question about the weight used in lifting routine.

[Ashley1980]

So I want to go ahead and do this program for the next 12-16 weeks.
Im going to copy and paste. the routine after my questions...
My question is how do I know what my "heavy, medium, & light" weights should be?
My lifts right now arent that great. I squat 85 lbs 10x, bench 65lbs 10x, seated military press with 20lb db's 8/10 x's.
Do I consider these my heavy weight?
And also, on this routine, how often should I try to increase my weights? Im not sure when to raise my "light" weights and so forth. Im just not sure how and when to move up I guess. Perhaps she is explaining it well here, but Im just not following... either way, any help would be appreciated. THanks

"
The premise behind this routine is that there is a heavy, medium, and light day, determined by intensity (what amount of your maximal weight you are using). The heavier the day, the lower the rep range and the heavier the weight.
On all 3 days, the squat is performed. Then, each day has a different pushing and pulling exercise. While this workout is challenging and appropriate for both intermediate and advanced lifters, you MUST take the time to learn the exercises properly. Working with low-rep sets presents the potential for injury if you are not careful about form.
If you’re feeling a little burnt out from squatting, you have a few options. One: don’t squat on the light day. Two: try squatting on the light day with 5 sets of 3 using 65-70% of the weight you used for the heavy day. If you do this, keep rest intervals short, between 30-60 seconds. Three: Use unweighted squats.
Caveats aside, this is one of my all-time favourite routines. The key here is to stick within the rep range. Don’t do more reps even if you can do so easily. Rest about 60-90 seconds between sets (you might want a little longer between squat sets).
Notation: Exercise sets x reps
For example: bench press 3 x 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps per set
day 1 – light

1. squat 3 sets x 15 reps
2. power shrug (pull) 3 x 5 using light weight
3. shoulder press (push) 3 x 15
4. calf raise 2 x 15
5. ab crunches or swissball crunches 2 x 15

day 2 – heavy

1. squat 3 x 5
2. bench press (push) 3 x 5
3. Pullups (assisted if necessary) or lat pulldowns (pull) 3 x 5

day 3 – medium

1. squat 3 x 8
2. One-arm dumbbell row OR Seated cable row (pull) 3 x 8
3. Dips or Incline bench press (push) 3 x 8
4. Back hyperextensions 2 x 8-10

 

[musclemom]

What weight to work at and how often to increase is one of those things you will get the feel/sense of as you lift weights.

My general rule of thumb is work in an amount of weight that when you get to the end of your rep you could maybe crank out one or two more reps, but that's it, but not so heavy that you will be so exhausted you won't be able to recover and do your next set.

As to when to raise weight, when I know I could go through another set after I've done all my sets that session I'll raise the weight the next time I go to do that exercise.

Of course the next obvious question is how much to raise a weight, and again, no hard fast rules. For compound exercises I think I once heard someone say you can go 5% to 10% but you know your own body. By the time you've gotten the routine you've laid out cold, you'll probably have a feel for how much you can raise a weight. Remember, the only competition is with yourself and you want to come back to fight another day. Big compound exercises (like squats, deads, bench) are extremely demanding in more ways than you will realize. Even doing them very lightly will put a drain on your system that will surprise you and that you need to give your body and central nervous system the time to get used to. More is not always better, let's say that. It's more important to complete the sets and reps using CORRECT form, develop that mind/muscle connection, feeling the muscles that are working when you're lifting, which becomes impossible to do if you're working too heavy. If you're brand new to weights, just benching/squatting an empty bar (which, if an olympic 8 footer is 45 lbs. by itself) is going to introduce you to a world of muscles you never knew you even had.

 

[RottenWillow]

So I want to go ahead and do this program for the next 12-16 weeks.
Im going to copy and paste. the routine after my questions...
My question is how do I know what my "heavy, medium, & light" weights should be?
My lifts right now

What percentage of your 1 rep maximum you're using in your set. Functionally, it probably also means how close you are getting to momentary muscular failure in a given set.

 

[Ashley1980]

Im not new to doing the compound lifts. But, I can't seem to go past 85/90 pounds. I can go heavier but only after a few reps my knees start to buckle. Im not sure what my one max rep is. Although I am doing squats in a power rack, I never have a spotter for any of my lifts to see just how heavy I can go.

 

[Rebecca D]

My personal experience with trying to max is that it is a waste of time. I don't get a good workout in and I'm much more likely to hurt myself. I just keep track of how much weight I can do for 8-10 reps. If I can get 8 but need a spot on reps 9 and 10 then that is my 8 rep max.

RD

 

[RottenWillow]

My personal experience with trying to max is that it is a waste of time. I don't get a good workout in and I'm much more likely to hurt myself. I just keep track of how much weight I can do for 8-10 reps. If I can get 8 but need a spot on reps 9 and 10 then that is my 8 rep max.

RD

and Ashley this is what is usually meant by training with moderate weight.