[Eumie]

Yesterday I read up a lot on weight training workouts, and tried a workout I considered one step up from beginner. At the time I was doing 2 sets of 12 reps of each exercise with 12.5 lb. weights. I felt like reps 10-12 were very difficult, but I was able to keep form. Only one exercise seemed to be "easy" to finish the reps on.

I fully expected to feel very sore today. I woke up and I felt a few minor aches in my back and one of my biceps, but otherwise, I barely feel like I worked out.

Is my idea that I should feel very sore the day after misguided? How do I know if I'm lifting enough, or doing enough sets?

Any advice is welcomed.

[beerab]

Sometimes the soreness doesn't come till day 2. You said you felt it was difficult but you were able to do it- so I'd say you did work out hard enough- just keep going and see what happens.

Also make sure to drink plenty of water- weight training makes you retain water if you don't give your muscles enough water.

[Lydia227]

Hi Eumie

Generally, we do feel sore when we begin a new lifting routine. As far as reps and set schemes, it appears you selected well. For muscle endurance and hypertrophy goals (muscle size) we select a weight that will fatigue our muscle at 8 to 12 reps. That weight should be really really challenging by the nineth to tenth rep and your wishing you were done by the tenth to the eleventh. All the while maintaining form.

I don't know your current level of fitness and the amount of weight you select is truly dependent upon your current strength level. However from your message it appears that you chose to use one size weight for all of your exercises. Usually, the amount of weight that is selected is going to be dependent upon the muscle group that is engaged. For instance, our lats (back muscles are much stronger than delts) If I were doing lat rows I would select a weight that's about twice as heavy as the weight I use for my shoulder presses. My point is that the weight you chose may have been challenging enough for some muscle groups and their exercises but not quite heavy enough for others.

Anyway, just a thought. I'm uncertain of the material you accessed for your workouts but a suggestion would be to hit this site

http://www.stumptuous.com/

There are several really good books out too. New Rules of Lifting, WomensHealth Big Book of Exercises (just reviewing it today). Maximum Strength is another one but maybe for you later.

This may also be another interesting place for you to visit:

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5...ining-program/

I also really like this site for workout ideas:

www.trainwithmeonline.

And, coming from someone who is seriously suffering from DOMS today (been caught up in my house and unable to get my regular strength workouts in for almost two months and thought I could breeze right in and do my usual workout yesterday, Have you done squats and deadlifts with the dumb bells? Those are usually just the thing to make the quads and hamstrings sing when you need to sit down the next day.

Welcome to the forum

[Eumie]

Beerab, thanks for the advice and info. I'll be sure to up my water intake while I'm strength training.

Hi Lydia!

Thanks so much for the info and links. Lat rows were the exercises that I thought were a little easier, so I'll see about adding weight. The only problem with that is that the only way for me to add weight right now is to add 10 lbs. We have dumbbells with 8 5 lb. weights. I don't know if that will end up being way too much or not.

I have been doing squats for a couple of weeks now. The first time I did them I did squats with an overhead press with the 2.5 lb. bar part of the dumbbells. I was sore for 3-4 days afterward. Since then, I keep doing squats, and have even upped the weights, but I haven't felt sore from them. I'm trying to go lower, but I'm very insecure with my balance when I'm doing squats or lunges. I'm going to have to look up dead lifts. I'm still really new to all of this.

Thanks again, ladies!