Increasing weight

How often should I usually be increasing the amount of weight I am using? Just whenever I feel I can do more? I always push myself. I do 3 sets for everything. 1 set of 15, increase weight, 1 set of 12, increase weight, 1 set of 10. I have gone from doing 35lb tricep press down to 60lbs, but for others (ie. bicep curls) I haven't been able to increase anywhere near that much.

Also, I was told to try doing leg presses one leg at a time, but was told by someone else that puts too much pressure on that one hip. What do you suggest?

Thanks!
 
lots of questions.

yes, increase weight when you feel like its not enough. only you know your limits, just be honest to yourself. 5-10% weight increase is the typical amount to adjust by.

You might wanna lower your reps a little. 15 is great for a warmup, but functionally kind of useless. 8-12 reps a set is a better range. You can dip down to 6reps and really up the weight for targeting strength gains.

biceps....what do you do to work the back? biceps get used in compound pullilng movements...lat pulldowns, pullups, chin ups, and rowing moves. Pullups in particular are a crucial component to a good routine.

any bicep isolation exercise should be after all your back exercises are done, and shouldn't be too involved. a couple sets of curls at the end of your routine should suffice. biceps are not big muscles, so you don't need to hit them as much, particularly since you SHOULD be doing mostly compound exercieses, with free weights, which hit the biceps as well.

I'm not a fan of leg press to begin with. I feel its less safe to leg press than to do free weight barbell squats. I did something to my knee on a leg press machine, not even that much weight at the time, and later found out from even more experienced people how bad some leg press machines can abnormally contort your form.
switching to squats actually helped my knee heal as good as its going to (barring surgery, which is too extreme for the level of discomfort I experience).

Obviously I'm making some assumptions, quite possible incorrect assumptions, about your routine...the usual mistakes beginners make...and just trying to steer you in the right direction.
 
Thanks!!

I posted this in another thread, but here is my current routine. a friend, who used to be a personal trainer but has been out of the game for a bit has been working with me. I've always been thin so he had me building a little muscle mass at first, now i guess I am just trying to lower my bf% (I do know that diet is very important in doing this)

Day 1
Inclined dumbbell press
Dumbell Squats
Bicep curls
Standing calf raises
3 min. elliptical machine
Bench press/ dumbbell press
Hamstring curls
Inclined / alternating curls
Seated calf raises
5 min. stair master
Cable crossovers
Leg extensions
Cable curls
Inclined calf raises
15 minute stationary bike

Day 2
5 minute warm up and stretch
15 minute cardio- crunches 4 x 20
15 minute cardio – leg raises 4 x 20
15 minute cardio – trunk twists 4 x 20

Day 3
Bent over rows
Dumbell Lunges
Hanging Dips
3 min. elliptical machine
Lateral pull downs
Leg presses
Overhead triceps press
5 minute stair master
Seated cable rows
Straight legged dead lifts
Triceps press downs
15 minute stationary bike

Day 4 - repeat Day 2

Day 5
Dumbell Shoulder presses
Standing calf raises
Front (shoulder)raises
Leg presses
3 min. elliptical
Shoulder shrugs
Leg press calf raises
Side deltoid raises
Leg extensions
5 minute stair master
Upright rows (barbell)
Seated calf raises
Rear deltoid raises
Hamstring curls
15 minute stationary bike

Day 6 - repeat Day 2
 
I personally would never use a machine for my legs again, they don't work any support muscles. Why not ask your friend to replace the machine stuff with things like squats and lunges? You'll notice a big difference the next day

As for working legs seperately, this is deffinately the way to go IMO. I used to do everything with both legs involved in every exercise, but then when I started doing unilateral work I noticed that I had developed an inbalance between legs and my left was far stronger than my right.
 
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