Iron Lotus

So the time has come for us to close up the site and say thank you for visiting. Lately, life seems to be getting in the way of growing this site to what we wanted so we have come to the decision to throw in the towel. We had a great time posting here, talking with one another, keeping each other motivated, and interacting with all the friends that visited.

We do plan on keeping one another motivated and would enjoy to continue interacting with all of you.

Kris Freedain @mindonly
Blake Wilson @blakethegeek
Emily Breder @ohiobuddhist
Emily (Liz) Helt @mindfulness108
Andy Lambert @uuzennie

And who knows, maybe Iron Lotus will eventually have a rebirth when the time is right.
Thank you

Kris Freedain

A father, husband, and Buddhist who enjoys strength training. Currently using the 5/3/1 training program.

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I just finished my first “real” workout in a month. I did try to work out last week, but when I tried to do crunches, the muscles in my back (which had been injured worse than my hamstring, as it turned out) actually did “crunch”. Felt weird and bad, so I walked away and gave it another week. I still think this was a good decision. Sports injuries SUCK.

Today I did 50 squats and 50 reverse-grip curls with a 35-pound barbell (no weights). My focus is on re-creating the habit and learning to love the lifting again. And I have to say, by the end of the workout I felt better, which is exactly what I was going for.

Next workout, probably tomorrow or the day after, will be attempting back extensions and crunches again. I’ll start adding weights next week.

Emily Breder

Emily is a writer, mother and eternal student on the path of liberation. She's determined to master this life and this body.

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*Late entry from last evening (11-Oct)

Shoulder stretch, roller, leg stretch with bands

Warm up sets

Working sets:

350 x 3

400 x 3

450 x 3

Assistance work:

Good mornings:

135 x 10 x 3

Ab (ball):

BW x 15 x 3

Glad to get in time for deads. Consistency is a huge issue for me lately with everything else going on. Not an excuse, it just is what it is right now.  450 was heavier than it should have been, which is kind of dumb, but again, this is a result of no consistency in my training schedule. Hoping to resolve this soon.

Kris Freedain

A father, husband, and Buddhist who enjoys strength training. Currently using the 5/3/1 training program.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

Shoulder stretch, roller

Warm up sets

Working sets:

155 x 3

180 x 3

200 x 3

Assistance work:

Pull ups (wide, underhand grip):

BW x 8 x 3

Curls

Had to get in and out very fast as I had a 5:30 call for work, but it felt great to bust through this quickly. Looking forward to deadlifts this week.

Kris Freedain

A father, husband, and Buddhist who enjoys strength training. Currently using the 5/3/1 training program.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

I picked up a half-full basket of laundry this morning and almost couldn’t stand up. My leg swelled up and I’m back in the same place as a week ago. I can’t walk.

Then I watched my now-dead car being towed away.

I am going nowhere.

I blame laundry.

Emily Breder

Emily is a writer, mother and eternal student on the path of liberation. She's determined to master this life and this body.

More Posts - Website - Twitter

I can finally get out of bed without looking/sounding like an old lady. Monday I start working out again. I’ve gained a bit of my weight back, not too much, but not unexpected either. Overall, though, I feel like this was a good thing. I had hit a plateau and a long rest was exactly what I needed to break through it.

More on Monday.

Emily Breder

Emily is a writer, mother and eternal student on the path of liberation. She's determined to master this life and this body.

More Posts - Website - Twitter

Shoulder stretch, roller, leg stretch with band

Warm up sets

Working sets (Squat):

290 x 5

330 x 5

375 x 5

Warm up sets

Working sets (Bench Press):

165 x 5

190 x 5

215 x 5

That’s it. Seems with the amount of things I have going right now I seem to just be in maintenance mode with my training. OK for a while, but really need to find the time to become consistent again.

Kris Freedain

A father, husband, and Buddhist who enjoys strength training. Currently using the 5/3/1 training program.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

Shoulder stretch, roller

Warm up sets

Working sets:

145 x 5

165 x 5

190 x 5 (just reps, didn’t push past)

Assistance work:

Pull-ups:

BW x 8 x 3

Curls

Busted through this really quickly as I had to dial back in for a meeting. Felt great though.

Kris Freedain

A father, husband, and Buddhist who enjoys strength training. Currently using the 5/3/1 training program.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

*Late entry from last evening (18-Sept)

Shoulder stretch, roller, leg stretch with bands

Warm up sets

Working sets:

325 x 5

375 x 5

425 x 5 (just went for my req’d reps)

No assistance, it was getting late and the little man really wanted to try out his new tennis racket he got at his birthday party. It had been weeks since I’d been able to lift to I was happy to get out there. Consistency is a real issue lately with my own training. The soccer season is in full swing which equals practice 2 nights a week with a game every Saturday. Plus, I am helping the region in a couple other things. That’s OK though, it is a lot of fun, for a sport I love, and I get to coach a bunch of great kids – so totally worth it. I’ll get my training in when I can, and that’s just fine for now.

Kris Freedain

A father, husband, and Buddhist who enjoys strength training. Currently using the 5/3/1 training program.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

After pulling my hamstring last week, I followed Mike’s expert advice and iced it when I remembered and I kept off of it for a few days.

My main problem now is that I can’t bend over without my back hurting and pain shooting down to my heels.

I’ve started working out again as of yesterday, light weights and lower reps, mostly upper body and some isolation lower body exercises that won’t strain my hamstring. But it’s hard to do anything but straight upper body without a lot of pain.

Thoughts?

Emily Breder

Emily is a writer, mother and eternal student on the path of liberation. She's determined to master this life and this body.

More Posts - Website - Twitter