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! 💪🏼"

Wow @RayKray that is wonderful.

I had my last PT training session before going away from Christmas and New Year and I was feeling quite tired.

But managed a new 1RM PB undead of 105 kilos. 1.5 times my body weight.

I'm at a powerlifting gym where all around me people lift extraordinary amounts as a matter of course, so my PT has to remind me that for my age (66) I am an exception, and he also reminded me of the time about 5 years ago when my now quick warm up weight - 60k - was a PB.

So I can now eat all the Christmas chocolate I feel like!

@RayKray how exciting! And @YellowAsteroid . What amazing journeys!!

Congratulations @YellowAsteroid that's brilliant! And yes, I can't imagine there'll be many people your age lifting over 100kg - in fact, I don't think there's that many people who can lift 100kg full stop!

I did my third weights session this week, so I'm really pleased that I seem to be getting back on track. I struggled with an 80kg deadlift on Friday which was a little disappointing, but then today I managed to rep 31kg OHP which is not far off my PB, so I'm hopeful my strength will come back quickly. I've already started eating plenty of Christmas food which will certainly help 😄

How is everyone's festive season going? I'm loving having a home gym right now, each day is a good workout, lots of protein (various roasts) and relaxing with a book. Perfect!

@Proteinpud ahh home gym is VERY handy for this time of year! Are you feeling the weights are moving easier with the added calories?

I went to my fav powerlifting gym on Monday as a treat as was meeting a friend near there for a walk afterwards to made the 1hr round trip worth it, it was sooo quiet which was nice.

Off to the hated local commercial gym today, hopefully it'll also be quiet...! Have joined a new local independent gym from the 2nd Jan so hoping that solves my annoyance and allows me to crack on with training. On deload week this week although weights don't seem to have dropped that much haha, next week is a new block ready for my next comp in February.

@2andadog I'm not sure i'm moving very easily with the extra calories, lol! Tbh this is my first week of trying to push myself after such a long break (I've been ill or injured most of the time since September, barring the odd week here or there) So I'm lifting lighter than I was previously but everything feels better, probably because being ill forced me to rest my injuries properly! I'm excited about seeing progress in getting my strength back.

February comp is exciting, and I bet that will come around quickly! In my experience commercial gyms are usually fairly quiet until about mid January as it takes time for the newbies to actually start. What is the independent that you've signed up to like?

@Proteinpud gosh that sounds like a great way to start (well finish I suppose but YKWIM!) the year after such a stop/start time. Must be very satisfying.

@2andadog yes, what's the new gym like?

I'm enjoying the short-lived peace at gym, going first thing, but my time not really my own atm (ds has had knee surgery, family around etc, been lovely though) so am training with one eye on the clock. But feeling strong and lots of energy.

It's going good thanks. Not sure what else to add as I'm still doing the same training. Tested 1RMs in the gym before Xmas with a bit more on my PBs and now back into comp prep. Continue to be amazed at the things I can now do for reps that were once big goals.

Hope new gym pans out. I'm quite lucky in mine as it's limited capacity so never crazy busy. And the negotiating for kit is all managed by the PTs rather than us. It's still been pretty busy this week which surprised me.

@Proteinpud so pleased everything is feeling better, sounds a great start to the new year pending!

@MsMartini good news on the energy too!

New gym is still a bit more "general fitness" than I'd like, but as long as it has lifting platforms and squat racks, with some decent barbells for dead lifts I'm all good! It's actually a brand new one in a new building, but I know some people who are working there and they're great people so hopefully it'll be a good option. I've just signed up for 1 month as a trial, so keeping fingers crossed. I am going to be catching up with my coach once a week too at her gym now too on comp run up (at the moment it's 100% online), so that will also allow me some downtime from playing hunt the weight myself haha!

@MsMartini it almost feels like a start because it feels like a headstart on 2025! Glad you're able to enjoy a peaceful gym, though hope DS is doing ok after their surgery. There's only two of us at home and we visited one side of the family Christmas eve and the other will be January, so I really do have the luxury of time right now. Though I have spent a lot of that time on the sofa eating quality street, not gonna lie!

@RayKray Remind me what you're aiming for in terms of comp and numbers? It sounds like your coach programmes really well for you, I never hear of you being frustrated with plateaus, it's great.

@2andadog it's mad that even general fitness gyms have lifting platforms and multiple racks now. When I first moved to this home the reason I insisted on space for a home gym was that of the three gyms in town, none had a squat rack, a space you could deadlift in, or a bench that I could use without a spotter. It's good that strength training has become mainstream.

@Proteinpud I'm aiming for British Powerlifting Masters. I dunno what numbers we're aiming for as my coach does all that, and for me whilst I have things I'd like to achieve I'll get there when I get there, can't rush the process. I'm currently on S102.5kg, B62.5kg, D137.5kg. And yes my coach is awesome. Not had a plateau, not had any significant injuries and always have a positive experience. He figures out what will improve my lift, then we work on that for a bit, then work on the next thing. And gets the bits stronger that need to be stronger. It helps that I don't get bored by doing the same thing over and over.

@RayKray do you only ever train with your coach? This is awesome, I am so analytical I spend so much time thinking of my lifts and numbers I think I psych myself out sometimes.

My coach tells me the numbers I’m lifting each week each session and I feed back to her, but sometimes I think having someone there physically does make all the difference. How many times a week do you train?

Yeh I train 4 times a week and he's there at least 3 of those times. So he watches me then tells me what to lift next. So I always believe I can lift it, cos he thinks so, which I think is helpful pushing myself. There's no not loading enough and also no loading too much. And he can very patiently constantly remind me of the technique thing he's told me over and over. It also means when he handles me at comp he's very familiar with how my lifts move and therefore attempt selection. I pay £££ but it's well worth it for me. I think almost everyone else I know has an online coach so I'm pretty unusual. Or at the very least hybrid so online mainly but see their coach sometimes. But I'm asking things every session. But then I don't get that analysis of video footage others do.

Wow @RayKray those are some serious numbers! Was it you who was posting previously about needing to get a minimum total to qualify though the numbers had changed recently? I think that was what I had in mind when I asked about goals, though apologies if I've mixed you up with anyone else!
I have a few friends who coach (lifting but not necessarily powerlifting) and none of them recommend solely online coaching for PTs. Nutrition yes, and having some online functionality if the face to face sessions are more sporadic, but it's so difficult to accurately analyse from video (unless you've got fixed camera mounts to know the distance and angle + filming more than one angle at the same time) I'm sure there's some benefit or people wouldn't use it, but it's so different to in person training.

Yeah that is invaluable, luckily my coach did all my numbers at the comp I did and I would never want that to be any different! as you say, sounds very worth the ££. Sounds like you’re well on track to get your qualification!

I’ve just done my A/BPU membership, it’s my last year before masters so have some big numbers to reach to qualify for the EU champs which is what I’d like to get, but if not I’ll be well on track for the following year, and will have some more experience under my belt. However I’m struggling with even lower numbers for me at the moment, think just general fatigue so hoping all will come good on the next block!

@Proteinpud yeh that was me. I was just shy of the QT last comp, from what I've done in the gym I'm nicely over so just need to replicate that but I've got plenty of time and I wasn't really peaked and tapered for those PBs so it should all be fine. I don't tend to miss lifts at comp, again cos my coach is good and knows me well.

Hey all, I am relaxing in the sun and doing the occasional hotel gym dumbell workout. More focused on my tan than my lifts right now but love hearing about everyone's 2025 plans and gyms.

I am looking forward to getting back under a heavy bar soon, and aiming for some solid PRs next year!

Appreciate this isn't weights, but as someone who is very unmotivated to train cardio for cardio's sake I wanted to post it!
I started to try a conditioning workout for jiu jitsu at the end of my weights session, it's 10 sprawls (burpees, basically) 10 mountain climbers and 10 squat jumps repeated for time. The aim is to replicate the intensity of sparring rounds.
When I first started I struggled to do three rounds of three minutes, yesterday I managed four rounds of five minutes. Hoping it carries over to class when I'm back at the weekend!

@Proteinpud cardio fitness should def be part of the weightlifting journey too though! Thats awesome! Shows the value of consistency, huge well done!

I was bitching and moaning about my deload week not feeling very deloady, but new programme started on Monday and all going well so far! Got physio tonight so no training today. My sessions have been as below, thought it would be good to share structure as sure there are so many variations in programming. This is Week 1 of block building strength to peak in 6 weeks.

Bench/Upper day.
main bench set.
1 x 50kg (80% 1rm)
3 x 5 @ 45kg

Tempo Bench with 3 second pause on chest:
4 x 3 @ 40kg

Accessories:
Dumbbell lying chest fly
Paused Lat pull-down
Standing rope tricep pulldown with a dropset.

Deadlift day:
Abductor/Adductor superset- 3 x 15 on each machine.

Deadlift (conventional)
1 x 130kg (80% 1rm)
3 x 5 @ 115kg

Deficit deadlift
3 x 5 @ 100kg stood on a 20kg plate.

Lying hamstring curl
Straight arm cable pulldown
Weighted Alekna (these are insane for abs!)

Squat day:
1 x 105kg (85% 1rm)
3 x 5 @ 95kg

Accessories:
Tempo leg press
Front foot elevated split squat
paused face pull
Dumbbell single leg hip thrust
Banded dead bug.

Then have an accessories only session- heavy RDL, hanging leg raises, chest press, seated row, curls and planks!

Looking forward to building!

Hi - newbie here. I dabble with some strength at home (peloton membership) but I've limited space so my heaviest weights are 20lb - which is ok for upper body stuff but not for lower body. I like the idea of 'lifting heavy' / fewer reps for both health and motivation (having a prospect of beating some PB's despite being in my 50's). A gym's opened up nearby with pay as you go sessions which is great as I don't really feel like shelling out for a gym membership alongside peloton, so I have booked in for an induction with them.
What do I ask for when I visit? I got a couple of personal training sessions a year or two back but she seemed to do mainly cross fit type stuff. Do I need to have any training sessions or can I just get stuck in (I think my form is reasonably good)? And how often do you need to go to see results (still like a bit of cardio and to work out at home too, so am really hoping that maybe 1 or 2 visits a week on top of using weights / cardio at home will give results). Grateful for any pointers!

Welcome @JeanGabin

When I first started I just joined a gym and got stuck in. They did a programme for me which looking back wasn't great. Their approach was outdated. I also didn't have a proper barbell or any squat rack to use which also looking back wasn't helpful. But nonetheless for 6 months I had a blast and got stronger. So in all honesty, starting out I'd just get stuck in and enjoy it. I think it's easy to overcomplicate things when you start out. Now I'm all about barbells, squat racks, coaches, quality programming etc but that's what I need to meet my current goals. My love for strength training came from falling in love with the process and getting strong.

So there's lots of other stuff I could say, and if you have any specific questions absolutely ask away, but I think sometimes all the info can become a barrier to just getting stuck in.

This book taught me the principles too

https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-book-alwyn-cosgrove-9781583333396?sku=GOR005738757&gadsource=1&gbraid=0AAAAADZzAIAxS2EhL1xiVQUooKFySElfE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpsyz4YvXigMVCZpQBh37GjQJEAQYASABEgI266DBwE

That's brilliant, thankyou @RayKray
I've ordered the book, will get my induction and just get stuck in. Will probably be back soon with more questions!

Welcome @JeanGabin !
I would say that the gym is likely to be extra busy in January, so it might be more difficult than usual to do a specific routine, you might need to be a bit flexible about what equipment you want until it dies down a bit in February (it will, it always does!)

What sort of goals do you have, or are there any particular types of exercise that you've seen online you want to try?

Id usually recommend a couple of training sessions if you can afford it, but before doing so I'd be asking about the person's qualifications and more importantly their experience and what type of clients they train. Chain gyms can sometimes have PTs who have done very brief courses and if they haven't trained a range of people with a range of goals then I wouldn't bother (eg range of ages, and goals including performance not just weight loss)

In my experience inductions usually are a fairly cursory walk through of the membership rules and the machines. Id be asking about their staffing levels (eg are there staff around if you want to work late at night/early mornings, just for safety, and ensuring people are courteous) Are there hidden extras such as charges for showers, hairdryers, parking. What can they recommend about their gym over others (if they can't tell you, that's not a good sign!)

If you're interested in strength training, even if you're not using barbells yet, I'd also ask them to show you specifically the free weights, ask about where you're allowed to use them, eg is there floor space if you want to do kettlebell workouts, do they have deadlift platforms? Do they have safe spaces to do squats (eg squat racks with spotter arms)

@Proteinpud wow, that's awesome. I really admire you for doing them yourself outside a class. When I boxed, I did sort of get into the conditioning rounds with stuff like burpees but could never persuade myself to do them, certainly not at the end of a weights session!

@2andadog , that's very interesting, thank you. I've done a couple of sessions with my training partner with a more mixed approach than our normal bodybuilding style splits. So lots of core (including dragon flag negatives for me - ouch), zercher marches....did some weighted pull ups yesterday which were weaker than last week but I have to put that down to tiredness and poor scheduling....

@JeanGabin welcome! I agree with @RayKray . From my experience, I'd aim for 2/3 heavy weight sessions a week so you get the benefits and not just the DOMS, and ditch the light weight high reps for now so you recover properly and don't risk overtraining injuries. You could do arms and shoulders at home with those weights tho but still go for low reps, heavy, slow, controlled. Try that for 6-8 weeks and reassess. Any weights work is better than none so the main thing is you enjoy it and it works for you but I probably wouldn't try both styles at once till you are more experienced - I've done that and think it probably did make it harder to progress and also to feel energetic and refreshed in between.

Thanks @Proteinpud - some really good advice / points, I'll definitely ask about trainers / floorspace / equipment etc.

I'm not sure that it'll be that formal - it's basically a school gym that opens to the public on a pay as you go basis at certain times so it may not be well staffed. But I'm hoping it will let me try things out and decide if I want a gym membership instead of peloton. I'm not sure exactly what I want - but certainly to challenge myself, get stronger and get healthier (reduce aches and pains). I've heard people talk about their PB's and targets with weights and know I find numbers motivating (bit of a strava nerd). So I think lifting heavier than I can do at home - fewer reps and heavier weights is what I'm looking for.