Getting into powerlifting?

[Riverz]

I have developed a very keen interest in lifting weights over the past 2 years.

Initially I was quite tame and not really pushing myself but the last 6 months I joined a gym with a very new large weights section, which I got braver trying out, and then joined a weight lifting exercise class and I’ve become addicted and love it. The trainer in the class says I’m making great progress and pushing myself at a good pace.

I do not have a PT as I can’t afford one, I am am member of a council gym so they don’t offer much coaching or specific PT for weights - I had a session and the generic PT just wanted me on all the cardio machines and designed me a whole 60 min programme of things I don’t even want to do.

I’ve got another 6 months of this membership before I can leave. I don’t have anyone to spot me. I’ve not made friends at the gym and don’t know anyone who goes. So I usually stick with squatting in a smith machine for safety. It’s not as easy to deadlift in a smith machine though!

I am thinking to work alone for the next 6 months by myself improving form and increasing weights and then perhaps join a proper lifting gym?

Currently I am aiming for ‘do at least one pull up’ and I am at 3/4 of my body weight on the assisted pull up machine

Also slowly graduating up to heavier lateral pull downs, bicep curls etc.

I have very weak shoulders so these need a lot of work but my class is good for this as I am seeing slow progress

I don’t know what my 1RM is because I don’t really feel I have a safe set up to try this alone

any advice for a newbie on where to get started? Do I need a proper programme?

I think you may struggle to make significant progress in a council gym if there aren't any similar minded people around to offer advice and encouragement.

I have, over the years, used many kinds of gyms. They often fall into categories where the kit and members tend to specialise in certain things such as bodybuilding, hyrox, powerlifting or more general use (e.g.PureGym)

In time, hopefully you can find a powerlifting gym where you'd thrive. By starting up conversation and asking questions, you'll soon have a community of people encouraging and helping you.

As you still have months left on your current membership, I'd recommend watching YouTube videos and possibly following some lifters on Instagram or TikTok for some "how to" videos. The council gyms usually have some PT trained staff wandering around. Despite you not being a dedicated client of theirs, they should still help with spotting you and advice when requested. Thats what they're being paid for.

I dont feel that having a programme at this stage would be particuarly helpful if you dont feel safe to execute the movements.

You should start on your compound movements outside of the Smith machine, just to practice the ROM and work on your core strength. Set up the safety bars on the squat rack and start with the bar only, to begin with. Start adding weights little by little as your confidence grows.

@AphroditesSeashell thanks this is helpful as what I was considering - I can focus on the compounds for 6 months, and focus on my back and shoulders as they need the work. I can just use machines for now. I think it would be better progress to come off machines at some point as this helps with stability, but I will look for a gym that might suit me better. I’ve seen too many gym fail videos for my own liking lately 😭

Yes, you NEED a proper progressve programme! Preferably one with a community. I use MegSquats app Stronger by the Day, and enjoy the FB and Discord community sites (recommended here years ago). I'd also recommend Rachel Henley Fitness - find her on Insta and YouTube - sweary is her trademark, but her advice & knowledge is spot on. Both of these cost - but SBD is around £90 per year. It doesn't offer live sessions or personal coaching, but does have a huge library of instructional videos, and a bodyweight option. Have a look at MegSquats on YouTube.

You need a programme which offers progression.

For squats, can you set up a rack with safety bars? And look on Youtube or Insta for examples of "safe failure" or how to bail out? Once you've seen how it's done, it's so so so much better than a Smith machine (I may have a hate-hate relationship with Smith machines).

Loads of other things to say - come on over to the Weights Room section of MN and talk to other powerlifting nerds ...

Yeah I don’t know how to bail out, I am not really loving the smith but it’s the best option I have got so far to progress heavier safely

In my class I am being taught form and the instructor watches all your weights to check it’s right for you so I have some limited coaching. She will also tell me when I need to add on a little

I’ve made good progression I think with lats, chest and biceps but struggling with shoulders. Legs are much easier

I weightlift in the gym on my own and there’s very few exercises I feel like I need a spotter for. I was a bit anxious of squats and bench presses, but if you set up safety bars you should be OK.

I do free weights for biceps, triceps, shoulders and deadlifts without being spotted. Just increase weights gradually and you should be fine.

I'm scared of squats due to a slightly unreliable knee, but I won't go near a Smith machine. I do have a PT who has spotted where necessary but during Covid I was just starting out and had to do all of my stuff without him. You really don't need to work to 1RM level if you don't want to, especially when you are building confidence. Safeties on the squat rack are fine - and you also don't need to squat low. My PT had me mainly doing box squats at the start - where you have a bench behind you and essentially sit down on it and then stand back up. They're surprisingly effective and feel safer, somehow. Plus if you fail you are caught by the bench and just sit up straight so the bar rolls away onto the bench. Although I won't squat a weight I am not sure I can deal with and have not failed a squat yet. If progress is slower that way, so be it. I'm not competing.

You don't need a spotter for deadlifts and you can video yourself if you want to check your form. Assuming the gym you use has rubber bumper plates you can drop the bar if it is too heavy without worrying unduly. I am quite happy to attempt very heavy deadlifts in spite of my knee.

I personally do like a spotter if I am doing bench press but I rarely do those as I mainly work on my press ups (which can be weighted).

I'm glad you're enjoying the weights! Long may that continue.

For shoulders, the classic would be an overhead press. Start with dumbbells and learn to brace so you do a strict press, rather than a push press. But you can do a push press too.

For really strict form, try a seated OHP with a bar. Quite tough as you need to brace your core to stay seated with legs in front of you. You can’t do any kind of push-press action. Warm up with the bar (20 kilos) then add weight as you feel you can. If you were doing 3 sets of 5 you could start with 2.5 plates (so 25 kg) and see how close you get to failure - or how many reps in reserve after each set. We generally don’t push ourselves as hard as we could.

For something a bit more dynamic, try dumbbell thrusters. My PT programmes these about and I’ve come to like them. Gives you the full compound of squat (to proper depth) then use the hips to drive your arms overhead. I do these with either 8 or 10 kilo dumbbells but you could go lighter or heavier. A set of weighted wall balls (Hyrox style with proper depth in the squat) does much the same thing.

Do you mean you want to get into powerlifting the sport, or lifting in the gym? If it’s the former, and you’re stuck at a gym where powerlifting is tricky, then I’d suggest focusing on building in that time. Get strong legs and back as they’ll help you a lot. I am a powerlifter and my training consists of squat, bench and deadlift but also exercises to support that. Rows, leg press, RDLs, split squats etc. That will give you a good foundation for then moving into powerlifting.

Meg squats stronger by the day is a good programme.

I concur on the MegSquats stronger by the day app. It's really good. Another good one is Ladder, which has a range of programmes according to your needs (e.g. weights plus pilates) and has in ear coaching/built in warmup and rests which i like (also offline workouts which is useful in a gym with dodgy data!). Only on IOS which is a bit annoying.

On a general level if you do need a spotter (bench press is my nemesis..) I usually find that the guys (it is usually guys. ) in the weights area are usually very happy to help. Although I am old and they tend to be teenagers which may work in my favour! On the form side, a few sessions with a PT just to ensure firm is good is always useful.

Yes, the young bros in the gym are actually really helpful & friendly. I was bench pressing on my own w/o a spotter, and failed a lift on the final rep (I was almost at my then 1RM), and I managed to sort of wriggle out from under it. The guy next to me looked across and actually apologised for not giving me a spot!

I then learnt that if I think I can't re-rack the weight above me, it's better to leave it on my chest & roll the bar down to my hips, sit up and get out from under it that way!

But you can set up a Smith machine for benching, and so you wouldn't need a spot.

and you also don't need to squat low. My PT had me mainly doing box squats at the start

Hmmmmm, you have a reason not to squat to full depth, but if you can, it's far far better to train to full depth (correct technique) with lighter weights. Then build strength and mobility to manage increasingly heavy weights.

But unless there's a reason for restriction, I can't see the point of not squatting to full depth. Squats are really good for developing & maintaining hip & ankle mobility, as well as core strength (obviously glutes, hamstrings & quads!)

I'm so pleased you’re enjoying weights - it’s brilliant getting stronger.

Like PP I would question the need for a smyth machine for deadlifts - you don’t need a spotter for them.

I’m not convinced the assisted pull up machine is gonna help you do pull ups? Weird right? The only thing it does really is help you learn the movement, it’s really really difficult to achieve progressive overload on it, so you’ll never build the right muscles to do a pull up unassisted.

But, if you concentrate on wide arm lat pull downs and narrow rows, progressively overloading and pushing to failure, you’ll get to unassisted pull ups much faster.

Also, if you jump up and lower yourself gradually, you’ll train the muscles faster.

i know this because i spend almost a year pissing about on the assisted pull up machine and not getting anywhere, but when I changed training methods I started doing pull ups within six months.

I doubt I'll ever get a pull up (too heavy basically) but I agree on doing the negatives. You can use resistance bands to help as well. Get up with your chin over the bar and then take 8-10 counts to lower yourself down. Or maybe start with 4 counts. It's hard.

I am practicing the pull up motions on the assisted machine I don’t spend much time on it. It’s more checking my progress also I use it for deadhangs and ab work. The assisted pull up machine isn’t going to actually help me do the pull up I agree! so I think I can do one one day, it’s a goal I set myself a while back just to focus on something and I am really enjoying the challenge but quickly worked out I need a much stronger back! So yes I do lat and shoulder work and then go down do some deadhangs and lat activation then see how my back is coming on in a pull up

I can squat pretty deep I do a lot of stretching and Pilates I absolutely love squats and back squats on the smith machine does work well - I do NOT have the shoulder strength to overhead press very much yet!

chest press and hip thrusts are the thing I have an issue with. Chest lying down is much easier than sitting chests obviously gravity, but I am afraid of dropping the weight! I also can’t seem to get my position for hips right, I feel like I don’t fit in the hip thrust machine as too short and not sure how to set it up independently

There are often NO guys working out in the smith machine area so it’s not like I can make friends to spot. They all hang out in the free weights

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_weights_room

Great advice here although I think many are on this thread already

I don’t know what I want to do in terms of long term, I am 45 now, I wish I had got into this as a sport because I love it so much. But I think it’s just going to be a personal hobby or challenge now. Cardio stuff is not my best skill so I’m not going to go to hyrox.

My whole insta feed is full of amazing immensely strong women power cleaning huge weights 😂 and I absolutely love watching it especially the slow motion ones

But a bench press on a Smith machine is very safe. The machine holds the weight for you.

Id say you could start overhead press with a couple of dumbbells - start at 2 x 4kilos and work up to 8 kilos, then swap to a bar bell which is 20 kg but more stable than dumbbells. Or dumbbell thrusters, which is a 2-for-1 compound movement - a squat and a push press all in one!

@Riverz if you mean powerlifting the sport, it’s not too late at all. There’s loads of masters women who have just got into it. I started at a similar age nearly 4 years ago now and am now competing in powerlifting at a national level.

I remember being concerned about benching the bar. I wouldn’t use the smith as it’s straight up and down which a bench bar path isn’t. I started with dumbbells until I could do 10kg in each hand as that’s then the weight of the bar. I had someone to help me though. But depending on what you’ve done so far it might take you 6 months before you need to move onto the bar.

Where roughly are you OP? I manage to find weight gyms wherever I go, maybe one of us will know a good friendly weigh lifter's gym?

I go to one of the old fashioned 'weights room' gyms near where I live. Very rarely see another female in there. I rarely have a spotter but I manage and I am quite strong now after a couple of years of it.

Great advice here! I don't powerlift but do a mixture of weights and calisthenics. I do train pull ups, working on weighted ones now (5kg!).

For pull ups, I'd leave the assist machine now and do: negatives (jump or climb up, really slow descent, add weights if too easy), holds (chin above bar for up to 10 secs, then forehead to bar, then arms at 90) and banded full pull ups (start with a heavy band you can do ten with, three sets, work down the bands - look at insta for the band set ups). The path to the bar, the grip, and the use of the rest of your body are all different on the bar.

For bench, I often do one-armed dumbbell bench. I've got an old shoulder injury and it is helping me even out my barbell bench. I use the second arm as a spotter to get the weight up initially (I'm up to 22 per arm) and help me bail safely if needed. Takes some anti-rotational effort too. The set up is really quick. I've definitely progressed. If the barbell bench with safety straps is free, and I've got a bit more time and maybe a possible spotter I'll use it, but as I am not planning to compete, it doesn't matter much - I am getting stronger this way and there will be some cross over.

I'm 59 and started weights at 51. I too wish I had discovered them earlier. What I've learned is that I have to focus, and as with my bench, find compromises that work for me as I am often training solo in a small, crowded (tho very friendly and local) gym.