Should I add in weight lifting to my gym routine.

LisaWixom

I am 27yrs old 5'7 232 lbs female. I am on a 1300 calorie diet as instructed by MFP and I am eating my exercise calories. I am definately losing weight and loving it. I hit the gym for about an hour a day.I typically ride the bike for 9miles. I have had knee surgery and have Fibromyalgia so it is difficult for me to do much else although I realized via the heart rate monitor that I burn the most calories on the bike anyways. The big question is, Should I add in some weights to my gym routine? I dont want to "bulk" up per say but when all is said and done I want to look fit. Or should I just keep focusing on weight loss. I know its ok to do both though If so how many days a week would you recommend adding in weights?

Ariana_75

Absolutely YES you should lift weights! Muscle helps you burn calories throughout the day . When you do too much cardio, you actually lose muscle in the process. It's hard for women to 'bulk up' because we don't have the same levels of testosterone that men do. I lift 5 days a week (two body parts per day) and I vary between light weights / high reps and heavy weights / low reps. My lifting sessions are about 45 minutes long. Then I do about 20 to 30 minutes of HIIT after the weights or will sometimes incorporate mountain climbers / burpees between sets. It is the only way that I have seen myself and others being able to transform their bodies. I lost 40 lbs in a period of two years after my second baby and I must say that weight lifting was a great contributor to that

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I didn't read your post just title and the answer is yes, yes, and yes again. buy new rules of lifting for women, use it, love it, learn it, and work the crap out of it!

Jane2285

Yes! It will help to tone and get your metabolism going. It's good for you and will aid in your weight loss!

BrandyontheRun

I just recently started strength training and it has already blasted me off my plateau that I'd been stuck at for the last (almost) 3 weeks!

ryno0618

YES! You should definitely add in weights. And the book New Rules of Lifting for Women (its like $12 on amazon) is a great book!! You could lift full body 3 days a week, or lift different areas on different days - like Monday shoulders and arms, Tuesday, chest and back, Wednesday legs, etc. Strength training is a huge help to strengthening up and being overall fit. And you absolutely do not need to worry about bulking up. impossible.

HeidiMightyRawr

Yes you should, it's beneficial at any stage in weight loss and in fact if you just stick to cardio you'll no doubt end up losing lots of muscle too You won't bulk up, we women don't have enough testosterone for that, and the few women that do, eat at a surplus and train specifically for bulk

I lift 5x a week split routine but I'd say for a beginner 3x a week full body would be more suitable. Look into "The new rules of lifting for women" I've heard great things about it, and so many of my female MFPals have had super results from following it!

ahamm002

YES!

Your knee injury is unfortunate, but there are still many great exercises you can do with weights. Focus on compound exercises first, like bench press, row, shoulder press, pull down's, etc. I'm not sure about your legs because of the knee injury, but you should at least be able to do calf raises. You could attempt leg press very cautiously. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to get a personal trainer to help figure out a leg routine for you.

After you've gotten the movements and proper form down, make sure you lift heavy, keep track, and PROGRESS. Don't lift the same 5 pound pink weights every time. Aim for several sets of 6-8 reps, and make sure you keep increasing either the amount of weight that you're lifting or the number of reps.

And no, there is absolutely no risk of you "bulking up," unless you lift very seriously for years and do bulk/cut cycles.

LisaWixom

Thanks guys! I am going to add weights in today and I am going to try to get that book onto my kindle )