I am wondering how much weight is too much.
I know that if you can do 12 easy reps that it is not enough. question is how much is too much. How much should you struggle with the last few reps and around what rep should it start to get hard to do?
Should you barely be able to do the last two or three or only struggle with them a little bit?
question about amount of weight to lift
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
RK19 wrote:whats your goal?
As far as arms, I would like to get a little bigger and much more defined. chest, I would like to get rid of little man boobs.
I don't know what max bench is but I can do 170 two or three times. I used 90 and 100lbs to work out with and the last few reps I was barely able to do.
With arms, I can work out with 25 pound dumbbells but the last few reps are pretty rough.
As a rule you are much less likely to injure yourself if you limit your maximum weight to one that you can do for 3 reps. Single rep maximum lifts are the riskiest to perform.
program when I was lifting heavy looked like this:
Warm Up--comfortable weight x 10 reps
1 set-with a weight that I could do 10 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-with a weight that I could do 8 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-with a weight that I could do 6 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-with a weight that I could do 3 to 4 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-full-pause with warm up weight.
The "full-pause" must be performed with great strictness. Pretend that the weight is a very heavy one and set yourself up carefully as though it was a max effort lift. Take your lift off and hold the lockout for a one second count, then lower the bar in a controlled, but quick fashion and let it rest on your chest. Take almost all your arm pressure off the bar so that nearly all the weight is on your chest and not on your arms. Then drive to your lock out again and repeat the process.
Use a spotter with this the first time you try it. It is surprisingly difficult.
personal workout looked like this:
235 x 10 (warm up)
285 x 10
325 x 8
345 x 6
365 x 4
375 x 3
395 x 2 - 3 (heavy week only)
235 x 10, full pause
I always used collars and I always made sure that they were clamped tight.
Always make sure your spotter is physically up to the task. Above 300 pounds I used two spotters, one at each end of the bar.
I never used "forced reps" and spotters were told not to touch the bar unless I yelled out "take it".
I singled out at 425 pounds (182 pound body weight) but injured myself badly on the last time I did so. After that I never singled out maximum lifts again.
program when I was lifting heavy looked like this:
Warm Up--comfortable weight x 10 reps
1 set-with a weight that I could do 10 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-with a weight that I could do 8 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-with a weight that I could do 6 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-with a weight that I could do 3 to 4 reps with (near max. effort)
1 set-full-pause with warm up weight.
The "full-pause" must be performed with great strictness. Pretend that the weight is a very heavy one and set yourself up carefully as though it was a max effort lift. Take your lift off and hold the lockout for a one second count, then lower the bar in a controlled, but quick fashion and let it rest on your chest. Take almost all your arm pressure off the bar so that nearly all the weight is on your chest and not on your arms. Then drive to your lock out again and repeat the process.
Use a spotter with this the first time you try it. It is surprisingly difficult.
personal workout looked like this:
235 x 10 (warm up)
285 x 10
325 x 8
345 x 6
365 x 4
375 x 3
395 x 2 - 3 (heavy week only)
235 x 10, full pause
I always used collars and I always made sure that they were clamped tight.
Always make sure your spotter is physically up to the task. Above 300 pounds I used two spotters, one at each end of the bar.
I never used "forced reps" and spotters were told not to touch the bar unless I yelled out "take it".
I singled out at 425 pounds (182 pound body weight) but injured myself badly on the last time I did so. After that I never singled out maximum lifts again.