For the ladies that strength train

snuggllepuff

I've been doing Wendler's 5 3 1 program for about 3 months now. It focuses on the main lifts press, deadlifts, bench, squat. I've been making pretty good gains.

tested 1RM are
Deadlift-200 lbs
Squat-170 lbs
Bench- 100 lbs =( pathetic
haven't tested press but I"ve been reaping 65 for 5 reps. Also pathetic haha.

But 5 3 1 definitely helped because you work yourself up to about 85 percent of your maxes and see how many reps you can get. then you try to increase and beat it next week.

elledo

Are you ladies all using a smith machine for you squats? or just a squat rack and bar? I'm a bit confused because I am lifting around the same or heavier for most of the exercise listed except for squats (where I'm lifting way less). When i use a smith machine I am able to lift a lot heavier than when i use an unsupported bar. Is this the difference?

snuggllepuff

Are you ladies all using a smith machine for you squats? or just a squat rack and bar? I'm a bit confused because I am lifting around the same or heavier for most of the exercise listed except for squats (where I'm lifting way less). When i use a smith machine I am able to lift a lot heavier than when i use an unsupported bar. Is this the difference?

I may possibly be the biggest anti smith machine advocate in the world. The Smith machine is kind of a joke because there's pulleys that help you get the weight up. When you're using a smith machine, you can pretty much use the world's worst form because you are stuck in the awkward constraints of a machine.

With just the barbell from the squat rack, you can move however you want to move. It helps you maintain good form, you burn more calories, and you are really working your muscles. You have to do ALL The work yourself when you do real squats which really helps your strength. Also a great core exercise because you need to stabilize yourself to avoid tipping over.

The best lower body workout is to do real squats and try to get your legs/butt parallel to the floor.

meshashesha2012

Are you ladies all using a smith machine for you squats? or just a squat rack and bar? I'm a bit confused because I am lifting around the same or heavier for most of the exercise listed except for squats (where I'm lifting way less). When i use a smith machine I am able to lift a lot heavier than when i use an unsupported bar. Is this the difference?

stay away form the smith machine. the only time i screwed my knees up was because of the smith machine putting me in an unnatural position. you can lift more weight because you're cheating yourself.

i do my squats in a power cage where it's just me and my stabilizing muscles and core keeping me balanced

snuggllepuff

the smith machine makes for a good rack to hang your coat on... that's it.

lol but all jokes aside, if you really dedicate some time to getting better at real squats without the Smith machine, you will gain strength, get a MUCH better workout, and notice the difference in your legs and butt.

LindaLouLu

Just out of curiosity when you say you lift heavy how much do you lift??

Such as squats, cable fly, leg press ect......

I like to think that I'm doing good as far as the gains in the weight that I lift but maybe I was a weakling to start with and now I'm just average. :laugh:

Right now I just use the machines (My gym partner is not available to assist, but soon as they come back I'm dragging their lazy tush back to the free weights area). Here's the machine workout I did this morning:

lowest is 12 reps/ highest is 20 & 2 sets of each (also, what the weight was when I started lifting)

Leg Extension 35# (20#)
Leg Curl 45# (30#)
Leg Press 105# (60#)
Wide Grip Pull-down 45#(25#)
Chest Press 45#(30#)
Lateral Raise 20#(I just started this one)
Low-Pulley 1 Arm Curl 10# (this is a new one as well)
High-Pulley kick Back 10# (2.5#)
Calf Raise 40#(25#)

For me, the arm weights are still a bit heavy, but once they start getting light, I'll just add another 5#'s and be good to go for a while. I plan to up the lower body weights another 5lbs next week.

P.S. Weights TOTALLY Rock!:laugh: :drinker:

Valkyriewoman

Low bar back squats: 165#
Deads: 255#
Hang cleans: 115#
Bench: 105#
Leg Press: 390#

Those are pretty much 2-3 max reps.

lisaisso

155lb on deads
2 25lb dumbbell squats (50)
20lb bicep curl/shoulder press
80lb lat pulldown

snuggllepuff

does anyone do powerlifting meets? I've done two and I'm sort of obsessed now. ;p

But I'm in the lightest weight class where I don't really have much competition so I'm trying to gain a little weight.

JennieAL

Pointless to compare yours with someone else's. Lift what is heavy for you. Lift what's a challenge for you to push out 3-8 reps. I do sets of 5 reps. Have no idea what my 1RM's are yet... and don't care to. I'm a novice. Theoretically, each time a novice lifts, they're increasing so they can't really know their 1RM.

Heavy is what's a challenge for you to get 3-8 reps of it, with good form (for your own protection).

itgeekwoman

typically i'm doing 4 sets of 15

Squat: 180
Bench press: 115
Dumbbell Shoulder Presses: 35

I typically do this in conjunction with cardio, high intensity reps. I'll compete against my daughter as we train together. It is typically a race when doing curls, presses, and other free weight exercises.We'll incorporate heavy bag flipping or number of kettlebell snatches. It's fun and rewarding. I'm seeing my daughter FINALLY out pace me with weights. She should .. she's 20 years younger!

shaycat

Wow I feel WEAK. I just bought two 10lb dumbbells. I can do about 5 reps at a time. But hey I have to start somewhere right?

mhannasch

I would recomend calculating your one rep max. A 1RM is considered the maximum weight you could lift if you just did one rep. You can also do a pyramid lift to actually do your 1RM, where you do a warm up set - 12 to 15 reps, rest 60 secs, do a "guess" of your 75% 1RM - set of 10, rest 90, and then try for your 1RM. If you can lift it, keep adding weight until failure for 1 rep.

If you aren't able to do this, this website offers a good estimate calculator.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html

Your workouts should be built around the percentage of your one rep max. I.E. - lifting 75% of your one rep max for 12 reps. Working to what YOUR maximum weight should be will help you build muscle faster, than trying to lift too heavy and causing an injury. You can also work with a personal trainer to help you actually do a fit test to establish a true 1RM for each muscle group.

karinefitness

As everyone said, heavy is different for everyone.
I usually do 3 sets of 8 reps (well right now anyways).

I leg press 180lbs, squat around 80lbs (my weakness actually, I don't feel flexible enough to go heavier and have correct form), deadlift 115lbs (my bodyweight!). I'm not sure about everything else...

I can do 1 pullup and a few chin ups as well!!

Rae6503

Squats: 5x5x120lbs
Bench: 5x5x95lbs
Rows: 5x5x80lbs
Shoulder Press: 5x5x65lbs
Deads: 1x5x155lbs


But it's all relative. Do as heavy as you safely can for 3-5 sets of 4-12 reps. Increase as often as you safely can.

spazofthedead

I've been following Stronglifts 5x5 since January. My current numbers are:

Squat: 150lbs
Bench: 85lbs
Row: 90lbs
OHP: 60lbs
Deadlift: 200lbs

I've been slacking off lately on deadlifts and squats because of a hip flexor injury.

What is Stronglifts 5x5 ?

It's a strength training program geared toward beginners that follows a 5 rep, 5 set scheme for all the big lifts: squat, deadlift, row, overhead press and bench press.

Cait_Sidhe

Right now I squat and deadlift 90 lb (not including the weight of the bar). My seated rows are 105 lb. My lat pulldown weight is 70-80 lb, but that's only because any heavier and the weights pull me up with them. Lunges with 2 30 lb dumbells (60lb). Shoulder press with 2 25 lb dumbells (50 lb). Step ups with 2 20 lb dumbells (40 lb), I was using 2 30 lb dumbells but I had to go down in weight because I raised the height. Swiss ball crunch I'm using 1 20 lb dumbell with arms raised. I tried it with a 45 lb weight plate on my chest, but it was too easy.

And I'm doing 3 sets of 8 reps (ending stage 1 of NROL4W)

drewbransmama

I'm 5'2, 109 pounds.
I deadlift 3x5 at 135 pounds, squat 3x5 at 105 pounds, and bench press 3x5 at 95 pounds.
I have a weakness with strict press....but for now it's 3X5 at about 55 pounds.
Thanks for posting this....I love seeing what other women lift. There are some IMPRESSIVE bench press numbers in here!

jadedone

I am a newbie to lifting. Usually do 3 sets of 10-12

10-12 lb weights with shoulder presses
110 lbs for seated row
110 lbs for lat pull downs
110 lbs for leg press
60 lbs for dead lifts
15 lbs for bicep curls
45 lbs for chest press

Just started with a trainer for 1X a week, so we'll see how all of this increases.

lisa28115

I use anywhere between 5-15 depending on the exercise. I follow CLX.

I am not familar with the CLX program...
What is that???

herownkindofwonderfull

I'm just new working with NRWFW, at the moment I am doing:

25 lb weights with shoulder presses
20 lb weights with lounges
30 lb weights for the step-ups
130 lbs for seated row
10 lbs for crunches
25 lbs on each side (50 total) for squats
75 lbs for lat pull downs

Thats just what I can remember from my head, but i'm only doing 8 reps and 3 sets at the moment.

dang girl! awesome. i need to work up to that point! i'm at 60 on my lats, and 60 on my seated row... lol 130 is insane! but awesome!

hoosier_red

I'm in week 2 of NRWFW and this is my current workout:

15 lb weights with shoulder presses
Body weight with lunges (but I'm also 150 pounds overweight, so that's a lot of body weight)
20 lb weights for the step-ups
75 lbs for seated row
BW for crunches
BW for squats
70 lbs for lat pull downs
25 lbs for deadlift

And I'm doing 2 sets of 12 reps right now.

splucy

I do squats with 9kg dumbells in each hand (total 18kg weight ~36lbs). I try to do as heavy weights as I can and do reps until I feel a burn! haha

Abductor - 50kg (~100lbs)
Leg Press - 80kg (~160lbs)
Rotary Calf - 40kg (~80lbs)
Abdominal Crunch - 25kg (~50lbs)

I'm not so great with my arm work outs! I have a lot more strength in my legs! I do bench presses with 20kg (~40lbs)

then I load myself up with a protein shake after my work out. I think I am on the right track for building muscle!

splucy

single bicep curls for me around 7kg (~14lbs)
single dumbell side dips I use 20kg (~40lbs)

Seryce

I don't really know my values in pounds... and I have a friend who is my personal trainer to help spot me and motivate me, but this is what I've been achieving lately (fairly new to weights!):

Bench press: 40kg
Unilateral bench press: 20kg each arm (so equal to bilateral bench bress)
Dead lift: 60kg
Weighted bar squat: 70kg
Lat pull down: 45kg

And the record I am the most proud of...
Leg press: 200kg for a full 5 reps!!! Yay!

My personal trainer's usual method is to start with a warm-up weight (about half of your heavy set) for 8-10 reps, then move to the heavy set. When you first start on the heavy set you should aim for a minimum of 4 reps but 6 is more ideal. Then you keep increasing the reps until you can do 15. Once you can do 15 with good form, you can move up in weight. For example, I recently achieved 15 reps of the 40kg bench press, so it's time for me to move up!

So much more work to do!!!

Lyadeia

Just out of curiosity when you say you lift heavy how much do you lift??

Such as squats, cable fly, leg press ect......


I like to think that I'm doing good as far as the gains in the weight that I lift but maybe I was a weakling to start with and now I'm just average. :laugh:

When I lift heavy, I aim for 5-6 reps per set. If I can lift that 7th rep, I need more weight. If I can only do 4, then it's too heavy. That said, here's a list of some of my 1 rep maxes...

Squat: 175
Deadlift: 150
Barbell Bent Over Row: 80
Bench Press: 100 (still working on this...my chest is so much weaker than I would like it to be!)
Standing Calf Raise: 290 (my calves are beasts, lol)

Not sure about 1 RM for leg press...last time I did it, though, I was pressing 420 pounds...but I was not going "heavy" I was actually doing 12 rep sets for endurance...

Anywho, when I started out I was only doing the bar for squats and deads (45 pounds) and a 30 pound pre-loaded bar for rows. I was benching with dumbbells and using 20's in each hand. And my standing calf raise started out at 70 pounds. That was back in September of last year.

I do 2 days of heavy lifting (5-6 rep sets) and 2 days of moderately heavy lifting (8-10 rep sets) per week. One heavy and one moderately heavy for each upper and lower body.

Lyadeia

I use anywhere between 5-15 depending on the exercise. I follow CLX.

I am not familar with the CLX program...
What is that???

CLX = ChaLEAN Extreme program from Beachbody. You use dumbbells and follow along with DVDs.

Flixie00

Been strength training for 6 weeks and tend to lift more when with my PT, but when alone as follows:

incline bar press 4 sets of 20 12.5kg
French press 4 sets of 20 start at 3kg and end on 2kg
kneeling lateral cable pulldown 4 sets of 20 6kg
biceps 21s 3 x 7+7+7 10kg
reverse fly cable 3 sets of 20 1.5kg
assisted squats 4 sets of 20 20kg + bar
single lunges one leg supported 4 sets 20
bosu squats 3 sets 15
leg curls 3 sets 20 5kg

PT likes to work to failure.

On top of this we work abs for 15 mins.

emylianasmommy

just switch up and now instead of more reps light weights im gonna do less reps and the heaviest i can do!
(4 sets from 8-10reps) reps

smith machine sqauts 70lbs
inner/outter thigh machine 60 lbs
leg press incline 90 lbs
leg extention 50 lbs
leg curls 60 lbs
calf raise 60lbs

tabinmaine

as someone asked earlier, I don't use the smith machine.... I squat inside of a squat cage.... do my push press inside of it too