On advice from 3FC members I have been taking up weight training at my gym (I can't go running for a month due to breaking a rib). I have done it 3 times for the past week and walked right into the middle of the SSHMM "sweaty smokin' hot muscle men" at the Y. The SSHMM are actually SUPER friendly and helpful, but are telling me I need to fail when I do reps??? When I asked them to explain they said "you know like, you finish your rep and then you like, you know fail, ya know?" No, I don't know...but you're cute and motivating so I won't make you hurt your brain any more and I will ask the peeps at 3FC. Do any weight trainers out there know what they are talking about? I appreciate the help

I think they are referring to fatigue. Where the last rep you do is really the last rep you *can* do.

They mean that you should do as may reps as possible without compromising your form. Once you cannot properly complete the exercise, you have successfully failed...if that makes any sense

If you're interested in reading more about weight training there's the Weight & Resistance Training area Those ladies (and men) know loads about lifting!

Hah! Like you, I hadn't heard this term before until a few day ago when someone at the gym mentioned it. All I could think was - great, this whole business of getting fit and skinny - first, I get to be a loser and now I have to work at failing, too?

As the others mentioned, beefcake was talking about muscle failure.

It means that by the last rep your muscle(s) should be so fatigued that you can barely complete it properly, if at all.

So if you are doing bicep curls, by your last rep you should really be feeling it and doubting you can even lift that weight one last time.

If you don't feel that, then the weight you are lifting is too light and you should move up to a heavier one next time.

Working the muscle to failure at a set number of reps will build bigger muscles. If you are simply trying to keep muscles strong, however, you don't need to work until failure or keep upping your weights. Like another poster, I'd suggest asking about this over in the Weight and Resistance Training forum (formerly Ladies Who Lift).

Jay

I just wanted to add to this, though, that most women do not bulk up from strength training. Unless you are a woman who has more of the male hormonal variety than most...or you have the help of supplements, most women will not get "huge" from strength training and upping their weights.

Your muscles will improve if you up your weights-resulting in being more defined and cut, everything tighter, etc. but you won't get massively huge biceps like a male bodybuilder or anything like that.

I have not found that im bulking out. I'm working with a pt...and once or twice a week we go to "fail" she calls it fatigue. For example, yesterday, we did a leg machine...we started on 90 and did 12, then she moved it to 110 lb and did 8, then she did 130 and told me to do until i couldn't...which was 6 reps. Everyone has their own way of doing "failure" but this is the way my pt does it with me...and it works for me. Good luck...and please don't hurt the poor beefcakes heads...they can't take much LMAO

"walked right into the middle of the SSHMM "sweaty smokin' hot muscle men" at the Y."


Ahhhhahhaahahahahaha!!!!!

Oh my god, thank you so much for the belly laugh today. That just struck me as so unbelievably funny. hahaha... thanks.

When those guys show up at my Y, that's usually when I head home for the day. Good for you for busting right on in there!!!

SSHMM... hahaha--- too friccken funny!

LOL..I'm glad I could make you laugh. You should try it! It's super fun and liberating and I have learned a lot from them about confidence.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions by the way. I LOVE weight training now. At my weigh in this week, I didn't lose any weight, but my clothes feel looser than they ever have, the SSHMM say my weight didn't come down because I've probably gained muscle and that muscle weighs more than fat, but it's more compact and that in the long run the weight coming off will balance itself out. I guess those SSHMM are smarter than they sound!