Ladies lifting weights!

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  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
    Weight training aims to build muscle by prompting two different types of hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy. During myofibrillar hypertrophy, actin and myosin contractile proteins increase in number and add to muscular strength as well as a small increase in the size of the muscle. During sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cell increases with little accompanying increase in muscular strength.

    Weight training exercises are broken up into groupings of the number of times the movement is performed; these are called sets and repetitions (reps), respectively. The reason for this is to tailor the weight training towards a specific goal, such as strength, power, size, or endurance. Generally, the rep range breakdown is as follows:

    1 to 5 reps = Strength & Power (Myofibrillar Hypertrophy)
    6 to 12 reps = Size (Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy)
    13 to 20 reps = Muscular Endurance

    To put this in more understandable terms; generally bodybuilders that are concerned with the size and appearance of their muscles will work in the 6-12 rep range while power lifters and Olympic lifters that are concerned with lifting heavier weights will work in the 1-5 rep range. It is also important to note that any rep range will build strength, power, and muscular endurance, but some rep ranges will develop more than others.

    So as it pertains to this topic, the women that do lower weight at higher reps actually contribute to the size (“bulkyness”) of their muscles more than the women that lift heavier weight for lower reps.
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    I've been lifting lighter weights with the Jillian Michaels DVDs, but if I had a gym membership, I would totally follow the program outlined in The New Rules of Lifting for Women book! It's a great read!
  • fitmom4ever
    fitmom4ever Posts: 130
    Just started lifting, and right now "heavy" to me is like anything in the 15 to 30 lb range. But I'm getting there. Glad to see so many strong women out there!
  • TiffanyW1014
    TiffanyW1014 Posts: 599 Member
    What is good to lift if I am just starting?? I don't want to look like a man but i would love more muscle!! Just not sure what to do exactly and I can't afford a trainer!
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    Love heavy lifting! For me it's the only way I enjoy lifting!
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    What is good to lift if I am just starting?? I don't want to look like a man but i would love more muscle!! Just not sure what to do exactly and I can't afford a trainer!

    You're not going to look like a man; you don't have the testosterone levels for it. Start small, preferably with a mirror or another person, to practice good form (suggest bodybuilding.com for illustration/demonstrations), then move to heavier weights as you can handle them.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
    What is good to lift if I am just starting?? I don't want to look like a man but i would love more muscle!! Just not sure what to do exactly and I can't afford a trainer!


    Look here:
    http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

    You won’t look like a man, you can’t, your hormones won’t allow it. The women that look like men, go out of their way to look like that.
  • swaggadactyl
    swaggadactyl Posts: 18 Member
    I was going to link Starting Strength for those of you asking for a beginning program :). I did it and was able to establish good form and move on to an intermediate program. So thank you Grglandr for the link.

    I suggest taking your time to make sure you are feeling the lifts in the right places and not over- or under-doing the weight.

    Yay heavy stuff!! Time to work on my bench :( my upper body is blah!
  • millerll
    millerll Posts: 873 Member
    Hey, swagga - a 210 DL is damn respectable! Good job! I was a competitive PL in college, and I'm thinking about getting back into it. I competed in a DL contest this weekend and it was a blast! Made me realize how much I miss the sport. Keeep it up!
  • frenchfri87
    frenchfri87 Posts: 196 Member
    heavy lifting <3
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
    Me me me me!! I lift 5x a week & just came off a creatine cycle. Going to more of a cutting phase now to see more of my results :heart:
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    What is good to lift if I am just starting?? I don't want to look like a man but i would love more muscle!! Just not sure what to do exactly and I can't afford a trainer!
    Read the book I recommended above. :wink:
    You won’t look like a man, you can’t, your hormones won’t allow it. The women that look like men, go out of their way to look like that.
    Exactly.
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