Hi hon -

Smith squats scare me - they can be VERY hard on the knees. My opinion is to stick to the real ones. Start with NO weight at all, and do two sets of 4 or 5 squats to see how it goes. Work your way up to 3 sets of 10-12 with just your body, then start holding dumbbells in your hands. Drop the set length down to 6-8 reps every time you increment, then work the set length back up to 8-12. Repeat.

Now, the fellas hold the dumbbells near their hips,


but their hips don't curve OUT like ours do, so I suggest you hold the dumbbells up at your shoulders, as if they were a bar:


Once you can do 3 sets of 8 squats with 20 pounds in each hand, you can switch over to the bar.

Free squats are better for core stabilization anyway, so you might as well bite the bullet and do the real ones.

Keep your knees in line over your toes, butt OUT, chest OUT, head up and eyes front. Watch your form in the mirror. I like to put a mat or a plate under my heels to target my quads. Some like this, some hate it. Just depends on your personal geometry.

GO SLOW, go light, and build up slowly. You will eventually be able to go HEAVY on these (ie it's reasonable to be able to squat your own weight), but it may take you a year or two to get there. I think it took me over a year to squat a plate a side (45 pound bar, plus a 45 pound plate at each end), and I STILL often drop it down to about 115 to maintain form.

I started with an 8 pound dumbbell in each hand.

It's not a race. Slow, gradual increments.

Thanks guys, you're great!

Supersets: lateral raises and front raises:
-db Lateral raises: 5x10, 10x10,9
-db Front raises: 5x10x3 (left shoulder still feeling a bit rusty. I should be seeing the PT tomorrow)
-bb rear delt presses 20x12, 30x11, 40x10 (challenging, but I could've done more. But was protecting my shoulder)
-skull crushers (thanks, Built ): 10x10, 20x10x3 (shakey but no real burn. Bumped my head a few times )
-pushdowns w/ rope: 40x10, 60x8 (tough), 50x11
-db shoulder presses (frontal position): 10x12, 15x8,10 (tough, was a bit light headed after the last one)

At the end, there was no shoulder pain, but the left ant. delt felt cranky.


**I know I did some isolating moves before compound ones. I just did what I was in the mood for today. I'll follow better order next time.

CHEST
-seated cable chest press: 15x10 warm-up
-bench press: bar (45)x10, 55x10x2 (I'm so proud of this!)
-cable bentover flyes: 15x10, 25x10, 30x6+1asst (tough)
-db incline press 15x10, 20x8, 6+2 asst (tough)

BICEPS
-supersts db hammers and bb curls:
db hammer curls 20x8, 15x9, 10x13
bb curls 30x10, 7, 20x10
-db single curls 15x8, 10x10x2

Edited: abs were done at the end too: straight leg raises, incline sit-up with medicine ball

Friday
What an OFF day! Everything was below expectations

-3mins elliptical
-15lb db squatsx6 (not good balance, knee hurt)
20lb bb squats x10 (knee hurt)

-incline leg press: no wt.x10, 15 (not easy), 50x8, no wt.x12 (tough)
very unusual
-leg curls-light sets: 25x15x3 (dissapointingly tough)
-SLDL 40x10, 50x10, 60x8 (fatigued)

I was really below par today.

Rest day. I'll do some cardio tomorrow. If I crave weights (and I do sometimes ) , I may do back, which is scheduled for Monday.
I'm still frustrated about not being able to complete free squats without knee pain and thus compromised form.

I did 30 minutes on the treadmill today. It wasn't HIIT but I did vary speed and incline. I think I prefer cardio after weights once they both fall within an hour. Still thinking about it

Good news! After cardio I attempted pushups again. I did 4!!!! (IT sounds sad to rejoice over four, but I'm happy ). I'm two away from my July goal of six. This is so much fun!

Try the pushups FIRST. They're anaerobic. You should perform better at them if you do them BEFORE using up your glycogen and blood sugar.

I would suggest the shrugs over the upright rows. Upright rows can be very hard on your shoulders. They have the potential to damage your rotator cuff (i.e., they can tear your rotator cuff, and can pinch muscles and nerves in your shoulder joint).

But if you still want to do them, never raise the bar past level of your nipples. The majority of the damage occurs about this level.

Would that be braless, or supported?

LOL I knew i would get called out on that.

More in that general area, adjusting to where yours may be located.

You guys are killing me!

Thanks for the advice, Mercury. It really helps 'cause I've been having trouble with the rc recently.

Built, you're just too naughty!

-lat pulldowns: 45x7, 75x10, 90x8,7
-db bent over rows 20x10, 25x8 (stopped due to initial shoulder fear), 10
-shrugs: 20x15x3 These caused a burn. I started at this weight because it's the first time I'm doing these in quite a while. I'll build up later.
-seated cable rows: 50x15x3 for tha burn
-Abs: straight leg raises, incline crunches with med ball and 10lb plate, ball crunches

forgot to do tris!!
-pushdowns with rope: 40x11, 60x10,8 then 40x10 for a burn