For you all who use weights...I LOVE weight training by the way. What's the heaviest you lift??

Chubbi

The heaviest I life is 3 pound individual weights, but I am looking to start go to a gym and working out on some of the machines.

Also, I saw Gwenyth Paltrow's trainer segment on Oprah.com and she said that a woman should never, ever use more than 3 # weights???? You may check it out at oprah.com if the link is still there, I am not quite sure "how" she meant that.

I love weight training as well. I usually use machines rather than free weights because I'm concerned about my form. I guess that the heaviest I "lift" right now is 75 lbs. on the lat pull, rowing machine, some armpit machine and the ab crunch machine. On the inner thighs I do 70 lbs, 80 on the outer thighs. 60 lbs on the squat machine, 10 on the hamstring curl (I have a bad knee), and 35 on triceps, 2 different arm machines. Instead of upping the weights recently, I increased the reps. I'm not sure how much heavier I can go at this point.

I love how it has helped to tone and sculp my body. As a co-worker and I commiserated one day though--we know that we have these great figures underneath all of our fat! Mine is slowly starting to emerge!

I have been weight training on and off now since my mid-twenties. Currently, I actually have no idea how much weight I am using for most body parts! I didn't realize that until seeing your post. I am an advocate of mostly free weights, believing they work the body better.

Yesterday, I was surprised at the gym by squatting 50 or 80 lbs (don't remember exactly which plates) along with the bar, something I didn't think was possible. My workout buddy and I screwed up and put the wrong plates on, heavier than usual. I am going to stick with heavier plates from here on in too. I bench pressed something like 20 lbs on top of the bar this week too, or use 2x22 lbs for free weights. Biceps, I use between 18 to 22/24 individually, or 20 - 40 with the barbell. Triceps, I usually use a single weight, about 16. Back is around 20/22. Shoulders vary between 16 to 20/22, depending on which exercise I am doing. Calves, again it varies depending on whether I am sitting or standing; somewhere between 65 to 220 or so. Laying leg curls I have no idea as I use a machine, usually set on "notch 3, 4, or 5". Hack squats about 20 as these are hard to do and butcher my legs if I go too heavy. I don't use any weights for abs at all, just body weight. I tend to use a modified pyramid workout routine, doing 12, 10, 8, 6 reps, sometimes going back to 12 at a lighter weight on a different exercise for the same body part (from Body for Life). After discovering I can bench press and squat more than I thought prior, I think it is time to start going real heavy again for the final set, and up the poundage.

I am going to actually track it this week, to see how much weight I am lifting. I can tell you that it has greatly increased over the last year, and I am thrilled to be rediscovering my muscles once more.

Thanks for your response, angelmom313, losermom and theloula.

Chubbi