Beginner's guide to Weightlifting plans: Part1 -Why you need to lift!

AlinaRose17

Hello all! I have been lifting routinely now for several years and have gone from 220 lbs, 22% bodyfat (inactive) to 178lbs, under 12% bodyfat and exercising routinely. I know that diet accounts for 70% of weight loss and getting fit, but I wanted to try to help anyone who is looking at how to fit in a strength/weight lifting routine into their schedule based on my own experience. First, though a few reasons why you should consider including weights and strength training into your life if you desire to be fit-

It is well known that a cardio-only routine is a quick way to being discouraged because although you can burn a large amount of calories- you only burn them for the time that you are doing work, be it running outside, on the treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, etc.
Also, doing long periods of steady-state cardio can actually put the body into a catabolic state where you burn not only fat but also muscle! This is not wanted because the more muscle you have, the more fat your body naturally burns to maintain itself and without it, you will only defeat your intentions, stall your metabolism, or get frustrated!
Now, I am a firm believer that both steady-state cardio and its more muscle-friendly, higher-calorie-burning cousin, HIIT, have their place in fitness...but I am a VERY firm believer in weight/strength training composing 80% or more of ones exercise routine only supplemented by cardio.

When you lift and train muscle, and have a proper diet with sufficient levels of protein intake, your muscles will actually burn more calories at a higher rate for up to 48-72 hours after training which is a much better "return on investment" than going into the gym for just cardio! You may have heard of this as the "after burn effect" by internet celebrities like Mike Chang of sixpackshortcuts.com.

During my first two years of exercise, I did mostly cardio for 30-60 minutes with a few resistance machines thrown in from time to time with no real consistency. I lost a lot of weight, but ended up still looking undefined and pudgy...but a "smaller" version of pudgy. I started doing my homework on websites like Bodybuilding.com and accumulated a great deal of knowledge (not all "bro-science") and noticed that I was not only still able to lose weight, but also filled out proportionally and that the more muscle I put on, the lower my bodyfat% went and that I felt much better and had a lot more energy!

Also, women- you need not fear the weights. It is even ok to use the heavy weights instead of limiting yourselves to the pink ones! While some women are exceptions and everyone's body is different, the common excuse of "I don't want to lift weights because I don't want to get big and bulky" is exactly that, because the differences in hormones between men and women and the natural lack of testosterone will prevent that from happening. Just about every article that I have read advocates women lifting just like men, although obviously different areas of the body are going to be emphasized.

Stay tuned for the follow ups where I will first lay out a few different types of plans and then share what my current routine is in case anyone is curious or would like a specific example of a plan in action!

redfisher1974

So you agree with the new machines that keep you around 120 BPM for burning fat instead of the higher heart rates which burn more but end up taking muscle too.

AlinaRose17

Very much so- I think it is important to get up to a target heart rate for fat loss, but going past that for longer than short periods (hence the premise of HIIT) is very counter productive.

Nightstar76

Do you think its better to go to a gym or to set up your own home gym? Me and my husband were looking at bowflexes but I've been looking into free weights I'm overall very confused about what is best.

AlinaRose17

When I was younger, I used a bowflex when first starting and found them to be a decent enough option for resistance training, but in my experience, I have made far more progress with a bench and a set of free weights for several reasons-

1: The bowflex controls the range of motion and for you, while free weights force you to learn proper form, self-stabilization, and technique to control where the weights move from point A to B.

2: With a bowflex, for any movement-from point A to point B you will have very little resistance at point A and have maximum resistance B, where as with free weights you will have constant resistance. Take a bench press for example. Because gravity is constant, the weight of the barbell will be 100% on your body the entire time it is in your hands, regardless of whether it is fully extended above you or lowered to your chest. In this aspect, the bowflex takes out some of that natural resistance out of portions of a movement and is unnatural for most exercises that freeweights would excel at.

I WOULD however recommend a bowflex to anyone who is going through physical therapy or special needs because they are safer for both beginners and someone who needs to increase strength in one particular part of their range of motion.

As far as a home gym or going to one, I also favor going to the gym because it is cheaper on a month-to-month basis and because it very easy to get distracted by other things at home. Going to the gym helps me to leave the rest of the world outside and to focus on the task at hand. Of course, I do have a small set of dumbbells, a yoga mat, and an exercise ball at home for times when I am not actively doing a part of my routine and feel compelled to do something along the lines of stretching or very light work.

ForecasterJason

Romey84 wrote: »

As far as a home gym or going to one, I also favor going to the gym because it is cheaper on a month-to-month basis

I think the cost difference depends on the length of time. If one plans to to workout continuously for many years, a home gym would become cheaper.

Sam_I_Am77

Nightstar76 wrote: »

Do you think its better to go to a gym or to set up your own home gym? Me and my husband were looking at bowflexes but I've been looking into free weights I'm overall very confused about what is best.

If resistance training is something that you're going to commit yourself to, then investing in good home gym equipment is cheaper in the long run. Let's say you have 22 years of training left in you, at least, a typical gym membership for 2 people is probably around $50 / month (total for both) so over 22 years that's approximately $13,200 which doesn't account for rate increases. A good power rack, adjustable bench, bar or two, some plates, and maybe even an elliptical or exercise bike will be cheaper than that in the long-run.

Very much so- I think it is important to get up to a target heart rate for fat loss, but going past that for longer than short periods (hence the premise of HIIT) is very counter productive.

Are you referring to training zones? If so, what do you define as "short periods"? What would those period be for each zone?

AlinaRose17

I agree that long term it works make more sense to put together a home gym. Most people don't have thousands of dollars to invest in that all at one time, however.

Intervals of 30 seconds of hard intensity to one minute of rest are what I usually use. Target heart rate for fat loss varies from person to person depends on age and such. I typically just go from low resistance to high resistance.

Sam_I_Am77

Romey84 wrote: »

Intervals of 30 seconds of hard intensity to one minute of rest are what I usually use. Target heart rate for fat loss varies from person to person depends on age and such. I typically just go from low resistance to high resistance.

220-age is the most common and probably simplest way to do it. The training zone (1, 2, 3) are a percentage of that. 30-sec's all-out would most likely be a Zone-3 training period, but there are many ways to train anaerobically.