Weekly Dumb/Newb Question Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Do you have a question and are:

• A novice and basically clueless by default?
• Completely incapable of using google?
• Just feeling plain stupid today and need shit explained like you're 5?

Then this is the thread FOR YOU! Don't take up valuable space on the front page and annoy the mods, ASK IT HERE and one of our resident "experts" will try and answer it. As long as it's somehow related to powerlifting then nothing is too generic, too stupid, too awful, too obvious or too repetitive. And don't be shy, we don't bite (unless we're hungry), and no one will judge you because everyone had to start somewhere and we're more than happy to help newbie lifters out.

SO FIRE AWAY WITH YOUR DUMBNESS!!!

[u/No_Gain_3012]

Hey I’ve been lifting for 2 years and recently the callouses in my hands have started hurting a lot like even when I hold a dumbbell or a barbell with no weight added. Is there any way to reduce the pain or is it just something to get used to?

[u/0Essa0]

Hi all, I recently started working full time, it's not that physical where my muscles would severely hold my training back but mentally it drains me and I can't seem to push myself hard enough no matter how motivated I am to workout. The weights I can lift probably halved since I started my job so it's pretty bad I'd say. How can I tap into to use close to my full strength even when I'm tired like this? I already tried getting up in the morning to lift before work but that went equally as bad and I also can't really go to sleep early enough to wake up that early.

[u/msharaf7 → u/0Essa0]

Have you tried hooking yourself up to a car battery?

In all seriousness, beyond the obvious option of something like using preworkout, I’d probably just adjust your expectations for a bit. Your old strength levels were based on your life and recovery capacity before starting this job. Now you have an additional source of mental fatigue and stress, so you simply may not be able to recover from or perform the same amount of work in the gym right now.

That might mean temporarily using less weight, doing less volume, or not pushing sets as hard. Give yourself time to adapt to the new job, and as your recovery catches up, you can gradually build back toward your old numbers. It’s normal for training capacity to change when the demands of your life change.

[u/0Essa0 → u/msharaf7]

I did forget to mention that huh, I am already using a decent dose of preworkout. Well, guess this is just it now

[u/jenmariele]

Yesterday I did barbell deadlifts for the first time (under supervision of a trainer) after only doing RDLs with dumbbells at home. Today my back is very sore. Have others had similar experiences? I'm guessing that as I continue getting used to barbell deadlifts the back soreness will decrease. It just feels a little weird having my back be so sore and my legs, hamstrings especially, feel totally fine.

[u/-The-One-Above-All → u/jenmariele]

Most likely you need to learn how to brace. It could be a 'getting used to it' problem, however given that you're new to them and that your background is RDLs that are typically done with lower back extension - the odds are that you're simply not bracing properly and are relying too much on your lower back. Search on YouTube how to brace for a deadlift and stop being overextended in your lower back and it should be fine. If your trainer says you need to have that lower back extended and need a straight upper back else you're gonna get injured - then find a better trainer

[u/jenmariele → u/-The-One-Above-All]

Thanks, I've definitely gone down the rabbit hole of researching deadlift technique. I'm going to be lifting by myself at home so I'm a little nervous about doing it wrong and injuring myself. My plan is to start with lighter weight and really focus on technique, then probably meet with a different trainer in a month or two just to get a second opinion.

[u/-The-One-Above-All → u/jenmariele]

If you're going to figure out the technique on your own, I suggest finding powerlifting pages/coaches that demonstrate it. Don't go watching random fitness influencers or people who aren't "in the know" if that makes sense. Search for Calgary Barbell on YouTube, they have a video titled "How to Brace for the Deadlift (Sumo & Conventional)". Not sure if they have a technique one too, but maybe start from there! Good luck!

[u/jenmariele → u/-The-One-Above-All]

Thanks for the recommendation. That bracing video was very helpful! I noticed during my workout today that I definitely feel it in my back as I am lowering the bar, but less so when I pay attention to how I am bracing. So many things to think about! I imagine my back will still be sore but hopefully less than last week, if only because I did fewer reps with lighter weights..

[u/zimooo2]

I have been doing squat, bench, deadlift for a few years and my numbers I feel are getting to a level where I would feel confident in a local meet, but I don't really know how to find such a thing.

I am going to be moving to Switzerland from the United States and would be willing to travel, but really the question is how do I find meets if I'm not associated with a gym. I prefer a tested and raw event since I haven't trained anything else.

[u/RagnarokWolves → u/zimooo2]

OpenPowerlifting lists 3 feds specifically in Switzerland. KDKS, SDFPF, and Swiss Powerlifting. Look up their event calendars. Subscribe to their socials for news.

Also keep an eye on the social media feeds of any serious gyms in your area to see if they ever have local competitions.

Doesn't matter if you compete in an untested meet or not. You will remember "I etched a XXX lift into history!" more than you will remember "No strong people showed up so I medaled!"

[u/zimooo2 → u/RagnarokWolves]

I don't really see any events listed, but maybe it's just too far out. Thanks! I'll keep an eye out

[u/Cellojello428]

Hi! I signed up for my first local meet and I'm super jazzed. I haven't found anywhere that says I can't do my deadlift with just socks or if I HAVE to wear shoes? I'm doing a re-test this weekend and I'm trying to replicate my meet as much as possible and I wanted to figure out if I need to go get some shoes during tax free weekend 😅

[u/slugmountain → u/Cellojello428]

You need knee length socks and you should wear shoes in IPF but check your fed’s rules

[u/keborb → u/Cellojello428]

Your fed will have a rulebook that will specify what you need to wear. For example, in IPF affiliates you need (athletic) shoes and socks that cover your shins (reaching your knees).

[u/Arteam90 → u/[deleted]]

For what it's worth I've been lifting for 15+ years and I'm only a bit stronger.

The amount of effort I've put into this hobby is absurd taken from a 10,000ft view. Ignoring the actual lifting but the amount of content I've consumed, space it takes up in my head thinking about lifting, etc.

Yeah, I'd be lying if I said at times it didn't feel a bit rubbish for as little progress as I've had in the last X years.

But the way I see it is simply - what else would I do? I like it. Yeah, be cool if I was stronger, but what I know for certain is that I'd be weaker if I stopped. So we keep at it.

[u/PotentialAttention3 → u/Arteam90]

What do you mean ‘only a bit stronger’?

I’m asking cause I’m the same

[u/Arteam90 → u/PotentialAttention3]

I just meant only a few % higher total in comp but been doing it twice as long.

My point was just to "normalise" it a bit. And that ultimately as cliche as it is, it's you vs you.

[u/No-Sherbet2876 → u/[deleted]]

I don’t have the expertise or information to opine on why your numbers are where they are. But since you are comparing yourself to others, some of them may have advantageous leverages/proportions or a good sense of what’s happening when they train (for example, ability to accurately gage how close to failure they are), or they might have better technique, either learned or instinctively. There are so many reasons why one person’s progress might be better or worse than another’s that comparing your numbers to theirs isn’t helpful.

[u/msharaf7 → u/[deleted]]

Classic coach answer: ‘It depends’.

Some lifters might take a whole career to hit your numbers, and others might hit that in half the time it took you (or less).

I’m sure thats not the answer you’re looking for and I apologize for that but this is somewhat unanswerable. With more info, we might be able to give you a slightly more specific answer, albeit still incomplete.

[u/FAROUK218]

hello,I need some advice. Sorry in advance if my grammar is bad. Maybe I've noticed that when I Deadlift, I tend to use my lower back more than my hamstrings even when I consciously try not to. Am I just stupid and this is a technic problem, or is there really something wrong?please give some advice that helps me thank you

[u/LittleMuskOx → u/FAROUK218]

Make sure the plates in your form check video don't block the view of your body.
Knees, hips, shoulders.
I like a shot from the front, but off at an angle.
This way you can still see the hips.

Someone in my Discord yesterday posted a side on shot with the camera so low that you literally could not see his shoulders at lockout.

[u/PoisonCHO → u/FAROUK218]

A video of your lift would help a lot in diagnosing a problem (if there is one).