How to find the right starting weight

[Romedoggy]

After reading more on this site...I think my issue is I'm not lifting enough weight. How do I know if I'm at the right starting weight for an exercise?

[Meechel]

I started with 5lbs on incline db press and when I felt they were easy and my form was SPOT on then I would move up to 8's and now I can do 20's.

Also if you can do 15 of something at say 30lbs try and do 8 of them at 40 or 45 as long as the form is good.

You want to push yourself with out loosing form.

[Audrey]

First, select the number of reps you want to do for the exercise – say 6 reps. Select a weight you think will allow you to hit that number of reps. You don’t need to (and probably shouldn’t for most sets) hit failure (i.e. stop 1 rep short of failure – in other words, stop one rep short of not being able to complete the exercise on your own). If the weight is too easy, increase it a bit until you find a good working weight that allows you to hit your targeted reps. The last few reps should be bard to complete but you should still be able to do them without the need for a spotter (and still stopping one rep short of failure). If the weight you selected is too heavy, decrease it a bit.

Make sure your form is spot on though. If the exercise is new to you, start light and work on your form first before thinking about upping the weights.

[Romedoggy]

Is 6 a good start for reps? I've always done the 10-15 reps, but I've gotten a little feedback on that since I started asking questions.

BTW- You're the best. Did you say on another post that your preggers? How far along?

[Audrey]

Is 6 a good start for reps? I've always done the 10-15 reps, but I've gotten a little feedback on that since I started asking questions.

BTW- You're the best. Did you say on another post that your preggers? How far along?

Thanks! :love: And yes, I am currently 31 weeks pregnant :D

As I mentioned in another post replying to your thread (in the Training section), I would include some heavier weight lifting, especially if your goal is to diet (this will help maintain your muscle). 10-12 reps is fine, but I would also include some lower rep ranges – something around 5-8 reps (or 5-6 reps).

I would also concentrate mainly on compound movements in your training (bench press – which is fine to do even with implants :wink - , bent-over barbell rows, deadlifts/Romanian deadlifts, squats, military press and pull-ups should be at the center of your training program). These exercises are the ones were you can do lower reps and focus on getting stronger. You can then add a few accessory exercises (one bicep exercise, one tricep exercise, lateral raises…) for higher reps (10-12 reps).

Does that make sense? :)

[Romedoggy]

Congrats! Is this your first child?

So....if I understand you correctly these are examples of the "compound exercises" that Erik is referring to in the Basic Primer? Next, I should add in the "accessory" exercises? Would I want to break up the compound and accessory to be on different days?

Also, I've gotten a lot of feedback on my cardio. How much cardio and when should you do HIIT? Should I even do SS cardio if I'm trying to lean out?

[Audrey]

Congrats! Is this your first child?

So....if I understand you correctly these are examples of the "compound exercises" that Erik is referring to in the Basic Primer? Next, I should add in the "accessory" exercises? Would I want to break up the compound and accessory to be on different days?

Also, I've gotten a lot of feedback on my cardio. How much cardio and when should you do HIIT? Should I even do SS cardio if I'm trying to lean out?


Yes, this is my first :)

And yes, the compound exercises would be what Erik refers to in the Basic Promer. You don't necessarily need to break up the compound and accessory exercises to be on different days, but if you do them on the same day, do the compound exercises first and then the accessory exercises.

How much cardio depends on a few factors, including what your caloric deficit is, whether you are very active the rest of the day, what the rest of your training looks like... You could do your HIIT on the lower body days (either after the workout if scheduling a separate workout is an issue or later in the day). You could do 2 HIIT workouts a week. If you need to expand additional calories and your diet is already fairly low in calories, you can add some steady state cardio (HIIT workouts are pretty stressful on the central nervous system, therefore you cannot do HIIT more than a few times a week). A couple of sessions of 30-45 minutes cardio are fine... But I would make sure first that your daily calories are set at the appropriate level before adding some more cardio.

[Romedoggy]

This info is awesome! This is REALLY helpful. I tried to finish my routine last night, but my son was sick. I spent a good portion of the night giving him TLC. Hopefully, I'll finish it today at lunch and then I can post so you can give me some feedback.

Are you going to find out the sex?

[Audrey]

Are you going to find out the sex?

It's a girl :)

[Romedoggy]

I always wanted a girl. Little girl clothes are so damn cute, plus… you get to do all the fun girly stuff like have her bench pressing before she's potty trained :)
I'll have to read how you're training journal and see how you're keeping the weight off. I gained 70+ lbs while pregnant. It was awful. It's taken 1 1/2 years to take it off (and countless unproductive workouts). I still don't look like I did before, but gaining 70 lbs. will do that to a girl.