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! 💪🏼"

Gosh that's so true @everycowandagain . We forget that, often, I think.

I'm progressing but some things proving a real sticking point. My tuck planche is still nowhere even tho planche leans, planche lean press ups, dips, pike push ups all better. I need to keep the faith that greater shoulder strength, protraction and push strength generally will translate....

I've never found that I can improve on everything at once either!

It's a good way of looking at it. Also have to remember that lifting is still working even if its a weight that is lighter than what we'd like - when you add up what you're doing over a session it's still going to be having an effect.

@MsMartini ooh tuck planches are cool! I don't train them anymore but I used to find those quite addictive. Well, progressions of! Used to do versions with pylo boxes to push off from.

I'm hoping to train tomorrow but I've been sparring tonight (BJJ) and I'm a little worried how I'm going to feel tomorrow, not very conditioned at the moment! I attempted to do a chin up when I got home without thinking about it and I could barely grip the bar!

Yeh progress doesn't always look like more on the bar. Hope you continue to feel better @everycowandagain.

I've not much exciting to report really. I'm back to comp prep which I'm excited about, but I'm always excited about lifting. Very sbd focused with some variations to work on particular parts of my lifts.

I managed a (fairly short, light) deload bench session today and I am feeling so much better. Planning to get as much rest as possible over the long weekend but hopefully back to normal training fairly soon.

Hope everyone has some good sessions planned for the weekend!

Glad you're feeling better @everycowandagain , it's such a nice feeling to get back into it and feel ok.

@RayKray when's your next comp? Are you doing something local or a big one?

I had to take a rest day yesterday due to my headache/muscle tension which I was disappointed about because I haven't trained any capoeira yet this week. But the rest has done me good, SBTD programme this morning and managed 10 reps @70kg of an AMRAP final set. Also had a go at pushing myself on hip thrusts (previously only used my deadlift weight because I couldn't be bothered with the set up) and managed 105kg x6 quite comfortably. Never had to use my 20kg bumpers before so that was a novelty! I use a short 15kg bar at home because the space I have is quite narrow, but I do still have my full size olympic bar so I might switch that for future.

I never bothered with hip thrusts in the past as I'd only heard about them as a booty growing exercise, but they apparently have a big crossover for athletic power and strength, which is something I need in jiu jitsu/capoeira so I'll stick with them I think!

@Proteinpud it's in June and regional. To do anything bigger (which would be national) I need to hit a qualifying total. I was at about 90% of that at the last competition so fingers crossed I hit it this year. All I can do is train hard and listen to my coach, and I do both those things, so it's just a matter of time but I don't know how much time.

Hipthrusts are good to helping with lockout on the deadlift too I think.

Ooh thats exciting @RayKray I like how much it comes across that you're on a path and you trust that path, it's a nice contrast to the 'get fit in 30/60/90 days stuff that dominates the online space.

Makes sense about the hip thrust link to deadlift. I'm also going to try some single leg/staggered stance variations as those are meant to be particularly helpful for power with kicks/jumps.

I agree with @Proteinpud , @RayKray . You are so clear about where you are going, and following that path closely, it is great to read.

@everycowandagain yayy. Hope you have a restful weekend.

@Proteinpud big numbers!!

Just back from nice long gym session with time to experiment and think as family away. I do enjoy those.

@MsMartini thanks, I know hip thrust is something most women can go surprisingly heavy on, still it was the first time I've ever needed to get into triple figures so it felt nice!

I do love long gym sessions, it's one of the main things I enjoy about having my home set up is just being able to relax on my own with no distractions.

Thanks @Proteinpud and @MsMartini . It is nice to have a very clear path, programming done for me and a good coach. I do love the routine, the process, the opportunities to test how much stronger I've got, the whole thing. And it really does teach you patience and that you're capable of all sorts if you trust the process to train for it.

It does mean I've not much to share here though as it's always 'lifted some slightly heavier stuff up'. Or 'gone back down to work again on lifting heavier stuff up'.

I suppose there is the new singlet excitement. I have some new knee sleeves arriving too soon.

The process is really interesting @RayKray , and it is an interesting perspective. Our processes are all different.

I program myself but do have phases when it is similar - same sets and reps each week, pushing on slowly and steadily....and then went backwards on bands for front lever today as gym partner spotted my shoulders weren't in the right position so I used a heavier one to work on that and correct it....

@RayKray I know it's not always as obvious to share, but for me the achievements I enjoy aren't usually the PRs. Often the PRs feel a bit wobbly and it's only when I've lifted that new weight a few times it feels good. What feels like success is the little breakthroughs that are hard to explain ... Like your example @MsMartini , a shift in form (even if it comes a change in the progression) feels like a much bigger deal - it's like finding the right piece of the jigsaw.

Yesterday my biggest achievement in capoeira wasn't even the fitness/movement part, it was going out of my comfort zone to play a drum during the game! All part of it though.

Also - new singlet time sounds very exciting!

See I don't even always get a lot of those either. I don't always know what aspect of my lifts we're working on, my coach will programme to improve something in my lift but I don't always know why, as I need my body to figure stuff out rather than my brain get in the way all the time. So in a competition video I can see a shift in my position for example, but that will have been incremental and I'll have not really known it happened. It's another part of that trusting the process stuff, and believing that my body will gradually adapt.

I do feel at the moment though like my form on deadlifts and squats is improving. I'm trying to work even harder on making sure I tick every little box on every rep so I'm more consistent. It probably also helps that the weight is lighter at the moment.

So true @RayKray and I like "every little box" - I think that's when I plateau sometimes, when I haven't done that - and sometimes I can get stronger but not better at the move (eg stronger back not translating to better front levers because form not quite right).....

Exactly @MsMartini . When you're trying to do a very specific thing the training becomes very specific too. I can see now why there's lots of people do one powerlifting comp then realise it's not for them, as it becomes very repetitive and picky, as well as hard fatiguing work. Thankfully I love all those things! But I've already started to see the people disappear that don't like that (with zero judgement, I've given up loads of things cos they don't suit me. I'd never ever run a marathon for example, I could not be arsed with all that running around training, looks really exhausting. Nor do I think I could do calisthenics as it would take me too long to get the hit of feeling good at it, whereas lifting you get that pretty early on as you can watch numbers go up with minimal skill really)

Yes, totally @RayKray and the main thing is when you find the ting you love to stick at it.

I'd dipped a toe in the cali waters at a local specialist place when the covid axe fell, so it was the obvious thing to focus on while gyms closed. And I live in a hotspot so even normal gyms may have some kit, most parks have bars of some sort etc.....when I started I was mostly doing squats, DLs, push ups, some machine work, and then started trying for a pull up alongside those things, at my high street chain gym but I never went back there when gyms reopened. So I might never have got into it!

@MsMartini love that story of how you ended up doing cali! So much of life is coincidences. And there are so many fab ways of training.

I am into my new training block, it's heavy singles all the way to testing maxes in a few weeks eeeek!! Feeling so much more confident under a heavy (for me!) squat, so I am excited to see what happens.

Feeling mostly better, still needing a lot of sleep but getting back to normal. I am going to keep life simple the next couple of weeks so I don't over do it.

Yayyyy @everycowandagain that sounds more like it! Quite right about sleep.

Reps focus is paying off, finally. Did a pull up/chin up climb tonight and felt strong and more than back to where I was. So I think I will keep slogging on in a rainy yard solo 😀.

How's everyone doing? Feeling good over here, nothing dramatic but this is my fifth consecutive week of hitting three weights sessions a week, so I'm enjoying seeing the little graph on my strength app!

Also my programming has included single leg exercises for a while (eg split squats, cossacks, lunges etc) and I've been working on my ankle mobility. I've always been able to do pistol squats on my right side but not on my left, due to ankle mobility (injury) but also noticeably weaker pushing off. Tried supported pistols this morning and I can push off from my left, not just stop at the negative! Going to keep those in my routine now. Love it when there's a concrete change in bodyweight movement/function.

Oh that's great @Proteinpud! So satisfying.

Great PT session this morning. Big focus on human flags for me with PT spotting me up and slow negative reps - making progress, little by little, very happy.

Ooh that sounds very satisfying too @MsMartini ! Excellent work!

@Proteinpud , just saw you said you'd always been able to pistol on one side - Wow! Did that just happen or did you train for it?

Haha thanks @MsMartini ! I hadn't trained specifically for pistol squats, but I tried them after training capoeira for a while and that helps a lot with mobility. And I'd been doing calisthenics prior to that including single leg L sits which would have helped with the strength to keep the other leg out of the way.
I think the reason I can do them relatively easily on one side is because my ankle mobility allows for me to keep my weight forward - chest stays close to knee. Whereas on the left side I had to sit back more and that's MUCH harder!

I suspect body shape is part of it too, I'm short with short legs so squatting low is easier for me. If only it translated into my barbell back squats! Although I did try some light ATG barbell squats this week and they felt ok, and something I can work back up from.

I am going to blame my complete inability to do pistol squats on my long legs then @Proteinpud!! My long femurs get the blame for most things. Total lack of coordination probably doesn't help though...

I got a bench PB today which was awesome because I wasn't near my max either, it was RPE 7-8. I added 1.5kg to my previous PB and feel like I can add some more yet. Exciting!! 😀

Ooh a bench PB is very exciting, can take a long time to see gains there, well done!

I feel I should caveat my pistol squat claims a little, I can do them but not particularly well! Have to really concentrate on my balance. But something I want to work on definitely.