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! 💪🏼"

Aah if you can reflect and take the positives @redfacebigdisgrace . I found it beneficial to drop down in weight on squats as it gave me some more recovery energy which I used to work on mobility outside the gym, and last time my weight went up (not that it's all about weight but it feels good.).

Mine is on a cut too (1100 calories last time!), must be hard.

I've slipped on my cut today with some very calorific slightly unhealthy snacking. I was technically under this week so it probably doesn't matter, but I do function better when I stick to solid meals and decent snacks. Back to it tomorrow.

Going to try again with a bit of a cut, not looking for a specific weight just aware that the waistband on my jeans is no longer comfortable!

Sorry if I've asked this before, but any tips on strength training during a cut? Do most of you programme anything different, or just workout as usual and not expect to hit PRs?

Not looking to cut drastically at all, just want to be sensible.

I am 5 weeks into an 11 week cut, down a couple of kg. I am prioritising lifting over extra cardio in order to maintain as much muscle as possible. So I am doing my usual sessions with the usual intensity but accepting I may find it harder/feel more fatigued/need more recovery.

Doing lots of walking although that's fairly normal for me, I typically do 12 or 13000 steps but am trying to hit 15000 if I can. Also I started fairly gently, dropped just a couple of hundred calsto 2000 for the first couple of weeks and then another couple of hundred to 1800 after that.

It's not been too bad so far!! I am now adding in a little bit of gentle cardio but only if it doesn't compromise my lifting. Might drop my calories a little bit more in the final few weeks for a last push.

Can't wait to get back to maintenance though, cutting is tedious!! Although I am happy my clothes are a bit looser after bulking for the first half of the year.

Good luck!!

Thanks @everycowandagain ! I will be adding a bit more cardio in some respects, but that's coincidental- I haven't done much of my usual capoeira/jiu jitsu for various reasons so I'll be bringing that back, and along with it I'll need to be careful not to try and go too low, as I want to be able to train.

Jiu Jitsu sparring I think is probably comparable to HIIT with a strength element, so hoping that still works with my goals! Majority of the class is quite sedate (technique based), it's only a few short rounds at the end.

Glad you're starting to feel some benefit, I find it easy to lose weight the 'wrong' way (eg skipping meals) I find eating regularly enough to train well while not overeating the tough part!

@Proteinpudding same, I would also tend to go too low too quickly so this time I let my coach set my calories/macros. Honestly I was worried he wasn't being aggressive enough to begin with but I am seeing good results and actually even after 5 weeks I am feeling pretty good and have been really consistent.

Left to my own devices I would have gone in a lot harder and be hungry, tired and fed up by now.

I am starting to feel like time is running out and I do want to lean out a fair bit more before I hit the beach but I am glad we started fairly gently.

Sounds like you will naturally increase your activity levels as you get back into things.

@Proteinpudding I'm a newbie so don't really know...I am only doing a small cut so as yet don't feel any different in terms of strength. My DOMS is also okay but I have less mental spoons on recovery days...everyone is different though. I'm still hitting PRs, program as usual. My PT did lower my steps and cardio, but it was the start of a new program too so there is getting used to that to factor in.

I would say it is probably not the time to aim for cardio PRs! I did a sea swim today and have a 5k in 2 weeks...bad timing and wouldn't do it like that again.

It has totally changed my approach, I can't imagine doing a low carb low calorie diet again.

I've already had benefits even before the cut - I'm about 6lb heavier than when I started training but my body fat if those scales can be trusted is about 3% less than the start.

Mine is 6-8 weeks and next week is week 2. I'm looking forward to not tracking but it is am interesting experience.

Sea swim sounds tough!

I'm back to 'proper' training again post comp now. Today there isn't a bit of me that doesn't ache. I don't usually get much DOMS but I must have used my muscles in a different way which is awesome as we've been working on form so that's a good sign. I also have the worst period pain to complement the DOMS. (But of course I love the DOMS)

Managed to up my RDL weight by a massive additional 2.5kg to 62.5 kg yesterday. Managed 1 set at 50 then two sets of 8 at 62.5kg. Very pleased with myself! I’m 59.5kg so very chuffed to be lifting over my body weight now.

Feeling tired today after too much socialising. Short 5km run this morning and relax. Hope everyone else is having a good day.

Well done! Going over bodyweight is pretty cool 😎

Period pains suck. That's great you are enjoying it.

Awesome @redfacebigdisgrace !

I ran in my first 5km race today, I wouldn't call it short 😅. It was hilly which I hadn't anticipated, but I did it. The crowd atmosphere was pretty cool.

I'm finding it really hard to plan my training in a deficit. I was adding 10% each week/exercise in maintenance/bulk, but now I am on lower calories I am losing around 200g-400g of body weight a week. I'm happy to keep pushing to failure, but I'm basically worried about being hungry.

Well done @MistyTrains2 ! I can’t help with the intake as I don’t track my calories. Do you measure body fat? What has that done as you’ve been restricting? How much are you cutting your calories by? Are you keeping protein the same in grammes?

@redfacebigdisgrace I have scales at home. Body fat fluctuates but lost 0.8% over about 10 days. I'm doing 150-250 calorie deficit.

I haven't kept protein the same in grams. I'm doing 30% protein / 40% carb / 30% fat.

Well done @MistyTrains2 how much more are you wanting to lose? My stats have stayed about the same, despite lifting 4 days a week, which is very annoying but I just can’t go into surplus. It stresses me out too much to gain weight on purpose!

I guess I can save more carbs to have for dinner the night before a gym day. I might up the protein a little to keep me full and lower the fat a little.

Well that's just it @redfacebigdisgrace , I don't know.

I'm not sure about body fat %, maybe another 1 or 2%. It could be between 1.5lbs and 4lbs. The cut is 6 weeks long. I guess it's what feels right and visuals.

I think a lot can be achieved at maintenance- considering I was probably 6-7% higher body fat when I started my 12 week weight lifting block, that's about 5% I've recompositioned from fat to muscle (that I am hopefully not going to lose in deficit!).

You’ve made great progress. Do you measure body fat in home scales? My stats haven’t changed at all in 7 months despite doing 4 sessions a week and upping protein. Quite dispiriting. I’m 50 so that may have something to do with it.

Yes home scales. Although to be fair I measured at the start on the gym Boditrax machine so my estimate of my recomposition could be way off! Maybe I should pop back to the Boditrax machine.

Been reading a bit and advice seems to say keep the weight and reps up but drop volume first if needed during the cutting phase, prioritise compounds and if needed drop back accessories first.

Have good lifting weeks everyone!

@MistyTrains2 I think in a cut you hit a point where you are slogging it out and you won't necessarily make those regular increases in weight like you were before - but progress isn't linear. So long as you train hard and with the same intensity, that's ok. Your muscles don't know what weight you are using.

I am 6 weeks into my 11 week cut. My muscle mass is holding steady which is really good, my protein is pretty high and I am hitting the lifts hard. I am now timing my carbs around my training to get the most benefit. My accessories are definitely suffering, I am often a bit burnt out by the end of my session, but my SBD are all going really well.

I am trying to prioritise sleep too, I read that people in a deficit who get more sleep lose less muscle than people who get less sleep!!

Thank you very helpful! In line with what I was thinking about carbs. I'm so glad to hear it is not just me that feels more burnt out by the end of the session, it is hard not to think there is something wrong.

Oh god the sleep is depressing. I completely agree though. I need to really try on sleep.

@MistyTrains2 I think it's completely normal, the fatigue is going to creep in. After all, you are under fueling yourself and asking your body to perform well while pushing it hard. It's going to take a toll.

My coach is really having to keep me in check because otherwise I over train and under fuel, all because I can see I have only a few weeks left and I really want to see what I can achieve in terms of body composition. It's the double edged sword of being really self motivated, I push myself hard but sometimes too hard.

Really looking forward to eventually getting back to maintenance and smashing some heavy lifts instead of thinking about my body fat levels.

@everycowandagain Agree...my trainer is getting me to cut back on cardio.

One positive thing is I am learning to fuel for what I do- I've had a huge pasta bake after yesterdays run so I know I am fuelled for lifting later. I've never eaten so much and lost so effortlessly, to my knowledge anyway.

But it is quite wierd getting my head round my changing body and I am keen to get back to maintenance too. Ideally I'll have a non tracking period. Fat loss is really only a small reason for why I lift which feels a healthy way of looking at it to me.

@MistyTrains2 same, I plan to have some time away from tracking (aside from keeping a loose eye on my protein). After 6 months tracking a surplus and 3 tracking a cut I will need a break from it.

Going to test my maxes later in the year too, I am sure I can get 100kg+ for my deadlift and I want to push on from my previous squat PB of 60kg/bench of 31.5kg so that will be a good focus for the end of the year.

Plus the competition @everycowandagain 😄

Wow big numbers @everycowandagain I can only dream of that deadlift number! My squats and benches are closer to your numbers but deadlifts miles off!