A question about gains and strength

zilkah

Hey all - been eating at what I think is maintenance (maybe slightly below ?) For a bit and I noticed my body is changing , I'm getting more muscular and less fat. However I want to know in regards to pounds during lifting what I should be expecting . Ex - my lat pulldowns I'm at 70 lb right now 3 sets of 6-8. Some days it feels really tough some days it feels easier but still tough. Should I just be increasing the weight and my body will catch up and get stronger or am I going to hit a Max where in order to get stronger I must gain weight and put more muscle on...And how do you know when you're at that point where you will not see improvement unless you go for the gains

Hope that makes sense . I'm 5'4" and about 110-113 depending .

zilkah

That sounded confusing but basically I want to be lifting heavier but I feel like I'm hitting a wall where I can't do more sometimes

fundamentallyfitfl

Hi! I can offer a few tidbits from my experience training and my textbooks. I don't honestly know if you are going to need to gain weight after you max, but I think at some point you would. Until you get to that point, I would focus more on form, rest time between sets, maybe doing some different lat exercises and compound exercises that work some of the supporting muscles to that exercise. Recovery time is also important. Your muscles don't grow when you lift, they grow when they recover. Hope that helps at least a little bit!

ndj1979

are you running a structured program with progressive overload built in?

jseams1234

Are you doing your lat pulldowns the same time each time for your workout routine? I'm asking because I always do mine right after I do 4 sets of pullups and then 4 sets of seated rows. If I did them before the other two exercises I'm sure I could add a lot of weight - but if I added them farther down the list (after db rows, for example) I would surely have to lighten them up... also, lat pulldowns are one exercise I constantly see people doing incorrectly - which could cause a stall in itself. 70# for a 5'4 110 pound woman seems a bit high - how many body weight wide grip pullups can you do?

ejsilvi

You can also change it up n do seated rows one arm rows or bent over rows reps n sets make all the difference too also rest time if I am going Heavy I take from 2 to 5 minutes rest between sets hope this helps ...

middlehaitch

Once you can do 3 sets at 8 up your weight by a notch (or 2.5-5 lbs) and start back at 3 sets of 5. Work it up to 3x8 then up the weight again. This will keep you on a steady progression.

You would do well following a structured programme so all muscles are hit in a balanced way, but if you don't want to go that route get yourself a notebook and track your routine using a method like above, or just note when you can do 3x 8 then up your weight.

Cheers, h.
Edited to add. You should do warm up sets of .25 and .50 of lifting weight, or some version of that. It helps warm the muscles and prevent dons a bit.

Consistency and progression makes for good results.

zilkah

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

As for progressing, I usually add more weight when I find my sets get too easy but I think I may need to just push myself a bit more and get a notebook as suggested so I can really keep track more thoroughly. I try to mix in some other rows as well and really working on targeting some other muscle groups... I probably need to place more emphasis there

As for wide grip pull ups , I will try in the morning and see how many I can do!

ndj1979

zilkah wrote: »

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

As for progressing, I usually add more weight when I find my sets get too easy but I think I may need to just push myself a bit more and get a notebook as suggested so I can really keep track more thoroughly. I try to mix in some other rows as well and really working on targeting some other muscle groups... I probably need to place more emphasis there

As for wide grip pull ups , I will try in the morning and see how many I can do!

Yes get a notebook but I would also suggest a structured program like stronglifts or something more intermediate based on how new to lifting you are.

Luna3386

Find a good program. Eat at least at maintenance or even a little over. Adequate protein!

zilkah

Protein I eat at least 100g daily so I'm pretty solid there . I will search around for a good program just have a few limitations so it's hard to find one that doesn't include certain stuff

middlehaitch

Here, below, is a good starting place.

Most can be adapted to suit needs, limitations, and equipment availability.
I started the All Pro on machines and dumbbells until they brought in a lighter bar for me, and have no problem switching back and forth if I need to.

NB I am not a purist so I do what works for me.

Cheers, h.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

trigden1991

- Get enough protein
- Be in a calorie surplus
- Follow a structured & progressive programme

deputy_randolph

I've been eating slightly below maintenance and lifting heavy. Strength has increased (progressive program). I plan to keep this up until strength is affected and then add calories back. I expect that I can get away with this about 2-3 more weeks....then its ice cream time.

Rusty740

Don't worry about hitting your "max" or knowing when you've hit it, you've just got to keep increasing the weight each week or so a small bit at a time and be patient. This is called linear progression and it's the fastest way for novices (most everybody asking any questions about lifting, including me) to progress and get stronger. Most of us are novices for about a year until we learn perfect form. You can gain 75% of your genetic potential muscle in the first year with linear progression. The trick is that you need to keep track of your workouts. How many sets/reps of which exercise you did, in order to know if you are progressing. If you just mess around, then you won't get anywhere, this what many people do in the gym, just walk around picking some machine to try, lol.

Try looking up Strong Lifts 5 x 5, it's a free app that will guide you. It only requires a barbell. Don't worry about the bench press or the squat because you can substitute a floor press and a front squat. You just need to google these to get good form. I also do a front squat to back squat transition if I'm using light enough weights.

I do a similar program at home with all used, cheap barbell and garage sale weights.