strength training - please help

cemummy

Hi all, i'm quite new to this, before i had kids i was always a "normal" weight and had a flat stomach. didn't exercise or watch what i ate but i played tennis, squash and had a very active lifestyle. since kids all that has changed, my youngest is now 2 1/2 and ive just reached my pre baby weight (maybe lose another 1-2kg) but i don't look right... i need to tone and add muscle. after a lot of reading it seems strength training is what i need to be doing? could someone please help me, i have very limited money and time and im not able to go to the gym. where do i start? what exercises should i be doing and how often and what equipment do i need? how should i be eating? can i add muscle and tone on a calorie deficit or should i be switching to maintenance?
thanks heaps

mmk137

invest in some bands. You can buy them on ebay. I bought mine from there, I got about 8 bands for $50.

there are loads of exercises you can do with the bands as well, i'm bout to go drop my kids off at kinda, so I can't give you links right now.

you can still have a calorie deficit when adding muscle, but you may find that the weight loss will not be as great.

rileysowner

You could look into Body weight training for a starting place. There is a group here and there is a thread there about various bodyweight resources. There is also a link to a free program in another thread called launchpad. It is a place to start that can be as inexpensive as just using your own body, then add bands, chin-up bar, sand bags and the like. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/166-body-weight-training

emcohen

Hopefully this link will help: http://www.livestrong.com/article/47275-top-strength-training-videos-women/

You'd be surprised what you could accomplish with 30 minutes a couple times per week and light weights.

cemummy

thanks all thats a great start

fiberartist219

I hear that ChaLean Extreme is a good set of DVDs for strength training, but they can be expensive.

I also recommend going to your local library. New Rules of Lifting for Women is good, and so is The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises.