Weightlifting people, here! Ongoing chat thread...

hazlenut no easy answer, but if I'm deadlifting on a platform I use the safety arms to rest the bar on for loading and unloading the plates - easier that way. Otherwise I unload the plates one side and then lever the bar up so that the plates on the other side slide off to the floor.

Urglewurgle not a chance! It's usually a man who has loaded up the bar with multiple 20kg plates - it would take longer than his rest time for me to unload the bar!
Talking of unloading the bar, does anyone have a good technique for getting the 20kg plates off the deadlift bar without struggling? It takes me bloody ages if someone has left the bar loaded. I can just about manage a 60kg deadlift but use two 10kg plates on each side because it's so hard to get the 20kg plates on! Although then I have to lift from lower to the ground as there are no bumper plates.

I can't do back squats because my shoulders don't let me, so I do goblet squats. It means I'm limited to 30-something kilograms, but I find it perfectly adequate for my needs. (I don't care about lifting big numbers and I have slim legs, so I like having slim quads.) I only use the bar for deadlifts. Yesterday I couldn't get a bar for deadlifts, but that's OK because I do them all the time... Focusing on something else for a day is good.

One piece of equipment that is a bit rare is the Roman chair, that thing you bend over for lower back extensions. It would have been great to have one of those available, instead. Luckily, my home gyms have them.

(I belong to two chains, The Gym and Pure Gym, because I travel all the time and they're everywhere. But at home I prefer to use one of the two independent gyms near me. I pay £5 to train. I could save money by joining one of them but I like to use both.)

Today is upper body. I have to drag myself out of bed and go!

Like findo and just I think that sometimes it's impossible to follow a programme exactly. My local gym doesn't have loads of equipment, but it's nearer and cheaper than more specialised gyms and this moment in time that is more important to me.

As long as I can do a compound lift I'm pleased. If the bar isn't available I swop back squats for goblet or split squats with a DB or KB. Sometimes I have to swop deadlifts for single leg deadlifts with DB/KB.

its not perfect, but I'm still getting stronger

I think programmes have their place but no-one needs to follow one. For example Stronglifts is good up to a point but you can't indefinitely add 5kg to all to your lifts every week - if we could all do that we'd all be superhuman! I do my own thing at the gym, and have got stronger that way - like justgettingstarted, I think if you apply a bit of general knowledge and common sense you can manage perfectly well on your own - there's so much free information available to us these days, plus online forums etc.

Where I think programmes can be useful is to address specific areas or to help break through a plateau, but even then they're not the be all and end all. Technique/form is more important, I think (but powerlifting is v strict on that stuff, so maybe I'm biased).

@hazelnutlatte would you ever just ask if you can work in?

I'm with you on the not waiting for equipment justgettingstarted - my gym has one squat rack and one bar for deadlifts - and there is often someone hogging them for the entire time I'm there! I've read a lot of forum posts (not on here) where people think you should follow a program exactly or it's not worth bothering, but doing something like stronglifts would be impossible at my gym.

I've requested a name change for the weights room i put dumbells and deadlifts as a suggestion. I do agree that far too many people continue to post in there thinking it's for weight loss.
So if anyone can come up with anything different from what I asked please email mumsnet with them out ideas. Let's not loose the place let's get it on the map

Many thanks!

Nice one Lazyi!

Well done Lazyi!

PBs today...

Deadlift 87.5kg
Push press 40kg

Woo!

I do my own thing, because I travel a lot and use different gyms and I don't know what will be available. This morning I skipped deadlifts but did hip thrusts with a 30kg sandbag for high reps because that was what was available.

I felt like doing step-up lunges instead of squats (I do either lunges or squats but not both). Then I noticed they had resistance bands so I did crab walks instead of cable hip abduction.

I also have decided to eschew all the expert advice and I now do leg extension machine and hip addiction machine... Since I have started doing these, my right knee has stopped bothering me during squats and lunges.

I'm pressed for time so I don't wait for equipment. I do my thing and get out!

I also do all upper body on one day. Chest, back and shoulders. I alternate between putting chest and shoulders first, because whatever I do after will suffer.

I think it's possible to work things out on your own, with common sense.

Hello, nice to see an active weights thread again - I'd been lurking in the weights room but didn't want to post for fear of getting no replies!
Just wondering if everyone follows a program or do you do your own thing? And if you do your own thing then what 'rules' do you tend to follow? I was originally following a program a personal trainer did for me but It took ages to do and there was lots of stuff in it that I've since read is a bit pointless unless you're a bodybuilder (biceps curls etc) so I've been vaguely doing a full body workout each time I train including a push, pull and lower body movement (e.g. bench press, pull ups and squat.) I'd like to see what others do as I'm not sure I really know what I'm doing!

It is hard to make time for yourself.

I should say I used to do a lot of heavy lifting about 4 years ago, but then I got divorced and ate loads of cake .

I'm getting back into it now, but it's much harder as a single parent

Sorry not rtft yet..

RJ I've wanted to do Kettlebell sport for ages, but I'm in Cambridge and there isn't anyone around here. Where do you compete and train?

I'm just doing Dan john 30 day bus park programme at the moment so I don't have to think too hard during the summer holidays

That sounds great fun, Lazyi. I've been working towards doing an unsupported handstand for what seems like ages. I've got the shoulder strength but not the core strength or balance yet - can only manage a couple of seconds.

This morning:
Back squats at 85% (75kg)
4 x 5,
1 x 3 (missed two reps of last set)

Close grip bench press - 40 kg
5 x 10

Glute kickbacks on Smith machine - 30 kg
3 x 10 each side

Lat pulldown - 40 kg
4 x 10

Going along to see a local powerlifting coach this evening to see if he'll do me a programme - been noodling along on my own for a few months but think I need a new focus.

Findo, that's scary, glad you are ok. The gymnastics is a class where you can do all sorts, we did roundoffs (like cartwheels yesterday). It's Got a hardcore warm up and cool down, and I can tell I am able to cope because of lots of strength training, but my skills need a lot of improvement! Really good fun.

It was my own stupid fault, Tomorrow. I wouldn't usually go near that route but I was going to the book festival on Charlotte Square and it seemed the best way. I misremembered the road layout, and ended up in the same lane as the tram tracks - tried to avoid, but skidded on to them off a wet drain cover. Just feel so lucky it wasn't worse. A cyclist was killed at the other end of Princes street a few months ago.

Someone at the barbell club I used to go to was about 6 months post partum Urglewurgle - she was pleased that a lot of her baseline strength was still there.

Place marking even.

Peacemaking. I usually lift but lost my way a bit but this time last year, then found our j was expecting. I'm 37 weeks pregnant and hoping to get back to lifting when (if?) I can.

Oh, that must have been frightening Findo - i often think cyclists are taking their lives in their hands on princes street. Glad you weren't badly hurt

Cool - what sort of stuff do you do at gymnastics, Lazyi?

Hard kettlebell class this morning, which I joined on a whim as it happened to be starting when I got to the gym and I was going to do kettlebells anyway. It was great. Then ten minutes on the stairmaster and 15 doing 'rolling hills' setting on the elliptical.

Feeling a bit sorry for myself cos I fell off my bike yesterday in busy traffic on Princes Street in Edinburgh - luckily neither the bike nor I was hurt but feel very lucky to be able to go to the gym this morning.

Warm up
Front squats
RDL:bent over row:split Squat:military press circuit.
Front Squat, military press, pull up circuits
Arse medley, including the hated one leg hip thrusts.
Good session this morning. Off to gymnastics tonight, second time! :)