I just started a weight training routine. At 60 years old I figure it’s about time. Anyway, right now on the bench press I can do 3 sets of 10 reps with 130 lbs.
Will doing additional sets/reps (in addition to my regular 130 lb routine) at a lower weight increase my 130 lb. limit? Or to get to 3 sets of 10 at 140 do I have to put 140 on the bar and settle for less reps?
Hope I made myself clear.
Keep during the 3 sets of 10 reps at 130 pounds and try to increase the reps to 12. Once you can lift 3 sets at 10 reps, then move up one step, but be satisified just to lift 135 pounds or 140 pounds (great expectations) with 8 reps. Try to increase the reps with increase in weight until you can do 12 reps. Then consider moving up again.
Doing additional sets with less weight and more reps will increase your stamina but not your strength.
Or, assuming you can do 140 now for one rep -
Put 140 on the bar. Do one rep. Wait thirty seconds. Do a second rep. Wait another thirty seconds. Do a third. Continue until you get ten reps.
Every week, reduce the rest period by five seconds.
Regards,
Shodan
I don’t recommend following Shodan’s advice. If 140 is your one rep max (which is doubtful since you can do 3 sets of 10 at 130), performing a one rep max over and over again is not a good idea. If it’s not, you won’t be pushing yourself enough to get results doing only one rep.
barbitu8’s advice is better, but I think he meant to write “Once you can lift 3 sets at 12 reps”, not “10”.
You can also try adding weight and working out in the 6 to 8 rep range (lower reps work best for strength gains), but it might be a good idea for you to follow barbitu8’s advice for a while and work your way in to doing less reps with more weight at a later date. No need to rush.
Muscle grow by variation. No matter what you do the key is to change your routine. There is nothing wrong with either of the advice given. Whichever you take just don’t do it over and over.
Muscles will quickly adapt and size of muscle is no indicator. For instance, I have a lot of muscle, but it’s not huge. I can go into a gym and curl 100 pound with one arms. I see a others, see me do this and try it. They can’t even though their muscles are bigger.
There muscles are mixed with fat, mine isn’t.
There are two concerns, most important is injury. You don’t want to do too much and strain your muscle or worse drop the weight and chip your tooth or something.
If you are at 130 and can’t make 140 if you just increase reps you probably aren’t gonna make it to 140, but it’s possible. Doing 1 rep of 140 and quitting then finishing up with 130 for the other 9 reps, is also an answer.
Remember the key to building mass is to change routine often (at least every two weeks) work muscles differently and exhaust the muscle. Exhausting isn’t injuring it though. You don’t want to lift more weight than you should. Stay away from weight belts as they assist you in lifting more weight than you can.
People say then why are they there? Well for bodybuilders, and you’re not a bodybuilder. Pros do thing that are dangerous but have rewards. If you can’t lift a weight without a weight built you really have no business lifting it.
130 is his ten rep max.
You’d be surprised.
Regards,
Shodan
What’s your point? You just quoted me saying “you can do 3 sets of 10 at 130.” 
Anyway, since he’s able to still perform 10 reps on his third set, it’s doubtful that he couldn’t perform more than 10 on his first set if he chose to. His one rep max would be somewhere around at least 175. Even if 130 is his 10 rep max, his 1 rep max would be about 173
I would be. Where are you getting doing much less than your one rep max for sets of one every thirty seconds for ten sets is a good (meaning both safe and effective) way to gain strength? You’re recommending that he do this once a week?
The OP wants to know how to get to the point of doing 140 for ten. This kind of adapted rest-pause is one way of doing it.
It’s based on two things - [ul][li]personal experience, and [*]A guy named (IIRC) Lawrence Grossmeyer, who I cannot find on the Web, who was an exercise physiologist. [/ul][/li][quote]
You’re recommending that he do this once a week?
[/QUOTE]
Tow or three days a week would probably be better, depending on his ability to recover.
Regards,
Shodan