Things I learned while weight training

So I've been lifting consistently (and heavy) for about four months now, ever since finishing up my trail running season. I've lifted weights before, but this has been my first experience with Olympic weight lifting, and the first time I've lifted with friends, consistently, for many weeks. It's been a great experience, and a fun new set of skills to build during a winter that just won't quit.

I learned the basics of weight training way back in high school, when my physical education class sandwiched a shockingly well thought out weight room unit right in between the usual flag football and softball. One of the rare useful things I learned in P.E. was how to track weights, sets, and reps, and how to use machines and free weights.

This time around, though, I've been learning some new, valuable things. Here are six of them.

1. I lift more with friends.

Started with the bare bar.
But then I did them with more weight... and a spotter.

When I'm lifting by myself, I'll choose a manageable weight and go, maybe adding another few pounds for each set. When I'm lifting with friends, I can't get away with staying in my comfort zone like this. "Want to try some more weight? I'll spot you!" said Kathy, the day we were doing thrusters.

This is Kathy. Denise is in the background. They're STRONG.

Another week, I was happily lifting 160 pounds on the leg press when Denise came over. "You know," she said solicitously, "I can do 200 on that. And you have strong legs. You should give it a try." Well, okay. I loaded on a few of those ridiculously huge 45-pound plates and gave it a try. I couldn't do 20 in a row, but I could do four sets of five.

2. Fifteen is more than ten.

Shoot! Was that 13 or 14? Kathy, are you counting?!

Hmm, definitely felt like 14. Or  maybe 15...

Shocking, right? But before now, 90% of my weight training was sets of 10, rest, another set of 10. It sounds funny to say it for something that only takes a few seconds more, but getting to 15 (or, heaven forbid, 20!) takes endurance. Varying the length of my sets has introduced a new dimension into my lifting. It's hard to say which is harder, six sets of 10 (adding weight each set) or three sets of 20... but I can definitely say that they're each hard in a different way.

3. When lifting free weights, good form trumps heavy weight.

Still working on the perfect back squat, at any weight.

Weight machines are very forgiving of wonky form and limited flexibility. Free weights, particularly Olympic weights, not so much. Using the correct form requires a surprising amount of flexibility, balance, and concentration. All those mirrors in the free weight area at the gym suddenly make sense! They're not just for narcissistic hardbodied guys to flex at each other without making eye contact, after all -- they're giving critical feedback!

4. Strong comes in many shapes.

This is Kathy. She is very strong.

She lifts heavier than anyone else I lift with.

She says, "I don't do fast, and I don't do graceful.
But I can do strong."

I'm kind of tall and gangly. (I used to think of myself as awkward, but I don't any more.) And strong. Kathy's solid and strong. Denise (in the first picture background) is compact and very strong. Sally, who's not in these pictures, is taller, like me, and strong. Strong comes in a lot of shapes, and it comes from consistency, and focus, and the drive to keep trying and getting stronger.

5. Stealth core is good, but specific core is even better.

Weights + Whole30 = abs!

Okay, I confess: I'm a plank hater. Yeah, I can do them, but they're not, you know, fun. In fact, when I broke my elbow, I joked that the only upside was that I got a several month break from having to do planks.

So I love any workout that provides me with some "stealth core" -- core work that doesn't feel like doing planks. Yoga, kettlebells, Olympic weights -- all of them are pretty good for this.

Turns out, though, that doing actual core work? Even better. One week in three I do a core circuit: bar sit-ups, incline sit-ups, back and side extensions, leg lifts, cable extensions. I sit around in my office the rest of the day waiting for the DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) to strike, then creak around for the next three days complaining about my aching muscles. And darned if I'm not getting a stronger core.

6. If you lift with a labor coach...

Come on! You can do anything for 30 seconds!

Okay, one more story to finish out. I did inclined sit-ups with Mary one day in January. She's an obstetrician. She coached, cajoled, and cheered me on through my third and fourth sets of 15 sit-ups, adding weight each time, to a point far beyond what I could  have done alone. The last set was an absolute struggle... but I got it done. And promptly collapsed back on the bench while she joked, "Congratulations! It's a girl!"

Normally, my abs are tired after a core circuit day. The muscles ache for a day, maybe three, then get better. After that set of sit-ups? I had sore abs for eight days. If you lift with a labor coach, you might end up with a harder lift that you thought you were capable of doing. Thanks, Mary! (I think?)