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! 💪🏼"

Yeh it’s lots and lots of building. I just checked and after last comp I had some 8s and 10s of main lifts. I think it’s really common to believe powerlifters work in lower rep ranges much more and that we test 1RMs more often. My 1RMs are basically just at comp. Just before comp I’ll be getting close but maxing out is saved for comp. Next comp is British Masters at the start of June.

Yeah I think I know that 1rep maxes would tend to be in comp, I just assumed it would still be low reps the rest of the time. But it makes sense I guess to build up your overall strength.

I had a look at what's coming next in my programme and there's some typical barbell squats, bench etc, but I think today's session was probably designed to work a bit on endurance too. It included renegade row push ups, I could only manage 5 at a time, looking forward to improving those!

British masters 😍very exciting!

Yeh I think some is to build up endurance and work capacity, some to give space to work on technique, and also cos we’d be fried if it was always super heavy

@Proteinpudding and @RayKray bad luck on the lurgies. I hope you bith are back at full strength soon and @Proteinpudding that that's it for this winter!

Interesting about rep ranges - like many I think I tend to the lower reps (with big rests) for the big stuff that I plan around - dumbell bench and weighted pull ups for me at the moment - but they require time and focus and leave me tired in a different way. And then I do mainly higher reps for most other stuff (which works better as my gym is crowded). I am getting stronger (if not across the board), and not feeling tired. I have varied it over the years though.

How is the calisthenics going @MsMartini , or is that limited in winter? I was thinking about my old cali classes the other day and I do miss them, nothing like that around here now. I train little bits on my own but it's not the same as being taught.
Only managed one workout this week and last as my energy levels are still up and down. But it's nice to get moving. Well I say nice, I was happy to see barbell squats in today's programme thinking it was nice and familiar, until I realised that it was 4 sets of 15-20 reps and I nearly had a heart attack!

Wow @Proteinpudding that's a lot of reps!

Cali - well, I switched a while back to doing more weights for various reasons.

So main cali move I train now is pull ups and those are going well with the new sets (one session mainly weighted with 5kg, one session fast bodyweight plus weighted negs with 25/20 kg). And weekly flags at PT but that is a bit erratic in winter and may have to finish soon for other reasons.

So back is mainly cali and chest is mainly bench

Sorry pressed post too soon!

I do do some front lever but usually after pull ups so it is more to retain the skill/position such as i have it. If flags stops I may give that session to FL as it is much easier to regress it using bands and actually build strength if you are not very skilled I think, than planche (my push is much stronger now having switched to weights).

I hear you about classes although actually I think there comes a point when you do make more progress solo/with a partner, unless it is a progressive course with the same group every week. My small high street gym attracts new people to every class - which is fantastic, I am delighted especially as they are often women - but I need to work on what I need to work on, IYSWIM. It worked for a while when there was a regular cohort but obviously that doesn't last especially as people get better.

I am just getting back to proper training after being ill, been persuaded to sign up for a beginners comp in May so need to start taking it seriously now. Managed to lift the 40kg atlas stone to the table a few times this morning but the pressing of the log is still causing me issues. I can clean and press a 35kg Swiss bar no issue nut the 36 for the log I freeze at the press.

@MsMartini that makes sense. My capoeira class is held in different venues and the city centre one tends to have a much higher turnover of new people, and it definitely makes a difference like you say. I was really lucky when I did cali as the gym was basically some guys who liked to train who had created a space for them and their mates (rig made out of scaffolding polls!) It was usually 3 or 4 of us in a class and we were all pretty committed so I was really lucky to get tailored feedback and be able to work at my level.

@Sirzy I can't imagine how awkward atlas stones must be to lift, that's impressive! It's cool that you've got something to aim for with the comp though

Wow @Sirzy !!! Atlas stones......

@Proteinpudding the other thing about classes is the rest time and programming - I do better with longer rests (5 mins for my pull ups, 2-4 mins for most other big stuff). That would not make for a good class 😀. So it may be the price of age (59) and wanting to avoid over-use injuries (the youngsters were more likely to throw a class in on top of their usual sessions but they did get injured too....).

Yeah that's a good point! Though I did find when we did the classes, the instructor was happy to spend time doing demos, talking through details and answering questions which probably helped with the rest periods! We also used assistance (bands, steps etc) which meant we could work lower intensity for longer.

Hello! Can I join please?
I've just started weight training as I wanted to lose weight, but now I've gone the other way and just want to feel strong!
I need to cut the calories and up the protein to lose the weight ( I've put in about half a stone since starting but can see the difference in my body so I'm not too worried, just have a lot of fat to lose)

Reading all your comments make me feel more motivated and I just wanted to say congrats to you all! I can't wait until I can do my first Pull up unaided!

Welcome @SillySauageSenior ! Always good to see more women taking up strength training. I hear you on wanting to lose fat but also just rang wanting to get strong; it's a constant debate in my life!

Thank you for the welcome ☺️

Yes! My thighs are thick now through muscle, not fat which is just as frustrating 🤣, but I still have saggy arms, big stomach, back fat etc. I need to cut my calories but keep the protein up - not easy as a vegan. I seem to be eating way too much tofu!!!

I hear you @SillySauageSenior ! As much as I try and be body positive, I was a 90s teen and used to be very skinny so whilst I try and be body positive, I do find it hard to accept a bigger body and I would like to lose some fat*. I imagine being vegan makes it harder too, while it limits the junk its hard not to be carb heavy on a vegan diet. It sounds like you've already made some really positive changes though.

*This would also make pull ups a lot easier!

@Proteinpuddingyes! I was born mid 80s. So the 90s was my mum yo-yo dieting, doing workout videos and just trying to be slim. It's only in the last year that I've realised I want to be strong (but also look as good as possible 🤣)

I'll carry on reading all these amazing updates which are helping to keep me motivated until I get to my first pull up!

@SillySauageSenior keep going!! I got my first pull up in 2019 (I think), after three months training for it (rather inefficiently) - was deadlifting and squatting bodyweight before I started.

Last week, I got 10 pull ups (just about, may not all have been full height as weird bars....). About 2/3 years ago, I had got to 9 (ish) and then went in a different direction. I am 59 now. So, it can be slow but so, so satisfying and I have found the training really enjoyable - you can do so much with a bar.

Did my first weighted push ups yesterday too - only 5kg but so satisfying, and I may switch from bench to them for a bit when I have a spotter as I like to mix up cali and weights....Anyone else do them?

How is everyone else doing? I hope we are managing to dodge the various illnesses around......

I'm still doing banded pull ups, but today my PT had me supersetting pullups with backsquats and only one band to assist. I was really getting the feel of my lats & arms working.

I had the awful awful virus that went round so I've had over 2 weeks off training, through feeling exhausted. just getting back into it, but managed a few reps at 60 k on my squats.

Why oh why are squats harder than deadlifts? They're technically simpler & I have great hip, ankle & knee mobility. BUt gosh they're hard.

Tonight I finally got a 20kg monster dumbell! Only one and then back to 17.5 but I finally hit that barrier

Wow! What were you doing with it @Sirzy ?

It's interesting, isn't it, that a small jump on paper is HUGE in t=your arms.

My PT has me doing regular heavy farmer's carries with 32 kg kettlebells (64 kg total) for a minute. His principle is that we should all be able to carry our bodyweight. But my bodyweight is around 70-72 kilos, so I"m not near it yet. He had me try with 35 kilo dumbbells. I could barely hold one, let alone both. And yet only a 3 kilo difference.

So congratulations on the 2.5 kg jump - it's big!

Yes about small jumps!!

My gym recently got those microplates that can be slotted onto dumbells. They have really helped me increase bench and get more confident....very, very slowly!

And with pull ups - the 5 kg I use feels so heavy and yet my weight can vary by 2kg easily, and I'm pulling bodweight too.....it shows why little steps drilled regularly really works I guess.

Your carries are impressive @YellowAsteroid ! Do you prefer dumbells to kettlebells for those?

I use kettle bells - easier to hold, but they only go up to 32 kg at my gym.

I got my deadlift up from 105 to 107.5 by using the little 1.25 kg biscuits, and then the micro plates. They use them for powerlifting competitions, I think - @RayKray may know. (My gym was originally a power lifting /body building gym).

And re your pull ups (which are amazing, btw) I think that shows just how much lifting and weights work is a mind game, as well as a muscle game.

Wow, deadlift numbers @YellowAsteroid . And again, shows the small step thing - micro plates a small % of such whopping totals 😀

Thanks about pull ups - and totally agree about mind game - I do take 5 min rest and think that isn't just physical - it allows me to relax and then gee myself up for the next set. Got 80 pull ups (some pretty sketchy) plus a few weighted negs this week (across two sessions) so am going to cap it there and work on form, power, and added weight in time (perhaps go down in reps for that). And do a bit more horizontal (front lever drills) which has taken a back seat recently.....

I still need 2 bands assistance on pull ups. Although the other day, doing them supersetted with deadlifts (only going to 80 kilos) and paying attention to my lats in deadlifts also made me feel my lats in pull ups. Up to now, I haven't been able to access the power in my lats, shoulders, and arms for pull ups.

But I doubt iI'll ever get an unassisted one. Too heavy and too old.

bet you will @YellowAsteroid 😀

Also, I wouldn't judge how far off an unassisted one feels if you are supersettting, doing other back work, not having long rests even though I am sure all those things are really effective for building towards your first pull up. But once I'd got enough pull ups to use them AS the training, I switched to long rests, minimal other back work, two sessions a week carefully spaced and programmed mattered. My rests are 5 mins so I have to do solo pull up sessions as that just won't work otherwise......price of age I think. I used to do them in PT, in classes, with gym partner, etc etc so used bands to match sets, reps and rest but my progress really plateaud after a bit, hence the new approach. It isquite extreme but I will be 60 this year and I think if the youngish blokes need 3 min rest and this work for me then.....