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 suppose it depends how heavy you're going @RayKray - you're doing quite light stuff at the moment, I think? I'm quite happy to have someone keeping a very close eye on me as I head to lifting 100 kilos - or when I dragged 350 kilos! It feels safer than if I were just doing it on my own.

I am very disciplined in my work life, work long hours, and am always telling other people what to do, and facilitating other people's research and teaching etc, so I really enjoying having an hour or 90 minutes each day in a PT session, or ballet classes, or another kind of gym class (I love doing circuits!) where I give up ALL responsibility and stress, and just do what I'm told.

I'm pretty new to it so I haven't worked my way up to anything super heavy. The heaviest things I do are 45kg deadlifts (4x12 but upping that next time), 10kg hammer curls 4x8-12), 40kg seated rows (4x12), 25kg goblet squats (4x8-12) but I'm limited in what I can do by the equipment anyway. So not as heavy as many on here, but also not 3-5kg high reps type stuff either. But I do reps not 1 rep max type stuff. I'm in the middle of that categorisation linked to before, so after hypertrophy not body building. But this is all part of a bigger question of what I do if/when I outgrow where I am.

And I'm in a not dissimilar field but for me it means I research everything extensively, overthink everything and will only be told what to do if it suits me. A PT's dream 😆

I have found that PTs are divided into two camps - one type doesn't give a flying frack about adapting for physical needs and believes that beasting is the only way to get results wasn't smart enough to become a PE teacher and the other, unfortunately, tends to be so freaked out by the far-too-extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology and injuries I have that they tend to just stand there watching nervously.

But I do have a very low tolerance for these things - show me a full neck roll at speed? You can Fuck. Right. Off.

What I would like to do is work out the rough equaivalences between machines and free weights. I'm aware that compound movements and the inherent instability in free weights makes a difference (one that is highly likely to result in injury for me and my shitty connective tissues), but I would like to know in case I could start back with something realistic so I'm not always stuck with the 'just updating my Insta' muppets hogging the machines for ten minutes.

@NeverDropYourMooncup there's a difference in weights between free weights and machines?? I didn't know this! I much prefer free weights, although I do do some machines. I always found it odd when I did bicep curls on a cable machine thing I did 20kg. Free weights I'm just eeking up to the 10kgs on both sides, a couple of months later which never quite made sense. Is this why?

My PT is for calisthenics - we occasionally do a bit of mobility or a more cardio-based finisher but I mainly want to learn new stuff and learn how to train effectively from him, rather than be trained. I run as well and do a weekly bootcamp - think I should do more of that sort of thing but it is so hard to fit everything in.

@RayKray, your biceps are very strong if you've just started - 10kg each side!

@MsMartini callisthenics looks so cool. One day!
And yes 10kg each side. Well my left is a bit behind so only a few at 10kg then drop set to 8kg. 10kg on both is well within reach. I've worked v hard on my biceps.

@NeverDropYourMooncup
My PT beasts me, but she also adapts to my hypermobility, we do work specifically on my weaker joints. I lucked out with her though, I did get shown round a gym by a PT who tried getting me to do assisted pull ups at 200lb, felt like my arms were being pulled out of my sockets.

As for free weights vs machines as someone with hypermobility, you are at far more risk of injury using machines than free weights as well as losing out on the benefits of strengthening the little stabilising muscles.
It is important that you learn correct form though, although correct form for you will be different to correct form for a non-bendy.

Again I lucked out with being taught form, the owner of my local gym took me under his wing and taught me the big lifts,.again he had experience of hypermobility and he actually had me not go as.deep as.i can with (relatively) heavy squats. Anything up to about 50% my max I will go atg, but above that and I only go.to parallel.

@RayKray
Machines very much isolate muscles and can force you in to an unnatural range of motion (which is not good when you are hypermobile and already have a less than natural range of motion).

On the other hand free weights not only hit the main muscle but also work other muscles including the little stabilising muscles around the joints.

And compound lifting (bench, squat, clean and press, overhead press, deadlift, rows, etc) work many muscles at once, including the core. For example bench will work chest, shoulders and triceps. Deadlifts work hamstrings, glutes and back. Squats (depending on style and depth), work quads and glutes.

Then explosive lifts such as power and hang cleans, work the muscles in a different way, there's a great crossover to improving things like running and jumping. Plus they give you quite the cardio workout.

The only machines I use are the lat pull down assisted pull up and seated row. (I also do kneeling lat pull downs with the cable machine). For everything else I use a mix of barbells, dumbbells and Kettlewell along with a trx.

I also do a mix of heavy compound lifts, lighter accessory lifts and explosive complexes.

Unfortunately, I'm not. The injuries I have were sustained away from machines.

So, I did my extra PT session today and it was great! Though hard. I was proud as I’m his only client to complete a full circuit of the outside of the gym in a farmers walk, with two 14 kettlebells without stopping 😃

DP persuaded me to come out with him at the crack of dawn to go to the gym after all. Stuck to weights rather than cardio and seemed to do really well on legs and the usual delts/flys/lats mobilisation work. Went heavier but far slower/with more of a pause to drink water between sets.

Only stayed for 45 minutes because the place was quite busy with people just sitting under the aircon outlets.

Oh, and I forgot. Couldn't face going out after Sunday morning, so I haven't had a cigarette since Saturday night. And DP/cats have survived unscathed.

Wow! That's impressive @LunchPoems - your grip must be good.

I worked out with my PT outside throughout both lockdowns - we couldn't do the big compound lifts I focus on, so lots of accessory work, and metcon conditioning (running around the carpark in 2 degrees and rain & wind in January ugh).

I did a lot of former's carries, hollow holds, devil's press ups, squat thrusters with dumbbells ... And all those accessory moves worked. When the gym re-opened, I was fitter than I expected to be.

Just joining this thread if that’s okay! Really inspired by everyone’s amazing achievements. I only started lifting a few months ago (usually I’m a runner) and I’m loving it! I’m very short and light and so am only lifting small-ish weight for now but seeing improvements already.

Especially amazed by everyone’s unassisted pull ups, that’s definitely a goal of mine and I love the assisted pull up machine!

You're very welcome @GoTheFcukToSleep . I'm only a few months in too (although not a runner) and pull ups are the coolest.

Welcome @GoTheFcukToSleep! It’s amazing how quick you see progress when you’re new to lifting, it makes it really addictive.

My coach has just added assisted (banded) pull ups to my program so I’m excited to start making some pull up progress 💪🏼

Thanks for the welcome @RayKray and @Work2live!
I haven’t got a PT so have been learning via YouTube tutorials. Started out mostly with machines (too intimidated by free weights) but have slowly started adding in free weights which I now prefer. Still use the lateral pull down machine as well though.

Really want to start trying deadlifts but am quite scared of having the wrong form and hurting myself. Must watch more videos first!

Thanks @GoodThinkingMax ! My grip is actually impaired by an injury, so I feel even more proud now ! I kept thinking of it as a luggage dash at the airport on holiday, especially given the lovely weather.

My grip and my still chubbiness mean that pull-ups are a distant dream for me. My goals are a 100kg deadlift (I’m on 95) and 50kg bench press (further off but not too far)

As someone who’s always been crap at sport I’m so enjoying not being hopeless at something. I combine it with spin classes and old lady jogging, and also love boxing

@GoTheFcukToSleep my session today starts with deadlifts 😎. I worry a bit about form too, I've been told it's fine but I'm not convinced how fine. For what it's worth I've never felt like I'm going to hurt myself, and I figure the strengthening I'm doing becomes increasingly protective. I still think about it though, but need to be doing it to work on it. If you upload videos to tiktok there's people there (that know what they're talking about) that will comment on form. I've found the tip of imagining you're breaking the bar (to get shoulders/back in better position) helpful.

PT told me the body position is like you’re trying to go to a festival toilet and keep the door pressed shut 🤣

Haha love it @LunchPoems! That's perfect!

@GoTheFcukToSleep when you first start doing deadlifts, it can be a good idea to raise the height of the bar slightly using a platform (or even just putting some plates lying flat underneath the plates on the bar). It reduces the range of motion slightly, therefore reducing the chance of injury as you’re not moving the bar such a long way.

Hello @GoTheFcukToSleep, welcome! Great to find a group like this who get it isn't it?

I learned squats and deadlifts by training with someone more experienced at my gym - just happened naturally - and he spotted me.

@LunchPoems, me too. I've always been active - walked, played bit of badminton, ran sometimes, but nothing serious. I started on all this at 50 with high street gym classes that included strength elements and got carried away 😀.

Rest day for upper body for me today but will have a gentle run (all my runs are gentle 😂) and possibly bit of legs and core.

My PT says I should mimic a coy pin up - butt out, back flexed, shoulders back. Or do some twerking. We have fun being silly like that.

🤣 love that @GoodThinkingMax