Hi Monika, am I reading your log correctly? You are doing 30 lbs on triceps and 40 lbs on curls? Wow! I'm impressed. Glad to see you started a gym log, too!


This one is definitely perspective - I think the easy way out is doing this stuff at home.

Sure we can hit a plateau. It can happen to anyone at any time, I'm sure... even if we haven't been doing it very long. I suspect a plateau when we are new at this isn't the same as when you are experienced, though. We probably don't know yet how to push ourselves as hard as the more experienced people do. I mean, I'm not yet grunting and making noises like I hear some folks do to push through that last rep or 2.

I think Built's onto something with doing more sets & fewer reps at the old weight to push through a plateau, and then moving up to the new weight. I haven't yet tried that, but it sounds like a good way to go. Lifting longer at lower weights has to prepare you to be able to lift the higher weights.

One thing I notice in your routine is that you are still doing a lot of cardio. From everything I've read, you don't need quite that much when you are lifting. A lot of folks don't even do any, but I suspect you are like me and actually like the way it feels. (Can you believe I'm saying that? )

I don't see any reason to do the 3 mile WAP... it's just too long. 30 minutes in the 2 mile is plenty from what I've learned. I'm actually even cutting that back by skipping past the stretchy band part (I have the express version which uses the band, not weights). And I may drop it down to the 1 mile, although I don't feel like that one gets my heart rate and breathing up high enough. I think the harder we go with the weights, the less cardio we'll need... but I'm not there yet, so can't say for sure.

I know most people consider the WAP a cardio workout, but for me, at my weight, it's really cardio and strength training. Especially in the lower body. I mean, those knee lifts are killers with this much weight still in my legs. It still amazes me how much that WAP training has strengthened the muscles in my legs... The tops of my thighs are really getting hard. So, as I increase the lower body training with the weights (once I get there), I plan on reducing the WAP usage.

Hope this helps, some!