Tag: exercise

How To Stay Safe While Learning to Deadlift

I’ve been slowly working on practicing Romanian deadlifts at my new gym. I love weight training, and now that I have access to a real gym, I’m working on lifting heavy and building my strength. I was taught how to do Romanian deadlifts in the summer of 2016, and I’ve been champing at the bit to get back at them ever since. My Bowflex adjustable dumbbells are great, but they only go up to 52.5 lbs apiece, so I maxed out at 105 lbs of weight for deadlifting quite a while ago, plus a barbell deadlift is an entirely different feeling, as the weight is spread out to either side as opposed to being directly below your hands.

You’ve heard of a regular deadlift, but you may not have heard of a Romanian deadlift. A standard deadlift starts with the barbell on the floor and you lift the barbell up, while a Romanian deadlift starts with the barbell in your hands as you are in a standing position and you lower the barbell down. I’m personally more comfortable with lowering and lifting back up then trying to lift from the floor. I feel like it puts less strain on my back, which is important: when lifting weights of any kind, or doing kettlebells, your back is the most vulnerable place and should be carefully protected by using the best form you possibly can. So how do you get the best form?

  1. Stand upright with your feet hip width apart, using a standard overhand grip to hold the barbell (both hands over the top of the bar, palms facing you). Keep your knees loose, not locked.
  2. Keeping your core tight and your back flat, push your hips out behind you as you lower the bar, sliding it against the front of your thighs. Lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings: the bar should be just below your knees at its lowest point.
  3. When you reach the bottom, contract your glutes and hamstrings to straighten your torso back to the original position, pulling your hips back in line with your legs and spine until you’re standing straight.

Here’s me doing 150 lbs (my friend Sue says 135 but it was 150), which is my personal record:

I’m a novice, but I think I did a pretty good job!

Remember to BE CAREFUL when trying any new exercise, and don’t start off heavy: try some reps with just the bar to get your form right and build up slowly over time. Slow and steady wins the race without injury!

Good luck and have fun!

 

 

My Intense Butt & Thigh Workout

After about six months or so of using pre-made videos from Fitness Blender to do my butt and thigh strength training workouts, I decided I wanted a longer, more intense dumbbell workout to do on Mondays, when I have a longer time to commit to fitness. I’ve been working on this particular workout for about three months and have switched it up a bit, but I’m really happy with its current state.

3 Sets of 12 – 10 – 8 Reps (Perform each exercise 12 times, then rest, repeat each exercise 10 times through, rest, then repeat each exercise 8 times through). If the exercise involves doing each leg individually, I split the number of reps between each leg.

Squats & Calf Raises (20/25/30lbs per hand)

Bulgarian Split Squats & Step Ups (20/25/30lbs per hand)

Wide Squat w/ Leg Raise & Curtsy Lunge w/ Leg Raise (20/25/30lbs per hand)

I hold the weights over my shoulders when doing these exercises.

Squat Hold and Rock & Single Leg Deadlift (L) (20/25/30lbs per hand)

Okay I couldn’t find the exact video for this Squat Hold & Rock, but you squat, and then slowly and steadily switch from holding your weight on one leg before gliding slowly over to the other.

Sumo Squats & Single Leg Deadlift (R) (20/25/30lbs per hand)

Once again I use 2 dumbbells and hold them over my shoulders.

Romanian Deadlifts & Thrusts (45/50/52.5 lbs per hand)

This section takes me about an hour.  Then I finish up with a short pilates video and a stretch video.

Last week I did this Monday evening and waddled until Thursday, which I love!

Do you love pushing yourself and feeling that good soreness set in for days afterward?

How to Work Out Your Legs When Your Knees Hurt

A good friend of mine is dealing with some messed up knees exacerbated by a bad personal trainer, and I wanted to help out a bit and do some research on strength training exercises that won’t cause harm to the knees. I personally do a lot of lunges and squats with heavy dumbbells to get my lower body training done, but I’m lucky to have healthy knees.

One thing I do after my heavy weighted workouts is Pilates, and tons of Pilates exercises can be done without too much knee usage. Here’s my favorite Pilates butt and thigh workout:

You don’t have to totally give up some lower body weightlifting either. The Romanian Deadlift is a bit easier on the knees than a standard deadlift. You start from a standing position and lean down, keeping your back straight, until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then, keeping your abs tight, slowly stand back up.

The Single Leg Deadlift is another exercise I do often, usually with heavy hand weights (20-30 lbs per hand), but it can be done without weights to start.

Good Mornings are also a great exercise that isn’t hard on the knees. Similar to the deadlift, the knees are slightly bent, the back is kept straight and the waist hinges while the arms hang with the weights.

And I can’t write an exercise blog without mentioning kettlebells. The kettlebell swing, while LOOKING hard on the knees, is actually a movement focus on the pelvis. The knees only bend slightly in order to aid momentum.

All of these exercises can help strengthen and tone your lower body without overdoing the strain to your knees. Please chime in with any feedback below!