Finally got dumbbells and…

K

kaylarose3

New member
… o my gosh I couldn’t even lift an 11kg dumbbell in each arm to get into a shoulder press. I honestly thought I wouldn’t be starting out so low!? I suppose it means I have a tonne of room for progression.

Edit: wow haha I had no idea this was a ridiculous amount to start with!!! I’m going to be doing strong lifts so now I want to know where everyone started on their main lifts. I used to be able to Bench 30kg decades ago but have weak upper body now!
 
@kaylarose3 Girl, I can hardly shoulder press 4.5 kg, lol. Just lower the weight until you find what feels comfortable, but challenging after several sets. What matters is progressive overload, and increasing your strength over time, not the weight itself (especially when you're first starting!)
 
@kaylarose3 I started with 2kg and a few months later I'm on 4kg. My progress is admittedly slow but 11kg is absurdly high, especially if you're a beginner like me!
 
@kaylarose3 I’m doing 7kg (16lb) for shoulder press right now and I was so damn proud when I was able to do a full set that I told very single person I know.

11kg is a lot out of the gate.
 
@kaylarose3 It took 1 year for me to progress to 11kg. My 1 rep max is 15kg. But I must admit that genetically I have kinda broader shoulders than average. I don’t even see many female couches lifting more than 12kg. So don’t feel pressure to load your shoulders with tons of weight.
 
@bdmulneaux Same, I've been lifting for like 15 months and I can still only do maybe 5-6 reps at 11kg. If I'd tried starting with that weight I think my shoulders would've dislocated, assuming I could even get the weights above shoulder level 🥴
 
@kaylarose3 I do Body Pump which is low weight with high reps. On the shoulder track I do most often, even the in shape male instructor is only using 5lb dumbbells for most of the exercises.
 
@kaylarose3 lol I couldnt use a 5lb dumbell for years. Now I'm using 4kg max, probably for the next 2 years. Not sure where you got the idea that 11kg is the lowest possible out there.
 
@kaylarose3 Comparison is the thief of joy. First of all, it doesn’t matter where you start. Start with a weight that is more manageable.

Just because Joe Bloggs next door is lifting 30k in each hand next door doesn’t mean you have to.

You don’t have to be super strong right away and nobody is judging. We all have strengths and weaknesses.
(My squat is still lower than my bench press because something about the mechanics makes me not comfortable squatting super heavy, and bench press is my favourite)

I can do 10kg in each hand for shoulder press, maybe 12.5kg on a good day but I usually go lower because 10 is about my absolute limit most of the time and I’m not going for failure. It’s definitely not a starter weight for smaller lady shoulder muscles.
 
@kaylarose3 Slow and steady is the key. You can do it! I started with 2kg each and even that was hard for me! I thought i was strong because i was swimming and all.

I have adjustable dumbbells so i can increase the weight by half kilo increments. I managed to work up to 7.5kg now for shoulder press.
 
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