Can I just lift weights??????????

emmab0902

to be fair if you are focusing on the scales your health professionals will too. maybe you need to tell them you have lost inches. it's easy to buy into a scale focus if that is what you have been fixated on.

maybe at your next appt tell them about the inches you have lost and move to a different point of reference

jedi9393

My workout was just a sample. If I wrote it all out then i would be here all day. I do 8-10 machines about 12 reps twice. then the dumbells which includes lunges too, then I do the presses. bench leg etc. then my floor routine which workes out my legs, arms, core, back too. I do have a routine, but I have to change it up every 2 weeks or so. Maybe not for some of you, but for me its taxing. I'm sore all over. I do heavy weights. At least heavy for me. I dont know many fat chicks that leg press 140. I'm strong and flexible. I try to push myself everyday.

Now I lift about 4-5 days a week and I walk 5-6 days a week. I know i need more rest days for sure. But I have only one real rest day where I dont do walking or lifting. And yes, the dreaded scale hasnt moved.

Unfortunately I cannot change my surgeon or his team. So thankfully I only see him once every other month now. But I do have to see his PA on 11/08 and if I dont lose and I know they will say something I will go off. Such is the life of a lapbander!

Jeff92se

yep. you can just lift weights and end up with a great body.


like the poster above said, throw in some supersets and make your weight routine become a cardio workout.

I do this. I like lifting but I also reconize the fact that I should keep a sweat going too.

So one main lift + another lift of a small muscle (bi's tri's etc..) then a hitt style plyometric. = one set.

Make up 3 sets fo these. Or 4

ArroganceInStep

If I might make some suggestions then:
1) Instead of 2 sets of 12 reps, go for more sets and fewer reps (this of course means increasing weight so that the fewer reps is a challenge). I personally like 5 sets of 5 repetitions, but there are other setups as well. I'd say target a maximum of 6 to 8 reps but do at least 4.

2) From what you've said I would guess you're targeting your full body each time you lift. If you're doing that and still lifting 4-5 days a week that's a concern. You need to give your muscles time to recover. If you're going to target your full body when you lift, don't life more than 3 times a week. If you want to lift more than 3 times a week, then lift differing muscle groups when you do.

3) Although I recognize that there's a lot it's hard to give advice without knowing what exercises you do when you're lifting. That being said, my personal preference for lifting is stronglifts 5x5. You might want to give that a shot. You shouldn't 'change things up' every 2 weeks. If I recall correctly it's every 6 to 8 weeks that you want to make a small change to your routine to discourage plateaus (don't quote me on this, I just know it's quite a bit more than 2 weeks).

Corruptkitten

Well to burn fat you have to add cardio in. You want to burn dat right?

That's not true. I lost 50lbs doing mainly weight training yoga, and pilates and sometimes walking.

ProTFitness

I'm currently doing Elite Level Ice Hockey training and believe it or not, there is a ZERO cardio component to the program. Why? Because steady pace activity doesn't have any direct correlation to performing better on the ice.

In other words: How you train all depends on your goals and your results!

You don't need to run 4x a week to lose weight and you don't need to sweat on the treadmill for hours on end to burn fat. The key is to educate yourself on a healthy lifestyle overall. How to eat properly, food Quality and not just quantity, and incorporate regular activity as part of that lifestyle.

That's what will bring you long lasting results for a lifetime.

Do what works for you and what you enjoy doing, and mix it up regularly so you keep challenging yourself to do new things.

Agree!!!

bprague

I second the poster about doing HIIT. It should take no more than 20 minutes and has all the benefits of cardio, but also boosts your metabolism like weight lifting does.

Run hard, jog, run hard, jog. That's all. Break it up into 1 minute increments and volia! Healthy heart, and muscles are retained.

Minicakes4814

Yes I have done it before.

I worked out with weights 1/2 hr to an hour every other day using video tapes .I worked out my whole body and learned proper form . You have to be consistent no matter what and stick to your program. I really didn't change my diet that much. But it took a long time. It took eight months to show results . After a while the wight started to drop fast after 5 months. I only lost 30 lbs on the scale. But i dropped 4 shirt sizes and 3 pants size. Muscles take up less space than fat . I was tight. My stomach was smaller. And I never felt sexier. I love to eat so I do weight training as my first love of exercise. So If your not in a rush it will come off but slowly. The key is consistency.

RealPetChicken

this is a great topic, thanks for everyone who put their input, lately my knee has been kind of sore everytime i bend it, i've been doing cardio everyday, running at least 2 miles a day. My knee has put a stop to my current cardio, i guess i will start on weights. Can anyone recommend some good weight lifting exercises? i have no knowledge at all on weigh lifting.

trojan_bb

Ok I hate aerobics too. I dont like the group stuff. I prefer to go alone or just me and a personal trainer. Ive had co-workers begging me to do zumba. I tried it once and not for me. Not a people person.

I am glad to hear I can just strength train, but my other problem is my nutritionist totally poo poo's women doing too much weight lifting! She says its great in moderation, but wont move the scale. I fear the scale. Seriously, it's driving me nuts.

My doctors are all about how many pounds I've lost and last time I was brow beaten cause they said I wasnt losing weight so I must be doing something wrong. Which made me angry. I've been working out like a mad woman and eating right, but nothing. So I've been told to cut the weight lifting in half.

your doctor/nutritionist is a moron. Getting through med school does not make one an expert in weight loss or fitness.

The best way to move the scale has always been through diet and weightlifting.

Initially, you will get some water retention in the muscles. this is GOOD. it means increased strength and muscle definition. This new weight is your new normal. Track weight loss from this new, full point.

MeanderingMammal

Right now I've gotten off the eliptical machine and just do walking.

It's no surprise that you're bored on that, probably the most tedious way to get a mediocre CV session around.

Anyway, if you don't want to do CV work, don't do CV work. Your choice about whether you're content to do without the benefits to your VO2Max and lactate threshold, but I suspect if you've been doing mediocre work on an elliptical you've been doing nothing more than burning calories anyway.

SweatLikeDog

Weight loss has little to do with the type of exercise you perform (weight loss, and fat loss is more about nutrition). Cardio is, however, a necessary part of a healthy body. If you are bored with LSC (Long Slow Cardio), look up HIIT training or Tabata protocol, not exactly the same as a straight cardio workout, but it's close enough that you will benefit.

FitForL1fe

Hell yeah you can lose weight without cardio :happy:

Although you will likely see weight training programs recommend some form of conditioning...Jim Wendler (author of 5/3/1, an awesome training program) suggests walking for distance (not time) with a weight vest.

I also see hill sprints recommended often.

SweatLikeDog

Along those lines, muscle burns calories. Train for strength, and you'll add lean muscle so you'll burn more fat around the clock because you will automatically increase your metabolism. But if you eat too much, you'll have nice muscle buried under a mound of loose, sloppy fat.

incognitocity

i workout (usually just lift weights) everyday, barring some unseen situation...natural disasters, super duper hung over etc...and have lost a TON of weight doing just weights, but i do cardio on my "easy" days, like sunday mornings i take a spin class...so i basically do it once a week...works up a good sweat and gets the heart pumping, and i think makes it easier for me to have better workouts during the rest of my week if that makes sense!

you dont have to do it, but its apart of a well rounded routine it seems

jeremywm1977

O.K. I hate cardio. I get bored easily and I try to do different stuff, but I still get bored. I also like to work hard or I dont feel like I'm getting a good cardio work out. However, I love to weight train. I fell in love with weights when I took weight lifting in high school. I was the only chick in the class but I learned a lot. I love the way I feel after I lift.

So is there anyway I can just lift weights and not do cardio and still lose weight? Has anyone done this??? I'm stalling and been told to get off the weights for a week or so cause my muscles are retaining water. Which is depressing. Thanks!

sure
but there is more benefits to cardio then weight loss. a better working heart for one

Not entirely true.......your cardiovascular system supports your muscular system, supplying oxygen to your muscles in need, so your heart is still at work when lifting weights.
Strength training has the added benefit of building muscles, muscle that is essential to burning fat.......even while at rest.

silentKayak

If you don't want to do cardio, then don't. You can lose weight through diet alone by eating less. Or pick a different kind of cardio exercise, like golfing, biking outside, scuba diving, skiing, flyfishing, rollerblading, or whatever else seems like it might be fun, Or do what the rest of us do, and deal with boredom on the treadmill with music, TV, or a friend. Or don't do cardio, don't eat less, and stay at your present weight. Your choice.

threnjen

oooh I almost got sucked into the 3-year-old thread!

mullaneywt

Make the weights your cardio. Do supersets back to back with no rest between the exercises.

You don't need cardio to lose weight, but it is good for you.

Do this. Do more reps with less weights with 10 second rest in between reps and 30 second rest in between sets.

From my HRM, it's pretty easy for me to cycle at 145-165+ BPM for hours on end. That's real road cycling with some incline and whatnot, so some strength building there, but largely cardio. No matter how fast I can go between various exercises (super-setting), I can't get ANYWHERE near that, not if I'm doing the reps correctly as opposed to seeing how fast I can jerk the weight around for no benefit. Even a treadmill at a decent incline can keep your HR up quite high.

That's not to say you should do all or no cardio, or all or no lifting, but in my experience, you can't get anywhere near the same HR on strength exercises. Everyone is free to debate the merits of burning more calories in the short term with a fairly high HR compared to the longterm benefits of building muscle. I picked the "do some of both" method and it seems to be working.

Additionally, I enjoy cycling. You get to see a lot of stuff. Walking doesn't cover much ground, and I'm not a runner (at least not yet). Not everyone feels the same, obviously. Finding something YOU like is important and soon you don't realize how long you've been at it. Heck, I even grabbed my tablet and do an episode or two of South Park during cardio in the gym if I can't get out on the bike due to weather, etc.

mullaneywt

I'm currently doing Elite Level Ice Hockey training and believe it or not, there is a ZERO cardio component to the program. Why? Because steady pace activity doesn't have any direct correlation to performing better on the ice.

In other words: How you train all depends on your goals and your results!

You don't need to run 4x a week to lose weight and you don't need to sweat on the treadmill for hours on end to burn fat. The key is to educate yourself on a healthy lifestyle overall. How to eat properly, food Quality and not just quantity, and incorporate regular activity as part of that lifestyle.

That's what will bring you long lasting results for a lifetime.

Do what works for you and what you enjoy doing, and mix it up regularly so you keep challenging yourself to do new things.

In fairness, you're probably doing quite a lot of skating and actually practicing at hockey and what not, which is essentially a cardio work out inside a sport. But otherwise, yes, agree on all points.

Cc215

Initially, you will get some water retention in the muscles. this is GOOD. it means increased strength and muscle definition. This new weight is your new normal. Track weight loss from this new, full point.

This was exactly what I needed to read this morning - I gained 6lbs when I started lifting - I assumed that the water would drop again quickly. It hasn't. And I was starting to get down about the number on the scale. I have lost most of that 6lbs again now - but it's taken longer than I would have liked - and I wanted to see lower weight than I was at prior to lifting.

This comment made me realise that I am doing ok - and I'm not going on the brutal attack on my calorie intake that I have been contemplating this morning!