Weightlifting people, here! Ongoing chat thread...

Yeah, I've had to face the fact that a cursory 20 minutes on the eliptical 3 times a week is not going to sort out my current lack of cardio fitness, so getting back into running, albeit its depressing because my times are so pathetic compared to where I was pre-op. I'm also about 4kg heavier- dont want to say "4kg overweight" as I don't feel particularly "fat"- I just feel like there's a lot of me to move.

Chest day today

-3 x 10 explosive press-up (i.e. hands jump off the floor as you push up)

• 4 x 8 bench press (suicide grip) at 47kg alternating with 4 x 10 barbell bent over row at 30kg.
• 3 x AMRAP incline bench press at 25kg (managed 26,18,17)

• Limped home

I'm starting to get back into it now. Back on deadlifts - only 50kg but lifting without issue after 6 months of not doing them so pretty pleased with that!

I'm doing pull ups on the total gym. Have had to drop the incline down whilst my shoulder recovers but at least I'm back doing them! Everything else is low weights whilst I recover but it feels good to be properly back into it. In the gym tomorrow, Monday and then back with PT on Weds. Have promised to concentrate on cardio tomorrow as I'm so lax on it (because I hate it) but I might do weights tomorrow and go for a quick run on Sunday now the weather is a bit warmer!

ha ha oogle. That's hilarious, yet awesome that it's fixed. I once had a trapped something in my scap for weeks. Saw 2 different physios. Massages, mobility, exercises. Couldnt fix it. Then one day I had a spare hour in town and I got a real cheap massage and it totally fixed it. That woman had very pointy elbows!

I am currently focused on my deadlift, strict press and bench

This week

3 x 8 @47.2kg bench
4 x 6 @85kg deadlift
3x8@ 30kg strict press

Also finally managed to "skin the cat" on the ring and got 5 pronated pull ups with a finger tip grip.

Good week!

Oogle, that is hilarious - and good news.

I got in 6 reps squatting 80kg tonight ( weigh about 70 and really struggled with 3 reps about a month ago which was my last session). Am a happy bunny.

It’s in my shoulder blade. Without wanting to tempt fate, it’s much better today. I’ve managed to do some pull ups and lat pull downs which I couldn’t do 3 weeks ago.

My cure? I was sat on the floor in front of my toddler and he was bouncing his foot on my shoulder for a good 5 mins. It felt gooooood. No pain since!
A heck of a lot cheaper than the osteo I saw a month ago too!

Johnny you might even be the only one in the category! (in which case you will definitely get a medal )

Thanks never. There's going to be one at the end of this year where I live so I may enter that for the experience, and as you say, not stress about weight class (tbh, 72kg weight class is going to be pretty thinly populated in Asia ).

oogle where is the pinch exactly? It may be pinched nerve but if it's not continuous it could be the joint not moving smoothly when you lift. Can you afford to see a physio or go to GP and try to get a referral?

Johnny I definitely wouldn't recommend losing much weight, especially for your first comp.

If the federation you compete in has a 2h weigh-in then it's best to avoid doing any crazy with bin bags, because then you only have 2h to rehydrate and eat before you start lifting. If it's a 24h weigh-in then you can probably get away with it.

I would recommend just registering for the category you naturally fall in, then you don't have to worry about making weight on the day!

Regarding steroids, again it depends on the federation. The IPF uses drug testing, and as a result it is fairly clean, but other feds are rife with PED users.

I would really recommend trying it when you are able to, it is a lot of fun!!

I've been a bit quiet as I'm dogged with injuries and it's making me feel shit.

My knee has flared up again (although some gentle work on that today has actually helped), and I injured my arm/shoulder about 2 months ago. I actually think it's a pinched nerve because if ever my husband rubs my shoulders, it makes it worse. I don't know what to do about it but I'm struggling with every lift. I've spent weeks just focussing on lower body (which hasn't helped my knee!)

I don't know what to do. Sorry for the vent, it's just so frustrating to see body fat % increase and muscle mass decrease because I've had to completely pull back on what I'm doing.

just getting I tend to do that but the other way round due to our seasons in Asia - I do more gym work in the summer and then more running in the winter which is when the trail season is here (not many races MJJAS as it's too hot).

Never I'm slightly tempted to do a powerlifting competition once I can actually do a decent squat again (don't talk about the squat- so many different mobility problems to address!) but my issue is I'm smack bang between weight classes. Not sure I can cut below 63 but I'd be puny in the 72 class. Do people run around in plastic bags to make weight like in boxing? Are there load of roid fiends? Tell me everything!!

Never, well done, you must be so chuffed. That is fantastic.

I am 51, pretty new to weightlifting and don't have a PT or go heavy that often but I have been so pleased with my progress (I have never been good at much physical before!) and how I feel. I am squatting and deadlifting (Romanians) 80kg now (I weigh 70) and it motivates me to do plenty of core and other strength work.

Raging, do you get stiff and sore all over?

@TheRagingGirl competing at the level I am at is really not that impressive! I just do local comps so far, where anyone can have a go. In another year I'll be in the Masters category and it's easier to qualify for big competitions then, so I'll have a better chance.

I definitely feel a lot better than I did in my 20s, and I wish I had started this years ago!

Glad you’re enjoying your training and reaping the benefits of it, getting a PT makes such a big difference! You'll be lifting a lot more weight in no time you'll see; once you get the technique right, your body will adapt to the weights and just keep getting stronger

Gosh, competing- that’s impressive!

At 59 I’m pleased with small gains... I don’t look or move like I’m almost 60 and I have more energy than most 20 year olds I know, but I do get injured more easily. And I get so stiff and sore!

@TheRagingGirl I have been training powerlifting properly for a year, and generally messing around with weights for about another year before that. I am 39, so the gains aren't coming too easily, but I'll keep at it!

Ultimately I want to qualify for nationals in powerlifting (probably in another 2 years)

Wow! Can I ask how long you've been training at lifting? I managed 70kg (at 80kg bodyweight - that needs to go down to 68kg at the very most -I'm working on it). in about the first month of weekly PT training torture but then a few weeks later I totally failed & freaked out at 80kg (well, I got it an inch off the floor). My PT reckons I should eventually be able to lift 100kg (I'm almost 60, btw).

He's been on holidays so I've had no PT session for 10 days. Instead I've been running and going to Pump classes (which I used to do a lot more). Very different, although I noticed that I found the weights I used to use quite easy & had to increase them. I've clearly gained in strength in 3 months of weekly PT sessions. If I were really rich, I'd have a PT session 3 times a week.

My next goal is to learn how to set up all the free weights machines myself - I'm too nervous to do it without the PT there. Silly, I know.

I did it!!!! I have finally managed a 100 kg deadlift ! (at 72kg bodyweight)

Now to improve my squat and bench

I'm cutting back on the weight training because I'm enjoying running so much now that the weather is lovely. So, instead of 3x a week (and 3x a half hour of cardio) I'm running 4x a week for longer times and only lifting twice a week, full body. I have upped the intensity of the upper body lifts a bit and lowered the intensity of the lower body. Today I only did a few sets of walking lunges with light dumbbells and I only did them for the sense of balance for my body. But on Monday I did do heavy squats. I don't want to be fatigued for tomorrow's parkrun.

I'll go back to the focus on the weight training in a few months.

Well done Johnny, that is brilliant!

I managed to build to a deadlift 1 rep max of 105kg today (156% body weight). No-one was more surprised than me when the bar actually came up. Then benched 51kg for 7 reps, which was my 1 rep max at the end of last year. I feel like the slog is finally coming to fruition. My trainer was like "you should enter a powerlifting contest.........oh actually, i forgot that your squat is terrible" . He's right tho. I need to do squat mobility but it is just so boring and painful

It was in a clinic in London
It was brilliant
Pricey

The person who told me that was a research scientist working in sports physiology. He works in one of those labs you see on telly, like with Michael Moseley, where they put athletes on treadmills with wires all over them. I was saying that I would love to be tested in one of those places, or at least have a DEXA scan and we talked about how there are clinics all over the US for consumers and casual athletes but it hasn't caught on here. He said his lab has it but it can't be done commercially "even though the level of radiation is less than you're exposed to on a flight to Spain."

(Funnily enough, just this past week I met a physicist who happens to work on the subject of radiation on aircraft. But that's beside the point.)

Maybe it’s a case if it’s not illegal but they’re not legally covered if they do them for non medical reasons so if people got one a month for 10 years and then got some sort of side effect they could sue. I limit myself to one every 6 months max.

They're the only entity I've heard of in the UK doing them. I have no idea how they do it as I was told no one will do them.

Sorry

Www.bodyscanuk.com

That is crap

I had one done two weeks ago. And I have just bought one for a friend’s fortieth birthday present!