132 lbs down + 6 months of weightlifting.

xxcooneyxx

So I have not lost weight in a little over a year. I've posted my loss-success story before, but I wanted to share the additional progress weightlifting has brought to my life.

STATS:

SW: 270 GW: 130 CW: 140

5'6", 26 years old.

I lost the first 60 lbs without exercising at all, just counting calories. After that I added light cardio for about 3 hours a week. At about 100 lbs down. I started doing about 5 hours of more challenging cardio a week (biking, swimming, running ect). I did not starts weight lifting until I was already at -132 (where I am now.) I always counted calories but I tried out a bunch of different diets. Weight-Watchers, Keto, vegetarian, vegan, all of them had their own benefits, but I could not stick to any of them for more than a few months. I let myself quit diets I did not like so long as I had another one to put into it's place that instant. Now I just eat healthy and count calories. I've maintained for a year, so I'm hoping this is sustainable! This is my 6 month progress.

BlueBombers

Awesome job! Way to go! You look great!

bombshellcertification

wowza, gurl--the curves are dangerous! You look great--great advertising for ladies to lift weights nice work & dedication & inspiration

weightliftingdiva

Your butt looks GREAT! You go girl. So inspirational. I'm now excited to start strong lifts tomorrow.

_errata_

yesterdayusaid2morrow

Omg, shero! The pic of you lifting is friggin rad. Well done!

chrissyrenee1029

Thank you for posting this...you look absolutely amazing, and are exactly where I want to be at my goal. Definitely an inspiration!

xxcooneyxx

This made me laugh for a good 45 seconds. You made my night!

RaggedyPond

Unknown

This content has been removed.

pleasurelittletreasure

You're a real testament to how embracing this as a life-style can be a sustainable change. Not to mention you look pretty awesome. Great job!

marricurt

You look amazing... You should be So. Damn. Proud. Well done.

xxcooneyxx

Thank you so much everyone, seriously. If you are on the fence about weight lifting, do it! t's fantastic.

MindyG150

You look great and you must feel even better, congrats!

billymacintosh

I was just wondering what your weight lifting routine started off at and how you increased it? You look incredible, lean and strong just how I would like to look ???????? x

starrylioness

You look absolutely amazing! So inspiring! :happy:

xxcooneyxx

I posted this on another web page when people were asking me for my beginning routine. Here you go!

Ok, so here we go. This was the routien I did for the first 3 months of weightlifting. A lot of this will depend on what equipment you have, and what you have access to. (For those who might not know, when writing a lifting routine saying “A X B” is where A = how many sets you do, and B = how many reps you do)

You are going to have to feel out what weight you want to start with. A lot of this will depend on how much muscle you have, and how big you are. The first 3 times you lift are going to take some feeling out. Write all your lifts down every time you lift. It will help you remember what weight worked for you before, and it will also help you track your progress as you get stronger. Between each set, I rested for 1.5 min. I kept it exact with a stopwatch app on my phone. Resting is important. Resting too long isn't good either. I'm going to include the weight I started with, but that's just me. You do the weight you are comfortable with. It should be heavy enough to make it difficult, but not so heavy you go into muscle failure before you get all 12 reps in. As you keep lifting over the weeks, and it gets easier, then make the weight heavier.

DAY 1 (Chest and Triceps)

Bench Press (Barbell or dumbell) 4 X 12 @ 50 lbs

Dumbell Flies 4X12 @ 10 lbs (each)

Isolated Tricep Kick-backs 4X12 @ 5 lbs (12 reps on each arm individually per set)

Double-Handed overhead tricep extensions 4X12 @ 10 lbs

DAY 2 (Legs and Shoulders)

Dumbell Lunges 4X12 @ 50 lbs (12 reps on each leg individually per set)

Squats (barbell or dumbell) 4X12 @ 110 lbs

Dumbell Calf Raises 4X12 @ 30 lbs (12 reps on each leg individually per set)

Seated overhead press (barbell or dumbell) 4X12 @ 30 lbs

Lateral Dumbell Raises 4X12 @ 10 lbs

Day 3 (Back and Biceps)

Dead-Lifts (dumbell or barbell) 4X12 @ 110 lbs

Bent Dumbell Rows 4X12 @ 30 lbs

Resistance Band Pull-Downs 4X12

Dumbell Curls 4X12 @ 15 lbs

Standing Band Resist Curls 4X12

Instructions.

You can do abs almost every day if you want to. This specific cycle is a 5-day cycle, in which I lift 3 of those five days. What days exactly out of the five I lift, depend on my schedule. Some days I was lifting every other day, some I had two days off back to back. It depended on my work schedule. I just used a calender and marked off 5 day blocks and made sure I did my 3 days of lifting out of those five days. I also tried to do abs 2 or 3 days out of those blocks. Some were the same days I was lifting, some were not. It depended on how tired I was. You can do some planks, situps, crunches, side crunches, whatever. I'm always trying new things. I think most people know how to do abs, so just go with what you know. Your abs help stabilize your entire body when lifting, so don't neglect them!

ALSO, the first month, I only did 3X12 instead of 4X12. You can do that if you want, but I highly recommend bumping up to 4 at the end of the first month. I also want you to keep in mind, that if you opt for dumbells instead of barbells, when it is optional, you will be lifting a bit less than if you were using a barbell. Barbells have more stability so you can lift a bit more with them, however, using dumbells strengthens your stabilizing muscles more, as well as your core, so if you want to go that way, more power to you. I'm EXTREMELY accident prone, so I chose to use the barbells when optional.

You are going to be VERY sore. After day 3, everything will hurt. You will feel like you have been hit by a truck. Tough it out. Please. It's worth it. Give me 4 cycles (20 days) and you should not be sore anymore. Soon you will miss the sore, and you will lift heavier to chase it. Makes you feel like you are making progress. Just please grit through it. It's worth it.

DAY 1 INSTRUCTIONS.

You need a bench for the benchpress, or something you can lay on so your elbows can dip into negative space. Lay on books. Lay on an ottoman. Just make sure it's stable. You can use a bar or dumbells. You will also need this space for your dumbell flies.

Barbell Bench Press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT7DgCr-3pg

Dumbell Bench Press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFcU-d5uDmM

Dumbell Flys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlDUqk3Ttkk

Isolated Tricep Kickbacks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9me06UBPKc

Double-Handed Overhead Tricep Extensions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbX7Wd8jQ-Q

DAY 2 INSTRUCTIONS

I HIGHLY recommend getting someone who knows how to lift to show you how to squat. For the love of god, keep your back
strait. You can easily get hurt with a squat, but it's VERY important to do.

Dumbell Lunges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7KaRcUTQeE

Dumbell Squats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqYi90vp8m4

Barbell Squats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBnyAeXJnAg

One-Leg Calf Raises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLiJm1xPkVU

Seated overhead press (dumbell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEwKCR5JCog

Seated overhead press (barbell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECWxumBMLVQ

Lateral Front dumbell raises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t7fuZ0KhDA

DAY 3 INSTRUCTIONS

The only lift I consider more dangerous than a squat will be the deadlift. It might not feel that way though. If you drop the weight while benching, you can get trapped. The same goes for Squats. Double scary right? So dead-lifts, you can just drop if it's too heavy or you lose your balance. So they are not dangerous right? WRONG. You can MESS. YOUR. BACK. UP. If you deadlift wrong. Try and get someone to show you how to do it in person, but if not, for the love of god, form is so much more important than weight. Get your form to be flawless. Your back will thank you.

Dumbell Deadlift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3QwaXNJfw

Barbell deadlift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1H1VG9Uh50

Bent Dumbell Rows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcpY20QaE8

Resistance band pull-downs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AtdCMxgF2Q (I did not do this on a ball, but it looks like a good idea.)

Dumbell Curls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAq_ocpRh_I

Standing Band Resistance Curls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig8gfNVmd4E

christhenix

You look stunning. Great job, very inspiring. :flowerforyou:

billymacintosh

I posted this on another web page when people were asking me for my beginning routine. Here you go!

Ok, so here we go. This was the routien I did for the first 3 months of weightlifting. A lot of this will depend on what equipment you have, and what you have access to. (For those who might not know, when writing a lifting routine saying “A X B” is where A = how many sets you do, and B = how many reps you do)

You are going to have to feel out what weight you want to start with. A lot of this will depend on how much muscle you have, and how big you are. The first 3 times you lift are going to take some feeling out. Write all your lifts down every time you lift. It will help you remember what weight worked for you before, and it will also help you track your progress as you get stronger. Between each set, I rested for 1.5 min. I kept it exact with a stopwatch app on my phone. Resting is important. Resting too long isn't good either. I'm going to include the weight I started with, but that's just me. You do the weight you are comfortable with. It should be heavy enough to make it difficult, but not so heavy you go into muscle failure before you get all 12 reps in. As you keep lifting over the weeks, and it gets easier, then make the weight heavier.

DAY 1 (Chest and Triceps)

Bench Press (Barbell or dumbell) 4 X 12 @ 50 lbs

Dumbell Flies 4X12 @ 10 lbs (each)

Isolated Tricep Kick-backs 4X12 @ 5 lbs (12 reps on each arm individually per set)

Double-Handed overhead tricep extensions 4X12 @ 10 lbs

DAY 2 (Legs and Shoulders)

Dumbell Lunges 4X12 @ 50 lbs (12 reps on each leg individually per set)

Squats (barbell or dumbell) 4X12 @ 110 lbs

Dumbell Calf Raises 4X12 @ 30 lbs (12 reps on each leg individually per set)

Seated overhead press (barbell or dumbell) 4X12 @ 30 lbs

Lateral Dumbell Raises 4X12 @ 10 lbs

Day 3 (Back and Biceps)

Dead-Lifts (dumbell or barbell) 4X12 @ 110 lbs

Bent Dumbell Rows 4X12 @ 30 lbs

Resistance Band Pull-Downs 4X12

Dumbell Curls 4X12 @ 15 lbs

Standing Band Resist Curls 4X12

Instructions.

You can do abs almost every day if you want to. This specific cycle is a 5-day cycle, in which I lift 3 of those five days. What days exactly out of the five I lift, depend on my schedule. Some days I was lifting every other day, some I had two days off back to back. It depended on my work schedule. I just used a calender and marked off 5 day blocks and made sure I did my 3 days of lifting out of those five days. I also tried to do abs 2 or 3 days out of those blocks. Some were the same days I was lifting, some were not. It depended on how tired I was. You can do some planks, situps, crunches, side crunches, whatever. I'm always trying new things. I think most people know how to do abs, so just go with what you know. Your abs help stabilize your entire body when lifting, so don't neglect them!

ALSO, the first month, I only did 3X12 instead of 4X12. You can do that if you want, but I highly recommend bumping up to 4 at the end of the first month. I also want you to keep in mind, that if you opt for dumbells instead of barbells, when it is optional, you will be lifting a bit less than if you were using a barbell. Barbells have more stability so you can lift a bit more with them, however, using dumbells strengthens your stabilizing muscles more, as well as your core, so if you want to go that way, more power to you. I'm EXTREMELY accident prone, so I chose to use the barbells when optional.

You are going to be VERY sore. After day 3, everything will hurt. You will feel like you have been hit by a truck. Tough it out. Please. It's worth it. Give me 4 cycles (20 days) and you should not be sore anymore. Soon you will miss the sore, and you will lift heavier to chase it. Makes you feel like you are making progress. Just please grit through it. It's worth it.

DAY 1 INSTRUCTIONS.

You need a bench for the benchpress, or something you can lay on so your elbows can dip into negative space. Lay on books. Lay on an ottoman. Just make sure it's stable. You can use a bar or dumbells. You will also need this space for your dumbell flies.

Barbell Bench Press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT7DgCr-3pg

Dumbell Bench Press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFcU-d5uDmM

Dumbell Flys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlDUqk3Ttkk

Isolated Tricep Kickbacks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9me06UBPKc

Double-Handed Overhead Tricep Extensions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbX7Wd8jQ-Q

DAY 2 INSTRUCTIONS

I HIGHLY recommend getting someone who knows how to lift to show you how to squat. For the love of god, keep your back
strait. You can easily get hurt with a squat, but it's VERY important to do.

Dumbell Lunges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7KaRcUTQeE

Dumbell Squats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqYi90vp8m4

Barbell Squats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBnyAeXJnAg

One-Leg Calf Raises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLiJm1xPkVU

Seated overhead press (dumbell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEwKCR5JCog

Seated overhead press (barbell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECWxumBMLVQ

Lateral Front dumbell raises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t7fuZ0KhDA

DAY 3 INSTRUCTIONS

The only lift I consider more dangerous than a squat will be the deadlift. It might not feel that way though. If you drop the weight while benching, you can get trapped. The same goes for Squats. Double scary right? So dead-lifts, you can just drop if it's too heavy or you lose your balance. So they are not dangerous right? WRONG. You can MESS. YOUR. BACK. UP. If you deadlift wrong. Try and get someone to show you how to do it in person, but if not, for the love of god, form is so much more important than weight. Get your form to be flawless. Your back will thank you.

Dumbell Deadlift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3QwaXNJfw

Barbell deadlift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1H1VG9Uh50

Bent Dumbell Rows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcpY20QaE8

Resistance band pull-downs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AtdCMxgF2Q (I did not do this on a ball, but it looks like a good idea.)

Dumbell Curls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAq_ocpRh_I

Standing Band Resistance Curls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig8gfNVmd4E

Thankyou so much ???????????? just one more question, did you do any cardio at all or literally just lifting and diet control?
Billy x

xxcooneyxx

After i lost the first 60 lbs I did about 3 hours of light cardio a week. Mostly walking. AFter I was down 100 I upped it to 5 hours a week and did higher intensity stuff like running and biking and such. I did NOT want to run while I was still over 200 lbs because it can cause injuries.

billymacintosh

I have about 35Ibs to lose in total I would say currently 168Ibs. Probably best to intersperse the weight training with light cardio to begin with or a bit more challenging? Sorry about all the questions! x

xxcooneyxx

I have about 35Ibs to lose in total I would say currently 168Ibs. Probably best to intersperse the weight training with light cardio to begin with or a bit more challenging? Sorry about all the questions! x

not problem! happy to help!

What I would recommend, is to start with some moderate to high cardio 4-5 hours a week. If you are not in the habit of working out yet, go for medium 3-4 times a week and work up. After you have been doing this a while, and are comfortable in your routine, then add the lifting.

Lifting is fantastic. Everyone should lift, no matter their size. It can only help you. I wish i had started way sooner. That being said, the reason I told you to hold off for a bit is, people tend to get overwhelmed.

I don't know where you are in your fitness, but if you take a completely sedentary person and then tell them they are going to do 5 hours of cardio a week plus 3 hours of lifting, they would get overwhelmed and completely quit after a few days(usually). Weight lifting and cardio together are great, but just cardio is better than nothing at all. Always push yourself, but don't break yourself.

billymacintosh

Thankyou for your advice ???? Will look forward to posting some progress pics! x

Alatariel75

Damn, lady!!! You look awesome!

2kidsandatrip

I am newly back on my journey to weigh loss... fell off the wagon for a bit. My weight and height are the exact same as yours when you began your journey, can I ask you how many calories you ate in the beginning? I always have a hard time figuring out how many calories I should be eating in order to lose weight, but not too few that I'm starving my body. I know you can figure it out on myfitnesspal, but it's always helpful to hear how others did it.

Kate7294

Wow! You look amazing!

Penthesilea514

You look amazing! Great job. Definitely a big inspiration- thank you so much for posting!

rachface1234

You look fantastic Congratulations on turning your health around and turning yourself into a lean machine! :flowerforyou:

hungrymarathongirl

Freaking awesome! Thanks for posting your weight workout schedule.

xxcooneyxx

I am newly back on my journey to weigh loss... fell off the wagon for a bit. My weight and height are the exact same as yours when you began your journey, can I ask you how many calories you ate in the beginning? I always have a hard time figuring out how many calories I should be eating in order to lose weight, but not too few that I'm starving my body. I know you can figure it out on myfitnesspal, but it's always helpful to hear how others did it.

I've cycled back and forth between 1200 calories and 1500 calories. When I was larger, 1500 calories was more than enough because I was big enough that I was still dropping weight fast. As I got smaller I switched to 1200, but often (1-3 days a week) would bounce up to 1500 again because I was feeling insanely hungry or frustrated or something. So After I got to like 160 lbs, I always shot for 1200 but if I hit 1500, I was not going to beat myself up.Also, I usually ate about half the calories I burned doing cardio on days I did cardio, but if my day was going really ****ty, or I was just really hungry for some reason, sometimes I would eat all of the calories I burned during cardio. Still, even on my worst day if I ate 1500 calories AND all my cardio, I was still -250 calories, so I wasn't backsliding. Just slowing myself way down. When you start getting in the 160's losing weight is REALLY hard.

Also if you are going to eat your cardio calories, or even part of them, I strongly recommend getting a heart rate monitor. The machines that calculate the calories you burn, are usually a joke. My stationary bike is the worst. It says I burn about 1,000 calories in an hour, and it's closer to 500.

soberlicious

amazing amazing amazing. you're also proof that SQUATS WORK.