OK, I'll be the one to say it...Don't underestimate yourself and don't be afraid to be a little sore the next day (or 2 or 3 as the case my be
) sometimes. There's nothing wrong with taking it slowly at first to see what your limitations are, but I think you might be pleasantly surprised to find out how quickly you get up to those 20 pounders and beyond.
I started working out about 6 months ago and refused to do any weight training because everytime I had done it in the past I saw absolutely no results even after months. After doing some more research I realized that I had never lifted heavy enough before. Now I can't get enough of it because I actually can see a difference from one week to the next.
I certainly wouldn't describe myself as a dedicated bodybuilder. I have no interest whatsoever in competing or looking muscle bound (not likely that I could/would anyway even if I wanted to). What I am interested in is getting rid of all the jiggly bits. I've been lifting for about 2 months now and I've gone from 0-20 (#'s that is) in that time with a lot of lifts. I'm just about ready for more on most. In that 2 months I've gone from all jiggly to only mostly jiggly (and not jiggly at all in some isolated spots
)