I've been very resitant about lifting...
Replies
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First of all, I'm humbled by all the support I'm getting. Thank you all for your advice and friend requests!
I went to the "gym" today and it's suuuper small compared to the gym of the last school I was in. In terms of the heavy lifting section, it's the smallest part of the already small room. I did not physically walk over to see everything, but I saw a good selection of free weights, a bench, and only one squatting rack. Maybe that's all I need but I will say that it wasn't much. At my last school, the weight section had its own room and pretty much had everything.
It was suggested to me to go on Groupon and look for any Crossfit deals. I know that Crossfit gyms have one free day to try them out. It would be awesome to learn the lifts there.
Can't wait to be a nurse so I could afford to go to a nice gym. Ha!
That's all you need. At least go over next time, and inspect the equipment. You can't let little things like knowing what you are doing stop you trying, or you'll learn nothing new.
You're more likely to learn terrible techniques that would take months to unlearn at a CrossFit class than if you tried on your own. Not all CrossFit instructors are clueless idiots that did a one day seminar to be qualified, but thousands are.0 -
My goals:
There is a very particular "look" I want for myself. I am not afraid of gaining some muscle or having definition. However, I want a more long and lean sort of look, not compact muscle (I'm not sure how to explain this). I am not after a 6-pack or fitness competitor's body but a flat tummy with some slight curved definition would be lovely. I want to be able to do push-ups and non-assisted pull-ups one day.
Your resulting look will be a combination of genetics and BF%. If you don't want a six pack then aim for a BF% of around 20%. Fitness competitors will have BF% around 15% or lower. The precise amount of BF that achieves the specific look you're after will depend on your genetics, fat distribution, muscle mass, etc.0 -
STOP!!!
Don't do TDEE-x%. Not yet, anyway. You say you don't have much to lose. In your case, the dietary guidelines within NROL4W will probably work very well.
I will check out what the book has to say on the subject, but why in your opinion do you feel the TDEE method isn't the best way to go right now?
Don't get me wrong - TDEE is fine. That said, from what you've stated your goals are, I think what Lou (and his cohorts) put into the book will be perfect for you, as far as following Caloric goals. What they do is a variation of TDEE. Since you don't have much to lose, though, I'm sure that you'll be very happy with your results if you follow what they say. If you read the book, and don't want to follow the dietary section, that's fine. I won't be offended - just letting you know that that part is included in the book. :flowerforyou:0 -
STOP!!!
Don't do TDEE-x%. Not yet, anyway. You say you don't have much to lose. In your case, the dietary guidelines within NROL4W will probably work very well.
I will check out what the book has to say on the subject, but why in your opinion do you feel the TDEE method isn't the best way to go right now?
Don't get me wrong - TDEE is fine. That said, from what you've stated your goals are, I think what Lou (and his cohorts) put into the book will be perfect for you, as far as following Caloric goals. What they do is a variation of TDEE. Since you don't have much to lose, though, I'm sure that you'll be very happy with your results if you follow what they say. If you read the book, and don't want to follow the dietary section, that's fine. I won't be offended - just letting you know that that part is included in the book. :flowerforyou:
Fair enough! Makes sense to me. I am excited to read the book and see all that it offers. I receive it tomorrow. Can't come fast enough! 0 -
First of all, I'm humbled by all the support I'm getting. Thank you all for your advice and friend requests!
I went to the "gym" today and it's suuuper small compared to the gym of the last school I was in. In terms of the heavy lifting section, it's the smallest part of the already small room. I did not physically walk over to see everything, but I saw a good selection of free weights, a bench, and only one squatting rack. Maybe that's all I need but I will say that it wasn't much. At my last school, the weight section had its own room and pretty much had everything.
It was suggested to me to go on Groupon and look for any Crossfit deals. I know that Crossfit gyms have one free day to try them out. It would be awesome to learn the lifts there.
Can't wait to be a nurse so I could afford to go to a nice gym. Ha!
That's all you need. At least go over next time, and inspect the equipment. You can't let little things like knowing what you are doing stop you trying, or you'll learn nothing new.
You're more likely to learn terrible techniques that would take months to unlearn at a CrossFit class than if you tried on your own. Not all CrossFit instructors are clueless idiots that did a one day seminar to be qualified, but thousands are.
Well my little tiny gym *might* have redeemed itself. They have a personal training program that is free to students. The catch is that they are taught by students within the Personal Fitness Trainer degree program, so they're still learning. I talked to one of them and I said, "I want to lift heavy. I have no interest in the weight machines. I want to do deadlifts, squats, all that." He said he could help me and show me how to do them. We'll see.
However, the school says this about their program: "The Personal Fitness Trainer curriculum is designed to help students prepare for certification with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), two of the most highly regarded certifying organizations in the health and fitness industry."
So, who knows. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Or lead astray. Either one could happen, the latter more probable I'm sure. In the end, being responsible for educating myself is critical.0 -
YAY for lifting weights.
I am just starting out, but I know it will be worthwhile.
I try to keep it simple to start out and do squats, lunges, deadlifts ,and a bunch of arm exercises with dumbbells.
My plan is to do full body weight workouts just twice a week. Other days I do activities like swim, ski and some running. I don't want to fatigue my body.
I love the bodies of crossfit ladies and I hope to be strong enough to be able to do a full workout.
Check out crossfit.com for some exercises and videos.0 -
Don't overcomplicate things....macros and macro goals are great and all...but really, unless you're shooting for competition physique, it isn't necessary to hit them dead on all of the time....I just try to get into the general area largely for what it does for my blood work and in particularly my blood glucose levels.
I long hit the weight room without tracking a damned thing and did just fine. I get within 5% or so of my current macros and I'm just fine....and again, it's mostly for what it does for my glucose levels.
Just hit the weight room...get enough protein (perhaps more than the average joe but you don't have to be slamming multiple shakes a day) and enjoy.0 -
Always Challenge yourself
But most importantly learn proper form!!! PLEASEEEE this will help you see gains while preventing an injury
The food department isn't complicated, it seems that way but it's not. If you are already weighing your food and counting your calories this will be a piece of cake.
Start intaking 1 gram of protein, make sure your eating those carbs
Keep doing your cardio if that's what you enjoy, Have fun !!!0 -
This is a great thread. Good luck OP in your goals. Enjoy all weightlifting has to offer! The others are right... start as soon as you can. You will be wishing you did it sooner.0
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This is a great thread. Good luck OP in your goals. Enjoy all weightlifting has to offer! The others are right... start as soon as you can. You will be wishing you did it sooner.
This might sound creepy, or girl crush-y, but:
Oh.my.goodness. You have the EXACT sort of body I was picturing to achieve. Of course, I know that I'm a different person than you and cannot expect to have mirror-image results, but for the most part your stomach, arms and back are what I imagined for myself.
Holy cows alive. Now I'm REALLY excited to do this. Can't look back now.
Dammit NROLFW. Hurry up!
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First of all, I'm humbled by all the support I'm getting. Thank you all for your advice and friend requests!
I went to the "gym" today and it's suuuper small compared to the gym of the last school I was in. In terms of the heavy lifting section, it's the smallest part of the already small room. I did not physically walk over to see everything, but I saw a good selection of free weights, a bench, and only one squatting rack. Maybe that's all I need but I will say that it wasn't much. At my last school, the weight section had its own room and pretty much had everything.
It was suggested to me to go on Groupon and look for any Crossfit deals. I know that Crossfit gyms have one free day to try them out. It would be awesome to learn the lifts there.
Can't wait to be a nurse so I could afford to go to a nice gym. Ha!
That's all you need. At least go over next time, and inspect the equipment. You can't let little things like knowing what you are doing stop you trying, or you'll learn nothing new.
You're more likely to learn terrible techniques that would take months to unlearn at a CrossFit class than if you tried on your own. Not all CrossFit instructors are clueless idiots that did a one day seminar to be qualified, but thousands are.
Well my little tiny gym *might* have redeemed itself. They have a personal training program that is free to students. The catch is that they are taught by students within the Personal Fitness Trainer degree program, so they're still learning. I talked to one of them and I said, "I want to lift heavy. I have no interest in the weight machines. I want to do deadlifts, squats, all that." He said he could help me and show me how to do them. We'll see.
However, the school says this about their program: "The Personal Fitness Trainer curriculum is designed to help students prepare for certification with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), two of the most highly regarded certifying organizations in the health and fitness industry."
So, who knows. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Or lead astray. Either one could happen, the latter more probable I'm sure. In the end, being responsible for educating myself is critical.
Watch a LOT of video online, then ask to see the trainer do the lift. If he looks decent, let him show you how lol.0 -
UPDATE: I havn't been able to read the whole book word for word, but I got the gist down.
I initially found the workout section to be confusing. I had to read some of the passages more than once to wrap my head around all the details. General warm up, semi-specific warm-up, lifting warm-up, then your workout alternating different moves under the stage you're in within proper lifting/resting time intervals. I'm sure that it's easier to do than it all sounds once I get going, but geez!
I feel like I'm better off starting with Stronglifts 5x5 and finishing each session with 15-20 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill. I optimally hope to do this 3 days a week, 2 at minimum (which would only happen if work/clinicals get in the way of the open time of my school's gym, which is 1pm-5pm Monday through Friday for all students). If I can only lift twice in the gym in a week, I may supplement with some HITT (no more than 20 mins at 2 min/1 min ratio) and yoga on the third day if I feel like my body can handle it. Good idea, bad idea?
I'll take my book with me to the gym with tagged pages of the moves from Stronglifts so I can cross-reference myself for proper form.
Should I start just using the bar with no added weight? If so, how do I approach my warm-up? Just do a few minutes of brisk walking and get right to the lifting? How long should I rest between reps?
I'm going to post later in the food and nutrition section in the forum. I need to go grocery shopping today and will be putting together meal/snack ideas for the week that I'd like to have critiqued for meeting caloric/protein standards.
I used the book to calculate calories. I converted my body weight from lbs to kgs, giving me a rounded up number of 64kgs. Resting metabolic rate is (rounded up one calorie) 1,255. BMI is around 22-23. It initially looks like they recommend 2g of protein per kg, which would be 128g of protein per day. It also looks like they favor the 40 carb/30 protein/30 fat ratio. But I'm confused because somewhere later in the book, he uses a 140 lb woman as an example that for high protein needs, she needs to eat 140g of protein per day. However, if she at 30% protein in a 2,000 calorie a day diet, she would bump that to 150g. I'm not sure what this all means for me and what to do with this information - I didn't really read a cut and dry recommendation, which is slightly frustrating. Thoughts on where to go from here?0 -
There may be lighter bars available or weighted barbells with less weight - 20kg/45lb can be a fair bit.
I still had a standard 1" bar with a few weights left, so had my friend using that for some of her warmups. Or you may be able to use a 'machine' for the warm up. But, just generally moving around should help!0 -
Yeah, like I said in my first post regarding NROLFW, bit over complicated. Are you sure you're not skipping a bit where they had you conditioning yourself to lifting before the alternating exercises?
If you're going to do a 5x5 program, I'd hang fire on the on the HIIT. It's likely to take you a while before you're up to your true 5x5 weights due to skill/coordination/and confidence, but even so it's not worth the extra strain when you're beginning such a demanding workout.
Yes, start with the bar, especially if you've not done the exercise before. Do a general warm up like gradually increasing intensity cardio, then you can do some mobility or start straight away with the bar.
You don't rest between reps, you rest between sets. This should be specified by the workout, but if you give me your reps per set I could give you something appropriate.
I'd recommend a protein intake for Strength/Power Exercisers - recommendations typically range from 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg/day (ISSN Stance). You can go over this if you want, but as long as the increased satiety from all this protein doesn't make you miss your caloric goals.
Going by macro percentages doesn't always work out.0 -
Watch the youtube videos for Stronglifts 5x5. There are only two workouts which you alternate, A and B. You do start with the bar for most of them. Also, there is a Stronglifts 5x5 app for both Android and iPhone that will walk you right along with the weight progression. It's great for getting you started with a focus on form while working with lighter weight. If you need to start with less than 45 pounds for any of the lifts then you may want to hold off on starting the app since 45 pounds is where squats, overhead press, and bench press all start. Deadlift and barbell row start a little higher, 95 pounds and 65 pounds respectively.0
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Yeah, like I said in my first post regarding NROLFW, bit over complicated. Are you sure you're not skipping a bit where they had you conditioning yourself to lifting before the alternating exercises?
If you're going to do a 5x5 program, I'd hang fire on the on the HIIT. It's likely to take you a while before you're up to your true 5x5 weights due to skill/coordination/and confidence, but even so it's not worth the extra strain when you're beginning such a demanding workout.
Yes, start with the bar, especially if you've not done the exercise before. Do a general warm up like gradually increasing intensity cardio, then you can do some mobility or start straight away with the bar.
You don't rest between reps, you rest between sets. This should be specified by the workout, but if you give me your reps per set I could give you something appropriate.
I'd recommend a protein intake for Strength/Power Exercisers - recommendations typically range from 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg/day (ISSN Stance). You can go over this if you want, but as long as the increased satiety from all this protein doesn't make you miss your caloric goals.
Going by macro percentages doesn't always work out.
It's possible that I could have skimmed over it. I was reading through quickly!
I agree with the HIIT. I think for the first several workouts all I'm going to do is the 5x5 moves (alternate A &
and that's it. One step at a time.
I decided to do the 2g/kg for protein intake. That puts me at reaching a goal of 128g per day, which is more doable for me than 140g+.0 -
Watch the youtube videos for Stronglifts 5x5. There are only two workouts which you alternate, A and B. You do start with the bar for most of them. Also, there is a Stronglifts 5x5 app for both Android and iPhone that will walk you right along with the weight progression. It's great for getting you started with a focus on form while working with lighter weight. If you need to start with less than 45 pounds for any of the lifts then you may want to hold off on starting the app since 45 pounds is where squats, overhead press, and bench press all start. Deadlift and barbell row start a little higher, 95 pounds and 65 pounds respectively.
Thanks for this! I'll definitely remember this app as I progress!
So I guess what is left now for me to figure out is calories. I was a bit disappointed that the book did not go into detail on how much calories you as the individual should have. Maybe I missed it? Who knows.
Basically, I just calculated TDEE -10% since I couldn't get a straightforward answer from the book. I selected 1-3 hrs of light exercise (I picked this because some weeks I won't be able to lift three days), eating 5 meals a day (though on lifting days I will have an additional "meal" of a protein shake after I lift) with the 40/30/30 ratio. This is what it spit back out at me:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): 1464
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE): 2013
Daily calories based on goal in step 6: 1812
So, not sure what this all means in terms of what my calories should look like on non-lifting days vs. lifting days. Am I eating above or below maintenance? Help!0 -
You don't have to be insanely controlled with your diet when you're starting out weight training. A beginner will make progress on just about any diet.
A lot of the 'rules' you read and hear about really only apply to intermediate or even advanced lifters, or elite athletes. For 99% of the population, it's often little more than a distraction.0 -
You don't have to be insanely controlled with your diet when you're starting out weight training. A beginner will make progress on just about any diet.
A lot of the 'rules' you read and hear about really only apply to intermediate or even advanced lifters, or elite athletes. For 99% of the population, it's often little more than a distraction.
I know, but I like having hard numbers to work with.
Whether I choose 1-3 hrs of light exercise or 3-5 hrs of moderate exercise makes a difference on my calorie calculations. With the 3-5 hr option, maintenance is at 2270 and my calorie goal at 2043.
I'm tempted to just round it off at an even 2000 for a typical day and be done with it. Lifting days will be a couple hundred calories more because of the protein shake.0 -
Cardio and lifting are like peas and carrots. They just go so well together. You will love it. :drinker:
Peas must be the cardio. I ****ing hate peas.
^^This.
I love carrots, but peas? Blech! :sick: Likewise, I love lifting, but haaaaate cardio. So, yeah...my lifting and HIIT program DO go together like peas and carrots. Good analogy! Lol!0 -
wtf is a gamergirl?0
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wtf is a gamergirl?
A girl that plays video games...
You know, a girl gamer. Though "MissGirlGamer" doesn't flow right.0 -
...GAH. It's just too overwhelming. I just want to eat healthy and lift without the headache and stress.
So just do that. I don't have much to add that hasn't been said already. Most of what you're talking about is completely unnecessary for beginners.0 -
Hi. I'm a UK nurse (old though at 46 lol) and also just got the New Rules book which I'm plodding through slowly.
I am hoping to find a trainer to work with at least once as I have knee, achilles and back issues which I'm worried about worsening whilst having enough knowledge to appreciate they may also improve!
As per some comments here I have been melting my head since joining MFP rather than celebrating 28lbs lost and kept at bay for a year. I've gone from being a success in the Biggest Loser site to a (in my mind) skinny fat failure here even though I always exercised in some form. Add in being a Virgo AND a research nurse and my need for detail/knowledge and perfection both drive me and paralyse me! Stupid when I yo yo dieted for 30yrs to now expect so much but hey....
I'm strong and muscly (albeit with a belly like a cushion) and don't want to lose more wt even though only just within healthy BMI. I'm hoping to now learn to lift but already use the machines at quite high weights - maybe not everyone's idea of a workout but I hate cardio and love feeling strong so know this is something I can sustain.
I wish us both luck!0 -
...GAH. It's just too overwhelming. I just want to eat healthy and lift without the headache and stress.
So just do that. I don't have much to add that hasn't been said already. Most of what you're talking about is completely unnecessary for beginners.
My impression from other lifters was that there definitely are some parameters involved even when beginning. But it's whatever. I'm doing 2000 and just going with it.0 -
What does a virgo research nurse do?0
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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women
AMAZING group.
They are super nice and helpful.0 -
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women
AMAZING group.
They are super nice and helpful.
THANK YOU!!! This is just what I need. Will investigate this group as soon as I get off work! 0 -
What does a virgo research nurse do?
Well Virgo's are a nit-picking, perfectionist, pain in the *kitten* and I apply that skill to my job running clinical trials! Does that help lol.0 -
You don't have to be insanely controlled with your diet when you're starting out weight training. A beginner will make progress on just about any diet.
A lot of the 'rules' you read and hear about really only apply to intermediate or even advanced lifters, or elite athletes. For 99% of the population, it's often little more than a distraction.
I know, but I like having hard numbers to work with.
Whether I choose 1-3 hrs of light exercise or 3-5 hrs of moderate exercise makes a difference on my calorie calculations. With the 3-5 hr option, maintenance is at 2270 and my calorie goal at 2043.
I'm tempted to just round it off at an even 2000 for a typical day and be done with it. Lifting days will be a couple hundred calories more because of the protein shake.
Ah, understood. Didn't mean to seem dismissive-- I just had a friend who beat himself up trying to hit certain macros when he was starting out and probably didn't need to.0
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