juliewatkin Member

I hit 145kg in July.

I deadlift in merrell trail runners and squat/bench in olympic heeled shoes. I've had those shoes since 2008. They last a long time since that's the only thing I wear them for. Like IronMsCanada, I also compete. However, for a casual lifter, any non-compressive shoe like converse should be sufficient.

I think that was me that posted it. It's one I post a lot because of the awesome information :smile: Another approach is micro plates. I find bench very difficult to progress at. A friend made 1.25 plates for me so I can increase in total increments of 2.5lbs rather than 5lbs. A five lb jump can be significant on bench so…

A deadlift PR will keep me going for quite a while. I got one at my last meet as well. Next time 303 will go up. Congratulations.

Modified sumo. Legs a few inches inside the rings. It enables me to combine both solid leg drive and a shorter lock out.

While you may not build muscle on a calorie deficit, you can definitely become stronger. While body decomposition may be your goal getting stronger is nice too. This is particularly true if you are new to lifting. There are tons of gains to be had despite eating at a deficit.

e.) The only thing I would get rid of is one of the cheap chrome bars f.) I follow a training cycle of my own making based on prilipin's chart and years of experience with what works best for me.

a) Power rack, bench, two olympic bars, safety squat bar, olympic size dumb bell handles, 1 1/2" dumb bell handles, various bands, belts, wraps, knee sleeves, plate tree, sling shot and about 800lbs in plates b)Everything is set up in my basement c) It's always out as we have a large platform built from three layers of…

I agree with Jo Rocka. Intermediate has less to do with the amount of weight lifted and more to do with whether your beginner gains are in your rear view mirror. When you have to fight for incremental gains, you're not a novice.

Link to an article about Joe if anyone is interested. He's been lifting for years. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/85-year-old-weightlifter-from-alberta-sets-3-world-records-1.3161857 Plus for additional reference, I'll be 51 in the fall, have been lifting and competing for years. While my total isn't 1,000, I hit…

I'm pretty sure it's the lack of boobs or someone just exerting their something or other. I always have luck with the 'how many sets left' but my husband, not so much.

I've done somewhere between 20 & 30. I've lost track. I did the most recent this past weekend. I'll second the advice about not worrying about your weight or the weight you're lifting. Best advice is to watch a meet to see how it's run. Find one in your area and learn the rules. I also referee and it's always too bad to…

I train Monday, Wednesday & Friday. I've tried going four days a week and found it counter productive and my strength gains lag and I feel beat up. Like others have said, it's really dependent upon what you're doing. Age is also a factor. I'm 50 and even in the past couple of years I've noticed my recovery isn't what it…

This was kind of my thought. I pull semi sumo with a hook grip and shoulders rounded down and forward. I wouldn't expect this to work for everyone. It's been my observation that those who are most insistent on a specific way to execute the lift are generally those with less experience or exposure to a broad spectrum of…

I would be a bit careful about offering emphatic form advice particularly if you're neither an expert nor have you seen a video of the person to whom you're offering advice. My own technique follows none of what you've outlined above as it works for my levers and build and has been developed from years of fine tuning. This…

Sure but it's disingenuous to think that an average woman is stronger than an average man. All things being equal, he will be lifting more than her. Barring outliers ie, he is weak and she is a top level competitive lifter, he will lift more. Perhaps no one should have said use lighter weights just follow the same program.

My husband and I have trained and competed together for years. Neither of us got the other involved, we met in the sport so that makes a difference with respect to both our levels of interest. If she isn't really interested, I'd be careful about pushing too hard. If she is, it's awesome to have a built in training partner.…

It may recruit more muscles but the primary reason you can squat more low bar is you are moving the load (bar) closer to the fulcrum. If you think of the movement as a basic lever, the lower the bar, the closer the load is to the centre and the shorter distance it has to travel.

I've never really spent much time with high bar except as an accessory. I can move more weight low bar but you hit the nail on the head with wrists and elbows. I really have to cast my wrists and use a thumbless grip. My elbows have been kicking off recently as well and I'm considering going geriatric and training with…

Part of it could be that your gym has really crappy bars. I can pull a lot more with no chalk on my bar at home than most gyms because the knurling is much better. Work on your grip and use straps when you need to. Give chalk a try. I've used it for years and have no problem with cracking or dryness. I wouldn't worry too…

Stretching and foam rolling does not make your muscles bigger, smaller, longer or more toned. Different exercises don't lengthen or shorten your muscles. They are either bigger or smaller. Some people's are bigger than others. I'm 126 and 5'6" and my muscles are not big or bulky. However, other people do get bigger legs.

275 isn't unrealistic. One of my team mates did the same thing when she was starting out. Good luck.

It certainly wasn't my starting weight. However, I've seen some strong girls get on the platform for the first time and kill it. On Saturday I saw a 185lb woman pull 419 at her first meet. At the same meet I saw a 125lb woman squat 264 at her first meet. Mind you, I'm in the front row to see a ton of new lifters start…

Yes but if you hate what you're doing to get them, failure is almost guaranteed. Anything that gets someone up and moving is good. Clearly she isn't my cup of tea but I'm sure what I do isn't everyone's either. I've never watched her videos before but I'll give her high marks on nice hair. I'd almost do them for nice hair.

If you're just starting though, it's possible with beginner gains. I've seen it time and again with new lifters. What I also see is them drop out of the sport when the awesome gains slow to an incremental crawl or go backwards due to injuries or life. I can't seem to get past 240. I'd like to hit 242.5 (110kg) at a meet in…

Sometimes it's nothing more complicated than you're not strong enough to lift more than 180kg at this point in time. You may have just reached your current max and it's time to back up and run at it again; start a new cycle. Form typically breaks down under max loads.

That's normal. Everyone I know has that when they lie down. In fact I'd find it pretty unusual if you didn't have a spinal curve like that. It would make me wonder what was going on with your *kitten* or think you had an anterior pelvic tilt.

That sounds pretty horrible. I've never gotten past 25 and that sucked.

I have a 10 mm and a 13 mm. The 13 takes longer to break in due to thickness. Either would probably be fine.

I don't know what the rule is but my heart rates spikes very high when I lift, even heavy singles but drops to low 50s resting.