Weightlifting people, here! Ongoing chat thread...

I wake up at five absolutely ravenous after legs day (RDLs and squats). Think about omelettes, black pudding, steak all day.....

@MsMartini yes
I've changed my routine so I'm eating later otherwise I was eating, going to the gym and then eating again oops! Haha

That's brilliant! Do you find deadlifts and squats make you really hungry?

Update post, I had my first PT session on 20/07 and now I can squat 80kg and deadlift 90 (but my grip is letting me down so I'm trying to improve that!)

I can overhead press 27.5kg too,

Caveat, I'm super heavy so it's not at bodyweight yet but not too far off! I also can't yet do a press up (in position 3 above the floor on the Smith machine, started at position 5) but I think that's cos I'm still heavy so it will get easier as I get lighter ha!

I can't believe I didn't do this years ago - I actually love going to the gym now!! And beneath my bingo wings I'm starting to see some improvement :)

Staysafe - I like the sound of the format in your class (tho not sure how heavy squats etc work in a class) but if it never changes and you don't get pushed/encouraged individually to try new things, go a bit heavier, faster, learn new stuff, then I would say it isn't a great class whatever the format. Think classes are really good for building confidence and meeting like-minded tyre-flipping people .

I got my first pull up this week! That's about six months from first chin-up.

Stays safe when i get bored I move on, I think life's to short to not enjoy exercise classes. It's my free time so want to spend it doing things I enjoy and look forward to.

Maybe try a new training program plenty of free ones on bodybuilding.com, powerlifting, cross fit, different class whatever takes your fancy.

Is this a good class? I've been going to a women's weightlifting class for a few months now. The usual format is a longish warm up after which the time is divided 50/50 between the actual weight lifting (I'll come back to that) and exercises that involve weights, so step ups with hand weights, running around with rucksack full of sand, sit ups and flipping a tractor tyre. For the weight lifting itself we do deadlifts, bench presses, and squats ( one with weight across shoulder and one with weight across chest). I can now deadlift 60kg but we only go to 40 on the others.

I joined this class to improve my stamina and upper body strength, and also for confidence. I think it has delivered on that, but I'm finding the classes less interesting now as the formula is always the same and there is not a lot of encouragement to develop as individuals. I don't really mind that the gym itself is very grotty and not very clean but that is not motivating. Is there a better way I could get the benefit of the weights or is this really quite a good form of exercise in itself?

Thanks! I was very pleased,

That's impressive!

I got back to squats and RDLs this week after bit of a gap (done lots of core, back, bodyweight and some boring running in the interim!) and for the first time got 3 RDLs on 90kg (weight abt 69 and am 51). Very pleased, tho squat form needs some work after the break.

I followed a full-body 3x a week routine for several months. I was running/cardio on the alternate days. I got tired of running and I'm now doing an upper/lower split, 6 days a week. I'm also adding a bit of arms (primarily biceps) to leg days.

I know I should be looking after my cardiovascular health but it's so booooring!

I'm having to revert to running at weekends now. My job is physical, always on my feet walking about 10 miles then I go to run.at night and my legs feel unbelievably heavy but cardiovascular wise I'm great.

I know. I would like to but can't really fit it in, at least on gym days. But the thought of my lovely outdoors holiday running has motivated me on the treadmill.

You might find it motivating to get out and about running rather than a treadmill. I personally do a bit of both, I like the insurance of if I get an injury or generally can't be arsed anymore I can just push stop and I can go home where as if I'm out running I can't do that but the views and fresh air are great

I am keeping going with (short and slow) running too - enjoyed it a lot on holiday last week, which I hope will motivate me on the treadmill. I am doing lots of bodyweight stuff at the gym now - lots of variants on push ups, dips, core stuff. Really enjoying it but gosh it certainly is whole body - even my armpits ache!

Yeah you should always add the weight of the bar as well. 20kg is pretty much the norm as you said.

I'm starting to focus on cardiovascular fitness at the minute. Doing 3 all body sessions in the gym. A week and finishing it off with a gentle 7mpg run for 1 mile. I'm an amatuer footballer and the season is nearly upon us

So been weightlifting for a few years now but never included barbell in my weight count. Spoke to someone about amounts and they said it's the norm to add 20kg on. Really productive day, now all my lifts have gone up :)

I said this elsewhere, but achieved an 80kg deadlift (more than my bodyweight) 2 weeks ago in my PT session. In this week's PT session I did the #FitBrit challenge (I belong to a commercial chain gym) in just under 21 mins (which is quite an OK time for my first go) and then 'recovered' with weighted back and then unweighted front squats.

For the first time, my PT gave in to my requests for a 'lying down' exercise & allowed me 2 minutes lying on the floor after doing the FitBrit thing.

FitBrit includes kettlebell swings which were great fun.

So how's everyone getting on?

Well done

Thanks, Pippylou I've just joined.

It does look like a nice group.

I finally achieved 30kg on overhead press on Friday. I was feeling strong/25kg was feeling light so I thought I'd try and go up. 27.5kg had felt really heavy earlier in the week but I must have been feeling the energy drink or something. I did 3 sets of 5 reps and was elated.

A year ago I was struggling with 20kg!

Really liking the Eat, Train, Progress group, very nice to see lots of people in there I recognise (virtually) from elsewhere.

I gave up on several PT FB groups as they can be quite nasty about some stuff.

Thanks!

Business has taken me to Staffordshire a couple of times recently and I've been able to work out at Strength Asylum in Stoke. OMG that place is amazing! I was a little bit intimidated because Eddie Hall (World's Strongest Man) works out there and I thought maybe it was only for gigantic men, but they were so friendly! It was the best-equipped and tidiest gym I'd ever seen. They have six squat racks/deadlift platforms, a leg room bigger than most entire gyms, an arm room (literally just stuff for arms) the size of the weight section of many gyms, and the upper body room was absolutely massive. There's also a strongman room with atlas stones, etc for those guys.

I'm going again tomorrow morning and I'm really excited about it.

There isn't much female-specific training advice, other than aesthetic (Strong Curves.)

There actually are a couple of differences. For example, women can handle more volume. We recover faster. A lot of the popular programs assume that you can only do one leg day a week, for example (or two, but emphasis on different muscles). Men can't squat and deadlift on the same day, but many women can. I do squats and Romanian deadlifts 3x a week.