When to up the weight?

[96Firebird]

Right now I am doing 3x8 dumbbell workouts at the gym. How do I know when I should step up to the next weight without hurting myself? When I do move up in weight, should I keep shooting for 8 reps or decrease the amount of reps to 5 or 6, and then work up to 8 again? I am working out just to build muscle mass, I don't really need strength and I don't play any sports besides recreational kickball.

And a little update on my progress. I started working out after I broke up with my ex a little over a year ago. At that time, I was around 125lbs at 5'10". I got into a routine, and then fell out of that routine when I moved houses and summer came. I spent my summer fishing, hiking, and enjoying the short stint of warm weather we have up here. Then I got back into working out in late fall. I have been progressing pretty well, am up to around 155lbs right now. The best part is people are starting to notice that I am getting more in shape. I have been skinny my entire life, so when people mention that it looks like I am getting bigger it feels good. My goal is to get up to ~180lb, but I know I'm going to hit a plateau sooner or later. Its nice to be healthier though.

 

[mple]

Right now I am doing 3x8 dumbbell workouts at the gym. How do I know when I should step up to the next weight without hurting myself? When I do move up in weight, should I keep shooting for 8 reps or decrease the amount of reps to 5 or 6, and then work up to 8 again? I am working out just to build muscle mass, I don't really need strength and I don't play any sports besides recreational kickball.

And a little update on my progress. I started working out after I broke up with my ex a little over a year ago. At that time, I was around 125lbs at 5'10". I got into a routine, and then fell out of that routine when I moved houses and summer came. I spent my summer fishing, hiking, and enjoying the short stint of warm weather we have up here. Then I got back into working out in late fall. I have been progressing pretty well, am up to around 155lbs right now. The best part is people are starting to notice that I am getting more in shape. I have been skinny my entire life, so when people mention that it looks like I am getting bigger it feels good. My goal is to get up to ~180lb, but I know I'm going to hit a plateau sooner or later. Its nice to be healthier though.

Gaining strength and building mass go hand in hand. If your goal weight is 180, start bulking on a proven lifting program and eat accordingly.

 

[brad310]

Right now I am doing 3x8 dumbbell workouts at the gym.

You need to be using a barbell. Its loadable in 5lb increments and allow you to move more weight with more muscle groups. Squat rack if you have it.

Go to the startingstrength.com forums and read them. They are tailor made for you.

 

[tedrodai]

Right now I am doing 3x8 dumbbell workouts at the gym. How do I know when I should step up to the next weight without hurting myself? When I do move up in weight, should I keep shooting for 8 reps or decrease the amount of reps to 5 or 6, and then work up to 8 again? I am working out just to build muscle mass, I don't really need strength and I don't play any sports besides recreational kickball.

Just to give you a VERY general answer to your question:

When you're shooting for a particular set/rep range, once you're able to complete all the sets/reps for a given weight, it's time to try to increase the difficulty to the next increment. I.E. increase the weight, # of reps, # of sets, time...depends on the exercise and your goals. So if you're doing 3x8, and are able to complete all 3 sets of 8 reps with say, 30lb dumbells, try it with 35lbs next time or increase the reps to 3x10 @30lbs (depending on your goals). You might not finish all your reps for the new sets, but as long as you stick with using good form (smooth and controlled movements, keep good body alignment, don't adjust/strain extra hard to finish that last rep that isn't going to make it, etc), you're still as safe as you'll ever be for avoiding injuries. Once you achieve all sets/reps, increase the difficulty again for your next workout.

8 reps is sortof a middle ground between strength & hypertrophy focussed workouts, in general. Often, strength workouts use a 3-6 rep range or 5 or 6-8. Hypertrophy perhaps 8-12, sometimes 15 reps.

 

[brad310]

Often, strength workouts use a 3-6 rep range or 5 or 6-8. Hypertrophy perhaps 8-12, sometimes 15 reps.

i like to end my squats with a set of 20 with about 50% of my 1RM. Its really f'n hard....but i started doing sets of 20s with bench, OHP, and rows. Im definitely getting something out of it. Im incrementing my 20s by 5 lbs as well once a week.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

i like to end my squats with a set of 20 with about 50% of my 1RM. Its really f'n hard....but i started doing sets of 20s with bench, OHP, and rows. Im definitely getting something out of it. Im incrementing my 20s by 5 lbs as well once a week.

Eh, I'm not a big fan of doing 20 rep sets in addition to regular strength training sets. Research shows that less endurance work integrated into strength work makes for more effective muscular hypertrophy. If that's your goal, then I'd say do them on different days or nix the 20 rep sets for now. Endurance work like 20 rep sets can actually inhibit cellular processes for muscle growth. That's why doing cardio and strength training in the same session is really suboptimal for either (unless your goal is just a mix of both with less emphasis on gaining muscle mass).

 

[brad310]

Eh, I'm not a big fan of doing 20 rep sets in addition to regular strength training sets. Research shows that less endurance work integrated into strength work makes for more effective muscular hypertrophy. If that's your goal, then I'd say do them on different days or nix the 20 rep sets for now. Endurance work like 20 rep sets can actually inhibit cellular processes for muscle growth. That's why doing cardio and strength training in the same session is really suboptimal for either (unless your goal is just a mix of both with less emphasis on gaining muscle mass).

thats very interesting, thank you.

Im about to switch from my recent bulking/strength phase to a weight loss phase while trying to maintain the strength i just worked so hard and got so fat to acheive.

Diet wise, im going to drop my creatine and pre-workout supp, and am about to try Hot Rox for the first time. I will additionally start counting my calories and balance out more from being very heavy on protein. My exercise plan will revolve around mainly p90x and some prowler/barbell complexes...with 2 days a week working my main lifts.

If you have any other insight on losing fat after a loading phase i'd be open to that. Your input here has always been wonderful.