Weight Training Advice

adamdenison17

I'm one of those rare people who have a start/stop relationship with the gym (#sarcasm). The challenge I have with weight training is finding workouts that are not too easy, but not too difficult to make me want to give up. All the plans I have found online are at both extremes. Either they're way too easy or they're way beyond my current level. I have done weight training before, so I'm not starting from scratch on form and such. Any recommendations for a good weight training program for someone who knows (relatively) what they're doing, but is needing to get back into shape?

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Spring for some individual training sessions.

cathipa

You can make any training program harder by increasing weights or reps. Look at SL5x5. Very basic, but with progression very effective and not always "easy".

rybo

adamdenison17 wrote: »

I'm one of those rare people who have a start/stop relationship with the gym (#sarcasm). The challenge I have with weight training is finding workouts that are not too easy, but not too difficult to make me want to give up. All the plans I have found online are at both extremes. Either they're way too easy or they're way beyond my current level. I have done weight training before, so I'm not starting from scratch on form and such. Any recommendations for a good weight training program for someone who knows (relatively) what they're doing, but is needing to get back into shape?

That doesn't make a lot of sense. Strength training is strength training. If it's too easy, add weight. If it's beyond what you are capable of, use less weight. There are tons of programs to choose from that are going to cover a beginner thru intermediate level lifter.

cwolfman13

What do you mean by "easy"...I'm currently running a very basic program due to time constraints, but it's hardly easy. If it's too easy you need to add weight.

AnnPT77

Maybe try this thread: It's a good'un:

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

Okiludy

I did Starting Strength for about 3.5 months and it got me up to 315lbs squats. It’s basic and you progress every session. You might think easy at first but it kicks your *kitten* soon enough.

pondee629

adamdenison17 wrote: »

I'm one of those rare people who have a start/stop relationship with the gym (#sarcasm). The challenge I have with weight training is finding workouts that are not too easy, but not too difficult to make me want to give up. All the plans I have found online are at both extremes. Either they're way too easy or they're way beyond my current level. I have done weight training before, so I'm not starting from scratch on form and such. Any recommendations for a good weight training program for someone who knows (relatively) what they're doing, but is needing to get back into shape?

I really don't understand. If the program is too hard, lighten up on the weights; if the program is too easy, increase the weights. If the program starts out easy but then gets too hard, "deload" (lower the weights temporarily) and restart your progression. The degree of difficulty is really your choice.

jemhh

I agree with the others who say that if it's too easy, add weight.

I've been lifting, quite consistently, for three years now. I recently decided to go back and run through the novice programming in The Barbell Prescription. The program I am following is extremely simple but I'm using challenging weight and seeing good progress.

canadianlbs

adamdenison17 wrote: »

All the plans I have found online are at both extremes. Either they're way too easy or they're way beyond my current level.

curious what kinds of plan? and what kind of 'beyond' - too complicated, or just too heavy?

i pmuch ignore entirely canned programmes that lay out big elaborate lists of do-this-this-this-this-on-tuesday, and then do that-that-that-that-on-wednesday, etc. i don't have that kind of attention span for that kind of thing, so i just go for the basics. x sets for y reps, and some kind of progression pattern.

if you have trouble with trusting a process (no snark intended), then you might find wendler 5/3/1 a good fit. if one week on that one is easy, the next one will come along before you decide that it's not worth your time. and then if you feel like that week is too hard, it changes again in the following week.

but i think with any lifting programme, it's important to pick something that you're going to stay with for at least however long that programme takes to get you through a few cycles of whatever progression it lays out for you. you don't really see where a given programme is heading if you give it up before then.

so if you pick something 'easy' then the missing ingredient is probably trust, or you could leverage your 'why not; what else am i going to be doing if i quit this' mindset. and if you pick something 'too hard' then it would probably need a bit of guts, plus a commitment to resting and eating.