To Woot or not to Woot?

[Mony]

I squatted and deadlifted a personal best today!

75lbs squat (down looowwww) - 3 sets/12reps

120lbs deadlift (with no straps for grip help!) - 3 sets/15 reps

I am thrilled about this new PB and excited to see how much more weight I could handle if/when I lower my reps.

Honestly I am just wondering, in respect to other women noobs (I've been strength training for about 3 months), if this is a respectable weight? Also, I'm trying to gauge where I should set my sights for a future goal for the next 3 months.

Thanks!

[esteel]

Not a woman but your weights sound good, especially for that many reps. When i tried to improve on the moved weight i did go down on the reps, like the classic 5x5. I'd suggest to go for 1,25 * of your bodyweight for the deadlift for the next few months. Well assuming your bodyweight is around 'normal'..

Also mentioning that i think 1,5-1,75 * bodyweight on the deadlift are a fine longterm goal.

However i find it a bit unusual that the squat is that much behind your deadlift. Are you doing backsquats or frontsquats? When was the last time you had someone check your technique? For me the backsquat was usually just 10-15kg (22-33lbs) behind the deadlift..

[70Kel]

Hi Mony,

I have been lifting for around 3-4 months, still learning, my first goal was to DL & Squat my body weight (70kg = 154 lbs). I achieved this the other day & I'm now working for 100kg for both. The higher you go the slower it takes & I have been dropping my reps to 6-8. Grip also becomes a prob & I am using chalk or straps.

I also have a trainer & he does push me to lift heavier, to be honest if I was doing this on my own I prob wouldn't aim as heavy. Evey now & again he tests my 1 rm then I train lifting 80% of this weight for a few weeks. Seems to work!

Looks like you are progressing well, good luck

[Mony]

Been doing backsquats with a trainer to birddog my form. Honestly, I've been struggling with the squats big time because I am very tall (5'10".. and uh, let's see.... 1.7meters?) woman, and 2/3 of my height is in my legs. It's like my body can't figure out where the heck my legs are supposed to go when I squat low!

Thanks for the advice! I'm curious to see what happens with a little adjustment of the weight in relation to my bodyweight

[Titanium Bulwark]

As long as your making progress, I wouldn't worry about what's "normal". Somewhere on NF it has general goals to shoot for based on Bodyweight for the big lifts (squat, DL, bench, overhead). Granted, these are long term goals .

I have the opposite problem when I squat. I'm all torso and short legs. Makes it look odd because I'm leaned forward more than most.

Congrats on new PR!

[esteel]

Well it can't be bad to still read what others say about technique. I really love Mark Rippetoe's book 'Starting Strength' and basicly all of the videos with/about him on youtube. There is a fan wiki about the book that has some tipps: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Lifts#How_do_I_properly_perform_a_squat.3F

And some videos: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mark+rippetoe+squat&oq=mark+rippetoe+squat

[70Kel]

Been doing backsquats with a trainer to birddog my form. Honestly, I've been struggling with the squats big time because I am very tall (5'10".. and uh, let's see.... 1.7meters?) woman, and 2/3 of my height is in my legs. It's like my body can't figure out where the heck my legs are supposed to go when I squat low!

Thanks for the advice! I'm curious to see what happens with a little adjustment of the weight in relation to my bodyweight

I found reminding myself to 'keep knees out' & breath in as i am going down helped. Also have probs with getting depth as my hammy's/quads are tight, mobility exercises are helping me improve with this.