Not heavy but yay

smaugish

So I've been gymming it for a week and one day now. It's sometimes ridiculously hard to force myself to drive to the gym rather than home after work in the mornings but I do it and I'm pretty proud of myself.

It's probably not the right ratio, but at the moment I'm doing 45-55 minutes of cardio and then 15-25 minutes of strength training; once I get my fitness levels up, I'm hoping to do about 30 minutes cardio and then 45 minutes strength and go for runs and stuff outside of the gym.

ANYWAY my point is- I'm not doing ultra heavy stuff, and I've yet to venture over to the free weights, but I've got goals. And today I tried the Shoulder Press machine, knowing it was going to be difficult because my shoulders are weak from old injuries. And it was. I was on about 20kg (tentative starter, didn't want to go too heavy too fast) and I could only manage 15 reps. I was absolutely crushed. So I went away and did the Leg Press and some Lat Pulldowns and all my favourites and then before I left the gym, I looked back over and saw the Shoulder Press staring me down. So I dusted myself off, dragged myself back over, sat down and managed to complete the set I left incomplete before, and do another 2 and a half sets.

Small victories but it made me feel great!

Any advice for a newbie?

hoyalawya2003

Way to go! Good job going back to it. I haven't ventured over to free weights yet, either, but I have been seeing gains on the machines, and I can do a heavier resistance on the pull-down than my DH now! It feels great to get stronger.

edwardkim85

Yes.

Shoulders are not supposed to handle heavy overweight movements such as 'heavy' overhead press.

Your shoulder will wear and tear. Keep overhead shoulder movements light if possible.

JoRocka

Firstly- good job for getting there. I cant' go straight from work- I have to go home and THEN go to the gym- sometimes I go to my dance studio and work first- and THEN go to the gym- by the time I leave the dance studio- it's 830/930 at night- torture- it's just so much easier to think how going to the house would be (esp since I have to drive right past it!!!) But- you must do what you must do!!! SO YOU GO! and that's a big step- only a week or so in is nothing- so you'll get into the swing of things- give it a few more weeks- it'll feel normal to you.
15 reps of anything is A LOT.

You have to understand HEAVY- is not a weight. There is no " once I get to XX lbs- I'm lifting heavy"

Heavy correlates to rep range- because what is heavy to me is probably light to my friend- yet seemingly impossible to my other friend. Heavy is relative.

So we tend to say heavy is between
1-5 (these are strength gains)
5-10 (you are looking at strength/hypertropy/size building)
10-15 and on (muscle endurance)

now- if you combine diet tweaking with these things you get different results- but for you- if you are working in the 1-10 range- you'll be building strength. and it's consider heavy (ten is pushing 'heavy' but again- it's not an exact number or set- it's relative and highly dependent on goals)

I would suggest looking up programs for lifting if weight lifting is of interest to you some good places to start
Strong Curves
Starting Strength
Strong lifts
New Rules of Lifting (for women)- there are two- it really doesn't matter which one you use.

do the research on form and lifting- if you are REALLY unsure- you can hire a coach specifically for learning lifts and then move on to your own program or one of the ones listed above.

The internet is a veritable gold mine- the problem being there is as much if not more bad data as good- so you have to read/watch a lot to sift down to the good stuff- you start seeing similarities and what looks right based on what you watched. There are some really good you tube channels with good educational stuff on them (so you think you can squat and california school of lifting I are two that come to mind).

Good job on getting started and keep it up!!!

If you have more questions- ask away!

smaugish

Thank you guys

I'm wondering if the fact that I'm using a machine makes any difference in the weight and overall movement side of things? If my shoulders would protest to the overhead movement anyway, regardless of their weakness, I'd rather stop doing the shoulder press altogether and work on other areas.

JoRocka- thank you for all the info! I've been pushing myself to do lots of reps because my brother (who is an active, wants to be monstrous body builder so maybe he isn't the best information!? haha) told me that 20 or so reps 'wasn't enough'. Again, does the machine make any difference than, say, if I was using just the weight?

I really don't know and I don't want to push my body too hard!

Also thanks for the suggestions on programs and the Youtube thing- totally forgot that Youtube is probably my best friend right now!

FrnkLft

I second new rules of lifting, especially in your case since ur new. If you're looking for something bro help you stay motivated I suggest getting on a program like the ones Jo recommended. They have increments and goals that might keep you interested.

As for your shoulder, only a pro can evaluate that and let you know. No sweat though anybody who is taking lifting seriously knows that it's all about starting light, working up, and reevaluating over time.

Smashley1947

Firstly- good job for getting there. I cant' go straight from work- I have to go home and THEN go to the gym- sometimes I go to my dance studio and work first- and THEN go to the gym- by the time I leave the dance studio- it's 830/930 at night- torture- it's just so much easier to think how going to the house would be (esp since I have to drive right past it!!!) But- you must do what you must do!!! SO YOU GO! and that's a big step- only a week or so in is nothing- so you'll get into the swing of things- give it a few more weeks- it'll feel normal to you.
15 reps of anything is A LOT.

You have to understand HEAVY- is not a weight. There is no " once I get to XX lbs- I'm lifting heavy"

Heavy correlates to rep range- because what is heavy to me is probably light to my friend- yet seemingly impossible to my other friend. Heavy is relative.

So we tend to say heavy is between
1-5 (these are strength gains)
5-10 (you are looking at strength/hypertropy/size building)
10-15 and on (muscle endurance)

now- if you combine diet tweaking with these things you get different results- but for you- if you are working in the 1-10 range- you'll be building strength. and it's consider heavy (ten is pushing 'heavy' but again- it's not an exact number or set- it's relative and highly dependent on goals)

I would suggest looking up programs for lifting if weight lifting is of interest to you some good places to start
Strong Curves
Starting Strength
Strong lifts
New Rules of Lifting (for women)- there are two- it really doesn't matter which one you use.

do the research on form and lifting- if you are REALLY unsure- you can hire a coach specifically for learning lifts and then move on to your own program or one of the ones listed above.

The internet is a veritable gold mine- the problem being there is as much if not more bad data as good- so you have to read/watch a lot to sift down to the good stuff- you start seeing similarities and what looks right based on what you watched. There are some really good you tube channels with good educational stuff on them (so you think you can squat and california school of lifting I are two that come to mind).

Good job on getting started and keep it up!!!

If you have more questions- ask away!

^^ This

I would try free weights. I find I am uncomfortable using the machines, but love my free weights. When I do the shoulder press (free weights) I use 5lbs dumbbells. That is all my shoulders can handle currently.

JoRocka

Thank you guys

I'm wondering if the fact that I'm using a machine makes any difference in the weight and overall movement side of things? If my shoulders would protest to the overhead movement anyway, regardless of their weakness, I'd rather stop doing the shoulder press altogether and work on other areas.

JoRocka- thank you for all the info! I've been pushing myself to do lots of reps because my brother (who is an active, wants to be monstrous body builder so maybe he isn't the best information!? haha) told me that 20 or so reps 'wasn't enough'. Again, does the machine make any difference than, say, if I was using just the weight?

I really don't know and I don't want to push my body too hard!

Also thanks for the suggestions on programs and the Youtube thing- totally forgot that Youtube is probably my best friend right now!

No offense but if you're brother is saying 20 reps A SET is't enough- than he's an idiot. If he wants to be a body builder he needs to do more research- it isn't just about hitting the weights for endless reps- people who really do this (I have several pro and amature body building friends) are educated- smart and meticulous.

He needs to do more research- hypertrophy (that 8-10 rep thing I mentioned) combined with over eating ... muscle growth. that's how it works- not endless reps. Anything past that 10-15 mark is working muscle endurance- HOW LONG can you keep doing it- that is typically what generates "the burn" you feel people talking about.

Heavier weighting doesn't give you a burn- it just gives you omg this is effing heavy... and really tired.

anyway- yes machine work can agitate an injury- mostly because this is the range of motion you get- if your shoulder doesn't like it- you're *kitten* out of luck.

a free weight can let you tweak it slightly forward or slightly back- or slightly wider- or more narrow to suit YOUR body (By the way most machines are designed around a certain body type and height and there is ONLY but so much adjusting that can be done)

Also google YTP- There are two sets but I only remember the one right now- the other one is an L or something. Anyway- google.
They are really good shoulder drills- done for warm up/rehab- and REALLY light weights- like 1-5 lbs most. (when I was in therapy I think I used 1/2 lbs- yes half pound dumbbell weights. I was mortified- but I did them.

pfgirl11221

I have recently just had a meeting with a personal trainer who said 15-20 reps, but 3 sets of reps with 30-45 seconds of rest in between. For more endurance type lifting which is what is suggested for me not looking to body build or anything. My cousin ( a body builder) also recommended more like 12-15 for me. I'm going with the 15-20 for now though.

smaugish

So, if I did a set of 5-10 reps and repeated this 4 or 5 times with a rest in between, that would be better?

I'm reading up but I'm genuinely interested, sorry to sound naive and like a bit of a dumbass! It's good to pick the brains of someone almost 'in real time'

chrisrc131

There are advantages to doing very light weight-high rep sets the first few times you do a movement. It gets you used to the motion and it lets you concentrate on what the form should be. Beyond that, you're better off slowly progressing through higher weights.

I'm not sure what advice pfgirl11221 got. If it was 3 sets that add up to 20 reps that sounds reasonable. If it was 3 sets of 20 reps I'd have serious doubts about her trainer. One does not accidentally acquire a body-builder's physique by lifting heavy and lifting this light is at best inefficient for most people's goals. You can increase muscular endurance this way, but you get stronger by lifting heavier weight.

I also don't understand edwardkim85's suggestion that shoulder movements should be kept light. Form is important to avoid shoulder injuries and you won't have shoulders as strong as your legs, but the only way to get your shoulders stronger is by lifting heavier weights with them.

The 5-10 rep range sounds good with the understanding that if you can do 3 sets of 10 you should increase the weight you're lifting the next time you do the exercise. Nothing wrong with starting light and progressing slowly, but your goal should be to keep progressing to heavier and heavier weights.

My actual advice would be to find a well regarded, published beginner program and stick with it for 6 months before you think about making any changes. No program is perfect, but you don't need perfection right now, you just need a good start. JoRocka suggested a few:

Strong Curves - I know nothing about
Starting Strength - excellent and simple program. Very instructive book.
Strong lifts - Excellent, if very similar to Starting Strength but more time consuming
New Rules of Lifting (for women) - I haven't read it myself, but I've read that the book is full of good info but the program gets a bit complicated.

Yes, the two I called excellent are free weight programs not machine programs. Machines aren't evil, but they are less effective. Do yourself a favor and step into that part of the gym. If you can't lift the barbell, use the 5 pound dumbbells until you can lift the 7.5 pounds ones. Use those until you can lift the 10 pounds ones. And, the most important part, keep going.