A stupid thing I did.

mandarkio
mandarkio Posts: 62 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Second week at the gym. Accidentally set the leg press to 180lbs instead of 80lbs. Did a full set of 10 reps before realising. I'm stronger than I thought!

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    Whoa, I don't envy your DOMS! But good job.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    What a good problem to have.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Yeah, most people are stronger than they think.

    I'd say you're ready for squats. :+1:
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    Yeah, you've obviously been coasting!! Get to work!!
  • mandarkio
    mandarkio Posts: 62 Member
    Hahaha, I don't think I will be doing that again anytime soon :p I did increase to 90lbs today though :)
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    mandarkio wrote: »
    Hahaha, I don't think I will be doing that again anytime soon :p I did increase to 90lbs today though :)

    Yeah. You don't want to get bulky or anything. :+1:
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Yeah, most people are stronger than they think.

    I'd say you're ready for squats. :+1:
    +1
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    mandarkio wrote: »
    Hahaha, I don't think I will be doing that again anytime soon :p I did increase to 90lbs today though :)

    Not trying to be negative but why did you drop back?
    Assuming you can comfortably walk up stairs (alternately lifting your entire bodyweight with one leg remember) then 90lbs with both legs won't be giving you much benefit.

    You aren't alone - I saw a large person in my gym (100kg?) walk downstairs from the cardio gym, put 20kg on the leg press machine, do a few reps then walk back upstairs agains. The stairs were by far the most beneficial part of that routine.....
  • akoivisto
    akoivisto Posts: 141 Member
    Agreed with sijomial; did 10 reps? Do it again the next day. :)
  • whatatime2befit
    whatatime2befit Posts: 625 Member
    I agree with the others. Don't go back to less weights. If you can do 180, stick with it and try to improve.
  • mandarkio
    mandarkio Posts: 62 Member
    i wasn't sure what sort of weight i should be aiming for on these machines, i was afraid i would overdo it and do myself an injury! but if it's safe to do then i will.

    i wonder though, is it common fpr upper and lower body to be so unbalanced? i can barely manage 30lbs on the bicep curl/chest press etc.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    Always look to improve. What's the point of going back down? Maybe a little, if you feel you need to, but not by half! When doing weight training, I always try to improve on how much weight I can do. If I can't improve on weights, I try to increase reps.
    Keep at it and you're going to have some amazing legs!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    mandarkio wrote: »
    i wasn't sure what sort of weight i should be aiming for on these machines, i was afraid i would overdo it and do myself an injury! but if it's safe to do then i will.

    i wonder though, is it common fpr upper and lower body to be so unbalanced? i can barely manage 30lbs on the bicep curl/chest press etc.

    Your lower body muscles are the strongest in your body. Generally, you can do at least 2x the weight. If you did a comfortable 180 lbs already, I would stick around that.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    mandarkio wrote: »
    i wonder though, is it common fpr upper and lower body to be so unbalanced? i can barely manage 30lbs on the bicep curl/chest press etc.


    Yes. Virtually everyone* is much stronger in the lower body than in the upper body.



    *Unless, of course, one doesn't train lower body, but does upper body. Hence, "friends don't let friends skip leg day."

  • shenelleramoo1994
    shenelleramoo1994 Posts: 4 Member
    The strongest muscles in your body are your legs and back. My leg press max is 270lbs and squat max is 170lbs. Yet i curl 15lbs for biceps
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    mandarkio wrote: »
    i wasn't sure what sort of weight i should be aiming for on these machines, i was afraid i would overdo it and do myself an injury! but if it's safe to do then i will.

    i wonder though, is it common fpr upper and lower body to be so unbalanced? i can barely manage 30lbs on the bicep curl/chest press etc.

    Yes, you definitely do not want to aim for same weight for all body parts.
  • canary_girl
    canary_girl Posts: 366 Member
    I agree, why drop back. My legs are much more powerful than upper body, I can pile on 360 lbs on the leg press. And my legs are getting smaller.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    stop sandbagging and get back to work!
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    edited October 2015
    I constantly try to lift heavier and heavier. I do 3 sets of 6 mostly.... when I hit 6 repeatedly I increase my weight. The body composition change has been amazing and my strength as increased a ton.. I say push it back up there. It did take me a while to figure out where my weights should be, I track how much I do of each one every time I go so I can improve over time.
  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
    mandarkio wrote: »
    i wasn't sure what sort of weight i should be aiming for on these machines, i was afraid i would overdo it and do myself an injury! but if it's safe to do then i will.

    i wonder though, is it common fpr upper and lower body to be so unbalanced? i can barely manage 30lbs on the bicep curl/chest press etc.

    I max out the leg press machine at my gym. I can't even get close to maxing the upper body machines. Your legs should be stronger.

    Unless the heavier weight is causing you pain, then keep it up! Strong legs are sexy legs!

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