Lifting getting harder instead of easier...

impudentputz
impudentputz Posts: 479 Member
edited December 18 in Fitness and Exercise
Well, i dont lift heavy at all. I just started lifting a couple weeks ago and started with light weights. (*20lb dumbbells*) And i noticed not only is it not getting easier... its actually getting more difficult to fnish my sets. Any thoughts on why this is happening? I do 3 sets of 12.. but it ends up being 12/10/8 cause i cant seem to finish the last couple reps. I highly doubt 20lbs is too heavy for me but that could possibly be it. Would love to hear some other opinions from people far smarter than i :)

Replies

  • gazz777au
    gazz777au Posts: 157 Member
    I understand from my reading that 3 sets of 12 is normal for building muscle - 20 prob just a bit high.

    Because I have to be careful with joints I do 30-40 reps per set, of a much lighter weight (using the machines at the gym) - I understand for me this will help tighten the loose skin and when I can handle higher weights I will reconsider.

    Are you getting the DOMs ?

    Make sure you are putting enough energy (good calorific food sources), plenty of water ... gaps between your sets and one thing I find helpful in getting through was to breathe through it (needing oxygen for them muscles too I'd think).

    Keep at it man.

    I am very proud of you !
  • dusty8907
    dusty8907 Posts: 350 Member
    To identify the Real problem here you havent given enough info.
    How often do you lift? What excercises? Whats your diet like? How lon so you wait between sets?
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    Congrats on losing weight! One of the things that starts happening as you get closer to goal is you really do need to be hitting closer to your calorie target and protein- especially if you want to lift. Weight lifting doesn't post big burns but has a long tail that needs to be fueled properly. Rest well, eat your protein macros and eat enough calories- don't leave fuel sitting there- eat it.

    Give it a week or two and you'll most likely be increasing weight again.
  • creature275
    creature275 Posts: 348 Member
    To identify the Real problem here you havent given enough info.
    How often do you lift? What excercises? Whats your diet like? How lon so you wait between sets?

    I agree, it sounds to me like an issue of frequency if you dont give your muscles time to rest and recover it will do more damage that good
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,089 Member
    Do yuo workout everyday?
    If yes, then you need to switch to working 3 times a week.
    Your body needs 48h to recover from strenght training.

    Also, I have checked your diary and you have been eating subs and donuts only for past 3 days.
    Poor diet like this can make you feel tired...
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I had a look at your diary - there looks to be 2 main issues that could be causing this:

    1) you are not eating enough
    2) you are not getting enough protein

    Also, would suggest throwing some fresh fruit and veggies in the mix - you may not be getting enough micronutrients.
  • impudentputz
    impudentputz Posts: 479 Member
    I lift twice a week usually depending on schedule. exercises are usually the same, bicep curls, DB shoulder presses, Bench Press and Lat Pulldowns for upper body. its teh bicep curls that ive noticed the struggling mostly.

    My diet is sub par. I eat on the run most of the time, so its alot of fast foods but not terrible fast foods, its not like im eating double cheese burgers and fries.

    I wait 1-2 mins between sets.

    And thank you guys, i know my diet is not good, i was doing really well with planning out my meals and eating fruits and veggies throughout the day, my schedule has change drastically in the recent weeks and im trying to transition into it.

    Thank you for all the advice!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Actually, eating subway sandwiches is not that bad as long as you hit your macros (not saying its great - just not that bad). Just try to throw some fruit and veggies in there. You may want to look into protein shakes to get your protein up.
  • creature275
    creature275 Posts: 348 Member
    so you only do one lift for biceps? a normal male will do anywhere from 12-16 sets per muscle group which usually comes out to 3 or 4 lifts, so just doing one kind of bicep lift could mean you simply arnt stressing enough muscle fibers to really make a difference
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    Eat more protein 1g/lb lean body mass minimum.
  • gazz777au
    gazz777au Posts: 157 Member
    More protein was what I meant to add earlier ... :smile:
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I had a look at your diary - there looks to be 2 main issues that could be causing this:

    1) you are not eating enough
    2) you are not getting enough protein

    Also, would suggest throwing some fresh fruit and veggies in the mix - you may not be getting enough micronutrients.
    This
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Usually a not-enough-food issue, as others have pointed out.

    Also,
    It's pointless to do the same thing every week.

    Before you become a curlbro- Why don't you check out Starting Strength that is actually a strength training program?
  • DaveRCF
    DaveRCF Posts: 266
    Also, if you are "eating on the run" it sounds like you may be a busy guy. It is surprisingly important to get a good night's sleep in addition to eating all your calories.

    Also, be patient. You've only been at this a little while. Stick with it because I have been amazed by the benefits of strength training beyond getting stronger. I'm eating like a teenager and still not gaining any weight (after losing 25 lbs and hitting my goal weight, I am trying to add back weight by adding muscle). I strength train 3X per week and spin once a week at most. I never would have believed it if I hadn't experienced it first hand.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    It is not unusual when starting a program to hit a mini "wall" after a couple of weeks. Your body has kind of sorted itself out after the initial workouts and some residual fatigue is setting in. Don't worry about maintaining the reps for all the sets.

    You can try just upping some weights--try to get 10 reps the first set and whatever you get the next two. You can also try some extra recovery time between sets, or doing supersets. It's kind of early to be changing exercises, but you can try to vary some of the exercises.

    I seriously doubt that any of your issues are related to your food intake or protein. You are still too early in your program and you really are not doing enough for it to make any real difference.

    And I can say with 100% certainty that you do not need to do 12-16 sets of various types of biceps curls.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    It is not unusual when starting a program to hit a mini "wall" after a couple of weeks. Your body has kind of sorted itself out after the initial workouts and some residual fatigue is setting in. Don't worry about maintaining the reps for all the sets.

    You can try just upping some weights--try to get 10 reps the first set and whatever you get the next two. You can also try some extra recovery time between sets, or doing supersets. It's kind of early to be changing exercises, but you can try to vary some of the exercises.

    I seriously doubt that any of your issues are related to your food intake or protein. You are still too early in your program and you really are not doing enough for it to make any real difference.

    And I can say with 100% certainty that you do not need to do 12-16 sets of various types of biceps curls.

    Why would you say that you doubt that the issues are related to food intake? Not challenging, just asking.
  • Melzicious
    Melzicious Posts: 19
    I lift twice a week usually depending on schedule. exercises are usually the same, bicep curls, DB shoulder presses, Bench Press and Lat Pulldowns for upper body. its teh bicep curls that ive noticed the struggling mostly.

    My diet is sub par. I eat on the run most of the time, so its alot of fast foods but not terrible fast foods, its not like im eating double cheese burgers and fries.

    I wait 1-2 mins between sets.

    And thank you guys, i know my diet is not good, i was doing really well with planning out my meals and eating fruits and veggies throughout the day, my schedule has change drastically in the recent weeks and im trying to transition into it.

    Thank you for all the advice!

    First think about getting in to a full body beginners exercise plan like Stronglifts or Starting Strength. SS is particularly good at explaining the fundamentals.

    Second, improve your diet. If you put crap in you get crap out. ;-) You need to eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you don't know your bf% just start out eating 1 gram of protein per pound body weight. And overall, make sure you are consuming enough calories.
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