weights- what am I doing wrong?

Help!

I am a 32 y.o. F.  I lift weights, doing a full machine circuit upper/lower, 3 days a week, with a day of rest between each.  I usually do 3-4 sets of 15 reps.  I've been reading everywhere that it's better to do heavier weight, fewer reps to build muscle.  Yesterday I did the same circuit, but I cut the reps to 3-4 sets of 8 and doubled the weight.  I felt like I was doing less, though.  While it would be extremely difficult to lift the weight while I was doing it, as soon as I was done, I felt able to start again without any rest.  Also, I don't feel sore at all today like I thought I would.  Am I doing something wrong?  Oh, and I know that free weights are better, but I would like to stay on the machines.

I would talk with a trainer in your gym. They might be able to help you. Do you feed your muscles? That is more important then you might think. 

Good luck.

I agree with the other post, you should probably see a trainer.  It may also be that since you increased your weight, your form may have suffered a bit.  

You should do enough reps so that you feel like you couldn't possibly do one more and keep good form.  Try doing as many as you can and if it's more than 15 your aren't lifting with enough weight.  It may be that you are not pushing yourself enough.  Even though it feels heavy, you may be capable of much more.  I think that is the most important part.  Just a thought but if it was that easy to double the weight you are lifting your program was too easy before.  Lifting is hard work!  I get out of breath, my muscle burn, and after a good set I am just like phew....wow.... LOL!

I also think the trainer is a good idea if you can afford it, even just for one session. 

Oh, and I usually am the most sore the 2nd day...

Why are you disinclined to using free weights?

Well there are several reasons.  The weight machines are more convenient for me, I can go straight through the circuit and get out easily.  There would be a lot more waiting with the free weights.  Also, I don't always have a spotter.

You're right, I must be a wuss!  All this time I thought I was doing pretty well.  It would help if I had someone else to compare to.  Maybe I should start another thread asking for peoples' lifting stats?

I feel your frustration!  I have been on the gym machine circuit for a year and have not seen any defference in measurements!  I was really confused and mad!  Yes, I worked with a trainer...some trainer!   I bought the book  "New Rules of Weightlifting for Women" and started the program today.  I can really feel the defference tonight!  I highly recommend this book.  I believe that I will see results now!  Good luck to you!

8-12 reps. Are you going to failure? Meaning you are incapable of doing one more rep? You know, when you're struggling to get that last rep.

Or are you just doing eight reps when you could do ten more reps with that weight? haha..

I believe the current fad in weight lifting is the one set to failure in the 8-12 rep range, and only one exercise is used per body part. However, 2-3 warm up sets are performed with lighter weight before the final heaviest set.

Soreness is generally not a good indicator of progress, and it can occur from one to three days after exercising—it's called Delayed Onset Muscle Sorness (DOMS).

You're right - the one-set protocol is a fad, and a fairly useless one at that. The three-sets protocol gives better results, at least for legs. One or two warmup sets is fine if you're doing a 5x5, but the last three should be sets across for best results - unless you're 'advanced' enough that pyramid sets, drop sets, or other intensification methods are useful instead of needless complications.

 Don't compare yourself to anyone else though, the only relevant measure for how hard you're working is your own ability - as long as you're pushing yourself at an appropriate percentage of your maximum, you're doing it right.

I've been weight training for a while now, and I do feel the burn. I do feel it the next day as well. I do sets like 2 to sets of 12 or 3 sets of 12 4 sets of 12. It depends on the body part I am working. I never over do my sets with the heavier weights. I try my hardest to pervent injury, and this works for me. I focus on my movement and my breathing, and how to hold on a release and not release so quickly to come back up when  I am curling, squating, Chest Presses, Ect... It's all about focus and controlling your movement in my book, and that's what all the male trainer's I asked told me. Controlling your movement, and doing the movement right.

Moving fast will not get you any where when you are lifting light weight, but when you are focusing on your movement you get a lot more done. Its like Pilates, it's all about control movement and breathing, and not how fast you can pump it out so you can move on to the next set. It's all about connecting yourself, brain, and movement together. Getting into the movement and feeling the fiber of your muscle contracting and releasing on that contract all the way back down to your start postion. Good stands has a lot to do with weight training as well. Making sure you aren't holding yourself in the wrong postion. I watched the trainers work with other people, and I also notice how my trainer worked with me. Telling me to make controlled movements and don't move fast, but move slowly and release with ease and control. When you do those things you really feel the burn and the workout.

Correct me if I am wrong, these are the lessons I've learned. It's all about control, and not how fast you can pump them out, and I watched lots of women, come into the gym and pump their sets out, and leave the gym, and come back in the next day and do it all over again, and wonder what in the hell our they doing wrong. I've even seen them coming in talking about muscle they wasn't even working hurting. Most of them say- it's back problems, and things like that. Or have pulled a muscle and have a knot here and there.

You can't afford a injury, and if you can't afford a session with a trainer then talk to people who do weights in the gym who has great results and tell them what your problem is. I am sure you will find someone who would love to share their wisdom on body building.

Not only that, you can find good books to help you, and watch some how to DVD's on this subject as well. The best way to learn about lifting weights in my book is seeing. Watching the other's that has toned muscle, and ask them for tips and maybe they will sign on and help you get the results you need.

Thank you everyone for your advice, I really appreciate it.  It's not that I've been doing weights and haven't seen results.  I've been doing what I described above, 3-4 sets of 15 on what I'd call fairly heavy weights, just from observing what other women are lifting, for a year or so.  And I have seen results, definitely!  People comment all of the time on my muscle tone, especially in my arms- you can see the muscles definitely defined, not like just a blob.   

I just want to take it to the next level.  Like about 10 shades down from Madonna, no veins, but clear clear definition at rest.  I thought that maybe what I'd been reading about less reps and lifting heavy would help with that.  For example, I had been doing bicep and tricep curls on the machines, 3 sets of 15, at 30 lbs.  I bumped it up to 50 lbs at 3 sets of 8 and trust me, I am struggling.  Just I guess not as much as I expected to when doing 15 reps of 30 lbs seemed hard just yesterday.

I do agree with lynnhaslost- I don't want any injuries!  So I don't take it to the point of the old guy in the gym- you all know that guy- who puts every weight on the machine and looks like he's going to slip a disc while you watch.  But something like the leg extension machine, for my quads, I have it up to 105 now and do three sets of 8.  I feel the burn, I do have to wait a minute and kind of breathe out and say OH MY GOD before I move on to the set.  I don't want to take it up higher and potentially hurt my knees.  Maybe I'm doing it right and soreness is not what I should be expecting.  I guess I will stick with this for awhile and see if the results come. 

Yeah Jafried, you are right. It's all about trying not to injury yourself. I do leg presses and I guess I am the woman who puts everything on the damn machine. I get jokes about my load up, but I do my 2 set of 6 and I leave it alone. I'm pressing around 150 to 200, and on a good day. I just may go nuts and add 25 more pounds. If I feel like I could be pulling something. I relax and do some stretches and I give it a go again later or I just leave it alone. Listen to your body and leave it alone if it hurts too much.. That's what my trainer friend always says. Just move back into your comfort zone. How long does your circuit trainings last? Mine runs can be 45 mins and then I just may go another 20 mins in stretches. Pilates sometimes, and relax all my muscles when they are still warm, and cooling them down with a nice relaxing stretch is a good thing. I use to just relax and sit down in walk right out of the gym. New flash.. I can't do that any more. I am sore all over if I don't stretch my muscles.

I wish you nothing but good luck.

Happy body building to you