Im new to strength workouts and need help

MyHealthiestYears23

So I know that strength exercises do not burn as much calories as cardio.. and I heard that supposedly after doing strength workouts your body continues to burn calories after the workout is over and is more beneficial to muscle growth and overall fat burn than cardio alone - or so i heard (if you can verify this that would be great).

soooo my question is why are burned calories not calculated on MFP when you enter in a strength workout? (check out my exercise log for today as an example). I ask because I want to know if I need to eat more calories because of the calories burned from the strength workout - even though they are not calculated on MFP?

Just to give you some insight on what I am working on and what my goal is - I am a female who is petite with some thigh, hip, and stomach fat; but not much. So I would like to do some strength workouts to burn what fat is there but mainly to build muscle definition and tone. I am at a healthy weight/BMI so weight loss is not a major concern - I prob will gain weight as I gain muscle so I am just basing my results on how I feel and what muscle definition I can see instead of focusing on my weight.

My workout routine: I am doing the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 - 4 days per week. I rested with no exercise for one day and the other two days I spent doing strength workouts and pilates.

I am not sure if I am doing everything right to see the results I want - which would be trimmer hips and thighs, abdominal definition, and just a tone body over all. Please give me any tips and suggestions. I know I need to work on my sweet tooth and I would like to increase my dumbbell weights (which are currently 3lbs each) but other than that I'm not sure what else to do or to change. Help! Please try your best to address all my questions, Thanks!!

rawhidenadz

If you search "strength training" in the box that comes up when you click "add exercise" under the Cardiovascular tab, that'll give you calories burned

jimmmer

You won't build any muscle with a 3lb dumbbell I'm sorry to say.

You need to be on a progressive strength routine. Since you don't have much in the way of strength equipment, perhaps you could try a programme like "You Are Your Own Gym" where equipment is not needed?

ETA: you should check out this site:

strengthunbound.com/

This is a guy who's put on muscle with little/no weight equipment. He's on these boards, too. Recommend you read his bulking article on the site. It's a good read and packed with info

Therealobi1

You won't build any muscle with a 3lb dumbbell I'm sorry to say.

You need to be on a progressive strength routine. Since you don't have much in the way of strength equipment, perhaps you could try a programme like "You Are Your Own Gym" where equipment is not needed?

ETA: you should check out this site:

strengthunbound.com/

This is a guy who's put on muscle with little/no weight equipment. He's on these boards, too. Recommend you read his bulking article on the site. It's a good read and packed with info

Sorry to high jack post but thought i could ask question here. I always hear people on here talking about progressive weights, If i have only 20kg dumbells at the moment is that a waste of time. Also if its all about progression i dont understand how you can achieve a "toned" look just using body weight then?

mymodernbabylon

Sorry to high jack post but thought i could ask question here. I always hear people on here talking about progressive weights, If i have only 20kg dumbells at the moment is that a waste of time. Also if its all about progression i dont understand how you can achieve a "toned" look just using body weight then?

You end up doing tougher workouts - for example, instead of a body squat, you do a one legged body squat. You do more reps, you may add some minor weights, you hold poses for longer...lots of ways of making bodyweight exercises progressive (plus you change them up).

BradWI

Sorry to high jack post but thought i could ask question here. I always hear people on here talking about progressive weights, If i have only 20kg dumbells at the moment is that a waste of time. Also if its all about progression i dont understand how you can achieve a "toned" look just using body weight then?

No, it's not a waste of time. However you will hit a plateau eventually [maybe quickly]. Your body basically needs more and more resistance (e.g. progressive) to continue building muscle. But don't let that stop you from starting!

anotherghost

If you don't have a gym to go to, you can still get progressive with your strength training by getting into bodyweight exercise. It's true that bodyweight does have an upper limit where you'll plateau, but that is a long way off for a beginner; I wouldn't worry about it. Do serious bodyweight exercise though, on a serious plan, not just pushups every so often.

jimmmer

I suppose when you can do single handed handstands and single armed chin-ups, human flags etc, then you can said to be tapping out this style of training.

I'm not sure most people are ever going to tap it out tbh.

Addition of light weights, or weighted vests can push things on too. For instance pistol squatting with a couble of kb's is pretty gnarly.

MagnumBurrito

If you get access to a gym, check out this post

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1308750-so-you-want-to-start-lifting-great?hl=So+you+want+to+start

Otherwise do the BW exercises.

Therealobi1

Sorry to high jack post but thought i could ask question here. I always hear people on here talking about progressive weights, If i have only 20kg dumbells at the moment is that a waste of time. Also if its all about progression i dont understand how you can achieve a "toned" look just using body weight then?

You end up doing tougher workouts - for example, instead of a body squat, you do a one legged body squat. You do more reps, you may add some minor weights, you hold poses for longer...lots of ways of making bodyweight exercises progressive (plus you change them up).

Thanks makes sense

Therealobi1

Sorry to high jack post but thought i could ask question here. I always hear people on here talking about progressive weights, If i have only 20kg dumbells at the moment is that a waste of time. Also if its all about progression i dont understand how you can achieve a "toned" look just using body weight then?

No, it's not a waste of time. However you will hit a plateau eventually [maybe quickly]. Your body basically needs more and more resistance (e.g. progressive) to continue building muscle. But don't let that stop you from starting!

Thanks

likitisplit

+1 for bodyweight.

I've been doing the Convict Conditioning program. It's VERY challenging, allows me to get my resistance training in amonst my manifold responsibilities and has helped me develop a new level of body-awareness. If you're not using your body well, there is no way you'll be able to get all the way down and up on a one-legged squat.