Adding Weight

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SeeBerSmile
SeeBerSmile Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My lifting goal is 130. The problem is, I have problems lifting so much as 30-50 pounds. What is a realistic plan for beginners to help me get to 130 from 30? I don't have a time limit set. I just hope to be able to do so within the next two years. (And surely it and more can be accomplished by then!) I am looking to be able to do as much in a dead lift. Thanks in advance!

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  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
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    Do you only care about deadlifts?

    I would find a training program based around compound lifts, the most popular around here being starting strength\stronglifts 5x5 and follow the training sessions and the progression set out.

    With structured training sessions and adding a small amount of weight to the bar each session, you'll not notice much change, but when you look back over a long time period, you'll realise how much you have increased the weight on the bar, and gotten stronger.

    If you're really cool, you'll decide that to show off your strength, you'll take up the sport of weightlifting!*


    *OK, so I made that last bit up, as a shameless plug for the sport, but if you enjoy getting stronger, I wouldn't discount it.
  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
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    Can you provide some more information about yourself? It might help us to know your age/size, lifting experience (how long have you been lifting, how often/when do you lift, etc.), and what your nutrition is like (total calorie budget, macro percentages amongst protein/carbs/fats).

    If you've not been lifting long, then first of all, 30-50 lbs. is damn good. And you'll hit 130 within a year. If you've been lifting for awhile (a year or so), then I would evaluate what you are doing program-wise, and nutrition-wise (which may require increasing your calories a bit).
  • SeeBerSmile
    SeeBerSmile Posts: 16 Member
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    Do you only care about deadlifts?

    I would find a training program based around compound lifts, the most popular around here being starting strength\stronglifts 5x5 and follow the training sessions and the progression set out.

    With structured training sessions and adding a small amount of weight to the bar each session, you'll not notice much change, but when you look back over a long time period, you'll realise how much you have increased the weight on the bar, and gotten stronger.

    If you're really cool, you'll decide that to show off your strength, you'll take up the sport of weightlifting!*


    *OK, so I made that last bit up, as a shameless plug for the sport, but if you enjoy getting stronger, I wouldn't discount it.

    I do not only care about deadlifts. I would love to be able to lift so much in general. I picked deadlifts as an example due to needing to lift heavy items around a farm, etc. I LOL'd at the last part. (: I won't be entering professional competitions, etc. but it'd sure rock to show off to my husband's friends that this girl knows how to hang!
  • SeeBerSmile
    SeeBerSmile Posts: 16 Member
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    Can you provide some more information about yourself? It might help us to know your age/size, lifting experience (how long have you been lifting, how often/when do you lift, etc.), and what your nutrition is like (total calorie budget, macro percentages amongst protein/carbs/fats).

    If you've not been lifting long, then first of all, 30-50 lbs. is damn good. And you'll hit 130 within a year. If you've been lifting for awhile (a year or so), then I would evaluate what you are doing program-wise, and nutrition-wise (which may require increasing your calories a bit).

    I am 22, 5'4, and 125. I don't have a steady plan. I just lift when I feel the desire, and only seem to do so once every other week or so. I'm lousy at sticking to my workouts lately. For a while, I was doing so every other day for three months, but I have gone half a year+ since working out like that. I work around dogs daily, so that is the only lifting I am getting these days. My diet is horrendous at the moment, but I try to get about 1,500-2,000 calories on a good day - days that I put in effort to make food. Otherwise, I'm getting about 1,000 calories. So, if I go back to my old lifting routine, just start stacking on more weights every week or two until I hit my goal?
  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
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    I think it'd be important to come up with some routine, and possibly utilize a journal or log to keep track of your weights/reps for your exercises (at least the compound ones such as Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, and Overhead Press). There are many starter programs out there. Popular ones like New Rules for Lifting for Women, Starting Strength, etc. There are some free ones on various sites as well.

    Here's an example of something you might see (I put in specific weights as a guess to where you're at):

    WEEK 1

    Day 1
    Overall Warm-Up
    Deadlift: 5x10, 5x20, 3x20, 1x30, 1x30, 1x30
    Bench Press: 5x10, 5x10, 3x20, 1x30, 1x30, 1x30
    Leg Curl Machine (4 sets)
    Lat Pulldown (4 sets)
    Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (4 sets)

    Day 3
    Overall Warm-Up
    Back Squat: 5x10, 5x20, 3x20, 1x30, 1x30, 1x30
    Overhead Press: 5x10, 5x10, 3x15, 1x20, 1x20, 1x20
    Leg Extension Machine (4 sets)
    Dumbbell Lunges (4 sets)
    Front/Lateral Dumbbell Raises (4 sets)

    Day 5
    Overall Warm-Up
    Deadlift: 5x10, 5x20, 5x20, 2x30, 1x40, 1x50
    Bench Press: 5x10, 5x10, 3x20, 1x30, 1x35, 1x35
    Assisted Pull-Up or Inverted Pull-Ups (4 sets)
    Dips (4 sets)
    Push-Ups (4 sets)

    WEEK 2

    Day 1
    Overall Warm-Up
    Back Squat: (same as Day 3 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Overhead Press: (same as Day 3 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Leg Extension Machine (4 sets)
    Dumbbell Lunges (4 sets)
    Front/Lateral Dumbbell Raises (4 sets)

    Day 3
    Overall Warm-Up
    Deadlift: (same as Day 5 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Bench Press: (same as Day 5 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Leg Curl Machine (4 sets)
    Lat Pulldown (4 sets)
    Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (4 sets)

    Day 5
    Overall Warm-Up
    Back Squat: (same as Day 1 this week above, increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set)
    Overhead Press: (same as Day 1 this week above, increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set)
    Bodyweight Jump Squats (4 sets, 5 reps each)
    Your favorite Ab Exercise (4 sets)
    Back Hyperextension or Superman (4 sets)

    REPEAT WEEKS 1 & 2

    Here's a website where you can find more information about these exercises: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

    I hope this is of some help! Definitely check out a more thorough program if you have the chance. And there are some groups here on MFP that are focused on women starting out with weight training, as well. You might find some support there! Good luck!
  • SeeBerSmile
    SeeBerSmile Posts: 16 Member
    Options
    I think it'd be important to come up with some routine, and possibly utilize a journal or log to keep track of your weights/reps for your exercises (at least the compound ones such as Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press, and Overhead Press). There are many starter programs out there. Popular ones like New Rules for Lifting for Women, Starting Strength, etc. There are some free ones on various sites as well.

    Here's an example of something you might see (I put in specific weights as a guess to where you're at):

    WEEK 1

    Day 1
    Overall Warm-Up
    Deadlift: 5x10, 5x20, 3x20, 1x30, 1x30, 1x30
    Bench Press: 5x10, 5x10, 3x20, 1x30, 1x30, 1x30
    Leg Curl Machine (4 sets)
    Lat Pulldown (4 sets)
    Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (4 sets)

    Day 3
    Overall Warm-Up
    Back Squat: 5x10, 5x20, 3x20, 1x30, 1x30, 1x30
    Overhead Press: 5x10, 5x10, 3x15, 1x20, 1x20, 1x20
    Leg Extension Machine (4 sets)
    Dumbbell Lunges (4 sets)
    Front/Lateral Dumbbell Raises (4 sets)

    Day 5
    Overall Warm-Up
    Deadlift: 5x10, 5x20, 5x20, 2x30, 1x40, 1x50
    Bench Press: 5x10, 5x10, 3x20, 1x30, 1x35, 1x35
    Assisted Pull-Up or Inverted Pull-Ups (4 sets)
    Dips (4 sets)
    Push-Ups (4 sets)

    WEEK 2

    Day 1
    Overall Warm-Up
    Back Squat: (same as Day 3 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Overhead Press: (same as Day 3 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Leg Extension Machine (4 sets)
    Dumbbell Lunges (4 sets)
    Front/Lateral Dumbbell Raises (4 sets)

    Day 3
    Overall Warm-Up
    Deadlift: (same as Day 5 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Bench Press: (same as Day 5 above, maybe increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set?)
    Leg Curl Machine (4 sets)
    Lat Pulldown (4 sets)
    Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (4 sets)

    Day 5
    Overall Warm-Up
    Back Squat: (same as Day 1 this week above, increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set)
    Overhead Press: (same as Day 1 this week above, increase the weight by 5 lbs. per set)
    Bodyweight Jump Squats (4 sets, 5 reps each)
    Your favorite Ab Exercise (4 sets)
    Back Hyperextension or Superman (4 sets)

    REPEAT WEEKS 1 & 2

    Here's a website where you can find more information about these exercises: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

    I hope this is of some help! Definitely check out a more thorough program if you have the chance. And there are some groups here on MFP that are focused on women starting out with weight training, as well. You might find some support there! Good luck!

    Thank you so much! This is definitely helpful! (:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    My lifting goal is 130. The problem is, I have problems lifting so much as 30-50 pounds. What is a realistic plan for beginners to help me get to 130 from 30? I don't have a time limit set. I just hope to be able to do so within the next two years. (And surely it and more can be accomplished by then!) I am looking to be able to do as much in a dead lift. Thanks in advance!

    Lifting what? There are 5-6 basic compound lifts and you're going to lift different weights with each. You're going to, for example, squat far more than you bench because everyone's legs are more powerful than their chest.

    I agree that you need to do an actual program...you get pretty much no benefit from just randomly picking up weights and you have no real progression and no way to measure success doing that. I don't know about you, but for me, time is precious and I'm always looking to get the most bang for my fitness buck...do an actual lifting program.

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