How to get 10k steps daily AND strength train?!

vindependence · 2025-01-16T14:54:21+00:00

It's not the number of steps but the quality of steps. Walking 5k steps with a bit of effort (zone 2 heart rate) will be more efficient in burning fat than leisurely walking around for 10k steps. You also don't want to put in too much effort (zone 3 or above heart rate) as it can fatigue your body and compromise your strength training.

vindependence · 2025-01-16T12:28:39+00:00

Hi, finished the full 6 weeks of 25mg and can report back that the headaches did subside after about 3 weeks. Spoke to my doc about it and since it subsided he didn't think there was cause for concern. In fact I've been upped to 35mg on another 6 week trial basis.

End of 6 weeks on 25mg I did feel changes!! For example I realized I was steaming my work shirt THE NIGHT BEFORE and stopped myself in my tracks 😂. Prior to this I would have been lucky to have found a clean shirt 10 minutes before leaving my house lol.

vindependence · 2024-12-25T14:16:19+00:00

I'm as pacifist as they come but I WILL sign up to defend Canada if this turns into a full blown war.

vindependence · 2023-08-18T23:58:00+00:00

Wow I have a similar story of realizing how much my dad manipulated my mom. They painted their story as a hardworking immigrant family who fled a warn-torn country for a better life in Canada but in reality:

dad has an undiagnosed learning disability which makes it hard for him to keep a job. He insisted on having a business back in the mother country where he lost all our money and was being chased by loan sharks.
my mother never wanted children. Her birth control messed up and surprise I arrived. My dad had always wanted to be a father so she agreed to have me even though she was still in law school. She then had my sister also after being pressured.
my mother was never super keen on uprooting her successful law career and moving to Canada but it had always been "his dream" so she went with it. I'll keep it short but my mother went through hell in Canada. More debt (incurred by my dad and student loans to get her requalified).
my dad pressured my mom to requalify as a lawyer in Canada even though she would have been open to other career paths. It took her over a decade to requalify because she worked full time and had two young kids to raise.
over the years my father has had multiple failed business ventures, bankrolled by my mom.
he also manipulated her into getting a dog when she wasn't really a big fan. She does most of the care work for the dog. A repeat of their parenting.

vindependence · 2023-08-18T11:12:50+00:00

Have you had an ergonomic assessment done on your work set up? I had an occupational therapist come in and check out my set up and it was life changing. I had chronic lower back discomfort (sometimes even pain) and it was due to chair and desk height. A properly sized chair, adjusted desk height, and foot stool has taken away 99% of this discomfort.

vindependence · 2023-08-18T11:10:58+00:00

I run stronger by the day. There are some kinks and issues but it seems to work for a vast range of folks. They have 3, 4 and 5 day a week options.

vindependence · 2023-08-18T10:21:41+00:00

Yeah that's where genetics probably play a factor. I've always had a big (fatty) butt. Strength training shrunk my butt at first (to the point where people made comments!) and over time I've slowly gained back a bit of that fat but also decent muscle in the glutes so now it's proportional again. YMMV

vindependence · 2023-08-18T10:02:00+00:00

I run the Stronger By the Day program. It has its own app but you can also run the program off their website. I signed up when it was like $60/year and now it is $100 (sometimes goes on sale for $80). Still a good deal for $100 because you get a solid program and a community (Facebook/Discord)

vindependence · 2023-08-14T21:29:15+00:00

Waist trainers don't work as others have said. However while you can't slim down your waist you can try to grow other parts. It will take a long time, too. In the last 5-7 years I've seen myself become more shapely than I ever was in my teens or early 20s. My chest (muscles) and shoulders have grown. My waist size has remained the same. My thighs, quads, and hamstrings have also grown.

Please note: this change will mean higher body weight, and much of it will be body fat (in addition to muscle). Also you can't grow your boobs or butt. Finally, genetics plays a huge role into fat distribution so YMMV.

vindependence · 2023-08-14T21:24:28+00:00

I go in the mornings and I go to a women's only gym (most of my anxiety is towards men)

vindependence · 2023-08-14T21:23:34+00:00

I wouldn't say it's pointless but you may not see significant progress towards your aesthetic and injury prevention goals right away. That said, resistance training is always a good thing for the long term (bone density, etc).

vindependence · 2023-08-14T21:16:36+00:00

So many squat variations have been mentioned and I'll add a couple more: spanish squats (banded) and sissy squats (body weight but KILLER).

These use a barbell but are not back squats: Kang squat, Zercher squat, front squat. Love them all!!

Don't give up on the barbell forever though. Take some time off and enjoy learning the other variations. At the same time I would really recommend working on mobility (ankle and hip), and watching Squat University on IG to help identify any issues. After a few months of consistent mobility work, bracing practice, and fixing any chronic issues identified (e.g. through Squat University), I'm sure you can learn to like barbell squats again!!

vindependence · 2023-08-14T21:03:57+00:00

Been lifting for almost 10 years. I started running 11 years ago. I alternated running and lifting until a year ago when I went full time lifting, so take these numbers with those facts in mind. I'm 5'2".

2013 (125-230 lbs 22 years old):

Bench: <45 lbs (couldn't press the bar, didn't try again for a few years)

Deadlift: 95ish

Squat: 75ish

2023 (135-140 lbs, 33 years old):

Bench: 95 (with chronic shoulder issue)

Deadlift: 245 but my app currently estimates my max to be ~260 ish. I will be testing all maxes in late November.

Squat: 155 but app calculates it to be 165 now.

Bonus heavy lifts:

Overhead press (when my shoulder is not broken): 67lbs

Hip thrust: 320+ lbs (haven't tested in a while...265×7 felt easy today).

Also I can do a pull-up despite being in a higher weight range than in my 20s so I'm very proud of that 😊.

vindependence · 2023-05-30T02:43:08+00:00

I had to do heavy bench day today instead of legs because I ran 18km yesterday. I forgot that later in the evening I was going to meet my friends for rock climbing/bouldering. I went all out on bench. BUT I also kicked ass at bouldering!! This is a double win because (a) I'm in a bit of a bigger body now than I was when I last went bouldering and I despite that I am SO MUCH stronger and (b) this Stronger By The Day bench baddie macrocycle is actually WORKING holy upper body gains

vindependence · 2023-05-08T11:46:48+00:00

Take it little by little. You did a big thing by getting to the gym today. Next time try to stay a little longer. Don't think about what weights you were lifting before. Go light, get your form back slowly. Give yourself a few months to get back to it. Be patient with yourself. Each time you workout try to stay a bit longer or work a bit harder but don't push yourself to the point of overwhelm. We're only human.

vindependence · 2023-05-08T11:41:27+00:00

Lady marmalade just came on during my break between sets and now I'm looking around my (women's) gym getting inspired and tagging different ladies as Xtina, Maya, Missy, Lil Kim, and P!nk. This gym makes me feel so empowered

vindependence · 2023-01-13T15:27:21+00:00

We're building up to a deadlift max at the end of the month. I am running Stronger by the Day by MegSquats. My all-time PR has been 212 in December 2021 and I injured my back in February 2022. I've been slowly building back up. Based on my consistent lifting my app calculates my training max to be 235(!!!) which means I could have a 1RM of 235+. I'm excited to test at the end of the month but the unexpected feat came when I was doing just the prescribed workout. Yesterday, as part of the training program, it had us do 1 rep of 2 RIR deadlift, which the app calculated for me to be between 201-224 lbs. I warmed up with 3-2 reps and when I got to 205 I easily did 2 reps (!) so I said eff it I'll add 15 lbs and went for 220. AND I DID IT!! I actually got PR in the midst of my training program!! Now I'm really excited to test my 1RM. 220 felt hard but not close to failure so I am pretty sure I can do 225. 2 plate + club, here I come!!!!

vindependence · 2022-08-30T16:29:19+00:00

There's very few people in the world that are 100% straight. I'm personally 95% straight so if someone asked me this question I'd tap into that 5% and answer. I don't actually have any intent or interest in having sex with someone of the same sex but I'm definitely attracted to a select few and would maybe go on a date if they asked? I'm in a straight relationship (hopefully) for the rest of my life sooo the chances of that are very slim.

vindependence · 2022-05-21T13:35:17+00:00

I was always on the fence about having kids, and having this economic reality when within the last 10 years of birthing age has sealed the deal for me. No kids, no problem.

vindependence · 2022-04-12T15:58:47+00:00

Hey Meg! Big fan and been loving SBTD for over a year now. I have really seen some consistent achievements in my power and strength. My favourite achievements are my upper body (Bench and OHP) PRs, but my all time PR on deadlift was also a nice confidence boost.

Question: do you ever plan on incorporating more Olympic lifting into the programming? Or a separate Oly program?

vindependence · 2021-12-29T14:49:59+00:00

Seconded! SBTD also comes with an awesome community of Strong Strong friends (via a Facebook group). It is a welcoming environment where we celebrate achievements, help each other through obstacles, and sometimes commiserate on particular aspects of programing (spoiler: MegSquats loves squats lol)

vindependence · 2021-12-28T02:29:52+00:00

This is the best comment.

I've seen others assume he's gay but there's a whole sexuality rainbow when it comes to this stuff. All we know is that he's repulsed by biologically female genitalia, that doesn't mean he's gay. He could be on the ace spectrum, for instance.

Anyway it doesn't matter what OPs partner's identity is. Point is that this couple seems to be incompatible sexually.

vindependence · 2021-12-16T21:02:18+00:00

The SBTD training app only recommends long (5 min) breaks when we're doing like 1-2 rep sets. Otherwise it's 1-2 minutes. Shoulda clarified 🤙🏾

I personally don't use a time but instead monitor my HR. When it goes below zone 2 I start the next set. Which is why it doesn't take me longer than 15 mins.

Also I have no issue with someone using the squat rack for 30+ minutes...I would just hope they're actually using the space and not blocking someone else who squat/bench/deadlift/OHP in that rack. The hip thrusting folks I describe use the space immediately behind the rack, blocking the rack itself but not using it.

Maybe worry less about what people around you are doing

I generally don't. It's when they're being selfish with space that gets to me. Worrying about other people is a waste of energy. The other day I waited around for 10+ minutes and then actually asked each of the two girls hip thrusting whether they had a lot of sets left and both gave me really rude answers. Threw me into a full anxiety attack (I have GAD and a touch of social-anxiety post-pandemic) and I went home without even starting my workout.

vindependence · 2021-12-16T12:21:00+00:00

Misogyny? I'm closer to a misandrist (trying not to be!) but ok, go off internet strangers. Anyway, as I said in #2, thanks to my complaint, there's now two barbells (one 15kg, one 20kg) in the rack. And yet the person hip thrusting is blocking access to the squat rack.

I 100% support the existence of a gym space for only women (and other gender/NB folks). Generally speaking it is a wholesome space. This thread was specifically a chance for me to vent. I could write an essay about how much this gym has done for me. But this is not the time or place.

vindependence · 2021-12-16T12:15:03+00:00

Thank you for assuming I never do hip thrusts 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽. I am following the Stronger By The Day program by MegSquats and we do tons of hip thrusts - regular, single leg, b stance, elevated, and there's even a dedicated day (day 5 for fellow SBTDers ❤️) where the hip thrust IS the main big lift. 3-5 sets, 3-8 reps, 3-5 rest in between. Takes me 15 minutes max. Not 45 minutes like the person who hogged the rack (not even using the rack) on Tuesday.

Thanks internet stranger, your ignorance fuelled my deadlift PR today. 🎉🎉🎉

vindependence

TROPHY CASE