increasing weight

patssarah · June 2011

So I have a routine I do 3x a week that includes squats, lunges and deadlifts with my 10pound dumbells. It has gotten fairly easy, and my husband keeps telling me to up my weights.

Well, I think that nut is trying to kill me!! I just went up to his 30pounders (so instead of having 20 extra pounds I have 60 extra pounds) and OMG! I could barely get to a set of 10!! I thought something in my leg was going to snap!

I usually do 4 sets of 25, so I do 100 of each. Well not this time! I got through a little less than 3 sets of 10! And for the first time I actually felt it in my legs while doing the deadlifts!

I thought I was really strong, and that was why I could bust out 100squats & 100lunges like its nothing but clearly Im not!! (yet:blushing: )
Anyway, just wanted to share my pain with someone!!! :drinker:

Ashalahn_LMT · June 2011

Try increasing your weight by only 5 lbs or so. That should be far more manageable. Do that for a few weeks until you can match your original rep totals. Then increase another 5 lbs. And as you found out, doing low weights with high reps doesn't translate into high weight with high reps. The muscles aren't used to it. Give them time.

patssarah · June 2011

Try increasing your weight by only 5 lbs or so. That should be far more manageable. Do that for a few weeks until you can match your original rep totals. Then increase another 5 lbs.

Yea, this would be my ideal way to do it, but we are limited on the weights we currently have, thinking we need to get those selecteck dumbell things!

JennLifts · June 2011

Might try smaller increments

erickirb · June 2011

So I have a routine I do 3x a week that includes squats, lunges and deadlifts with my 10pound dumbells. It has gotten fairly easy, and my husband keeps telling me to up my weights.

Well, I think that nut is trying to kill me!! I just went up to his 30pounders (so instead of having 20 extra pounds I have 60 extra pounds) and OMG! I could barely get to a set of 10!! I thought something in my leg was going to snap!

I usually do 4 sets of 25, so I do 100 of each. Well not this time! I got through a little less than 3 sets of 10! And for the first time I actually felt it in my legs while doing the deadlifts!

I thought I was really strong, and that was why I could bust out 100squats & 100lunges like its nothing but clearly Im not!! (yet:blushing: )
Anyway, just wanted to share my pain with someone!!! :drinker:

25 reps in one set is too many, and means you are not lifting enough. You should not be able to do more than 12-15, if you can get to 12 without struggling on the last couple of reps, the weight is too light, 12 should be difficult, 15 nearly impossible, to do with correct form. Don't worry doing this few reps will not make you bulk up, plus you will finish your workouts quicker and get better results.

angiesills · June 2011

I was just looking at your weight numbers. You and I started at the same weight and I am also 5'7". I have been on here for 40 days and am down to 145.9. I would like to lose another 10 pounds. Seeing your numbers gives me encouragement to get back down to what I was before I had 3 kids!!!

mallorybriann · June 2011

I agree with Erickirb. In boot camp we only 8 to 12 reps. If we can do more than that, we have to increase our weight.
More weight and less reps is the way to go.

patssarah · June 2011

Thanks for the responses! In the beginning I just focused on burning calories, now I actually want to build muscle and tone! I have no clue how to do that, and I figured that doing 100squats would eventually make a difference, but Im starting to realize that in order to see more of a change I need to add more weights. I am really new to the whole weight training thing, so thanks for letting me know about the smaller reps with higher weights vs. low weights w/ high reps. I did not know that!!

increasing weight

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