[Closed] Winter Gym Weight Training

Downloaded the 5x5 app to give it a bash - after entering my details and the weights & reps i'm currently doing it's telling

Also, this is a long-term thing (right?) so what does it matter if you spend a few weeks or even months lifting weights you consider "too easy"? You've got a lifetime of gruelling effort to look forward to after that!

IMO starting off light is a good thing as it lets you concentrate on form

You're much better off working on full range of motion with light weights eg full depth squat etc, bench press to the bar touching the ribs, hold for 1s and then press out, otherwise you'll be one of these people who goes to a gym, loads the bar up with weights and then lowers it 1cm and puts it back in the rack thinking they've just done a monster squat or bench press. In a power lifting comp for bench press you have to hold the bar on the chest until they tell you to lift and you have to squat below parallel for it to count.

Have we had any books recommended yet? Anyone recommend something that talks about weight training purely for lean-ness?

Have we had any books recommended yet?

My top 3 in order would be:

Never Let Go - Dan John
Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes - Greg Everett
Starting Strength - Mark Rippetoe

NB if you buy Greg Everett's book, you don't really need Mark Rippetoes.

Anyone recommend something that talks about weight training purely for lean-ness?

Any competitive Olympic lifter will be diet obsessed as you compete in weight classes, so making the weight is a really big thing.

Yeah, fair point - i'm fairly confident with my form though as I do pretty much all of the exercises in question with kettlebells (taught classes - instructors are always shouting about form so any wobbly knees etc. are heavily frowned upon) which are more unstable than a barbell, so as long as I stay within the range of weights i'm used to with those as a starting point I should be fine *goes to google epic gym fails*

EDIT - shouldn't have googled epic gym fails, gonna load up the bar with those big hollow plastic training plates instead now 😆

Why is lifting weights so complicated? In fairness I'm so embarrassed at lifting weights because I'm really not strong. At all. My dumbells for bicep curls are 7kg, and I struggle with that.

http://www.bikejames.com/strength/single-leg-and-pistol-squats-for-mountain-biking/

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/training/off-the-bike

https://vimeo.com/93496324

http://enduro-mtb.com/en/ride-fit-top-6-exercises-for-effective-leg-strength-training/

http://www.coachmag.co.uk/exercises/sport-workouts/128/greg-minaar-mtb-workout

My dumbells for bicep curls are 7kg, and I struggle with that.

You're lifting 7kg more than anyone sitting on the couch. This is a good thing.

Lance Armstrong

Peter Park, Lance Armstrong's strength coach

Why is lifting weights so complicated?

It's no different to any sport, if you want to maximise gain for the effort put in, there are efficient ways to do so (and inefficient ways).

bicep curls

are a generally pointless exercise, one of the lowest bang for your buck exercises out there......

EDIT: if you spent the same time doing deadlifts or chin ups you'd work your biceps and the rest of your body at the same time...

st colin - Member
Why is lifting weights so complicated? In fairness I'm so embarrassed at lifting weights because I'm really not strong. At all. My dumbells for bicep curls are 7kg, and I struggle with that.

As above - the only bad workout is the one you didn't do & and other such motivational quotes!

*Except that time I googled "epic gym fail" - were a few pretty bad ones in there 😆 *

Is it common to go "backwards"?

Oh yes, but keep at it and drop a few kgs. Like anything it's all about consistency - I take this to mean if you've earmarked 4 days a week training, do 4 days a week, even if you're not able to lift your programme numbers on a given day. We're not all full-time athletes.

Why is lifting weights so complicated?

Olympic weightlifting is complicated - it's a specific sport and more to do with (particularly) speed, mobility and coordination as much as being strong. General weight training isn't so complicated so long as you learn the proper way to do each movement, do the full range and work on mobility/flexibility. If you get the basics right every time and every rep you'll build a great foundation on which to build strength, which has all round benefits and not just on the bike.

Anyone recommend something that talks about weight training purely for lean-ness?

I'm 62kg at 165cm and around 11-14% fat (so pretty lean) - I train not for hypertrophy, but strength. Years ago I looked at, and followed, the iDave diet I found on here, lost around two stone and kept it off. It still broadly forms the basis of my diet today.

I spent the first 6 months probably videoing myself

General weight training isn't so complicated so long as you learn the proper way to do each movement, do the full range and work on mobility/flexibility. If you get the basics right every time and every rep you'll build a great foundation on which to build strength, which has all round benefits and not just on the bike.

But if you competed as, say a Power Lifter or Body Builder, it would just as complex as competing in any other sport.

E.g. here is an article on the diet prep just to make the weight for a PL comp from an athlete in the gym next to where I work: http://rpfitness.co.uk/update-from-our-sponsor-abi/

Bit like saying, why is cycling so complicated? It's not if you just want to go for a ride, but you're not going to win the TdF with that attitude......

My take is that I'm never going to trouble anyone on a podium, but I'd like to maximise the gains I get from the effort I'm putting in as I'll never be this young again, so may as well be the best that I can.

How can you be unsure as to whether or not you were videoing yourself

My take is that I'm never going to trouble anyone on a podium, but I'd like to maximise the gains I get from the effort I'm putting in as I'll never be this young again, so may as well be the best that I can.

I think this is my problem with biking. I have this expectation which is that I can make a podium someday, but if I put all the effort in and didn't get it, it would feel like a complete failure. And I already have enough of that kinda attitude towards myself in my life.

Always strive to be the best version of you and leave your ego at the door is my advice.

I have this expectation which is that I can make a podium someday, but if I put all the effort in and didn't get it, it would feel like a complete failure.

You have to be realistic. The guys on podiums started Weight lifting at 6, have been training full time since 8, have been taking the best PE drugs available under state sponsored medical supervision since age 10. Not to forget this is a sport where young people have a huge natural advantage (more Testosterone and HGH in their systems even without PEDs).

Whereas I'm ex XC MTBer starting from scratch mid 40s, training drug free. I'm not under any illusions where I'm going to end up.

Optimising the Performance of the Human Mind: Steve Peters at TEDxYouth@Manchester 2012

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/lifting-weights-twice-a-week-may-aid-the-brain/?_r=0

http://daringtolivefully.com/benefits-of-lifting-weights

https://healthybrains.org/pillar-physical/

Core Strength Training With Tinkoff-Saxo

Back to ask a quick question for those with more experience - i've started doing the 5x5 stronglifts & have bumped the weights up from what they recommend to start with although it's still less than I was doing previously. The gym's pretty quiet just now so i've been making the most of that & going up every day, alternating the A/B workouts but i'm wondering if I should be sticking to Mon/Wed/Fri & not training 2 days in a row - i'm not feeling overly fatigued as instead of adding weight every time, i'm sticking weights i'm comfortable with for now to get my technique perfect before moving up, I feel I could go at least 10% heavier fairly comfortably but don't want to rush it, especially 2 weeks before Chrimbo... should I still be having a rest in between as a matter of course?

Cheers,
J

I'd say stick to the schedule and keep gradually adding weight as per the program.

Here's a good read [url= http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html/ ]on the basics[/url]

Read all 4 parts.

but i'm wondering if I should be sticking to Mon/Wed/Fri & not training 2 days in a row

Hugely complicated subject. The answer will depend on the individual's biological age and training age, both will have a big impact. The more years training you have under you belt, the more capacity you have for multiple tough sessions. However, biological age works against you, the older you are the slower your recovery.

Cumulative fatigue is a legitimate training technique and many programmes will build up the load over 2-3 weeks, at the end of which you will feel tired / battered, but then they have a deload week, which at the end of you will normally be stronger again. A coach will work with their athlete and through trial and error find out what ratios work best for that athlete and then tailor the program around that.

You then have to fit in real life with the program and accept that some weeks family / work stress / colds etc will completely screw with the plan and you'll have to adapt on the fly...

Cheers guys - will play it by ear and see how it goes, been going pretty much every week day for the last few weeks doing various stuff & the last week or so trying out the 5x5 - still figuring out the weights for that really so not pushing myself too much (yet) hence the lack of fatigue. I'm actually quite enjoying the barbell based stuff instead of the random assortment of exercises I was doing previously so i'll maybe keep going frequently now & get the technique sorted and settle on a good base weight to work from & after the Christmas break i'll start doing it Mon/wed/Fri & increasing the weights as I go.

Cheers!
J

I'm in tatters today. Last nights session was:

5 sets of 8 squats @ 90kg

Then a superset of 4x:

20 single leg step ups with a 24kg kettlebell
20 lunges with a 24kg kettlbell

Then another superset of 3x:

16 hamstring curls
16 kettlebell swings @ 24kg
16 banded hip raises

And a delightful finisher of 3x:

45 second sprint
45 second plank with a 20kg plate on my back
45 second squat thrust
45 second med ball slams

Unsurprising that I slept in this morning!

Personally I tend to go by feel, if I feel tired I still train but reduce the load depending on how I get on after some warm up sets.

Unsurprising that I slept in this morning!

Interestingly, one of the signs of over training, e.g. at the end of a build block is poor sleep, which is often used as feedback to know it's time to start the deload week.

I was reading something by an OL coach (at Elite level) who said all his students reported disturbed sleep at the end of build weeks. He would quiz them on sleep quality every morning as part of his training.

at the end of a build block is poor sleep

I actually had one of the best nights sleep in recent times, I just didn't get to bed until just after midnight but got 8 hours uninterrupted

Cumulative fatigue is a legitimate training technique and many programmes will build up the load over 2-3 weeks, at the end of which you will feel tired / battered, but then they have a deload week, which at the end of you will normally be stronger again. A coach will work with their athlete and through trial and error find out what ratios work best for that athlete and then tailor the program around that.

You then have to fit in real life with the program and accept that some weeks family / work stress / colds etc will completely screw with the plan and you'll have to adapt on the fly...

Just back from another mild pummeling - weights I had little difficulty with on Monday defo required a bit more effort today so it looks like i'm reaching the point where a rest in-between would be beneficial, or even take the Wednesday off & do Mon-A, Tue-B, Thur-A, Fri-B... who'd have thought going to the gym would be so mentally taxing... at least i've found a good point to start from 😆

My first day back since Wednesday last week, I crumbled into a cold come Thursday 🙁

I still struggle with single leg squats (pistol squats) rest of the set seemed relatively easy though so the rest must have done me good.

Pistol squats are my nemesis. I can barely bend my leg, couple of guys from work can crank them out and I can barely even start one.

YoKaiser - Try doing deck squats, then one legged deck squats - the momentum helps you get back up & helps your muscles get used to the motion - one of the kettlebell instructors at my gym has us doing them & at first I was awful, now they're pretty easy.
J

couple of guys from work can crank them out and I can barely even start one.

Steve Cotter is the master!

Danny Hart

Well the tips on here seem to be paying off. Reduced the weight slightly to concentrate on form then slowly increased the weight if I could hit 12 in the first set. Seem to be getting a nice, steady increase in strength. My weights also gone up from 13st10lb to 14st7lb in just over 5 weeks. Going to try and get used to squats without the smith machine in the new year I recon.

Quick question for the STW gym goers...If I'm doing a 3 day split routine, do I risk over training if I go every day? I would normally go on alternate days, however I've recently started going each day as I seem to be enjoying it more than expected. So, while I'm not getting 2 days rest between each session I'm training different muscle groups each day. Would this suffice the recovery requirements or is it a case of "Less is better" etc?

Also is it normal to go backwards on some exercises? Making good steady progress on most but then I seem to be losing strength for the shoulder press the past couple of weeks...

Quick question for the STW gym goers...If I'm doing a 3 day split routine, do I risk over training if I go every day?

All down to the individual, your age, genetics, level of training (tolerance) and how tough the sessions are relative to your work capacity.

Also is it normal to go backwards on some exercises?

A lot of training programs are periodised, eg 3 weeks increasing effort then 1 back off week. You'll be weaker at the end of the 3 week block, but stronger after the back off week.

I'm 45 and train most days. Some days I haven't recovered and either do lighter weights or just skip something. If I feel good, I just do more - basically just go by how I feel once I start lifting weights (often different to how I feel before I start lifting).

OK great cheers. I'll try taking it easy next week & see if that does the trick. Might try dropping back to alternate days only for weights & doing cardio on the other days. See if that makes any difference.