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Thread: Better late then never; Training in my 30s, a memoir

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
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    Boston, MA
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    Default Better late than never; Training in my 30's, a memoir

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    Hello,

    I am semi-new to training and wanted to record an account of my progresses, struggles, etc. Mostly to keep me in check and accountable. I am always open to advice and tips! I just started the Starting strength program a little less than 1 month ago and so far so good! A little bit of background about myself;

    31 years old, Female
    149 lb
    5' 8'

    I never played any sports growing up or trained at all. I was pretty unhealthy; heavy smoker from a very young age, bad choices, you get the drift. I have always been very outdoorsy, lots of hiking, but aside from that zero fitness. I quit smoking at 28 and got into Crossfit for about 2 years. This was on and off due to back issues. Mostly off. Back problems have been a life long issue but I think were confounded by bad form on my part and trying to lift too much too soon. Not that it really matters much, But at the end of the two years my numbers were as follows:

    Backsquat: 210 (highbar)
    Frontsquat: 165
    Bench press: 125
    Strict press: 110
    Deadlift: 250
    Clean: 150
    Clean and Jerk: 145
    Snatch: 115

    With squatting I had major issues keeping my knees out and one knee would essentially cave and kiss the other. I also had a huge hip sway. These were mostly fixed through physical therapy and it is believed that I was unable to activate one glute due to possible nerve damage. I was a pretty rowdy kid so there is certainly many instances when this damage could have occurred!

    Got my glute firing and things seem to move well now. No hip sway. Overall, I really enjoyed working out, but I was not a huge fan of cardio or HIIT training. I really just enjoyed working with a barbell, especially olympic lifting. After a year of physical therapy I had ALOT of life happen at once and was out of the gym essentially until 1 month ago. I decided to forgo crossfit and do what I enjoy most, playing with a barbell. While I would love to end up olympic lifting I think it is important for me to take a step back and first work on getting strong the right way, slow and steady. I also learned how to snowboard 2 years ago which I love, so I want to get stronger as this will translate to longer runs without feeling like my legs are falling off haha!

    So here is my journey!

    I don't think it necessary to make a post for each of my workouts prior to today, it has been the standard novice progression. I will make posts for all workouts from now on but here is my starting point and where I am almost a month later. 3 Training days per week. I was pretty conservative my first session.

    Starting:Mid October 2019
    Backsquat 3X5: 90#
    Strict Press: 3X5 60#
    Bench Press: 3x5 65#
    Deadlift: 1x5 105#

    And Now: Early November 2019
    Backsquat: 3x5: 130#
    Bench: 3x5: 80#
    Strict press: 3x5 70#
    Deadlift: 1x5: 155#

    Sidenote: I have been too conservative on the strict press as it moves too easily for all 5 reps, will increase to 80# in tomorrows session and see how that feels.

    Cheers!

    -Ally
    Last edited by Anguyen; 11-06-2019 at 01:02 PM. Reason: grammer, used then instead of than

  2. #2
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    Congratulations on leaving the smoking behind! That's a tough nut to crack.

    Maybe my reading comprehension is lacking, but did you say anywhere in your OP if you're male or female? Training differences exist obviously.

    Good pick getting into Starting Strength. Keep at it and you'll gain the strength you want for those other activities.

    Welcome!

  3. #3
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    Thank you! It was a tough habit to kick but definitely worth it. I am Female, I will add to the original post!

  4. #4
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    Ah okay. And those initial numbers from your CrossFit days; I'm guessing those are singles?

    You're strong and getting stronger. Keep at it!

    I'm coaching my wife right now (Julie's LP Log) and haven't had much cross-data to check for loading. She's not on a pure LP, because of some dietary/health concerns, but she's close to your bodyweight and about 8 years older than you. Good to see another young lady taking up the barbell; I'll be watching your progress. Drop the occasional vid!

    G

  5. #5
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    Nov 2019
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    I’d like to convince my wife to apply LP rather than the light barbell/cardio class she’s currently taking because I think it would help her back problems. Maybe some of the female training logs and stories will convince her. Thanks for sharing and good luck!

  6. #6
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    Awesome, I will follow her progress!! You are a brave soul for training your wife haha! Just kidding. I train with my husband too. It is nice to have a built in training partner. Although poor soul when he gives me training cues during lifts (even though they are good cues haha!)

    Yes, those initial numbers (from almost 2 years ago now) are all single rep personal bests. I will say our crossfit gym did work on standard lifts more than most. We followed a Wendler 3x5 program which I think was helpful, and what helped me fall in love with the barbell. Only difference in my lifts now is I use the lowbar placement for squats where I used to use the highbar. It has made a huge difference for me. Lowbar = Life!

    I will def. add some videos for tips on form etc. And I look forward to following your wife's progress! Strong women unite!

    Do you also have a log I can follow?

  7. #7
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    @Twill413 Thank you! I have definitely found I have MORE back issues when I am doing HIIT and cardio training compared to following a LP. In my experience when I am trying to move fast, even with light weights, my form breaks down terribly. But when I am following a LP I have controlled slow reps. So even though the weight is substantially heavier my back is healthier. If she does find interest in lifting have her start a log, would love to have other woman to follow!

  8. #8
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    Sure, my log's at Geoff's Intermediate Log, v2.0 if you get a really boring afternoon sometime, or want some bathroom reading.

    As for coaching my wife ... yes; some bravery is necessary ... heh. But I enjoy the time chatting with my Boo between sets, and she enjoys not having every gym-bro doofus in the gym come tell her "Hey, you're gonna hurt yourself bending over that far; you gotta look up to go up!"

  9. #9
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    welcome, and great job. 3 days a week, slow and steady is perfect. your numbers look great and hope to keep seeing them creep up!

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    @Ally, welcome to the Novice forum, and best wishes for a successful NLP run! Hey, you say you have been too conservative? Sounds to me like you've been doing it just right; one of the rules in the Blue Book is don't get greedy! The weight moves up pretty quickly, and taking advantage of these early "easy" days is where you nail down perfect form and movement patterns.

    I look forward to reading your posts as you progress!

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