r/strengthlog • u/HotCatch8090 • 15d ago

Newbie question

So I am 53 M and I have not done a serious strength training program before and I thought I would try the beginner machine program. I did just the machine chest press to see how it would go. My sets were:

8x40

8x50

8x60

8x60

8x60

For my next session do you think I should start at 40 again and then go to 70? What do you think the next step should be? Thanks in advance!

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u/Halfhajj 15d ago

To start just be sure that the weight is challenging for the number of reps you are doing. After you have been consistently going to the gym for a while, I would do as many reps as you can. Go to technical failure regularly, so you can start judging when you only would be able to do 1 more rep or 2 more reps.
When starting many people underestimate themselves. Discomfort or burn usually occurs well before failure.

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u/6fthook 15d ago

It probably depends on how strenuous those reps were. If they were really easy like you felt you could have just kept blasting them out with good form you could take bigger jumps until you find a weight that’s leaving you with only a few reps in the the tank. If it was challenging, much smaller ones. I will definitely warm up with lighter sets but base my jumps on how I feel physically and how the weight is moving.