Add more weight every workout??? HELP!

[Eric75]

So, I hear you should be able to add a few pounds of weight every time you do a set of excercises (one week to the next). What if you just get to a point where you can't lift it? Obviously you go back down right? What causes this? Does that mean I should eat a bigger meal before lifting to be able to get up the added weight? I seem to be stuck at the same flat BB bench, and just can't add more. Not even 5 lbs.

HELP!

[2pounds]

if you could go up on weight every single workout I would be 450 lbs by now, with proper diet and training and sleep, you can go up most workouts,

going up on weight or reps is all in your head f you can get motivated enough you can do it

[Raider926]

going up on weights every workout isn't the smartest way to get bigger or stronger. It all depends on your goals, but if your looking to increase strength look up matrix lifting programs.

[Mikey1]

if your not increasing reps or weight from one workout to the next, then you are not progressing AT ALL

[BodySculpting]

I never understood how people say, "I add 10lbs to my bench every week!" please!! If that were the case everyone would be benching 1,000 pounds by now. Even with proper nutrion and rest, adding weight EVERY SINGLE week is pretty...well...bull****. I'd say being able to increase reps every week...yes, adding weight every couple of weeks, yes...every week? No, I don't subscribe to that.

[bigpump23]

try switching up your rep ranges which will allow you to use heavier weight or your tempo. Also periodize your train.

[F W Nietszche]

I think you need to look at the big picture, in a span of several months, as long as your reps and/or weight is going up you are making progress otherwise you are not. There are too many factors to give the direction thato ne should add weight every week. More often than not, if you have stagnated for a matter of months, it is probably your diet and/or rest rather than training that is preventing your progress, obviously if you are benching over 500-600lbs, adding weight will occur at a snails pace.

[F W Nietszche]

if your not increasing reps or weight from one workout to the next, then you are not progressing AT ALL

That is stupid, then there would be no limit to how much a person can lift, your strength increases are on a logrithmic curve rather than a linear. You don't need to add weight every workout, but you do need to progress over time (thats a fairly subjective term, but bodybuilding is just that)

[Defiant1]

I think you need to look at the big picture, in a span of several months, as long as your reps and/or weight is going up you are making progress otherwise you are not. There are too many factors to give the direction thato ne should add weight every week. More often than not, if you have stagnated for a matter of months, it is probably your diet and/or rest rather than training that is preventing your progress, obviously if you are benching over 500-600lbs, adding weight will occur at a snails pace.

Good post.

That's about it. Expecting to get stronger each workout is impossible, the TREND should be upward. Different aspects of "strength" grow at different rates. Tendon and ligament strength take longer than muscle strength, so you may stagnate for a little while while they catch up.

[JOHN GARGANI]

a bodybuilder is always trying to stay ahead of his own body, meaning, to constantly challenge it to grow and get stronger.....

as such, there are many ways to accomplish this, without adding weight....adding INTENSITY is one, and there are several ways to do that....

a beginning or intermediate bodybuilder will see more weight increases than an advanced bodybuilder.....

the advanced man has to play more "tricks" with his body.....

[F W Nietszche]

Good post.

That's about it. Expecting to get stronger each workout is impossible, the TREND should be upward. Different aspects of "strength" grow at different rates. Tendon and ligament strength take longer than muscle strength, so you may stagnate for a little while while they catch up.

See I give very general statements that can be taken in a variety of methods and let you people expalin it in a more specific way.

[Defiant1]

See I give very general statements that can be taken in a variety of methods and let you people expalin it in a more specific way.

I have to throw other stuff in to make myself look smart.

So people look at my post and say:


Duhhhh.....Him Smart!!!!

[ill Rich]

depends on which exercise

i always add weight to all of my exercises each time EXCEPT - bench, incline bench, curls, lat pulldowns and shrugs.

everything else i raise up at least 5 lbs each

[F W Nietszche]

I have to throw other stuff in to make myself look smart.

So people look at my post and say:


Duhhhh.....Him Smart!!!!

The system is an intrecate system of interdependence. There are the bottom feeders who I feed with glittering generalitises. You are at the bottom of the food chain, but impetus are the blanket statements that I make. It's like a trickle down effect, you knowledge goes through me, which goes to the bottom who are then elevated up a level. If any part of this "ecosystem" is disturbed, our world will surely impload.

You don't look smart on a forum... you appear to be start or you come off as being smart... I think.

[MrSinister]

depends on which exercise

i always add weight to all of my exercises each time EXCEPT - bench, incline bench, curls, lat pulldowns and shrugs.

everything else i raise up at least 5 lbs each

that trend will stock very soon

[jotec]

i did not read all the posts but IMO it is always good to be progressive.
what i do is reps or 12-8. Say im doing flat dumbell bench with each one weighing 65 pounds if i can only do 10 rep i keep working at it until i can do 12 reps on the first set and 8 on the second. When i get to that point i raise the weight 5 pounds and start all over again.
So no you do not want to raise the weight every time just when nessasary.

[alexanator]

Ph's let you add weight almost 2-3 times a week. But then again problems and injury can occur. So I dont recommend it.

[theeeguy]

those 2 1/2 plates r my best friends and i add weight every session.
Lets say i do back, with 4 diff. exercises, out of those 4, i add at least 2 1/2 pds to 1 of these exercises. Granted my reps might lower, but i'll just stay atb this weight until i get my reps back up.
I do keep a very detailed log of evey session, so yes it is possible to add weight every workout, just not to every exercise.

[Defiant1]

The system is an intrecate system of interdependence. There are the bottom feeders who I feed with glittering generalitises. You are at the bottom of the food chain, but impetus are the blanket statements that I make. It's like a trickle down effect, you knowledge goes through me, which goes to the bottom who are then elevated up a level. If any part of this "ecosystem" is disturbed, our world will surely impload.

You don't look smart on a forum... you appear to be start or you come off as being smart... I think.

Look: "appear in a particular way".

Me thank you. From: Bottom feeder.

[Eric75]

Thanks for all the input bros. I was just getting a little self concious that I was unable to add weight to my bench. I'll keep working until I can.

[Fluff]

I have another question on this. People change routines after a while, with different exercises. Where do you start counting when you go back to an exercise you haven't done for a while?

Lets say I used to do a 200 lbs barbell benchpress in a previous routine. I follow this up with a routine without barbell benchpress, instead I do dumbell benchpress. Then in the next routine I go back to barbell benchpress again. Do I aim for 200 lbs? Or less because it's been a while. Or more because I did dumbell benchpress in the meantime?

[jotec]

im trying to make sense of what you just said lol.
It is a good idea to change routines. your muscle have a kind of memory they get use to certian workouts after a while. You usaully change your reps, sets, time interval btw sets and pace of reps so you can shock the system once agian and forcing it to gain muscle for the new work load.
dumbells are a better workout then barbell you get a greater range of motion, better cotractions and it requires you to use muscles to stabalize.

good luck!!
joe

[$AJ]

your'e only going to be able to do that at the beginning. after a while you should be satisfied with +1 rep each eweek or two.

[jotec]

your'e only going to be able to do that at the beginning. after a while you should be satisfied with +1 rep each eweek or two.

if your not increasing your weight you should be increasing your reps you are able to do each time you recover and workout agian

[Boridi]

if you could increase your reps or weight every workout, people would be db curling 300 lbs., which is far from the truth

[jotec]

if you could increase your reps or weight every workout, people would be db curling 300 lbs., which is far from the truth

you should be able to increase you reps each time my friend. say i am dbell flat benching say 45 pound dbells and my target reps are 12-8 i can only push out 10 bad boys until i reach mmf. that means your muscles have shown they are capable of that after they recover their should be no reason you can't push one more rep unless you have not done it properly.
and i would repeat that until i can do 12 reps on the first set and 8 on the second when i get to that point I raise the weight 5 pounds.
i guess it might be different for others but this is the basic idea.

[Defiant1]

you should be able to increase you reps each time my friend. say i am dbell flat benching say 45 pound dbells and my target reps are 12-8 i can only push out 10 bad boys until i reach mmf. that means your muscles have shown they are capable of that after they recover their should be no reason you can't push one more rep unless you have not done it properly.
and i would repeat that until i can do 12 reps on the first set and 8 on the second when i get to that point I raise the weight 5 pounds.
i guess it might be different for others but this is the basic idea.

Muscle growth is not linear. It is impossible. There are other factors to strength that develop at different rates, like tendon/ligament strength.

The body grows in cycles.

[F W Nietszche]

Muscle growth is not linear. It is impossible. There are other factors to strength that develop at different rates, like tendon/ligament strength.

The body grows in cycles.

That is why you see growth spurts and not a single straight line of adding mass. Otherwise, one could expect a pound a month, however it will more likely to be 3 pounds on the first month of each third month or something of the like.

What most people don't tend to think about is the fact that the body doesn't really need to carry 150 pounds of muscle ontop of its bones and organs, it really doesn't help it. In terms of survival, more muscle entails more active tissue, thus resulting in a higher metabolic rater and need for food. Being of the natural order, the human body takes survival first and consuming more food is not good for survival (your body doesn't distguish whether you are rich and can afford food or if you are poor and cannot).

[natrlone]

Good post.

Tendon and ligament strength take longer than muscle strength, so you may stagnate for a little while while they catch up.

Or get injured like I am right now, from increasing the weights to fast.

[Defiant1]

That is why you see growth spurts and not a single straight line of adding mass. Otherwise, one could expect a pound a month, however it will more likely to be 3 pounds on the first month of each third month or something of the like.

What most people don't tend to think about is the fact that the body doesn't really need to carry 150 pounds of muscle ontop of its bones and organs, it really doesn't help it. In terms of survival, more muscle entails more active tissue, thus resulting in a higher metabolic rater and need for food. Being of the natural order, the human body takes survival first and consuming more food is not good for survival (your body doesn't distguish whether you are rich and can afford food or if you are poor and cannot).

Hey, now you are elaborating on MY posts.

I have said this before. The human body prioritizes AVOIDING pythons. Not having big pythons.