Search the Community

Hi everyone, I have been gone a while, getting things in my life in order and what not. But I am back now. So I have finally found the perfect diet for myself and I have even dropped one size since April. I am feeling great and I am motivated again (I lost my track a little at some point). I am even going to attempt the next 4 week challenge. Yay! Anyway, so I am looking for a little advice from some advanced members on my sets and reps. Its a simple question that I have really, and I am looking for a simple answer. I do a one set of 12 low weights to warm up (about half my heaviest weight) and on my heaviest weight I am currently doing 3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise. I am busy weight lifting to build lean muscle and lose all my extra fat. It is the only thing that has been working for me. Sometimes I still doubt myself though. Am I on the right track or should I be doing 4 - 5 sets of 8 instead for a better result? I am unsure if it is unnecessary to be adding extra sets. So far the 3 sets of 8 make me stiff but not unbearably sore. Is it necessary to add the extra and create more "post workout soreness" (for lack of a better description). Or should I stick to my 3 sets of weight and just increase my weight when I feel that it is no longer effective? What sets of reps do you suggest? Thank you for in advance for easy to understand advice. You guys rock!

So I'm fairly new to free weight workouts, but I have what seems like an essential question. Which is better: more reps with lighter weight, or fewer reps with more weight?

Battle Log 1 Measurements: Weight = 96 lbs Waist = 27in Neck = 12in Chest = 31in Biceps = Left= 9in Right= 9in Hips = 33.5in Thigh: Right= 18.5in Left = 18.5in Calf: Right= 12.5in Left = 12.5in Goal Weight is 115 - 120 lbs Oddly my right and left sides are the same size. At least I won't have to worry about a dominant arm or leg (: Calorie Intake: Goal = 2445 per day I have 1 week calculated on by fitbit app no point in adding in a whole week on the first check in. 5/7 days with the right amount of calories. I'm proud of the accomplishments I have done so far. Going from 1 meal a day and never drinking water besides once a month usually if that xD Who know's how I am still alive. Unhealthy as hell but I'm working on it. I will also be adding any recipes that I've tried out that I think are good. If you have any yummy recipes you want to share i'm all ears; I get bored with tastes easily and always have to have flavor or I just won't finish eating it. The paleo diet was made for me I love me some veggies(: Water: Goal = 64 oz or 8 cups per day 3/7 days ): This is one thing I definitely need to work on even if I have set reminders on my phone while at work. Workouts: Basic for now until I gain strength A= 3 rounds total Step Up - 5 reps per side Bodyweight Pushup - 5 reps Pull ups- 8 reps Finish With: Side Plank - 2 sets of 40+ seconds per side B= 4 rounds total Assisted One Leg Squat - 10 reps Assisted Straight Arm Support - 15+ second hold Wall Slides - 8 reps Finish With: Bar Hang - 2 sets 30+ second hang C= 4 rounds total Start With: Jump Rope Singles - 3 sets of max consecutive reps Lateral Jumping Squat - 6 reps Bodyweight Pushup - 5 reps Assisted Chin Up - 8 reps Finish With: Hanging Scapular Retraction - 2 sets of 10 I mix up my own thing in between workouts If I'm not satisfied with how much I've done. Always pushing harder (: I will be working on barbell bench press, flat-bench dumbbell press, rows, etc. later on; once I've accomplished my basic goals for gaining strength. Not drinking water and never eating can do that on your body. I miss how I used to workout with my dad all the time. I was a lot healthier back then; lol my dad was in the military so he didn't take no for an answer when it came to working out. R.I.P John Wayne Johnson; I will be visiting him this memorial weekend. He will have been gone 1 year coming up this august. That's all I have for now; Time for some dinner.

I passed my final assessment today in my first professional fitness qualification. I will now be a certified gym instructor and can join the UK professional fitness body. I've come such a long way in the past two and a half years. It's less than 30 months since I first started with strength training, just over two years since I took up barbell training, and yet I've lost 15kg, racked up a swathe of powerlifting medals and gone from a gym-phobic to a gym instructor. I had some really positive feedback on my coaching style, explicit encouragement to carry on to further qualifications, and I'm actually going to help train the girl I paired up with for the assessment. Her bench form is already looking so much better than the first day she tried it! I can't wait to start getting other women lifting (and helping the guys in the gym lift with better form and better programming)!

Salutations - So I've been doing bodyweight workouts (specifically, the NerdFitness Beginner Bodyweight Workout) for a few months now, and I enjoy it. But I have a length question. It takes me between 15-20 minutes to complete the three circuits of the workout, as suggested by Steve. I'm tired at the end of the workout, but this seems like a short amount of time to work out. If I go to the gym, I usually walk on the treadmill or stationary bike for at least an hour. Am I royally screwing this up? I try not to hurry through my exercises, but I'm a bit lost. Thanks and cheers - Cori

Ok, noob question here.. I know that the term "5x5" somehow includes 5 sets with 5 reps, but since both numbers are the same I didn't pay attention to which number is which. I've also read about "3x5"... is this 3 sets of 5 reps, or 3 reps for 5 sets? I'm guessing the former, since I seem to remember seeing "3x15" or something silly elsewhere, and I am skeptical that any routine would have a person doing 15 sets of anything. Just want to clarify. Furthermore, I've noticed that when doing my 5x5 routine, I definitely am lifting enough weight that it's difficult but possible, and yet my muscles aren't crazy sore afterward. What does this mean? It seems like if I'm really working them out as hard as I want to, I should be feeling it when I'm done for the day, or at least the next morning. Instead what happens is I work up a sweat and get my heart rate up while I'm doing it, but feel fine ten or fifteen minutes later. It's weird. Or maybe I'm just not used to it.

For the most part I'm loving the NF Guides. However, I've got a question on the Barbell Battalion one: Rank one uses 2 exercises per workout, each exercise having 5 sets of 5 reps. Does this mean I go, warm up, then do a set of 5 push presses, rest, another set of push presses, rest, etc until completing the 5 sets, and then start my sets of squats? Or do I do a set of push presses, rest, a set of squats, rest, a set of push presses, a set of squats, etc until I've done 5 of each? Does it matter?

I'm feeling a lot less like a noob now, but I do have a very important question I wanted to ask of you more experienced and lovely people. On days when I don't go to the gym, I make do with what I have at home. I do body weight squats, push ups, planks, and things like that. I can't do incline pull ups because of my right hand (flexor tendinitis, had surgery twice), but I do make sure to do assisted pull ups at the gym where the machine has a much better grip on it. At home, my heaviest dumbbell is 10 lbs (in the past I never got much farther past needing it), and already I'm able to tell that it's getting to be too light and I only get a benefit with adding reps and/or sets. My question is this: I'm going to be adding another gym day and was wondering if instead of the usual 3x15 I feel anything from with the 10 lb weights, would it be advisable to switch to the 5x5 with 20 lb weights for my rows and curls? On a positive note, before I could only do 5 second planks, but now I'm up to 10 on a bad day and 15 on a good day and about ready to get rid of the ball for my push ups.