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! 💪🏼

@NeverDropYourMooncup i get that that must feel a bit discouraging when you’re working so hard and have seen such great progress! How’s your nutrition? Does your gym/trainer offer any guidance in that area?

I think nutrition's really good, considering I have to be gluten free and avoid oats and the majority of dairy (can do goat and sheep's milk cheese).

Protein - chicken, beef, pork, salmon, tuna, prawns, mackerel, chickpeas, beans, eggs.
Carbs - potatoes/sweet potatoes (wedges, boiled, baked), steamed rice, occasional GF pasta or bread.
Fats - extra virgin olive oil, whatever is in meat/fish that hasn't come out in the airfryer
All of the veg.

Drinks - black coffee, water, tea. Don't bother with alcohol or fizzy drinks.

I don't really have ultraprocessed stuff other than GF bread, pasta and bacon/salami once a week and I'm not a fan of sweet stuff - I think we've got a solidified bag of sugar in the cupboard from about 2017.

It's just time, I guess, because I don't want to restrict my way into disaster or gallstones.

@RayKray yep that was me!! I’m still in a cut and I’m down to my lightest weight in a while so it’s good that it’s working.

I gave myself 3 days off training as my mind just wasn’t in it - I’m having a ridiculously stressful time with work, and have also had some sad personal news this week so I felt like I deserved a couple of days to just decompress and reflect.

I think it’s done me good - I trained this morning and it definitely wasn’t my best session, but I did it and I’m glad I did!

@work2live - good for you! I had two consecutive days off strength last week for similar reasons, and then adapted this week to include more of the bits I love, while I am dealing with some family worries. I'm back to enjoying it and seeing gains, just different ones.

I've still got a bit too much squidgey stuff, although have shifted a few kilo recently, with a run of good weather and not being ill!. BMI abt 27, I exercise loads and no health problems, and fine with how I look, but a few more kg would help my pull ups 😀 - and give a bit of leeway over the winter months.

Well done @Work2live💪

I think having a slightly higher BMI can be advantageous when lifting from what I’ve seen! I’m a slight person (previously a cardio bunny) and have so little strength after years of just “shrinking” myself with cardio and insufficient nutrition. I’ve seen a real gain in strength lately and yes, for me that comes with some weight gain which I’m cool with.

I got back into deadlifting this week after a long time off! Had a massive confidence boost after a friend gave me some pointers yesterday and today deadlifted a new PB of… drum roll… 45kg😂 I know it’s not heavy (yet) but something has changed in me. More confidence, less fear.

I also do my bench presses on the smyth machine now. Because of the safety catch I’m so much more confident! Feeling strong!

Got up to go to the gym then realised it’s probably closed because of the funeral, oops😳😳

@GoTheFcukToSleep , well done. Begone fear 😁.

The strength calculators are useful for showing what is heavy for someone of your age, sex and weight, I think. As with running - I am often the slowest runner in the park but am actually average for a woman my age - it is just I am surrounded by younger people, many of them men, so my perception is skewed.

@MsMartini I wish the fear was totally gone😂😂🤣 It’s still there but I’m less afraid! My fear really relates to getting injured. I’ve previously been in some really dark places with trauma and my mental health has been attrocious at times. Over the years running (and now lifting!) have become the number 1 coping mechanism for staying (sort of) sane and happy🙂 So the thought of injuring myself and not being able to run/lift is somewhat terrifying! (Sorry, possibly over sharing on a fitness thread here🤣)
I guess a little bit of fear is good, just so I don’t do anything stupid and hurt my back🤣

And yes I love the strength calculators! They’ve shown me my weights are not too bad for a skinny old bird😂

I absolutely get you @GoTheFcukToSleep. Lifting is so life changing for my mental health I would really struggle with getting injured.

I agree. I've had a shoulder injury and am wary of injury now, is one reason I don't lift heavy any more as no spotter, I'm happier with bodyweight . I'm glad lifting has helped @GoTheFcukToSleep

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks.

Went to the gym after last posting and felt a pain and 'sticky' feeling just below my calf as I was walking along the road. After about five more steps, something went 'ping'. It freed off after that, so I carried on and just avoided any leg work, then walked slowly home.

Couldn't run today as a result, so stuck to walking 5k on pretty much level ground and it was OK, but it felt a lot tighter than the other side.

I'm wondering whether I've got a tiny tear in the top of the tendon or whether it's an adhesion/bit of scar tissue from historic injuries freeing off. It doesn't hurt unless it's poked or I'm lifting off.

At the moment, I'm thinking I might have to use the instrument of torture that is the spiky Foam Roller of Doom. #thoughtsandprayers

Oh no! Is it worth icing?

ooof commiserations. I pinged my calf doing a really heavy sled push (I think it was about 300 kilos) - a weight I'd done before, but somehow that particular day, my calf just went ping, about 1 metre from the end of the 2nd of 2 x 10 metre pushes. V annoying, but a risk as heavy sled pushes are powered from the glutes & hamstrings, but are tough on the calves, because you're on tiptoe for part of each step.

I rolled, and stretched, and kept mobile, and then a couple of days later, started to work on unweighted calf rises and heel drops, in a strict parallel position.

But it was still niggly in ballet class 2 weeks later, when rising onto demi-pointe really hurt. It took about 4 weeks to feel really unknotted.

Soft tissue injuries are the worst.

Oh no @NeverDropYourMooncup ! Hope it gets better soon!

I just deadlifted my body weight😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Awesome!!! Well done! 🤩🤩🤩😎😎😎

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY 💪💪

Thanks guys feeling properly bad ass🤩🤩🤩 Also PB 80 kg on the leg press! I’m starting to realise lifting isn’t all about strength but also about technique (thanks again for all the tips!) and confidence! I often think - I couldn’t possibly lift that!!! But it turns out I can🤩🤩🤩

Hurrah for body weight deadlift, that’s epic! And hope the pinged calves unping themselves- calf injuries are horrible and stick around like anything.

i totally get the link between exercise and mental health. I get super anxious if I can’t train, not least because of weight hang-ups.

Strict press PB for me today 🥳 - 5 reps at 27.5, which is almost 50% of my body weight. Also up to 24kg RKB swings. V happy.

@IShouldBeSoLurky well done on the PBS!

whats RKB? Kettle bell something? I’ve never used a kettlebell before, they always slightly terrify me😂

@GoTheFcukToSleep yes Romanian (or Russian, I can never remember!) kettlebell swings. That’s to eye level - American is overhead which is even more terrifying 🤣 I used to find them very daunting but love them now.

Loving all the PBs! I went to the gym with the squat rack again today. Did 40kg barbell squat for 5 reps (PB for me) but then was worried about not getting the next one up and there wasn't anyone to ask to spot. I reckon I could have done but didn't want to mess up. Then 86kg (PB) on the leg press machine. Question on the leg press machine: should I reset right back to the start every time or keep the movement going. It's harder to get started than repeat reps which made me wonder if I was 'cheating' by not having the weights return to the stack every time? I'm returning very close but not restarting each time if that makes sense?

Ohhh @IShouldBeSoLurky that sounds fun and terrifying all at once!

well done on the PBs @RayKray!!! I’m really curious about answers to your leg press machine question too! I don’t reset completely on every press but only because I find the sound of the clanking of metal jarring. I get very near though (to the weights touching the stack) and sometimes they do touch the stack. I don’t think what you’re doing is cheating, after all you’re making loads of progress so must be getting stronger!

Yayy for PBs!!!

Leg press - I don't return fully to the stack, as it can cause my back to round.

Hmmm lower back slightly sore today, which I think must mean my form wasn’t quite right yesterday during deadlifts☹️ Maybe it was quite a leap to go from not deadlifting for ages, to deadlifting 35kg and then 55kg yesterday. But I cannot help feel my form must have been off (lifting with my back) to feel it in my back today. I didn’t have the same pain after I did the 35kg a week or so ago. Oh well. Must keep working on form at lower weights.