[Anonymous]

I’ve ventured into the Health issues section, but this particular thread is supposed to help AVOID said issues.

Let’s share what we are doing to try and maintain our health while studying. What are you guys doing for workouts? Workout DVDs? Buying home equipment? Gym lifting? Cardio only? Any particular workout programs you are using or are you freestyling it? What time of day do you workout?

Are you guys trying to keep your eating habits under control? What are some good healthy study snacks you like?

While it may be difficult for these exams to not affect your health at all, it is important to minimize negative affects. Let’s support each other and share our tips/techniques!

[Zaq]

Yeah, 5 A.M. workouts are the best. Feels like you're in your own world since everyone is asleep. And you literally get the energy you need for the rest of the work day. It's a bit of a hard routine to follow though if you're like me and tend to YouTube until 11 or 12 at night after a long study session.

FAR: 50, 76!
REG: 74... (ouch baby, very ouch), 76!
AUD: 65, 91!?
BEC: 80! Aaaand doneskies!

May 2012 to August 2013. Can't believe it's over.

[smp73]

I LOVE early morning workouts. You feel so accomplished before you get to work. Once you get used to waking up and doing it…it becomes second nature!

I studied a bit last night, actual books will be here today! The real studying starts tonight!

I did a power dog walk this morning (since it is so hot the dogs prefer 5am walks since it is cooler)…and I registered for a 5k for Saturday!

NYS CPA License # 113563
CIA: Done as of 2/15/14

Training for a half marathon post studying!

[DeniseFutureCPA]

@ smp and Inferno, you guys are awesome! I love it!!!

"Do not give up when you still have something to give... Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying."

Why I am studying for the CPA exam: First it was business...now it's personal!!!!! 🙂

[Anonymous]

FIT: Woke up at 4:30 this morning and got to the gym at 4:48 to work out. Today I did everyone's favorite exercise…the deadlift…I must say, it's quickly becoming my favorite as well…I'm finally using the big 45lb plates :)…but those were the only plates on the bar. I feel I could've done more though.

I have trouble getting the plates off of the bar when I am done with the deadlifts…it's annoying because today 2 gentlemen came over to help, which I appreciated, but like it would be nice to not need help unloading the bar.

STUDY: I got through only 1.2 chapters worth of SIMS last night…I just wasn't in the studying mood and my husband was getting annoyed because I was so distracted with fb and such. He really wants this to be my last exam…bless his heart 🙂

[Zaq]

@ CPA4birthdaypresent: Congrats on the double 45's! No more stacking random 15's, 10's, and 5's.

Quick question: Are there any pho heads in here? Vietnamese bowl noodle soup. Pretty much my favorite food of all time, but I'm curious as to the nutritional value of a typical large bowl.

FAR: 50, 76!
REG: 74... (ouch baby, very ouch), 76!
AUD: 65, 91!?
BEC: 80! Aaaand doneskies!

May 2012 to August 2013. Can't believe it's over.

[J]

@DeniseFutureCPA – I love a woman who understands the value of deadlifts. Actually anyone who understands the value of deadlifts gets high marks from me, but women even more so. When you think of the mechanics of the lift, it really does hit so many different parts of the body. Unfortunately it's neglected by most.

@neika822 – You should definitely inform yourself on deadlifts; you're really missing out on the fun! If you go to bodybuilding.com, they actually have short videos on the technique, but a standard deadlift is loading a barbell, placing it on the floor, bending over it and then pulling the weight up with your legs and back to the point that you finish in a standing position. You think bring the bar down to the ground and do it again; the weights should come to rest on the floor before each repetition (hence the terminology “deadlift”). Those who swing the weights, don't go to ground, or bounce them up to help the next repetition… they really aren't doing deadlifts.

@dmurph51 – Squats are great as well; they absolutely must be included in any weightlifting repetoire. Anyway I'm sure that you'll pull 405 next time around; 10 lbs. really isn't that much to increase for a deadlift.

[J]

@CPA4birthdaypresent – great job pulling the 45's. Lots of women just stick with the bar… you probably out lift some of the men as well… too many chicken legs out there who have never heard of lifting anything other than chest and arms!

I understand your difficulty in getting the weights off at the end of the lift; you probably don't have the forearm strength to raise one side of the bar while it's on the ground and pull off the 45 at an elevated angle. You can either try to bend down and forcefully give a quick push-pull to the weight (sometimes they'll slide right off), or just rest the bar on an even, elevated surface (i.e. if you have an empty squat rack, and then take it off side by side. Don't worry, one side won't come crashing down.

Oh.. and NO CURLING IN THE SQUAT RACK!!!!

[Anonymous]

InterFC1: Thanks for the tips…I will try that next time around…

Do you happen to have any tips on improving grip strength? One of the workouts I'm doing currently calls for step ups. I do my step ups on the cushioned bench instead of the aerobic step and I'm using 35lbs dumbbells. I've been at 35lbs for a while but my hands just can't hold anything more than that when it comes to the step ups…which is very frustrating.

[J]

@CPA4birthdaypresent – Obviously exercises that specifically focus on your forearm strength would be beneficial, such as wrist curls and reverse wrist curls; my only advice there is to do them at the very end of your workout. Otherwise you'll have difficulty holding onto anything after that point.

The issue with grip strength and relative failure with respect to exercises where you are holding heavy weights is a really common problem (that's why straps were invented), so it's not like you're doing anything wrong. I use straps when I go above 315 on deadlifts, just because I know that my grip will fail before I actually reach failure with the exercise. My approach has been to simultaneously work on improving grip strength while still realizing the need for straps when you're working with heavier weights.

[Kodiak]

@Inter – Since I started this program (AllPro's from BB.com) about 4 months ago I've seen great strength gains I've been happy with. I'm in cycle 4 and have increased all of my lifts by 10% each 5 week cycle. However, my squats seem to be stagnating and they were not very high to begin with. They seem to be lagging behind all of my other progress in terms of power and progression. The program recommends not adding any auxiliary lifts because you're already hitting all the major muscle groups 3 times a week through compound lifts. I know form is a huge part of it and have a pretty good understanding of the basic components of the lift and am trying to stress that over increasing volume at this point. I don't want to be the guy who squats less than he benches moving forward, which is the case right now.

tldr; squats seem to be lagging behind other gains; any tips to keep progression moving forward with other lifts?

AUD - Pass
FAR - Pass
BEC - Pass
REG - Nov

[J]

@Kodiak – Often when you hit a plateau, the way you beat it is not necessary breaking through it but rather flanking it. Instead of your standard squat, try variations… good ones are the front squat (will change your angle of approach a bit and put more emphasis on the quads) and the Bulgarian squat. Additionally, remember that for squats, they become exponentially more difficult with each degree you go further down. Work on ATG squats… lower the amount of weight slightly, but concentrate on getting down as far as you can and then exploding up through the lift. It's funny to see idiots load 3 plates on each side and do 10 reps with a ROM of 4 inches. Heavy squatting is only impressive when you're going at least parallel, if not further.

[Kodiak]

I will definitely try those out – great advice. Thanks!

AUD - Pass
FAR - Pass
BEC - Pass
REG - Nov

[neika822]

Deadlifts sound scary… I'm not even sure we have those in my small apartment gym. I'll be on the lookout and maybe I'll force my boyfriend to help me get started.

I'm contemplating going to yoga today. It's outside on the grass, but it's 81 degrees out today and VERY humid. And I also have to come back and work (so I don't want to get crazy sweaty, not that I typically do…). I might as well go… ahh!

I didn't do well studying last night. Best Buy is having an iPhone trade-in thing, and we ended up waiting for 2.5 hours to trade in our iPhone 4's for iPhone 5's. But now I have an iPhone 5 🙂 This morning, my boyfriend decided to get up at 5am with me, so I was more focused on him moving about in the apartment than my studying. I need to refocus tonight.

R - *77*(02/'13)-Becker & NINJA
A - 71('11); *87*(04/'13)-Becker & NINJA
F - *76*(08/'13)-Becker & NINJA - "server upgrade" survivor
B - 60('11); *82*(10/'13) -Becker & NINA

DONE, DONE, AND DONE.

CPA in Massachusetts; issued 01/24/14

[J]

@neika822 – You don't need anything other than a barbell and some plates to do deadlifts. I really hope not to offend anyone, but the fitness industry today makes a lot of money promoting the next great thing that you need to do in order to get in great shape. Tae-bo, TRX, P90X, now crossfit… all while you are paying who knows what to participate in these things.

The bottom line is this: All you need to put on some muscle is some iron and a location where you can train. Put that together with eating well, and that's the path to success.

[DeniseFutureCPA]

@ InterFC1, great tips!!!! Do you have any suggestions for building a small “home gym?” I have a couple of sets of dumbbells. I'm also all for isometrics too. I think pushups are a great exercise as well. Since I don't have my gym membership anymore, I have been trying to accumulate a few pieces here and there. Just about every garage sale you see has a weight bench that someone no longer uses.

@ neika, I had an unproductive study night last night as well. I'm just chalking it up and moving on towards making today count 🙂

"Do not give up when you still have something to give... Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying."

Why I am studying for the CPA exam: First it was business...now it's personal!!!!! 🙂

[Author]

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