Pull with a rope - it felt really tough . I’m glad I gave it a go .
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Wow @p00key, you are strong. I love the feeling of being strong, find it really empowering somehow.
What exercises are you doing with the 10kg dumbbells?
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Ladies sled is 75 kilo for sled pull
Mens open 102
Pro… 150? I think
50 ms can be a long long way !
Nice work
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I agree very empowering - am still working with a PT at the gym ( and very tempted to sign up for a few more). So these are Dumbbell Side Lateral Throws ( I had to goggle that 
as I just do what he asks )but also I am doing dead lifts /squats/ with weights - its such a confidence booster more than anything as an over 50’s woman , its really helping with the running. He also combines sessions which keeps it interesting. Also as he knows I do a lot of ultra races - we do combined ski and row sessions / run and weights . I am just at the stage where I feel confident to go to the gym and do the weight sessions solo.
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The stuff I’ve been watching/reading supports the lifting to failure (or within 2 reps of failure) but they still put a cap on the reps of between 5 & 30 broadly producing the same benefit.
The caveat to that is the ability to judge where failure is when you get to the higher end of that rep range. If you do 6 reps and simply can’t do a 7th you’ve probably hit genuine failure but when you’ve done 25, could you do a couple more at that lower weight if your life depended on it, possibly, there may be more than just muscular failure stopping you at that point.
ETA - the people I tend to watch on YouTube are Jeff Nippard, Wolfe Coaching & Mike Isreatel who refer to the most recent studies and summarise the findings.
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I also don’t think I have the same energy levels like I used to have ( and don’t know if that will change when I am in full menopause) but the cross training is definitely helping my fitness . Who knows the gravel bike I got for my 50th (all those years ago and have used maybe 10 times!) may come out of the cellar when it gets a bit warmer so I can combine that in to help with the running 
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Still at it, hit it 75kg on squat today.
Does anyone else find they grind teeth when lifting? Is it normal to wear a gum shield to bite onto or is there something else which might help?
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I am currently part way through Fast After 50 which is interesting (if a bit repetitive) - will update after finishing but includes references to strength training and hitting speed sessions - both of which I am trying to focus on more
I am enjoying the strength work which I usually do with Mrs T which is also a spur to keep going with that
Haven’t tried pulling a sled but I suspect you would beat me hands down @p00key
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Nice. I did 60kg for 5x5 on squat. Starting to feeling hard now. Which is good as im challeging the muscles and building strength back up.
I dont grind my teeth. Ive always focused on my breathing. Inhale when lowering, strong exhale when pushing. Hard to grind teeth when you are doing a strong exhale.
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Definitely interested in your feed back of fast after 50.
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Tried to be more conscious of it and breath today. Still feels very tense but less teeth involved.
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Its hard when you are really pushing. Especially as your focussing on form, not hurting yourself and ultimately moving the weight. Im sure when Im close to max the breathing goes out the window and I probably do grind.
Problem I noticed this morning is my st is going forward and arching my back slightly. Maybe need to hold off upping the weight for a few sessions and sort my form
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I do that on most exercises but on squats I was always told to do all your breathing at the top.
Take a deep breath, use it to brace your core (especially if wearing a belt) whilst doing the lift and then breath out and back in again at the top.
I’ve noticed it really stabilises my core as it gets heavier (I hit 140kg before my lay-off) especially when you can push against the belt as it really locks everything in.
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Yeah correct, when doing maximal or close to squats it is best to do a Valsalva manoeuvre and lockout your breath and push into your abs to brace your core. Thats what belts are for, something else to push in to to brace the core.
The reason I avoid it is Ive had high BP in the past (now under control) and that can cause a massive spike in pressure and always felt the risk is probably low but I should be cautious
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What do people do about protein? Im 117kg so need a lot shen Im looking to build/maintain muscle. Endless chicken breasts are becoming a bore. I have 3/4 egg omelette for breakfast, couple of protein shakes.
The omelette is so filling if I have it late im not even hungry at lunch.
Guess protein shakes are easy and not too filling. Some fays feel like Im forcing it in.
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I’m 105kg so in similar ballpark.
The classic calculation is 1g per 1lb of bodyweight which puts me over 230g per day, as you say that’s quite hard to get to.
I looked at a few different calculations and also the current advice seems to have been reduced to 0.7g per 1lb. I also looked at one for lean mass as you don’t really need to feed your fat protein, and I am definitely carrying some extra timber.
In the end I came to the conclusion I needed about 180g per day, which interestingly isn’t far away from Jeff Nippard’s advice for anyone carrying a bit of timber which is 1g per cm of height, as a back of a fag packet calculation.
I use protein shakes to get to that as solid food is inconvenient and expensive. I have cereal for breakfast with a protein shake instead of milk, one after training and one before bed. That combined with my other normal meals gets me there or thereabouts most days.
I did get some protein flapjacks at one point, which were a quick 20g boost if short but the ones I got have been out of stock for ages and they’re really expensve from everywhere else.
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That made me go and check and they’re back in again.
Lux protein flapjacks at Bodybuilding Warehouse - £19 for 24 with code NEWYEAR.
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But do you bin a few yolks, or is the 3/4 complete eggs?
I sometimes bin a yolk or two and add an extra white.
Full eggs. The yolk has all the nutrients in and the old chat about dietary cholesterol in them is bollocks. I mean its in there ,but doesnt impact blood cholesterol.
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I mentioned it because the still feeling full not because cholesterol or saturated fat in reference to health.
The goodness in the yolks, yes, is why I didnt say ditch [all] the yolks. However, more white per yolk gives you more protein and doesnt normally leave you as full for hours.
If its 3 eggs I tend to add 2 additional whites.
Not the greatest but Tuna (or fish in general) is a go to for me if struggling with protein intake.
Christmas week (most days) I didnt hit my protein intake even with the Turkey.
PS I got a PB in the missing vowels round Monday night… THREE!
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