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

Suzd1976 · October 2013

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

Holly_Roman_Empire · October 2013

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 · October 2013

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 · October 2013

^ what they said. You certainly came to the right place for heavy lifting convincing !

Slrajr · October 2013

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 · October 2013

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 · October 2013

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 · October 2013

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 · October 2013

This is me after losing 70 lbs of just watching diet, cardio and some light weight lifting (very light!)

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!

JoRocka · October 2013

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.

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!!!!

DrMAvDPhD · October 2013

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 · October 2013

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 · October 2013

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

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 · October 2013

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.

Suzd1976 · October 2013

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 · October 2013

Bump...

DrMAvDPhD · October 2013

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 · October 2013

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