How do I lift heavy!??! Help please!!

Kmenczynski88

This is a 115 lb, 21 year old girl, who is new to this. Body weight and 15's may be heavy for her. My guess is that push ups would be hard for her and a pull up just would not happen. We aren't all bad *kitten* like you!

How interesting that you interpreted my remark as critical of her physical capabilities.

I didn't think you were being critical of her abilities. I think you don't have any idea of what her abilities are and were being critical depite your lack of information.

I dont. Yes, "heavy" is relative, so body weight might be "heavy" for her. However, the thread is about lifting heavy. I don't know anyone who considers a rep range 15-20 heavy, as you're not going to have much strength gain.

If you're purely interested in "Lifting Heavy" then choose a beginner strength/hypertrophy program. SS, Stronglifts, Wendler 5/3/1 etc. google them.

LorinaLynn

This is a 115 lb, 21 year old gir, who is new to this. Body weight and 15's may be heavy for her. My guess is that push ups would be hard for her and a pull up just would not happen. We aren't all bad *kitten* like you!

As a rather wimpy, non-athletic, 102 pound 20 year old girl, I was bench pressing more than 50 pounds in a college phys ed class. We don't know what we're capable of until we push ourselves. Too bad I didn't keep with it and let myself become even more wimpy. :grumble:

I Stronglifts, but one of the books (New Rules, Starting Strength) would be good to understand the basics.

I bought an inexpensive $100 bench and barbell set from Sears that came with about 80 pounds of weights, and added more plates as I needed them. If I weren't so impatient, I would have scoured flea markets, yard sales, thrift shops and Craigslist or the newspaper classifieds for used equipment instead.

bearkisses

This is a 115 lb, 21 year old gir, who is new to this. Body weight and 15's may be heavy for her. My guess is that push ups would be hard for her and a pull up just would not happen. We aren't all bad *kitten* like you!

As a rather wimpy, non-athletic, 102 pound 20 year old girl, I was bench pressing more than 50 pounds in a college phys ed class. We don't know what we're capable of until we push ourselves. Too bad I didn't keep with it and let myself become even more wimpy. :grumble:

I Stronglifts, but one of the books (New Rules, Starting Strength) would be good to understand the basics.

I bought an inexpensive $100 bench and barbell set from Sears that came with about 80 pounds of weights, and added more plates as I needed them. If I weren't so impatient, I would have scoured flea markets, yard sales, thrift shops and Craigslist or the newspaper classifieds for used equipment instead.

It is all relative. My bootcamp instructor put out 20 lb weights for us to do squats and overhead presses with, i felt like my arms were going to break off doing the overhead press, i used all my might but I am just not strong enough yet. I also have a hard time doing push ups, I can do like 5 modified and all the blood rushes to my face and i make terrible grunting sounds! so I am glad that some of the people on here understand that.

RunDoozer

Shop Craigs list you can get a lot of equipment for cheap especially after the holidays

LorinaLynn

It is all relative. My bootcamp instructor put out 20 lb weights for us to do squats and overhead presses with, i felt like my arms were going to break off doing the overhead press, i used all my might but I am just not strong enough yet. I also have a hard time doing push ups, I can do like 5 modified and all the blood rushes to my face and i make terrible grunting sounds! so I am glad that some of the people on here understand that.

Everyone on here understands that people are at different levels.

I had a hard time doing 30 pounds on overhead press when I first got my weights, and when I went from 30 to 35, I felt like my arms were going to fall off. BUT... I continued to add more weight and I'm now doing 70 pounds for OHP. That's the point many of us are getting at... you're going to get stronger and you're going to want to be able to challenge yourself. Why buy a set of dumbbells if you're going to outgrow them in a few week?

I've never done a bootcamp class, but from what I can gather, they're high reps... more cardio/endurance. Everyone is going to need lighter weights under those conditions. But since she's specifically asked how to lift heavy, that's the advice I'm going to give.

beachlover317

I am 54 years old, still overweight, and have never picked up anything in my life that I didn't have to. I started lifting with a 15 pound barbell in mid October. Seriously that was all I could do. I have been adding weight since that day. Maybe not as fast as some, maybe more than others. I am getting strong and something that I told myself I couldn't do has changed my idea about saying "I can't."

This week, I did a 70 pound dead lift and upped my squats to 65 pounds. I am only just beginning. I am strong. If I can do it - anybody can. Some people have to start at the very beginning - but never say never! :drinker:

SueSlick

bump...wanna read those links later

waldo56

OP - you asked about lifting heavy. You have only taken the advice given by those at the start of their 'journey'. You have ignored the advice provided by people who have visible and tangible results after years of effort. I'm curious about the obvious reasons that you dislike the forums, because threads like this are the reasons that *I* dislike the forums.

So, people who have been around a while maybe don't put as much effort into putting a flourish on their advice. There are a million threads like this one and it gets super disheartening to put effort in and try to share knowledge and get ignored in favor of someone who says the way to lift heavy is body weight and 15 pound dumbbells.

I'm sure this observation will reinforce your distaste for the forums, but someone really needed to bring to your attention what you've done here, and how that contributes to the 'mood' in the forums.

There are some of us who have great visible and tangible results with bodyweight and 15 lb dumbbells. Just because YOU don't know how to deleverage exercises such that the resistance remains high as you progress doesn't mean that it isn't possible.

Granted this isn't the sort of bodyweight exercise people that give advice are usually referring to, but a lot of standard plate lifters do not acknowledge that it is even possible, when it very much is possible.

Have a look at the website: "You are your own gym" and I fully recommend a training manual called "Convict Conditioning". For me personally I find bodyweight more fun and it doesn't have to be too easy - plenty of ways to keep progressing and with a small financial outlay.

Convict conditioning is terrible. Some of the progressions flat out don't work, and he takes an overly dogmatic approach. People who read CC often have to be deprogrammed to move beyond the beginner-intermediate stage because it gives such a bad frame of reference.

For books Overcoming Gravity and Building the Gymnast body are much better. Really though there are a lot of great resources on the web and on youtube.

amy1612

Hello
here is a different solution to your problem, often lifting heavy weight can hurt some people especially if they arn't cut out to be a lifter, so why not try this;

What is that supposed to mean? Its like the most nonsensical thing I've heard...

Do you mean you may hurt yourself if you are unaware how to lift with correct form? Or that some people just shouldn't lift?

There is some great advice here.....bodyweight exercises such as pushups, pullups, air squats, etc are a good place to start whilst saving. Build up a strong base with these. Things like starting strength, 5x5 stronglifts, New rules, etc are all good programmes to start with. I started heavy lifting in May last year doing stronglifts. Last week I deadlifted 104kg Heavy lifting is great for strength and looking and feeling better, IMO.

BurtHuttz

There are some of us who have great visible and tangible results with bodyweight and 15 lb dumbbells. Just because YOU don't know how to deleverage exercises such that the resistance remains high as you progress doesn't mean that it isn't possible.

Granted this isn't the sort of bodyweight exercise people that give advice are usually referring to, but a lot of standard plate lifters do not acknowledge that it is even possible, when it very much is possible.

And there are apparently some of us who don't know what the term "lift heavy" means. *round of applause for YOU*

PrincessGlitterTush

I'm loving this

waldo56

There are some of us who have great visible and tangible results with bodyweight and 15 lb dumbbells. Just because YOU don't know how to deleverage exercises such that the resistance remains high as you progress doesn't mean that it isn't possible.

Granted this isn't the sort of bodyweight exercise people that give advice are usually referring to, but a lot of standard plate lifters do not acknowledge that it is even possible, when it very much is possible.

And there are apparently some of us who don't know what the term "lift heavy" means. *round of applause for YOU*

Like I said, leverages. I can keep myself in the 1-5 rep range without issue with just my BW and DB's, and do a lot of 1RM work, and know that I'm physically incapable of running out of low rep resistance (with my frame my musles will get too big to ever get to a super high strength:wt ratio, that is why all world class gymnasts have tiny frames; I will never be able to do the exercises that require a super high strength:wt ratio).

An exercise alwyas exists such that bodyweight and a small amount of resistance will remain heavy on to practical infinity.

letjog

You're dieting to get your body weight down to a BMI of 18 and trying to tell us that's your body's natural weight? I don't think so.

Be prepared to gain weight on the scales if you start a proper strength routine. This might upset you.

You also might find the extra muscle on your apparently small 5'6" frame means you don't feel you need an underweight body fat % to think you look "normal".

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

My 2 cents worth is, for females toning, I'd say max weight that you can still do 15 to 20 reps.

If you can do more than 20 reps, it's too light.

If you can't do at least 12 to 15, then it's too heavy.

It depends on your goals. For strength, 1-7 reps is usually ideal. For mass, 8-12 reps is usually ideal. For muscle endurance, more than 12 reps is usually ideal. I've experienced the best results by having some days where I focus on high weight/low rep (1-7 rep range) and having some days where I focus more on the 8-12 range (I do more of these days).

In general, 1-7 rep range builds more myofibrillar hypertrophy (strength, training your muscles to lift the weight) and 8-12 builds more sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (mass). If you can do more than 15 reps at a weight, it's probably not heavy enough to build mass.

waldo56

My 2 cents worth is, for females toning, I'd say max weight that you can still do 15 to 20 reps.

If you can do more than 20 reps, it's too light.

If you can't do at least 12 to 15, then it's too heavy.

It depends on your goals. For strength, 1-7 reps is usually ideal. For mass, 8-12 reps is usually ideal. For muscle endurance, more than 12 reps is usually ideal. I've experienced the best results by having some days where I focus on high weight/low rep (1-7 rep range) and having some days where I focus more on the 8-12 range (I do more of these days).

In general, 1-7 rep range builds more myofibrillar hypertrophy (strength, training your muscles to lift the weight) and 8-12 builds more sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (mass). If you can do more than 15 reps at a weight, it's probably not heavy enough to build mass.

All rep ranges build mass in the presence of a calorie surplus, on up to the aerobic threshold.

This is very much a *****en-egg thing. Research into mass building is based on observing how people build mass, relying on the wisdom of crowds. 8-12 reps or whatever for hypertrophy is the range that works because it is the suggested range (a little above and beyond that it works because it is the sweet spot for huge tonnage (mass*volume), that rep range works because you can handle a high set volume in a single session, much lower or higher and your single session tonnage will suffer).

Eat a calorie suplus and work hard, work in many rep areas. Don't worry, your muscles will get bigger just fine. The worst thing you could do is to limit yourself to a specific rep range.

Edit - Why on earth are our feathered friends that provide eggs considered a naughty word?