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! 💪🏼"

@RayKray I mentioned to my coach once that I had been enjoying beasting myself with some heavy lifts so much I had done an extra set and that didn't go down well. He said if you do that you must tell me so I can adjust your programme and of course now I just don't tell him...

I'm curious about the intense thread now! Thanks @everycowandagain. The oven got fixed yesterday but it threw my plans and I now have PMT. However I remind myself I can hip thrust 80kg so whatever it is I can deal with it!

Any tips or ideas for getting more protein in my diet? - www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4882436-any-tips-or-ideas-for-getting-more-protein-in-my-diet

This one!

@everycowandagain I'm baffled as on page 1 or 2 someone wrote "Smokey bacon flavoured pork puffs are fantastic"

🤣 I have no idea if they have protein or not , but I doubt it.

@MistyTrains2 and then a page or two later we were all told not to use protein powder because it's Ultra Processed

I think I will keep the protein powder and skip the puff things!!

In other news I did my 3 sets of 10-12 front squats today and I got to 8 before I thought I was going to die so I think I am getting some stamina back woop woop! I kept it pretty light but it felt better than last week.

That's awesome @everycowandagain very inspiring.

I feel like I've been a bit lax for a couple of days, in reality I worked out on Sunday, and I've kept my steps up. Back to the gym late afternoon today and if I can manage it some interval running after, if now I'll do rowing.

Had an insane workout.
Got an RDL new 10 rep max of 30kg, and a Leg Press new 10 rep max of 140kg.
The new 6 reps, 10 sec break, times 6, is brutal but really good. Back up to 50kg Leg Extension as that dipped for a week.

It's now 3 full body workouts a week, and boy do I feel like I had a full body workout. There was also lat raises, cable lat raises, shoulder presses, bench dips and tricep dips. I did say I wanted more shoulders!

Afterwards I had a go on the pull up machine which I have been meaning to do. I need to look up how to train pull ups using it as I was just climbing all over it.

To end I finally actually did my gym cardio rather than skipping it. I tried previously to do the treadmill and my legs were not interested, but the persistence of bits of running has paid off. Basically I am ok at either a snail pace, or a faster pace, just not that mid pace in between where the lactic acid builds up. There was a good thread on the exercise boards on HR thresholds which was helpful.

1850 calories on the cut okay so far but I'm waiting for the day when I've eaten them all by 5pm, probably tomorrow 🤣 I'm going to take a weekly average.

Such a positive mental boost today. Right, off to conserve energy before my trainer destroys me on Friday.

@everycowandagain respect on front squats!

@MistyTrains , I was warned off the pull up machine if what you want is full pull ups - you need to be training all the muscle groups together. I did negs, holds and when ready bands. I hadn't discovered Megan Callaway on insta then but she has some very good videos on this.

I've been doing weighted pulls at PT (with PT pulling me down and I go up on my own) and in the gym (with 5kg for max 5 reps and 10kg max 2 - is less effective as obviously you need the same weight up and down). Also been working on flag shapes at PT, really enjoying that.

And doing 1 or 2 boxing classes a week, which I am loving - some are more fitness, some beginner technique-focussed. It is at yet another gym though, so it all adds up....

I'll try negatives...I don't think we have anything to stand on though. Just a block that is too high 🤣

I take a folding kitchen stool to the outdoor cali park, and climb up the squat struts (or move a bench or box to stand in) at the gym. Then jump if you need to, to get chin above the bar, hold and descend as slowly as you can!

If the gym has any squat racks with pull up bars on the top, using the bar holder for a leg up works too!

Ha! That's what I meant, couldn't remember their name 😀

I stand on the safety bars to get up and loop the band across the j hooks. You can band up and slow the eccentric down. I also made progress when I was shown to bring my chest up to the top rather than just trying to eek my head up.

Yes, I tend to go for the band looped over the top but across the J hooks is good and with two bands you have four options (1,2,3,4 lengths) without faffing around. I use that set up for planche tuck training (using the bands to keep my hips up). The problem with bands, as Megan C makes clear, is they help you much more at the bottom than the top, and the top is the hardest bit, hence holds and negs etc.

For me the bottom is hardest. It's something to do with getting the right muscles. If I jump up I can pull myself up, if I start from the bottom I just hang there. I think I'm all arm and no back from the bottom, as hard as I try to engage my back. If I'm already off the bottom I'm using back (and arms).

Yes, @RayKray that makes sense. Do you warm up with scapular pulls? They really help me engage my back. And maybe also try doing holds at different points, on the way up and down, so you have time to find the muscles IYKWIM. I hold chin above, forehead to bar, head touching bar, then one or two more positions before deadhang. You can even rep this.

@MsMartini no I do none of those things and then complain I can't do them 😆. They're an accessory for me so I just do them with a band, supersetted with other stuff, after having focused on squat, bench or deadlift, with little focus on technique. So really I'm just relying on strength with zero finesse or skill. One day maybe I'll put some effort in to actually developing that skill properly (I did used to a bit more pre powerlifting days)

@RayKray yep, makes perfect sense - I was wondering how you fitted them in given your focus! We often do scapular pulls as part of the general warm up in my classes, on pull day, but no-one had ever talked about them before - they've really helped me understand my back by taking arms out of it.

I mean it's not like powerlifters being unable to do pull ups has ever been the subject of any memes or anything 😆

My PT makes me jump up to grab the pull up bar on the rig in the middle of the gym. No stepping up from a plyo box or step! The jump is the hardest bit ….

@RayKray i know what you mean about finding and firing the muscles for a pull up. I’m still using bands and do a lot of fast up, slow down negatives. The thing I find which helps is the last few centimetres to get my chin over the bar by real king pulling my elbows down and in to my back. Somehow that engages my lats.

I'm going to try dead hangs with knee ups.

Does anyone find when they get a new workout they hate it for a while? I did mine today. I hate bulgarian split squats. I'm also not enjoying squats generally. I think this is because I have functional anterior pelvic tilt. I'm trying to work on this more.

What I did enjoy were lat pulldowns, I've started to put my hands wider and feel it more in my back rather than more triceps. Also my bicep curls felt good. And loving the hip thrust whereas I have hated that before. And my lat raises are up to 6kg.

So it's not all bad. Maybe I didn't work hard enough. I find it hard just after my cycle. I want to but my power is hiding.

So excited. Been doing a fair bit of running and today it's day 7 of my cycle so my power is back. I took a beetroot powder capsule before my workout, it may be placebo but I had a great session. I got 7 personal bests on RDL, leg press, leg extension, smith squat reverse lunges. So pleased and utterly exhausted.

The cut is a challenge and having to prioritise my mental spoons.