Weightlifting people, here! Ongoing chat thread...

[MaidOfStars]

We are a bit cut off in the designated forum so here's a shiny new thread to populate.

Hello to anyone that hasn't ventured over to The Weights Room but is lifting/resistance training.

So when you bench right now, do you not feel any lift through your legs or bum?

That's not to sound patronising or owt, I just can't imagine being able to lift anything if I didn't use legs and bum am shit at bench presses

Not patronising at all! I do plant my feet firmly on the ground but in terms of feedback through the lift, I'm not consciously aware of any bum or leg effort unless I'm struggling on a last rep and I need to use every muscle I've got. I have always been stronger in my upper body - I have broad shoulders and quite a wide back.

I'm hoping that if I can sort out my technique I could get over my 60 kg one rep max which is where I'm stuck at the moment. Also having a spotter will help enormously.

So I've been watching bench press videos. Maybe I don't drive through my legs/bum correctly.

My shins are perpendicular to the floor, not tucked under towards hips. I also don't arch my back to the extent I'm seeing on these videos. Is that completely safe?

There's a gym near me with a safety squat bar. It has a padded yoke thing so that people who can't do a regular back squat due to stupid shoulders can still do squats. I am so happy that I don't have to do goblet squats! At least not at that gym.

They also have a Roman chair (back extension), which is relatively rare.

Maid, Most powerlifters arch their back at least a bit because it engages the chest and lats and really grounds your upper back against the bench, so you feel like you've got more power under the bar when when you're pressing the weight up. You're also taking a lot of strain off your shoulders.

Another reason is that arching your back reduces the ROM (range of motion) of the press - so the bar doesn't have to travel as far down to meet your chest. Basically you can lift more weight that way. So some powerlifters really work on getting as ludicrous an arch as possible and there's a fair bit of chat about how cheaty that is.

I think you would see a difference in your bench if you tried a bit of an arch though. Nothing crazy; when I'm setting up I sort of screw my shouderblades into the bench, working them together slightly, and really push my chest out.

Legs wise you're fine I think. My shins are probably a bit more acute than perpendicular but not as far back as some. Basically the more underneath you your feet are, the more leg drive you can harness, and it helps with the arch too.

DOMS (I think) advice please..... I did a muddy obstacle race on Saturday and am darned please with myself even though i missed the big ones out.....I am 50 and have never done anything like that before. But ouch I feel sore...same sort of thing I get after trying new gym class or move so assume it is DOMS?

I have been gently walking/pottering and legs are not too bad, but my waist, front and backs of arms above elbows, shoulder blades and other weird places hurt...any suggestions for how I can gently exercise them or do I just have to wait for it to pass?

Warm baths and keep moving are my main pointers! It will pass in a couple of days. Well done on your race!

Thank you!

I'd say stretch out the muscles that hurt if you can. It might be a myth but I always think ramping up the protein helps with DOMS too.

Well done on the race

Honestly? Go for a run tomorrow. Just a short one.

Thanks for the bench press tips, Findo

Oh Maid, I was afraid someone would say that . I am so not a runner. Will try a gentle trot on the treadmill tomorrow. The stretching is what I am struggling with as the aches are in such funny places but I will keep going. I am so pleased I did it though.

@MsMartini gentle-ish exercise (a jog, sorry), Epsom salt baths, foam rollering, a good stretch and a good night's sleep ! Often I found the foam rollering and stretching hurt whilst I was doing it but then was amazing after. I used to get terribly tight hip flexors and glutes and spend a full hour in the gym just stretching one day every week or two.

OK, what do I do with a foam roller? And any special armpit tips? You lot are great.

Loads better today after hot bath and stretching last night, so thanks all.

I was weak today. I couldn't do the same number of reps for dumbbell chest press as I did on Saturday and I couldn't get anywhere near my last weight on overhead press. I just felt really weak in my shoulders.

A friend of mine calls these "high gravity days." I wonder what causes them? I felt otherwise fine and energetic.

Glad to hear you are feeling better Ms

Just I was very weak this morning but I know why - physically rested but slept about three hours so my head was wrecked.

Sometimes I have weak days but can usually map it to a lot of running/sport in the previous few.

This morning:

1. Split squats, back knee directly underneath me, my bodyweight plus a 20kg vest. 10/9/8 and every single one was a grind. With my back leg kicked out behind me, I can carry 16kg as well as the vest, but this technique is to really isolate my front leg so I guess I need to expect a reduction in weight.
2. Assisted pull ups (6/8/5 - random burst of energy in second set) + push ups (3 x 10).
3. Ball slams, three balls in a triangle formation, return to squat position between each call from my instructor. I really need to learn my left from right - "middle" was OK . 3 sets of two mins.

I have those days too, Just. Sometimes I think it might be linked to my menstrual cycle but the link doesn't appear to be predictable.

Those split squats sound eeevil, Maid. I need to do more of those. I'm pretty unsteady on my left side (due to very flat feet) so I'm a bit more confident using the Smith machine than free weights.

I'm definitely weaker before my period, but I thought that was my EDS. Once I come on I'm a warrior!

It's not just before my period, so I don't know what was going on.

I lost weight for a while a few months ago. I was tracking calories and then I got to a point where I decided to eat what I wanted while keeping an eye on things. I weigh myself and measure my waist (that's where I gain fat.)

My weight has crept up a little bit (4-5lbs), but my waist has been fairly steady. Meanwhile I have noticed more tops feeling tight around the shoulders/armpits. I guess I'm gaining muscle! It's hard not to have a negative reaction to the scale, even though I know that I should only be concerned if my waist expands.

It is hard. Although I only recently got scales (because I'm trying to lose a bit of fat now and that seems the most convenient way of tracking this). I went up two shirt sizes and one trouser size when I started lifting regularly, and I struggled with that.

Deadlifts this morning. Videod them for the coach - lumbar spine still rounding a bit on the third rep of every bastard set.
6 x 4 x 80kg
Paused below knee:
3 x 4 x 65kg. Tried these sumo to see if my back felt and looked better - it did, plus found it easier to engage glutes... might be an option.
Then
4 x 12 face pulls
4 x 12 hamstring curls
4 x 12 single arm rows.

Bench session tonight with the coach - looking forward to harnessing LEG and ARSE POWER!

My weight has crept up a little bit (4-5lbs), but my waist has been fairly steady. Meanwhile I have noticed more tops feeling tight around the shoulders/armpits. I guess I'm gaining muscle! It's hard not to have a negative reaction to the scale, even though I know that I should only be concerned if my waist expands
I'm in the same boat, Just.

Over the last 18 months, I have steadily lost weight. Once I hit target, I weighed myself every day and worked on the principle that if I was under 50 kg, I ate without MFPing. If I was over, I MFPed for the day. It kept me bobbing nicely around the 50 kg mark.

But I've realised I can't grow muscle unless I have calorie excess. So I've gained a couple of kg over the last six weeks or so, which sees me at 52 kg. Having had the 50 kg threshold so ingrained in my eating habits for so long, it's tough to readjust to a new number

So I stopped weighing myself

I haven't noticed any difference on my thighs/arse/waist - if anything, my jeans are becoming increasingly baggy. However, my bras are beginning to cut a little, suggesting chest/back gains. I bought new underwear and switched from a 28 to a 30 band this weekend, which is much better!

Videod them for the coach - lumbar spine still rounding a bit on the third rep of every bastard set
Do you ever do landmine deadlifts? I round my lower back when I start to fatigue or lose focus on a specific rep and have found these amazing for keeping form. I add them to a session every month or so, to "reset" myself, IYSWIM?

Also, what's your deadlift tempo? Touch and go will let you take advantage of the bounce but I find it harder to hold proper form throughout a set. I sometimes stand/reset after every rep, but this make set take ages :) More often, I reset in the low position, so no kinetic bounce to exploit. I sometimes run "mini-sets" of 3 x 3 touch and gos, with a stand/rest between each group.