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! 💪🏼

@GoTheFcukToSleep well done!

Honestly, if you’re already managing 3x10 at 25kg you will definitely be able to bench 27.5kg and probably even 30kg… go for it, I believe in you!

Have enjoyed reading all your posts and hoping to join in soon - waiting for a call from a PT tomorrow to see if he can fit me in. Had shoulder surgery in December and since then been gradually building up strength at home (couldn't even lift my own arm but now using 4kg dumbbells) - really looking forward to some serious progression 💪

Sturdy by Design leggings.

I bloody love them.

In terms of the leg press question, I'm a big believer in doing what you enjoy and makes you feel good, as then you'll do it. I do the things that make me feel good, and there's some things I just don't do cos I just don't want to. Within reason of course as there's needs to be balance in the body. But if one lower exercise feels better for whatever reason, I'd say do that.

Well done on the bench press @GoTheFcukToSleep !

Re the leg press I think a lot of the debate arounds them comes from men with egos making a big deal of maxing out the machine. They're perfectly fine, safer than squats but won't give the same pace of progress of squats, but depends on your goal of that's an issue. The weight you can move on a leg press isn't really comparable to squats, but if you don't get hung up on the numbers then go for it!

I did some more handstand practice yesterday and managed to balance for a few seconds, so really pleased with that! Definitely feeling more confident in my upper body strength to hold me, but also in the movement/coordination (eg the feeling of pushing the floor away, from my hands all the way down to my lats and core) Still a work in progress but really enjoying the journey!

@Proteinpudding , I love that feeling as you push through too!

@DonttouchthatLarry, welcome! Sorry to hear about your shoulder - what was the injury? I had an RC tear a few years back (full thickness supraspinatus and partial one of the others but barely feel it these days - thank you strength training!)

@MsMartini thank you. I will quote from the internet 😉- I had

Shoulder decompression, also known as subacromial decompression or acromioplasty, removes swollen and irritated soft tissues (bursa and ligaments) and bone spurs in your shoulder joint to widen the space around your rotator cuff tendons, known as the acromial space. This decompression surgery takes the pressure off your inflamed rotator cuff tendon so that it doesn't rub or catch on anything nearby.

@Work2live thanks for the vote of confidence!!! I needed a few attempts (chickening out) but did 5 reps of 27.5 today!!! Finished my sets with 25kgs.

thanks for all the leg press advice! I know it’s not a reflection of my true strength but I enjoy it so I will keep going!

welcome @DonttouchthatLarry!

Ah yes, I read about that, @DonttouchthatLarry ! Good luck with getting stuck back in!

Yayy @GoTheFcukToSleep .

Leg press - one of the bods I follow on insta did a good video recently showing how different feet position help loads different muscles (so not just quad focus). If I remember who it was, I will post a link. I used to squat and DL but am not right now, and am enjoying the leg machines for a change and to force me to do single leg. I agree about doing stuff you enjoy, at least for most of the time!

Went this evening without any preconceptions of what I would do and found that I could go up a plate and everything seemed a little more explosive than usual.

Except leg curls. I'm still crap at those.

Any suggestions on other things I can do to back them up? Don't say deadlifts or kettlebells, please, because my shoulder tendons aren't having any of it.

Bulgarian split squats? I do those. What muscles do you want to target/what's your goal?

My goal?

Posh version: to ensure I've addressed imbalances and weaknesses in my posterior chain

My version: to reduce the number of days where I feel like I'm being held together in some parts by old knicker elastic and in others by steel cables that are currently on fire. (I've got Psoriatic arthritis, associated multiple tendinopathies and connective tissue disease - EDS).

I think the hamstring weakness is contributing towards some residual lower back pain and SI grumpiness, together with a tendency towards anterior pelvic tilt when I'm tired - it can make keeping an effective gait very hard going, so I find running more than explosive sprints very uncomfortable and detest cycling with a passion. And I feel lopsided, as though one leg is shorter than the other when they aren't, my pelvis is level (except just before popping an SI joint every so often) - I get some really big pops in unweighted adduction, but both abductors and adductors are strong, as are glutes, quads and everything else.

I feel amazing compared to two years ago following a really, really nasty first wave Covid infection, but I don't quite feel '100% put together' yet and I feel as though it's my hamstrings that are letting the side down.

Does any of this make sense?

@NeverDropYourMooncup my coach has focused heavily on my hamstrings over the last few months as I had similar issues.

I do a lot of:

RDLs and single leg RDLs which help with imbalances.

Banded leg curls (as opposed to machine - maybe worth a try?)

Hack squats (can do these against a wall with a foam roller - keep your back against the foam roller and imagine your hamstrings ‘pulling’ you down as you move into a squat position.

Glute bridges and hip thrusts - hamstrings are more of a secondary muscle for these movements, but still important.

I also focus a lot on hip and hamstring/flute mobility - pigeon stretches, walk-outs, hip 90/90.

I do this tommorrison.uk/products/the-simplistic-mobility-method?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0-7QtMeD-gIVz-vtCh0DnAjTEAAYASAAEgIRwfD_BwE alongside strength training to help with that kind of stuff. It's very much from a keep moving, keep strengthening, but sort out those imbalances kind of perspective which I like.

Interesting discussion on leg press. At the moment my arm strength isn't up to holding the weight I need to really work my legs in squats so I have been wondering about trying leg press while continuing to work the upper body to catch up.

The PT suggested doing lots of short sets (5x3-5 reps at a weight I can just manage for a set) but find I'm not recovering enough to complete the second set - not sure if I need to take longer or do something different in between or whether this comes with time. Any tips?

@NeverDropYourMooncup how is your hip flexor flexibility? Mine were very tight and kept pulling my pelvis out of alignment and straining lower back. I still have to watch my posture but they're much better now.

@UnaOfStormhold how long did they say to rest for? I usually rest for 1 minute, but I've been upping that on heavier sets. On the times I've got distracted and ended up resting longer I've found the next set much easier, and that tallies which what I've seen about longer rests (3-5 mins?). I struggle to rest that long as I feel daft (it's rare to see anyone even doing sets where I am so I just look like I'm slacking and have been accused of such!)

I am the same as @RayKray, I usually rest between 1 and 2 mins between sets depending on how heavy I’m lifting, but sometimes if I get distracted and have a longer rest I’m capable of so much more!!! I do see people who lift heavy having long rests at my gym.

Had a swim this morning which I rarely do now that I gym so much. I think I felt a little stronger! Anyone else noticed improvements in swimming because of lifting?

Oh yes to swimming! I hadn't been for ages and was just bodging around and realised I moved a lot quicker and easier. And getting out of the pool was a delight as well, popped straight up with back to wall using triceps, felt great!

So funny you mention getting out of the pool was easier @RayKray that is what I thought as well😂😂

Rests - I'm doing up to five min rests for my pull up sets at the moment. As you go heavier with weights/reduce reps, you do often increase rests I think. On the bars, I do a bit of core in the gaps, harder on a machine!

Omg @RayKray @GoTheFcukToSleep I was going to go for a swim this morning but I decided against it.

I might go over the weekend instead. I love a swim but I haven’t been for weeks - my local pool was rammed over the school hols, hoping it’s calmed down a bit now. I don’t find much joy in it when I’m sharing a lane with 6/7 other people 😂

I tend to find that I’m too slow for the fast lane, and too fast for the medium lane.

@Work2live one of the reasons I prefer the gym to the pool now is that our pool is always so rammed. People don’t seem to understand lane etiquette neither which gives me the rage!

I like swimming but I can't bear all the lane stuff. It's another thing I like about weights, it's just you, by yourself, doing your thing.

Just managed one single, ugly assisted pull up at -7kg!!! Been stuck at -14kg forever. Started at -28 in May.
To me it’s proof that if you keep going, keep trying you will get there😁😁😁🎉🎊🎉🎊

Tried one again at the end of my session and didn’t manage it which made me wonder whether I dreamt the whole thing😂 Arms were tired after a full upper body work out I guess (I always do the pull ups first).

I think the wide grip lateral pull down really helps my progress. I got bored of it a while ago and stopped. Two weeks or so ago I picked it up again, but focussing on higher weights (35-40kg)/lower reps instead. I think keeping going with those is helping my pull ups.
That, and all the great pointers on technique I’ve received on here! Thanks guys!