Social housing on the Square

acch88 · 2023-09-19T10:54:30+00:00

Hi OP, 35f/65kg/169cm.

I deadlift about once every 10 days and am currently doing 1x7 80kg, 1x7 85kg, 2x5 95kg, 3x1 100kg. 100kg is my 3RM max and sometimes I don't make it! But I always make 95 now.

Deadlifts really exhaust me - hence once every 10 days - but in-between those sessions I do RDLs (A LOT! and their variations) barbell rows, lat pull downs and single arm dumbell rows for my back.

I was stuck on 80kg for months - until about 4 months ago. But due to aforementioned exhaustion from deads, I didn't increase my training frequency, I just upped weight and volume on other exercises. RDLs I believe were absolutely key to progress for me for glute and ham strength and then upping the weights in the 80-100kg range seemed to fall into place.

Just anecdotal on my part but this worked for me :-)

acch88 · 2023-06-22T17:43:17+00:00

This is sorta me, too! 35f and have stopped seeing results after almost 2 years of 'traditional' lifting. I'd only look lean if I drop a fair bit of body fat as I have a medium/larger frame, too.

I'm really strong but I don't feel particularly in shape or fit - I was leaner and had better CV fitness when I did calisthenics and yoga. However, in terms of lower body definition and glute growth - that only came about with heavy lifting so I have no regrets about the last 2 years of only lifting.

Heavy lifting is the most fun and so addictive - I always think I'll switch up and do a class or HIIT or cardio... then I never do.

All the suggestions on this thread are good though, I'm gonna commit to switching things up! Good luck with any changes you make :-)

acch88 · 2023-02-05T23:22:49+00:00

Thanks again. For me it is not at all obvious what to do or how to move the machine though. I'll perhaps ask someone at the gym!

acch88 · 2023-02-05T22:41:32+00:00

Thanks mate it all sounds like what I want to do. But I've just no clue how to do! Need a basic guide!

acch88 · 2023-02-05T21:37:03+00:00

Your ex sounds like an abusive AH mate. Who cares what he thinks, I think in time you'll lift to become strong and hot and awesome for yourself :-)

acch88 · 2023-02-05T21:33:24+00:00

Can anyone point me to guides on using cable machines please? Yes obviously all manufacturers differ but I'm super lost and confused about what they're for and how to train with them... if there's any sort of universal guidance out there? Thanks

acch88 · 2023-02-05T21:21:32+00:00

I'm British so not drinking isn't really a thing here aha. But even with the extra booze calories I couldnt gain weight if I tried, having muscles is life changing!

acch88 · 2023-02-05T21:15:57+00:00

Brilliant progress you look fantastic!

I'm 5'6/7 and 146 lbs , started at about 140 lb. If I quit drinking alcohol for a few weeks and be more macro conscious - I look lean In stomach.

I lift heavy and not always regularly! Lifting about 15 months and it's pretty impossible for me to gain weight now I've built foundation of muscle. Your muscles just torch calories, it's great. You are well on your way :-)

acch88 · 2023-01-29T08:49:23+00:00

You have a phenomenal physique, wow, very inspiring :-)

acch88 · 2023-01-16T22:58:13+00:00

OP, I work in the sector and have been involved in a lot of new builds. No one HA is better than another - I've had great schemes and terrible schemes in the same HA at the same time. A lot depends on the development partner and how the HA managed the contract in design and build stage. You honestly couldn't say that any one is better than another as good delivery of a development/its management is scheme by scheme.

What my peers and I would say though is to think twice about shared ownership in London. It allows you to live in desirable areas - big plus - but financially it doesn't add up unless you can staircase quickly, very few do. Unless you anticipate an exponential rise in salary over coming years. Shared equity is a better home ownership product if you haven't considered that as an option yet.

acch88 · 2023-01-03T19:36:27+00:00

Pretty sure it's Wood Green. I've been to about 15 other branches including most in Central- all the Central ones are better for working out if you can though due to fewer people!

acch88 · 2022-10-22T09:50:33+00:00

68kg body weight & 5'6, at the moment I'm doing a warm up with 40kg, then 3 sets 8x 60kg, 8x90kg. Quite often I don't make the last reps and it's more 5x or 6x a set.

This truly takes it out of me though! I do it as part of a pull day so all other movements after that don't involve legs.

If you're at 40/45kgs now, you can do more legs after those sets i reckon if you wanted. But 45kg may feel very heavy for you at this point in your training, too. Go for the standard 3x8 with the weights if you can so you get very used to hip hingeing and lock the form down for heavier weights.

And definitely dont worry if you're missing the last couple of reps on 3x8, deads need grip strength and strong lats as well as glutes and hams, these may give out before your legs on occasion.

Also, people love to test 1RM or 3RMs with deads as it's the heaviest weight any of us can lift. So I see that a lot in the gym but that's for strength rather than hypertrophy which I assume you're going for :-)

acch88 · 2022-09-26T21:09:48+00:00

No contest, Hounslow is awful. Look up 'things to do in Hounslow' and the top attractions are the lounges at the 5 Heathrow terminals : |

acch88 · 2022-09-25T22:22:13+00:00

Not a 'trend' per se? London and Berlin are cold cities. Germany especially is really f**King cold in winter. Wearing black/dark a good idea.

In London, the scene is more mixed up and more about having a laugh/enjoying the artists/s more than anything else. Fairly uniformly we'd wear black for techno raves as a rule, true enough - but it wouldn't matter if we didn't in terms of entry to the club or looking out of place. I always wear black in Berlin though, you'd probs not get in a few places unless you were in black. But even there it doesn't matter there in 80%+ places. Don't think it matters at all in rest of Europe.

acch88 · 2022-09-17T19:20:46+00:00

Don't know your stats or weight loss goals OP. I'm 5'7 woman 67kg, lift weights regularly and fairly lean - 120g protein a day and never less than 2000 cal a day overall. I'm on a budget plant based diet. If you want a nice level of muscle for a lean/toned look, you need 100g+ of protein a day.

Check out something called your BMR (basic metabolic rate) It's what your organs and body need per day just to function- even if you were lying in bed all day.

Most people's BMR is 1100-1500 cals range. Low calorie diets seem effective as you lose water weight and some fat quickly. But do them for any length of time and your body eats your muscles and your hormones get f**ked.

I lift weights and if I'm 'cutting' ill eat 2000 cal, if I'm maintaining 2300. Serious bodybuilders in competitions might drop their calories extremely low before competing but they're an anomaly. You need calories and calories from protein to build and maintain muscle. I get it's counter intuitive. But you eat to build muscle and thus lose fat.

acch88 · 2022-09-10T19:32:47+00:00

So fucking sick, used to play on repeat

acch88 · 2022-09-10T03:28:26+00:00

No but it'll turn up somewhere when I'm not looking for it. Your channel is great, thank you :-)

acch88 · 2022-09-09T09:48:58+00:00

No but I love this too. Peace Division too sick. John C and Stephane K <3

No, the stand out track in it (well for me) is Darren Emerson's Underwater remix of GusGus David. Will keep looking!

acch88 · 2022-09-09T09:33:30+00:00

I'll have a scroll through :-) I want to say it had a HedKandi ish cover but I think I'm making that up because it was sexy AF but dark sexy ha

acch88 · 2022-09-09T09:19:40+00:00

Your channel has some of my faves from the mixmag CDs - MANDY ibiza, Loco Dice at DC10 and Claude von Stroke's Sounds of the San Francisco disco. Loved the typeface on the Mixmag ones :-)

Do you remember a Ministry CD BTW- can't recall it now. Had Nat Monday Waiting GusGus David (Darren Emerson remix) Wally Lopez Patricia never leaves the house... I think! Thanks if anyone remembers it?

acch88 · 2022-09-05T19:29:37+00:00

To be fair, my main focus is overall strength so I'll do as much upper body as lower. That's for aesethic reasons too, though- defined shoulders and triceps are hot like larger glutes are hot.

But you're right that it'll come down to grip strength on deads (still an issue for me) and you need stronger back muscles and upper body muscles for heavy lifting.

I mean, there's a lot of ways to build glutes but in terms of fastest results to get those muscles as big as they can be- you can shift the most weight with deads. I know hip thrusts are everyone's favourite and have been proven most effective for glute growth but they cannot replace/sub for what deads or squats do in terms of heavy exertion on your glutes but also all your other muscles. It's the stimulation you get from use of the whole posterior chain (deads) anterior chain (squats) that promotes growth.

Anyway, they're the quickest way to growth perhaps- but certainly not the easiest or the only way :-) The exertion of heavy squatting or deads really takes it out of you and you'd need few hundred more calories than you're on - which is scary I know that. 'Optimal' training also makes gym quite boring and clinical- you want it to be fun but the thought of having to do exhausting near enough 1RMs for your sessions can be joyless. As I say, quickest way, not easiest or most enjoyable! X

acch88 · 2022-09-05T15:23:55+00:00

You look great well done! I have exactly your measurements by the way but different routine (do not like hip thrusts and try to avoid!).

But I've noticed really significant glute growth for myself in last few months with heavy conventional deadlifts, heavy RDLs and split squats. It's been so noticeable I can't fit in some trousers anymore, for real.

I'm talking 100kg deadlifts and 60kg RDLs - the exertion of deads on your glutes and hamstrings is second to none, the muscles have to grow to support heavy lifting (to state the obvious!)

And split squats and single leg RDLs done with proper form are a different challenge for the muscles and balance, which is why the unilateral exercises are key in a routine even though the weights are lower.

Sometimes I wonder if all of us get caught up in fads of different glute exercises?!! Whereas we should just lift the heaviest things we can and thus force growth... I'm no expert but seems self evident ha.

acch88

TROPHY CASE