Lifting support thread 2

[RayKray]

Just noticed I was the last to post on the lifting support thread as it went to 1k so here's another.

Original thread intro post here from
@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! 💪🏼"

Not till 2024 now so I'm waiting for the dates to come out.

The feeling of everyone supporting each other is the best.

The atmosphere sounds awesome @RayKray. I ran a couple of marathons back in the day and the atmosphere was amazing, all the support from the crowd.

Might have to go along and watch a powerlifting comp!

Just thinking similar. I don't know anyone into powerlifting as such locally, but a friend's partner has started doing strongwoman competitions and I think I'm going to ask when she's next competing locally so I can go and watch. Their stuff is just another level!

Yeh I love a bit of strongwoman too. Basically anything with heavy stuff I love, I don't get why but I just do.

The biggest powerlifting comp in the world happens in the UK in Sheffield. The best lifters from the world come to compete and it's so exciting (if you like watching people lift heavy things). Next one is Feb 24, just google Sheffield 24 powerlifting. Otherwise if you look in British powerlifting you can find your region and they will have comps ongoing. They're a totally different end of the scale to Sheffield though. There's also nationals but I think they're done for the year.

Ooh I'm within an hour's drive of Sheffield, that seems to good an opportunity to miss! Thanks for the information I'll have a look at this

I did my hideous 1 1/2 rep squats with my coach yesterday, still only with the bar, and we tweaked a couple of technique things. They were still horrible but I got them done!

When we added weight to the bar for good mornings it made me miss my heavy squats :-( I negotiated with my coach that we will do a strength focused training block later in the year and hopefully hit some good PBs. I know I can smash my deadlift PB of 90kg, I need to put the work in on the other lifts for a few months first.

It was funny that when I walked the bar out for good mornings and it felt heavy, I desperately wanted to squat it. Never thought that would happen!

I love the horrible things, the worse i can make it feel the better. And then I love it when I'm told to put more weight on. My mind is broken 😆 I love the session I did today for that reason, it's really hard and I have to fight my brain to keep going for those last reps.

Yes that is a bit broken 😅 although there is nothing like a session where you work harder than you thought you could.

I got my new plan from my trainer. I'm relieved to see nothing new and there are still the cable accessories. I've not seen the third workout though.

I've also got a new new cardio plan. I went for a run today and been reading that HIIT is good alongside strength so thought I would try a sprint. Ok it was not a sprint, more of a tempo run, but I could run! All that deadlifting and glute building.. I had power! That is new for me. So I'm gonna do a bit of interval runs.

Alongside that a short swim and a 15m session on possibly the rower. Or reclining bike if I cba 😄

I've also somehow got to fit 6 serious swims in over the next 2 weeks as I signed up to a sea swim event. I do have an actual sea lesson booked which is a relief, so I may survive it!

My cals are going down to 1850 for the 10 week cut, though I may have to eat some of the swimming calories back!

I've also set myself some lifting goals 🙂.

For the RDL my current is 27.5kg excluding bar. I had a feeler of 30 and it was good. It's the forearm strength that lags. Anyway my 6 week goal is 37.5kg. How does that sound? I think it's in the plan twice a week. I don't know if I'm not being very ambitious with that one, but I don't want to lose form as my glute muscles have come from nothing.

Sounds good @MistyTrains . I've done 2.5kg a week before on other lifts, so 10kg in 6 weeks gives space for blips too.

Thanks @RayKray

Anyone else find they're a bit rubbish at setting their own progressive overload?

Benching this morning, and there's been a few times where I've taken a bit of a break (eg a week for a holiday) or I've been a bit injured/been training heavy in bjj so have gone light, or I've been focusing on tempo or reps - which I know is a form of progressive overload in itself. But, when deciding my warm up weights I was thinking about what weight to aim for and realised that the highest weight I've benched was 40kg. On my 40th birthday. Which means that it was now over a year ago!

So, new PB this morning of 42kg for 5, and I'm going to try and remember to bloody push myself a bit more in future!

@Proteinpudding know what you mean. Think that is why I like a mix of classes, PT, solo sessions, and occasional partner workouts, or just doing one exercise with someone else (because my classes are at my gym, I know people and we might buddy up for eg pull ups, then move on toe different things). It pushes me on but also I learn new tweaks to make the sessions more effective.

@Proteinpudding ha I'm the opposite. I'll know a rep was my max but I still try for the next one. I'm getting a bit more sensible but I love pushing. Which isn't the best way to train. Which is why I am working on being more sensible.

@Proteinpudding well done on the PB. My bench press is shaky!

I've got a new workout to get used to, I mean it's the same exercises but different order and reps 🤣 I was meant to swim today but overslept so went to the gym instead.

My trainer put in a set of 6 x 6, 10secs, which is 6 reps then 10 second break then again, 6 times. Omfg. I did it on the hip thrust at 80kg and it was like a spin class 🤣. My glutes were on fire.

Annoyingly the whole workout still took me 1.5 hours. I don't get how the app says 1 hr 4 mins. Surely I can't faff that much but evidently I do.

Thanks all! I think I've read a lot in the early days about how it's not sensible to try and go for PBs every time, but I think I take that a bit too literally at times!

I would like someone to train with, or a PT, but I already spend enough money (and time!) on my sports so I'm not really in a position to add anything else.

I've now set myself a 50kg bench goal though!
I was disappointed that my deadlifts weren't great, but think I'd done too much in the warm up - next time I'm going to start the warm up with a slightly higher weight so I don't have as many sets to working weight.

@Proteinpudding I try and add a bit more every time but sometimes that doesn't work and I take what I can do! I have to say, boring as it is, hydration, sleep and a diet high in whole unprocessed food makes a huge difference. I've not been as hydrated and tracking slightly less aka eating more preprepared stuff and I really felt a reduction in my mind muscle connection in the gym. So if I want to get the PBs I know those pillars are key.

I find it really variable on the weights - sometimes several warm up sets are exactly what I need to then get a set at a higher weight. That seems to be the case in the first half of my monthly cycle. Whereas other times I am better off doing one warm up set then going in with the strong/heavier sets. That seems to be the case in the second half of my cycle. So first half =endurance, second half= strength. Then sometimes it's just all round hard 🤣

Yes, I find what works best in terms of warm ups and adding weights is tricky and varies.

I find pullups hard psychologically (I think because getting my first one was such a big deal) so have to do them at the start of a pull workout, even though some of my other exercises are harder, which makes no sense. At the moment, I am working on weighted ones and struggle to know whether it is better to build up. In PT, we are doing nasty sets of 4/5 unweighted and then trying to resist being pulled down by the PT for a couple of reps and then a slow negative (with assistance getting up, after failure reached on the pull) - one set of that was enough!

I am like @RayKray in that I always want to push on for more, even when I should stop or back it off.

Also I don't know when to rest. Today being a great example: got to bed at 2.30am after a weekend away at a festival with the kids. Got a message from my coach at noon telling me to take a rest day but.... I was already at the gym slogging through some Bulgarian split squats. Am my own worst enemy!!

@MistyTrains I am also on lower calories now, down to 1800. I can see the muscles I have built emerging, although the main goal was to build shoulders/upper and it looks like I have picked up some bonus extra quad size along the way!! I am on the beach in 8 weeks so we will see where I get to, although I am not going to sacrifice hard earned muscle for unnecessary fat loss. I realised earlier when I saw myself in the gym mirror that I am actually a bit sad at getting smaller!! Longer term goal is definitely still more muscle.

@everycowandagain my coach also told me not to train this weekend, I've done 16,000 steps one day and a swim in an olympic pool, and one gym session 😳. Not ignoring the advice but just sort of happened, due to timing! I'm supposed to do a load of prepping this weekend for my cut but having to call out an electrician. Gah. Your post has motivated me though.

@MistyTrains2 it's meal prep here too! I hope you get your power sorted out.

@hobnobswantshernameback feel free to chat about protein and gym/weights over here! Your other thread got a bit... intense! Like you said, if it's not massive salads and restrictive diets then sometimes this place melts down...

What happened on the other thread? 👀

I find if you don't tell your coach what you've been up to they can't tell you not to train 🤫 I am trying to be a better coachee, honest.

@RayKray the usual ie don't eat this, don't eat that, in fact don't eat anything!

@Hobnobswantshernameback was only asking for tips to increase protein, but apparently according to some posters we don't need it and it's all a fad 🤣