So I've been weight training for about 3 months now - 5 months of going to the gym. All while being lowcarb. Only thing Ive noticed that I can up my weights in is the fly machine and the Ab Machine. Maybe I'm just not noticing it .. I have lost roughly 35-40lbs since starting at the gym. But some of the weights that I do 3 sets with dont seem like much at all for a guy my size. Is it just an ego thing? When I watch others lift? or just keep doing what I'm doing and it will come to me.

Eat more?
Train more? - I lift 2x a week?
Protein before? After?
More Water? - I dont like this because I do cardio after and can cause me to cramp
I had a case of food poisoning and was away from the gym for 8-9 days and it seemed like I had even less strength


Any suggestions.

I have a gym log to show some of my workouts.

Feel free to suggest any other exercises that you thing I should be doing.

as a rule:
at the end of your workout if you feel like you could keep going, you're not lifting with enough intensity.
Increase the weight you lift, until such time that after the last rep you feel incapable of lifting it again.

It really depends what your goals are. If your main goal is to lose fat, then it sounds like your on the right track already. If your in a calorie deficit you cant expect to gain muscle, only maintain the muscle you have. You should carry on lifting weights to maintain your muscle while losing fat.

If on the other hand you want to bulk up, you should eat more. This will give you more energy and give your body the calories it needs to build muscle on your body, allowing you to lift more.

Dont worry about how much you lift, as long you your working hard and your technique is right, your golden.

if a little extra strength is what you want, then there are many ways you can go about this.

one simple suggestion you could try is to start your exercise with 5-10 lbs more and complete as many of your reps as you can then drop it back down to your normal working weight.

something else you could do is pick a lower rep range and a weight that will allow you to get those reps, while leaving only one rep in the tank.

I am not a guy and I am not really interested in getting any bigger or stronger, but one thing that really helps me lift more with more reps is to have a spotter. When my dh spots for me, I do as many as I think I can do, then he makes me do 2 more, then he "assists" me with ONE more. When I am done, I can barely lift the weight of my own arm.

I just wanted to add - I have heard Slow Burn is supposed to help increase strength quickly, although I can't vouch for it since I have never really tried it consistantly, or read the book. But I have heard a lot of members talking about it. I just don't have the patients for it.

As was mentioned you need to post your goals and go from there.

How often are you doing your weight training routine? I notice if I go 5 days straight, then take two days off, I can always lift more on my next 5 day stretch. Ditto for cardio, I have to raise the intensity level after the break. I'm cutting and this routine is working very well for me

Matt

That is probably my first problem - I don't know exactly what my goals are. I want to get down to 10-12% bodyfat and be strong/healthy and have a body worth showing off or at least not embarrassed about.

www.t-nation.com - excellent website that will answer each and every one of your questions. If you are on Atkins due to medical reasons you can safely ignore most of the nutritional advice. but if you are interested there is a ton of info about CKD's, TKD's, keto dieting and a massive thread called 'my experience on the Anabolic Diet' which is a phase shift diet.

I follow the Anabolic Diet and the last time I got tested on the Tanita scale at my gym I came in at 5% body fat.

P.S. GET OFF THE MACHINES!!!
Seriously, they are ok as supplementary/warm-ups. BUt the more free weights you use, the better you will look.

And don't worry, simply lifting a heavy weight a few times a week won't make you 'huge and bulky'. That requires YEARS of continued and progressive lifting. Not to mention stuffing your self past capacity to gain weight with the right foods.

^^She turned me on to lifting short and heavy and I never looked back and I have results now and actual muscles!

I started by lifting 3 days a week or every other day. First with the full body workout I did that for about 4-5 months and then switched to a 4-day split called Baby Got Back!. For me, cardio is optional, I just hate it! I have started adding it back to my routine because I wanted to because it's cold here in California now so I just need the additional activity and I was bored! Otherwise my cardio came from playing with my kids, work, housework, and other busy stuff. I am rarely sedentary.

In short, I lift heavy weight short reps. In a FBWO I lift 3 set of 5-8 reps of the heaviest weight. In BGB, I lift 5 sets of 5 reps and 3 sets of 8, again the heaviest weight I could handle with good form, two moves per body part and I work my legs twice a week with ham dominant one day and quads on the other. Her articles explain it all well so I encourage you to read it!! You can also e-mail her and she does respond and is a total doll. She is a former fat chick who lost her weight with Atkins and when she still wasn't as fit as she had wanted started lifting heavy.

I love it now and lift because I love it not because of what the scale or jeans label may read that's just a bonus.

Ive been doing the T - H -T Program from MuscleHack.com starting my 2nd week now - I like it soo far and might look into it a different plan later on. after this 12 weeks is up. I'll definitely look into hers after this one.

Thanks for the Suggestion!

www.figureathlete.com
tons of info, programs, etc specifically for women.

Well after logging my Reps and Weight and doing a structured weekly routine - Ive already upped my weight on a few things and see where I can up my weight on a few more things.

So I guess I have been gaining strength after all

Middle of Week2 - Hope week 12 shows some serious progress.