Not able to increase weights at gym

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  • sheilamcd329
    sheilamcd329 Posts: 10 Member
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    1400 total? on all days?

    not adding exercise in and the food for that?

    you're NET should be 1400.

    so if you say I am eating 1400. But I worked out- which was 400... that's 1800 you need to eat for the day.


    As I suspected originally: you aren't eating enough. Being tired and not getting anywhere- especially with a program like the one you listed- you just aren't eating enough.


    I know this will sound crazy, but I my metabolism is all messed up. I used to have eating disorders and have taken diet pills for years. It seems like if I eat more, then I just gain weight. That is the last thing I want. If it was weight from muscle that would be fine but I can eat more one day and the next day the scale has jumped! Its so frustrating. I was also told not to eat back exercise calories bc that is defeating the purpose of calorie deficit. I just suck at this. LOL. Im so confused.
  • silverinc13
    silverinc13 Posts: 216 Member
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    Definitely sounds like you need to eat more! That short of a workout shouldn't tire you out like that.
  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
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    I have followed the advice of others on this board and upped my weights by decreasing reps (at first).

    For example, I had been doing 55 lb. lateral pulldown, 3 sets of 12 reps. I wanted to increase to 60, so I did 3 sets of 6 reps. Then you increase your reps until you are back up to 12 again (or whatever it is you had been doing at the lower weight).

    Good luck!
  • sarahstrezo
    sarahstrezo Posts: 568 Member
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    FIrst off…you aren't eating enough. Period. That is why you are feeling so spent after doing bicep curls and tricep kick backs.

    Second off….if you want to get stronger, you need to strength train. Strength training is not the same as just lifting weights. Bicep curls and tricep kick backs aren't strength building exercises. And…the 12 reps you are doing are also not going to make you gain strength.

    You need to eat a lot closer to your TDEE and do a tried and true STRENGTH building program is your goal is, in fact, to get stronger.
  • sarahstrezo
    sarahstrezo Posts: 568 Member
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    1400 total? on all days?

    not adding exercise in and the food for that?

    you're NET should be 1400.

    so if you say I am eating 1400. But I worked out- which was 400... that's 1800 you need to eat for the day.


    As I suspected originally: you aren't eating enough. Being tired and not getting anywhere- especially with a program like the one you listed- you just aren't eating enough.


    I know this will sound crazy, but I my metabolism is all messed up. I used to have eating disorders and have taken diet pills for years. It seems like if I eat more, then I just gain weight. That is the last thing I want. If it was weight from muscle that would be fine but I can eat more one day and the next day the scale has jumped! Its so frustrating. I was also told not to eat back exercise calories bc that is defeating the purpose of calorie deficit. I just suck at this. LOL. Im so confused.

    Your weight (and anyone's weight) can fluctuate day to day quite a bit due to water, food, etc. You shouldn't be weighing yourself every day…especially if you are in recovery from an ED.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    1400 total? on all days?

    not adding exercise in and the food for that?

    you're NET should be 1400.

    so if you say I am eating 1400. But I worked out- which was 400... that's 1800 you need to eat for the day.


    As I suspected originally: you aren't eating enough. Being tired and not getting anywhere- especially with a program like the one you listed- you just aren't eating enough.


    I know this will sound crazy, but I my metabolism is all messed up. I used to have eating disorders and have taken diet pills for years. It seems like if I eat more, then I just gain weight. That is the last thing I want. If it was weight from muscle that would be fine but I can eat more one day and the next day the scale has jumped! Its so frustrating. I was also told not to eat back exercise calories bc that is defeating the purpose of calorie deficit. I just suck at this. LOL. Im so confused.

    there are two ways to create a deficit.

    and it is a little confusing. I know.


    1.) is to account for your exercise level within your daily calorie content. This is the TDEE method. It says I work out 3 times a week- and will add that in to your base level needs- you can calculate from there a small deficit. You're base 'deficit' intake is 1400- but you workout regularly- so it's probably closer to 1800/1900.

    2.) (MFP way) is to say this is what I need to function in life- just day to day- no workouts AND lose weight- for you this is 1400.
    now I worked out- I burned an extra 400 calories. So you need to eat some of those back so you hit that target weight loss number of 1400- we are back up to 1800/1900- and STILL eating at a deficit.

    Also -weight can change daily up to 5 or more pounds. most people it's just 2-3.

    weigh yourself under identical conditions (as possible) on the same scale- same time of day etc etc- I would weigh weekly or even monthly for you and use tape measure/clothing as a more reliable method for actual size reduction.

    I would second Sarah's recommendation for a real strength training program.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
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    ... but I can eat more one day and the next day the scale has jumped! Its so frustrating. I was also told not to eat back exercise calories bc that is defeating the purpose of calorie deficit....

    Eating more one day will not cause the scale to permanently show a weight gain. It just means you have more water or glycogen weight that day. Things balance out in the end. For each pound of fat you add to your body, you have to eat 3500 EXTRA calories than what you burned.

    Your calorie deficit should be based on what your daily calorie burn for all activities you do which includes exercise.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
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    Upper Body Day: Monday/Thursday

    Dumbell curls: 12.5 pounds 3 sets of 12
    Bent over Tricep kickbacks with dumbells: 15 pounds 3 sets of 12 on each arm
    laying tricep extension with barbell: 20 pounds 3 sets of 12
    chest fly machine: 30 pounds 3 sets of 12

    Lower Body Day: Tuesday/Friday

    Smith Machine squats: 25 pounds 3 sets of 10-12
    Seated Leg curl-55 pounds 3 sets of 10-12
    Leg extension-55 pounds 3 sets of 10-12
    Calf extension-70 pounds 3 sets of 12

    And I do abs (crunches or hanging knee raises) all four days.

    If you want to get stronger, leaner, and more toned, 80% of your lifting should be compound exercises.

    Deadlift, Squat, Bench press, Barbell row, Overhead press, Pull up, Push up, Lunge .. etc

    The stuff you're doing is mainly assistance exercises. These are more effective once you have an overall base of muscle and you're trying finish carving your masterpiece.

    If you want a little inspiration, read Staci's story on nerd fitness:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    A new lifter can get LIMITED strength gains from lifting without gaining muscle.
    After that, if you want to gain strength, you need more muscle.

    If you are trying to gain muscle without changing your bodyweight (gaining fat and losing muscle), it will take longer and you may find you are relatively limited in the progress you can make.

    Definitely make sure you get enough protein.

    If you eat more one day and the scale suddenly jumps up, it's going to be water/food weight. Use a program like 'libra' to work out a weight trend and ignore daily fluctuations.
    To put on a lb of weight (my weight fluctuates by more than that on a daily basis), you would have to overeat around 3500 calories.

    I would suggest you're just going to have to accept the scales aren't giving you the whole picture and slowly up your food intake. You may even see an increasing in water weight meaning the scales are up a bit most of the time.
    If anything, a sudden increase in weight specifically shouldn't be worried about - an extra lb or two you can be sure isn't fat unless you did actually eat a massive amount of food!
  • fredgiblet
    fredgiblet Posts: 241 Member
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    This may be broscience, but my understanding is that less reps and more weight is what causes strength to go up, while high-reps at lower weights should be gaining endurance.

    If you want to gain strength you should be shooting for the max you can lift for about 5 reps. If you're eating at maintenance or below you won't bulk, but you will hit a wall once your nervous system reaches full activation while lifting, so at some point pretty quickly you'll have to make the choice or more strength or not increasing your size.
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
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    Bump, lots of good information in here.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    2 things:

    1) You're not eating enough food to get stronger. I absolutely guarantee that's why you feel like crap while you lift.

    2) You're not doing any real lifts. Run a good lifting program like stronglifts or starting strength and you'll gain a lot of strength very quickly.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
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    Yes, as soon as you said you are doing the same routine but feeling like you can't complete it, I figured you can't be eating enough. I eat 1600 calories a day PLUS my exercise calories, and I have only been strength training for a few weeks, and I have already been able to increase my weights, plus lost 6lbs.

    I know you are scared of the weight gain, that is normal for all of us, and probably even more so for people recovering from an ED. But your metabolism is not set in stone. If you eat more, you will be strong enough to work out more, and your body will eventually realise you're not starving any more, and your metabolism will speed up. Your weight will likely fluctuate during this process, but I definitely think it's worth it. I have heard of people 'fixing' their metabolism this way.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    what are you doing exactly...there is more to weight training than just randomly picking up a dumbbell and knocking out sets and reps...to make gains you need to have a properly programmed routine and you need to follow that routine.

    I would add that strength gains come slower in a deficit of energy, but you should be making some gains over the course of 1.5 months with a properly programmed routine.

    this, I would suggest familiarizing yourself with 5x5, strong lifts, starting strength etc..< pick one of these programs and stick with it for 8-12 weeks the programs are built on progressive overload so you should see increased strength and increase in amount of weight lifted….

    also, underrating can harm your gym performance….

    also, why no compounds - barbell chest press, barbell squat, deadlift, etc???
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    I edited my post and added my routine. I am not wanting to make huge gains. I just want to increase my strength and endurance. I do not want to put on size. Just lean out.

    OP - as a female eating 1400 calories a day you are not going to put on "size" unless you start eating ALOT more…so you can lift heavy, eat in a deficit, and get the results that you want.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    Eh, double post...
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    Lots of good advice in here already listed. Want to emphasize to eat more and choose a well rounded, reputable program built on the focus of compounds. What you're currently doing is not going to yield much results, if anything.

    ETA-Get off the smith and under a barbell...
  • Dlacenere
    Dlacenere Posts: 198 Member
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    My answers would be the same as others - add some real compound moves - you can start with the bar and work your way up - barbell squats, deadlifts, bench press etc.....I know that when people say you are not eating enough it's easier said than done when you have the issues that you say you are dealing with as far as metabolism etc.. However if you really want to see a difference you need to start reverse dieting - just add 50-100 calories per week - take it slow so your body and metabolism adjusts with each increase. People will tell you to either do that or to just do a full reset, starting high - stay off the scale and let your metabolism adjust and then cut - but it sounds like this may be too much for you mentally right now - and I get that. I was there once too eating less calories and not losing but I raised gradually and between that and my lifting routine, my body completely transformed. You will have a lot more energy too. Check out the eatmore2weighless group on here, lots of people in your situation and lots of great advice.
  • Wilbur_NOLA
    Wilbur_NOLA Posts: 120 Member
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    Let's dispel the myth once and for all...lifting heavier weights won't cause you to increase your mass just like lifting light weights for higher reps won't make you get leaner.
  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
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    Seems like everybody is ignoring the fact that it's REALLY HARD to gain strength once you're past the initial newbie/CNS strength gains. Sure, a new lifter can quickly add lots of weight on a stronglifts program until they start failing on the lifts. Then, what do they do? They stop the program and try something else. Heck, I'm pretty stoked if I can add 10 lbs. to a major compound lift after a couple months of dedicated lifting on a calorie surplus. If it was easy, everybody would be benching 3 plates and squatting compact cars. And once you've gotten to intermediate lifting, I think most of us can forget about any strength gains when running a calorie deficit.

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