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! 💪🏼

@Work2live I'm currently focusing on sitting less far back and being more over the bar so if only we could swap! 😆

I really like them too, I don't train their way but like their approach. There are PTs at my gym whose content is full of body transformation pix.

😀at DL tweaking

Well I reached out at my gym to discuss some PT. No response. Very disappointed, and seeing as I was finding it a struggle to motivate myself to go, it helped me make a decision.

A PureGym has opened in town which is much more convenient for me so I've actually now switched memberships. They offer a "Learn to Lift" session which I'm going to try and book onto, and go from there.

@LollipopViolet , how very feeble....good for you for moving on. Have you had a chance to try PureGym yet?

My training was interrupted by a cold this week but back on it today with PT and a shorter run than normal....thing I'm most pleased with this week is I managed to get closer to a back lever using parallel bars that are quite narrow, so out me in a strong position for squeezing my biceps against my lats which is what you want.

How is everyone doing?

I'm good thanks @MsMartini . I'm on a build strength for powerlifting programme at the moment and can really feel the strength building. Also now have my powerlifting membership sorted so no backing out. Really enjoying the progression and focus.

How are you getting on?

Oooh @RayKray , what's the programme like? And what does the membership give you? are you thinking of competing?

Mixed bag for me. My 2*week class has been doing front levers which meant I couldn't continue with pull up focus as too many pull days! But really enjoyed it. We are now on planche so pull ups will be kicking off again 😀. We're also doing lots of killer core finishers in class - hollow body rocks, hanging raises, much groaning! I've had to adjust my expectations and not try to fit in everything, in between two classes and one PT a week. Less is more......

@MsMartini your closing comment sums up the programme, less is more. It's pared down to focus on the three lifts with some accessories to build strength. But nothing else, no gratuitous hypertrophy in there any more (which I do miss a bit). Gratuitous to my goal that us, nothing wrong with hypertrophy work. Then there's progression built in, so I have small progression targets every session to hit. No chucking on a load as and when, it's a process of creeping it up every single time which so far I've achieved.

Membership gives me a nice chunk out of my bank account, but then a commitment to compete as you need it to do that. I'm not competing for a good few months but am shifting my mind to 'yes I'm competing' rather than 'maybe'.

Glad you're enjoying what you're doing too. And I agree less can often be more. Which is what I remind myself when I want to sneak off to gym and just hit everything hard!

Doing well - my lifting is really solidly strong - I managed 3 lifts at 100 kilos last week (reset in between), and doing lots of work on getting deep squats with reasonably heavy weights. It's frustrating though with squats - I've squatted 65 kg and it's felt tough but not tiring, but was doing 5 sets of 3 @ 50 yesterday and it was really tiring me out! Was a superset with band assisted pull ups - I'm really starting to feel how to access my shoulders & Lats on the pull ups though - it's only taken 5 years of training ....

But I have to remember - slow & steady with the heavy weights. There's a plateau and then the lift you couldn't do for 6 months just flies up.

hollow body rocks

Hollow body holds are killers, rocking in that position is hard!!!!

but they are amazing for really focusing on core strength with good form, aren't they @MsMartini ?

I think they're harder and better for you than planks where there's a tendency for most people to hunch their shoulders. In a hollow body hold, you have to keep your scapulae pulled down and flat.

@GoodThinkingMax yayy, big numbers! Were the 100 kg DLs? Totally agree about plateauing: mentioned below my cali training has shifting focus, every few weeks. When I return t a move, sometimes i have improved, or at least start right where I left off and progress faster.....

Hollow body rocks...erm....rock. We do them with protracted, depressed scaps, as such an important position for many calisthenics moves.....Also a fan of dragon flags.

Yes I’ve managed a couple of sessions at the new PureGym - it’s so much bigger than my old gym and a lot more convenient so I’m happy.

Got back into some lifts following one of their workout plans and forgot how good it makes me feel. Did some squats with a 10kg barbell - felt them for days after! 🤣

Squats after any kind of break are the worst! I'm sure things will soon settle @LollipopViolet

I've been quiet in here recently, my weights workouts have petered out a bit but I'm trying to get it back. It's not lost motivation per se, more just being in the office five days a week and problems on my commute (I often do weights in the morning or lunch when WFH) I have managed a session today though and plan to do another on Sunday so at least that'll be two for this week. I've still been doing jiu jitsu at least four times a week and capoeira at least twice, although I know I do need the specific strength training to complement those.

Also does anyone know about good form guides for hollow body? I hate them but they're one of the best exercises for handstands. I never seem to have my upper back far off the mat though and I'm not sure how much of the back can be in contact with the floor to be 'ok' or cheating!

I really like MegSquats - her content is excellent. Here's her guide to hollow body holds:

@LollipopViolet , I've not seen specific guides though Meghan Callaway and others I follow on insta have demonstrated them I think.

We do them a lot in my cali classes and the emphasis is more on lowering legs very close to the ground to increase difficulty, keeping everything locked, as long as shoulders/upper back off the ground. And with rocks not coming up too high as it releases tension - just enough to be a rock. I don't think your back should be coming far off the floor. Instructor says move hands to be by sides rather than raise legs or lose form with lower back pressed into floor.

Thanks both. I definitely keep my lower back to the floor. I've just noticed when doing them in a group (we occasionally do them in capoeira class) that the guys seem to be more off the floor, but maybe that's about body shape. I naturally have quite a deep curve in my lower back and it feels like just flattening it takes a lot of effort, so although my shoulders are off the floor it looks quite different to theirs.

Also not going to lie, because it's an exercise I don't enjoy I find it easy to find an excuse if I think I'm not doing them right!

Hello all!
back in training with a more positive mindset this week, some 70kg deadlifts and 40kg bench.

Am thinking about trying to squat, start from scratch with bodyweight then goblet then empty bar etc. I've all sorts of mobility issues with squats: my shoulders are stiff and I struggle to hold the bar, my right hip is stiff, my ankles are stiff. A lot of stiffness to contend with! I once managed 40kg but it probably wasn't to depth.
Am thinking about squats because some of you have talked about competing and it's planted a seed in my head. Something to give my training some focus. But I need to be able to do all 3 lifts.
anyway, great to see some seriously impressive numbers here

Huh! after doing 100 kilo deadlifts twice two weeks ago. Yesterday I could only manage 80 kilos and that felt heavy. I'd done a 40 hour fast for the 1st time 24 hours earlier, but had had two good meals between fasting & training. So old age catching up re recovery! Can really feel my shoulders & back today.

It's up & down, two steps forward and 1 step back, but the journey is fun!

Great to hear everyone's progress!

@Acerpalmatum you can work on that mobility. I do lots for upper body mobility at the moment as that's where a lot of my issues lie. It feeds into deadlift and bench too. I use Tom Morrison's Simplistic Mobility Method. Then in the gym I do face pulls for mobility, lots and lots of rows for strength. The difference is massive, my upper back has never felt better.

If you want inspo to compete the European Masters Powerliting Championships are on at the moment till Sunday. It's streamed live on YouTube.

Yayy @Acerpalmatum . Interesting about having the focus an event provides....

@Proteinpudding mmm yes it could be body shape - taller people will have a longer banana for the same angle. Could it be form though? If say arms are allowed to come forwards, or legs raised or bent a little, it is much easier to get more of your back off the floor but you are losing the position. I see plenty of that (including in myself 😁).

@MsMartini for me it's the same whether I have knees tucked or arms at the side, though I can obviously hold those for longer than arms overhead.
I'm sure my posture affects it, I think I developed a bit of a pelvic tilt/exaggerated lumber curve from working in retail (standing a lot of the day) and although it's something I've worked to correct it's still probably more than is optimal.

Great to see everyone’s progress and numbers!! Some really impressive lifting.

With regards to body shape affecting form, that is so true. Me and DH have the same coach, but they’ve told us our squats (for example) will look very different because DH is very tall with long legs and I’m quite short with shorter legs. ‘Correct’ form for many exercises looks different for everyone.

I’ve been training quite a bit of core recently and one thing my coach recommended is to put a towel under my lower back for any movements where my back is on the floor (hollow holds, deadbugs etc) and really focus on making it impossible for someone to pull the towel from under me - helps to engage the core much more.

I am on a cut at the moment (1800 cals a day, 140g protein) with hopes of leaning out towards summer. 0.9kg down last week so it’s working so far! The leaner I get the weaker I get so my coach is trying to find me the right balance between maintaining strength and muscle mass, but still losing some body fat which is much needed after a bit of a complacent couple of months.

Decided to push myself a bit today, and managed an 80kg deadlift! 3 reps for the first set and 5 for the second. I keep telling myself that my legs are stronger than I give them credit for and that I just need to acclimatise myself to lifting heavier. Guess I was right!

Still only managed one weights session this week, aiming for two, sleep pattern and work hasnt helped. However I'm trying to keep focused that one is better than none and that it's natural to have weeks where getting out of bed to train is a struggle! Especially when the garage gym is as cold as it has been this week...

That's brilliant, @Proteinpudding !! My classes carried on outside this week 😱but I took chance to do decent indoor pull session one afternoon when gym was quiet (it is often too busy in evenings for my liking inside). And last night discovered I had progressed on banded front lever raises such a satisfying exercise!

Temps go up tomorrow (I have outdoor PT), thank goodness.

How is everyone getting on? I lost a bit of focus recently, few nights out/events which got in the way of schedules, plus a general lapse in focus. However I'm really trying to see this as the long game, with dips to be expected. Still fitted in a least one weights session a week (barring a week when I was ill) as well as capoeira/jiu jitsu, and managed an 80kg hip thrust set this morning, as well as same on deadlifts again. Onwards and upwards! Got a week off work so hoping to fit in three weights sessions and get my mojo back properly. Helps that garage gym is finally a bit warmer too!