The term lifting heavy refers to what is heavy for you. For someone who has never done any strength training 10-15 lb.weights (or even lighter) may feel very heavy. For strength training to be effective you want to gradually increase the weight you are lifting so that you are working the muscle. If you can do 12-15 reps with those weights then your muscles are not going to be challenged enough.If you keep using the same weights, same thing. So many women think using those 3-5 lb weights are going to "tone" their muscles but women can (and do) carry much more weight than than on a daily basis. Carry groceries? Pick up a 30-50 lb child regularly? Have a physical job like landscaping, farm work or retail where there is a lot of lifting? All lifting significantly more than 5-10 lbs. Using low weights is better than no weights and it can end up being more like cardio. It's movement and kudos for you for making exercise a part of your life. But if you want to change your body by building muscle heavier weights will be necessary. If lack of space is an issue and Dumbbells are what you have to use maybe get some adjustable DBs or kettlebells so you can keep adding weight. To give you an idea of a heavy lifting program I am doing Stronglifts 5x5 3-4 times a week. You start by just using the barbell but that weighs 45 lbs. Every workout if you completed the previous workout, you add 5lbs. I used to belong to a gym but when I got into heavy lifting I realized my gym was inadequate and hostile to heavy lifting. I found a used power cage and weights on Craigslist and made a weight room out of a very small extra bedroom in my house. BTW, body weight exercises can be very effective. Body weight squats, push ups, dips, burpees, lunges, etc. Lunges holding DBs are killer!

If you are getting your heart rate up doing the exercise and you enjoy it then it's a good workout. But a challenging workout means you have to, well, challenge your body. If you can only do 6-8 reps with a certain weight then it is heavy for you. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the lifts you are struggling with are upper body ones? If so,welcome to the club! I've been lifting heavy for 7 months. I have increased my squats from just lifting the bar (45lbs) to 155lbs, deadlifts up to 180 lbs. Those exercises are compound lifts that use the whole body and are (generally) easier to increase weights on. My overhead press? I've only managed to go up to 55lbs from starting at 30 lbs.in 7 months. I'm doing 5 sets of 5 reps. For many women, upper body weight exercises are hard! Today I dropped back down to 45 lbs and finally got a whole set that felt really strong, without struggling. Probably because recently I had been eating at maintenance or above. I use barbell and free weights but from what I understand using DBs can be a lot more challenging to keep form. If you can do it well then you are probably getting a great workout. I believe that New Rules of Lifting for Women has a lot of DB exercises in it. Could be helpful, if you don't already have it. So, staying at a certain weight until you feel like you have mastered the form and you can move on is fine. You must get form down so you don't injure yourself. But if you are doing the same reps/sets with the same weights for months without feeling like you are challenged, it is time to increase if heavy lifting is the goal. Incremental weights can help with the upper body exercises. Don't jump up 5 lbs if you can't. Go up 1lb. The best thing about lifting any weight regularly is preservation of muscle mass. You want to lose fat, not muscle. Not everyone wants to gain muscle but you sure don't want to lose it. Make sure you are eating enough to fuel your workouts. Months ago I felt weak while lifting and I realized I wasn't eating enough.

i'm doing New Rules of Lifting for Women, it's a combination of barbell, body weight and dumbbell exercise. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

Sure you can challenge yourself with dumbbells.

Actually, barbell is recommended above machines because of the involvement of supporting muscles making it a better workout.

Well, in that respect, dumbbells is even better, ultimate engagement of supporting muscles. And no issues with imbalance of strong side carrying the weak side.

You can totally make a program out of just dumbbells.
The other issue is increases of weight. Usually upper body is 5 lbs increases using barbell, but with dumbbells going up 5 lbs each, that means 10 lb increase, which could be a lot.

That's why the rep range change works great. Keep increasing reps by 1 each workout until you are 5 higher, then increase weight 5 lbs each dumbbell, and drop the reps by 5. So 13 - 17, 8 - 12, 5 - 10, ect.

Also, studies have shown that actually reps up to 20, if still performed to almost failure, still elicit the same effect as lower reps, building muscle when eating in surplus.
Just takes more time in the workout, unless you do 2 sets.

Start here for making a program - suggest 3 x full body if you have the time, and on each muscle group, just look in section for dumbbells. If you must keep workouts short but could hit 6 days, then the split program is fine.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Instructions.html

But if indeed the weight never increases - then something is being done wrong if it truly feels just as hard.
Diet may not be where it needs to be, or not eating at best time for pre-workout energy, or not having enough rest days.
If it's not an overload on the muscle requiring repair, it's maintenance lifting.

KatiAuchinleck wrote: »

There were some power blocks up for sale on kijiji but I suspect they sold in minutes. Never heard back. I'm looking at the bowflex 552 set. Thoughts?

The select techs are good because they take up less space. But they are bulky compared to regular weights IMO. Also the turning mechanism does not last forever or at least on mine it didn't. And if you drop one or it rolls off your step can break. I now have one working select tech and have invested in regular dumbbells. I have from 3-25lb db, a barbell up to 80lbs. A 20lb weighted vest and kettlebells from 7-20lbs. Check your local Craigslist for good deals.