Stronger Than Yesterday: Start Opening Your Own Jars
By admin
I don’t know about you, but every time I have to ask Dan to open a jar for me, I get PO’d. It makes me feel weak and then I wonder to myself… “what would happen if I didn’t have him at home?”
Would I have a collection of jars in my pantry that wouldn’t be used?
While it’s great to have a guy around who can pop the spaghetti lid off, I want the satisfaction of knowing that I can do it myself.
Agreed?
And it’s not with just glass jars, it’s with everything in life. I want to be the strongest me that I can be.
That’s why I have changed my workouts lately to be heavier. In fact, yesterday I finally had a good workout! It felt awesome to feel like myself after such a crappy week. And I took full advantage of it.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I dead lifted. I have been focusing so much on my squats and other lower body moves that I gave it the boot for awhile. The only issue with that is that deadlifting is one of the best overall exercises you can do.
I had a slight fear that I would be super weak with it, but I went for it. I was excited to feel good and went ahead and slid the 25’s on each side of the bar.
6-Reps later, I was feeling the burn but feeling great. So I slid 10’s on to each side.
Another set down and 6 more reps completed and I felt like a freaking strong woman competitor! I couldn’t go heavier but considering that it’s been months since I have given myself a challenge like this, it was really great.
My butt is already burning but I know that I have a strong girl in me, I just have to keep conditioning her. And just in case you’re wondering… that was 125 lb. Not a lot for some but since I weigh 113 lbs, I am proud of that 125 as a starting place.
So why the need for strength?
- Having strength is empowering.
- It decreases risk of injury
- Strengthens joints and ligaments
- Creates independence (no need to ask someone for help)
- Increases toning
- Great way to change up workout routines and add a new challenge for your body. A great way to get out of a plateau.
Won’t I Get Bigger?
I get this A LOT when I talk to women about grabbing weights. My response is always the same… am I bulky? I think we can all agree that I am anything but bulky, lol.
Yup… that’s some serious gross bulk going on.
Why? Because if you’re not taking in excess calories then you just don’t have what it takes to build more muscle. But you do still have what it takes to add some strength!
Capish?
How To Get Stronger?
- The best tip I can give for getting stronger is to grab a workout journal! Keep track of your workouts, the weight you use and the number of reps you can perform.
- Keep reps low. Of course you can’t lift heavy if you’re trying to lift for 10-15 reps. Instead keep your rep range around 5-8 but add a set or two extra. This will up the intensity of your workout.
- Lift for the set. If you finish your 5-8 reps and feel like you could do more then it’s time to up your weight. You’re not doing anything but cheating yourself if you avoid adding a new plate or grabbing a bigger dumbbell.
- “Extra” Volume. There is a rep range that works best for causing the most stress (which is a good thing) to see some stronger results. The best total range is 24-30. For example, yesterday I did 4 sets of 6 reps = 24 total reps.
- Always improve. If you did 45 lbs for a bench press on Monday, then on Wednesday your goal should be to go to 55 lbs. Never sit still, every workout is an opportunity to progress.
- Be careful. When lifting heavier, of course it ‘s even more important to focus on proper form to avoid potential injuries. Make sure you have the move down first before adding a barbell into the equation. And don’t be afraid to ask for a spot!
My Super Woman Strength Workout
Overview: I did a superset workout. Exercises were paired up, I did exercise A, then straight into B before resting 60-90 seconds and repeating. 6 reps/exercise for 4 sets total.
- Deadlift (115-115-125-125)
- Dumbbell Bench Press (35s all sets)
-Once all sets were done, we headed into a side room to finish fatiguing the muscles with a to failure set of push-ups and bench jumps-
- Bent Over Barbell Row (60-70-70-70)
- Barbell Lever Press (2-tens added to the bar)
-Once done, we did 2 sets of reverse rows to failure and 1 set of squats holding a plate out in front, like a steering wheel-
What’s a lever press?
- Do you lift heavy?
- What’s your favorite exercise?
I love lifting heavy to see what I can accomplish. My favorite exercise is a split squat because it always kills and works the booty like no other! It sucks doing but it’s worth it.
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