Not into weight lifting. Is it really necessary at all?

FrnkLft

There are certain benefits that come from it. If you don't do it, you won't reap those benefits. It's up to you, and ther are alternatives like bodyweight training. Weight training is more efficient for realizing gains though, since the weight is typically higher, but so long as you can do pushups, pull ups, situps and squats, my guess is you're in good enough shape.

kdiamond

I agree with a lot of what was said here.

I lift weights not only for the vanity aspect, because let's face it, a cellulite free and firm body is hot, but also because I definitely don't want to be one of those old ladies who is frail and weak. I plan on being in my 60's or 70's and still lifting (to an extent) and having strong bones and good health.

deksgrl

I plan on being in my 60's or 70's and still lifting (to an extent) and having strong bones and good health.

I want to still be riding my Harley

PikaKnight

How do you explain people that don't lift, but are very muscular?

is that protein yo!

Low body fat %

3foldchord

A big part of the reason I lift weights is for my posture and avoiding osteoporosis
And to be strong and maintain muscles while losing weight.

But you can probably get the same from a good body weight program.

(And as an adult, I do things I do NOT like because I know they are good to,do. Like I tell my kids.. Part of being an adult is choosing to do things you don't like because it,s the right thing to do.... Not saying you need to lift weights, but "I don't like it' is not a good excuse for some things.. Like others have said...I hate cardio! But I want a healthy heart and to have a little endurance, so I get my cardio done, not a LOT, but I make myself get some cardio in my week.)

rybo

But for the average person (let alone the demographic of the OP) it's pointless to force traditional weight lifting down their throat when body weight moves can accomplish the same thing.

If the OP has tried lifting and truly doesn't like it, then I agree. But, average people who never lifted before can learn it and like it, especially when educated about the benefits. Pointing to myself as that average person who never really thought of it as an option, until joining this forum.

"Traditional" bodyweight moves can not accomplish the same thing. In order to take it beyond the beginner /early intermediate level (which is relatively easy to achieve when you don't have obesity or pre-existing injury working against you), you need to progress to a degree of skills work in your bodyweight training that takes it far beyond traditional, basic bodyweight moves such as pushups, bodyweight squats & lunges, and chinups.

Look at the following exercises: Pistol squats. Handstand pushups. Muscle-ups. Dragon flags. One arm pushups. Suspended ring dips.

Unless you plan on progressing with your bodyweight training to a point where you can perform these exercises, then no. You can not make the claim that bodyweight can replace weights. Because limiting yourself to more rudimentary bodyweight exercises means lack of progressive loading. And progressive loading is key to results.

As you grow stronger you need to find a way to increase the difficulty of the exercise. With weights this is as simple as increasing the weight. With bodyweight, you need to work toward more balance/strength intensive unilateral variations of said exercises. Personally I am a huge proponent of this sort of progression and think that it is arguably superior to weight training. But it's not for everyone and can be FAR more injury prone than conventional weight training when performed by people with ANY pre-existing injury concerns. And no, simply increasing the rep count doesn't cut it.

If you can't find a way of making the work harder as you grow stronger without simply increasing the rep count, then your argument about bodyweight training being sufficient is invalid. And "consumer-oriented" forms of yoga and pilates (the kind being packaged on DVDs and sold to the general public) do not cut the mustard.

Anyway, if you're serious about the idea of using bodyweight training as a complete replacement for weights, I stand by what I said before: Look to gymnasts and how they train. If you have no interest in taking it that far (or close to it) then I've got news for you: You've already proven yourself wrong and don't know it.

Never did I say just those 4-5 basic moves could replace weights. Maybe its just my painting with a broad brush, but my inference of body weight movements, means going thru all the progressions as far as you can take them(you mentioned the gymnastics) my bad for lack of clarity but I mean progressing to harder movements and even adding weight to some if needed, like dips & pull ups. Even pistols should someone get that far. I'm also seeing first hand how hard yet effective ring training is.

I think we are arguing the same point. Body weight moves without ever progressing to harder moves is like lifting without ever increasing weight.

mtbwell

I find that I lift during the summer and do all cardio during the rest of the year. I think I do that to avoid putting on weight during the cold months. I like weights because it helps prevent injury in my opinion; Once I begin to get to the 6 mile runs and/or the 25 mile bike rides, I feel like the weights have gotten me to where I need to be endurance wise as well.

Overall, I would prefer a 75/25 ratio in favor of cardio over weights.

chrisdavey

progressive tension overload.

If you can do that with bw exercises and you enjoy it then do that instead. However, for most bw exercises will be too easy after a while. "most" bw exercises.

Mslmesq

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

anemoneprose

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

Hi

Can I suggest maybe getting help with reviewing form on lifts from a sports-minded physical therapist, rather than a personal trainer? So many ways for little things to go wrong, especially for people over a certain age, & especially if there is a history of injury.

Best of luck

contingencyplan

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

NROLFW is not a "light routine." It places a strong emphasis on barbell work hitting failure at single digit rep amounts.

Mslmesq

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

Hi

Can I suggest maybe getting help with reviewing form on lifts from a sports-minded physical therapist, rather than a personal trainer? So many ways for little things to go wrong, especially for people over a certain age, & especially if there is a history of injury.

Best of luck

Thank you. I agree that it is of extreme importance to find someone who knows what they are doing. Of course, anyone can injure you. I had two physical therapists exacerbate existing injuries they were supposed to be helping me to heal. Truthfully, I trust very few people. My pilates trainer is one of the only trainers I trust. She owns her studio and really knows her stuff. She is amazing. But in general, I'm suspect of most trainers and physical therapists. The guy I'm going to make an appointment with has been the director of my gym for years and probably knows enough not to hurt me. But more importantly, will comply with my wishes to simply take it slow and teach me proper form.

With that said I think it's worth saying three things here that I think are important: 1) know stuff on your own; 2) take things really, really slow until you know it on your own and get the form down right, and 3) learn to say no. N.O., when someone is telling you to do something that doesn't feel right. And if they then pressure or push you, learn to say buh-bye.

Mslmesq

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

NROLFW is not a "light routine." It places a strong emphasis on barbell work hitting failure at single digit rep amounts.

That may be why I did not like the first chapter in any way. :-/

I'll finish it anyways for curiosity sake.

conniedj

Hey Girl! You're amazing as you are of course--and you look great! However, thinking about incorporating some lifting in to your week is not a bad idea for the very reasons you mentioned previously ( along with many other--I won't repeat). I had already completed SL 5x5 when I moved on to NROLFW.....I found that it wasn't enough for me. But....i think it's an excellent starting point! And there is nothing that says you have to do more than 1-2 days if that is what makes you happy!

I just found the more I did, the more I wanted to do....and a few months in? This is when you really start to see your body changing....it's pretty awesome! BTW... I still have issues with my patellar tendon, and heavy squats, so I do a lot of HIIT to work out legs/lowerbody. I do both body weight, and dum bells. I am still seeing improvements there as well.

Mslmesq

Hey Girl! You're amazing as you are of course--and you look great! However, thinking about incorporating some lifting in to your week is not a bad idea for the very reasons you mentioned previously ( along with many other--I won't repeat). I had already completed SL 5x5 when I moved on to NROLFW.....I found that it wasn't enough for me. But....i think it's an excellent starting point! And there is nothing that says you have to do more than 1-2 days if that is what makes you happy!

I just found the more I did, the more I wanted to do....and a few months in? This is when you really start to see your body changing....it's pretty awesome! BTW... I still have issues with my patellar tendon, and heavy squats, so I do a lot of HIIT to work out legs/lowerbody. I do both body weight, and dum bells. I am still seeing improvements there as well.

Thank you sweetie! I have a lot of respect for your opinion. And you look fantastic too! So, I appreciate your input and am inspired to move forward.

Stage14

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

NROLFW is not a "light routine." It places a strong emphasis on barbell work hitting failure at single digit rep amounts.

That may be why I did not like the first chapter in any way. :-/

I'll finish it anyways for curiosity sake.

Did you get New Rules of Lifting or New Rules of Lifting for Women? I ask because they are different routines and the books are written with very different tones. NROLFW does NOT focus on lifting to failure, and while both books are written with a humorous tone, NROL is definitely a "guy book" in terms of the writing and NROLFW is written in a way that is definitely geared towards women. Either sex could do either routine, but if you're unhappy with NROL, I would suggest picking up NROLFW. The overall writing will probably be more appealing to you, and I think the Stage 1 routines are more beginner friendly.

Mslmesq

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

NROLFW is not a "light routine." It places a strong emphasis on barbell work hitting failure at single digit rep amounts.

That may be why I did not like the first chapter in any way. :-/

I'll finish it anyways for curiosity sake.

Did you get New Rules of Lifting or New Rules of Lifting for Women? I ask because they are different routines and the books are written with very different tones. NROLFW does NOT focus on lifting to failure, and while both books are written with a humorous tone, NROL is definitely a "guy book" in terms of the writing and NROLFW is written in a way that is definitely geared towards women. Either sex could do either routine, but if you're unhappy with NROL, I would suggest picking up NROLFW. The overall writing will probably be more appealing to you, and I think the Stage 1 routines are more beginner friendly.

No, it was nrolfw. And I haven't read past chapter one though. I just disagreed with some of what he said in his introduction. Not all of it, but some of it. But I'm going to check out the routines.

I actually have some old books in my library that I may refer back to as well. My old go to weight lifting female books I bought years ago. Have to break out my old gloves again too. Sigh. I'm sure once I start it'll become routine and I'll get into it.

anemoneprose

I just wanted to take a minute to thank those of you that took the time to read my post and productively respond in a thoughtful manner. I think it was a good and enlightening discussion.

I 100% acknowledge and agree that maintaining muscle as we age, especially for women, is crucial to health. Therefore, resistance or weight bearing exercises are essential. Cardio alone cannot achieve this. The question I was trying to figure out is whether weight lifting specifically is necessary to accomplish the goal, or other activities were sufficient.

I think the posts that hit closest and made sense to me were those that said essentially, no it's not necessary per se, but it's efficient, will get you there quicker, and is fine and useful to incorporate alongside your other routine.

I have decided to do that. I downloaded the new rules of weightlifting book this morning, as I've seen it highly recommended, and I plan to schedule an appointment with a pt at my gym. I'm going to try to incorporate a very light routine that I can add on to what I already do with one day at the gym, and one day at home (I already own a home weight set).

Thank you again to those of you that took the time to give your thought out responses.

Have a good day all! :-)

Hi

Can I suggest maybe getting help with reviewing form on lifts from a sports-minded physical therapist, rather than a personal trainer? So many ways for little things to go wrong, especially for people over a certain age, & especially if there is a history of injury.

Best of luck

Thank you. I agree that it is of extreme importance to find someone who knows what they are doing. Of course, anyone can injure you. I had two physical therapists exacerbate existing injuries they were supposed to be helping me to heal. Truthfully, I trust very few people. My pilates trainer is one of the only trainers I trust. She owns her studio and really knows her stuff. She is amazing. But in general, I'm suspect of most trainers and physical therapists. The guy I'm going to make an appointment with has been the director of my gym for years and probably knows enough not to hurt me. But more importantly, will comply with my wishes to simply take it slow and teach me proper form.

With that said I think it's worth saying three things here that I think are important: 1) know stuff on your own; 2) take things really, really slow until you know it on your own and get the form down right, and 3) learn to say no. N.O., when someone is telling you to do something that doesn't feel right. And if they then pressure or push you, learn to say buh-bye.

Completely agree on all counts!

Given a history of injuries and different goals, my thought is, maybe an off-the-shelf training program isn't for you. (Entirely projecting here, this is how I'm thinking about how I will approach lifting when the time comes.) That program is mostly oriented towards retaining muscle for the purposes of showing it off + fat loss (hence lowish calories & intervals, metabolic exercises to maximize calorie burn, etc). The weekly frequency & prescribed rep ranges might not work with your recovery, and if you are goal-oriented as you say, you might (as i would) be tempted to push it regardless of awareness of your issues.

For reference, here's the ACSM's 2011 position on exercise for the general population: http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2011/07000/Quantity_and_Quality_of_Exercise_for_Developing.26.aspx

and the 2009 one just on resistance:
http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2009&issue=03000&article=00026&type=fulltext

and a handier guide for beginners:
http://www.acsm.org/access-public-information/articles/2012/01/13/the-basics-of-starting-and-progressing-a-strength-training-program .

shapefitter

Swimming, is the best form of exercise for me. Always has been.

TigerBite

If you don't like "weights", try Pilates Reformer ... It's pulleys and bodyweight ... I personally, have built a nice amount muscle and strength using mine ... I push myself harder and use a bit more resistance than most, like applying weight lifting principles to it, but I really like the fluid motion way more than traditional weights. I feel like it gives you more functional strength than traditional weightlifting dos, because you're less apt to use momentum to assist you with the moves ... maintaining proper form is also easier IMO.

Strength training, regardless of how you do it, is important for overall health, and it helps decrease the risk of injury when performing other activities, like for me it helps me with posture and keeping form when running (and building up the quads, glues, and hamstrings helps stabilize the knees and other joints ... not to mention, the increased abdominal strength helps you run faster too).