Going to start lifting heavy. Diet & expectation tips needed

NotJustADieter

I'm 5'2. Starting weight was 176 in April, current weight is 148. Still overweight but not as overweight. Lots of clean eating, moderate exercise (walking is my big one as I have asthma from hell and most cardio is out) and calorie counting. Sort of being aware of what I eat, my attitudes towards food, etc.

So, I'm returning to college in a week. And I have a buddy who trains at the gym, who has agreed to train me in exchange for me cleaning his room (which is a win-win). He's a very good trainer, helped a close friend of ours go from skinny gangly 18 year old kid to lean muscle machine, and is very well educated in what he does. I'll be squatting, which I've never done with a bar (only free weights) and also attempting deadlifts (which scares me).

I know that continuing to eat clean and sticking to my macros (currently 45% protein, 35% fat and 20% carb) and eating at or slightly above my BMR will help me gain muscle and lose fat. Hopefully intending to recomp and stay around the same weight once I hit about 130. If I wasn't building muscle, my goal would be 120. What should I expect when doing this? Physically, mentally, etc. Should I up my calories once I enter recomp? Tips from anyone who has been there? I don't want to hurt my body nutritionally- it's taken me a long time to get here and I want to be HEALTHY most of all.

BigLifter10

A couple of things right off the top of my mind on this: The two things that surprised me the most when I started lifting heavy were 1.) How ungodly hungry I was getting as I was working on trying to find the right breakdown of nutrients I needed. 2.) How much of a cardio workout lifting really can be. The key is to not stand around too long between sets and work at the right counts so as to maximize the tension in your muscles.

Since you have asthma, just keep that in mind and listen to your body. Just be prepared in case you need to counter it with any meds, etc.

Get your body fat/lean tissue measurements to have a gauge, if you want to. You can be 130 with a lot of lean muscle weight, or 130 with more fatty tissue. If you are interested in knowing how your percentages change, then you may want to look into that.

Have fun with it and revel in the newfound strength!! Remember - consistency is key.

_lyndseybrooke_

I'm 5'2. Starting weight was 176 in April, current weight is 148. Still overweight but not as overweight. Lots of clean eating, moderate exercise (walking is my big one as I have asthma from hell and most cardio is out) and calorie counting. Sort of being aware of what I eat, my attitudes towards food, etc.

So, I'm returning to college in a week. And I have a buddy who trains at the gym, who has agreed to train me in exchange for me cleaning his room (which is a win-win). He's a very good trainer, helped a close friend of ours go from skinny gangly 18 year old kid to lean muscle machine, and is very well educated in what he does. I'll be squatting, which I've never done with a bar (only free weights) and also attempting deadlifts (which scares me).

I know that continuing to eat clean and sticking to my macros (currently 45% protein, 35% fat and 20% carb) and eating at or slightly above my BMR will help me gain muscle and lose fat. Hopefully intending to recomp and stay around the same weight once I hit about 130. If I wasn't building muscle, my goal would be 120. What should I expect when doing this? Physically, mentally, etc. Should I up my calories once I enter recomp? Tips from anyone who has been there? I don't want to hurt my body nutritionally- it's taken me a long time to get here and I want to be HEALTHY most of all.

1. Barbell training IS using free weights. Free weight training is training with things that are not attached to a machine.

2. Don't be scared of deadlifts. There's no reason to be. Just start light and maintain good form. You'll be fine.

3. You've got it all wrong about calories. Your BMR is the amount of calories your body would need to maintain your weight if you were lying in a coma all day. You're certainly burning way more calories than that just by going about your life as usual. Eating at or slightly above your BMR will put you at a pretty big deficit, meaning you'll certainly lose fat, but you won't be gaining any muscle. The point of lifting heavy while eating at a deficit isn't to gain muscle, which is near impossible to do, it's to maintain the muscle mass you already have so you don't lose that along with the fat. You won't be gaining muscle until you start eating a lot more calories. This definitely doesn't mean you shouldn't lift, but you should be aware that you won't be gaining any muscle while eating at your BMR.

4. Your body needs fuel (read: food/calories) in order to function properly. If you're eating at too large of a deficit, your lifts will suffer. Forget about your BMR - calculate your TDEE, subtract 10-20% from it, and eat that much while lifting heavy.

rachelrb85

I would eat more than just slightly above your BMR. Calculate your TDEE and subtract 20%. That is a good calorie goal to eat at a deficit and lift heavy. Once you get closer to your goal weight, you can subtract 10%. I would also up your carbs a bit to give you the fuel you'll need. 40/30/30 is a good balanced macro goal. You could do 30/40/30 if you wanted to keep your carbs lower. Heavy lifting can give you great results if you stick with it, I hope you enjoy it! Find an easy routine to stick with, such as Stronglifts 5x5. Good luck!

Mara_83

For future reference.

giggitygoo

1) Expect to put on some water weight when you start training. It happens to everyone. Don't let this dishearten you, it's just water retention. I personally saw a 5 pound gain almost instantly. It messed with my brain; be smarter and more informed than me.

2) Squats and deadlifts are excellent choices. No reason to be afraid of deadlifts, they are actually very safe when performed correctly.

3) Food/Fuel. I think your macros sound pretty good, but eating that close to your BMR (absolute minimum requirements) while lifting is going to hinder your progress. You'll be tired, your strength gains will suffer and you won't see visual results. Lifting requires FUEL. Not only for your workout, but for the repair/growth time in between. I second the TDEE -10% method.

jlapey

Don't measure your progress via the scale. I've made significant changes (changes others have noticed and commented on) in my body while fluctuating the same 4 pounds for almost a year. It's just this past month or so that my 'weight' seems to be going down again. I don't count calories; I just eat sensibly and drink a lot of water.

conklil

bump...just started lifting. I did my TDEE calculations and subtracted 20% and got 1264. That's with 3 days working out. I upped it to everyday working out since I walk everyday and got 1506. I'm scared.

NotJustADieter

I'm 5'2. Starting weight was 176 in April, current weight is 148. Still overweight but not as overweight. Lots of clean eating, moderate exercise (walking is my big one as I have asthma from hell and most cardio is out) and calorie counting. Sort of being aware of what I eat, my attitudes towards food, etc.

So, I'm returning to college in a week. And I have a buddy who trains at the gym, who has agreed to train me in exchange for me cleaning his room (which is a win-win). He's a very good trainer, helped a close friend of ours go from skinny gangly 18 year old kid to lean muscle machine, and is very well educated in what he does. I'll be squatting, which I've never done with a bar (only free weights) and also attempting deadlifts (which scares me).

I know that continuing to eat clean and sticking to my macros (currently 45% protein, 35% fat and 20% carb) and eating at or slightly above my BMR will help me gain muscle and lose fat. Hopefully intending to recomp and stay around the same weight once I hit about 130. If I wasn't building muscle, my goal would be 120. What should I expect when doing this? Physically, mentally, etc. Should I up my calories once I enter recomp? Tips from anyone who has been there? I don't want to hurt my body nutritionally- it's taken me a long time to get here and I want to be HEALTHY most of all.

1. Barbell training IS using free weights. Free weight training is training with things that are not attached to a machine.

2. Don't be scared of deadlifts. There's no reason to be. Just start light and maintain good form. You'll be fine.

3. You've got it all wrong about calories. Your BMR is the amount of calories your body would need to maintain your weight if you were lying in a coma all day. You're certainly burning way more calories than that just by going about your life as usual. Eating at or slightly above your BMR will put you at a pretty big deficit, meaning you'll certainly lose fat, but you won't be gaining any muscle. The point of lifting heavy while eating at a deficit isn't to gain muscle, which is near impossible to do, it's to maintain the muscle mass you already have so you don't lose that along with the fat. You won't be gaining muscle until you start eating a lot more calories. This definitely doesn't mean you shouldn't lift, but you should be aware that you won't be gaining any muscle while eating at your BMR.

4. Your body needs fuel (read: food/calories) in order to function properly. If you're eating at too large of a deficit, your lifts will suffer. Forget about your BMR - calculate your TDEE, subtract 10-20% from it, and eat that much while lifting heavy.

1. Meant the hand weights as opposed to barbell- thank you for correcting me

2. I'm scared just because it is a big change from how I've always been. It's exciting but I'm a bit scared. And I wouldn't do it without trained buddies around because I'm scared of screwing up my form

3. I actually just rechecked my BMR and TDEE- I've been eating at the BMR of my 178lb self. It's a good deal lower now, and I am also willing to go above it. I've looked at my BMR as a minimum. The issue is that because I'm so small of a person, my TDEE - 20% actually is lower than my BMR. My TDEE itself is only a bit over 1700 calories. I'm hoping to up my calories once I start trying to recomp- so when I hit 130. Until then, the point is to lose the weight, first and foremost. My asthma acts up the heavier I am, and I'm trying to lose so my doctor can lower the dosage of all of my meds.

laceynwilliams

Someone on XXFitness said you should recalculate your TDEE every time you lose 5 pounds, so that's exciting! (Or something)

I started Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 a month ago, so here's what I have:

1. I was super, super sore the first week. Oh, the DOMS. I worked out through it and drank a ton of water, and the second week (and the weeks since) I've had soreness, but it's totally manageable.

2. I was also scared of deadlifts, so I just started by deadlifting the empty bar. I highly recommend the StrongLifts 5x5 program (ICF is just SL + accessory work), as it has you increment a bit each time, so you can start with lighter weight and move to heavier weight while keeping form intact.

3. I sleep really, really well now, and I need to sleep more the day after I lift. This may just be me, but my body needs closer to 8-9 hours of sleep to really feel rested. And I sleep like the dead. It's so nice.

amgerbin

I have exercise-induced asthma. After being diagnosed and given an inhaler, I can do any cardio - even spinning threes times a week. I'd hate for that to limit your cardio because there are things you can work out with your doctor to help with asthma.

Hang in there!

NotJustADieter

Someone on XXFitness said you should recalculate your TDEE every time you lose 5 pounds, so that's exciting! (Or something)

I started Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 a month ago, so here's what I have:

1. I was super, super sore the first week. Oh, the DOMS. I worked out through it and drank a ton of water, and the second week (and the weeks since) I've had soreness, but it's totally manageable.

2. I was also scared of deadlifts, so I just started by deadlifting the empty bar. I highly recommend the StrongLifts 5x5 program (ICF is just SL + accessory work), as it has you increment a bit each time, so you can start with lighter weight and move to heavier weight while keeping form intact.

3. I sleep really, really well now, and I need to sleep more the day after I lift. This may just be me, but my body needs closer to 8-9 hours of sleep to really feel rested. And I sleep like the dead. It's so nice.

1. Yayyyyy recalculating!!!! Booooo fewer calories

2. I'm going to be working with a trainer and he has a program set up. Bit scared but the weekday program (3x a week) is not too intense as I have yoga afterwards and stretching apparently maximizes gains?

3. That sounds AMAZING. I've said it before on these forums, but I have severe PTSD and to sleep like the dead sounds like a dream come true. The days I intend on lifting, I only have one class (yoga) and I'm doing that directly after (plus Mondays I have an evening lab) so I can even theoretically nap.

NotJustADieter

I have exercise-induced asthma. After being diagnosed and given an inhaler, I can do any cardio - even spinning threes times a week. I'd hate for that to limit your cardio because there are things you can work out with your doctor to help with asthma.

Hang in there!

I've had my rescue inhaler since I was 6... plus a twice daily prescription one. Only thing that has helped is strengthening my core and chest (Teddy Roosevelt style- check out his battle with asthma for some crazy inspiring stuff) and losing weight.

giggitygoo

Oh I forgot to add: You're going to be sore. Really, really sore. The intense DOMS last for about 2 weeks after you first start, and then it will go back to what you're used to after an intense workout. Get some epsom salts, and take a 20 minute soak before bed. It's a life saver to get through those first 2 weeks.

Potassium supplements helped me a lot also.

NotJustADieter

Oh I forgot to add: You're going to be sore. Really, really sore. The intense DOMS last for about 2 weeks after you first start, and then it will go back to what you're used to after an intense workout. Get some epsom salts, and take a 20 minute soak before bed. It's a life saver to get through those first 2 weeks.

Potassium supplements helped me a lot also.

I don't have a tub, but I might do the potassium supplements. How much does post-workout stretching help?

lisalsd1

1. You'll probably be extra hungry after lifting (I was). Eat enough protein and it will help. I think my macros are 40p/30f/30c.

2. Your noob gains will cause your pants not to fit for a little bit. Don't worry, you'll soon be getting smaller and have to buy smaller pants. I'm down from an 8 to a 4 (and now sometimes a 2). I've only lost 10lbs according to the scale though.

3. I started with machines and dumbbells, b/c I wasn't strong enough to lift a 45lb bar or plate. I'm deadlifting 210lbs now. So, it is fine to start out light and build the strength and confidence to start using a barbell.

4. Get a notebook and write down your routine/weights, so you can track your progress and are more motivated to lift heavier.

5. Foam rollers!

markiend

just to add... lots of measurements and lots of photos for when the scales are telling porkies

good luck and ... don't let it scare you :P

giggitygoo

Oh I forgot to add: You're going to be sore. Really, really sore. The intense DOMS last for about 2 weeks after you first start, and then it will go back to what you're used to after an intense workout. Get some epsom salts, and take a 20 minute soak before bed. It's a life saver to get through those first 2 weeks.

Potassium supplements helped me a lot also.

I don't have a tub, but I might do the potassium supplements. How much does post-workout stretching help?

It might just be because I was a super big wuss, but the stretching only helped a little in the beginning. Now that I'm used to the routine, stretching helps a ton!

NotJustADieter

Oh I forgot to add: You're going to be sore. Really, really sore. The intense DOMS last for about 2 weeks after you first start, and then it will go back to what you're used to after an intense workout. Get some epsom salts, and take a 20 minute soak before bed. It's a life saver to get through those first 2 weeks.

Potassium supplements helped me a lot also.

I don't have a tub, but I might do the potassium supplements. How much does post-workout stretching help?

It might just be because I was a super big wuss, but the stretching only helped a little in the beginning. Now that I'm used to the routine, stretching helps a ton!

I've got a low-impact (graded) yoga class right after my lift time purposely so I can force myself through the stretching. I'm hoping it will make a difference for me. I'm fairly flexible and I'm not weak (can overhead the bar, so that's something?) but the soreness could be an issue as I live on the third floor in an elevator-less building.

So... what is a foam roller and how do you use it? I've always been too embarrassed to ask...

NotJustADieter

1. You'll probably be extra hungry after lifting (I was). Eat enough protein and it will help. I think my macros are 40p/30f/30c.

2. Your noob gains will cause your pants not to fit for a little bit. Don't worry, you'll soon be getting smaller and have to buy smaller pants. I'm down from an 8 to a 4 (and now sometimes a 2). I've only lost 10lbs according to the scale though.

3. I started with machines and dumbbells, b/c I wasn't strong enough to lift a 45lb bar or plate. I'm deadlifting 210lbs now. So, it is fine to start out light and build the strength and confidence to start using a barbell.

4. Get a notebook and write down your routine/weights, so you can track your progress and are more motivated to lift heavier.

5. Foam rollers!

1. Ok, I'm absolutely going to be adding to my calories on lifting days. Might just eat back what MFP says I burned lifting (I know it overeastimates, which is the goal here). Hopefully the exhaustion will make me sleep better

2. Well, I'm a skirt kind of girl... so that's okay. Actually part of why I didn't notice I'd gained weight in the first place!

3. I can overhead press the bar, so that's something. It's still scary though.

4. This is a great idea! I love, love, love data (it's why I'm an MFP and fitbit addict) and having more data is always better.

Psychgrrl

A foam roller can also help with the muscle soreness. So can light weight-bearing exercise the next day. Even though it's the last thing you want to do. And it's a good sore!

Be sure and hydrate adequately. If you're working out, lifting heavy, for more than an hour, I'd look for something more than water (something with electrolytes like potassium and sodium).

Be VERY careful with potassium supplements--there's a reason the OTC max strength is 3 mg. Taking it in pill form without coming from food and be a shock to your system and throw your electrolytes off-balance as it flushes sodium from your body. That's why many people with high blood pressure are told to take it by their doctors. If it builds up in your body, it can also cause changes in heart rhythm. Been around a LOT of cardiologists because of my mom and dad.

Have an orange instead. Pomegranate juice is a great source. So are raisins and bananas. Dark leafy greens and potatoes! Also, white beans and avocados. I drink protein powder during my workouts that has a balance of sodium and potassium. Works pretty well for me.

Have fun! Lifting is AWESOME!!!!

Cortelli

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4. Get a notebook and write down your routine/weights, so you can track your progress and are more motivated to lift heavier.

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4. This is a great idea! I love, love, love data (it's why I'm an MFP and fitbit addict) and having more data is always better.

Or look into an app to run your workouts realtime, and to track them digitally for you. Folks on MFP turned me on to Jefit, a great little workout app, and I absolutely love it. Set-up your routine on a computer and run with it on your phone. Good stuff!