Weight Lifting

[malolo]

Anyone else not hit their protein target every day but still see growth ?

What stage of lifting are you at? If you're starting out then that's not unusual.

 

[malolo]

That’s cool, what kind of equipment do you have? Do you prefer working out in there to going to an actual gym?

I've got a cage, bench, olympic barbell, trap bar, ez curl bar, dumbbells, plyo box, couple of kettlebells, slam ball and resistance bands. Then a wattbike inside.

I much prefer it to going to the gym. I never have to wait for equipment, I don't get frustrated at the mess people leave the place in, I don't have anybody getting in my way and (most importantly) I can have whatever music I want as loud as I want it.

 

[Gembo]

So I am in the clinically vulnerable group potentially about to go next level up with a new autoimmune disorder diagnosis but I have heart issues which mean I have to be as fit as I possibly can (had a stent fitted in June so still doing cardiac rehab at the moment). It is a nightmare because as soon as I take any time off my resting heart rate rises again. My gym is great like only 15 allowed at a time and then it shuts for 15 mins to close so feels so safe. Bugger it have to start all over again I am sure

I feel really sorry for you, It’s hard to keep up your fitness at the best of times but with all of this going on it really is an obstacle. It’s good that you have the spin bike though and there is plenty you can do with bands and kettlebells. That being said I know it can feel really frustrating when you are limited to just a few things and don’t have a lot of space and this isn’t the ideal time to get out for walks or runs. I remember when I lived in a flat I’d have to wait until I knew the neighbour downstairs had gone out to be able to do an aerobic type workout. Just do what you can it will make a difference and be better than doing nothing

 

[Gembo]

I've got a cage, bench, olympic barbell, trap bar, ez curl bar, dumbbells, plyo box, couple of kettlebells, slam ball and resistance bands. Then a wattbike inside.

I much prefer it to going to the gym. I never have to wait for equipment, I don't get frustrated at the mess people leave the place in, I don't have anybody getting in my way and (most importantly) I can have whatever music I want as loud as I want it.

Sounds amazing! I think we might do the same, I’ve always been a gym goer since my late teens but the past couple of years I feel really anxious going. And especially trying to get into weights more I know I would feel so self conscious trying to learn with other people around. I’ve just been plunged into tier 4 too and who knows how long for so even if I wanted to join a new gym in January I wouldn’t be able to

 

[aimzalicious]

I love weight lifting! I've done it consistently for just over a year now. However, I've been not been doing as much for the past 3 months due to a persisting lower back issue that started after getting to my 1 rep max on deadlifts and never went away. It's gotten much better after lots of stretching, pilates and physio. I did my first leg day in ages today, but I feel weak as hell now that I'm back lifting again. Hopefully, my strength will come back in no time

I started by lifting some form of light weights (my dumbbell set goes up to 12kg) during my home workouts for the past 6 or 7 years. I followed Fitness Blender and some other Youtube videos because I couldn't afford a gym membership for a long time. I've had a PT before, but it's expensive and I don't like being told what to do I like finding routines on IG and tweaking it to suit me.

Does anyone else feel like they're not making progress after their beginner gains have stopped? I take my measurements every 4-6 months and I've lost 1.5 inches on my waist which I'm happy about (28 inches to 26.5 inches), my upper body is much stronger but my damn legs never seem to grow!

 

[Brianbadonde]

I’m resurrecting this thread to see if anyone can recommend any trainers? Sick of lifting in socks My normal workout ones are too spongy and I don’t want to wear my converse.

I found metcons were great for multi purpose lifting/crossfit type workouts, can’t really run in them as too stiff but firm enough to deadlift in

 

[Countrybumpkingirl]

I’ve often been intrigued by CrossFit- there’s a gym (box? Is that what they call them?) the next town a long from me and they all look like such a close bunch of mates I’m always a bit jealous! No idea how it’s work in covid times though. So actually no help at all!

protein wise- how do you all do it? I want to eat more but just seem to end up overdosing on dairy! Mainly as it’s a cheap way of getting protein but is too much dairy bad? Or can i rest easy?

Myprotein clear whey! I bought the grape it tastes amazing 20g of protein and like 88 calories

 

[Gembo]

I’ve been lifting weights in some capacity for about 7 years or more I absolutely love it, it’s the only form of exercise I’ve ever actually enjoyed and stuck at. I’ve followed various programs over the years, then I was in group training for a while. Now I sort of dip in and out. It took me a while to get used to the movements and use proper form, it can be really hard to isolate certain muscles.
Going to the gym has had such a positive benefit for my mental health. I always feel so much better when I’ve just killed myself during a session
Physically I was always very skinny and fragile looking before I started (the reason I got into it was a build my legs up cos they were like twigs!) - now I’m still slim but I’ve definitely got thicker legs and my arms/shoulders are much more defined and slightly broader which I like. I do train upper body a lot though, I know some girls don’t as they don’t want to look muscly

I’m glad you’ve found what works for you and that you enjoy it so much. I want to get to where you are, I know I really need to work on form I usually end up with a sore lower back when I do things like squats. I’m one of those women that worries about getting too bulky, I know I know, they say it takes a while but I’m about an average build so I feel that if I put muscle on it would make me look and feel bigger. But I suppose I won’t know until I properly try! I would definitely like some definition especially in my arms. When I was a bit lighter at the end of 2018 I actually had some definition in my stomach, not full on abs but I think if I’d been working on them I could have got there. I’m rocking a bit more of a Santa belly at the moment, just to be festive

check out the wiki in the r/fitness subreddit, they have a lot of good plans to follow and a good faq on weights.
Pick a plan, stick to it, be consistent, eat a good amount of protein and progressively increase the weights over time and you’ll see good results.

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Thank you so much I will have a good look at this today, I do want to do some reading and try to find a plan over Christmas so I can get started in the new year!

I weight train six times a week. At the moment I'm doing a push/pull/legs split and I sort out my own programmes.

In terms of changes then muscle definition and strength really. It's also massively satisfying when something gets delivered to your house and the delivery driver tells you it's really heavy and asks if you'll manage (clearly because you're a weak little woman) and you can handle it with more ease than him!

What is it that you find boring about weights? I know I've seen people doing some PT programmes in the gym and I'd be bored senseless doing them.

It’s the repetition I find boring I think. Doing 3-4 sets of the same thing, I have a very short attention span and hate repeating myself. That being said I’ve only ever really done weights with a PT and my husband used to go to the same gym. He does weights and he said he’d get bored doing it with a PT and that for him putting his earphones in and just getting on with it is something he enjoys. So I have already done a Spotify playlist and am hoping that it might be a bit more motivating. Usually in the gym I went to the music was either pretty quiet or not really music I was that into.

I’ve been weight training for 1.5 years since I joined the gym for the first time in my life aged 31. I love it, when I first joined I had a couple of PT sessions and they were really good working around my chronic injuries (knees and back). I also sometimes see my physio and they give me other suggestions.
I go 3 times a week, as a working single parent that’s all I can fit in, so I do lower and upper body each session.
I mostly stick to the same exercises and do 8-12 reps, 3-4 sets of each. 3-5 per muscle group depending on how much time iOnce I’m no longer struggling on the last couple of reps I’ll increase the weight, usually just try to do this on one exercise at a time for that muscle group though (ie I wouldn’t increase the weight on all my arm/upper body exercises in one session).
I also found it useful to read about how the period cycle impacts, I find in the two weeks between ovulation and my period starting I’m weaker and it’s not a good time to increase the weight.
In terms of what I’ve noticed I have noticed better shape and also such a change to my injuries. I used to struggle even sitting on the toilet and standing back up with my knees, and really really struggled with stairs. Now I can do both. There’s no real fix to my knees but by strengthening the muscles around them I’ve seen such a change. I’m also sure I can eat more and maintain the same weight. Not sure if that’s actually possible though.
I’m sure there is more to it and some of what I do isn’t correct, I’m certainly no expert. I probably need to do more reading on it and learn more, and have a couple more PT sessions.

That’s fantastic that it’s helped with your injuries. I have bad knees so I will have to be careful starting out but I was told that leg extension would help strengthen the muscles around my knees and that I might find that helps a bit. I also get pain in my lower back sometimes so I should probably look at trying to strengthen that and my core.

Generally I do love cardio and the buzz I get from it and my favourite is going out for walks and runs. I had been going to the gym for spin classes and doing weight/cardio circuits with a trainer but once the gyms closed I was back to just walks and youtube workouts that I had to do at the end of the bed as husband was using the office as the lounge. I just became so bored I even started dreading my walks. I feel like I need to mix it up more next year and also get some definition once I’ve worked off this little layer of lockdown lard I’ve been accumulating! My husbands bought some dumbbells during lockdown and he had one of those weight benches in the garage that he bought years ago and never used so I feel like I’ve got some things I can use to get started. I feel really anxious at the thought of doing weights in the gym without a PT holding my hand but I don’t want to use a PT anymore so I figure I can work on form and start learning with what we have at home. That’s the plan anyway (she says led in bed eating a biscuit!)

 

[malolo]

I’ve often been intrigued by CrossFit- there’s a gym (box? Is that what they call them?) the next town a long from me and they all look like such a close bunch of mates I’m always a bit jealous! No idea how it’s work in covid times though. So actually no help at all!

protein wise- how do you all do it? I want to eat more but just seem to end up overdosing on dairy! Mainly as it’s a cheap way of getting protein but is too much dairy bad? Or can i rest easy?

Are you vegetarian?

I eat a lot of meat, fish, eggs, skyr, nuts, biltong, add whey/casein to porridge, and then supplement with shakes if I need to or for convenience.

 

[Gembo]

I’ve had the sweat app on and off for years and I like it but never stuck to it properly but after Christmas I’m planning on starting Lifting at home and sticking with it. I like how they plan out exactly what to do each week.

Yep it’s a good app, I always thought it was a bit of a fluffy one that would probably be too easy but those BBG workouts wiped me out! I like that it’s got the videos showing you how to do the moves and guides you through the whole workout. I do find it quite hard to stick with things so I was amazed when I completed the first 12 weeks, I was starting to get bored though as it was so repetitive so I started to make up my own workouts for a while. I’m really going to give PWR a go and hope that I don’t get as bored but it doesn’t look like it repeats itself in quite the same way so hoping I’ll be ok! I’ll have a look at Lifting at Home I think I just went straight to PWR as I’d seen it on instagram

 

[under the ivy]

Has anyone done MadFit workouts on YouTube? I’m slowly getting back into weights after Covid and my energy levels dropping. I did a glute/leg workout on Tuesday and I still have DOMS

 

[MyLittlePony25]

I wear puma trainers, they have memory foam soles which are comfy. I wear them all the time now instead of my converse or vans. They aren’t spongy like other training ones and they are fairly cheap on Amazon. I have them in black, white and black with a white Puma on and even suede green

 

[Gembo]

My garage is my gym so I've been massively fortunate through all of this that I haven't had to miss going (although it doesn't always feel like a fortunate thing when the temperature is near enough freezing ).

That’s cool, what kind of equipment do you have? Do you prefer working out in there to going to an actual gym?

 

[qqwertyy]

Thank you both very much!

 

[Countrybumpkingirl]

It’s a nightmare isn’t it, I was just starting to get into a routine with the gym when they shut down in March and I suspect there will be more closures where I live. I did end up cancelling my membership when it reopened as I didn’t feel safe at that time going (also found my gym quite intimidating and after having a break felt really anxious about going back)
I talked about the Sweat PWR programme earlier, honestly have no affiliation with them so not trying to plug but they’ve created a few resistance based programmes for at home which I think is good so it could be worth checking that out and then improvising with what you’ve got. I’ve seen things on Instagram and thought people have been quite creative. Unfortunately though it’ll never be as good as an actually gym. I’d love to hear if anyone else has any good ideas.

So I am in the clinically vulnerable group potentially about to go next level up with a new autoimmune disorder diagnosis but I have heart issues which mean I have to be as fit as I possibly can (had a stent fitted in June so still doing cardiac rehab at the moment). It is a nightmare because as soon as I take any time off my resting heart rate rises again. My gym is great like only 15 allowed at a time and then it shuts for 15 mins to close so feels so safe. Bugger it have to start all over again I am sure

 

[Gembo]

I did a 6 week weightlifting course and I LOVED it. Would love to get back into it but need a buddy to go with. Don’t know where you’re based, but these are the people I did the course with - https://www.strongher.co.uk/

Thank you, no I’m not in London but that looks like a great place!

 

[Mantlepeace]

I’ve often been intrigued by CrossFit- there’s a gym (box? Is that what they call them?) the next town a long from me and they all look like such a close bunch of mates I’m always a bit jealous! No idea how it’s work in covid times though. So actually no help at all!

I am a crossfit member and love it. I’d definitely recommend it to people starting out with weightlifting as the classes are set up where the coaches focus on the newer members or anyone who needs help whilst the more advanced just get on with things. They provide scales for each of the lifts so anyone can take part and work to improve over time.

Things are back to normal now, post-covid as well.

 

[under the ivy]

Can anyone recommend barbells to buy online? Ideally to fit 1 inch weight plates. Thanks

 

[MyLittlePony25]

I’m only just getting into weights now, using my dumbbells and kettle bell at home first and aiming to join a gym when I want to progress further. I mainly want to tone my arms and gain strength in my back but what worries me is that I have scoliosis and I’m worried about how much I will actually be able to do.

 

[carriebooboo]

Can anyone rec a good starter program? Chatgpt did me one but it feels a bit all over the place. I have adjustable hand weights, barbell and a bench. No rack.