The "fitness" industry is full of all kinds of frauds, ignoramuses, con-men, and dilettantes ( see: Tony Horton, that fat cross#*@ guy, Jill what's-her-name,etc.) Oh, and most of the trainers out there. They keep many truths from you, for example:
You. Are. Not. Lifting. Enough. Weight. I'll bet your trainer hasn't told you this.( Sure, keep the money rolling in while you get little- to- no results.)
Women, especially, are afraid of relatively heavy weight. But, I've encountered my fair share of male clients who are afraid of heavy work ( 85%1RM or more) for various reasons. " I have a bad...back...knee...shoulder" " My wife doesn't like big muscles (guffaw!)" " Heavy weight training will slow me down" ( When the real reason is they're scared to death to find out how weak they really are and how hard they'll have to work to get strong.)
So, how strong are you right now?
Check this post to see how you stack up.
If you don't meet all (or most) of these levels, have a serious talk with your trainer. And in the weak lifts in which you are not up to snuff, get to work on them!
While we know that you should work on a variety of set/rep and weight ranges in order to maximize muscle growth, strength, and endurance, you must lift at least 60% 1RM for hypertrophy. ( And for the vast majority of healthy, uninjured people, that means much more than 3 or 5 or 10 or 15 pound dumbbells!)
While there are valid differences of opinion on exact set/rep and weight configurations for specific goals, here is a workable example chart to let you categorize your workout:
Exercise Goal Training %1RM Sets/Reps
Maximum Strength 85-100 3X3
Speed/Power 40-80 9X3
Hypertrophy 65-85 4X8
Endurance 20-70 3X20
You can see easily from the chart above the mistakes made by many lifters of both sexes. Women tend to fixate on the "endurance" category- light weights and high reps. Men stick to the "four sets of 8-12 reps" muscle-building scheme. And while many people might not be too concerned with achieving "maximum" lifts, they certainly need to address the other areas requiring in excess of 80% 1RM.
To start, get a knowledgeable fitness professional to test your 1RM in the major lifts ( and teach you proper lifting techniques in the meantime.) Then, craft a periodized* program around the results.
Like the guy from the Men's Wearhouse, you'll see results, I guarantee it!
"...but I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
So on we go..."
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother( The Hollies, by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, 1969)
* Oops! Don't know about periodization? Stay tuned for my upcoming "sin of omission " post covering another thing your trainer didn't tell you.
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