I've started pumping iron again. Mainly free weights with upper body using a dumbbell. Legs and anything that put force on my back not possible at the moment due to possible slipped disc.

I remember as a freshman at Mandeville High School (yes I went there for one year and sat next to miss teen louisiana, Sarah Price, CHS Lions fans) the football players had a chart that shows, given the maximum weight you can lift for a given lift, curl, press etc..., how much to increase your weight lifting at each workout. Does anyone have a chart like this or follow a general rule for upping your weights? Is it better to increase by a fixed rate, say, 5 lbs, or a certain percent? I am aware that to get bulkier you want to do shorter repetitions with heavier weights and for leaner, endurance-type muscle you should do more repititions with less weight.

I am leaning toward just doing whatever I can whenever I can (this will save time as well) until a given weight is easy, and then increase the weight. This would be simpler to stick to as I'm not aiming to be Bruce Lee, just increase my overall strength and long-term health. My favorite quote of Bruce Lee's is (well really the only quote I know, hah) "A man must constantly exceed his level."