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! 💪🏼

I do Lat pulldowns and other exercises to help with my pull ups, it’s a long term goal and it’s great to have something to work towards. Switching to neutral grip has been great but the goal is still to eventually do it with the normal grip.

I can do 90kg kneeling pull down, can I do a pull up? No fecking chance. Although my PT does think it's a confidence issue more than anything with me

@Stellaris22 how often do you test an actual pull up and have you got access to bars of different thicknesses (e.g. Smith Machine as well as pull up machine as well as pull up handles on gym rigs)? The different grip can make a big difference but so can thickness of bar. I have been working towards a pull up for nearly 5 years now and thought I was nowhere near given the assistance I was still needing on bands etc. So I hadn't actually tested for a couple of months. I was really keen to get one before a scheduled operation if possible and I normally use kit at the gym. But I have quite a thick bar at home (installed during lockdown) and I tried one day for the hell of it. I could not quite get chin over the bar in pull up grip but I managed a very respectable chin up to my immense surprise! Good luck.

@firef1y what do you do with your body and legs when pulling up? I initially crossed ankles behind me but when I started practising band-assisted with my body in a proper hollow hold my progress was way faster. Clearly you can't replicate that while doing a kneeling lat pull down.

My PT makes me hold a Hollow hold for a minute.

The first 40 seconds are easy the last 20 are hell.

My current training plan includes using the leg extension, which is normally fine. PT has a routine that’s 5 sets. 12 low weight, 10 higher weight then 8 at the highest weight I can do, all with 90s rest. After the 8 reps there’s no rest followed by a lower weight AMRAP, no rest to a lower weight AMRAP. It’s brutal.

Hello! What a great thread. I have found my people 😀.

I started lifting about 5 years ago, mainly DLs and squats, then moved into calisthenics before covid and that's my main thing now.

Some great pull-up advice here. I got my first unassisted pull after about three months training with negatives and bands once I could DL and squat my own bodyweight - it will happen and AFAIR the first chin up came first. I was told at the time that for women this is quite common. I can do a first set of 5/6/7 now (bit up and down as couple covid bouts and being careful to rebuild slowly).

1st week of my 5/3/1 cycle completed today. Very small increases in my est 1rpm for each of the 4 lifts. Finally back over bodyweight for deadlifts which felt good.

Been really enjoying doing more of the explosive, crossfit style lifts as well lately. I'm not doing the full prescribed weight, but I love the feeling at the end of DT (5 rounds, 12 deadlifts, 9 hang clean, 6 push press). Took 1:27 off my time today (so the heavy lifting is definitely increasing my overall strength) and am close to getting under 10min. New platforms at the gym too, very satisfying dropping the bar after the last rep of the round and watching it bounce 🤣🤣

Hi @MsMartini!

Wow that’s so impressive, I can’t wait to be able to do pull ups. I’m determined to get there by the end of the year. I definitely remember finding chin ups slightly ‘easier’ (but still not easy)! 🤣

@firef1y well done on your deadlifts! I hadn’t done any deadlifts for months and strangely enough I decided to try one today as I was doing 55kg hip thrusts. Managed to deadlift the 55kg without too much trouble and I currently weigh 64kg so I was quite happy with that.

Argh. I've been travelling for work for the last 7 weeks, and only sporadically doing my heavy training. Back at it today & I could hardly do more than 2 x85 kilo reps of deadlifts, where usually I do sets of 4 to 6. And I almost couldn't push 250 kg on the sled (I've pushed 350 kilos in the past) - I did it, but it was so hard. More work to get back to where I was, and then increase again. Before I was working away I was soooo close to 100 k deadlift.

I'm heading to my mid 60s in the next couple of years, so I figure I've ony got a few years to radically increase my strength and then from 70 or so, it's maintenance.

@Work2live - you will get there!

I think in some ways the lockdowns helped (although gyms and the big cali parks were closed, there were a set of small bars near me that stayed open, though I now have my own pull up bar at home too) - I really focussed on pull ups, push ups and running as not much else was possible. Then when classes etc restarted I was more selective, so I have more time to train solo and really focus on what I want to. I now share a PT calisthenics session once a week, and do a small specialist cali class and a fitness bootcamp.

Any tips for assessing your weight in terms of muscle versus body fat? Outside of paying for a dexa scan! I don't quite trust my own judgement of how I look to assess if I'm overweight/healthy weight because I know I've misjudged that quite badly in the past.

@GoodThinkingMax wow that’s seriously amazing, I hope I’m still lifting as much as you when I reach my 60s.

@MsMartini I do need to prioritise pull ups and back exercises a lot more than I do currently. I love training push exercises so my pulling exercises are never quite as strong. I might ask my coach to help me work towards my first pull up!

@Wanderingowl you can use callipers although I’m not sure how accurate they are. I would highly advise taking progress pictures at least once a month too. I’ve been doing this for 6 months now and the difference is incredible. You don’t always notice the differences on your body in the mirror as you see yourself every day, but taking pictures a few weeks apart tells you more than the scale ever will.

Yay I've been hoping for a thread like this! I started weight training 3 months ago now and am absolutely hooked. I love it so much! Recent wins are now doing Romanian deadlifts at 40kg and today I managed by first 10kg bicep curls. I've been gradually eeking my way up, I do sets at 8kg and then drop sets and today managed 3 x 10kg on my right arm so that's the next goal. I love the progress I am making and feeling strong.
Loving reading about everyone else's progress 😍

And yes to pull ups! To me they are the coolest thing. I am able to hang, do tiny pull ups at the bottom, and if I jump up I can hold position at the top. So making progress. I have a bar at home but limited stuff I can use at my gym for pull ups. I've asked for my next programme to have some more lat stuff in there as I struggle a bit to feel things in my lats rather than arms.

Hello everyone, can I join in? I've been weight lifting for about 2 years and I love it. I feel fitter than I ever have, and I started after having my 2 dc.

I had a combined success and failure this week. I've had a goal for a while of dead lifting my own body weight (79 kg). My previous best was 75 kg. This week I lifted 77.5 kg....then failed at 78.5! Sooo close yet so far!

I'm really impressed to hear about everyone doing unassisted pull ups though. That's so far away for me it's not a goal at the moment, I use bands. I think I'm too heavy for it to be realistic goal. But that's really great if you can!

So frustrating @RaisinGhost! I find my weight fluctuates through the day/across days so perhaps you can strike lucky with a random lighter weigh 😉 I will be so delighted when I can deadlift body weight, v cool

I started lifting about 1.5 years ago and really enjoy it. I have two PT sessions per week, and try to get to the gym twice a week for weights too.

Another one here who is working on unassisted pull ups! I can lift more than my own weight - so not sure that's the only answer. I think being lighter might help too. I'm 70kg (and short!) and heaviest 1rpm for squats is 100kg and d/l is 110kg. I love the feeling of seeing the weight go up!!

I'm now trying to add in more cardio with the odd run. And need to refocus on diet and my protein. I fell off a little in May for our holiday, and while I'm still exercising, my diet needs a little attention 🤣

Love hearing about everything you are all doing- and nice to not be boring friends with this chat.

Yes, brilliant to have other women to talk to.

Pulls - I could squat and deadlift more or less the same as my male training partner but we were/are miles apart on pulls and chins. I think it is much harder for women to build and recruit the muscles. Holds and negatives helped - get up any old how (jump, shove etc), then hold or come down really slowly with pauses.

Seriously good weights being lifted on this thread 💪

I'm heavy too - 71 kg ish and 5ft3 but size10/12. I'd like to lose a bit more as am sure that would help my pulls but it is stubborn (I'm mid-50s) and I can't and won't restrict diet too much or I won't have the energy to train - I love it too much! I run a bit and walk masses and do some HIIT.

@RayKray those bicep curls sound incredible - I managed 6kg hammer curls today and was so proud of myself, I really struggle with my biceps but I love training triceps!

@RaisinGhost wow you’re so close with your deadlifts though, you will get there within the next few weeks definitely.

@Thelittlestranger diet has always been my weak point too, having a trainer has really helped me with that side of things and kept me accountable. I do still have some flexibility with my eating too so I can still have some chocolate and pizza 😂

@MsMartini I get so frustrated when I train with DH 😂 he’s been weightlifting for so much longer than me and he’s ridiculously strong. Although I made him do a leg session with me the other week and he struggled to hip thrust the same weight as me! It’s crazy how different male and female lower/upper body strength are.

@Work2live just googled and it's hammer curls I do - didn't realise the difference. They are one of my favourite things. I was doing 6 kg not long since but started just trying to add heavier in the final set then starting from that point another time

Who's off to the gym today? I'm on the first of 2 rest days 😏 I do have a mobility/flexibility programme I'm going to start on rest days though but not sure I'll get time today though as the first session takes longer

I'm off to PT in the park, @RayKray! I should do more mobility work....what sort of programme are you starting?