lifting … feeling deflated

jyogit
jyogit Posts: 280 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I started SL 5X5 in january of this year and in feb i went to nyc for a week ..on my return i backtracked on the weights to get accustomed again so started back low ..
Tonight i hit the 72lbs mark .. first time for me at this weight and i really felt it tonight ..so feeling a tad disappointed and deflated if this is gonna be around the most i can actually lift without hurting myself.. i have a chest condition that restricts me a little so i have to take it easy.. with all the high weights being banded around in here i thought id at least get to the 100lbs mark.. lol

But I'm in it for the long haul so i will persevere and stick at this weight for a few sessions before adding on more.. hopefully this will be the start of actually gaining some well needed strength in my arms :)

Does anyone else feel bad at using low weights ?

Replies

  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    Wait--you hit a new PR today? That's awesome! Congratulations!

    The only person you're competing with is yourself. Some people do knee and wall push-ups. Some people are just moving into full-blown push-ups. After I broke my wrist and other stuff last winter, I started back by bicep curling two pound weights. There is a small self-esteem hit, sure. But I try to balance it out by remembering I'm doing what is right for *me*. No reason to rush things and get injured.
  • jyogit
    jyogit Posts: 280 Member
    Thank you .. i can only do 10 press ups but 100 countertop press ups .. my wrists are weak as hell i guess.. u made me feel a bit better . never thought of it as my new PR :)
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    Wait--you hit a new PR today? That's awesome! Congratulations!

    The only person you're competing with is yourself. Some people do knee and wall push-ups. Some people are just moving into full-blown push-ups. After I broke my wrist and other stuff last winter, I started back by bicep curling two pound weights. There is a small self-esteem hit, sure. But I try to balance it out by remembering I'm doing what is right for *me*. No reason to rush things and get injured.

  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,377 Member
    jyogit wrote: »
    Does anyone else feel bad at using low weights ?

    I used to... same reason as you cited, I'd read all those "how much do you squat/DL/press?" threads and there were people (or I should say, women, because I don't compare my lifts to men) throwing around weight triple and quadruple what I do.

    And then I thought: at least I'm lifting. Consistently. I enjoy it. My progress might be slow but I AM progressing. And I thought about my primary goals for lifting, which are to preserve bone density and prevent sarcopenia. My bones only care about the increased resistance, not the numbers, so I'm achieving it. I have some visible muscle definition now so I guess I've covering the sarcopenia too.

    Then I had to pick up some heavy stuff in a store. And it was way, way easier to do that than it would have been before I started lifting. So, bonus... I've increased my functional strength too.

    I guess it depends on what matters to you. YOUR goals.

    PS You lift 2 lbs more than me ;)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    There's no "low" weights. Just the weight you can do today and the weight you plan to add to the bar the next time out. It can't be "low" because that would imply that you're comparing your lifts to something other than YOUR lifts and that's not what we do
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    And don't top quote. No one likes a top quoter
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
    When I was doing Stronglifts, I loved when I got to a weight I couldn't complete, what they call "a fail." That meant I was really pushing myself. And I knew if I kept at it, I'd push past that limit.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Welcome to every person who just started lifting, ever. I remember squatting with the bar and the cutest little 2.5lb plates on each side. Now that was demoralizing.
  • jyogit
    jyogit Posts: 280 Member
    lol .. i started with 2lb running hand weights and still use them while running . Thanks for the replies folks .. I'm guessing that NOW is the time i can finally call it weight lifting now its getting harder to do :)
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