What is 'Good' lifting progress?
Kestrelwings
Posts: 238 Member
I know this is a dumb question and that everyone is different, but how much/fast should your lifts be increasing? What is 'normal' progress?
I ask because I am a relative newbie (on week 11 of a 12-week programme, where the aim is one increment of weight each week) and seem to be constantly struggling to meet the target lift each week, and only managing it by seriously compromising my form. I lift 5-7x per week, average 45 mins per session (2 sessions are really just technique work not actual lifting per se)
Some things have gone OK, e.g. deadlift from 25kg to 65kg (1RM with hideous form 72.5kg), and I can now barbell curl 25kg
However most things have gone badly, e.g. box squats have stalled yet again at 42.5kg, but the original calculation would have put me at 55kg by now.
I can't help but feel I am 'failing' overall. :sad:
What would 'normal' progress be for a woman after 11 weeks of lifting?
I ask because I am a relative newbie (on week 11 of a 12-week programme, where the aim is one increment of weight each week) and seem to be constantly struggling to meet the target lift each week, and only managing it by seriously compromising my form. I lift 5-7x per week, average 45 mins per session (2 sessions are really just technique work not actual lifting per se)
Some things have gone OK, e.g. deadlift from 25kg to 65kg (1RM with hideous form 72.5kg), and I can now barbell curl 25kg
However most things have gone badly, e.g. box squats have stalled yet again at 42.5kg, but the original calculation would have put me at 55kg by now.
I can't help but feel I am 'failing' overall. :sad:
What would 'normal' progress be for a woman after 11 weeks of lifting?
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Replies
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Honestly, you're lifting way too often to make progress. 5-7x a week?? No good program will ever suggest you do that. Other programs will, like Jamie Eason's Live Fit does... very frowned upon and just thrown together without thought or care as to why you do what you do.0
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My prog is:
Back
Shoulders & arms
Legs
Chest
Glutes & hamstrings
The other two days I just 'fiddle around' with things as I call it, & do cardio
I hate not being at the gym, how sad is that! I also have a very insistent voice at the back of my head that tells me that if I find something hard I need to knuckle down and try harder and again until I can do it.0 -
What are your goals? It sounds like your goal may be strength, but you're not programming for strength as others have pointed out.0
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Strength is my goal. What do I need to change with my programme? Any advice very welcome. :flowerforyou:0
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It looks like you're currently running a bodybuilding/hypertrophy style program. For strength typically you'd want to use a powerlifting style program. Something like starting strength/strong lifts (women's group here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women ) These focus on progressively loaded full body compound lifts 3x Week. 531 also can be good for beginners, and you can have 4 lifting sessions a week, but it adds weight fairly slowly compared to the other programs.
I'd also like to add that lifting 5-7 times a week isn't necessarily bad, but it is definitely reserved for more advanced individuals.0 -
You might want to change your body split if you are lifting every day. You will use your biceps during back day, so the following day you should be resting your arms, not working them.
I like the following:
Day 1-Upper pushing (chest, triceps, front and top of shoulders)
Day 2-Upper Pulling (back, biceps, back of shoulders)
Day 3-Lower Body (low back, legs, gluts)
Day 1
Day 2
(Day 3- Saturday- so only do occasionally and legs are done daily with cardio, so missing the second day of low body is not as much of an issue for me. As a woman, my lower body develops much faster than my upper body).
Abs can be done a little each day.
When doing cardio, I prefer to lift first and do cardio last.
Take a shower right after you work out and eat something healthy.
This will give you two days to recover the muscles worked.
You could also try fewer reps in order to increase the weights.
However, the longer you lift, the slower progress you will make as far as increasing the weight you can lift.
This is to be expected.
Try not to spend more than an hour total for your workout. I used to do an hour of lifting and an hour of cardio, but it stresses your body and prevents growth.
Also, a HUGE part of making progress is the food you eat and the rest you get. Make sure you are eating enough proteins and other vital nutrients your body needs to recover and stay healthy. Make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
Give yourself at least one day of rest. If you want to go to the gym, just volunteer to wipe machines or something.
p.s. When I did this consistently, I weighed 115 pounds with at least 90 pounds of lean body mass at 5 feet 1 inch tall. Now, after many years of eating poorly and two pregnancies, and not working out for years at a time, I have gained almost 80 pounds.
I do hope by doing what works for me, I will be able to get back to at least 125 pounds with about 100 pounds of lean. Right now I am more than 100 pounds of lean body mass, but 86 pounds of fat...
Good luck!0 -
Lots of great advice there, thanks. I agree I must be doing too much, it just seems so counterintuitive to do less in order to get better progress!
I am meeting PT for an overhaul of programme, nutrition, and scheduling later this week so will see what he feels is going to work best for ,e. Hopefully also get BF% etc done so will know if I have at least managed a recomp or something.
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You're going to have to do some research on how resting is one of the most important things for building muscle. Proper recovery is extremely important and you're not really doing that.0
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Can you point me in the direction of any good articles/research? I would love to learn more.0
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Can you point me in the direction of any good articles/research? I would love to learn more.
http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/fund.htm
You should start thinking about your programming more and how hard you are working in each workout to maximize your goals. If you are going to the gym every day and lolly gagging around, you are not working hard. If you are going to the gym every day and giving your best, you should be incredibly sore and unable to perform with good form/technique if you returned the next day. You should be performing your hardest and then allowing your body to recover.
Lifting weights is the tearing of your muscles... breaking them down. We use recovery and feeding our body properly to build back the muscle plus some. This is the process of toning up and building muscle in general. Recovery is VERY important.0
