Weightlifting people, here! Ongoing chat thread...

Does anyone struggle because they prefer equipment that's a bit rare?

I like to use the Roman chair (lower back extension) for booty gainz, but few gyms have them.

And even rarer is a safety squat bar, which is helpful if your shoulders don't like the barbell for back squats.

The independent gym near me has both. I think I'm going to have to do my leg days there, even though I love my main gym for everything else.

Aw thanks @FindoGask! I think if I'd tried at the beginning of the session I might have made it, as it was I went down and had no up at all! Just carried on going down, thank God for the safety bars! I was trying to out-squat DP!

After that I was mostly in a calorie deficit so not in a position to really try again. Hopefully will get a trainer when I'm back in the gym.

Urgle I forgot to say - that's an awesome squat you've got going on! I dream of 100kg but it sounds like it was well within your grasp. You'll get there again in no time I'm sure.

In theory I do two spin classes a week. In practice....

I used to just do 20 mins HITT x3 per week.
I used to do intervals on the stepper (30 secs full blast, 40 secs almost stopped) it was pretty mental and actually quite fun!

I used to be a cardio dodger, as I didn't want to derail the gain train basically. I only lift every other day so I wanted to use my rest days to actually rest (apart from walking and cycling and stuff).

But I missed the lung-bursting sweat that I can only get from cardio, plus I needed to shift a bit of weight, so now I do 2 more cardio-focused days in amongst my lifting days.

I'm very, very new to this and I'm only just getting into weights with my PT and I love it. I can't wait to progress further as at the moment we're sticking with 15kg bar on deadlifts, bent over row, lunges, shoulder press, 18kg dumbbell for squats and 30kg on bench press as I keep trapping a nerve in my neck so we're taking it slowly but I'm hooked. I managed 70kg on leg press yesterday, before that I hadn't got above 60! I have never loved going to the gym before but now I hate having rest days

I also dodge cardio. I'll do 500m sprint rows with the PT to finish a set and I always use the x-trainer to warm up/cool down but otherwise I'm a complete avoider.

Me!!! I'm currently being bribed by my PT - "do at least 20 minutes cardio on days you're here yourself, and give me evidence, and we'll focus on all weights the day you're here with me"

I was going to ask if any of you lifting ladies were cardio dodgers like me, but I don't want to derail this thread, so I am going to start another thread.

I like a mixed grip. But I love my hooks better!

I really, really struggled with my bench. Could squat 95kg (when I was about 60kg myself - was fuming with myself that I failed on 100kg) but barely bench 30kg. It's something I'm looking to work on when km back in the gym after having this baby.

You guys are making me very excited for it! Anyone have any experience getting back into lifting 'straight' after birth (I.e. Not years later)?

It sounds like an ankle mobility issue. Some people put a plate under their heels to help them.

35kg is totally respectable! I think a lot of women find that bench is one of those lifts where progress seems to happen very slowly, and definitely not in a nice linear fashion.

I'm struggling to imagine how he was managing that. If I was doing a squat on my toes, I'd just topple forward and smack myself in the face!

Impressed with your bench - I'm struggling to get past 35kg. Apparently I have very strong legs, but my top half is a bit lacking. I think that was my PT's polite version....

Monster session this morning:
4 x 5 bench @ 50 kg
4 x 6 close grip bench @ 45 kg
5 x 10 bent over barbell row @ 35 kg
5 x 3 paused squats @ 60 kg
4 x 10 Romanian deadlifts @ 50 kg
4 x 12 leg extensions

Shurely shome mistake.

There was a young fella, couldn't have been much more than 16, in one of the squat racks who was squatting literally on his toes. I've never seen anything like it. I couldn't work out if it was intentional or if he had terrible ankle mobility. He was wobbling from side to side and ended up tipping right over. I ran to help but by then he'd managed to struggle out from underneath the bar and he was pretty embarrassed but not hurt. I didn't want to be the know-it-all in the gym and he was already wanting me to go away, so I didn't say anything - but I hope he picks up some tips somewhere because it looked so dangerous!

That sounds like my kind of place! I love a sauna (if I'm the only one in there)

I know! If all you want is to squat, deadlift and bench, it's great.

5 squat racks!! 😱😍😍

I am into gym memberships like some women are into shoes . I have a nationwide membership to PureGym, because I travel a lot for work. I have a membership to The Gym because some places don't have PureGym, but I'm going to cancel it because they're rarely the only option and I can always buy day passes for a reasonable price. I did just join The Village hotels gym scheme because I also like to swim, and I can get discounts on room rates (I use Village hotels fairly frequently). They're really nice gyms with beautiful pools.

Then there's Payasugym, which sells really reasonable day passes for thousands of gyms around the country. I like to try new places!

Today I tried a new gym. I like to pay to train and Oldham/Rochdale is packed with independent gyms.

It looked good on Facebook and the Payasugym site, but it was dire. Mostly really old, archaic equipment. Five squat racks/deadlift platforms, though. And a sauna.

I hold my breath, too, on heavy compound lifts. Exhale on the lift for smaller lifts.

thought to support the SPINE, not the spin.

For squatting, deadlifting and benching I take a deep breath in, sort of push it down to my stomach, and then hold that breath for the entire lift: that's what I've always been taught to do. The idea is to increase intra-abdominal pressure, which is thought to support the spin - and definitely helps you feel more solid and stable. When people talk about bracing in powerlifting that's basically what they mean.

For other lifts I find I tend to use different methods for different exercises and I've no idea whether those are right or wrong.