My trainer told me to cut down on weight training???

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ashleybarkley
ashleybarkley Posts: 7
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all...
I am a 27 year old female looking to get back into shape after TWO ankle breaks in one year. However, it is proving to be a lot harder getting back into shape at 27 than it was at 20. I only need to lose about 15 lbs, but dang it is hard! I am a former athlete, so I thought it would be a snap!

I eat 5-6 small meals a day, drink plenty of water, and work out 6 days a week. 4 of those days I do HIIT cardio for about 30 minutes and about 30-40 minutes of HIIT weight lifting.The other two days I do 45-60 minutes of cardio. I also take my dog for a 20-30 minute light jog most nights. I have one rest day. This has been going on for over a month. I lift as heavy as I can go, but with good form. I feel good, and I can see a difference in my jogging (overall, I took about 2 minutes off each mile in a little over a month!). However, I have not lost ANY weight. And it is not gaining muscle and losing fat either, my pants literally are not fitting. My heart rate monitor says I am at 170+ bpm for the majority of my workouts. Frustrated, my boyfriend called his personal trainer friend to our house.

Personal Trainer Friend (PTF), took one look at me and said to cut out the heavy weights, and to cut out MOST weights. He said I need to do 90% cardio. He only wants me to lift 2x a week and no more than 3 pounds for no more than 15 min each time. He said I am already really muscular and I don't need to build more muscle, I need to take out my "outer layer of fat" and lifting heavy will only make me bigger. Does that sound ridiculous? Its basically the complete opposite of everything I have ever heard about getting into shape and ways I have gotten back into shape in the past. He also told me no carbs after noon (including fruit). My diet is already pretty strict due to allergies: no gluten, so no bread, pasta, breadcrumbs, processed foods, etc., I also cannot eat dairy or sugar.

Has anyone else ever had a trainer tell them to NOT lift weights? It sounds weird, but nothing else is working? I have tried weight watchers, MFP, CrossFit, etc.
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Replies

  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
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    that trainer, like 99% of them, has no clue what he is talking about.

    your weight is a byproduct of diet. not exercise. how you look at said weight is determined by the exercise you do.

    The only thing that stands out at me is hiit weight lifting. there is no such thing. what exactly is your workout?
  • CoachDreesTraining
    CoachDreesTraining Posts: 223 Member
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    You already know the answer, but to reaffirm yourself, yes your trainer friend is an idiot. If anything I would recommend to reduce your cardio. You won't lose weight doing either by themselves, but if you eat at a deficit while weight training, you should be able to drop some fat without losing your muscle mass.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Trainer fail - move on. Unfortunately, anyone can get that piece of paper.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    that trainer, like 99% of them, has no clue what he is talking about.

    The trainer (me) that's in the 1% agrees your trainer friend is very misinformed.
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    Trainer doesn't know what he's talking about.

    If you want to lose size, eat at a modest deficit, lift heavy 3-4 days per week, and do cardio if you want. I haven't done cardio in months and I've lost weight just fine.
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
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    If a chick does too much heavy lifting she's going to get huge. Bulky huge. Like Arnold. It's science, yo.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Your trainer sucks. Cardio doesnt make you lose weight, a caloric deficit does.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    I would ask that trainer what cereal box he got his certificate from.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    OH, HELL no.
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
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    You already know the answer. Apparently the PTF goes with the Tracey Anderson school of lifting for women :indifferent:

    Clearly you can drop weight while lifting. I only lift and cut 12lbs recently. Having said that, it doesn't mean we will all look the same after we shed the fat. I look like a coat rack but you may look a bit curvier.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
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    pffft.... Good on you for having your own mind and not blindly assuming he's correct because he's a trainer.
  • ashleybarkley
    ashleybarkley Posts: 7
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    If you go to www.dailyhiit.com I do workouts similar to that. Like Tabata. Heavy weight lifting, 40 seconds each, 10 second rest between exercises, 8 exercises, repeat 3-4 times.

    Prior to talking to the trainer, I do a lot of weight lifting and cardio and have not gotten any results. I am doing everything by the book. High intensity workouts. I don't eat crap. My hormones are fine. I am getting depressed about this because nothing is really working. I don't look different. I actually look kinda puffy all the time, regardless of how much exercise i do...
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    If you go to www.dailyhiit.com I do workouts similar to that. Like Tabata. Heavy weight lifting, 40 seconds each, 10 second rest between exercises, 8 exercises, repeat 3-4 times.

    Prior to talking to the trainer, I do a lot of weight lifting and cardio and have not gotten any results. I am doing everything by the book. High intensity workouts. I don't eat crap. My hormones are fine.

    It's not what you eat, it's how much you eat.

    figure out your TDEE and cut 15-20% off of it and eat that amount.

    Get a copy of New Rules of Lifting for Women and Starting Strength and start doing actual heavy lifting, not HIIT lifting--that's just another form of cardio.
  • KathleenMurry
    KathleenMurry Posts: 448 Member
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    WOOOOW!!! Ya, most trainers are idiots. They can flunk high school and get a certificate. I'd be interested to know how many clients he has, and how long they stay with him on average. That would be a good indicator of his abilities/knowledge.

    What you're doing sounds great. The key to the weight loss is in your diet. Just get that calorie deficit in every day. Eat your carbs whenever you want!
  • suelegal
    suelegal Posts: 1,282 Member
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    If you go to www.dailyhiit.com I do workouts similar to that. Like Tabata. Heavy weight lifting, 40 seconds each, 10 second rest between exercises, 8 exercises, repeat 3-4 times.

    Prior to talking to the trainer, I do a lot of weight lifting and cardio and have not gotten any results. I am doing everything by the book. High intensity workouts. I don't eat crap. My hormones are fine.

    It's not what you eat, it's how much you eat.

    figure out your TDEE and cut 15-20% off of it and eat that amount.

    Get a copy of New Rules of Lifting for Women and Starting Strength and start doing actual heavy lifting, not HIIT lifting--that's just another form of cardio.

    Completely Agree!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Yes, the trainer is an idiot.


    But "HIIT weight lifting"? Why not just normal weight lifting? With 2 recent injuries, I think you are doing a little much.
  • ashleybarkley
    ashleybarkley Posts: 7
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    I eat 1100-1300 calories a day, most TDEE's say I need about 2100 calories a day.... I am well below 15% of that. I have to make myself eat what I do, I am never really hungry. Should I eat more?

    The trainer is actually a reputable guy in town who is known for "transforming people". I have seen his before and afters in person and they are great. He even admitted that he wouldn't tell most of his clients what he told me, he tells most of them to lift heavy weights.

    I am just bummed that I am the only one I guess.

    And I thought I was supposed to be intense to lose weight?
  • KathleenMurry
    KathleenMurry Posts: 448 Member
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    I eat 1100-1300 calories a day, most TDEE's say I need about 2100 calories a day.... I am well below 15% of that. I have to make myself eat what I do, I am never really hungry. SHould I eat more?

    Oh HELL yes EAT MORE! I wouldn't go below 1800/day for what you're doing. You'll still lose weight and get fit.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    does your PTF work at cracker jack box gym?

    Seriously, that is horrible advice.

    If you are new to lifting or just getting back you would benefit for a program of compound lifts (deadlifts, squats, overhead press, bench press, rows, pull up/chin ups, ec) where you do a total body type work out (arms/legs/chest/arms/back) three times a week an cardio two to three times a week and then after three months transition to more of an upper/lower split four times a week with cardio one to two times a week ..but you could ditch the cardio if you wanted to...
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    I eat 1100-1300 calories a day, most TDEE's say I need about 2100 calories a day.... I am well below 15% of that. I have to make myself eat what I do, I am never really hungry. SHould I eat more?

    Do you currently weigh and measure everything you eat? Do you have any "cheat" meals or any "oh that doesn't count", like popping a piece of meat into your mouth while cooking?

    For an example of what I mean, check out Secret Eaters.

    Oh, and the trainer's an idiot, unless you said 'Hey I wanna look superskinny and still have no visible muscles, how do I do that?"

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