So scared to lift heavy...need some convincing.pl pl help

Suzd1976
Suzd1976 Posts: 52
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi ladies,
I have been contemplating about picking up heavy weights for the last ten days but don't know why I am getting cold feet. I have seen amazing results and I know that's the way to go but nevertheless I am scared. The last time I went heavy( comparatively was ten years back wt a personal trainer n I rem I had really started looking very heavy but maybe it was more coz of the diet them the workouts...I guess I just need some convincing
Also I was thinking of starting chalean extreme but I have read such reviews about strong lifts n since I have a well equipped gym in my building, I am thinking of starting strong lifts. What are your suggestion??
Please please advice...
P.s- I am 37 years old female and I need to lose around 20 pounds.Have lost 35 pounds with cardio and 1200 cal diet but now my weight is just not budging..both scale wise n inch wise

Replies

  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Use the search button to look up before/afters of women lifting heavy. That's all it took to convince me that it's the way to go.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    weight is a function of diet- not exercise.

    so work on that.

    as far as lifting heavy... hmmmm
    too lazy to post the picture again... that's me.... few posts down.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1117186-deadlift-socks
    All of my lifts are over body weight- and I'm not 'light' I'm 5'8" and weigh 160 lbs on a 'light' day.


    you just are not going to bulk if you aren't eating for it. you MUST eat at a calorie surplus in order to get big.

    What's the fear other than getting bulky which we can prove won't happen unless the diet supports it.
    what have you got to lose? Has what you been doing working? why not try something new?
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
    ^ what they said. You certainly came to the right place for heavy lifting convincing !
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
    weight is a function of diet- not exercise.

    so work on that.

    as far as lifting heavy... hmmmm
    too lazy to post the picture again... that's me.... few posts down.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1117186-deadlift-socks
    All of my lifts are over body weight- and I'm not 'light' I'm 5'8" and weigh 160 lbs on a 'light' day.


    you just are not going to bulk if you aren't eating for it. you MUST eat at a calorie surplus in order to get big.

    What's the fear other than getting bulky which we can prove won't happen unless the diet supports it.
    what have you got to lose? Has what you been doing working? why not try something new?


    You have beautiful muscles.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    weight is a function of diet- not exercise.

    so work on that.

    as far as lifting heavy... hmmmm
    too lazy to post the picture again... that's me.... few posts down.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1117186-deadlift-socks
    All of my lifts are over body weight- and I'm not 'light' I'm 5'8" and weigh 160 lbs on a 'light' day.


    you just are not going to bulk if you aren't eating for it. you MUST eat at a calorie surplus in order to get big.

    What's the fear other than getting bulky which we can prove won't happen unless the diet supports it.
    what have you got to lose? Has what you been doing working? why not try something new?

    I love your style! And muscles never looked better. :flowerforyou:
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    like the others have said, if you're eating at deficit, you can't gain weight.

    i've been doing a similair programme for 9 weeks and haven't lost much weight (i don't lose fast anyway with or without weights) but i've lost 2 inches off my waist :)

    JoRocka - you look amazing (love the outfit!)

    ETA: 38 yr old female here with 26lb to go on 1200+ exercise cals :)
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    13+months+back.png

    Same weight, both pictures. Lifting heavy and eating ~2000 calories/day.

    Edited because I feel like I should add, I went from size 8 jeans to size 4 between the two pics. So there is no way that lifting made me look heavy :-)
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    This is me after losing 70 lbs of just watching diet, cardio and some light weight lifting (very light!)

    748b886b-fdeb-47b7-a637-52fa5c80ebea_zps1fc06e38.jpg

    This is me a year later after cutting back on the cardio and concentrating on heavy lifting 3-4 times per week. In both pics I was/am eating 1800-2200 gross cals per day. In this pic I am ONLY 10 lbs lighter here than above pic. I lost inches like crazy though!

    c0aecdc9-90ae-4926-9e2d-e45fb70585d5_zps102b93ff.jpg
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Mavd- FABULOUS transformation!!! I hate progress shots- I'm SO not happy about them. I need to do them for my next phase- and I don't want to. blarg.

    you make it look great!
    You have beautiful muscles.


    Thanks! they make me happy. :D
    JoRocka - you look amazing (love the outfit!)

    LOL thanks. yeah- the under wear were a special that day (for a lifting competition- it's now my tradition).. but the socks and neon tights- that's pretty normal for me.

    No sense looking boring at the gym!!!! :D
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Mavd- FABULOUS transformation!!! I hate progress shots- I'm SO not happy about them. I need to do them for my next phase- and I don't want to. blarg.

    you make it look great!

    Thanks! I still cringe at that back roll in the before picture.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Thanks! I still cringe at that back roll in the before picture.

    Girl I still have that. And other things. It is what it is. Your arms and your back look great.

    I need to actually have decent pictures taken- I want to be very numbers driven this phase- and I always do 'self timer' pictures- and they just are not good- that and use the completely wrong underpinnings last time- I looked like a had a saggy gramma butt- mostly because I had one neon line in my hot pants pulling sideways and down. It' was so shameful. LMAO.


    nah- you look great. and I'm totally jealous of 2000 calories a day LOL. I have to fight to stay under that- I'm a big girl LOL need to be careful!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    One thing about the 'bulky' fears: you can stop or lower/maintain the weight on certain exercises if you don't like what you see. Remember, though, that muscles can swell for a while at first, so I wouldn't freak right away :) But any muscle size you see (eventually) is certainly not permanent!

    I went to Europe and ate a bunch of pastries and coffee with real cream and stopped lifting. Lost all the muscle and gained 30 lbs, lol. It's not like it's difficult to back off :D:D

    If you start heavy, it's like skipping at least a month of all those awful reps at low weights. It's just quicker. Then you can stop progressive weights if you like and stay there, wherever there is. OTOH, the low weights may never build (even tighten) the muscle enough for your liking, because they are too low. It depends on what you want and how heavy the weights are, etc. It's not one size fits all unless you are pushing for the absolute max and keep that up for a very long time. But you don't have to go for max muscle mass or mass or max strength just because that's what most folks enjoy when they start. You'll still have control of the effects to a huge extent.
  • schonkreuz
    schonkreuz Posts: 493 Member
    I have been lifting for about two months and I LOVE it. In the pictures I'm only about 6 lbs lighter however I've started lifting.

    1IaOnwp.png
  • Suzd1976
    Suzd1976 Posts: 52
    Thanx a lot everyone for your replies. I guess my mind was already made up about going heavy but needed the extra push
    But now the question is...which one should I start with? Chalean extreme or sstronglifts? Please share your personal experiences...Sure I would like to see the scale number go down but more than that I just want to get back into my shorts n tanktops( which after my pregnancy weight gain of 60 pounds has gone into the back of my closet)
    So please advice ladies?.. And also pl post more progress pics...it's just so motivational...u guys just rock
  • Suzd1976
    Suzd1976 Posts: 52
    Bump...
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Thanx a lot everyone for your replies. I guess my mind was already made up about going heavy but needed the extra push
    But now the question is...which one should I start with? Chalean extreme or sstronglifts? Please share your personal experiences...Sure I would like to see the scale number go down but more than that I just want to get back into my shorts n tanktops( which after my pregnancy weight gain of 60 pounds has gone into the back of my closet)
    So please advice ladies?.. And also pl post more progress pics...it's just so motivational...u guys just rock

    It really depends on what you are looking for. Stronglifts is a nice simple workout that has few moves to learn and gets you in and out of the gym quickly. I started on New Rules of Lifting for Women, which I liked because it mixed things up a bit more and worked cardio in after a while. I don't know anything about Chalean but I'm sure it has it's highs and lows like any other program.
  • schonkreuz
    schonkreuz Posts: 493 Member
    I sorta made my own, with a bit of help from a friend who already lifts.

    -Monday-

    Deadlift 6/7/8

    Pull over 6/7/8

    Tricep rope attachment push downs 6/7/8

    Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 6/7/8 (adding this week)

    4 miles in 16 mins on stationary bike


    -Wednesday-

    Bench 6/7/8

    Dips (assisted for now) 6/7/8

    Pull ups (assisted for now) 6/7/8

    4 miles in 16 mins on stationary bike

    -Friday-

    Squats 6/7/8

    Decline bench 6/7/8

    Leg press 10/10/10

    Tricep rope attachment push downs 6/7/8

    T bar row 6/7/8

    4 miles in 16 mins on stationary bike
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Get the book, "the new rules of lifting for women" you will understand everything you need to know.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    If it hasn't been noted, look at this thread. Its all the inspiration I ever needed

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/977538-halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    You can look at my profile pictures for a woman that lifts heavy or look at a deadlift video from last nights training. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSYPvzjOwdY

    No super bulky.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I would go with compound lifts - squats, deads, over head press, bench press, pull ups/chin ups, etc - learn these moves and then incorporate them into three day a week total body routine where you hit arms/legs/shoulders/legs/back and mix in two sessions of cardio or HIIT a week....

    Not familiar with stronglifts but I believe it incorporates a lot of compounds...so you could go with that ..

    I hear chalean extreme is just low weigh, very high rep stuff, which I would avoid..
  • Taterpoof
    Taterpoof Posts: 416 Member
    The first is after a 10lb. loss doing just cardio (eating 1200-1300 calories a day). I decided to switch to weights instead. The second is after 3 months of lifting (I was eating around 2300 calories a day)

    beforeafter_zpsb85d77b4.jpg
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    The women's SL group is incredibly helpful and supportive:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    (Side note--for anyone considering doing SL and not wanting to read Mehdi's 30 page .pdf, the stickied threads will give you everything you need)

    I was incredibly intimidated when I started in June, and to this day I still have to fiddle with how much weight to add due to my being petite. A lot of it will be trial and error, but it has been incredibly worth it not only for the aesthetic benefits but for the confidence factor. The whole point of lifting progressively heavy is that it is ALWAYS going to be uncomfortable. So when you put that additional weight on and really push yourself, you find out things about yourself you never knew. Like someone said, you will be surprised at how strong you are.
  • gemheath2010
    gemheath2010 Posts: 68 Member
    Hiya - i just wanted to reply and tell you that i probablay could have written this post myself a few months ago, after months of reading about the benefits of lifting heavy, and seeing the results of those ladies that did it, i decided that i wanted a go, and decided to start a programme. To start with i was terrified of the 'mens section' was so scared that i was doing it wrong or looked like a total idiot doing it - the ladies here were really encouraging and made me see that there was nothing to be scared off, and whilst i didn't feel very confident i just got in there and did what i was in there to do and get out.
    I would recommend that you start with any of the programmes mentioned above, such as strong lifts, starting strength and new rules of lifting for women - they are all really fab programmes. Also if you really are that nervous use some earphones and listen to music to drown out the sounds
    I promise that after a few months you will be as addicted as the rest of us, and wondering what you were so worried about :happy:
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    You can look at my profile pictures for a woman that lifts heavy or look at a deadlift video from last nights training. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSYPvzjOwdY

    No super bulky.
    '

    Sumo lift 285. Damn. NICE lady. very impressed- I don't particularly care for it- but I give a big hell ya to anyone who can!!!

    LOL my 285 look sketchy as hell and it's a traditional dead. good for you. :D

    yeah- you look stupid bulky- I never want to do that LMAO
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    I am doing New Rules of Lifting for Women. I love it because it has a good variety, but I also think it would work well for someone who is intimidated about lifting heavy. Stage 1 starts you at higher reps (15) and works you down each week, so you start with less weight (still lifting heavy for the sets) and increase the weight every time you decrease the rep number. This gives you a good start because in the beginning it feels more like the strength routines women are "used to" but it forces you to make regular progressive increases and gets you comfortable with lifting heavy. It has also shrunk almost 2 inches off of my waist and given me back the legs I had in high school after just over a month.
  • Suzd1976
    Suzd1976 Posts: 52
    Thanx a lot everybody. Going to start strong lifts from tom so gonna watch all the videos on tubule today so that I don't go wrong with the form.Also will buy the book nrolw as I have heard it's really very informative. Thanx once again...you all have been so so helpful

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