Women Lifting Heavy

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hersheyskiss
hersheyskiss Posts: 40
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm trying to build muscle. I keep reading that women should not be afraid to lift heavy.My question is to all the heavy lifting women of MFP when you say heavy ..how much weight are we talking? I need the number of pounds that you ladies are using to build muscle.

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  • skb32881
    skb32881 Posts: 105 Member
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    I would say it depends on the girl and on the exercise. I can dead lift about 65, bench press about 80, and row/pull down about 85/90. Squats I think I was doing about 65 as well. I think I'm a freaking badass but then I see some women who can lift more than their body weight and/or much more than me!!! But then I see women who can't lift as much as me too. My personal opinion is that if it's a serious challenge to do 8 reps then you're right where you need to be :)
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    It's increasing each time I lift as I'm using the New Rules of lifting for women. I'm only on the first stage but I'm currently lifting at these levels.

    Squatting at 88lbs
    Seated row at 49lbs
    Deadlift at 77lbs
    Shoulder press at 13lbs
    Lateral Pulldown at 57lbs
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
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    "heavy" is heavy for you. It is whatever it takes where you feel like you couldn't do too many more (any more) reps in the set you are doing. I love when I get to failure and can't do my last planned rep. That's a win. Of course, you want to have good form still.

    So, I got to where I could squat 170#s in sets of 10. Last time I did wide grip lat pull down, it was 90#s for sets of 6. That's all I remember because I'm bad at remembering numbers. That's why you track your workouts even if you feel like a nerd at the gym. But who cares what my numbers are? That's what is heavy for me, now. Others lift more for heavy, others lift less for heavy. Its all good.

    I recommend either New Rules of Lifting for Women, or Body for Life, both of which I've used and both are accessible to someone new. Body for Life is maybe a little more doable if you have a home gym you're going to use. Other great, sexy, heavy-lifting women on this site use other programs. Find what's good for you.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    lifting heavy is very individual. If you can lift the weight with good form for 8 reps....it is too light. Use a weight where you have difficulty lifting the last reps. You will find the right weight for you. Good luck
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Agreed. "Heavy" is relative. It's as heavy as you can finish (or barely finish) your reps and sets. I started squating the bar, and deadlifting 65lbs. Now I squat 100lbs and deadlift 165lbs.
  • deninevi
    deninevi Posts: 934 Member
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    Heavy is heavy for you! My heavy may be too light for some and too heavy for others. I too started squats with just the bar, now I'm at 115lbs. Deadlifts- from 85lbs to 205 for 4 reps. Start heavy for you, lift with good form, and keep increasing the weights.
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
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    Heavy for me right now is like a 115 pound squat for 3 sets of 10.. but I used to be a powerlifter a few years back.. and heavy then was a 325 or 350 pound squat. I'm actively working on getting my numbers back up, so the next time I go to squat, it'll be at least 125. My deadlift used to be over 300 as well, now it's more like 125. My bench was 200#, now more like 100.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
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    Agree with everyone else - you have to start slow with proper form -MAKE SURE you have someone who can tell you if you are doing the form correctly...over time your weights will increase

    I have been doing crossfit for the past 2 months and I am hooked...love it - I do great on some stuff - like deadlifts and strict presses- my last max for DL was 143 for 3 rounds and strict press was about 72 for a one round max...but things like squats...yeah I did some front squats on Monday and stuck with 53lbs for each of my 4 rounds (4 reps per round) because my coach was more concerned I work on my form (sucky) then adding weight
  • hersheyskiss
    hersheyskiss Posts: 40
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    Thanks for the good advice ladies...will keep it in mind
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
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    "Heavy" is 60% or more of your one-rep max. Your one rep max is the most amount of weight you can handle for just one rep with good form. Say your one rep max squat is 100lbs, you should start out with 8-10 reps at 60 lbs. It's just a general guideline, but I find it really helpful.

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