Strength / Weight Training

not saying pride is your issue, thats me :)

Olympic bar should be 20kg I think.

This

86kg for 5 reps

Nice going dude!

Warmup is simply much lighter with manier reps. 20 reps of a given weight.

This sounds like a great situation to run a double-progression. Take your 3x12 weight and increase by 5kg each week. When you can't get 3 sets of 8, don't increase weight any more, just keep pushing for more reps until you get back up to 3x12. Then repeat. This might be a pretty quick jump without 1.25kg plates.

Alternatively, this advice could be a moe practical approach:

Start with 3×8 for your lifts, adding weight each session until you’re
unable to do so. Once you can’t add weight every session anymore…

Switch to 5×5. Repeat the process.

Then 5×3.

General bench advice to get to heavier weights a little quicker: grip the bar as hard as humanly possible at all times. Try a set gripping normally, then grip the shit out of the bar and try again. You'll notice a difference.

I'd like a wall mounted, foldable bench like this.

https://prxperformance.com/products/profile-folding-bench

Are there any reasonably priced ones available the UK?

https://m.alibaba.com/product/1600261747212/Wall-Mounted-Folding-Flat-Weight-Bench.html

Group buy? If we get 1000 then it's only £50 each. I'll start a list...

Nice looking bench

Wish i had the space for a private gym

I moved to commuters paradise and now have a single garage. All gains are in the negative tho. I blame my young children and avoid all responsibility.

Think I'll just get a basic folding bench and a wall bracket.

Since I don't bench press because of a dodgy shoulder that I'm slowly fixing I may just save the space and money and floor press instead.

Finished first deadling 5x5 cycle, husband set a PB by stubbornly refusing to give in to the "it's too heavy" mental block and ended with 2 messy reps he ground out.

I'll make a proper lifter of him yet lol. We were both wiped out, on to deadload week next week and then a new cycle.

Bench form needs work for him and our squat form, well mine is terrible unequipped. I know... so asked him to call me up, I have a tendency to bury it etc. See how it goes.

Good start. Well done.

As someone who's equipped-curious, what issues do you have transitioning to a raw squat? Just finding tension and depth?

Yep, those two!

I just don't feel where I am so I cannot get a consistent form. I can also stay more upright with equipped and have a wider stance so that all helps too, it really seems to help my weak spots.

For deadlift it just hinders me, I did try. Bench, tight single-ply I found a pain to work with, but if you don't lift IPF you have more options.

I know some people use box squats and they do have those big pillow things in the gym, but I haven't tried yet. And when I still had a PT for powerlifting, he tried them with me but the form was perfect with the box and then it fell apart again.

But maybe I should try again...

thanks, are you all healthy again?

Yes and no. Flu gone now. Played footie last night - this morning hasn’t been fun😂😂😂 Need to start lifting again.

That's really insightful, thanks!

If you get the opportunity to try it, go for it :)

The initial costs are high unfortunately if you need to buy all the kit... there was a single ply inzer suit lying about that got me hooked.

But it's ££££ I got lucky I could get mostly used stuff.

Small steps .. :)

That’s what I was taking this morning 😂😂😂

I definitely will! A friend I'll be seeing for a few weeks in the summer's got an F6 with my name on it.

Thinking on what you said a bit more, I think we might have quite similar squat styles too. A lot of what you said (capable of going wide stance and prefer being upright but a lack of stability there, can maintain torso angle off a box but not always free-squatting) rings true so that's giving me hope it'll be worth the investment if the bench shirt works out.

I need some advice on protein powder... I've been buying the "Form" Brand for a bit and me and my son have been using it, but it's costing us a fortune.. It needs to be dairy and Gluten free I'm afraid.. and preferably not full of bulking agents etc.. Any go to bulk buys for value?

I find bulk powders /myprotein offerings are quite good value. I have no thoughts on dairy and Gluten free, but it's worth looking at as they have a variety to cater to loads.

1kg Pea Protein Isolate £24 fit your bill?

Bulk are the DFS of protein sellers, constant sales that make buying multiple KGs decently priced. Their vegan powder is good. I use their pea isolate, is Monday the cheapest non dairy I've seen from somewhere reputable. Taste takes some getting used to though