How heavy did u lift when...(reps)

[Bad Company]

You first started working out?

Bench:
Dead:
Squat:

My wife is lifting what I consider to be very light, I tell her each person is different, but I think she could lift alot more.

She generally only lifts 22lbs on all the lifts!?

[Classicjamz]

When I started working out, about 2.5 years ago...

Bench (DB press) - 50 lbs
Dead - 80 lbs
Squat - ~ 100


Yes she could be doing much more lol

But everyone is different, so she may not be able to lift the weight I started with, but she can do more than 22lbs. She probably has the "I don't want to get bulky" syndrome alot of women have lol.

[heidismommy]

When I first started out I did everything with 5 lb dumbells, I kid you not. I was really skinny though and a lot of my muscle had atrophied. Once I really got into it and bought a barbel set, my starting lifting stats were as follows:

Bench: 20 lbs
Squats: 40 lbs
Deadlifts: 40 lbs

Just a few months later and I'm lifting more than double that, sometimes triple that if I'm doing only 6-8 reps.

As long as she's challenging herself and feeling fatigued without having to do too many reps, than that may be all she needs in the beginning. However, it is not as beneficial to do lots of reps with little weight, she'll see much better results with heavier weights, fewer reps. She shouldn't compare herself to what others are lifting though because it is very individual. On the other hand, she should be pushing herself for maximum benefit.

[Eileen]

What matters is how intense it feels to her, not the actual weight. Lifting with good form and a full range of motion often requires a light weight at the start. Much better to start light and build up than to have an injury or develop bad lifting habits from going too heavy.

Every so often, get her to try increasing the weight for say, three reps, and see how she finds that.

You could suggest to her that most people, including women, can deadlift a lot more than they can squat or bench. That's the one where she could try increasing the weight first.

[edenkat]

it definitely depends on her size and strength. i just started a couple months ago and as much as i am stronger than before it depends on how many reps and sets i am doing as well. right now i'm at:

bench: 40 lbs but moving it up to 45 soon
squat: 30 lbs but i do atg squats, can do more with regular squats
deadlift: 40 lbs

[Mindi911]

Originally Posted by Eileen

What matters is how intense it feels to her, not the actual weight. Lifting with good form and a full range of motion often requires a light weight at the start. Much better to start light and build up than to have an injury or develop bad lifting habits from going too heavy.

Every so often, get her to try increasing the weight for say, three reps, and see how she finds that.

You could suggest to her that most people, including women, can deadlift a lot more than they can squat or bench. That's the one where she could try increasing the weight first.

this is very true you should never gauge someone's progress or starting point from other peoples figures.

I know I started super light lol. I don't even think I could lift the bar for bench so I started with dbs lol.

For a while though I could squat more than I could dead but they've more or less evened themselves out now.

[heidismommy]

Originally Posted by Eileen

What matters is how intense it feels to her, not the actual weight. Lifting with good form and a full range of motion often requires a light weight at the start. Much better to start light and build up than to have an injury or develop bad lifting habits from going too heavy.

Every so often, get her to try increasing the weight for say, three reps, and see how she finds that.

You could suggest to her that most people, including women, can deadlift a lot more than they can squat or bench. That's the one where she could try increasing the weight first.

Totally agree that good form and full range of motion is very important. Starting light is a good way to really focus on form in the beginning. However, I squat and deadlift the same weight, while bench press is always a lighter weight. I suppose that is different for everyone too.

[edenkat]

Originally Posted by heidismommy

Totally agree that good form and full range of motion is very important. Starting light is a good way to really focus on form in the beginning. However, I squat and deadlift the same weight, while bench press is always a lighter weight. I suppose that is different for everyone too.

putting emphasis on proper form and technique can make it hurt more rather than just lifting heavy. its not always about the weight but about how you feel and the progress you make.

[Eileen]

Hmm, does that mean I'm doing something wrong? I squat and bench about the same, but deadlift twice that.

[heidismommy]

Originally Posted by edenkat

putting emphasis on proper form and technique can make it hurt more rather than just lifting heavy. its not always about the weight but about how you feel and the progress you make.

Okay, well I'm just going from my experience with it. I suppose it's different for everyone and one needs to find what works for them. It helped me to get the technique down, especially since I started out so weak. Less risk of injury that way.

[Amanda76]

Originally Posted by Bad Company

You first started working out?

Bench:
Dead:
Squat:

My wife is lifting what I consider to be very light, I tell her each person is different, but I think she could lift alot more.

She generally only lifts 22lbs on all the lifts!?

Bench: 45 lbs (oly bar)...this was when I was 11. My daughter (who is now 13 could also do 45 lbs at 11. She has added some weight to the bar before, but I can't remember whether she got up to 55 or 65.

Dead: Didn't do when I first started working out, but started with 95 (oly bar +2 quarters) when I first started doing them. My daughter uses a 40 lb pre-loaded bar and it looks light but she doesn't work out often enough to really advance.

Squat: 85 lbs to parallel when I first started, but again, this wasn't an exercise I had tried until I had been lifting a while. My daughter has a pretty easy time with the 45 lb bar, but she has really skinny, wobbly legs. Your wife has probably finished growing some adult-sized legs and should be a bit more stable.

I'm trying to think if I EVER would have used 22 lbs for anything. If we go 10-12 lbs per side, the only things I can think of going that light or lighter with are lat raises, db flyes, reverse flyes...basically single joint movements that are hard on the shoulders. Upright rows are a possibility, too. I'd say the same holds true with my daughter.

So, my 13 year old hardly ever comes to the gym and outlifts your wife when she does...in fact, could have outlifted her at 11 years old. I DO think your wife could do a bit better than she is. Maybe point out that there's NO WAY her upper body should be as strong as her legs and she'll realize that she should at least be attempting different weights for different body parts.

Maybe have her do a program that concentrates on strength gains like Max-OT. With a program like that, the reps are quite low (4-6 for most exercises) and you are expected to move up in reps or weight with each workout. Most people are shocked how strong they actually end up being, and that confidence in their strength, of course, translates to more productive workouts whatever rep range they work in.

[Amanda76]

Originally Posted by Eileen

What matters is how intense it feels to her, not the actual weight. Lifting with good form and a full range of motion often requires a light weight at the start. Much better to start light and build up than to have an injury or develop bad lifting habits from going too heavy.

Every so often, get her to try increasing the weight for say, three reps, and see how she finds that.

You could suggest to her that most people, including women, can deadlift a lot more than they can squat or bench. That's the one where she could try increasing the weight first.

Safety and form do need to be considered above all else...but I think the fact that she benches, squats and deadlifts exactly the same light weight is a pretty good sign she's not pushing herself as hard as she could. At least over time. Extra light is a great place to start, but there should be some advancement as time goes on.

Besides that, I think a basket of laundry weighs more than 22 lbs. LOL

[Mindi911]

Originally Posted by Eileen

Hmm, does that mean I'm doing something wrong? I squat and bench about the same, but deadlift twice that.

no it doesn't mean anything, just means you get good in what you practice that's all.

I put more emphasis on squats that's all.

[Bad Company]

Ok, thanks girls.
I will let her finish the week with her 22 lbs so as not to scare her off then suggest she doubles the weight

[Amanda76]

Originally Posted by Bad Company

Ok, thanks girls.
I will let her finish the week with her 22 lbs so as not to scare her off then suggest she doubles the weight

That IS kinda a joke, right? I didn't just put 45 lbs on my daughter...we went up the pre-loaded rack figuring out what was too light and ended up at using the oly bar. That did happen in one workout, though (wasn't something she had to work up to...was just something we had to feel out). I have a feeling your wife WILL be lifting a crapload more than she is, but do go from 22 to 30 and from 30 to 40 instead of just throwing twice the weight on. I'm pretty sure that's what you mean to do, but just in case I don't want to be partially to blame for her hurting herself. LOL

I'd wager she does more than twice the weight in squats and deads pretty quick, though.

[Bad Company]

LOL, no I wasnt joking!

Ok, we will asses it on Monday, maybe only going up by 25% a week untill she gets the right weight.

I dont know if she genuinly finds it heavy u she is worried. Today she said her legs are very sore from doing squats..

[nesse]

Originally Posted by Bad Company

LOL, no I wasnt joking!

Ok, we will asses it on Monday, maybe only going up by 25% a week untill she gets the right weight.

I dont know if she genuinly finds it heavy u she is worried. Today she said her legs are very sore from doing squats..

How many reps does she do?
The basic rule is pretty much just stick with 10% increments.
So like 22 then 24 (rounded from 24.2) then 27 (rounded from 26.8) etc. etc.
Cause 25% increase may be too much then u'll be stucking going up then down then up etc until u find the right one.. lol

Maybe though she could try like a body works (weight class) at the gym if you guys have one avaiable, that is?

That's what I started with and we were using 8, 10, 12 lb weights (its pretty much endurance training in those classes, though)... aside from that, when i started my lifts were like

bench 15s or 20s (dumbells)
squat 30lb barbell (for back squat)
dead 90lb barbell (but didnt start deads until a lonng time after i started weight traing... lol

but im a heavy ass chick... idk ur wife is probably dainty-er.. ;p

[edenkat]

Originally Posted by Bad Company

LOL, no I wasnt joking!

Ok, we will asses it on Monday, maybe only going up by 25% a week untill she gets the right weight.

I dont know if she genuinly finds it heavy u she is worried. Today she said her legs are very sore from doing squats..

She is probably sore since she is not used to doing those type of exercises. She will be able to increase weight quite quickly but don't go too fast. 10% is about right. Once she gets used to it she will have to work alot harder and lift more to feel sore.

[sickonstorm]

Originally Posted by Classicjamz

When I started working out, about 2.5 years ago...

Bench (DB press) - 50 lbs
Dead - 80 lbs
Squat - ~ 100


Yes she could be doing much more lol

But everyone is different, so she may not be able to lift the weight I started with, but she can do more than 22lbs. She probably has the "I don't want to get bulky" syndrome alot of women have lol.

50 pounds for a femmale is amazing. were u going dowm all the way? and im not a weak guy either so dont think its not impressive. i db press the heaviest dbs at gyms and i think for a woman ur lifting some big ass weights. odd ur deads lower than ur squat, u using ****ty form?

[Eileen]

Huh? 50lb is just an O bar and a couple of tiny weights. It's a good starting point, but I'd imagine most people here would lift a lot heavier that that, and with a full range of motion. I generally aim for 50kg.

[TurbulentFluid]

Bench: 30 kg
Squat: 60 kg on the hack squat machine, didn't dare to do free squats; then 25 kg free squat
deads: started with 25kg, when cleaning the thing to squat... Yup I was weak...

Now I generally do:
Bench: 50 kg
Squat: 55 kg
Dead: 55 kg

Maxes:
Bench: 55 kg
Squat: 62 kg
Dead: 65 kg

(lifts in my "stats" are old, from my "power" phase that went on a year ago).

[Will2k84]

Originally Posted by TurbulentFluid

Now I generally do:
Bench: 50 kg
Squat: 55 kg
Dead: 55 kg

Maxes:
Bench: 55 kg
Squat: 62 kg
Dead: 65 kg

(lifts in my "stats" are old, from my "power" phase that went on a year ago).

Damn, thats a very solid bench indeed!

To the OP my gf has hardly ever done any weights but yeah she is quite weak and even holding 15lbs seems heavy to her As long as it seems heavy to them and they progress that's all that matters.

[Gavin_]

The way I was taught and the way I teach is to learn the movement with a broomstic or empty bar. Once that's going well and the movement is down, then add weight in small increments until the bar momentum starts to slow.

The weight that causes the bar to slow is the new working weight for a first day lifter. I use sets of 5-reps and once you find that weight, I'd just have them do 3 sets and move to the next lift.

On a true first-day lifter, it doesn't take much at all to cause soreness and soreness is only a hindrance, not a sign of progress. If you kick their ass the first day, you're asking for trouble, especially in females who will be less eager to return to the gym and do it all over again. (no offense, but it is my experience).

If your gym doesn't have a 10kg women's bar, or something else suitable for <45 lbs lifting, you need a new gym.

[MissThing]

Originally Posted by Bad Company

You first started working out?

Bench:
Dead:
Squat:

My wife is lifting what I consider to be very light, I tell her each person is different, but I think she could lift alot more.

She generally only lifts 22lbs on all the lifts!?

I am 5'6 and started lifting at 217lbs or so. on my very first day I did:

Dead- 25kg for 8 reps
squat - 20kg for 8 reps (failed on 2nd set)
bench - 20kg for 8 reps

now I lift
Dead - 75kg for 8 reps
squat - 60kg for 8 reps
bench - 40kg for 8 reps (but I#ve lost upper body strength )

if she has just started she will get accustomed to the exercises and possbily increase her lifts every week or so, as I did.

[CharliC]

When I started out at 43kg I did:

DB Bench- 6kg DBs
Deadlift- 20kg
And I didn't do squats initially (except low weight, high rep), but leg press- 55kg

Kind of a mixed bag....

[RImuscle]

Wow Miss Thing! Congrats so far on the weightloss, your looking fab!

The first time I ever stepped foot inside a gym I couldn't even squat the bar!! I could bench 95 lbs right away and I was deadlifting 65 lbs. Five months later I benched 165 lbs, my squat was 240 lbs, and my deadlift was 260 lbs. I got into powerlifting after that.

[eli81]

I can sympathize with your wife. I'm lifting relatively "light" weights compared to other people, but I'm only a fairly small frame and have absolutely no arm strength at all. So what's heavy to me, isn't to someone else.

[Jala_B]

I am not your "typical" female with my lifting. When I very first did a squat in 7th grade, I could do 95 lbs.

Last year (just over a year exactly) when I seriously started lifting, I could:

Squat 125 lbs for about 8 reps
Bench 65 lbs for the same
Deadlift 165 lbs for a single rep max

When I started seriously lifting a year ago, I had very rarely squatted, very rarely benched, and had never done a deadlift.

[dvsness]

My first compound lifts were bar only, so that would be 45 lbs.

My max bench is 135 I think, but I don't bench anymore - I find DB press to have a better ROM and stimulate the pecs more, where bench seemed to be more delt and tricep dominant for me.

My max squat is probably about the same. It's a movement I don't use a whole lot since compression from above bothers my lower back (scoliosis).

My DL on the other hand has reached out at 225x6. I have yet to try for more.

[precisou2004]

I bet she's afraid to "bulk" LOL

Originally Posted by Bad Company

You first started working out?

Bench:
Dead:
Squat:

My wife is lifting what I consider to be very light, I tell her each person is different, but I think she could lift alot more.

She generally only lifts 22lbs on all the lifts!?