I was wondering how much everyone here lifted. If you don't mind saying?
Some of you say to say to lift heavy. Well I am curious as to how much you consider weights to be heavy? I have been stuck at 15 pound weights for about 6 months now I would like to lift heavier but my arms are not going to do it just yet. I had a goal of lifting 25 pound weights by the end of the year so it is sorta depressing.
I always drink a protein shake after but maybe there is something else I am doing wrong? So I was wondering how much all of you lifted? And is there any way to get my muscles stronger faster?
Thanks for all responses!

15 lbs for what? Bicep curl? Overhead press? bent over row? Different muscles require different weights.

What do your sets look like? Have you tried mixing up workouts? If you have been doing the same workout for 6 months, that is a long time. Have you tried increasing weight for even fewer sets?

I just got 15 pound dumbbells. I do a little routine of bicep, triceps, chest, shoulders, squats. I can do about 10 right now. Triceps lying on my back I can do 1.
I had 10 pounders for a few years and outgrew those.

And I should also say that heavy depends on the person. It basically means lifting so that you reach fatigue/near fatigue within 8-12 reps or so. If your goal is to progress, switching up your routine and weights is best way to do it. (Depending on the muscle, I have use anywhere between 15 lbs to 200 lbs)

I use the 15 pound weights for everything except lateral raises which I use 10 pounders on. I do bicep curls, overhead presses, flys, tricep extensions, squats with an overhead press and about 5 or 6 more that I don't know the names of at this minute. I am trying to get up to 15 reps for three sets before moving up. Is that the right thing to do or should I get heavier weights now?
Thanks!

I think 15 reps is a bit too many if your goal is strength. Even if you get a heavier weight and can only do a couple reps, then switch to the lighter weight, that is ok. Again, switching up routine/different exercises will help you grow stronger faster. (doing bicep curls? try hammer curls)

I'm also a big fan of body weight exercises such as pushups and squats.

Thanks nelie I will get some heavier weights next week. I want to get stronger. One day I would like to be able to lift 50 pound weights. Of course that is a long way off.
Thanks again!

I agree with nelie, heavy really depends on the person and even their size! Sometimes it's a bit better to look at percentage of bodyweight in terms of weight: i.e. being able to overhead press 75% of one's bodyweight (my goal).

I also agree with nelie again that 15 reps a set is actually a lot if you want to build strength. If you can get up to 15 reps then the weight you're using is too light and you'll want to increase. I also agree that bodyweight exercises are great too! I'm a big fan of planks and pull ups.


I know your original question was how heavy everyone lifts, so I'll answer that:

Overhead Press: 75lbs (SO CLOSE TO MY GOAL)
Squats: 90lbs
Bench Press: 75lbs
Deadlift: 130lbs

I probably can move up on some of those because I'm doing too many reps. I should be struggling more...the problem is I don't have a spot.

I know people that lift a lot heavier than me and I know others that lift lighter. The important part is that you're LIFTING and you're not using little pink 3lb weights. So you're moving in the right direction.

If you're unsure of what exercises to do, I love http://www.nerdfitness.com. I was able to make up my own routines using the videos they have there.

Thanks sont! I looked at the link you posted. Very helpful.
I should mention I do bodyweight exercises. 12 of them including squats, reverse crunches, bicycle cruches, planks, bridges, pendulum and modified push-ups. and some more. It takes me about a hour and a half doing both the weights and body exercises. I do this two to three times a week. That might be a bit long but it wears me out and I feel like I have accomplished something. I don't do lunges though I probably should, they make my head spin, not sure why!?
Anyhow thanks everyone. I just want to get stronger. I used to be able to lift 100 pounds when I was 18, a long long time ago, I want to get back there.
Thanks for the information!!

I use different weights for different muscle groups depending on how strong the muscle is.And my weights in my gym are in kgs and lbs
Heres a rough guide , my back seems to be the strongest.
Back 20kg free weights ....35kg pull down
Chest 12.5kg dumbell , 75lbs chest press machine
Biceps 10kg dumbell,
Triceps 10kg Dumbell
legs 135lbs
Abs 211lbs

It ranges everytime i go as if i havent been for while i go little lighter and when i get stronger i go up a few pounds i never stay on the same weights all the time the point is to lift heavier.

my reps are between 4-8 when if i cant do 4 its to heavy if i can do 9 or 10 its to light
HTH

Are the weights and machines at your gyms labelled? I'm curious how you know whether the weights are in lbs or kgs? The reason I ask is because I haven't seen labels at my gym and I'm curious to know what I'm actually lifting!

Join a gym, buy a New Rules of Lifting book..I actually think the men's book is a better one than the "for women" book, but if you have "I don't want to bulk up" issues, then buy the women's book and it will talk some sense to you. Do the program. Again, join a gym or the Y because then you'll have access to all the free weights and cable happiness your little heart desires. The reps are a little high for true strength work, but it's okay because that will keep you from going too heavy while you learn the lifts, and they're low enough that you'll still get mad beasty strength compared to what you've got now, just from learning to deadlift and backsquat. When you finish that, take a few days or a week off, meanwhile buy a copy of Starting Strength or you can find the gist of it online. That will drop your reps and get you even stronger, if you haven't already gone crazy and joined a crossfit or powerlifting gym or started chasing the swoll as a bodybuilder. By the time you finish SS, you should have enough experience to know where you want to go from there.

My goal is about 6-8 reps to failure. I move it up when I can do more than that and do drop sets from my new high, for a few sessions. Meaning, I'll do one set at the new weight and 2 at the old weight. I'm seeing progress a lot more quickly with lower reps than I did swinging around lighter weights.

I max my weights out, about once a month, too. I keep increasing until I can only do one rep (with correct form), at that weight. I'm SUPER sore the day after I do this... but I like to think that's a good sign.

If you want to see progress you have to REALLY push yourself. It's worth it!

I'm doing a modified version of Starting Strength, so I try to add weight to my lifts every workout. I say modified because I'm still eating at a caloric deficit (usually around 2000-2100 calories per day) instead of eating to gain muscle yet. Eating at a deficit and adding weight to lifts is so frustrating, because I can't progress nearly as quickly as I'd like to. I can't wait for the day I can start eating to build muscle!!

Like others said, heavy is relative. I lift heavy every workout, but what was "heavy" for me when I started is not anymore. SS is a 3x5 program, so my workouts look like this:

Workout A:
Squats: warmup sets, 3 sets of 5 at working weight
OHP: warmup sets, 3 sets of 5 at working weight
Deadlift: warmup (I usually don't do DL warmups), 1 set of 5 at working weight

Workout B:
Squats: warmup sets, 3 sets of 5 at working weight
Bench press: warmup sets, 3 sets of 5 at working weight
Deadlift: warmup (I usually don't do DL warmups), 1 set of 5 at working weight

I'm working on learning power cleans, which will eventually replace deadlifts on one of my workouts. Today's working weights will be:

Squat: 132lb
Bench: 80lb
Deadlift: 187lb


Lift with free weights. All the plates will be labeled with pounds, kg, or both. Ask a trainer about how much the bar weighs, but the standard is 45lb.

After reading everyone's posts and small rep counts, I'm going to try heavier weights on everything today. I don't think I'm pushing myself enough at all.