Weight training, how much is too much??

busymum1

This is a real newbie question but how do you know how much is too much with weight training? Sorry this is long.
I've finally accepted that I need to do some resistance work and had an induction at the gym yesterday. Really helpful girl who worked out a program for me on machines and promised me free weights once I have the all clear from physio on my lower back. I have low weights high reps for the first 2-3 weeks to get my form right and then on to free weights. I would like to improve my strength which is pathetic at the moment and if I get leaner on the way then great.

I started yesterday with really low weights and high reps (15 x 3) which I wasn't able to finish as it really hurt by the end of the reps and I wasn't able to maintain good form. However I am a complete and total wuss when it comes to muscle pain. I did a warm-up before and stretches afterwards and then swam for an hour. I'm pretty stiff and sore today but I don't feel injured. I only managed about half the initial program and felt like I wussed out a bit and probably could have pushed myself harder.

My question is this should I just push through and complete all the reps or give up when it gets sore? How sore is too sore? How do you know what you're able for and what is too far?
The last time I did any kind of gym work I had a personal trainer ( nice but mean) who got me to keep pushing which made progress but I usually couldn't move for a day or two after a session with her. I don't want to get injured but accept that it will have to hurt to make progress.. Do I just need to HTFU ?
I'd be grateful for any advice.

BrokenArrows

busymum1 wrote: »

This is a real newbie question but how do you know how much is too much with weight training? Sorry this is long.
I've finally accepted that I need to do some resistance work and had an induction at the gym yesterday. Really helpful girl who worked out a program for me on machines and promised me free weights once I have the all clear from physio on my lower back. I have low weights high reps for the first 2-3 weeks to get my form right and then on to free weights. I would like to improve my strength which is pathetic at the moment and if I get leaner on the way then great.

I started yesterday with really low weights and high reps (15 x 3) which I wasn't able to finish as it really hurt by the end of the reps and I wasn't able to maintain good form. However I am a complete and total wuss when it comes to muscle pain. I did a warm-up before and stretches afterwards and then swam for an hour. I'm pretty stiff and sore today but I don't feel injured. I only managed about half the initial program and felt like I wussed out a bit and probably could have pushed myself harder.

My question is this should I just push through and complete all the reps or give up when it gets sore? How sore is too sore? How do you know what you're able for and what is too far?
The last time I did any kind of gym work I had a personal trainer ( nice but mean) who got me to keep pushing which made progress but I usually couldn't move for a day or two after a session with her. I don't want to get injured but accept that it will have to hurt to make progress.. Do I just need to HTFU ?
I'd be grateful for any advice.

If you still have the strength to do it then its not enough. If you can't physically lift the weight anymore then you have done enough.

Doug Cartel

BrokenArrows wrote: »

If you still have the strength to do it then its not enough. If you can't physically lift the weight anymore then you have done enough.

You'll burn out fairly quickly going down that path.

Busymum1, I think you're best off having a plan and then sticking to it. Check your progress periodically and adjust the plan accordingly.

Arthurdaly

You swam for an hour afterwards? That a bit excessive? I know guys doing Iron man comps and their swiim training would not exceed 50mins!

busymum1

Hi, thanks for the replies. My old trainer would push until I physically couldn't do any more but I think she was a bit hardcore.. Maybe somewhere just before that is the place to stop..
@Arthurdaly, I'm the slowest swimmer in the world, I try to cover 65 lengths ( a mile) 2-3 times a week and it takes me about an hour to do, keeping my HR under about 60% max. I'm working on my technique and getting faster, swimming lessons are helping..

gymfreak

OP, can't really advise you what to do because I don't know anything about you, but with regards to myself and training...I tend to go down the simplistic route:

If I'm in pain I stop
If it just hurts/is sore I keep going

There's a big difference between PAIN and SORENESS/HURT. Obviously those words are open to interpretation..but I think in most cases people will know what pain is when they feel it.

cmyk

busymum1 wrote: »

This is a real newbie question but how do you know how much is too much with weight training?

It very much depends on plenty of variables.

busymum1 wrote: »

I have low weights high reps for the first 2-3 weeks to get my form right and then on to free weights.

This is a good plan.

busymum1 wrote: »

I started yesterday with really low weights and high reps (15 x 3) which I wasn't able to finish as it really hurt by the end of the reps and I wasn't able to maintain good form.

'Technical failure' as you've described is a good guide, that is when you can't complete the prescribed reps with good form the weight is probably a bit beyond you, especially an inexperienced trainee. Drop the weight to a level you can complete 12-15 reps with good form.

busymum1 wrote: »

I'm pretty stiff and sore today but I don't feel injured. I only managed about half the initial program and felt like I wussed out a bit and probably could have pushed myself harder.

Stiffness and soreness is natural after challenging muscles and movements you haven't yet adapted too. I'm assuming your a beginner, and I'm not sure how many exercises you have in your programme. I would hope roughly around 6 different movements? If you felt like you wussed out a bit, push it slightly harder next time, unless, as above there's simply just too much volume there starting out.

busymum1 wrote: »

My question is this should I just push through and complete all the reps or give up when it gets sore? How sore is too sore? How do you know what you're able for and what is too far?

As advice above, find a weight that challenges you with good form and use 12-15reps as a guide, if you can complete your 3 sets with 15reps, increase the weight and aim for 12reps building again to 15...repeat the process and so on. The only way to get stronger is by moving/increasing the weights your moving.

busymum1 wrote: »

Do I just need to HTFU ?
I'd be grateful for any advice.

Possibly, but be sensible about it, lift with good form. You will of course have to push yourself to see improvements, measure how well you recover etc, eat/sleep well and always try to increase your reps and/or weight each session.

Mellor

Arthurdaly wrote: »

You swam for an hour afterwards? That a bit excessive? I know guys doing Iron man comps and their swiim training would not exceed 50mins!

That's nonsense

donalacarey

Well at 15x3 you are into toning territory. If you are aiming for strength you should be in the 8x3 with a warmup set at the start where you do 15-20 reps of that exercise with a very light weight using deliberate controlled movements. At the point you loose form you need to drop the weight and continue to the end of your required number of reps for that set. U should only be loosing form on your last few reps of your last set if your gonna loose form.

If comming back from a back injury I would advise core exercises as a primary exercise and do that twice a week with strict from and only after a proper warm up of say 10-15 mins on a cross-trainer and a relaxed to moderate pace. Also compound movements with strict form are important to bring total body strength. no need to be doing lots of isolation exercises on your muscles for strength on muscle mass.

The pain is only lactic acid building up in your muscele and over time your muscles will adapt to this and will take longer to cause fatigue during your exercise.

On the swimming, well its good for muscles in recovery and at 1hr great for you but at that stage if youve been training on weights your glycogen levels should be nearly depleted so you may find yourself fatigueing. Depends on whether your swimming for rehab or toning/fitness.

Hope that helps

Mellor

donalacarey wrote: »

On the swimming, well its good for muscles in recovery and at 1hr great for you but at that stage if youve been training on weights your glycogen levels should be nearly depleted so you may find yourself fatigueing. Depends on whether your swimming for rehab or toning/fitness.

At low intensity, swimming will burn body fat stores and not glycogen, toning is simply reducing bodyfat to make muscles more visable

keithb93

I think you should do full body workouts everyday about 3-4 days a week for a few weeks until your body becomes used to being worked out, then move to a beginners routine IMO.
The recovery time will lesson as long as you eat more and more.