Lifting heavy?

[LadyE]

I am confused about how heavy and how many reps. I am currently lifting 77 pounds on leg lifts with 12 -15 reps and 3 sets. By the time I am done with my 3rd. set my legs are really burning and it is a struggle to gethose last few in. Seated squats are 110 pounds 3 sets of 12-15. Now my ? is. What is heavy to you all? Should I up my weight with less reps to really start seeing definition. I like to switch between doing low weight and high reps two weeks and back to high weight low reps the next two weeks. Is this wrong or right? Thanks

[motovilova]

12-15 reps is generally thought of as "endurance" ...If you are new to lifting period, then you may notice muscle gain in that rep range. I would definitely suggest mixing it up. One workout do 12-15, the next to 8-10 and on another do 4-6. The 1-6 (or so) is for strength gains, so you'd lift a REALLY heavy weight only a few times. The 8-10 is for building muscle. And the 12-15+ is for endurance. I think working in all rep ranges is a good idea to get variety. BUT, pick a rep range and stick mostly with it, depending on your goals. Mine is strength so I lift 3-5 reps for my *main* lifts. Sometimes I'll do a last set as a burnout set with 15+ reps. Sometimes I will do the second exercise for the same muscle in the 8-12 range after I've done my first exercise in the 3-5 range. But don't be afraid of dropping your reps and UPPING the weight. You will see better results w/lower reps and higher weight.

Irene

[LadyE]

Thanks Irene! I have been lifting for a while. I am just now getting serious about what results I am after. I still have some body weight to get rid of in the hip and mid section. A good 10 pnds. Those stubborn parts! I am trying to add muscle. I have gained a lot of endurance. I am running 4 miles 4 times a week along with 4 days at the gym. I really want my muscle to come out. I will try your workout and see how it goes. Thanks again. Penny

[Defiant1]

What really matters is the relative effort you are putting in. It impossible to say "you should do X reps with N amount" of weight unless we know what your max for that exercise is, or, what percentage of your max you are doing for that amount of reps.

[motovilova]

I also agree with this post. its sometimes hard to establish 1 rep maxes and doing percentages of that is maybe too much for a beginner (I don't do it either), but when you lift a weight for 5 reps, you should be super struggling on the 5th reps. It has to be hard for you, its not about just picking up a light weight and doing it a certain number of reps. If you do 10lb for 5 reps but could have really done 30lb for 5, you won't see the results you are seeking. You gotta WORK for it!
Up the weight every workout if you can.

Irene

[LadyE]

Thank you for all the great info. I will up my weight with less reps. I know I can lift heavier. I guess fear got the best of me!

[Tiffany_P]

Heavy = 5-8 reps per set. Some go even heavier, but I don't like going below 5 reps because my form goes to crap.