can't lift heavy to save my life! literally

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  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    YOU are doing Great!!!

    Every single person is different. Lifting heavy is a relative term. Heavy is what is heavy for YOU. every person's heavy is different.
    If you are challenging yourself and lifting heavy , with good form, for YOU. ...... You are totally on track!

    Congrats on your progress!

    I'd highly recommend circuit style full body lifting routine ... Is more efficient for leaning up. I've lost my fat/weight and even more important, inches and sizes with primarily strength training.

    Keep on rockin it out !
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
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    OP I thought I was a badass squatting 120 lbs. Until I saw this tiny little girl next to me squat 145 and barely break a sweat!
    Even when you get to higher weights..there someone out there lifting more. I use this to motivate me to progress! You will get there if you keep it up. I promise!
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    Everyone has already said this: you are doing awesome!

    You start where you start and just keep going up!

    Remember: we are all awesome. At the same time.
  • JannaJ02
    JannaJ02 Posts: 35 Member
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    Nope, you're doing great!! I started lifting back in October, and I lift 3-4 times a week, and my squat to overhead press is still at around 40-50lbs. But given that I couldn't even squat when I started, and that a 20lb barbell was a struggle for me at first, I'm considering my current weight as progress! If the weight you're using is heavy for you and you're doing it with good form, it doesn't matter what other people can lift or what they consider heavy. Sounds like you're doing a great job!
  • SpecialSundae
    SpecialSundae Posts: 795 Member
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    OP: you are doing great. Lifting heavy is all relative as other people have said.

    The only thing I'd query is how you're calculating your body fat to come out with 30%. At your height, most calculators suggest that the maximum lean body mass someone could be carrying is around 160-170lb with training and the calculations based on men rather than women. Your calculation has your LBM at 210lb, which is only really achievable with an awful lot of training plus steroid use or another 6" of height.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
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    Looks like you're doing really well! I started lifting without using machines a few months ago, and I can't curl 30lbs. Good job!
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    hi all, i am a female at 5'11 and 300 pounds down from 350. i have recently started a 'heavy' weight lifting routine which isnt really heavy atm because i am so unfit at this weight i can barely lift anything, and also i only have adjustable to 100 pound dumbbells as i do my workout at home because i'm simply too embarrassed to go lift weights at the gym (promised myself i would go when i get to 250 pounds).

    my question is this - i am so unfit because of my weight that i find that i can't lift heavy at all. for example, i can only lift about 40 pounds on a squat and deadlift 80 without collapsing on the floor, when some tiny girls can lift my weight and more! ive heard at my size i should be able to lift HEAVY! or would this be the case if i was 300 pounds of pure muscle rather than fat? although i don't have a MASSIVE amount of fat to say i'm a 300 pound obese girl (around 30% bf).

    so yeah...please let me know if you think i should be capable of lifting really heavy or if what i am doing will be good enough to get me results for the time being. i will give a few examples of what i can manage to do, using 8 reps and 3 sets. (all using dumb bells rather than bar bells)

    squats (i am also rubbish at the actual squat form...find it sooo hard to keep my back straight when i get up) - 40 pounds started at 20
    dead lifts - 80 pounds started at 40
    bicep curls - 30 pounds started at 15
    tricep extensions - 40pounds started at 20
    bent over rows - 30 pounds started at 20
    bench press - 40 pounds started at 25
    shoulder press - 30 pounds started at 15
    hip thrusts - 80 pounds started at 40

    this is the usual full body workout i do twice a week, along with a tiny bit of ab work and some cardio. do you think this is good enough? although i have progressed in weights over a few months, i really feel that i am stuck here (have been for weeks) and incapable of lifting anymore than that at my current fitness (or nonfitness level) lol. am i wasting my time even lifting if this is all i can do, so should i wait until i get a bit smaller and fitter or just carry on with this routine?

    any advice on my actual routine would be good too

    i am also confused about dumb bells. when we talk about how much we lift, we do mean the combined weight of the 2 rather than one on its own right? i hope so otherwise my lifting is even worse than i thought :s lmao.

    sorry about the extremely long post. i'm just sooo confused!

    ps don't be afraid to criticise...i promise i can take it :) lol

    You have designed your own program. Bad idea. Use a program designed by someone else and follow it. Starting Strength and Stronglifts 5x5 are often recommended here, for good reason. Once you get your training and nutrition right, you will make good gains.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    OP: you are doing great. Lifting heavy is all relative as other people have said.

    The only thing I'd query is how you're calculating your body fat to come out with 30%. At your height, most calculators suggest that the maximum lean body mass someone could be carrying is around 160-170lb with training and the calculations based on men rather than women. Your calculation has your LBM at 210lb, which is only really achievable with an awful lot of training plus steroid use or another 6" of height.
    I was wondering this as well. I'm 5'8" 114lbs and around 15-16% body fat. I would kill to trade with OP and be 300lbs with 30% body fat. Fat loss is easy, building muscle is a long and time consuming process. If she already has 210lbs of lean tissue I'm extremely jelous and 'mirin gains.
  • nykdem
    nykdem Posts: 119 Member
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    As a newbie lifter I am by no means an expert but I will tell you this:

    If it wasn't for my layer of fat I would be a 7 stone weak weakling. I decided to try lifting to help lose the fat, change my body composition and get stronger. I didn't have any equipment at home so I had to go to the gym and I felt like a right sissy trying to just lift an empty barbell. That 20kg/44lb felt like a ton to me and I really struggled but I kept with it and I zoned out so I didn't worry whether the other guys at the gym were looking at me or even s******ing. I studied hundreds of videos on YouTube to get my form right on the main compound lifts (squat, deadlift, barbell row, bench press, overhead press) and I continue to study videos to make sure I'm still keeping my form.

    I'm now heading into week 8 of Stronglifts 5x5 and I've only stalled once on the overhead press. It's still early days and I'm not as strong yet as i want to be but I am definitely stronger each time I lift. So when people tell you that 'heavy' is relative to you, it's true. I've gone from struggling to even lift a 20kg empty barbell to being able to deadlift my own body weight (86kg) in less than 2 months.

    So, stick with it. Progress at your own pace and never worry about stalling on a weight because next time you attempt it you'll be even stronger and you WILL conquer it. Good luck.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
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    hi all, i am a female at 5'11 and 300 pounds down from 350. i have recently started a 'heavy' weight lifting routine which isnt really heavy atm because i am so unfit at this weight i can barely lift anything, and also i only have adjustable to 100 pound dumbbells as i do my workout at home because i'm simply too embarrassed to go lift weights at the gym (promised myself i would go when i get to 250 pounds).

    my question is this - i am so unfit because of my weight that i find that i can't lift heavy at all. for example, i can only lift about 40 pounds on a squat and deadlift 80 without collapsing on the floor, when some tiny girls can lift my weight and more! ive heard at my size i should be able to lift HEAVY! or would this be the case if i was 300 pounds of pure muscle rather than fat? although i don't have a MASSIVE amount of fat to say i'm a 300 pound obese girl (around 30% bf).

    so yeah...please let me know if you think i should be capable of lifting really heavy or if what i am doing will be good enough to get me results for the time being. i will give a few examples of what i can manage to do, using 8 reps and 3 sets. (all using dumb bells rather than bar bells)

    squats (i am also rubbish at the actual squat form...find it sooo hard to keep my back straight when i get up) - 40 pounds started at 20
    dead lifts - 80 pounds started at 40
    bicep curls - 30 pounds started at 15
    tricep extensions - 40pounds started at 20
    bent over rows - 30 pounds started at 20
    bench press - 40 pounds started at 25
    shoulder press - 30 pounds started at 15
    hip thrusts - 80 pounds started at 40

    this is the usual full body workout i do twice a week, along with a tiny bit of ab work and some cardio. do you think this is good enough? although i have progressed in weights over a few months, i really feel that i am stuck here (have been for weeks) and incapable of lifting anymore than that at my current fitness (or nonfitness level) lol. am i wasting my time even lifting if this is all i can do, so should i wait until i get a bit smaller and fitter or just carry on with this routine?

    any advice on my actual routine would be good too

    i am also confused about dumb bells. when we talk about how much we lift, we do mean the combined weight of the 2 rather than one on its own right? i hope so otherwise my lifting is even worse than i thought :s lmao.

    sorry about the extremely long post. i'm just sooo confused!

    ps don't be afraid to criticise...i promise i can take it :) lol

    Hi OP,

    It all sounds pretty great to me. I think someone else mentioned it, but your routine isn't bad. I'd ditch the bicep curls and tricep extensions, and split that routine up into two different days. Look at the Stronglifts 5 x 5 program. It's all online and all at no cost to you. There's an app as well to keep track of your lifts.

    Like everyone else has said, lifting heavy means lifting weight that is heavy enough FOR YOU to do only 5 reps per set, per exercise. If you dropped from 8 reps to 5, you could probably lift slightly more...just a thought.

    Your body fat calculation sounds off to me, too. Getting accurate BF readings isn't really an easy thing, especially when one is significantly overweight. I'd look into how you could get a more accurate BF reading, either from someone who is particularly skilled with the calipers, a "bod pod" session, hydrostatic weighing, or a DEXA scan (that's the most accurate, but is costly and can be difficult to just have one done, depending upon where you live).

    I started lifting weights around 210 lbs, and going by that, I should have been pretty strong too, at least stronger than I am now at 177, right? Well, I'm a fair bit stronger now than I was then. Generally speaking, it doesn't really work that way when the reason you weigh that much is down to being obese and having a bunch of excess fat to deal with.

    Keep lifting and getting stronger! Look into stronglifts or another beginner's program based on the compound lifts. You're doing great! :drinker:
  • AudreyinNC
    AudreyinNC Posts: 59
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    Like you I started out at home, I refused to go to a gym. But I have a friend who's been going and talked me into going with her, which I did, and now we go 3 times a week. She's been lifting a lot longer than me, so on most things she can 10-30 lbs heavier than me depending on which machine. Your weights seem normal to me for a beginner. I cut back (not cut out) on my cardio and started weight training about 3 months ago. My shoulder press is at 30 lbs for 3 sets of 15.
    Squats is at 70 for 3 sets of 15, and sometimes I have to stop half way through and rest to finish them. Leg press is at 75 lbs, and same thing there.
    My triceps are my weakest muscle, I'm at like 25 lbs there. Inner thighs are also weak, I'm at 30 there.
    My current weight is 153, I stopped focusing on my weight and started focusing on my body.
    So, does that make you feel better?
    Go to the gym, nobody cares what your lifting honestly. They all started out somewhere. When I see beginners I'm just glad to
    see them in there trying, as is everyone else. You will not be the only one, You'll get used to seeing the same faces all the time, and they will get used to you and you may even make some friends in the process that will motivate you further.
  • chantey16
    chantey16 Posts: 27 Member
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    hey guys, thank you all so much for all the support and advice! i feel so much better now...if i hadn't of had these comments, i know i would have gave up and waited until i was smaller to weight lifted and ended up a big ball of fat :( lool. so everytime i doubt myself now i've got something to look at to keep pushing myself :)

    onwards and upwards with the lovely slow progress i guess -_- lmao.

    and for those asking about my bf %...that % was definitely not accurate - i only used a few sites where you put your measurements and weight in. but i get such small readings because i have a VERY strange body - at 300 pounds my waist is only 33 inches (massive i know but i think thats small for my weight).... all my weight is literally proportioned on my 50 inch bum and hips -_- yes i am abnormal lmao. but i know that % is probably nowhere near accurate.

    thanks again guys!

    x
  • thecakelocker
    thecakelocker Posts: 407 Member
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    I couldn't do a single bodyweight squat at 274 without falling over. Seriously. Just keep on working and maintaining that muscle, as more fat comes off your squats will skyrocket! :smile:
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    I couldn't do a single bodyweight squat at 274 without falling over. Seriously. Just keep on working and maintaining that muscle, as more fat comes off your squats will skyrocket! :smile:

    This.

    My little butt + the 225lbs I squat only amounts to 339lbs. OP squatting with two 20lb DB's takes around the same amount of strength.

    Also, obese newbie gains are best newbie gains. You'll still be able to gain a fair bit of muscle while eating at a deficit because you have excess energy stored on your body. By the time you lose weight you'll already have a nice, muscular body.

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