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! 💪🏼"

Good point about strength standards @MsMartini When I put in my age/weight/what I can lift into strengthlevel.com I feel pretty chuffed with myself (apart from bench press!!) I need to stop comparing myself to elite university lifters ha ha

I think I will find some more masters athletes to follow instead.

And my progress over the past 18 months has been massive, which I need to remind myself of.

I saw something the other day along the lines of 'don't focus on being the best, focus on being the best at getting better'. Good advice for me I think.

And as my coach often says to me, stop thinking about it and do it!

@everycowandagain this is why competing is a good thing. Then you see that yes you're not the strongest, but everyone still cheers you on genuinely (ie it's not pity cheers) and you get to meet other lifters and realise of course they're stronger, they've been doing it longer. And then you can follow people from comp who are more like you, and support each other. And you find the strong people cheer you on just as much, if not more. There will always be stronger people unless you're elite. But that doesn't detract from what you've achieved.

Speaking of which I've competed again! I had the absolute best day. Increased my total. And I can see such an improvement in confidence and form from the footage. So much more to build on. I've got a few weeks less intense programme then it's back to training for the next.

Good point @RayKray Need a nice well timed novice comp...

And great to hear the comp went well and you were pleased with your progress. Did you get the new singlet?! Bet it was such a buzz. Are you enjoying your easier training weeks or are you eager to get back at it?

Oh @RayKray , brilliant news. Well done!! That is so good, and inspiring.

@everycowandagain , yes about strength standards. I think if you are going to compare, at least compare like with like. It is like running - I am a below average runner even for a woman my age according to eg run bundle - but not half as slow as I seem in a park full of youngsters sprinting!

Massive progress over 18 months is much much more important than all of that anyway....

I did get the new singlet 😎
I love all training so I'm happy to do what I am now and looking forward to getting back to it. As long as it's heavy I'm happy

Re comparing like to like it's also worth remembering often those things are self reported so there's no standard. And everything really depends what else you're doing. 1RM outside competition are not comparable as you don't know how high that squat was, whether bench was paused, if they use straps for the deadlifts, if they hitched etc. Also maxing out all the time isn't good training, I don't max out in the gym. It also depends what else you've done first so how fatigued you are etc. By all means max out and test yourself if you enjoy it but comparison outside of a controlled environment isn't IMO very helpful. My comp depth squat still isn't as heavy as squats I used to do which were never to depth, a year later.

Delighted to hear about the singlet @RayKray 😀😀

And I totally agree. I try to train consistently and leave something in the tank most sessions so I can go again tomorrow (and also enjoy life and have energy), and then every so often max out/test myself. Really can't compare across sessions in the normal run of things. And I don't take the strength standards too seriously - more use them to confirm that age and sex do make a difference and I'm, broadly speaking, doing fine IYSWIM.

My workout app told me that I'd completed my 200th workout today. I only use it for strength training, and only started using it a few years back (apps weren't a thing when I first started!) Given I've been struggling with lack of consistency it's still a nice reminder that even being inconsistent week be week, over the long run it's still a good pattern.

@ProteinPud that's a great reminder that, despite all the disruptions, you've put a LOT of work in over time! Consistency not perfection.

I had a better training week this week because I spent less time comparing myself to totally different people. Squats are feeling really nice and smooth at the moment. Did struggle a bit with my heavier deadlifts, I just sometimes don't know how to initiate the drive off the floor when I know it's going to be tough. But it's all in my head!! Just need to do it and not overthink it.

Have a good week everyone!!

@Proteinpud and @everycowandagain so agree about consistency.

As said below, I have cut down on classes (and cut out handstand practice) and am really enjoying my reps. Stripped everything back and seeing progress in pull ups and dips just by doing them 3-4 times a week, not huge volume or intensity, just doing them and enjoying progressing at my pace.......

Thanks both!

@everycowandagain I totally hear you about the deadlift mental blocks. Don't know why it's so difficult sometimes!

@MsMartini sounds nice, I've switched to some lower intensity/greater assistance pull up and chin up versions to try and increase the volume and make them a little less daunting.

Just finishing my last workout of the week, hope everyone keeps enjoying their lifting, however it looks!

Morning all! Hope everyone is well.

@everycowandagain, you have just described the question I popped on to ask, except my block is with bench-pressing: some days I'm flipping 37.5kg with nary a thought, but on others 32kg feels like Everest.

Why am I finding it such a hard nut to crack and why am I so inconsistent? I know progress isn't necessarily linear, but this isn't even a squiggle...

And delighted to hear about the singlet, @RayKray!

The power of peer pressure... 😉😄

@AffIt bench press is the worst for feeling like you are going round in circles! It's so frustrating that some days it flies up and other days it's a real grinder to get it back up. Do you use RPE when you train? I tell myself that if I am hitting the RPE then it doesn't matter what weight is on the bar, it's today's RPE not last week's. Of course I also hate that idea though, I just want to lift more each time...

I did some passable deadlifts today, I think the reason i have been struggling is because I am taking the slack out of the bar, pulling myself into the bar and forgetting to do anything after that. And then it's hard!! Need to remember to drive with my legs too...!!

For me bench is all in the set up and it's finicky. I'll still sometimes just be using my arms if I don't set up just so. Do you take your time, make sure shoulders/lats are engaged, really stable base, controlled descent etc? My bench can go from solid rep to can't get it off my chest if the set up isn't just so.

And deadlifts I just swear in my head a lot, narrow my eyes with more swears, and pull. Also patience and not yanking off the floor. Deficit deadlifts are good for training the getting it off the floor part.

With you on the in my head swearing, @RayKray 😀

Because I do cali the thing about different days and going round in circles is a bit different...but my take is that consistency is showing up and doing some reps (if not ill, injured or exhausted). If I was aiming for every workout being better than the last/last week, I'd go to the gym less and be less happy. I think I progress more this way too - but accept that some workouts are lighter than others, focus on form with low reps or whatever....

@RayKray @MsMartini @everycowandagain

Thank you all for your encouraging words and common sense!

This is why this my favourite thread on MN. 😻

Just saw the thing on consistency and always going up, once you get to a certain point it's impossible to go up all the time, that's not how strength is built. You'd be too fatigued and not make progress anymore. I'm going up from one competition to the next but that means lots of going back and building again. Often a breakthrough comes after a period of what feels like being crap. So it's all good.

Completely agree that consistency is often about showing up and doing something even if it's not perfect @MsMartini Yesterday I squatted much later in the day than usual and on very little sleep plus with a cold brewing (thanks kids, AGAIN!) and they were not pretty squats but I repped a weight that used to scare me so I think I achieved something even if I didn't up the weight from the week before.

And like you say @RayKray hopefully that will pay off in the weeks to come when I test myself. I was annoyed that I didn't hit what I wanted on bench this week but actually I repped 1.5kg less than my 1 rep max so I need to get over myself...

I think I saw the first progress in chin ups since trying to focus on them again!
I've been doubling up on bands to try and do them more often and increase the frequency to help with my grip.

Today I was able to do 10 with the bands in one set, and then tried to do non assisted and managed a comfortable set of two and then one and a half. Previously I could do one on a good day so hopefully that's me getting my strength back!

That's awesome! Well done!

Thanks @RayKray hope your training is going well!

It is thanks. Still in post comp training but not long till start training for next comp.

@RayKray curious what that looks like - do you do a bit of a deload after comp?

Basically I don't do usual squat, bench and deadlift to give my body a rest from the same movement patterns to reduce the risk of injury. So I'm still doing squatting, hinging, pushing movements but not with a barbell. Plus lots of accessories. Week after comp I also kept my weights down but I'm now pushing them back up again.