Re: Weight Training Intensity Question

[Guest guest]

I agree that you need to keep challenging yourself. I try to set a personal best

every day at the gym. Maybe a couple extra reps or increase weights on one

muscle group. I dont increase all my weights every week tho.

I think you need to do what your body tells you. If you feel the weights getting

lighter, its time to increase. If you can do extra reps, its time to increase.

Form is more important then how heavy you lift! So, before I increase I try and

check that first.

The same holds true with HIIT. I try to run farther, burn more calories each

time. I log everything so that helps me know when to up a level on cardio or

increase weights.

[Guest guest]

That says basically what everyone here has said - that you add more

weight when it starts feeling too easy. Maybe that's every week, or

every other week, or every third week, or on some exercises - never.

I've been using 15 pound dumbbells on lateral raises for ooh, like 6

years now. Some small muscle groups and tricky joints weren't meant to

keep going up and up and up, and you certainly never compromise your

form or your safety just for the sake of lifting more than you did

last week.

The point is to challenge yourself at every workout, not because you

want to get bigger, but because training intensely burns more

calories, causes a greater overall fat loss, and a more dramatic

transformation. For the average woman, the more intense your weight

workouts, the leaner and tighter and more compact you're going to get.

Women don't have enough testosterone to get big and bulky no matter

what they do. Nobody looks like a bodybuilder accidentally.

Bodybuilding takes years of grueling lifting, nutritional

micro-management, and often chemical assistance.

On the muscle/bulk thing, let me give you the pot roast and flank

steak analogy. Your muscles are marbled just like the meat (muscle)

you see at the store. When you're having the debate about whether to

take it easy or whether to push yourself, ask yourself if you want

muscles like a pot roast or a flank steak. The pot roast is big and

bulky, not because it's been lifting heavy but because it's still a

big soft, sloppy pot roast all marbled with fat. The flank steak is

lean and mean and TINY because it works its ass off, literally.

There's not an ounce of fat on it. The longer you weight train and the

harder you push yourself, the more intramuscular fat you lose. Your

muscles will get leaner, stronger, and more dense without getting any

bigger.

BE the lean little flank steak. Don't be a mushy pot roast sticking to

the girly weights for fear of getting even bigger. Because if you work

hard, lift heavy, and get all of that awful fat out of your muscles,

you're going to end up leaner and smaller.

Yes, that's one of my weirdest analogies ever. I'm going to back away

from the computer now. :-)

On 1/11/06, voodoomedicinegirl <VoodooMedicneGrl@...> wrote:

> Hi everybody. I was just looking on the body for life website, and I

> noticed that the quick tip said this:

>

> <<Shoot for a weekly increase, but use the Body-for-LIFE intensity

> level guidelines to gauge when it's time to increase the amount of

> weight you're using. For example, when the weight for 12 reps starts

> to feel more like an intensity level of 3 instead of the intended

> level of 5, it's time to go up.>>

>

> I got kind of nervous. A weekly increase? Thats a lot of

> increasing! I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I might not hit

> a ten on EVERY single exercise, but I do struggle a lot. I've been

> on the program for three weeks now, and I've only increased the

> weights on some of my exercises once or twice at most. Am I doing

> this wrong? I feel like if I were to increase my weight every week,

> I'd either be too exhausted to complete the reps, or I'll eventually

> become a body builder...neither of which I want. Confused again.

>

> Thank you so much for all of your help. I dont think I could do this

> without all of ya.

>

> Hope all is well,

>

> ~~~Aliza~~~

[Guest guest]

A weekly increase is going to look very different for each

person...and even for specific body parts. Your body will " adapt " to

what you throw at it and the goal is to push yourself alittle more as

you adapt...for example, with a bicep curl...you will find that your

muscles will get stronger and that once 10 will be easier...so you

want to bump it up. In my lifting experience (and please others chime

in), I found that some muscles adapted alot quicker than others. For

example, I could increase my quads/hams much faster than let's say any

shoulder routine. Larger back muscles and triceps would but my calves

would be a major ordeal to increase the weight. What I did to

compensate is to add more reps so I would completely work to failure

with the top weight I could do before I could actually add some

weight. The other thing I do is that with shoulder exercises....I am

very careful and I do not push up this area with big weight...and when

I make increases...they are baby bumps...I actually prefer to modify

this exercise area and will do many more reps or add another set.

Shoulders are just too vunerable and I realize that this veers away

from BFL but I have modified my shoulder work and I also am very

careful with lower body exercises that compromise the knees. I do a

modified leg extension where my arc is maybe 30 degrees with lots of

reps (like 60) at lower weights.

But saying all that, you should be attempting to increase your weight

when that 10 is becoming more of a 9...where you could probably pull

out another rep or two...bump it up. You want to never let that

little muscle think it is getting away with working out as best as it

can...as your muscles will adapt to the work load... Likness in

his recent book does a great chapter on muscle adaptation. You could

probabaly google his name and search for his articles.

>

> Hi everybody. I was just looking on the body for life website, and I

> noticed that the quick tip said this:

>

> <<Shoot for a weekly increase, but use the Body-for-LIFE intensity

> level guidelines to gauge when it's time to increase the amount of

> weight you're using. For example, when the weight for 12 reps starts

> to feel more like an intensity level of 3 instead of the intended

> level of 5, it's time to go up.>>

>

> I got kind of nervous. A weekly increase? Thats a lot of

> increasing! I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I might not hit

> a ten on EVERY single exercise, but I do struggle a lot. I've been

> on the program for three weeks now, and I've only increased the

> weights on some of my exercises once or twice at most. Am I doing

> this wrong? I feel like if I were to increase my weight every week,

> I'd either be too exhausted to complete the reps, or I'll eventually

> become a body builder...neither of which I want. Confused again.

>

> Thank you so much for all of your help. I dont think I could do this

> without all of ya.

>

> Hope all is well,

>

> ~~~Aliza~~~

>

[Guest guest]

ha! I've often wondered how I can keep getting better on shoulder raises..

you go too high there and risk an injury. Instead I break it up with

Arnolds or different numbers of reps... or I go to the shoulder raise

machine for a switch.

diane

At 04:03 PM 1/11/2006, you wrote:

>That says basically what everyone here has said - that you add more

>weight when it starts feeling too easy. Maybe that's every week, or

>every other week, or every third week, or on some exercises - never.

>I've been using 15 pound dumbbells on lateral raises for ooh, like 6

>years now. Some small muscle groups and tricky joints weren't meant to

>keep going up and up and up, and you certainly never compromise your

>form or your safety just for the sake of lifting more than you did

>last week.

>

>Th

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[Guest guest]

Very smart, Diane.

I wish BFL spoke more to giving a cautionary warning to shoulders and

knees. Bill did a great job as far as stressing form but

many a gung ho beginner will attempt to increase their lifting and I

can smell torn rotator cuffs and patellas that are being misaligned

due to weak support muscles and overloading.

I think especially for women, a load that is challenging really works

for the shoulder area. Like Skwigg, I am lucky the days that I can do

anymore than 12-15 pounds with a dumb bell for lateral or front lifts.

I can't get pass that point and I don't necessarily want to.

>

> >That says basically what everyone here has said - that you add more

> >weight when it starts feeling too easy. Maybe that's every week, or

> >every other week, or every third week, or on some exercises - never.

> >I've been using 15 pound dumbbells on lateral raises for ooh, like 6

> >years now. Some small muscle groups and tricky joints weren't meant to

> >keep going up and up and up, and you certainly never compromise your

> >form or your safety just for the sake of lifting more than you did

> >last week.

> >

> >Th

>

> ----------

>

>

>

> No virus found in this outgoing message.

> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.

> Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.17/226 - Release Date:

1/10/2006

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Yeah, there are a slew of shoulder exercises that are much safer to go

heavy on. I'm also really fond of Arnolds because it's a more natural

range of motion. I really have to watch it with those front/lateral

raises though, and upright rows are semi-tricky for me. I'm strong

enough to go really heavy there, but my crunchy shoulder joints don't

like it.

Part of the " challenging yourself " thing is increasing the weights,

but another big part of it is just keeping your routine fresh by

changing the exercises, the order, the equipment, the grip, the foot

positions. Anything you're not used to is going to push the intensity.

On 1/11/06, Diane <dmiller91@...> wrote:

> ha! I've often wondered how I can keep getting better on shoulder raises..

> you go too high there and risk an injury. Instead I break it up with

> Arnolds or different numbers of reps... or I go to the shoulder raise

> machine for a switch.

>

> diane

[Guest guest]

Another thing is the speed. (in terms of not stopping and chatting, but

being focused on your workout). In C1W7D3 I am finally at about 42 min

for a 42 min LBWO, challenging my weights to more than I'd imagined I

could lift and it's still a 9 1/2...

and...

I was dripping SWEAT in a weightlifting day, not a cardio day!!! That's

gotta be good!!!

Etana

[Guest guest]

During my first challenge, my weight training took me about 45

minutes to an hour. I find now, though...that it is taking me

longer. I know why it is taking me longer for lower body. it's

because I added a bunch of muscle groups. Instead of just doing the

basics, I added the obliques, etc. So there are a few more sets

those days.

But the upper body, I'm not really sure why it takes me longer. The

only reason I can think of is because I am more deliberate in my

lifting, and not just wanting to get though it as fast as I can. I

really take the time to think about my muscles while I am lifting

the weights...and I tend to lift slower because of it.

Liz

>

> Another thing is the speed. (in terms of not stopping and

chatting, but

> being focused on your workout). In C1W7D3 I am finally at about 42

min

> for a 42 min LBWO, challenging my weights to more than I'd

imagined I

> could lift and it's still a 9 1/2...

>

> and...

>

> I was dripping SWEAT in a weightlifting day, not a cardio day!!!

That's

> gotta be good!!!

>

> Etana

>

[Guest guest]

Oh, I am afraid I was a " gung ho " beginner and caused myself some

problems which I posted about last week. I've done no strenght

training on my right shoulder and it has been feeling a lot better,

but still am going to have it checked out.

Diane, I am wondering how often you switch around--is every 4 weeks

enough, or more frequently?

I also have crunchy joints and low tone/stability (my scapulae wing

out when I'm on all fours). I am going to look into Arnolds (i don't

even know what that is...)

Candace

> > ha! I've often wondered how I can keep getting better on shoulder

raises..

> > you go too high there and risk an injury. Instead I break it up with

> > Arnolds or different numbers of reps... or I go to the shoulder raise

> > machine for a switch.

> >

> > diane

>

[Guest guest]

Here's a little video clip of an Arnold press (named after Aaahhnold):

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidAnterior/DBArnoldPress.html

Basically, it's just a dumbbell shoulder press, but you start with

your palms toward you, and as you press overhead you rotate them away

from you. So, it starts with your little fingers on the inside, and

ends with your thumbs on the inside.

They're tough on your deltoids but easy on the shoulder joint itself.

They have a much more comfortable range of motion than regular

shoulder presses.

On 1/12/06, cwcari <cwcari@...> wrote:

>

> I also have crunchy joints and low tone/stability (my scapulae wing

> out when I'm on all fours). I am going to look into Arnolds (i don't

> even know what that is...)

>

> Candace