Not lifting heavy enough

[Fader]

Hi All,

I have been "off/on" listing at home for about 1-2 years. I don't think i have consistently trained though, for longer then 1-2 months because of various reasons.

I see gains, but they are not really anything close to what id hope for. I think this is probably a mix of diet (not eating enough, because i'm a useless cook and don't get the time to buy my own food) and how heavy i'm lifting

I'm 26 next week. I weigh around 80kg [12.5-13 stone] and around 20% bodyfat. My main point for this post is i have found i still lift very small weights.

Benching - I cannot bench with BB due to no spotter. My DB bench is only around 20kg each DB [2x10kg plates]
Flyes - Most i can manage here is around 10kg per DB [5kg x 2]
Curling - BB curl i can only manage around 30kg

thing is i can do 10-15 press ups with my body weight on toes and i can do pull ups [5-7] which kind of indicates to me i'm able to probably lift my body weight in these exercises. I currently do 4 exercises per bodypart. 3 to 4 sets with 6-8 reps. I spend 1hour a day training [so 3-4hours a week]

I suppose i'm asking this. Should i just man-up and lift heavier for smaller reps? What weight should i reliastically be lifting right now as a ball-park figure?

Thanks in advance
In need of some help.

[Robert2006]

There are standards for deadlifts,squats and benches. But the only one you seem to be doing is bench press. Take the hint and deadlift. Doesn't take a spotter.

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html

[mastover]

Originally Posted by Fader

Hi All,

I have been "off/on" listing at home for about 1-2 years. I don't think i have consistently trained though, for longer then 1-2 months because of various reasons.

I think this is probably a mix of diet (not eating enough, because i'm a useless cook and don't get the time to buy my own food) and how heavy i'm lifting

Well, right here, you've just described your problems regarding lack of progression.... No consistency in your training, and lack of proper nutrition.

[Fader]

Thanks for the quick reply lads.

There are standards for deadlifts,squats and benches. But the only one you seem to be doing is bench press. Take the hint and deadlift. Doesn't take a spotter.

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html

I do benching, and i plan to do Squatting as from this weeks Leg day. I have done in the past too. I have never took on the Deadlift, so i will put this in this weeks work-out and too and see how I go. Thanks for that.

Well, right here, you've just described your problems regarding lack of progression.... No consistency in your training, and lack of proper nutrition.

I was perhaps alittle too extreme sounding. I have been working out still, however not to the degree i should be. For example, id do say 2 work-outs one week, then 3 the week after. Then id leave it for a week and then 2 and then so on... but yeah, no consistency really to be making steady gains.

I eat quite well in what i DO eat, but perhaps the calorie intake is too low in my opinion. Id say on a normal weekday id eat 4-5 meals which would typically include:

Breakfast - High fibre cereal or Oatmeal
Break at work - Banana
Lunch - Brown bread ham/tuna sandwiches with a fruit juice
Dinner - Chicken along with some vegetables and mashed potatoe.
Snacks - Fruit, apple, banana...wholemeal toast etc..

Would you say that's not enough?
To refrain from making other threads on the subject, can i come back to workout regimes and reps/sets/weight. Do you think i should be perhaps aiming for 3 sets of say 6 reps a peice at a higher weight and working out at say 45mins then what i'm currently doing?

[mastover]

Originally Posted by Fader

Breakfast - High fibre cereal or Oatmeal
Break at work - Banana
Lunch - Brown bread ham/tuna sandwiches with a fruit juice
Dinner - Chicken along with some vegetables and mashed potatoe.
Snacks - Fruit, apple, banana...wholemeal toast etc..

Would you say that's not enough?

Yes, that's more than enough. Enough for one meal.

[Fader]

ah man.. the eating bit is so much harder then the training. How do you find the time to eat so much, and how do you get the time to make it Mast

Could you give me an average day for you're calories intake?

[KT Monahan]

If you had a peanut butter sandwich on two pieces of wheat bread and a 16 oz glass of whole milk in the morning and another at night before you went to bed in addition to what you already been eating, you could add another 1000 or so calories to your daily diet.

Mark Rippetoe says to add a gallon of whole milk to what you have already been eating.

It doesn't have to be a whole bunch of chicken and vegetable meals. There are ways of adding calories without a whole bunch of time and expense.

[Fader]

If you had a peanut butter sandwich on two pieces of wheat bread and a 16 oz glass of whole milk in the morning and another at night before you went to bed in addition to what you already been eating, you could add another 1000 or so calories to your daily diet.

Mark Rippetoe says to add a gallon of whole milk to what you have already been eating.

It doesn't have to be a whole bunch of chicken and vegetable meals. There are ways of adding calories without a whole bunch of time and expense.

wow, thanks for that. That's something i can start doing tomorrow. I will have a look at Rippetoes books i think. It's something i've been meaning to do - get some reading material.

[Hockey4]

I see three things that you need to straighten out before merely "lifting heavier."

1) You name three exercises that you think reflect your lack of strength. Well, two of those movements are assistance movements. They're not meant to put overall strength on your body. You need to cut the flies and the curls and the tricep extensions and build a foundation. If you later decide to go a hypertropy/bodybuilder route, you can add them back in. But for now, you need to focus on the basics:

Bench
Deadlift
Squat

Other good exercises include:

Pullups
Chinups
Front Squats
Power Cleans
Push Presses
Standing BB Presses
Rows

You don't add upper body strength by doing barbell curls.

2) You say you never train for more than a month or two at a time. No wonder you're not seeing any gains. Every time your body starts to adapt and grow, you shut it down. You need to keep progressing if you want to make strength gains. Starting and stopping does nothing more than confuse your central nervous system.

3) You say you don't eat well. That's a HUGE problem. If you're not getting the proper nutrients (especially protein), then your body doesn't have the building blocks for growth. Saying you're not a good cook is no excuse. Buy a George Foreman Grill. Plug it in. Put chicken on it. Eat chicken. Voila. Easy protein.

In essence, you need to rethink your entire strategy. Put in the time. Eat right. And do the right exercises. Then the strength will come faster than you can possibly imagine.

Good luck.

[Fader]

Originally Posted by Hockey4

I see three things that you need to straighten out before merely "lifting heavier."

1) You name three exercises that you think reflect your lack of strength. Well, two of those movements are assistance movements. They're not meant to put overall strength on your body. You need to cut the flies and the curls and the tricep extensions and build a foundation. If you later decide to go a hypertropy/bodybuilder route, you can add them back in. But for now, you need to focus on the basics:

Bench
Deadlift
Squat

Other good exercises include:

Pullups
Chinups
Front Squats
Power Cleans
Push Presses
Standing BB Presses
Rows

You don't add upper body strength by doing barbell curls.

2) You say you never train for more than a month or two at a time. No wonder you're not seeing any gains. Every time your body starts to adapt and grow, you shut it down. You need to keep progressing if you want to make strength gains. Starting and stopping does nothing more than confuse your central nervous system.

3) You say you don't eat well. That's a HUGE problem. If you're not getting the proper nutrients (especially protein), then your body doesn't have the building blocks for growth. Saying you're not a good cook is no excuse. Buy a George Foreman Grill. Plug it in. Put chicken on it. Eat chicken. Voila. Easy protein.

In essence, you need to rethink your entire strategy. Put in the time. Eat right. And do the right exercises. Then the strength will come faster than you can possibly imagine.

Good luck.

Thanks for the great advice Hockey.

I'm in a tiny little room trying to do my workouts, so i might start doing this in the garden so i can just drop the bar.

Do you think i should maybe start the "starting strength" program? or is there another program you could recommend? i see now that maybe doing these big movements i will gain the strength i want, which will in turn provide the size increases.

[tbuck]

In recommending either Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5, I would opt for the Stronglifts 5x5. It eliminates the necessity of the power clean, and does provide for some "assistance work" if you're so inclined. I've included an attachment for your review.

[Hockey4]

Originally Posted by Fader

Thanks for the great advice Hockey.

Do you think i should maybe start the "starting strength" program? or is there another program you could recommend? i see now that maybe doing these big movements i will gain the strength i want, which will in turn provide the size increases.

I agree with Tbuck's post above. I think the 5x5 program is an excellent starting point, and if you combine that with proper nutrition and consistent training, you will see massive strength gains in the first 3-6 months. Those initial gains come fast and furious, so enjoy them!

I think you will notice a world of difference, too, from your previous short training stints by focusing on compound movements. They force your body and CNS to adapt. A good set of breathing squats makes every muscle in your body take notice.

So hopefully you put some of the suggestions from this thread into practice. Then you can come back in a few month's time and tell us how you're feeling like the Incredible Hulk.

[Nowhereman]

Originally Posted by Fader

Breakfast - High fibre cereal or Oatmeal
Break at work - Banana
Lunch - Brown bread ham/tuna sandwiches with a fruit juice
Dinner - Chicken along with some vegetables and mashed potatoe.
Snacks - Fruit, apple, banana...wholemeal toast etc..

I don't think you need to find more time to eat. You already have the time with those meals but you can eat more. You've go virtually now protein. Aim to get at least 1g per TBW.

Breakfast- add some eggs
Break at work- nuts and cheese
Lunch- not bad but don't know the amounts your eating
Dinner- Same as above
Snacks- Same but maybe add in a protein shake or some cottage cheese.

You really do need to get the diet down. It isn't hard if you have plan (an effective one) set out, then...just execute.

Starting Strength is a good recommendation. I came upon this link to modifying Starting Strength. JC recommends lifters not to do the Power Clean and suggests another exercise. Some may not like this tip but it is a hard enough exercise to learn without any help BUT using a light weight can help remedy any form problems that may arise.

http://jcdfitness.com/2008/11/starti...ining-program/

[Fader]

This is great advice guys - thanks so much.

One last thing (although more for the future now as i will be starting one of these programs)

*hyperthetically* if i can lift 200 on "x" exercise 6-8 reps, yet i can do say 350 but only 1-2 reps tops. Is it worth doing the 1-2 reps on that much higher weight?

What's the minimum amount of reps that your body is actually going to react too? is 1-2 enough?

Thanks again for the advice.

[cajunman]

Hypothetically, if you can only do 200 for 6-8 but 350 for single or double, you will get far more results working up to 315 or higher for singles and doubles, then backing off 40 pounds or so for triples, then hit the 200 for a back-off set. If you can single or double 350, training with anything less than mid-2s is a waste.

The minimum amount of reps your body will respond to is more than what you did yesterday. Whether your sets are 3 or 5 or 6 or 8 reps is not as important as doing more work than before.

[Nowhereman]

Originally Posted by Fader

This is great advice guys - thanks so much.

One last thing (although more for the future now as i will be starting one of these programs)

*hyperthetically* if i can lift 200 on "x" exercise 6-8 reps, yet i can do say 350 but only 1-2 reps tops. Is it worth doing the 1-2 reps on that much higher weight?

What's the minimum amount of reps that your body is actually going to react too? is 1-2 enough?

Thanks again for the advice.

What do you mean by react? Muscle size? Strength? There probably isn't much need for the genpop to work in the "singles" area unless interested in powerlifting and just showing off in general (which I'm totally in favor of ) But you can gain strength by working in the 4-8 range as well.

[Fader]

well i meant really in size more than strength but i thought they came hand-in-hand.

I just wondered because i was lifting quite light weights [like for example 30kg bench] when really i could probably lift more like 60kg atleast but would probably only manage 2-3 tops.

I was just wondering the minimal amount that would be required to actually benefit me.

[Nowhereman]

Depends. Pretty much like everything else. Some people respond better with more volume than others. It would probably be a good idea to start off with low-moderate volume because it gives you an opportunity to increase it if you stop seeing results.

A stronger muscle is a bigger muscle but it would be a good idea to mix in some high rep stuff 9-12, even 15-20. Powerlifters do lift heavy but I think quite a few of them mix in some reps at around 9-12 too.

[Hockey4]

Originally Posted by Fader

well i meant really in size more than strength but i thought they came hand-in-hand.

I just wondered because i was lifting quite light weights [like for example 30kg bench] when really i could probably lift more like 60kg atleast but would probably only manage 2-3 tops.

I was just wondering the minimal amount that would be required to actually benefit me.

This is a tough question to answer because, simply put, there's no correct answer. All different rep ranges will benefit you, just in different (though sometimes overlapping) ways.

I think a weight you can handle for 6-8 reps provides a decent mix of CNS adaptation and muscular hypertrophy. But there's no sense in being wed to one specific rep scheme for every workout and every exercise. A lot of lifting is making your workouts work for you and for your goals. That comes with consistently putting in the work and starting to know your body.

As an example, on most compound lifts I prefer to work in the 4-6 rep range for working sets (and occasionally with doubles). But I may do a couple sets of standing shoulder presses at 5 reps, and then drop the weight down and hammer out 15 at a lighter weight to finish. I think it's good sometimes to mix and match. There's nothing wrong with hitting the muscle a couple ways. When I do assistance work, too, I use much higher reps.

And even that mixing and matching above isn't constant for me. Sometimes I mix in DE (dynamic effort) days. Some days are max effort. Some days I work up to attempting a new max.

So long story short, you have to figure out what works best for you and what helps you accomplish your goals. For now, focus on a good beginner routine, but don't feel you need to follow it like the law. Adjust it. Make it your own. Figure out what weights work for you.

(PS: If your max bench is 60kg, I would work with a higher weight than 30kg, at least for working sets. I'd get into the 75-80 percent of your max range).