Yes more weight lifting questions.
When I first started to lift I was able to handle 3 sets of 10 25pound dumbell hammer curls. Now after a few weeks I cant even manage 2 full sets at this weight. am I doing it wrong or do I need to drop the weight to something I can manage?
More Questions
Moderator: The Kwon
I am no work out guru. The top reason's I would think for this would be not enough rest bewteen workout's of the particular muscle group, or you are using better form now, and not "cheating". Did you up your rep's? Thats one more possible cause.
Sumdaor-Level 60 Warrior-retired
Twinkletoez-Level 68 Bard-Retired
Twinkletoez-Level 68 Bard-Retired
-
Tegellan
- Way too much time!
- Posts: 1278
- Joined: July 5, 2002, 8:41 am
- Gender: Male
- Location: DK
- Contact:
That sounds entirely wrong, have you changed anything else? Otherwise it could sound like your body is somehow not getting enough rest, so taking 3 or 4 days of to allow your body to fully recover might be the way to go.
Try and post some more info before you change anything.
Try and post some more info before you change anything.
Fortune favors the brave!
-
Kwonryu DragonFist
- Super Poster!
- Posts: 5405
- Joined: July 12, 2002, 6:48 am
Click <- Then Click Free
I recommend first starting with a warmup set of 10-20 reps with light weight.
The weight you use after warmup, should be a weight that you can do max 8 reps with.
Do 3 sets with that weight after the warmupset.
Maybe you used incorrect form at first (using more parts of your body cheating up the weight instead of strict and concentrated).
Start over with a weight you can handle, and use correct form.
Then you can raise weight after a while, when you feel that the current weight (which you do 8 reps with) is beginning to feel too light.
Always use strict form and chock the muscle! When you train biceps, train biceps and not use other muscles, when you train shoulders, train shoulders and not something else!
Try again and Good luck!
Remember, whats important is not how much you lift, but that you manage to concentrate the pressure on the correct muscle (correct form).
Many people can cheat up a heavy weight, but for what cause? You are not forcing the correct muscle to grow!
If you train biceps, train biceps! Chock the muscle and it will grow and become stronger!
Its not an Ego thing, if your muscles are responding, you are doing it right! Be it light weight or heavier!
One
I recommend first starting with a warmup set of 10-20 reps with light weight.
The weight you use after warmup, should be a weight that you can do max 8 reps with.
Do 3 sets with that weight after the warmupset.
Maybe you used incorrect form at first (using more parts of your body cheating up the weight instead of strict and concentrated).
Start over with a weight you can handle, and use correct form.
Then you can raise weight after a while, when you feel that the current weight (which you do 8 reps with) is beginning to feel too light.
Always use strict form and chock the muscle! When you train biceps, train biceps and not use other muscles, when you train shoulders, train shoulders and not something else!
Try again and Good luck!
Remember, whats important is not how much you lift, but that you manage to concentrate the pressure on the correct muscle (correct form).
Many people can cheat up a heavy weight, but for what cause? You are not forcing the correct muscle to grow!
If you train biceps, train biceps! Chock the muscle and it will grow and become stronger!
Its not an Ego thing, if your muscles are responding, you are doing it right! Be it light weight or heavier!
One
I actually forgot about this post...yes the problem had everything to do with form. When I started I didnt fully understand proper form, as I read more and lifted more the proper form became obvious thus the drop in sets I was able to do.
Having just picked up the weights again after a few months off lead me back here.
Having just picked up the weights again after a few months off lead me back here.
-
Kwonryu DragonFist
- Super Poster!
- Posts: 5405
- Joined: July 12, 2002, 6:48 am
Sarlen!
A Pro can make a light weight feel heavier than it is!
It's all about muscle-contact and angles!
Sure, some may fool themselves by lifting a heavy weight (man i'm strong), but if you are lifting with your shoulders and back while training arms, you will not emphasize arms as much as you could have (muscle-growth etc).
When you do T-bar for example, you concentrate the weight and lift with your lats/back only using the arms as liftinghooks!
If you are primarily lifting with your arms when doin T-bar, it is a very poor excercize for arms!
A Pro can make a light weight feel heavier than it is!
It's all about muscle-contact and angles!
Sure, some may fool themselves by lifting a heavy weight (man i'm strong), but if you are lifting with your shoulders and back while training arms, you will not emphasize arms as much as you could have (muscle-growth etc).
When you do T-bar for example, you concentrate the weight and lift with your lats/back only using the arms as liftinghooks!
If you are primarily lifting with your arms when doin T-bar, it is a very poor excercize for arms!
Its been a month now since I went back after the weights and for the first time ever I can see real results. My arm size is increasing as my body fat is visably reduced. Hopefully I will be able to accomplish my goals by the end of summer (able to take my shirt off in public with out makeing people ill)sarlen wrote:I actually forgot about this post...yes the problem had everything to do with form. When I started I didnt fully understand proper form, as I read more and lifted more the proper form became obvious thus the drop in sets I was able to do.
Having just picked up the weights again after a few months off lead me back here.
-
Kwonryu DragonFist
- Super Poster!
- Posts: 5405
- Joined: July 12, 2002, 6:48 am
It’s been 2 months now since I went back to the weights. In the last month I focused on learning as much as possible about weight training and found a few things that surprised me.
First off I started out by working each muscle group only once a week and honestly my returns were poor. I asked on a few different message boards about frequency of working each muscle group and everyone had a different opinion, some say 3 times a week others say once a week. After much research it turns out the only person that can answer the “how often” question is yourself. Body type, diet, and intensity of the workout dictates how often one should work a specific muscle group. That may have been a no brainer to some but it was news to me…
Second, I cut my raw sugar and caffeine intake down dramatically, only allowed 3 cups of coffee a day with Splenda, and water the rest of the day. This alone has completely changed who I am. I didn’t realize how caffeine was ruining me. I was tired all the time and had a hard time sleeping, often laying awake for hours before being able to go to sleep. When I woke up in the morning I was drinking 2 to 4 pots of coffee before noon just to feel somewhat awake. Now I’m asleep within 10 to 15 min and I feel like I’m ready to run a marathon when I wake up in the morning. My energy and motivation at work and home has risen 10 fold.
I am still handicapped by only having free weights to work with, and only dumbbells at that. The local gym is not an option right now as it’s a bit too pricey to justify it. If I make the 3-month mark and the motivation is still going strong I promised my self I would buy a nice cheep home gym and or a monthly pass to the local gym.
As for nutrition it seems to be a big hurdle. I have lost about 15 pounds in the last 2 months but I feel hungry ALL the time. I eat constantly but often to no avail. Its apparent I’m not getting the nutrition my body needs, I eat a good amount 4 to 5 times a day and I still find myself looking for food every time I pass the fridge. The hunger thing really started when I stopped eating tons of raw sugars and caffeine, but not sure what to fill that gap with.
First off I started out by working each muscle group only once a week and honestly my returns were poor. I asked on a few different message boards about frequency of working each muscle group and everyone had a different opinion, some say 3 times a week others say once a week. After much research it turns out the only person that can answer the “how often” question is yourself. Body type, diet, and intensity of the workout dictates how often one should work a specific muscle group. That may have been a no brainer to some but it was news to me…
Second, I cut my raw sugar and caffeine intake down dramatically, only allowed 3 cups of coffee a day with Splenda, and water the rest of the day. This alone has completely changed who I am. I didn’t realize how caffeine was ruining me. I was tired all the time and had a hard time sleeping, often laying awake for hours before being able to go to sleep. When I woke up in the morning I was drinking 2 to 4 pots of coffee before noon just to feel somewhat awake. Now I’m asleep within 10 to 15 min and I feel like I’m ready to run a marathon when I wake up in the morning. My energy and motivation at work and home has risen 10 fold.
I am still handicapped by only having free weights to work with, and only dumbbells at that. The local gym is not an option right now as it’s a bit too pricey to justify it. If I make the 3-month mark and the motivation is still going strong I promised my self I would buy a nice cheep home gym and or a monthly pass to the local gym.
As for nutrition it seems to be a big hurdle. I have lost about 15 pounds in the last 2 months but I feel hungry ALL the time. I eat constantly but often to no avail. Its apparent I’m not getting the nutrition my body needs, I eat a good amount 4 to 5 times a day and I still find myself looking for food every time I pass the fridge. The hunger thing really started when I stopped eating tons of raw sugars and caffeine, but not sure what to fill that gap with.