Quick weightlifting question

[Milford Cubicle II]

So I've never been really into "weight lifting." Meaning I don't live at the gym or anything but I try to get a good workout in about 3 days a week.

My main goal is to be stronger (as much in a skeletal way as in a muscular way) and just to stay in shape. I know a *little* about working out and whatnot but I've never really gotten "into it."

My question is, when I lift weights I have a kinda weird problem. I can lift my "max" around 8 times or so but if I add hardly, if not any, weight whatsoever then I can't even come close to moving it (or that's what it feels like anyways). At most I can max out at 5% more of what I rep.

Maybe it's a lot more normal than I think it is or maybe I just need to grow a pair but from the couple of people I've talked to it's kinda strange. I dunno what it means or if it's good or bad or just different but I'd like to figure it out one way or another.

Thanks!

 

[mcantar18c]

I've always preferred calisthenics/bodyweight exorcise over weights. I've found it works better if done right, you don't need to buy anything (weights, weight machines, gym memberships, and its more enjoyable IMO cause you can go outside.

PM me, I have a workout I think you'd benefit from.

 

[beakie]

once you've max'd out, really max'd out, then your not going to have much left for one last final rep, even if it's just one. otherwise it's not maxing out.

I pyramid, as opposed to trying to go real heavy, 15reps of X, 12 of Y, 8-10 of Z, then back up, 12 of Y, 15 of X
maybe once a month I'll try a heavy weight, but I don't care much about how much I can lift.

another exercise I've been really liking, is pressing 1 dumbell at a time. works your core to stabilize your body on the bench, and you have to concentrate on the muscles being used. in fact I've been trying most exercises isolating just one arm/leg/side at a time, instead of both, makes for something different in an otherwise repetitive routine.

 

[mcantar18c]

PM replied to. I'll talk with you more about the diet part when I get back later.

 

[asp]

I haven't really lifted since college, but I used to lift very often. As mentioned, the pyramid is a great technique.

It sounds like you may have plateaued. I've had that happen to me three times. The first two times I had no idea what was going on and was all sorts of frustrated. The third time, I recognized it before it got too bad and started switching up my routine at the suggestion of a friend. I didn't always switch the days of my routine (I did chest/back, arms/shoulders, legs/core) but I'd switch the order of which excercises I did on a particular day. That time, I got stronger than I'd ever been before. To be honest, I was too strong for my frame and was starting to hurt joints. At about the same time, I came down with a rather nasty cold that took me out of the gym and that was the last time I lifted (about 3.5 years ago).

Some general rules of thumb:
Slow and controlled (especially on the 'downs' ie: benchpressing - don't drop it to your chest then explode up. lower it slowly, then raise it slowly)
don't wait too long between sets
bring water (duh)
trust your spotter
don't let your spotter help too much (I hate it when they'd pick the weight up for me. Make me earn it.)
Your food intake is important. I ate more eggs and chicken then than any other time in my life. (low fat + protein)

I keep thinking about trying to pick it up again but there just aren't enough hours in the day and I'd much rather be outside doing something like mountain biking or hiking... Maybe sometime.

oh... and don't take any supplement pills or creatine. Any nutrition you need you ought to be able to get straight from food (unless you have some sort of other chemical imbalance that's affecting you. But that's another story that should be left to the doctors)

Good luck.

edit: one other thing. Forget about how impressive curling a 55lb dumbell looks. Go by how it feels and only use the weights as numbers that guide you in changing the level of resistance.

edit2: have patience. it doesn't come overnight. Expect it to take a good few months @ 3 days a week. If you bump it up to 4-6 days a week it will happen a lot faster, but you might get burned out on the whole thing quicker. Figure out what works for you.

edit3: use dumbells and free weights, not machines. They work all the stabilizer muscles too. You'll hurt like you didn't know was possible.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

I agree with everything being said so far. I'm meticulous about lifting "slow and controlled." I also try to do the reverse of every exercise I do so that I work the counterpart to every major muscle IE flipping hands on a california bar when curling, doing dips as well as pull ups, hell I even run backwards (on an elliptical) for every distance I run forwards.

But I'd like to clarify that I don't mean I can lift only ~5% more than I rep after I've already done a set, I mean I can only lift maybe 5% more than I normally rep period. I don't think I've plateaued because this is how it's always been for me for as long as I've lifted. I still get stronger (increase the weight I'm lifting) on a fairly regular basis but I can never lift much more than what I'm rep'ing :dunno:

I was hoping someone could tell me what the hell my problem is, if it's good/bad/neutral, and how to fix it because I feel like I *should* be able to lift a lot more based on what I'm rep'ing.

 

[asp]

Oh, that makes sense. The few times I ever tried to lift more than I normally did it never ended well, so I just stopped trying. If didn't think I could get at least 3 reps off I don't even try. The idea of 'maxing out' never seemed useful and just like a good way to strain something. Everyone is different though. Some people might be able to get 15% more for one rep, some maybe only 5%. For me personally, if I can move it I can usually get 3-5 reps off. If I can't move it, it doesn't work at all.

 

[Darky]

I agree with everything being said so far. I'm meticulous about lifting "slow and controlled." I also try to do the reverse of every exercise I do so that I work the counterpart to every major muscle IE flipping hands on a california bar when curling, doing dips as well as pull ups, hell I even run backwards (on an elliptical) for every distance I run forwards.

But I'd like to clarify that I don't mean I can lift only ~5% more than I rep after I've already done a set, I mean I can only lift maybe 5% more than I normally rep period. I don't think I've plateaued because this is how it's always been for me for as long as I've lifted. I still get stronger (increase the weight I'm lifting) on a fairly regular basis but I can never lift much more than what I'm rep'ing :dunno:

I was hoping someone could tell me what the hell my problem is, if it's good/bad/neutral, and how to fix it because I feel like I *should* be able to lift a lot more based on what I'm rep'ing.

Possibly a mental thing. Try having someone else load up the weight without you looking. You might be seeing x amount of weight and psyching yourself out.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

Oh, that makes sense. The few times I ever tried to lift more than I normally did it never ended well, so I just stopped trying. If didn't think I could get at least 3 reps off I don't even try. The idea of 'maxing out' never seemed useful and just like a good way to strain something. Everyone is different though. Some people might be able to get 15% more for one rep, some maybe only 5%. For me personally, if I can move it I can usually get 3-5 reps off. If I can't move it, it doesn't work at all.

Sweet that's pretty much exactly how it's working with me. Just seems strange because I see/hear people talking about what they max out at but I only ever seem them doing reps of a lot less weight.

Now that I put that into words I feel really dumb for not realizing that that's because probably 90% of those people are full of :bs: about what they can max out at :laugh:

Possibly a mental thing. Try having someone else load up the weight without you looking. You might be seeing x amount of weight and psyching yourself out.

That could certainly me an element as well, I'll try that :thumbup:

The thing is, I'm somewhat obsessed with not developing sarcoplasmic muscle (imo, useless muscle mass with no corresponding strength). So I try to lift as much weight as I possibly can as long as I can get 4-6 reps in. Unless I'm doing pylometrics.

I'm still new at this so correct me if I'm completely full of shiznit.

 

[mcantar18c]

I agree with everything being said so far. I'm meticulous about lifting "slow and controlled." I also try to do the reverse of every exercise I do so that I work the counterpart to every major muscle IE flipping hands on a california bar when curling, doing dips as well as pull ups, hell I even run backwards (on an elliptical) for every distance I run forwards.

But I'd like to clarify that I don't mean I can lift only ~5% more than I rep after I've already done a set, I mean I can only lift maybe 5% more than I normally rep period. I don't think I've plateaued because this is how it's always been for me for as long as I've lifted. I still get stronger (increase the weight I'm lifting) on a fairly regular basis but I can never lift much more than what I'm rep'ing :dunno:

I was hoping someone could tell me what the hell my problem is, if it's good/bad/neutral, and how to fix it because I feel like I *should* be able to lift a lot more based on what I'm rep'ing.

Kinda sounds to me like you're only working on your slow-twitch muscles, and so you're not getting the fast-twitch bursts of strength you need to "max out."

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

Fast twitch = Pylometrics

Right?

So maybe focus on pylometrics for a period and see how that affects things?

 

[mcantar18c]

That's what I'd do, yup.
If you start doing that workout I PM'd you about, and you do the exorcises as fast as possible rather than as slow as possible, that'd work. If you use weights, go a little lighter than you normally do and do higher reps/lower sets, do your reps quickly but make sure you still use correct form.

 

[bigalpha]

Crossfit.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

Care to elaborate?

 

[Darky]

A variation of crossfit is what was used to get the actors into shape for 300. There was no CGI on them, they all were actually that ripper.

 

[bjoehandley]

I think it's kind of along the lines of the P90x workout program that's sold on TV.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

A variation of crossfit is what was used to get the actors into shape for 300 and a lot of steroids.

FIFY

I think it's kind of along the lines of the P90x workout program that's sold on TV.

No offense but p90x, while it is a good workout, is the opposite of the kind of muscle I want.

High reps of low weight develops sarcoplasmic muscle growth which may look good (which is why p90x is very successful)... but that's about it. That's also why you see guys at the gym doing lightweight reps of 15-20 because it builds muscle volume quickly so they look big and buff for tha ladies :loveu:

 

[bjoehandley]

I know, I've heard people say that the people who've done the P90 program almost look anorexic by the time they get done, they aren't really "huge" they just have built some muscle but also have no "insulation" left either. I've never tried the program though, even though I lift on a regular basis and love to walk when it's not on a treadmill, I think that program would kill my fat ass quick

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

Yea I have no doubt it's a good workout, I just don't agree with the type of muscle it creates.

I'd much rather be strong than look strong

 

[footdale]

x10000 for crossfit.

Lots of reading, instruction, demos on their main site www.crossfit.com. Plus it's all free!
www.crossfitbrandx.com is a good forum that scales the workouts for beginners.