Too light/too heavy...

[Dulish]

Yesterday at the gym, I tried to really REALLY challenge myself. The problem is that my gym has dumbells in 5 lb increments, but nothing like a plate mate to increase by 2.5 lbs when you are at the upper end of your range.

So, I was doing incline chest presses and got to 8 using 25# weights. I did my 8, then went to the 30# weights and couldn't lift them, not once... they were just. too. heavy. So, I went back to the 25# and did as many as I could (8) then back down to 20# and did 12 (which was too easy).

I couldn't think of another way to handle it, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

My entire workout was SUPER heavy and challenging.... yet, no terrible soreness today. I used to be able to work out super heavy, super challenging and not get hardly sore at all, but that was when I was in great shape. Is this just my muscles saying "oh yeah, we remember this!" or something else?

Thanks!

[ozzo]

My thought - perhaps a temporary plateau / off day at the gym. Possible ways to get through it (that have worked for me in the past):

- try the increase to 30# again next session, perhaps it was an off day.
- keep in the 25# but do more reps to failure to build to the 30#
- get a machine in (if access) to possibly build up some resistance.
- instead of dumbells, try a barbell (with spotter) since you can adjust weights with those. Again, to build up the resistance - then go back to dumbells in the future.

[bigthunder]

also remember form is way more inportant than weight. Do NOT sacrifice form for weight. I would recomend dropping the weight and do it it slow with excellent form and really squeeze the muscles. Make sure you are squeezing your shoulder blades together and sticking out your chest. This really emphcizes your chest and not your arms and shoulders. Try it, you'll feel the difference immediantly.

[Dulish]

I totally agree, BT. I used to be a trainer, so I'm certain I'm getting the most bang for my buck as far as form goes. I'm cranky that my gym doesn't have plate mates so I could go up 2.5 lbs per side instead of 5. The difference between 25 and 30 for me yesterday was amazing LOL.

I'm bummed that I'm not sore. But, like I said, that's just how my body tends to work... I can't imagine being able to work out any harder than I did yesterday. I really pushed myself to 10 every single time. It was FUN!!

[yakubu]

Originally Posted by Dulish

Yesterday at the gym, I tried to really REALLY challenge myself. The problem is that my gym has dumbells in 5 lb increments, but nothing like a plate mate to increase by 2.5 lbs when you are at the upper end of your range.

So, I was doing incline chest presses and got to 8 using 25# weights. I did my 8, then went to the 30# weights and couldn't lift them, not once... they were just. too. heavy. So, I went back to the 25# and did as many as I could (8) then back down to 20# and did 12 (which was too easy).

I couldn't think of another way to handle it, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

My entire workout was SUPER heavy and challenging.... yet, no terrible soreness today. I used to be able to work out super heavy, super challenging and not get hardly sore at all, but that was when I was in great shape. Is this just my muscles saying "oh yeah, we remember this!" or something else?

Thanks!

i had the same problem too at my gym. i work with kg's and the dumbells there go up in 2kg's which is way too much of an increase for me. depending on wot exercise im doing i increase the weight between sets by either 1/4kg, 0.5kg or 1kg.

most of my exercises are increased by 0.5kg between sets but on others were im lifting a lot of wieght like squats i increase by 1kg between sets. also on shoulders i cant lift too much therefore i only increase by 1/4 kg between sets.

i also aim for a weekly increase in weight. again this varies between either a 0.5kg increase or a 1kg increase.

so as u can see wether it be increasing the weight weekly or just the increase between sets the most i ever increase by is 1kg but the dumbells in my gym increase by 2kg which is just way too much for me and simply makes it impossible for me to complete body for life in the gym.
i lost a lot of faith in body for life a while ago cos i just coudnt seem to get the weights right. in the end i realized that the problem wasnt body for life, the problem was the gym

i now work out at home. ive bought adjustable dumbells from argos and this allows me to controoll the amount that i want to increase between sets.

[fitforlife]

I bought adjustable ankle weights that go up to 5 pounds each but have little one pound bags so they can be made to go from 1-5 pounds. If I'm doing an arm exercise I just strap them around my wrist. Its not perfect but it helps a lot. 5 pounds can be a huge jump for a female...especially on a smaller muscle.

[Chris]

This is something I struggle with at my gym too. I'm continually trying to increase the weight, but sometimes 5# is just too much... just like you've described. Last week doing dumbbell shoulder press, I was lifting 45# for my 6 rep.. I tried to go up to 50# this week and couldn't do it 1x. I picked up the 45's again and banged them out like nothing. The cool thing though is I'm almost certain that next week I'll be able to do the 50's. Just trying to push it up (and failing) will increase strength.. possibly enough to make the jump. This of course is a lot easier with a spotter....

I guess just do what you can with the equipment you have available. Increasing the reps could be another option. If you can't go up like you want in weight, do a couple extra reps instead.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by fitforlife

I bought adjustable ankle weights that go up to 5 pounds each but have little one pound bags so they can be made to go from 1-5 pounds. If I'm doing an arm exercise I just strap them around my wrist. Its not perfect but it helps a lot. 5 pounds can be a huge jump for a female...especially on a smaller muscle.

I see you're from York.. Can you go workout at the barbell factory?

(Welcome to the forums)

[fitforlife]

Haha I wish. They do have a "muscle head" guy spinning around on the roof of their building. Its humorous for sure.

Thanks for the welcome.

[bluexj]

Originally Posted by Dulish

Yesterday at the gym, I tried to really REALLY challenge myself. The problem is that my gym has dumbells in 5 lb increments, but nothing like a plate mate to increase by 2.5 lbs when you are at the upper end of your range.

So, I was doing incline chest presses and got to 8 using 25# weights. I did my 8, then went to the 30# weights and couldn't lift them, not once... they were just. too. heavy. So, I went back to the 25# and did as many as I could (8) then back down to 20# and did 12 (which was too easy).

I couldn't think of another way to handle it, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

My entire workout was SUPER heavy and challenging.... yet, no terrible soreness today. I used to be able to work out super heavy, super challenging and not get hardly sore at all, but that was when I was in great shape. Is this just my muscles saying "oh yeah, we remember this!" or something else?

Thanks!

I here ya there Dulish. I am super intense in the weight room. I go heavy and hard and to failure every time on my level 10. I don't always get 12 by myself. I will have my wife help me squeeze out twelve by doing forced reps. Although sometimes I go heavy enough it makes her too tired to help be get all 12 reps in.... My muscles are screaming in pain and I'm thinking wow, this is gonna hurt tomorrow... I'm even looking forward to the doms in a sick sort of way. But alas, the next day my muscles aren't usually very sore, if at all. At least I'm seeing progress and strength gains though.

As far as dumbells go, my gym has 2.5 increments all the way up to about 75 pounds. At home though, I have the Ironmaster quicklock dumbells and although they go up to 75 pounds it is in 5 lb increments. Fortunately for me though this hasn't been a problem yet.

[bluexj]

I partially take back my comment on muscle soreness. My legs have been kinda sore lately, but I don't think it is from the weights alone. I think it is because I have have been hammering them with my cardio workouts. Between weights and biking and hockey, I have been working my legs about 8 times a week.... Heck I hit em three times in one day last week, 90 minutes of hockey at lunch, then 60 minutes of biking in the late afternoon followed by a killer leg workout at night....

Probably nothing for a stud like Statona though.....

[kamumma]

I just had the same problem at my gym. I could do 8 rep of bicep curls with 15 lbs. Couldn't lift the 20 lbs once. I have a long piece of resistance tubing that I would use at home which I'll bring next time. You can make a large loop with it and stand on it, and hook the barbells under it. You can vary the resistance with it. Works really well. You can add a little more resistance w/out adding any weight. You can also double the tubing to make it even harder. But it does make it harder to quantify.

[yakubu]

this is the problem with gyms, the weights increase by too much to be able to do body for life in the gym. i suppose its normal though cos most people just do 3 sets of the same weights and then they increase it by 5 % the next sessions.

i'd never heard or seen of the b4life sets and reps thing until i opend bill's book. if you want to be successful at body for lif ethen the only way really is to do it at home with adjustable dumbelss cos then u can increase weight by how much you like

[Chris]

..or you could bring those weights to the gym with you.

I'm much better off at the gym. I've tried it at home, not good. For me, I need the gym to stick with it.

[Marc]

I am better off at the gym, tried the at home thing and well......no comment. and you definitely dont have to do BFL at home to be successful. Even if your gym's weights dont have small increments between them, it forces your muscles to adapt quicker to heavier weights. My 2 cents!

[sshultz]

I've never really trusted the 5% increment each week theory. Some weeks it's just not possible and as you get stronger, those gains get bigger and there's a point at which you simply can't lift anymore. I'm on my second round and I'm not doing the high point workout. I still lift heavy and get intense. I come out feeling like I've had a great workout. Leg day I usually push it to nearly throwing up. I just found a workout that works better for me. If I can't do the last weight for all the reps I've got planned, I do what I can, and then I do either forced reps or negative reps to finish it out. If I just can't lift it for one rep, I go back down a step and crank out as many as I can. I'm usually fatigued enough that even that's kind of difficult.

[Chris]

Yeah, that's true... Some weeks I actually need to go DOWN in weight. I still hit my 10's. I think it's more about the effort than the actual poundage (or kilogramage).