Can you find a friend to go to the gym with you? I don't like going by myself and it's easier to quit when the going gets tough. My dh and I go together now and most days I want to quit about 10 min in but having him there and knowing what he'd say if I actually did leave early helps keep me motivated with my workout. I also find that bringing a music source (in my case pandora) helps pass the time. Only a handful of good songs and 30 min is over before you know it.

I lift 5-6 days a week. I lift heavy. I never do more than 4x12 because of this and I can count on being sore the next day. I'm not bulky, but I am able to lift damn near anything I'd like to in my regular life. I was a dancer and never really had to work for my legs, and I don't feel miserably sore after a leg workout. My leg strength has increased to where squats are 180% of my weight. My upper body took more dedication and can be painfully sore to the point where I cant raise my arms some days. You aren't pushing hard enough, you're not increasing your metabolic rate with your 10lbs, your trainers have treated you like an old lady (and honestly my grandma is a beast in the gym, so no excuse).

Anonymous wrote:OP again

I find it very hard to self-motivate and unless I have a specific class to attend, I rarely work out, which is why I attend them. I like the group dynamic and having someone else direct the exercise.

Is everyone saying that the body pump classes are basically worthless to me at this point? They really are difficult. I can definitely try to follow along with higher weights and fewer reps but I am just not sure it will make a difference.

Continue what you've been doing if you want to keep getting the results you've been getting. It's that simple.

OP again

I find it very hard to self-motivate and unless I have a specific class to attend, I rarely work out, which is why I attend them. I like the group dynamic and having someone else direct the exercise.

Is everyone saying that the body pump classes are basically worthless to me at this point? They really are difficult. I can definitely try to follow along with higher weights and fewer reps but I am just not sure it will make a difference.

Bodybuilder here, as others have said sounds like you've reached a plateau and if you've been working out since you were 18 doing basically the same exercises and weight, no wonder you're not sore and not seeing desired results.

What I would do is start lifting heavy so you can complete it for 10 to 12 reps. Begin with the compound exercises squats and deadlifts using barbells is prefered with proper form.

Do a light warmup set before going 2 or 3 heavy sets, and on the last set go back down in weight with high reps, some call this the "burnout" set. This will most likely make you sore next day.

For example:

Squats

Set#1 10 lbs for 8 reps
Set#2 50 lbs/10-12 reps
Set#3 50 lbs/10-12 reps
Set#4 20 lbs/20-30 reps

If I'm sore, it's because (a) I've done something out of the ordinary for me, (b) I've pushed myself harder than usual, or (c) I'm old. (42.) I'm a daily exerciser and I often get sore. (lately, usually C)

I suspect that if you are never sore after a workout, you're (a) not pushing yourself at all, and (b) doing the same thing all the time. You might need to shake things up a bit.

When I lift, I do 25 reps at the highest weight I can do without compromising form.

Anonymous wrote:OP again

I have worked out with trainers but dont feel any different after those workout, even when they seemed incredibly hard and I could barely complete the exercises. I cant afford a trainer currently and sp I generally attend classes, and that is where the variety comes in bc different instructors have diff styles and routines.

I have always been told I have good form.

I was always told and read that high reps/low weights is the best way to get lean and strong, as opposed to heavy weights and low reps, which can create more bulk (which I really dont want).

I have done boot camp style classes, weights only, kick boxing, circuit-training, body sculpting, etc. I still can barely do 10 push-ups.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG

That's because these may help with conditioning but not strength or muscle.

OP you've been doing all these things you've been told and not getting the results you want, yet you're wondering what the problem is. Isn't it obvious? What you're doing is not going to get you leaner and stronger. You may have great conditioning (I don't know) but you certainly aren't any strong if you can't move beyond 5 -15 lb weights and can barely do 10 push ups. Stop worrying about soreness and start a weight training plan that will get you to where you want to be. Do 3 days of heavy weight lifting and 2 of cross training. Do this for 6 weeks minimum.

Anonymous wrote:High reps/low weight is a very outdated notion of weight training for women. If you want to build muscle and get stronger, you need to do higher weight/fewer reps. Absent some kind of hormone imbalance, you won't get bulky from that.

That's the bottom line. You need to go up on weight so that you can barely do 10 reps. Otherwise, you're really just doing basic, minimal maintenance work.