How many workouts before you increase your weights?

cjbate

Cathlete
This is a tough question to phrase:

I am just curious, I feel like I have been using the same poundage weights forever in the videos (MIS and PS right now)...altho I am only in week 4 of my rotation. How many workouts do you all find you have to do before you can increase your weights? Are you normally able to increase them within a rotation, or is it only after you do a new rotation and then go back to the old that you can increase? Am I not pushing myself hard enough, maybe? These things are tough!

Jen
 
Hi, Anytime you feel that you are not pushing your muscles to fatigue then you should up your weights. It can be within that rotation. Some days I am stronger than others so I adjust the weight accordingly. I also will go heavier for one set then drop the weight for the next and so on. Say for instance today I did PS Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and for the chest press I started out with the warm up set at 35 pounds, then for the first heavy set I did 55 pounds then the 2nd set I did 50 and I was able to stay at 50 for the incline ones also but on some days I lower to 45 for the inclines. Sort of like (or at least what I have heard that you do) on the Pyramids. I go lighter on endurance type workouts unless like with PH or MIS I go heavier and just do the reps slower.:) Clear as mud!? I hope not.:( With shoulders I tend to go lighter but today I was able to go heavier for the first time so I was happy. With bicep curls I tend to start out heavy and then go down for the next set or 2. Cathe states in PH that some days you are stronger than others depending on what you ate and how much sleep you have gotten. So just play with it and have fun seeing how much you can lift, even if you only make 7 or 8 of the reps if your muscles went to fatigue then that is all that matters. Alot of the time I only get 8 out of 10 reps complete and have to put the weight down.:) But I feel I accomplished something going that heavy for that many reps.

Hope that helps you some:7
 
This varies so much that I really can't give you any meaningful number. I just go up if I think I could possibly have made it with a heavier weight. This could take a month or it could take a year. I started out PUB when it was first released using Cathe's weights on the biceps, have done it 3 or 4 times a month since then and still can't raise any weight on that. But on chest and back I have raised them. I have never gotten above 37 pounds on the barbell for Leaner Legs, but I used to use 8's for those staggered lungey things, and now I use 10's. And with the slow stuff like Pure Strength and Slow/Heavy I have been able to go up substantially, but not on the biceps!! What is it with biceps? Anyway, the long and the short of it is that it just depends. When I think I could have made it with a bit more weight, I raise it. I don't worry about how long that takes, just focus, and lift with good form and go for that sense of failure, if I'm still getting that, no need to raise the weight.
 
Thanks Annette and Mogambo,that helps me a lot.

I am curious then, when I do PS CST, I am only doing the push ups on my knees, and although the first set I am able to do all of the reps in the set, by the time I get through the bench presses (with only 20 lbs) and it is time to do the push ups again, I am only able to do about half before my pecs are screaming (and they are feeling pretty fatigued during the bench pressing already). My question is, do I keep increasing the bench presses poundage (which I think I could do at this point) or wait until I am able to make it through BOTH complete sets of pushups with all reps....even more, am able to do both sets of pushups in the straight leg form?

Thanks for your help!!!!!

Jen
 
Hi again, I can NOT!! and I repeat can NOT!! do a full blown push up and can only do one set on my knees!! Don't worry about it, if you want to concentrate on going heavier on the bench press then by all means do so. Challenge yourself on something you CAN do. Maybe just maybe as you increase your weight on the bench press and flies that one day you will find that you can do a straight legged push up and make it through both sets or maybe you will finally be able to do both sets with a bent leg!! Do what feels best to you and you alone!:) Don't compare yourself to what the girls on the tape are doing, you have to live with how your body feels the next day. Go ahead and increase your poundage with the bench press and see how it goes. Keep us posted on your progress!!:D
 
I would increase barbell weight first. There is a lot more to pushups than just chest strength. It is after all a plank position.
 
Hi Jen! Not knowing how long you've been exercising is difficult for me to answer you. But I'll tell you what worked for me. I jotted down on a piece of paper the exercises Cathe does in the Pure Strength series. Then I just put my own music into my CD player & did 3 sets of each muscle group doing 6-8 reps upping the #s of either dumbbells or barbell but taking longer rests in between the sets. I stuck to this for 6 weeks. Then I increased the sets to 4 trying to stick to the same #s & upping the reps to 10-12. I would again stick to this routine for 6 weeks. For the final 6 weeks I would have to come down a little bit in #s but I upped the sets to 5 doing 15 reps. Its exhausting work but I would work my muscles as the bodybuilders do: chest & biceps & abs/legs & abs/back & triceps & abs/shoulders & abs. I would do either IMAX2 1x a week & do yoga another day or I would do 2x a week of cardio. It worked for me. HTH, Kathy:D
 
My choice would be to increase the rest time between sets. That's how I've been able to increase poundage in the past when I have the feeling I can handle more weight but not at the old weight speed, if that makes sense.
--Ann
 
Thanks everyone! I am a long time exerciser/weights but finally getting more consistent after so many breaks to have 3 children. This is so helpful! Woe, that I could do a full push up! I will try the suggestions. Thanks folks.

Jen
 
Jen, it looks like you've already received great advice here! I find I can increase my barbell weight for squats and lunges and plie squats by 5 pounds every month, but right now I'm maxed out at 55 pounds because I can't lift 60 over my head - LOL!! As for dumbells, I try to increase once a month, again by 5 pounds. For instance, I recently increased bicep work to 30 pounds total, with dumbells or a barbell actually. Some tapes, because the workouts are formatted differently, I have to lower the total weight. For instance, when Cathe and her crew are doing a LONG set of bicep curls, I would never have the endurance to make it all the way through with 30 pounds total ... yet ... :)

I don't know if this will help you, but I keep a log. I have a separate sheet for each strength training workout, and I literally list the exercise and what weight I used that time. I just save it in Word Pad so I can easily copy and paste it, changing the date, and then changing the amount of weight I used if I increased it. As I'm working out, I have the printed sheet in front of me, and I use a pencil to mark down any changes I made from last time. Then I make the changes in my computer, print a new sheet, and I save them in a binder. It takes almost no time, and I don't have to try and remember which weight I used for that particular workout the last time I did it. Sometimes six weeks will go by between doing any particular workout, and I forget which weight I used.

I recently finished a rotation using the Slow & Heavy series for three weeks. I made many increases over the three week period, and would never have been able to keep it all straight without marking it down.

Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps!! Basically, I agree with most of what's been posted here. When the current weight you're using feels too light, it's time to increase it. There is no set time that's "right". It has to be right for you. Best of luck to you!!

Carol
:)
 
My Physical Therapist told me, not just with weights but with even cardio, to only increase it 10% at a time. He said to keep at that new level for at least 2 weeks before increasing again. (This was time and/or weight). That may not help you with how often to increase but at least should give you a good idea of a safe amount to increase it.
 

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