Deadlift. It does a body good! 1

Yesterday I rode a bike.

Yup, a bike.

Might not seem like a big deal to most, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a bike.  Aside from the fear, the last time I rode I was in a lil accident; there is the lack of mobility.  Stairs can be hard for me, how the heck would a bike be?!

But I conquered it.  There are so many things that I used to let scare me and shy away from, not just Lupus related but everything related.  On the Lupus front, I was starting to shy away from activities that I thought would hurt me or over extend myself.

Instead of doing 6 days a week, at 90% lifts to max with a leg day every other day; I rearranged.

I do 4 days a week lifting, 3 of those with cardio and 1 day of only cardio; all of those days I include yoga.  I am trying to incorporate yoga into every day, because stretching is important to my symptoms.  My days are divided up by body parts with only 1 leg day a week.

Today was deadlift day.  I used to LOVE deadlifts.  Being able to pull dead weight from the ground up to the waist, for me that is a true measure of strength.  The workout itself promotes better posture, increasing core strength and stability.  The deadlift targets all the muscles responsible for posture, helping keep your back straighter during regular activates.

The DL engages all major muscle groups, working the upper and lower body and back muscles.  The lift helps strengthen every day lifting.

Through doing 8/10 reps with significant weight – you can increase testosterone and growth hormone produced by the body.  Increasing testosterone promotes muscle growth and improves muscle repair; growth hormone promotes tissue healing, bone strength, muscle growth and fat loss.

I’ve been scared of deadlifting, since my symptoms have attacked my lower back lately.  But today, I felt like I could do anything, ANYTHING!  Especially since the DL is known to prevent injuries by increasing the strength around critical tendons and ligaments.  Building these supporting joints up with strong muscles helps prevent injury.

It’s been awhile since I’ve DL’d over 165 for 5 reps.  Today though…I owned it… I DL’d 205 for 4 reps… started at 135 for 5 and up 20lbs from there each set.

You know what, I feel amazing!

I feel stronger than I have in a long time.

Long story short, this last week I’ve learned that I am stronger than I thought I was… Sometimes I under-estimate myself.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/benefits-deadlifts-you-probably-never-knew.html