Am I working out hard enough?

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mallycat1013
mallycat1013 Posts: 27 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started strength trainong about a month ago. I have a bio force home gym. I have it set on 15lbs. I do 10 reps 3 sets. But I dont feel sore or my body doesn't feel like jello after. Not even the next day. So I bumped it up to 20lbs and even tried doing 15 reps. Still don't feel like I'm working out bard enough. I barely break a sweat when I'm done. Am I doing this right? Not sure I can do 25lbs. I feel like I struggle to make it to 5 reps.

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  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    I personally use Starting strength, which uses a 5X3 pattern for lifts. I'm not trying to get stronger right now since I'm still cutting. For example, I'll squat 30 lbs 5 reps, 3 sets. I'm not consistently doing it, so I'm not able to up the weight yet and I do feel soreness. The last set is HARD, especially for overhead press (my weakest lift).

    What kind of lift is it? There's something to be said about lifting to the point of failure.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,164 Member
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    mallycat1013 wrote: »
    I started strength trainong about a month ago. I have a bio force home gym. I have it set on 15lbs. I do 10 reps 3 sets. But I dont feel sore or my body doesn't feel like jello after. Not even the next day. So I bumped it up to 20lbs and even tried doing 15 reps. Still don't feel like I'm working out bard enough. I barely break a sweat when I'm done. Am I doing this right? Not sure I can do 25lbs. I feel like I struggle to make it to 5 reps.

    That is what you should be doing. There should be some struggle to get the last rep. I don't know if you are following some sort of program, but if you are not, you should be. Trying to strength train without a program is sort of like trying to find a locating with no map or gps while blindfolded. Also, don't try to put your own together, it is far to easy to miss exercises that a necessary to balance everything out.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    edited November 2017
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    I think your bio-force gym is fine.

    However try doing each exercise for 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

    When you can do 12 reps on all 3 sets, increase the weight to the next level. This is called progression.

    With increased weight you may only get 3 sets of 8 reps. When you get stronger and get 3 sets of 12 reps again increase the weight again.

    Train 3 times a week doing at least one exercise for each bodypart. Work your whole body each workout.

    If you eventually become too strong for your machine you can move on to one that offers greater resistance.

    Is your machine like this?

    4143YKpAUjL._SS400_.jpg




  • mallycat1013
    mallycat1013 Posts: 27 Member
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    Yes. That's the one I have. I don't follow a program. I just try to do as many things as I can think of that this machine will do. And I do that 3 times a week.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    edited November 2017
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    Bio Force website with workout tips...

    bio-force.finnlo.com/training-tips.html

    Zirkeltraining-an-der-BIO-FORCE_engl_final.jpg
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,164 Member
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    A note to you, you should be able to handle quite different amounts of weigh for each of those exercises.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    No, you are not.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    If you are using the same weight for arms and legs then no, you aren't working hard enough.
  • mallycat1013
    mallycat1013 Posts: 27 Member
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    I don't do the same weight for everything. That's just max I can do for some. Like bicep curls I couldn't even do 1 at 20lbs.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited November 2017
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    mallycat1013 wrote: »
    I don't do the same weight for everything.

    that's a good place to start, probably - the max you can do for whatever number of reps you're doing.

    i don't use machines so i'm a little lost, but the standard approach for a barbell programme does it like that. you 'test' your max for each lift and then once you know what that is, you have your baseline. the programme for you will begin at that weight.

    different programmes will use a different definition of 'max'. it's usually defined as your x-rep max. to explain what i mean: a 'max' is the heaviest weight you can use for a given lift, if you're doing it the specified number of times. you look for the weight that will be challenging, but not so heavy that you can't do the last rep with good form.

    some examples: starting strength asks you to test for your 5-rep max the first day. wendler 5/3/1 wants you to find your 1-rep max, and then you set a 'training' weight that is 90% of that weight. or the programme i just started, the hepburn thing, says 'find your 8-rep max' and that's the weight you'll be working with.

    another way to do it is the way stronglifts 5x5 works. you don't test for your max, you just start with the bar and each workout you add 5 pounds to the bench, overhead press and row, and 10 pounds to your deadlift and squat. even if your starting strength level is higher than that, adding weight will catch up to your 'range' pretty fast.

    no matter which way you go, every programme i've seen works by drawing a baseline, and then laying out some kind of pattern for when you'll add weight and how much you will add. for new lifters that's a linear amount in all the programmes i've seen - i.e. you add the same amount of weight every time until you get to a point where no matter what you do and how many times you 'deload' and come back, you can't seem to get past that weight. at that point you'd move to a different format but that's quite a ways away still.

    idk if that was tmi or any of it was helpful :tongue: but anyway.

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