Lifting help

liftinggoddess1
liftinggoddess1 Posts: 305 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How fast do I increase my weight for lifting?

Replies

  • mmartinec931
    mmartinec931 Posts: 8 Member
    I wouldn't increase it too quickly at first. Start small to begin with and then increase as you become more comfortable. It is also depends on what you're training.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    edited August 2016
    Which lifting program are you doing? SL 5x5 increases by 5 or 10 lbs weekly, but you can go a little slower if you need to.
  • liftinggoddess1
    liftinggoddess1 Posts: 305 Member
    m gym works in kg
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    I'm increasing my weights by 2.5kg a session, so as I lift twice a week 5kg a week.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    For what lifts? Makes a difference if you are talking big weight compound lifts or small weight accessory/isolation lifts.
    Also depends if you are talking legs or arms.... I would jump double for legs compared to rate I increase arms.

    A very simplistic way is if you can do 12 reps with current weight then add more until you can't.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    If you are following a program, it should guide you on how to increase.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    Not sure how you're training, but when I first started, when I can do more than 10 reps easily, it meant it was time to up my weights. As the weights got heavier, the reps lowered to 5. Now that I'm focusing on powerlifting, I rarely go more than 5 reps unless I'm following a program that has me doing more reps.
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    edited August 2016
    For a program like SS, SL, ICF, etc., it is +5lbs or +2.5kg every time you do the same compound lift. I.e. Squat 60lbs Monday, 65lbs Wednesday, 70lbs Friday. Bench 60lbs Monday, no bench Wednesday, bench 65lbs Friday.
    Edit: This is for men. For women, their upper body lifts will quickly slow down. If you have fractional plates (1.25lbs each side), use those. If not, up the reps with the same weight and then increase the weight while decrease the reps.

    i.e.
    1. 70lbs bench x 4-5 reps
    2. 70lbs bench x 6-7 reps
    3. 75lbs bench x 4-5 reps
    4. 75lbs bench x 6-7 reps
    5. 80lbs bench x 4-5 reps, etc.

    You should read up on these programs. People who just dive in and have no idea what the methodology is (WHY am I lifting 3 sets of 5 reps? Should I eat in a surplus? What should I expect in 3 months? 6 months? What happens when I cannot increase the weight anymore?). If you don't know the why, you won't follow it and thus you won't reap full benefits of the program, and quit when it starts to get hard.

    Read this (regarding 3x5 or 5x5 training programs)
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    What I do is, for each lifting exercise I do, I attempt to do 3 sets of 20 reps. If I'm able to complete the entire 3 sets/20 reps, then it's time to increase the weight.
  • Cchioles
    Cchioles Posts: 276 Member
    liftinggoddess1 wrote: »
    How fast do I increase my weight for lifting?
    Hard To Answer Without More Info, But Generally If You Can Complete All Your Reps In Every Set, That's A Good Indication That Your Ready To Add More Weight :smile:

  • fitgamercatlady
    fitgamercatlady Posts: 63 Member
    edited August 2016
    There is no surefire time frame. Regardless of how many sets or reps or what weight you use, if you complete your last set and you think, "well that wasn't too bad!" then it's time to take it to the next level. And if you struggle to complete your set with the higher weights...well that's what is supposed to happen. You have to push your muscles to the limit for growth! :#
  • liftinggoddess1
    liftinggoddess1 Posts: 305 Member
    I lift 40kg usually on my squats and dead lifts, arm and shoulder press around 50kg and then for legs I think between 50-60kg. Depends on the week I've had.

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