a question about weight training

willywonka

Hi there,
I have to admit, I've been pretty new at the diet and exercise thing until about 4 months ago when I decided to change my lifestyle. For the first time ever, I really enjoy exercising. :happy:
So, really up until now I have been doing solid cardio workouts of 45-60 minutes 5 days a week and a little bit of hand weight exercises. That has been the extent of my weight training and everyone tells me that I should be doing more.
I guess my mindset was to get the weight off first with cardio and then add the weight training to tone.
My question is what is a good routine for me to start out with and what do you guys do in the way of weight training, free weights or machines?
Also, what differences have you seen since you have been doing the weight training or did you do both cardio and weights together from the start?
Thanks for your help!!

willywonka

Hi there,
I have to admit, I've been pretty new at the diet and exercise thing until about 4 months ago when I decided to change my lifestyle. For the first time ever, I really enjoy exercising. :happy:
So, really up until now I have been doing solid cardio workouts of 45-60 minutes 5 days a week and a little bit of hand weight exercises. That has been the extent of my weight training and everyone tells me that I should be doing more.
I guess my mindset was to get the weight off first with cardio and then add the weight training to tone.
My question is what is a good routine for me to start out with and what do you guys do in the way of weight training, free weights or machines?
Also, what differences have you seen since you have been doing the weight training or did you do both cardio and weights together from the start?
Thanks for your help!!

nopogal

Some people prefer to do arms one day, then legs another. I do my weight training on MWF, so I do both lower and upper body. Basically, you want to work all your muscle groups. I've heard to start with the large muscle groups, then work down to the smaller one (i.e. do quads before calves). That works, just make sure you're challenging yourself, but not hurting yourself. I would get on the internet and look up some basics to start off. If you can afford it, you might consult a personal trainer and see if he or she can put together a basic program for you to follow for the first 6-8 weeks. I get a new one to work on my own from my trainer about that often and it helps to keep the workout challenging and target my weak areas. Have fun! I love weight training.

cherapple

Tom Venuto (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) likes to say, "If you want to lose it, lift it."

This is the only time that I have ever stuck with exercise for more than a few months. It has been over two years, and I can't see myself ever quitting. One difference? I added weight training. You can lose all the fat you want, but if your muscles are still flabby, you will still feel fat, and you may still look fat. I have weighed my current weight many times in my life, but I've always worn a larger size before. Weight lifting will get you into smaller clothes. It changes the shape of your body and makes you feel healthy, lean, and strong. And you don't have to do it every day.

One of the biggest revelations for me was when I learned that many body builders only work their abs once a week. So I alternate my workouts. I strength train three days a week and do cardio three days. I also do splits -- one day is a full body weight workout, one day is just upper body, and one day is just lower. I work my abs all three days. Your body needs the rest days in between to recover. That's when it builds the muscle.

I can't imagine ever going back to a weak, flabby body. To me, weight training is just as important as cardio. My favorite weight training videos can be found here: www.cathe.com.

Cheryl

songbyrdsweet

Weight training isn't going to stall your fat loss efforts, so there's no reason to just do cardio. Resistance training burns a few extra calories, improves flexibility when performed through a full range of motion, increases the quality of muscle contraction for firmer muscles, increases bone density, and when you're in a caloric excess, it promotes an increase in muscle mass. It also uses up glycogen so less glucose is used toward fat storage. It's pretty much awesome. :bigsmile:

I have always lifted, since I was a freshmen in college. I can't really compare this to a time when I was trying to lose fat without resistance training. Honestly, it doesn't make a HUGE difference towards fat loss or muscle retention while in a caloric deficit, but the other benefits hold true. Plus it's a good habit to get into for when you can really make changes while you're maintaining.

Your split is up to you, but here are some 'rules':

Work larger muscle groups (chest, back) before smaller ones (arms).
Avoid performing intense cardio before lower-body resistance training (to prevent injury).
Avoid static stretching before resistance training--this is the kind where you hold a stretch still. Use dynamic instead--it uses large, fluid, sport-specific movements to warm up and stretch the muscles.
Don't work the same muscle group two days in a row.
When you're starting out, take a day of rest between each resistance day.
Your abs are muscles just like the rest of your body. If you're not going to do 4 sets of 25 curls, why in the world are you going to do that to your abdominal muscles? They need proper training and rest as well.

As a beginner, aim for 2-3 days per week. You can do full-body days or split it up into chest&back/arms/legs. Or whatever you like. Remember that it's about quality, not quantity. There is no reason to do sets of 20 on anything--it doesn't 'tone' any more than sets of 6. You don't need to be there longer than 45 minutes for abs and whatever body parts you're working. 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps for two exercises per body part is sufficient for a beginner.

Other than that, see if you can get a PT to show you all the different machines and recommend an order in which to perform the exercises.

shorerider

Weight training isn't going to stall your fat loss efforts, so there's no reason to just do cardio. Resistance training burns a few extra calories, improves flexibility when performed through a full range of motion, increases the quality of muscle contraction for firmer muscles, increases bone density, and when you're in a caloric excess, it promotes an increase in muscle mass. It also uses up glycogen so less glucose is used toward fat storage. It's pretty much awesome. :bigsmile:

Yet, for me, once again, weight training has proven to be a detriment. I've tried now 3x over the last several months to do weights but each time, my body responds with a weight gain. I started lifting again last week and within 4 days, I put on 6 pounds. Do you know how frustrating that is after a 6 week plateau to finally lose 1 freaking pound and now gain back that PLUS 5 more????? :explode:

Last time this happened, it took me 3 weeks to lose the weight gained by lifting. NOW, I know it's all related to glycogen, etc. and that eventually it might work itself all out but I can't help shaking the belief that for some, weights just don't work and might hinder weight loss.

And, being diabetic I think is the clue for me. I've read of other diabetics having the same problems with weight training, so I know that somehow it's all tied together but don't know enough about all that med stuff to be able to get some answers. And, I have pretty much decide to leave off the weight training and do cardio alone until I lose more weight. Much of the cardio I do has some resistance in it anyway--my calves and thighs are looking great from cycling. I started doing rowing now, which works muscle groups, and I discovered another machine yesterday that also works the gluts, etc. but is more fun that just a stairmaster.

Anyway, for me, it seems that weights just aren't working right now

I REALLY wish someone who is studying physiology and other body science type stuff could do a study or find out why diabetics seem to have such an issue with weight training--higher BG levels afterwards, weight gain, etc.

Yep, I wish SOMEONE who studies that kind of stuff might find time one day do that--too bad we don't know someone who studies that kind of stuff

songbyrdsweet

Shore, that is a great idea!!!

Actually, exercise physiology is poorly understood because there are SO few studies.
I'm about to post some crazy information that was revealed in a recent study that pretty much turned what we know on its head.

As far as weight loss....yes, lifting can hinder WEIGHT loss. But not FAT loss, which is more important. I'll address that as well.

arewethereyet

there ya go SBS your disertation topic for your doctorate degree!!

shorerider

Regarding weight training and weight loss--for now, even though it might contribute to "fat loss" but not "weight loss," I still think I'm ditching weights until I lose maybe 20-30 more pounds then see. I want to get some poundage off right now--it will really help with my cycling next year if I weigh less (particularly when I travel across the Bay and take on some hills!), and I think losing some more pounds will help with the diabetes control as well. Like I said, my exercise is keeping certain areas of my body toned, so I'm content with that for now.

I still would love to see someone do some serious studies into diabetes, weight training, etc. Particularly with Type 2. Seems everyone wants to talk about Type 1 then Type 2 for some reason, and it has been more than frustrating to try to find info on some of this stuff that is applicable to me as a Type 2. I've been basically experimenting on my own to find out what works and doesn't.