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! 💪🏼"

@everycowandagain how's the back now?

Training going well for me but this awful weather has meant I'm not walking and running as much as usual and am a few kg more than I want to be which I notice on my pull ups....will get back to it though. I managed some sets of 3 full dips with decent form last night - my dips have been rubbish for years and so I've been focussing on them recently, doing sets with bands to get full ROM. I think I just never learned the right form at the start as I never gave them the time and effort I gave pull ups and push ups.

@MsMartini the weather is awful isn't it? Damp and cold which is a horrible combination for spending time outdoors.

Back is doing ok, I kept moving yesterday and it felt a bit better today. My bench session was decent this morning and I had a gentle stretch as well. Will see how squats and deadlifts go on Thursday but I can keep it light or stop if needed. I think it should be ok though, thankfully just a slight strain.

Ohh no! That's annoying. Hope it feels much better quickly. Treadmill jail is always fun after a back tweak!!

Sounds great @MsMartini ! Dips are another thing which are hideously difficult in my world, upper body is not my strength at all haha! Sometimes stripping things back really help the penny to drop don't they?

@everycowandagain pleased your back is feeling ok and bench behaved!

My back has been flaring up a bit, but it's a combination of my legs being tight and therefore my hips being tight... which then affects my lower back. Deload week this week so hoping the niggles decide to die down again...!

Hope those niggles are improving @everycowandagain and @2andadog

Bit quiet for me here, first strength session in a week and a half - partly prioritising jiu jitsu and then just having a bit of a cold. Very mild though, just being a bit lazy!
Have been trying to cut calories a little to lose some fluff, and it is SUCH slow progress. Thought my maintenance calories would be higher than they are, as what I presumed would be a deficit doesn't seem to be doing much. Bit depressing really!

Focused on strict form in OHP today, tough but good

Hi @Proteinpud! My back is a lot better, going to attempt some gentle squats and deads tomorrow and see how it responds.

I did a short diet phase since new year but my heart wasn't really in it! I did drop 1.5kg ish but I think I am done now. Back to maintenance for me, although the reset was good after Christmas.

Hi @Proteinpud ! I’m still a bit niggly but just need to crack on as heading into comp! Managed some PBs the last couple of weeks (including 2 x 120kg squat which I was very pleased with!) so just trying to keep on top of mobility and not get ill before the comp!

@everycowandagain hope all goes well with the lifts!

Cutting is SO difficult! Sometimes it can feel like nothing happens for ages and suddenly a kg will drop off! I’ve got a big cut to do after Comp, hoping for around 8kg off before August which will be tough but doable hopefully….whilst maintaining strength….

@2andadog , wow amazing squat numbers! Good luck with the run up to comp - how long do you have?

I don't count calories but do usually lose a bit when I stop training (holidays or illness etc). My weight has been fairly stable for years, since I started all this, but I am at the top end now and notice the extra 3kg for pull ups and tight jeans!

Dips - I'd never grasped the form before but what made the difference was using bands, and touching my nose or chin onto the strut in front (using one of the P-bar attachments to a main rig) while keeping shoulders back and down - this takes me to below parallel so got some wiggle room. Then working down the bands.

@Proteinpud , how do you find combining heavy lifting and a martial art? I used to do a weekly bootcamp (not martial art but similar type of training) and then last year joined a boxing club. I stopped when injured and never went back as was then training a lot with my gym partner and I really wanted to focus on the weights and the cali and doing lots of burpees and push ups etc probably wasn't helping.....how do you schedule it all?

@MsMartini that makes sense on the dips form! Know what you mean re weight. I have added 6kg over the last couple of years but bodyfat has stayed stable/dropped so I know it's more muscle which is nice, but means cutting is difficult!

Not long competition wise... competing this weekend. Feel like I have a cold coming. Desperately trying to keep it at bay!

@2andadog wow that's some serious weight on your squats, super impressive!

I think I've only lost around 1.5kg and allowing for fluctuations I'm not really sure I've lost at all! I'd love to say it's because I'm building muscle but the reality is my waist size keeps creeping up and my face has been filling out more than I'd like. I am a very petite frame underneath so I just don't carry extra weight well. I'm going to keep trying with the healthier eating (as that's what it is rather than a diet) and see how it goes.

@MsMartini ineffectively, I would say for my scheduling!! I usually aim to do capoeira Monday, jiu jitsu Tuesday, jiu jitsu and gym on weds, capoeira Thursday, rest Friday, gym then capoeira Saturday, gym and jiu jitsu Sunday. In reality one or two sessions of those a week I'd miss due to working late or just not being in the mood. However the only reason I can train like that is because the intensity isn't high. Both capoeira and jiu jitsu involve a lot of standing around watching a technique and then attempting said technique at minimal power. The jiu jitsu sparring or capoeira games are a very small part of the training really. I do sometimes have to sacrifice a third strength session as well, as the strength training is probably the most taxing thing I do.

Interesting @Proteinpud ! I do see what you mean about intensity.

It is complicated isn't it, lots of factors to consider. I took up boxing because most of my strength was solo training so I needed that to meet the "healthy and happy" baseline. Now doing more partner training (which is demanding) so I am prioritising that as it feels like I have the chance to make real progress which is a different thing....may change again.

I've done kickboxing before @MsMartini and I think that and boxing is usually much more of a workout than most martial arts, in terms of how the classes are. Partly because the basics are simple, so it's quite quick to get people to a point where they can do a workout with a bit of force or speed. Partly because I think that's the appeal for many, a bit of stress relief and walking out feeling tired but happy!
Capoeira I find the physical intensity is often just that we're often going down to the floor and having to get back up again (eg lots of love lunge type moves) But it isn't continuous like a workout would be. And jiu jitsu is an hour class and half an hour of sparring, which with breaks and rest rounds, means only 3 or 4 rolls usually - and they're not full power.

If you're happy with boxing stick with it, but if you do find it's too much I'm sure there would be alternatives that have the partner/social aspect whilst being a bit less intense. I did some Kung Fu for a while and a lot of that was about preserving energy, was very different.

That's really interesting @Proteinpud thank you!

That's exactly why I did boxing (and park bootcamp) - some group/partner work, good sweaty workout, happy buzz. I wanted to learn new stuff but didn't too much mind what. My boxing classes were intense as there were people prepping for comps etc, lots of rounds, some sparring, and conditioning rounds too. I was very much bringing up the tail 😀.

Good to know there are alternatives if I decide to go back to martial arts that could fit in better with my strength focus. I hurt my elbow last May and didn't go back to boxing after that and have definitely noticed the difference in terms of energy and gym sessions/progress.

It’s so interesting reading about everyone’s approaches and mentalities. Thank you all for sharing. I believe the best sport is the one you enjoy because you keep doing it and that it’s so important to be in a training pattern that is good for your mental health.

I am on holiday this week, which means training in hotel gyms with no squat rack and only dumbbells up to about 20kg. I know its dumb but it is sort of gratifying when I feel like “I am too strong for this hotel gym” doing volume goblet squats with the heaviest dumbbell available to make up for missing my barbell squat workout. Sometimes when I travel I take a deload week but we decided not to this time as I had just taken a month break after a December comp. Want to keep up the momentum at the moment.

@2andadog , saw your comp news on the other thread - congratulations!!

@erinaceus I wish hotel gyms would put in a basic pull up rack and a set of P-bars - really wouldn't cost much compared with the over-specced cardio stuff they often favour, and you can do so much with them even if you usually use weights....

I agree about needing to enjoy it but I've found that (perhaps as I started aged over 50), that doesn't filter out enough - I can't fit in everything I enjoy and still recover well enough to progress (and progress makes me happy too)

I spoke too soon as the first hotel gym I used was the airport hotel gym. Here at the resort I am at they actually have a full powerlifting setup. I had misremembered a previous trip here - last time I came I didn’t visit the gym due to the aforementioned deload week so I didn’t know what kit they have.

So I was mildly irritated as I didn’t bring all powerlifting kit like a belt for following my full program. But training properly here would have meant training early morning as the squat rack is outside(!) Swings and roundabouts.

Pretty please I fitted in my three workouts this trip and I’ll know for a future trip.

Well done @2andadog on your comp result. I hope you’re pleased 💪🏼

That sounds very cool with an outside set up though @erinaceus ! Good you can keep moving even if it’s just a little bit whilst away.

Thanks guys on the comp, very happy. Kept my record of 100% good lifts on the platform too which is nice 😌 now just trying to let myself recover before getting overexcited and entering everything again 🤣 actually went for a run last night which was unusual for me 😆 felt good though!

Last day of an OHP cycle in stronger by the day and got a 1RM PB of 35kg so a slight improvement. Would have loved to get 36kg as that would be 60% bodyweight but it just wasn't to be!
This training cycle has been really affected by illness so I'm hoping with spring on the way that I can be a little more consistent with the next.

Yes you’ve had a run of bad luck and interruptions haven’t you @Proteinpud ? But brilliant on the OHP - such a tricky move I think, lots tot think about to keep everything in the right place (technica term 😂).

finally got proper dips for reps today, after weekly sessions with the bands. They’ve always lagged way behind my pull ups so very pleased.

i can feel my elbows being slightly niggly tho but gonna proceed with caution as v mild and both sides…..and do my reverse Tyler twists!

Ooh that's exciting @MsMartini Dips aren't something that tend to be on my programme but I do like them so think I might have to slot them in somewhere. I've been focusing on adding chin ups to my routine as my pull up progression seems to have stalled at 1. I got up to 4 before the shoulder injury but it seems to go so quickly!

I find them really demanding @Proteinpud but the weekly banded sessions plus separate days doing extensions, close barbell grip press etc seems to have helped.

I've stopped doing chin ups for now as they are harder on my elbows but do twisting ring pull ups sometimes (bit of both). For pull ups have you tried doing your one and then jumping up and doing 4 negs straight after, that sort of thing, so you are getting sets of eg five of something, then move to harder progressions (eg negs with holds, then less of a jump, then no jump on second one etc etc)? Sorry if very obvious but it is an approach all my cali instructors have recommended so you get both intensity and volume. And decent rests between sets.....

@MsMartini honestly, I've just got a bit lazy with them! I know the sort of progressions you mean, and I do need to get back to training them properly. As they aren't in the SBTD programming I tend to sub out a couple of exercises for them towards the end, but as that's the end of an already long workout they've been a bit of an after thought. I need to look at doing some on non workout days to actually prioritise them I think. I need to use the doorframe bar I've got to add a few in here and there.

Dips I find much easier, though that does make me question if I actually do them right 😂 I remember my triceps were the first muscle I ever noticed making an actual appearance so perhaps it is an area that I'm a bit better at than others (it's very rare I find anything in sport that I seem to have a natural affinity for!!)

@Proteinpud 😂at appearing triceps!!

And gosh yes to pull ups not working at end of workout. For me, they come first ideally and if not first at least before any other back/biceps/core. They take a while too because I do quite a lot of sets (some weighted, some not) and need good rests and a warm up. When I was starting I did the do a pull up every time you pass a bar thing till 1/2 becomes easy (ish!!) but now I like to warm up properly, hit them hard, then properly rest those muscles. Maybe it would be better with more frequent, lighter hits, but I like to do a decent front lever session each week too......I can do pull ups after that but not weighted and not many and not good ones!

Hi everyone! I was away last week so I am now restarting my current training block, although my legs are still recovering from an active holiday so I am keeping the intensity low this week.

And, just for fun, I am trying reformer plates on Weds!! No idea how that will go but I suspect I will be sore after!!

Hello! How is everyone doing?

@everycowandagain how was reformer Pilates? I did a couple on a freebie classpass thing and actually preferred the mat but I know people who really like it (I don't do Pilates atm but have done some in the past).

My pullups have stalled so thinking about changing things round a bit, but regularly getting 4 or 5 reps on 50 for bench and feeling more stable so pleased with that even tho progress is slow.....and started squatting again, either low with just the bar/low weights, or this weekend did some box squats with weights. First time in years and made me happy 😀.