How often do you switch it up?

[Tallgirll22T]

How quickly do you feel your muscles adapt to what you are putting them through? Every 2 weeks, every month, month and a half?
It seems like every 2 weeks I have to increase reps. Then the next week or so I increase sets. If I get to 5 sets, I feel pretty ridiculous because I don't like to spend more than an hour or so weight training. So I try a new workout.
What does everybody else do/think? I get disappointed when I don't get sore anymore.

[Boss Man]

DOMS, (Delayed onset Muscle Soreness), is no guarantee of a good workout, as it can also be indicative over overtraining, but also some people can get a good workout without getting DOMS.

As for switching up, I used to have a principle worked out for when I did it.

Basically you go for 6-8 reps on a certain weight, then when you can get another 3 reps, add another 2.5kg, or around 5lbs and go for 6-8 again.

This works on all exercises where you use both legs or arms at the same time on a machine, barbell or two handed cable exercise.

The exceptions being dumbell or one handed cable exercises, when you're looking at another 5-6 reps on a certain weight, before dropping the gained reps and adding the bit of extra weight.

This tended to work for me.

[Tallgirll22T]

So you are saying it would be a better idea to increase weight rather than reps and sets?

[ultimatehlth]

Studies show that an untrained person (someone new) will begin to plateau within 4-6 weeks if they continue the same routine and a trained individual within 2 weeks. The changes don't need to be extreme, they can be changes in resistance, reps, intensity or type of exercise. Unless you are power lifting 5 sets of any individual exercise is both excessive and a waste of time. If you are working at a high enough intensity 3 sets should be plenty, more than that then you are not working hard enough.
Best,

Personal Trainer Los Angeles - Hollywood

[Boss Man]

So you are saying it would be a better idea to increase weight rather than reps and sets?

Sets could be increased after a fashion, as all people who are new to weights, that get a TBT workout would be givne 2 sets of each, as 3 is too much, but after 4-6 weeks of adaption a third set could be added in.

What I'm advocating, is increasing the weight after a small gain in reppage on the current weight, otherwise an effective level of weight used for 8-10 reps, would become pretty ineffective in terms of progression, when becoming something you could do 15-20 times.

I am advocating a period of adjustment to a level of weight, where a small yet modest increase in the reps possible is achieved, then a small increase in the weight used is observed with a resultant drop in reps possible, when there is a reasonable number of possible reps at that higher weight.

Sometimes I took too long to increase the weights, fearful of ending up struggling to perform many reps with a higher weight, as the idea of lifting something and then struggling within 5-6 seconds, didn't appeal to me obviously, so sometimes I'd end up doing 12-13 reps on a level of weight, before daring to go up a bit more, when on many exercises it was not necessary.

The method I described in previous post, worked for me, by giving me a fixed way to assess when to increase weight and when not to.

[Tallgirll22T]

Thanks a lot both of you. I am familiar with gradually increasing reps and weight. I was an inbetweenie for awhile. 15 pounds was too light, and 20 I could barely do (on arm workouts). So I did as many reps as I could with 20 pounds, then finised set using a resistance band. Then I started having problems with legs and chest exercises not being heavy enough. Now I add extra weight to body weight exercises. However, I have gotten to the point that reps have gone from 12 to 15 or 20 on some moves. I have even started doing moves on one side of body, or one leg (such as weighted one-leg calf raises on a step.) Generally, after I get to 20 reps, I switch to a different workout.
Unfortunately, increasing the weight more isn't an option right now unless I join a gym. As I have mentioned before, I live in a rural area. The nearest gym is at least a 30 min drive away. That is not only inconvenient, but potentially expensive on gas if I don't plan it right after work or school or something.
Is joining a gym really worth the money? I can't really affort to buy a whole gym and put it in backyard...or house, since it is tiny.

[Boss Man]

Gyms can be worth the money, but you can actually buy free weights and it is relatively easy to do.

This is the sort of setup most people you could aim for.

One weight bench, preferably with an incline.

1 long bar weight 10kg, (22lbs).

2 small bars weighing 2kg, (4.4lbs).

4 collars or clips ot hold weight on.

2 x 10kg discs, (22lbs).

4 x 5kg discs, (11lbs).

4 x 2 - 2.5 kgs discs, (4.4lbs - 5.5lbs).

4 x 1 - 1.25kg discs, (2.2 - 2.75lbs).

Optional things would include squat rack, medicine ball, mat, and bands.

The things I described are easy to store as you can put the discs on top of each other in piles, next ot a all or in something like the base of a cupboard or wardrobe and the small bars on top and the big bar leaning against a wall, so it would be all very space efficient.

This also gives you a flexible way of working, that is much cheaper then buying ready to go barbells and dumbells, as you would need many of those to replicate all the different weight optinos free weight gives you and it would be more expensives, especially factoring in the cost of 2-3 dumbell trees to store the weight.

The only real benefit to dumbells and barbells is not having to swap weight over like with free weights, as a ready to go level of weight is handy, but due to the taking of more space and the extra cost it isn't really worth it.