Weights & Fatigue

pecker1992

OK long story short..started a beginners program last weeks..basically its 8-12 weeks before you move on to a more diverse regime


anyway started week 1 and felt the burn as i hadn't been weight lifting previous to this

during week 2 what i did in week 1 was easy for me so i decided in week 3 to up the weights

now i noticed i couldnt finish my sets fully as i just couldnt get the weight up

is this a good thing or a bad thing??? am i effectively forcing my muscle to grow..or whats the deal

just for the record pretty much of the excercises are compounds like tricep dips dumbell bench press etc

any info/ advice appreciated

Mellor

you upped the weights after 2 weeks and couldn't lift them.
Sounds like you increased it by too much.

TommyKnocker

Could you give a little more information

• outline the program you are doing (lifts, sets/reps, weights lifted in wk1)
• how much did you "up the weight" in wk 3?

If you upped it by 1.25kg each side of the bar, total 2.5kg/5.5lbs and couldn't lift the extra in wk3 that IMO there is something wrong here. But if you threw an extra 5kg/10kg on the bar, then this jump may have been too much for you.

For example the Starting strength program consists of two workouts (A & done alternatively on non consecutive days (Mon, Wed, Fri or Tue, Thur, Sat). So week 1 you do workouts A, B, A. Week 2 you do workouts B, A, B. Rinse and repeat. Each time you do a specific workout you are supposed to add weight to the bar, so you are lifting heavier then you previous weight every time youdo the same workout.

pecker1992

TommyKnocker wrote: »

Could you give a little more information

• outline the program you are doing (lifts, sets/reps, weights lifted in wk1)
• how much did you "up the weight" in wk 3?

If you upped it by 1.25kg each side of the bar, total 2.5kg/5.5lbs and couldn't lift the extra in wk3 that IMO there is something wrong here. But if you threw an extra 5kg/10kg on the bar, then this jump may have been too much for you.

For example the Starting strength program consists of two workouts (A & done alternatively on non consecutive days (Mon, Wed, Fri or Tue, Thur, Sat). So week 1 you do workouts A, B, A. Week 2 you do workouts B, A, B. Rinse and repeat. Each time you do a specific workout you are supposed to add weight to the bar, so you are lifting heavier then you previous weight every time youdo the same workout.

Monday -Chest Triceps
Chest
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Dumbbell Bench Press
4
12,10,10,10
Incline Bench Press
2
10
Triceps
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Tricep Dip
3
Failure
Lying Tricep Extension
3
10
Workout Notes:

• Have a 10min warmup before you begin your workout.
• Have your bench at a 30 degree angle for incline bench press.
• Make sure you lean forward to focus the work on your lower chest. Use assisted dip machine if you cannot do bodyweight.
• Light weights only for skullcrushers, focus on form.

Tuesday - Abs Abs Exercise Sets Reps Swiss Ball Crunches 1 25 Lying Bench Leg Raise 1 20 Decline Weighted Crunches 1 15 Plank 1 Max Time Notes Repeat this entire cycle 3 times.

Wed - Back & Biceps
Back
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Wide Grip Pull Up
4
10
Seated Row
3
12
One Arm Dumbbell Row
3
10
Biceps
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Standing Barbell Curl
3
8-10
Workout Notes:

• Have a 10min warmup before you begin your workout.
• Focus on form.
• Use lat pull downs if you can not do pull ups.
• Can use EZ bar for barbell curls.

Thurs - Abs Abs Exercise Sets Reps Twisting Decline Dumbbell Situps 1 25 Hanging Knee Raise (Alternate sides) 1 20 Decline Weighted Twist 1 15 Side Plank (Max time per side) 1 Max Time Notes Repeat this entire cycle 3 times.

Fri -Legs & shoulders
Legs
Exercise
Sets
Reps
45 Degree Leg Press
4
12,10,10,10
Leg Extension
3
12
Leg Curl
3
12
Shoulders
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Military Press
4
8-10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3
10






Also from Monday to friday and on a sunday I do cardio for 30 mins .....it buns approx 280-300 cal and sometimes but its low intensity and i dont ever really feel too tired after it...oh and i do 1hr30 mins of martial arts on a friday too

and to answer the other question.....for the dumbells i added 4kg either side. i was able to finish 2 of the 4 sets..for the skullcrushers 2.5 first then dropped back to 1.25....for the chest press i added 20lbs then dropped back to 10

the weights i started on were

Dumbell bench - 12 kgs per db
chest press 70lbs
Bicep curl - 5kg either side of an ez curl bar (which i presume is 10kg)??
One arm row- 16 kg per db
Seated row- 90lbs
Military press - 12s ( i use dumbells seated as opposed to standing barbell as ive a weak shoulder
lateral raise- 6kg db

any other advice for someone starting weights??

btw im 5-10 and 141 lbs

Brian?

pecker1992 wrote: »

any other advice for someone starting weights??

Don't follow that program. The volume is too high. You're taking a muscle group and hammering the sh1t out of it. Where did you get it?

IMO beginners should start with 3 full body sessions a week, 3 big compound movements per day at the most and a couple of assistance lifts.

TommyKnocker

^^^ +100 What Brian said

physioman

i agree. I do chest and biceps on one day and then shoulders back and triceps the next day. Working alternate muscles so your not doing damage to muscles. Gradually upping the weights and noticing improvement. You could do serious damage to muscles and tendons.

pecker1992

briankeating wrote: »

Don't follow that program. The volume is too high. You're taking a muscle group and hammering the sh1t out of it. Where did you get it?

IMO beginners should start with 3 full body sessions a week, 3 big compound movements per day at the most and a couple of assistance lifts.

3 sessions a week is genreally what i do????.....the abs and cardio ive been doing for well over a year its more routine than anything....amm program was got here

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/3day-beginners-workout.html

im a little confused as to whats the problem with it??? could someone explain please???

Brian?

pecker1992 wrote: »

3 sessions a week is genreally what i do????.....the abs and cardio ive been doing for well over a year its more routine than anything....amm program was got here

You're doing a 3 day split though, not 3 full body sessions. A full body routine would have you working your full body 3 times a week instead of spliting it up and dedicating a day to each body part.

pecker1992 wrote: »

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/3day-beginners-workout.html

im a little confused as to whats the problem with it??? could someone explain please???

That link doesn't work for me, but I get the idea anyway. IMO, from everything I've read and my own experience, beginners should always do 3 full body sessions a week. As a beginner your body is able to adequatly recover in between sessions allowing you to work the same muscles 3 times a week, which will mean you will gain in strength and size more quickly. If you are squatting 2-3 times a week you'll get into the groove of squatting a hell of a lot quicker, learning the techniques for the various lifts should be the first step in any program anyway, then add weight once you are confident.

Having said that, as a beiginner you'll gain size and strength using any aul program regardless of how good or bad it is. Any program that doesn't contain squats or deadlifts should be ignored as a rule of thumb.

If you are going to learn to squat and deadlift, which you should, make sure your mobility and flexibility is up to scratch. Even if you aren't going to learn to squat and deadlift you should be doing that anyway of course, but it's a lot more critical when you're loading a bar onto your back.