So... what if I can't do any heavy lifting?

izu87

Ok, the past few days I've been reading a lot all over the forums, here, google, etc. And it seems that when it comes to those last x-amount of kgs the best way to get everything moving is doing heavy lifting. All great, but what if you cannot do it? I have huge issues with my eyes (totally shortsighted, really high diopters) and my doctors have always told me to no overdo it with weights or carrying too many groceries, etc, because it can further screw up my sight. And as a programmer - I need those two lil orbs.

Right now I'm doing some lifting at home along with my Body Revolution program, but my weights are 1,2 and 3 kgs. I suppose I can eventually go up to 4's, but in the past whenever I tried lifting anything heavier than 10kgs (weights) I could feel my eyes tensing up, so I'd back away. I've read some and there are a lot of 'It's a total myth go ahead and lift' to 'No. Do not lift.' kind of articles, and from personal experience - feeling the lifting in my eyes makes me go more towards the 'do not lift heavy'.

So, my question is - can lifting with smaller weights be effective? Or the only truly effective lifting is the heavy one? Should I set my mind that cardio+light lifting+deficit will be a much slower and harder process and in the end I might not have the fit body that I wish I would have, but more of a slim-softy-body?

singingflutelady

I have never heard this before. How short sighted are you? I am very near sighted (-12 at least.. need another eye test) and I lift heavy and carry groceries and have never had a problem or experience sight loss because of this. Do you have any eye diseases like glaucoma?

FionaHelen

lifting with low weight can be very effective just do higher reps

izu87

I'm -7.5/-7 diopters. And even though I do not have glaucoma I might develop one - my mother has it, so does my brother. And in the past I've had periods of high eye pressure...

LeanButNotMean44

Were you warned not to lift due to the tension it puts on your retinas/possible retinal detachment? I am severely myopic (-12 diopters) and my eye doctor (who knows I lift) has never told me to avoid lifting heavy or to avoid running.

izu87

Yep, all through my life my eye doctors have said so to me. Not sure whether it's due to just how backwards medicine is over here, or because they did see any reason for those warnings. But considering that when I've attempted lifting in the past I did feel pressure in the eyes... I dunno... when I've used gym machines with weights I've been okay for the most part, but my fitness level hasn't been anywhere near to let me work with heavy weights (on the machines I've used 15-20kgs). So, right now I'm wondering whether it's really dangerous to go above. I suppose I might ask for a more serious lookup the next time I go to my doctor, but until then - do you think that cardio along with training witih light (3-4kg) weights will be enough?

Is it even possible to get a nicely toned body with just that? With just working out at home, doing DVDs, biking, etc?

JoRocka

Were you warned not to lift due to the tension it puts on your retinas/possible retinal detachment? I am severely myopic (-12 diopters) and my eye doctor (who knows I lift) has never told me to avoid lifting heavy or to avoid running.

yeah I was something like a -6 and a -8 or something and I have been lifting my whole life.

I'm severely suspect of someone who said be careful carrying groceries. I think you need at least 1 if not 2 more opinions outside of the guy you saw.

A nicely "toned" body comes more from a combination of low body fat AND muscle density. But you can get a respectably lean body with low body fat- you just aren't going to have as much mass to show off. I suppose you could do an alright job- getting there- but that would be wildly unsatisfying to me personally- so I would recommend you dig deeper- that sounds fishy- because that means even body weight stuff is off limits.

ukaryote

Totally understand why you cannot lift heavy items due to your retinas being sensitive. For others, here is an external link to a summary of the issue..
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18854710

I would work with the opthalmologist and my GP. First, to get a definition of what constitutes heavy lifting. Second, to ask if you do some workout and it gets easier, can you graduate to heavier items, and is there an upper limit as you can lift more easily.

10kg is pretty respectable.

knra_grl

Just wondering if you gradually increase your strength by starting lighter if it is safe? I mean you eventually build enough strength to increase your weights so as you get stronger you would be exerting less effort? No expert but I think gradually building your strength would allow you to lift heavier as you would be physically stronger and the effort wouldn't be as intense. You don't have to lift HEAVY but you could build your strength to increase to a bit heavier. This would also benefit you in your daily life for lifting things like your groceries, etc.

izu87

Thank you all for those replies I will definitely make a note to ask both my GP and my ophthalmologist when I see them in a month or so. And until now I will build up cardio strength and itty-bitty muscles :P

msbeeblebrox

Aside from the great advice of speaking with another doctor, I just wanted to chime in and say that bodyweight exercises can be just as effective as heavy weights in achieving your weight loss goals.

No_Finish_Line

i suppose the less strain you put on any part of your body that isn't involved in the better off you are, but i don't think some straining of the facial/eye muscles would be a big deal.

i recently had laser eye surgery, and the literature says not to do strenous exercises (such as weight lifting) for two weeks because your eyes are that much more injury prone, but for a normal person it shouldn't be an issue.

heavy lifting is different lbs. for everyone, just means that you're using a weight that you personally can't do more then like 6 with propper form.

it depends on your goals, but any weight that you do reps until you can't do anymore IS NOT a waste of time. but if you using lower lbs. and you can do like 20 or more then your are only training for endurance...

geebusuk

Lifting with lights weights is basically cardio or at best 'endurance'.

Doing body weight, you'll suffer the same as heavy weights.

Of course there's still benefit from that, but not exactly the same benefit.

It's going to take longer to build muscle, but you can still burn fat, improve cardio health and so on.

unsound

I have to admit I'm kind of fascinated by this predicament. It sounds like you trust your doctors enough to take their advice seriously, which (I personally think) is a very good thing. When I first began trying to lose weight, I had had many years of back problems and was pretty well convinced that most forms of exercise were dangerous for me. I had tried running, swimming, cycling, and various kinds of lifting and they had all significantly irritated my back in one way or another. It was a really discouraging time. Luckily it turned out not to be a permanent situation for me, so I'm not in the same boat that you are. However, I did learn during that time that there are a LOT of ways to achieve and maintain good health. I really found that regular walking and yoga did me a lot of good when I was starting out. It sounds like you're not a beginner, and everybody's situation is different, but don't be discouraged just because you can't do what everybody these days claims is the "only" truly good way to get fit.

LKArgh

If your dr recommends no heavy lifting, then so be it. While you will read a lot of posts praising lifting heavy on here, obviously this is not the only way to get fit. There is no magic exercise routine that is the cure for all, and you can have a great body with several types of exercise. If your goal is to become a competitive body builder or join the olympic weight lifting team, then you have a problem, but I assume this is not the average person's goal on these boards.
The greatest body I have ever seen (including incredible abs and arm muscles) belongs to a dance teacher who is a professional flamengo dancer. No weights involved Not saying the solution to all problems is dancing either, but there are different sports and exercise routines to fit everyone.

deksgrl

I was worried about this myself because I was being screened for "pre-glaucoma". Though later I was cleared because my eye pressure is normal. I would definitely follow the advice or your opthamologist, but get a second, third, fourth opinion from professionals if you don't feel you are being given correct info. I would agree that you need to do whatever is necessary to preserve your eyesight.

deksgrl

I'm -7.5/-7 diopters. And even though I do not have glaucoma I might develop one - my mother has it, so does my brother. And in the past I've had periods of high eye pressure...

This is where the concerns lie. While lifting, you raise the fluid pressure in your eyes. This increased pressure can cause damage to the optic nerves and can cause loss of vision. This type of vision loss cannot be corrected and once optic nerves are damaged, it is irreversible.

Not everyone who lifts will get eye problems, but people who are at risk of glaucoma should avoid it.

Sunbrooke

It depends on your body type. I don't lift heavy weights and I still have more of an athletic, rather than willowy, look. If I lost more body fat, and increased my reps, I'd look more like a gymnast. I've read that Jessica Biel didn't use heavy weights to get in shape for Blade, and she had very nice muscle definition in that movie. Even naturally slender people can get a lean look with reps, cardio, and calorie deficit. Don't let worrying that you can't achieve your dream body stop you from getting started. You may be very pleasantly surprised with how much better you look and feel regardless. I worry much less about what I thought I needed to look like now that I am fit and energetic.

izu87

Thank you, all In my mind I'm still far away from being 'there', but I guess I will keep on trying to make it one way or the other. Just reading around the forums does give you an impression that heavy lifting is pretty much a must and when I think about it and my condition (or at least my condition that I do believe I should look after for the time being) I couldn't help but get a bit discouraged... and panicking x'D

But yeah... let's see where more reps and cardio will get me.I might like that end result better than what I'm imagining in my head for a perfect body