question about reps.

[Jillian8715]

Hey y'all, I'm new to strength training and my first question is--How do I know how much weight to lift? I know I have to do so many reps 3x, but does the weight need to be so much that I'm struggling to finish the last set? Is it a guessing game? Question 2--When doing the 15 reps 3x, do I do all 3 sets back to back or do a set of something else in between? Any help is great! Thanks so much!!!!
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[theACEofSPADES]

Im kind of confused but...

You pick a rep range that your comfortable with. Like I do allot of 3x5 focusing on strength, others prefer higher reps such as 8-15. Pick a weight that you will be able to finish all the sets with, in other words nothing that's so heavy that you will fall short of a couple reps on the last set. Unless you are trying to max or something, in that case have a spotter.

And inbetween sets your USUALLY not suppose to do anything, just rest, for instance if your doing squatting 135lbs 3x8

135x8
Rest 90 seconds or however much you need
135x8
Rest 90 seconds or however much you need
135x8

[staffy]

Thats some good advice for you.

I wouls suggest when starting its best to make sure your diets spot on and you warm up well.

Pick a weight your comfortable with and go from there

[RWelborn7]

Originally Posted by Jillian8715

Hey y'all, I'm new to strength training and my first question is--How do I know how much weight to lift? I know I have to do so many reps 3x, but does the weight need to be so much that I'm struggling to finish the last set? Is it a guessing game? Question 2--When doing the 15 reps 3x, do I do all 3 sets back to back or do a set of something else in between? Any help is great! Thanks so much!!!!
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What goals are you going for? For instance if you wanted to increase lower body strength you would do a certain amount of reps, where if you were wanting to increase your muscular endurance you would do a different amount.

When doing 15reps by 3 sets (this is good for accomplishing greater muscular endurance) you can either go back to back (with 15-30seconds rest for best result), or add something else (usually an exercise that works the same muscle group) inbetween, but still keeping the 15-30second rest time. Now that is for muscular endurance, for strength its a little different.

In actuality there are many ways you could go about it. What sort of thing are you mainly trying to accomplish in your workout routines?

[RickJamesBytch]

Originally Posted by Jillian8715

Hey y'all, I'm new to strength training and my first question is--How do I know how much weight to lift? I know I have to do so many reps 3x, but does the weight need to be so much that I'm struggling to finish the last set? Is it a guessing game? Question 2--When doing the 15 reps 3x, do I do all 3 sets back to back or do a set of something else in between? Any help is great! Thanks so much!!!!
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I dunno but I wanna spank the hell outta you.
Yes seen elf pic.
No white knight.
Yes fapping.

[Jillian8715]

Originally Posted by RWelborn7

What goals are you going for? For instance if you wanted to increase lower body strength you would do a certain amount of reps, where if you were wanting to increase your muscular endurance you would do a different amount.

When doing 15reps by 3 sets (this is good for accomplishing greater muscular endurance) you can either go back to back (with 15-30seconds rest for best result), or add something else (usually an exercise that works the same muscle group) inbetween, but still keeping the 15-30second rest time. Now that is for muscular endurance, for strength its a little different.

In actuality there are many ways you could go about it. What sort of thing are you mainly trying to accomplish in your workout routines?

Well, I really just want to tone up but not become buff. I have no experience with weights, I've always just done cardio stuff. Any advice is welcome. Thanks

[JOHN GARGANI]

Originally Posted by Jillian8715

Well, I really just want to tone up but not become buff. I have no experience with weights, I've always just done cardio stuff. Any advice is welcome. Thanks

Jillian....Jillian.....you look like a sweet girl, so here is the truth:

you are trying to do a book report by skimming the Cliff notes instead of reading the book!!!


you REALLY need to simply read up on some primer or base foundation type progressive resistance source, whether in book or online or whatever....

you are asking a soup to nuts, very general question....if you read up on this a bit, you could then narrow down your questioning....

[EddieLow]

If you're looking to get stronger, go with lower reps. I highly reccommend the starting strength routine. There's a sticky with all the info you need in the workout sub forum.

Generally 4-6 reps are for strength and 8-12 reps are for size.

[LevroneFan2002]

Originally Posted by Jillian8715

Hey y'all, I'm new to strength training and my first question is--How do I know how much weight to lift? I know I have to do so many reps 3x, but does the weight need to be so much that I'm struggling to finish the last set? Is it a guessing game? Question 2--When doing the 15 reps 3x, do I do all 3 sets back to back or do a set of something else in between? Any help is great! Thanks so much!!!!
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Say you're aiming for 3 sets of 10 reps on an exercise. You will have to find out for yourself what weight is suitable for you to hit the 10 rep mark near to failure. It's probably best to start a little light, get the 3 sets of 10 done, then next time up the weight slightly. Soon enough it will be challenging. You should do a set, rest a bit, do the 2nd set, etc. This is better for strength than continuously doing sets on various exercises.

[saucetradomous]

Originally Posted by Jillian8715

Well, I really just want to tone up but not become buff. I have no experience with weights, I've always just done cardio stuff. Any advice is welcome. Thanks

Your not going to become overly buff without purposely trying to achieve that look. It seems as if all woman have this mentality so they avoid weights altogether. It's good that you have decided to hit the weights as the most fit woman i see at the gym are the ones grinding it out and sweating near the weight racks. I recommend you do 10-12 reps for upper body just like any guy would do. The only difference would be how much weight you are using. You should still be going to failure by 10, the last 2 reps should be tough. If you can do any more than that increase the weight.

[labradarep]

Originally Posted by JOHN GARGANI

Jillian....Jillian.....you look like a sweet girl, so here is the truth:

you are trying to do a book report by skimming the Cliff notes instead of reading the book!!!


you REALLY need to simply read up on some primer or base foundation type progressive resistance source, whether in book or online or whatever....

you are asking a soup to nuts, very general question....if you read up on this a bit, you could then narrow down your questioning....

I totally agree with John. You need to educate yourself so you can plan & adjust workouts yourself.

Keep a journal in which you record weight, sets , reps, etc...

Here is some info to help you with your question.

Intensity(aka: Load) determines how many reps we can perform. The number of reps we can perform is inversely proportional to the load. Therefore the heavier the load the less reps we can perform.

We work off of a continuum called the 1 RM Continuum. Many strength training experts refer to this chart when assigning loads for workouts (Remember it is an average continuum based on statistics & may vary up or down for different induviduals). The following table shows the relationship between a sub-maximal load, calculated as a percentage of the 1 RM & the number of reps that can typically be performed at that percentage.

% 1RM--------- Reps performed
100----------------1
95-----------------2
93-----------------3
90-----------------4
87-----------------5
85-----------------6
83-----------------7
80-----------------8
77-----------------9
75-----------------10
72-----------------11
70------------------12

eg: If you can do back squats with 200lbs for 10 reps that is considered your 10RM(rep max). If you did 10 reps, racked the weight & could have done more . Then the load was not really your 10 RM. If you could only do 9 reps it was your 9 RM.

For hypertrophy( increase in muscle size with minimal strength increases) purposes you should perform reps with 70 - 78 % loads( 9-12 reps). Use a load that allows you to perform reps with perfect form. If you want the best of both worlds work at 79-85% ( 6-8 reps) . This is considered Functional Hypertrophy ( strength & size)

Remember this is not an exact science. Keep good records so you can see patterns developing & then adjust accordingly.

Hope this helps!

Enjoy the Journey!

[Jillian8715]

Wow, y'all have been a great help! I started my journal yesterday but I forgot to take it with me to the gym! HA! But I'll remember next time. I worked my legs and butt and started feeling a little more comfortable with the machines. That info about RM was VERY helpful! I know that I need to add a little more weight to some of my workouts! Thanks again! I'll keep doing some reading and we'll see where I'm at in a little while! Wish me luck!