Writing the Weight Used

Silly question but best place to post I guess.

I presume if you are doing a db exercise the logical way to write it is the same as my notebook, which is example Db Press 3 x 10 @ 30kg. This means 30kg each hand.

Is that how most people record weights for db exercises or Db Press 3 x 10 @ 60kg?

First is correct me thinks

Nope, you got it that dumbbell exercises are typically written the first way - weight per hand. Writing the total weight used, like the DB Press 3x10 @ 130 pounds, is confusing and definitely not the standard way.

Barbell exercises are written with the total weight including the bar, so if there’s 70 pounds on each side, it would be written as 185 pounds, not “140 pounds”. Even saying “70 pounds per side” is less common, but slightly more accepted and understandable.

Also for general reference, something I see beginners sometimes switch around, it’s Sets x Reps. So 3x10 is 3 sets of 10, 8x3 is 8 sets of 3, 5x5 is 5 sets of 5.

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Reminds me of when I started and I would just jot down the weight of the plates on the barbell (ie. I wouldn’t include the barbell weight). It just seemed easier.

Then I saw guys saying they lifted more than I did and I couldn’t have that, so I started including the bar weight.

I set a 20kg PR on all my lifts overnight… true noobie gainz.

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I doubled my lifts overnight when i started posting here regularly and started thinking in lbs not kg.

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metric

I think you got it backwards; 5x5 is actually doing 5 reps for 5 sets

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I have always thought 5 x 5 means 5 sets at 5 reps.

Written example:

Bench 5 x 10 @ 100kg

Exercise name, 5 sets of 10 reps at 100kg

A program such as Starting Strength is written as 3 x 5 which everyone knows is 3 sets for 5 reps not 5 sets for 3 reps.

You’re correct and @Chris_Colucci was correct. I was joking. You can’t get 5x5 backwards

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TomatoTomato

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That’s most common but not all coaches do it that way.