Lifting Support Thread 3

[Proteinpud]

Continuing from @Work2live 's original thread, with the following intro post

"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! 💪🏼"

Thanks both, yeah I'm not going to rush anything and I've deliberately dropped my 'training max' on my programme so that it generates much lighter weights on my bench, and also for my squat as I was struggling with that after being inconsistent for a while.
I've been back at jiu jitsu and capoeira which have made me really happy!

Unfortunately my squats did not go well :-(

I woke up feeling really groggy and fighting a headache. When I got in the gym my warm ups were moving worse than my top set last week. We ploughed on for a bit but we got to 5kg below what I squatted last week and my coach decided it was not sensible or safe to keep adding more so we stopped there.

I am annoyed about it (although I actually don't feel great so I don't have the energy to be too upset!). But it was clearly not my day so I will sulk for a bit, get over it and get on with testing my other lifts later this week.

@everycowandagain i think 5kg below your weight from last week when you’re really not feeling great is pretty good! Your body is your friend, not your enemy (I need to remember my own advice ! )

Sounds as if your coach has your interests at the forefront rather than their ego.

Sometimes in lifting it’s helpful to remember, the weight will still be there for you to attempt in the future 👍🏼

Sending you lots of mumsnet lifters’ support for when you tackle your other lifts later in the week.

Oh @everycowandagain exactly what @redfacebigdisgrace says.

I was doing a lifting session and my PT got me to 90 kilos, which is usually OK for me, but that day it felt really hard, blimey that day, 70 kilos felt hard. The next day I came down with a cold.

But strength and strength training are not linear. You don't just lose that hard fought for strength because of a few weeks of below PB level lifting.

Aww @everycowandagain what a shame - agree with everyone - your coach sounds great and you did well to get that close if under the weather.

I was thinking about you at the gym just now - I ended up doing much less than planned as just felt groggy and tired. I slept badly so that's probably all it is and it doesn't matter at all as nothing at stake - but even if there had been I could NOT have risen to a challenge, safely.

Hope you feel better tomorrow.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the encouraging words. I am still feeling pretty achy and lethargic today.

I had planned to test my bench tomorrow but I will take a call in the morning depending on how I feel. My coach has suggested a plan B which means we can still get it done later in the week if need be.

Annoying but it happens!

@Proteinpud so pleased to hear you're back on it! Enjoy the training!

@everycowandagain argh sorry to hear you've been struck down! Always happens if it's loitering when you taper too. However your hard earnt gains will still be there when you're well enough to fight back, look forward to seeing the updates!

My top weights have dropped a bit since competing, but I'm in a small deficit and have upped my cardio so it was inevitable, just trying to make sure i'm fuelling workouts properly to be able to recover. Only a few weeks until Christmas then back to building ready for next years competitions!

Have had some new exercises added in now. Lots of ab work, chest work and playing around with different variations of RDL to really target my hammies and glutes, as typically my back doesn't like "conventional" RDLs regardless of ROM or form. Snatch grip seem to be my favourite so far and I have a permanent pain in my ass haha!

I agree with @2andadog that when you go from training hard - which tends to suppress the immune system - to taper your immune system kicks in and you get symptoms. This happened to me when we moved from month comp minus two to month comp minus one and the overall training burden lessened. I got a lurgy 🤧 I was anticipating it though as I managed to start a new job simultaneously so lots of new germs to encounter.

Glad you’ve got a plan B. The underlying gains will not have gone anywhere; glad your coach is on side 👍🏼

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the encouragement and wise words. I spoke to my coach this morning and we are going to test bench and deadlift on Friday instead of testing bench today.

I am feeling a bit brighter but still quite tired and my arms still ache which suggests that a bench max out today would not go well!

I am going to do a light session tomorrow to keep moving and hopefully I will be fresh for Friday. I also told my coach I would like another run at the squats so we are going to see what we can fit in.

And yep, my coach is a good one!

@everycowandagain good news sounds like a plan! Hope it goes well.

After a few days of feeling a bit off colour and tired I've woken up today full of beans and looking forward to some pull ups later - sometimes when under the weather I question myself and my motivation/strength but when I feel better it is so clear there was something and I needed the rest!

Good to hear of recovery & being full of beans from @everycowandagain and @MsMartini

I hit a new deadlifting PB today - 3 reps at 100 - that is, 3 reps touch & go. They were not pretty, but they were technically proper deads.

My treat from my PT was to do 5 sets of bench at 35 & 40. Failed my 3rd rep at 40, but all the sets of 5 at 35 went up smoothly. Go figure ...

We finished with bursts of power on the devil's assault bike, so I'm feeling pretty good. This is after a 2 hour training session on Saturday which alternated 5 minutes on bike/rower with 5 minutes of wall balls, ball slams, various burpees (upside down ones are the killer) and box jumps. Feeling quite hench today, but I now need a nap!

Whooop @YellowAsteroid , they are some mighty deads!

I tried the assault bike at my gym a while back - oh my why is it so hard?!!

Ah I hated the assault bike, did a brief stint of CrossFit and the workout used to be to 'burn X cals' (not that weight loss was actually the goal, it was more just a way of setting a metric for people to do short fast bursts as part of a circuit. They used to take me forever!

@everycowandagain good luck for your next session, though remember you need the down days so you've got a contrast for the PB days!

I've managed a capoeira class, two jiu jitsu sessions and a weights session so far this week, feeling more like myself again. I've switched my stronger by the day programme to the four day version, even though I doubt I'll actually fit in four sessions regularly - the three day just took so long that I found it was putting me off training. Today was supposed to be a deload week, but 3 sets of 8 Copenhagen planks is not a deload! I still do these modified but I'm getting better at them.

I still remember the first time my PT said, Right now do 50 calories on the assault bike. I regularly have to do 20 cals. Somehow 50 cals on the Ski Erg is not half do bad.

It’s the devil’s bike.

Yes!! A gym buddy said try this and burn 20 cals and I thought ha! I'll surprise him. Blimey, guess who got the surprise ...how on earth can it be so hard....

Had two great solo workouts the last couple of days, really in the zone after a bit of a rest. I'm still working on wider grip pull ups and now adding a tiny bit of weight. Progress is very slow but each week I inch forwards.....

Yesterday’s workout included 5 rounds of 20 cals on the assault bike alternating with sled pushes. At least the sled was only loaded with 40 kilos. Burpee broad jumps featured also. It’s nice when it stops.

I did it!!! Finally got my 100kg deadlift!! It feels like it's been a long time coming and it actually came off the floor relatively smoothly. Failed 105kg but I am so pleased.

I also equalled my new bench PB from a couple of weeks ago (when bench was flying!) which after maxing out deadlifts I was pretty happy with. It also moved fairly smoothly. On a different day I would have another 2-3kg for sure.

Hoping to get another run at the squats soon, if I can hold it all together!

Yay well done! Loving all the PBs and hundreds! 100kg is a very very special moment 💪

Thanks @RayKray. My coach reminded me that 2 years ago my deadlift max was about 45kg and I couldn't bench an empty bar so I have seen some great progress in exchange for some hard work.

That 100kg does feel like a milestone!

Congratulations @everycowandagain Welcome to the triple numbers club.

Thanks @YellowAsteroid!

Testing maxes always highlights for me how much pressure I put on myself to achieve certain things and to do them perfectly. If I can get out of my head about it then it goes much better!

Funnily enough when I was deadlifting I found myself repeating a new mantra to myself out of nowhere, which was "no pressure, no expectations". Which intellectually to me feels like the opposite of what I ought to tell myself to hit peak numbers but maybe my subconscious knows what I need better than my conscious mind!

Well done @everycowandagain and welcome to triple figures 💪🏼

I’m definitely in camp “no pressure, no expectations” although I don’t always succeed making my brain believe this. You’re come a long way and 100kg is a lot of weight to be deadlifting.

I dunno if I'm in no pressure no expectations or not.

I don't have target numbers and deadlines. I have goals. Although really my goal is just get as strong on the platform as possible. What those numbers will be and when is outside my control. All I can do is turn up consistently, train hard and do what my coach tells me. It's a long road in the right direction. So in that way there's no pressure or expectations.

But on the other hand I'll always be pushing myself to get a bit more than last session. And 99% of the time I do. If I don't I'll totally notice and be bothered by it.

But my programme always goes to peaks. Then drops back again to work on technique or build again. So potential pressure and expectations ebb and flow.

Yayyyyyyy @everycowandagain brilliant! Well done. You must be so chuffed and rightly so.

I wonder of the pressure and expectation depends a bit how often and intensely you train, how you programme? As well as our personalities and what makes us tick/drives us on?

I train 6 days usually and some workouts have to be dialled down a bit, mentally if not physically, for me to do that. Had biceps left for today, am tired, got a lot else on, so I just went and cranked them out, marginally more than last week but not major leap. I'll make sure next week they are on a day when I have more oomph and time. Other days this week I;ve gone in fizzing and definitely put myself under pressure.

If I trained 3/4 days a week, I'd programme it differently and I suspect have a different attitude too - and that could come down to things like how close the gym is (mine is really close so this way suits me and gives me flexibility to do a lighter/shorter session when that's what's needed).