define 'reasonable goal'

[alexseanchai]

Resistance bands? Apparently not doing it for me. However, my development has a gym attached to the community center, and it has free weights. Yesterday I did a ten-rep set each, with five-pound weights, of bicep curls and overhead presses and half a ten-rep set of lateral raises; given how long it's been since I did any strength training at all, I'm calling that impressive.

The goal I am setting is to be able to do at least that much with thirty-pound weights. Appropriate intermediate goals seem to be each intermediate size of weight, five-pound intervals. However, I do not know how long I should stay with any given size of weight before moving up to the next, how many ten-rep sets I should be aiming for with each weight, and also something about more reps with smaller weights for stamina and fewer reps with bigger weights for strength?

Help me set attainable goals, is my question here.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

The gym only has five-pound increments. I'll look into PlateMates, though. Thanks!

There are machines but I don't know what to do with them.

[rydra_wong]

If the machines seem too daunting at the moment, inverted rows are a good option (actually, they're a good option anyway, as they work much more of your body than machines do).

You can do them at home if you have a really sturdy table, or at the gym if there's a Smith machine or squat rack with a bar you can use.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/BWSupineRow.html
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/11/06/inverted-row-are-you-missing-out-on-this-great-exercise/

It's generally a good idea to add in some exercises that balance out your primary goals a bit, so you avoid muscle imbalances which can make you more injury-prone.

[alexseanchai]

I have to figure out what machines the gym has, I can't name them from eyeballing them. I might bring a camera and then ask y'all to identify them from the pictures.

Thanks!

[thalia]

I'm glad people were able to help you out with the machines in your other post! I had every intention of tracking down some YouTube videos but just haven't had time.

On the dumbbell front, you could also consider finding a used sporting goods store and picking up some 8 lb. dumbbells (maybe even 6s or 7s if they're there)--those would save you from having to jump straight from 5s to 10s. It would be a pain hauling them to the gym, but if you carried them in a backpack it wouldn't be so bad. You'll probably find 12s useful as well, when it's time, but once you're at 15s, going to 20s is doable, if challenging.

There's one gym at a place I travel to sometimes that has 2.5-lb increments all the way up to 50 lbs. I love that gym and wish everyplace would do that.

[alexseanchai]

Hm, that's a thought. Also 20lb weights when I get that high, because those and the 40s are missing from the gym, and I'm assured that it's less 'missing' and more 'never had in the first place', wtf.