How do you know when.....?

[simba20]

To move up in pounds with weights. Asking so I will know when in the future.

Background:
Started working out Feb 1st after a brief hiatus for a few months. I am doing Jillian Micahel's 30 Day Shred, evry other day or so. I am so out of shape that I cannot do it back to back (well except for today) that I usually do it every other day or so.

My progress has developed from:
Week 1: OMG! I'm going to die. OMG! I can't move my legs. Jumping jacks, what...???? OMG! can't move. Must. Have. Full. Body. Massage......

Week 2: Whew! Getting easier. I feel the burn, but my arms aren't sore the next day. Okay, make small goals. Aim for 30 seconds of jumping jacks. Aim for at least 30 second sin each cardio segment.

Week 3: Still aiming for 30 seconds in each cardio segemnt, found it works best if I do the cardio exercises out of order (I cannot do jumping jacks followed by jumping rope -- shins/calves kill me) Successfully meet 30 seconds, aiming to go without stopping.....arms and legs feel fine. Usually want to end strength moves with weights by the time Jillian calls "a few more" but I stick through.

Note: All of this is on level one. I do not plan on moving up to the next level until I can do each cardio component without stopping and perform that for another week or two past that.

So I started thinking about the future, and wondering, when should I move up on weights. I am typing this JUSt after doing the workout and my hands/arms are a bit shaky while typing this, but for later reference, when do you know it's time to move up to a higher weight. Right now I am using 2lbs hand weights.

 

[FireDancer]

I think you should always be attempting to progress with weights. I see way too many people lifting the same weight for weeks at a time. Yes, you will plateau at some point down the road but at the beginning of a new workout regiment I think you should progress up at least weekly, even if by only 5 pounds. It is something you just have to feel of course and it isn't something that is easy to describe but as soon as you feel less tension on the muscle from the lift, whatever it is, than you did previously it is time to move up.

To put it another way, you shouldn't be striving to lift 2 pound weights easily, you should be striving to lift 5 pound weights with the same level of difficulty as you were lifting those 2 pound weights on the first day.

I know it is vague but it isn't something I can really give a formula for. I hope I didn't just confuse you further.

 

[perfectmatch300]

To put it another way, you shouldn't be striving to lift 2 pound weights easily, you should be striving to lift 5 pound weights with the same level of difficulty as you were lifting those 2 pound weights on the first day.

I'm fairly new to working with weights and had been wondering the same thing. What I've been doing is exactly what Fire Dancer suggested. That is, as soon as what I'd been lifting started to seem easy, I moved it up a notch so I had to work as hard as I did when I first started. Seems to be work so far, but I'm not looking to lift really heavy weights. I'm looking more to tone up than bulk up so in some cases I've increased the number of reps I'm doing rather than increase the amount of weight I'm lifting. By the end of the extra reps, I'm working just as hard. For those more knowledgeable than me, does that make sense?

 

[simba20]

I think you should always be attempting to progress with weights. I see way too many people lifting the same weight for weeks at a time. Yes, you will plateau at some point down the road but at the beginning of a new workout regiment I think you should progress up at least weekly, even if by only 5 pounds. It is something you just have to feel of course and it isn't something that is easy to describe but as soon as you feel less tension on the muscle from the lift, whatever it is, than you did previously it is time to move up.

To put it another way, you shouldn't be striving to lift 2 pound weights easily, you should be striving to lift 5 pound weights with the same level of difficulty as you were lifting those 2 pound weights on the first day.

I know it is vague but it isn't something I can really give a formula for. I hope I didn't just confuse you further.

Thanks, what you said makes sense. I think I'll do the 2 lb weights for another week (it does leave my arms with that "shaky" feeling, but it is getting easier) and then increase in March (well by the second week of March).

Now go I go for three pounds or for 5?

 

[simba20]

I'm fairly new to working with weights and had been wondering the same thing. What I've been doing is exactly what Fire Dancer suggested. That is, as soon as what I'd been lifting started to seem easy, I moved it up a notch so I had to work as hard as I did when I first started. Seems to be work so far, but I'm not looking to lift really heavy weights. I'm looking more to tone up than bulk up so in some cases I've increased the number of reps I'm doing rather than increase the amount of weight I'm lifting. By the end of the extra reps, I'm working just as hard. For those more knowledgeable than me, does that make sense?

Thanks. Guess I'll do the smaller weights for another week (they do leave my arms feelign like jelly, but compared to week one my arms aren;t sore and I have siad that it seems easier).

I want to be toned as well and not bulky. Whiel doing my workout today, I was amazed by the line/cuts goign from Jillian a nd the other girls' shoulder to armpit. Hard to explain, but I was like "Man, I want to have that cut."

Someday....someday.....

 

[kolohe_lady]

If you're female (I'm guessing. If you're a guy, my apologies ) don't worry about getting bulky. Even lifting heavy weights, women don't generally have enough testosterone to build the big, bulky muscles like men get. So don't let that idea get in the way of progressing to bigger weights when you're ready!

 

[momof2minnies]

Also with the cardio make sure you are wearing sneakers,don't do it in your socks because you will def. feel more impact on the shins.

From experience,
Linda

 

[Zoesmama03]

I'm using 3 lbers as that is what I started out with(and all I have right now) and some are challenging and some are easier. biceps and the chest flys I'm not really feeling anything worked like some of the others like the military presses(comes in level 2) and raises with side lunches(can't remember term she uses) those both really kill my arms still.

As soon as I can I'm going to pick up 5 lb weights so I can switch them up depending on difficulty of each particular section.

I love your little play by play of each week. Cute! I had to build up to the jumping jacks with her 5 second/beats thing in mind I got right back into them. Now I can do them all. Jumping rope is hard for me(kills shins no matter where they are placed) to do so I do skip rope but get some height. I sort of missed a week of exercise when I had a bad virus that may have been the flu and it was rough when I started it back up. It makes me smile that I could out jumping jack my 7 year old sometimes.

 

[FireDancer]

Thanks, what you said makes sense. I think I'll do the 2 lb weights for another week (it does leave my arms with that "shaky" feeling, but it is getting easier) and then increase in March (well by the second week of March).

Now go I go for three pounds or for 5?

I'd go to the 5's. Going up one pound is kind of useless IMO.

 

[simba20]

I'm using 3 lbers as that is what I started out with(and all I have right now) and some are challenging and some are easier. biceps and the chest flys I'm not really feeling anything worked like some of the others like the military presses(comes in level 2) and raises with side lunches(can't remember term she uses) those both really kill my arms still.

I love your little play by play of each week. Cute! I had to build up to the jumping jacks with her 5 second/beats thing in mind I got right back into them. Now I can do them all. Jumping rope is hard for me(kills shins no matter where they are placed) to do so I do skip rope but get some height.

The side lunges with the arm raises, kill me too. Also during week two I have having issues with my knee, so with any of the lunges I wanted to die. It's getting better, but seems to affecting my calf when I do any of the jumping.

Sicne Day one, I could always make it through the last cardio segment (with all four exercises: jumping jacks, jump rope, punches, and butt kicks) since they are only thiry seconds each. However, I cannot do the jumping jacks followed by the jumping rope, so last week I had to tell myself to do them out of order. So when she's jumping rope in circut one, I do butt kicks. When the butt kicks come up in circut 2, that's when I jump rope.

Also witht he jumping jacks, what gets me through is to count them. In the warm up, I do 21 jumping jacks in the amoutn of time she allots. When it comes time to do them in segment 1 -- the first time around I aim for 30, the second time around I aim for 25. Sometimes if I just close my eyes and turn around backwards from the TV, I am able to get through.

I can do the DVD, but it really has shown me how out of shape I am. I mean, jumping jacks killing a person....Yeah, try them for a full minute. I challeneged my athletic always involved in a sport football/softball/baseball coach husband to do jumping jacks for a full minute -- he conceeded that it was, indeed, hard to do. Usually if I can't do the full minute I aim for 30 seconds and then jog in place.

 

[perfectmatch300]

This is good info for me. I'm just 4 months out from hip replacement, so my increases are slow, but I can see why it's important to keep pushing myself. Thanks for the support, helps keep me going!