How many kilos should I be lifting?

[Face]

Hi all. I have just joined this forum and am in need of some much needed advice with regards to strength.

I am a guy with a pretty slim build (168cm, 58kg) who has been training on and off for a few years (less so recently....). I am finally getting back into it now, with some real seriousness, and i was just wondering if anyone could tell me what kinds of weight (free weights) I should be lifting to be strong for my current height and weight. I have done many searches on the net to try to find out what weight I should be aiming to lift eventually, but to no avail. I am looking for answers with respect to certain exercises: namely squats, bench press, shoulder press, concentration curls, deadlifts and dumbell flyes. I don't have any intentions of bulking up, am quite happy at my current weight (maybe putting a bit more on would be ok), but i want to know your thoughts on what would be considered "strong" for me in terms of weights lifted in the above exercises. I just want to use these figures as a guide for myself and something to aim for.

Looking forward to your responses, cheers everyone.

[psyko1]

how old are you? if i'm reading this right you're 5.5ft tall and weigh around 127lbs? well you should be able to bench your own body weight anything more is good. really what's considered strong for you is up to you. you really can't tell yourself you should be putting up a certain weight, but you can set goals for yourself. i wish i could bench 500lbs but know that i'd be stupid if i put that on a bar a tried. just keep a log of your workouts. spend a week trying out different weights for different exercises and go by that.

[Shibby]

What are your goals? Strength, Shape, Lean ect. Other than that you should set a main goal (this will probably take at least 6 months) and then set little ones in between that to reach and keep your self motivated.

[Face]

Well, I am 22 years old, and ideally i would like to get up to 70kg in weight, but i am in no rush to get there, in my family we have a trend of being quite slim till our late 20s, so i know eventually the weight will come on.....

My goal is to be pretty bloody strong to tell you the truth, I used to be more concerned with the aesthetic side and having a bit more mass and bulk to certain muscle groups (chest, arms, shoulders), but now I really want to improve strength.

Psyko, ur right, except I am 5'6''. And when u say i should be able to bench my own bodyweight, u mean 1 rep max, or I should be able to pound out a good 4 sets of 10 reps.

I know what you guys are saying in that strength is all very subjective, but there are so few people my height and weight, I really don't know what would be considered strong for me.... I used to think maybe to be able to rep more than my own bodyweight on all my big muscle groups would be enough but i ain't sure no more. Thats y I am here asking you guys.... :D

And psyko, I already know what I can do, like you said i have tried and tested it, but I really want to know what to aim for as a final number, and not have too unrealistic expectations.

[Shibby]

Well the skies can be the limits if your willing (for the most part). Check this guy out http://www.bodybuilders.com/priest.htm

So your goals don't sound unreasonable at all. I think Psyko was talking about one rep max as far as being able to bench your body weight. But if you can't do that then you make that your first short term goal. Then you can make it a goal to do it more than once and so on. There's really not a standard since every single person is different when it comes to this type of thing. As you get stronger of course your muscles are gettting bigger, that's why you can push more weight. Just make sure you keep your form and technique as close to perfect as possible. I see alot of people that can "move" alot of weight. I say "move" because there not lifting correctly. So yea the weight is moving but it's not efficiantly isolating the target muscle. Just remember the number one rule of lifting. Check your ego at the door. Everyond had to start somewhere.

[Face]

Well, thanx for the advice shibby, you sound like you know what ur talking about. Problem for me is doing my one rep max may be slightly dangerous, i don't have anyone to train with :( And i can imagine that one things like bench press and squat I could get squished without a spotter....... :wacko:

Is there any way i can calculate my approximate 1 rep max if i know how many reps i can do of another weight.

Also, personally I was thinking that if i can start repping (6-10 reps) on more than my own bodyweight, i.e more than 60kg, then I would feel strong........

Can I also ask you guys, is there any benefit to doing a 1 rep max as part of a work out other than for curiosity purposes; I always thought you need to try and pound out a good 6 reps or more of a weight to gain any benefits..... sorry if my questions are all a bit noobish....

[psyko1]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/1rm.htm
even powerlifters don't do 1rm too often, it can be counterproductive to a point if done too often. if you're lifting heavy go for 6. and yes no spotters is a easy way to hurt yourself. it sucks i know i don't have one either, but be very careful and work your way up slower with the weight. FYI if you didn't know they sell benches with built in spotters.

[Shibby]

Don't worry about being "noobish" We all here to learn. I personaly don't see the point in doing a one rep max unless it's a competition, to see if you reached a personal goal, or to set a percentage standard (done in many high schools). 4-6 reps is a nice standard for mass building. Anything over 6 (not exactly) you start increasing endurance "toning" type exercise. There's not any exact number anyone can tell you. That you will have to kind of figure out through trial and error, since everyone is so different. Rember you can't cut and bulk at the same time. It dosn't work like that. And most your cutting comes down to diet rather than your work out.

[Face]

4-6 for mass building?????? Can anyone else shed anymore light on this? I was always under the impression 6-10 was for mass. I guess everyone says something different, i just want to get the general jist of what you all think. Please let me know. I currently do about 10 on my first set, and gradually work down to 5 or so..... Should I be putting the weight up???

The weird thing is when i used the lighter weight and did 12,10,7 I felt more achy afterwards than when i hit with 10,8,5 with 2.5 kg more (am talking about shoulder press btw)

And psyko1, a bench with a built in spotter????? Can u give me some more info????

[Shibby]

Originally posted by Face
And psyko1, a bench with a built in spotter????? Can u give me some more info????

They can be lever arms or pegs you set at a certain depth. But basically it runs parrell with the rack position just lower and if you can't make your rep you just set it down on it.

[Buffindiandude]

If you are are starting off and don't have a training partner, you can work with dumbbells. I do most of my lifting with dumbbells these days since I am working out at my office gym and don't have a training partner.

Start real light and watch your form. If you can get 6-8 reps try to move up the smallest amount you can and try again.

A very common mistake when starting off is to push too hard to increase poundage since we all feel inadequate when we start lifting and look around and see others lifting much more. That is a major mistake and you will invariably use bad form to lift the weight and hurt yourself. As long as you maintain good form and try to get 6-8 reps, you will get stronger and you will be able to gradually increase the weights.

Don't worry about what anyone else is lifting. Keep a record of what you lift and look for week to week gains. Your only yardstick should be yourself, at least for now.