Lifting/gym accountability thread.

[Bookaholic73]

I am going to be getting a lot more consistent in the gym and would love to have an accountability thread for anyone else doing the same.

I dont mind what exercise you do, it'll just be nice to chat with others and help each other stay on track.

I have a weightlifting competition in June 2026, so my main goal is to be a lot more consistent with my lifting.
I currently lift 4 times a week, i want to add an extra day into my programme, so may add a full body day in too. I currently do a push, pull, leg split with a weightlifting class as an extra.

This is exactly what I need today! I decided to get more consistent with the gym and diet after the summer holidays (teacher) and didn't miss a single session for the whole of September and most of October. Also got in 10000 steps every day. I lost momentum a bit over October half term as we went away for a few days, but that's OK. Then this week I've done nothing. I'm so annoyed with myself.
So yes, I would love to be accountable with you please!

Fab @wizardchess great to have you on board. Well done for your consistency over September and October!

Next week I have a week of annual leave from work, so I expect to be at the gym 5 days. It’s the weeks where work is full on that I find it difficult.

Planning my workouts and they look like this:

Monday leg day & 30 min cardio
Tuesday pull & 30 min cardio
Wednesday push & 30 min cardio
Thursday cardio/Hiit
Friday class
Saturday rest day
sunday cardio

I’m also going to start using the Strong app again to track my workouts so I’m focusing on progressive overload.

Me please. I need gym accountability. I love running and don’t need any encouragement to do that but I’m always talking myself out of the gym and I really need to do more strength training.

I’m not on the same level as you but I go twice a week and do full body but with glute focus.

Hip thrust, RDL, leg press, 45s, Bulgarian split squats, Abductions

Lat pull, weighted rows, shoulder press, tricep pull down

Then ab work and stretch

Some weeks I really have to push to go a second day as I’m tired from general life.

How long did it take you to be able to get to competition level?

Well done on the running. I did couch to 5k a few years ago and loved it. I’m definitely not a runner though!

What are 45s? I’d love to know!

In regards to how long it took me to get to comp level…I’m still not sure I am!
it’s a ladies beginners comp and the weights are not particularly huge.

100kg deadlift
50kg stones
40kg axle press
35kg farmers/dinnie walk
50kg sandbags

I can currently do
90kg deadlift
40kg stones
35kg axle press
35kg farmers
40kg sandbags.

so I’m not too far off, and I have 7 months to improve.
I’ll be eating lots of protein and lifting til failure!

Since i am aiming to see quite a bit of improvement in the next 6/7 months, i've started a new style of training i suppose you'd call it.
I'm focusing on 6-7 reps of as heavy as i can, instead of 12 reps of a managable weight.
So i had a push workout this morning and wow its a different ballgame! Really enjoyed it though.

I'm also concentrating on increasing my protein intake. I currently eat around 100g a day, but now I'm going to try and get 130g a day.

I'm still trying to lose fat as well as gaining muscle, so am in a slight calorie deficit (not too much of a deficit as i dont want to hinder my muscle building progress) and will add 45mins of incline walking on the treadmill each session.

Me too! I started a new programme a few weeks back and am doing it again from next week. The last couple
of weeks have been slow due to a holiday and being floored with a head cold and bad cough. But hopefully I can start again by the weekend.

I do a push, pull, lower leg and free session which is often an exercise class. I’m really enjoying it and getting used to using weights in the gym. It is nutrition focused too which I’m enjoying and I have upped my steps to get to the 10k per day.

Sorry to hear you've been poorly, i hope you're on the mend soon.

I dont have much nutrition support, so am just going with the basics of a calorie deficit and increased protein. But if you learn anything substancial please let me know!

Evening. I don’t lift yet but have joined a small local gym about a month ago. I try to go 2-3 times a week to either small group PT classes (normally a max of three people) or by myself. Currently learning the ropes and as I get stronger will pay for PT sessions to learn how to lift. I also do a step class once a week and am trying to regular yoga or Pilates sessions at home.

Wow you are off to a great start! Are you enjoying the classes?

I've had a great week of workouts and am super happy with my consistency recently.
I'm taking the weekend off, as my body needs it after the heavy loads i've lifted this week. I might go this evening for a little bit of cardio as the weather is awful so I'll struggle to get my steps in today.

Can someone chat to me about creatine? Is it worth taking, and are some brands better than others? I bought some from My Protein earlier this year and it's about to run out. I'm wondering if Nutrition Geeks is better quality, or doesnt it matter?

I forgot I posted here! However it's all gone wrong anyway. Had a shoulder injury, then a stomach bug, then hurt my back and now have a rotten cold.
I'm hoping to get back in it next week. Well done to all who are still going!

@Bookaholic73Yes, I do enjoy the classes - they push me to do much more than I think I’m capable of! I need to improve my overall fitness to keep up with my two boys (12 and 9 year old) they’re like mountain goats!

I’ve no idea about any kind of supplements I’m afraid.

I use Hevy. I do push (chest shoulders triceps) pull (back bicep also deadlifts) and legs.

happy to send the hevy link if you send me a DM.

what’s the competition?

Is that 35kg each hand for farmer carry and for how long? My gym has 32kg kettlebells but can’t manage a minute yet!!

@wizardchess what rotten luck! I hope you're feeling better and able to get back to exercise soon.

@amibeth1 i bet you'll be running around after your kids in no time. I need to work on cardiovascular health too, but i despise it!

Thanks @MeridaBrave but i already use Strong and it works well for me and my current subscription doesnt run out until May 2026.
Yes, that's 35kg per hand. It is DIFFICULT, it's taken a while to build up to that. What I'll find the most difficult is the dinnie walks as we dont have dinnie stones to practice with. I currently use plates, dumbbells and kettlebells and practise with those, but theres nothing like the real thing.

My practise is going to be mainly with the stones, deadlift and a lot of lower body work.

I’m just using the free version of Hevy and only using it as DS1 and DD use it so it’s nice to see what they up to (esp as I paid for their university gym membership!) it seems to serve my purpose.

And yes 35kg per hand is very heavy!! Annoyingly my gym don’t have 36kg kettlebells so will be using 32kg for a while. I’m Scottish so like the idea of doing a Scottish weight lifting competition but I can’t even push press a 40kg bar so I feel an overhead press with a stone is a while off!