bret Contreras wrote in an article about the bar pad being an essential piece of equipment for hip thrusts when I thought I was the only person who had had this great idea.

My first bar pad lasted for a couple of years, seeing me from my early days of only being able to shift 35kg in glute bridges through to shifting 130kg in my hip thrusts about 3 months ago. Eventually the padding completely split along its length and I had to find a new pad.  I hip thrust twice a week, and the new pad has only been exposed to weights of 135kg and 140kg – it split at the ends about 3 weeks ago.  Fortunately I bought cheap ones (could explain why it is splitting already) and bought two.  When it gets too far split I’ll unwrap the new one since the pain on my pelvic bone and hips of hip thrusting without a bar pad is unbearable.

*****

So these are the things I would never want to be without now.  Do you use these too?  Is there anything else you have on your essentials list?

Related posts:

1. Celebrating female strength
2. Weight training women
3. Blog-watch: interaction of diet and exercise with the menstrual cycle – part one