"Toning" aka fear of lifting heavy

Elzecat

Ok so i have a few quesitons:

1. Would using the machines at the gym be still effective or do i have to use free weights? I ask because the free wt section at the gym is always full of men and i feel intimiated going in there.

YES. Machines are great though you may need to do a lot more machines to target the whole muscle group instead of working with free weights. Machines have the advantage of being easy to use while free weights can be ineffective or damage your body if used improperly with poor form. The key is to lift as heavy as you can. This means that after doing about 8 reps, if you cannot do another, you're doing the right weight. I like to do a set of 8-10 pushing myself as hard as I can, take a short breather, then do another, then another. I usually only do 3 sets at a time then move on to the next machine.

2. I need to lose about 50lbs and am eating at a calorie deficit . Would this still yeild the results i am looking for??

Lifting will help you maintain your lean mass and add strength gains. I've noticed I'm much less "giggly" than I was before I was lifting. Gaining muscle is very difficult so maintaining it is the best bet.

3. Or should i wait till i am closer to my goal weight to start lifting heavy?

Start now. Do not wait. HOP TO IT LADY LOU!

THIS! ))))

Cal28

I see a lot of people have said that it preferable to lift heavy as opposed to light for lots of reps.
I just wondered what the take on BodyPump was? I notice people mentioned it was good for form but is it any good as far as 'weightlifting' goes? x

SWilland

What excellent timing! I was just considering adding weights into my routine.

SabrinaJL

I've read NROLFW and to be honest, I found it a bit hard to follow. I'm not looking to start anything new just yet as I'm hopefully (pending xray results) working towards a half marathon in a month. When that's done, I'd like to start Body for Life. Opinions on that?

I definitely want to do some serious lifting as I've finally lost enough flab for muscles to start showing (<----see profile pic. Yay for less flab!) and I dig it.

MrDude_1

Would using the machines at the gym be still effective or do i have to use free weights? I ask because the free wt section at the gym is always full of men and i feel intimiated going in there.

YES. Machines are great though you may need to do a lot more machines to target the whole muscle group instead of working with free weights. Machines have the advantage of being easy to use while free weights can be ineffective or damage your body if used improperly with poor form. The key is to lift as heavy as you can. This means that after doing about 8 reps, if you cannot do another, you're doing the right weight. I like to do a set of 8-10 pushing myself as hard as I can, take a short breather, then do another, then another. I usually only do 3 sets at a time then move on to the next machine.

[/quote]

I have to disagree slightly with this.
While machines are better then nothing, they dont work muscles in the same way they're used in the real world.
When you're standing there holding a weight, you're not just using your arms. Your using your back and abs to stabilize yourself. You're using your legs. You're using the little muscles on the sides of your arms, shoulders and back to keep it from swaying.. etc.
You get a much fuller workout that also translates into being able to doing more outside the gym.

Overall the idea of damaging yourself with poor form is greatly exaggerated. Watch vids and learn online.. then go in and DO IT.. with light weights, and you WILL learn good form easily. Its not hard, its just not intuitive knowledge.

bushidowoman

High five!
I am a mama of six who doesn't have the time or money for a gym membership, and I have still benefitted greatly from following the advice to "lift heavy". I have seen impressive results with nothing more than an inexpensive set of dumbbells, a routine of exercises to work various muscles (which I change up every few weeks), and about 30 minutes 3x a week. I do it in my bedroom before getting into the shower in the mornings.
Since I started lifting, I have gone from a size 12 to a size 8. :-) My friends all want to know what I am doing, but they aren't interested when I say "lifting weights!" lol I wish more women knew that it doesn't have to be complicated or intimidating!

Loveebbs

Completely agree and love lifting heavy weights. :flowerforyou:

TluvK

I've read NROLFW and to be honest, I found it a bit hard to follow. I'm not looking to start anything new just yet as I'm hopefully (pending xray results) working towards a half marathon in a month. When that's done, I'd like to start Body for Life. Opinions on that?

I definitely want to do some serious lifting as I've finally lost enough flab for muscles to start showing (<----see profile pic. Yay for less flab!) and I dig it.

NROLFW may seem a little hard to follow at first, but once you jump into it, it all becomes pretty clear. I HIGHLY recommend it. It changed my body - now, I'm sure other weight lifting programs could have the same effect, but that particular one worked for me. I haven't heard of Body for Life.

tuffytuffy1

I lift heavy with my trainer, and I LOVE IT. My body shape has changed dramatically to be much more feminine and curvy. I have a defined waist now, and my legs look great. Now if only the 20 pounds of fat I want to lose would come off my muscles, I'd be super hot :-)

jdavis193

Can someone get a short description of the book NROLFW. Are there routines or what in it?

TluvK

Can someone get a short description of the book NROLFW. Are there routines or what in it?

There are 7 Stages. Within each stage there are two workouts (A & , that you alternate during the stage. You can either lift 2 or 3 days per week, depending on your schedule, but obviously doing it 3 times per week will have you completing the program faster. You do each workout (A & four times.

Each workout is designed to be a full body workout. Here is an example of Stage 1 Workout A and B:
I don't have the book in front of me, but I believe the reps and sets are 10 and 3, respectively, although this changes throughout the stage.

1A:
Squat
Push-up
Seated Row
Step-up
Prone Jackknife

1B:
Deadlift
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Wide Grip Lat pulldown
Lunge
Swiss-ball Crunch

jayb0ne

+1 for this thread!

All I can add is for you ladies not to be afraid of coming over to the boys side of the gym. It might look intimidating but the big guys in the freeweights section are usually a pretty friendly bunch when it comes to training. If you go over and stand in the squat rack curling 5lb dumbells for 10 sets of 50 reps, you'll probably get some funny looks. If you go over and get in the squat rack and start squatting - even if it's just with the unloaded bar to work on your form - nobody will have anything but respect for you. Most guys will be happy to give you a spot or even take a look at your form for you if you ask - just don't ask while the guy's midway through a set of bench press!

Jay

samntha14

I finally left my little corner of the gym where I tended to hide when working and stepped into the free weight zone. I usually just run in grab a set of 10's and run out. The guys get used to you being around, and I was able to work for real and finally start adding real weight (real for me, for now). Finally getting some plates on the bar LOL. I LOVE LIFTING! My husband even said to me, "hey I think your butt is smaller". Two months of cardio didn't do it, weights did it in less than 1.

osorio1

+1 for this thread!

All I can add is for you ladies not to be afraid of coming over to the boys side of the gym. It might look intimidating but the big guys in the freeweights section are usually a pretty friendly bunch when it comes to training. If you go over and stand in the squat rack curling 5lb dumbells for 10 sets of 50 reps, you'll probably get some funny looks. If you go over and get in the squat rack and start squatting - even if it's just with the unloaded bar to work on your form - nobody will have anything but respect for you. Most guys will be happy to give you a spot or even take a look at your form for you if you ask - just don't ask while the guy's midway through a set of bench press!

Jay

Jay wish u were at my gym. .

Rae6503

I see a lot of people have said that it preferable to lift heavy as opposed to light for lots of reps.
I just wondered what the take on BodyPump was? I notice people mentioned it was good for form but is it any good as far as 'weightlifting' goes? x

I've read that this kind of lifting is good for endurance if you already have a nice strength level in place. It's not as effective at retaining muscle and strength while losing weight, which is of course one of the biggest reasons to lift while dieting.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/traini ... art-1.html

missfluffyuk

I'm not afraid to "bulk up", since I know it won't happen. I'm more afraid of hurting myself if I lift heavy.

JNick77

I'm not afraid to "bulk up", since I know it won't happen. I'm more afraid of hurting myself if I lift heavy.

Just learn good form and you'll be fine. I've pulled muscles doing lighter weight with higher reps, a friend of mine tore his bicep doing sets of 12. If a muscle or tendon is going to go, it's gonna go.

_persephone_

+1 for this thread!

All I can add is for you ladies not to be afraid of coming over to the boys side of the gym. It might look intimidating but the big guys in the freeweights section are usually a pretty friendly bunch when it comes to training. If you go over and stand in the squat rack curling 5lb dumbells for 10 sets of 50 reps, you'll probably get some funny looks. If you go over and get in the squat rack and start squatting - even if it's just with the unloaded bar to work on your form - nobody will have anything but respect for you. Most guys will be happy to give you a spot or even take a look at your form for you if you ask - just don't ask while the guy's midway through a set of bench press!

Jay

This really is true! I was slightly intimidated to begin with, but the 'scary' guys in my gym have been nothing but nice and helpful to me. I suspect they may be glad that the free weights area is less of a sausage fest for once lol.

Jessicapages1

Bump

Deanna051

bump