Lifting support thread!

[Work2live]

Thought I’d start this thread as a few people thought it’d be a good idea.

It might be a nice place to support each other and talk about lifting in general, ask for tips and advice on workouts, how to get enough protein etc.

All levels very much welcome, from complete newbies to those who’ve been weightlifting for years! 💪🏼

@RayKray im not an expert at all but I had understood that overhand is a pull up and underhand is a chin up. Chin ups are supposed to be easier but I don’t know if that’s true?

the assisted pull up machine at my gym has a neutral grip option so I’ve been using that but I have no idea if that’s the right thing to do when practicing pull ups or not!

Thanks @GoTheFcukToSleep . I think you're right about the pull up/chin up distinction. Any form of getting my body up to a bar will do me 😆. I'd love to try on a neutral grip one as it's disheartening that I can do so much other stuff but can't tell if I have any progress on this. I have been able to jump up and lower down so there is some progress I suppose.

Yeah hands facing you is a chin up, hands facing away is a pull up. Neutral grip is meant to be easier but I don’t find it much different. We don’t have a pull up machine in our gym so we work with resistance bands, either stretched across the rack or looped round the bar and under one foot - that might be worth a try by way of changing it up a bit?

Yes:

Chin-up is underhand (supinated grip), works the biceps more
Pull-up is overhand, more lats
Neutral is in between

Some women find chins easier to get their first but then can get more volume on pulls - this happened to me.

Banded pull ups are good practice but they don't help you with full range (at the top). Feet up inverted rows are also good - you can do these using rings as well as a bar, really squeeze at the top.

www.instagram.com/p/Ch5DPZCJS2F/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

The woman I recommended earlier.

I got most of my pull up progress without any machines (lockdowns and outdoor gyms).

Hello! Lurked for a long time but thought I'd finally join - loving the inspiration in this thread!

I'm also working on pull ups, along with many other things. I used to be able to do them relatively comfortably, trained in a calisthenics class for a couple of years but stopped when the teacher moved away and the gym closed. I'm lucky enough to have a home gym so can train them at home, although space/height is limited compared to a regular gym.

I can just about do one but the top position is so much harder than it used to be! I'm working on top of the bar holds - jumping up and then holding and squeezing. It's tough!

I'm doing small bits of strength training as well, and I do martial arts in the evenings, hence Jack of all trades master of none 😄

Hoping to keep up with this thread for inspiration!

Welcome @Proteinpudding love your username!!

It’s great having a gym setup at home, we’ve only got the basics really, but it’s more than enough and I find it helps that I can’t come up with excuses not to train 😂

What sort of martial arts do you do? I’ve always fancied giving it a go, there’s a jiu jitsu place near me.

Ooh do you know what kind of jiu jitsu place @Work2live - eg Japanese Jiu Jitsu or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Capoeira (the latter is more of a dance/gymnastics type class - there's no contact) Years ago I did Kung Fu and MMA. Writing it down I sound like I must be dead sporty, Im a very average person with no natural aptitude for this stuff, just realised as an adult that you can just pay and keep turning up to classes and they're happy to have you! Hence the proteinpudding name, I try and eat like the articles tell you, but I'm still a bit of a pudding 😂

Thank you @MsMartini for the insta link, I had a look that looks so useful.

can I ask a bench press question? Now I can comfortably do a few sets at 22.5kg I want to increase the weight to 25kg. Obviously I’m not sure I can lift it yet as I’ve never tried. Is it safe to try it by myself, if I read up on how to “fail” a lift safely? I don’t really have a spotter and the gym is usually empty when I go.

@GoTheFcukToSleep the only safe way to fail on bench imo is if you've got spotter arms of some kind to catch the bar. For bench they're usually set to chest height so it can be a bit awkward benching (you might clang the bar at the bottom of your rep) but it means if you fail it keeps the bar in place and you can wriggle out.

Do you have squat racks in your gym? This set up is ideal (apologies for linking to a naff video)

It's fine to move a bench into a squat rack to set up like this, especially if the gym is quiet

Some bench set ups have spotter arms but they're not that common.

If you don't have any options for spotting then I would personally switch to incline bench, that way if you fail and the bar has to roll it's going to go down towards your hips. You really want to avoid the risk of bar rolling towards your neck.

Yayyy @Proteinpudding, welcome.

Pre-covid, I did some boxing. I was astonishingly bad at it (struggle with left and right and co-ordination) but loved it!

Oh thanks @Proteinpudding we do have a squat rack I’ll see if it has that feature!

I thought I could also use the smyth machine but I don’t like that you’re restricted in the range of motion somehow. Anyway that’s very helpful thank you!

Thanks for the Instagram link @MsMartini .

@GoTheFcukToSleep I don't do bench presses so this isn't from direct experience but I have seen people talk about how you leave the clips off the bar so you can then tip the bar to the side and let the weights fall off if you need to bail. Only for bench presses, nothing else. I'm sure not everyone would agree but just adding it in as something I've seen suggested (multiple times)

I bench press in the squat rack for this reason. I had an embarrassing fail on the main bench press and had to be rescued.

I do have to arch properly to make sure my chest is above the side bars - I always squeeze back my shoulders and 'hang' off the bar before setting my back down - this seems to make sure I'm in good position.

If it's not working I just flatten down onto the bench and the bar is pretty much down straight away.

No horrible clanging sounds or struggling under a bar while people try and figure out if you need help.

Thanks @willingtolearn!

So I’ve been going to the gym for 4 months now and today I wrote a little summary of my progress. My starting weights were super low but still I’m so pleased with my progress! I’ve doubled my weights for:

• Bench press (PB 22.5)
• Dumbbell shoulder press (PB 8kg each arm)
• Dumbbell shoulder press (PB 7kg each arm)
• Chest press machine (PB 20kg)
• Wide grip lateral pull down (PB 40kg)

I’m also mega pleased that I’ve finally got the right barbell squat form, can dead hang for 100 seconds and made great progress on the assisted pull up machine!

And this was only the first 4 months! Excited to see what I’ll be able to do after the next four months at the end of this year!

Yayyy @GoTheFcukToSleep , brilliant progress. Was one of the shoulder presses meant to be something else?

I'm inching on with pull up volume (taking long rests between sets), and did a brilliant handstand class last night.

Oh yes! The second one is a biceps curl which I’ve only recently started with but been really enjoying once I got the form right! @MsMartini I also find rest breaks help a lot! It’s amazing what I can still do after a longer rest break, even if I feel I totally exhausted myself in the previous set!!

jealous of your hand stand! My youngest child manages them with such ease, I wish I had her strength and flexibility😂😂

Yes, it is a different way of training - I'm trying to build really solid foundations. I do a bit of core in the rests but it is still time-consuming (I start with 3.5 mins rest and build to five mins over 5 sets. the aim is to increase reps and/or decrease rest)

Wish I could actually do a handstand - but I did get a bit of a hold last night with a spotter.

Thanks for those stats @GoTheFcukToSleep . That's really interesting for me as I'm about 5.5 months in so v similar.

My stats are:

• Dumbbell shoulder press (PB 8kg each arm for reps)
• Dumbbell hammer curl (PB 10kg each arm for reps)
• Chest press machine (PB 30kg for reps and this is a recent increase)
• Seated cable row (PB 70kg for reps - we've been trying to work out if there's an issue with the machine as this seems oddly high but it seems true and I've tested it on another machine too!)

So you can see they're similar, slightly higher but I've been doing it slightly longer. Really interesting to see how comparable they are!

Amazing stats @RayKray !!! Not just the seated cable row🤩🤩🤩 but also the chest press machine, I find it hard to move weight on that one! Great work!

I had a full hour of PT today which was good though seems my trainer can't carry on at the same gym so I need to start looking again. I learnt a lot today, getting to grips with form on the basics. Getting the right sequence of hips and knee movement for deadlifts made my brain hurt more than any muscles.

I tried assisted pull-ups today for the first time, managed 2 reps at -7kg but a third was definitely too much! Chin ups and neutral grip were much easier at the same assist (I can chin up full bodyweight but only a few times). Otherwise I'm not doing many machines as I prefer free weights, but I'm at 30kg on lat pull down and 20kg on chest press.

I'm still working on squat form so keeping to 2x6 kg or 1x12 depending on what type I'm doing. At the moment my upper body is working harder than my lower to hold them in the right position, hoping to start building up soon once I've got it sorted. Similar for deadlifts really, need to get the form sorted. And it appears I've been doing press ups wrong!

So much to learn, but feeling happy about getting some proper guidance and getting started with a full variety of weights rather than the limited selection I have at home.

Enjoying seeing all the progress in this thread!
I've been struggling a bit the last few days, think it's PMS making me feel really tired and hadn't felt like working out. One of the gifts of having a garage gym is being able to train even if I think I can only manage 10mins. After a warm up I felt ok to try some light weights, so deliberately did some exercises I never normally do (so that I wouldn't be tempted to go to my 'usual' weights)
Did front squats 25kg x12 and hammer curls 7.5kg x 8. The latter were with Olympic dumbbell handles which are awkward due to their size so I rarely use them. I do notice my left side is weaker though so I'm trying to make myself try some DB work instead of only barbell.

I'm also working on handstands. Knew that wasn't going to be great today but managed some kick ups so I can at least keep up my shoulder/wrist conditioning. @MsMartini are you working on them at the moment, or was the class a one off?

Isn't that interesting @RayKray and @GoTheFcukToSleep - and you are both motoring!

@Proteinpudding, the class is weekly with a different focus every month or so, currently handstands. I can't really practise on my own - need a spotter (nerves and can't kick up high enough) but also I just find one of those things that works better with someone else to tweak form and encourage. I have a training partner I share PT with so we sometimes practise together but not a lot atm.

I think sometimes we just need a rest or very light session - because of classes and PT, I find it hard to take rest days as I also need days on my own to get reps in and practise skills. And I run and try to do some HIT....

@GoTheFcukToSleep I was on 25kg chest press for a while, the 30kg is recent (and hard!). You'll get there!

@UnaOfStormhold movement patterns fry my brain too. I overthink if someone explains something verbally which gets in the way of just moving. It's one of the things I like about strength training. Once I get the movement I can just do it and up the weights etc without having to continually use my brain. Stuff with continual input like body pump or something just end up with my brain being far too engaged at the expense of my body.

@Proteinpudding my left is much weaker too - I'm often wonky. I am working on it to make sure it's minor although I'm sure it's pretty normal and when I was watching the womenswear weightlifting they often weren't symmetrical either. I often start a set the same on both sides then when left reaches failure I do a drop set on left and keep going heavier on right. Only with one weight different so each are getting what they need but the gap isn't getting to big.

@RayKray yeah I'm sure it is normal. I'm trying to work on it as there are some moves we do in capoeira that are one handed, even if just for a second (eg during a cartwheel) and I'm noticeably weaker and less confident on my left. I also discovered recently that I can do a pistol squat on my right leg but nowhere near on my left, so I'd like to catch that up too!
I get what you mean about the simplicity of weights too, I enjoy going to classes but I see them very much as learning a skill rather than exercise, if I want to push myself it has to be simple!

@MsMartini wow, HIIT and running.... I don't have the motivation to do cardio on my own! I agree about handstands it makes a big difference in a class. We do them every so often in our class (with a cushioned floor, so less scary) and I did PTs for a while although that PT has left which is a shame. It has only been more recently that I've felt I know what I'm doing enough & have control enough to work on them at home. I have a list of horrible drills/accessory work and stretches around doing them, I definitely need better core strength (eg hollow body) to hold them.