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! 💪🏼

That's awesome @GoTheFcukToSleep !!! Well done! I can do less push ups at the end of an upper body session as my muscles are tired so makes sense you found it harder at end of session, and shows the rest of the session was effective too

Had an amazing session yesterday, did sumo pull ups for the first time. Then got 2 PBs, 2 reps of 80kg deadlift, then 1 rep of 80kg back squat, lost balance on number 2. I felt amazing, and feel OK today. My main worry about going heavier on back squats is that it hurts the back of my neck.

Does anyone do CrossFit? My gym is about to start offering it, my gut instinct is that I hate anything like that. I have a real aversion of shouty instructors telling you work harder, but I’m wondering if i should be more open minded

@GoTheFcukToSleep and @DCIJackieDeering awesome progress!!

Crossfit - it divides people. In my circles, it has rep for allowing poor form and injuries, possibly unfounded. The techniques are very different, that's for sure, for eg pull ups and muscle ups so I've steered clear on those grounds anyway, as too many horses. I also feel, for me, lifting heavy stuff (including myself) is best done slowly and carefully. I save shouty instructor stuff for cardio-based classes.

Thanks @RayKray and @MsMartini!

Early this evening I further surprised myself (whilst messing around with the kids on the floor) by doing a few proper push ups!!! They weren’t the prettiest but they were definitely push ups, I’ve never even come close before (I don’t try them often). So pleased!

@DCIJackieDeering Wow well done those are some heavy weights!!! I don’t know enough about CrossFit to advise, it always looks a mixture of terrifying and loads of fun when I see people do it😂 I prefer to work out on my own in my own time so it’s not for me, but it does look like an epic work out it it’s your kind of thing! Sometimes you have to try something new to know if it’s for you.

@GoTheFcukToSleep the first time I did push ups was when I was trying to show my husband that I couldn't do any, and then I did and proved myself wrong

I don't think cross fit is my cup of tea either as one of the things I like about weights is it's just me. I hate things where someone is bossing you. Looks fun though for people who are into it. I see cross fitters on my tiktok and they look v happy.

I'm very definitely having a rest day tomorrow. I'm due on, it's been a long week at work and I just stuck to rowing, adductors, abductors, leg curls and pulldowns before walking home, where a short foam roller stretch resulted in the loudest clunk from somewhere deep in my upper back that DP has ever heard from across the room. I swear something dropped an inch back into place in there.

Going back to the crappy hamstrings, my hips are pretty flexible - I can 90/90 without any trouble, despite a nasty tendon pop and labral tear from slipping on water whilst carrying something heavy. But stuff like that is par for the course with Psoriatic arthritis/tendinosis/EDS.

I don't have any noticeable weaknesses on either side; 3/10/52kg is a warmup weight for adduction/abduction and I do 3/10/80kg leg press without any problem. I'm more careful with leg extension as I've got stumpy little legs and won't put too much pressure on the knee, when the backrest settings aren't quite right for my femur length to get my knee perfectly in line with the fulcrum. But I find it really hard to do just 3/10/20kg on lying leg curls.

Something different did happen today, though. I've got a colleague who fancies herself as a workplace masseuse and she decided that I needed a quick neck and shoulder massage - she stopped her (completely uninvited) attentions almost immediately with an 'Oh!' when she found a rather hefty slab of trap and delts cunningly concealed underneath my boring floral print top. I did think 'Yeah, good luck with that' as she started.

@DCIJackieDeering the main thing id be careful about re CrossFit is injury risk. Weights + speed + technical lifts is a problematic combination and not great for most people imo. I have done CrossFit and enjoyed it but it's very much about intense cardio with weight for guaranteed endorphins. Who the instructor is and the exercises they pick makes a massive difference (the gym I went to the instructor was great, for example her main classes were always simple lifts - like squat thrusts with a single dumbbell, banded pull ups etc, and she only did Olympic lifts in a separate technical/slow speed class)
The thing I don't like about CrossFit and why I stopped is it's always pushing the intensity to the max and I don't think that's a healthy way to train long term. If I had the option of doing the occasional class I would. However if they do Olympic/barbell lifts as part of the regular CrossFit class I'd avoid, doing deadlifts or snatches at speed is a sure fire way to get injured!

@NeverDropYourMooncup how bizarre! And creepy! Hope your feel better for your rest day!

Oh and I meant to say in my post, I've been a bit quiet on the lifting front this week as Mon - Fri I've done 3 capoeira classes and 2 jiu jitsu, so hasn't been time for anything else but I feel proud of what I've tried! My new, decidedly non-sensible goal from capoeira is to develop the strength enough to be able to do a cartwheel where you land /lower yourself onto your head in the middle of it....

😂@proteinpudding, super-sensible....Go you! Have you done jiu jitsu before?

To my astonishment, I did a bridge at the end of PT today (more or less). Last time I tried I was nowhere near, something else that clicked while I was training other stuff - we had done a fair bit of stretching and mobility in the session.

Ooh @MsMartini bridges are fantastic! I can sort of do one, but I struggle to push through my shoulders enough. And yes, I do jiu jitsu regularly, but there are multiple instructors at my gym and I went to a class with a teacher I don't usually go to, where the drills are a bit faster and more aggressive. Im always glad when I've been to class but I do struggle to get myself there at times as it isn't a sport that comes easily to me, so I'm happy I didn't make excuses this week!

@Proteinpudding , yep, we had just done handstand practice so perhaps that helped?

What sort of gym do you belong to? It is hard to fit everything in, isn't it, especially with lifting needing to be consistent?

@MsMartini it is indeed!
I have a bit of a bizarre schedule that has built up over time, I know it wouldn't be realistic/affordable for most people. I have a membership for a jiu jitsu club (that's all they do) and I go to capoeira classes that are PAYG at a couple of different venues. And then I have a garage gym at home, with a power cage, barbell/plates and mat space.
When we first decided to move to this town (ten years ago) I was really into lifting, there wasn't a gym with a squat rack so I made it a condition that we bought a house with a garage so I could get one at home!

Ahhh, that explains it! I was wondering what sort of general gym had different jiu jitsu instructors 😀.

That sounds like a really cool mix of classes and solo, flexible, training. We haven't the space and I like training with other people/change of scene, but I have couple of friends with home gyms they have added to gradually, instead of paying gym memberships. It must have been so brilliant in the lockdowns (I did acquire some basic kit then).

It was a godsend in lockdown! I do like training with other people though, and having a range of equipment - I think if I was only doing weight training I would keep a separate gym membership
There is a sister club to our jiu jitsu one that has a weights area that members can use before/after the classes which would be my ideal, but it's a bit too far for me to travel to.

There are some martial arts gyms that have things combined, eg I used to go to one that had a timetable of boxing, MMA, bjj etc and a full gym area and you chose your membership according to how much you wanted to do (eg basic gym access plus any 2 or 4 classes a week) They tend to be limited to big cities though.

Can anyone recommend any gym tops? I like a racer back tank top but would like to upgrade from the cheap one I got to celebrate my 6 months at the gym. I've seen legging talk here but not top talk.

Oooh, can I jump in and also ask for recommendations for gym T shirts with scoop or V necks?

I can relate to trying to fit everything in. I'm constantly adjusting a mix of strength/ mobility and cardio to fit round injuries and various commitments.

I used to really cardio focused with running and martial arts, which also built some strength.

These days I'm doing everything I can to limit injuries and avoid strength loss as I get older. So cardio is low impact and strength is slow and controlled.

@GoTheFcukToSleep I'm impressed (and a bit jealous) of your assisted pull up progress - that's 21kg improvement in a few months.

My pull ups are still a bit rubbish - I'm losing my grip around the (wide) bar before I lose my 'pull'. I'm also finding this on deadlifts as I'm now approaching bodyweight.

I've being doing some grip work such as heavy kettlebell farmer's carry and very short hangs (can't manage very long at all) - any other suggestions? I have some scarring across one palm which isn't helping.

@willingtolearn you need some Bear Grips! They do a few different types, but they’re great for assisting your grip.

It’s always worth trying to improve your grip strength as much as you can, but you’ll always get to a point where your grip gives out before your back/legs do. I tend to try and do my first set without them, but I use them for my second/third/fourth set if my grip starts failing.

@RayKray @MsMartini I’ve got a right mish mash of gym tops but I do really like the M&S good move ones. I also like Under Armour, or Decathlon if you’re on a tighter budget.

@willingtolearn , I've found this a problem with wide bars too. My main actual gym has narrow bars and my pulls are stronger there than in the cali park. I can bring thumb and forearm strength into it more I think. After always being dubious, I've found liquid chalk really helps endurance and also making me feel secure (not so much for pulls, but for upside down or swingy bar things). Saw a man using what looked like deadlift grips for pull ups last night - never seen that before.

Hangs are good too - and if you can do active ones, hollow body at the bottom of the PU position, they will help with pull strength too?

@willingtolearn have you tried overhand-underhand grip for deadlifts? I’ve never been a fan but used it for tempo deadlifts the other day and found it really helped.

Any tips for snatch/snatch balance? I’m only just starting out with them but they are soooo hard 🤯

@Work2live I will go and google Bear grips.

@IShouldBeSoLurky I do short sets of narrow,, overhand underhand and wide grips - the underhand narrow is the easiest and the wide the hardest. I had some PT sessions to try and develop Snatch but had real issues with my ankle mobility and balance in the bottom stance - I'm still working on it with lots of front squat and overhead squats.

@MsMartini I use the assisted pull up machine in the gym which has thick handles but I do have a pull up bar in my kitchen which is thinner and I tend to do hangs there (feel like a fool hanging at the gym for about 10 seconds and then dropping). I struggle with chalk - I used to use it when I climbed (when much younger) and I had sensory issues with it, found it quite hard to tolerate. Is liquid chalk different?

@IShouldBeSoLurky Sorry, I misunderstood - reading too quickly. So on the deadlifts that's one hand on overhand one underhand (is it called mixed grip?)

I haven't tried it - do you need to adjust stance? Does it matter which hand is over or under in terms of hand dominance/strength?

@willingtolearn , Yes, I used to do mixed grip DLs. I would swap (or if uneven number of sets, do the first one both overhand then alternate).

I've not used non-liquid chalk so not sure. Liquid chalk is weird stuff - it appears to have vanished and then suddenly palms go white - I get it everywhere as naturally messy. I have found it helpful though, keeps hands dry and seems to mean I can train to muscle failure.

I think hanging from wide bars will help your grip, build time up gradually - bet no-one else cares😀

@willingtolearn yeah one hand over and one under. It feels really weird at first but you get used to it v quickly. Nothing else is different and you can do whichever hand feels ‘right’.

Ankle mobility and balance are my issues too! Lots to work on.

When I tried mixed grip it fried my brain. It really shouldn't be that hard and yet it seemed to be!