weight loss and toning at the same time

jadedone

I wish I had taken starting measurements of myself. I do heavy lifting with a trainer 3 times a week (just benched 105 the other day, woot!). He also has me combine it with HIIT for a few minutes (half mile or so) to warm up, then an uphill walk to cool down. I have only lost 9 pounds in 9 months. I am getting really discouraged with the lack of weight loss, because unlike Staci in that article (who looks incredible!), I still have a lot of body fat to lose at 169 pounds and only 5 feet 4.5 inches.

For those of you who lift heavy, how much weight have you lost and in how long?

Measure now!

toffee322

i do hot yoga and power yoga.. it really helped me tone my arms and my legs, and build muscles.. my problem is my tummy too.. but unfortunately it didn't help with that.. maybe it's just me..

jamiesadler

Yes, lift heavy weights!

this.

by doing cardio and dieting alone you risk losing some of the lean muscle you already have. Lifting heavy weights and getting adequate protein will help ensure that you retain most of your lean muscle as you lose the fat. This means that at your goal weight you will have a lower BF% and be more fit and stronger then if you did cardio and diet only.

Doing both helps you avoid being the dreaded skinny fat (thin with a high body fat %)

Plus as your body builds more lean muscle it will metabolize more fat

ashtonvv

bump

SergeantSunshine_reused

YES!!!!!! Lift heavy things. Get adequate protein and fat. WIN!

ojell

I am currently 160lbs and 5'6". I am looking to loose around 30 pounds as I carry most of my weight in my tummy and hips. Should I be doing something other than my cardio and calorie counting to help me fix these problem areas?

Everyone suggesting to lift heavy..100% agree! I started lifting heavy a long time ago and actually shrank! I lost inches first and then some weight came off. So as mentioned already (and will be mentioned many times) LIFT HEAVY! People will ask for advice and not use it but trust those who have tried it! Alot of the same comments are repeated on here but people enjoy sharing their thoughts and things that have worked for them.

So what exactly do you guys mean by HEAVY lifting? How heavy are you talking about?

rockerbabyy

So what exactly do you guys mean by HEAVY lifting? How heavy are you talking about?

as heavy as you can lift for 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

SergeantSunshine_reused

I am currently 160lbs and 5'6". I am looking to loose around 30 pounds as I carry most of my weight in my tummy and hips. Should I be doing something other than my cardio and calorie counting to help me fix these problem areas?

Everyone suggesting to lift heavy..100% agree! I started lifting heavy a long time ago and actually shrank! I lost inches first and then some weight came off. So as mentioned already (and will be mentioned many times) LIFT HEAVY! People will ask for advice and not use it but trust those who have tried it! Alot of the same comments are repeated on here but people enjoy sharing their thoughts and things that have worked for them.

So what exactly do you guys mean by HEAVY lifting? How heavy are you talking about?

Heavy as you can for 6-8 reps. Should struggle a little by that last one. Heavy will be a different number for everyone

chooklady

I am no Staci yet but I love looking stronger from doing 100 push ups a day that don't go down very far ( and don't take long).My arms have shape, look strong. My stomach is flatter...and I know that if I go back to 120 I will get two lines on my stomach . I went from walking to running and my legs are getting a muscle line down the side. I didn't see it but my daughter pointed it out. I am not there yet but these small things helped. Without muscles we look like a smaller shapeless version, the flaws are still there.

Silvergamma

Ladies do not get bulky unless they are using steroids. Check out this video of Olympic level weight lifters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mRkfaG38t7Y

As for specific exercises:

Squat - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-squat-with-proper-technique-fix-common-problems/
Bench Press - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-bench-press-with-proper-technique-avoid-shoulder-injuries/
Overhead Press - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-overhead-press-with-correct-technique/
Barbell Row - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-master-barbell-row-technique/
Deadlift - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/

5 sets of 5, as heavy as you can without hurting yourself.

Silvergamma

What weight machines at the gym would you recommend?? I wanna get toned

Stay away from machines and go for free weights .

SergeantSunshine_reused

What weight machines at the gym would you recommend?? I wanna get toned

Stay away from machines and go for free weights .

Yes! Learn to love the free weight area

HiKaren

have you heard about staci??

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

on the left she's 131 lbs. on the right she's 142, 11lbs heavier.

Wow! Thank you, Thank you!!! Thanks for this!

Mountain_woman

BUMP

FitAtFifteen

People always say "lift heavier weights" well, can you tell someone what to do if they can't access a gym? /annoyed.

susanloveszumba

For those of you who lift heavy, how much weight have you lost and in how long?
[/quote]

i need to lose at least another 20 lbs. working out with a trainer three times a week and have only lost about 2 lbs in 7 wks but have lost several inches. i try not to get discouraged because i am much stronger, but some days it gets to me!

jenschnack

bump

rockerbabyy

People always say "lift heavier weights" well, can you tell someone what to do if they can't access a gym? /annoyed.

i bought a weight bench and barbell/dumbell set and put it in my garage.

nutandbutter

I squat also and my butt is ok. I am not liking it as much and it looks like it has fallen a bit What squats do you do? I do a variety but am just curious if I am missing something. The sad thing is I used to squat 95-100 on the Smith machine and can't do it anymore (maybe because I was 25 at the time ha!) My knees also are hurting more even though I make sure my knee is not over my foot.

The Smith Machine doesn't let your stabilizer muscles kick it to help balance, and it traps you in what may be an unnatural range of motion. Lou Schuler discusses this in New Rules of Lifting and New Rules of Lifting for Women. The machines just don't give you the same bang for your buck, and in some cases, can be just plain dangerous.

I started out with dumbbells held down at my sides, but quickly progressed to an olympic bar on my shoulders. I watched form over and over on youtube to get it right. The real trick is to go deep. I have been managing thighs parallel to the floor. Then I asked earlier on another thread "how deep is deep enough?" and the answer, for the best booty, is ATG (*kitten* to grass!). I plan to drop back the weight and go for a deeper squat. I don't know if I can do it, but 2 months ago, I didn't know I could do any of this!

I mostly use weights or an ezbar. There was a time when I always used the olypic bar and was squatiing off of a stepper but there is no room in the gym I go to now plus they got rid of alot of things I used I go pretty deep and watch my posture but my back still hurts. I will have to watch youtube to see if I am doing things properly. Thank you for the advice!! I want to get back to the tough b*tch I used to be haha

You need to watch this video! It completely transformed my squat and I tell everyone about it now. Maybe try some good mornings too to build up your back?

http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/platform_the_squat_bar_position

sarahbetherck

You won't get buff, just awesome ;-)

In my first three weeks of lifting three days and conditioning twice weekly I gained 10 lbs and almost cried until I realized how many inches I'd lost. Dropped a clothing size not long after that too and soon the weight fell off, what I'd gained initially and more.

yogibella

bumpity bump:)

ctalimenti

bump

Supajoi

All this is very interesting and I sure want to look like Staci some day. So my question is, how can I do intense weight training if I dont go to gym? And I only have hand weights that go up to 3kg. Any tips will do, please?

tigzi

This might be a silly question, but is it possible to to use stationary machines at the gym for this? like the abduction/adduction machines and then the chest press etc? or are those for a different purpose?

almonds1

Weights and fat loss = Lean!!!

almonds1

This might be a silly question, but is it possible to to use stationary machines at the gym for this? like the abduction/adduction machines and then the chest press etc? or are those for a different purpose?

they will work.... I myself dont use machines very much!! You get the best workouts for free weights but yes machines will work for you!!!

star87cc

Ladies do not get bulky unless they are using steroids. Check out this video of Olympic level weight lifters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mRkfaG38t7Y

As for specific exercises:

Squat - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-squat-with-proper-technique-fix-common-problems/
Bench Press - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-bench-press-with-proper-technique-avoid-shoulder-injuries/
Overhead Press - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-overhead-press-with-correct-technique/
Barbell Row - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-master-barbell-row-technique/
Deadlift - http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/

5 sets of 5, as heavy as you can without hurting yourself.

Thankyou for this! I have been lurking around the forum trying to find info on what 'lifting heavy' is as such, as I do want to be toned, I havent bought the NROLFW yet (was waiting for payday) but I do several classes a week of Body Combat, Body Pump and an All Over Body Workout... and I hear alot about not doing strictly cardio and wondered how these classes fell, but my Body Pump class especially does do these 5 lifts using bars and free weights which is good to know maybe I should look to upping the number of Body Pump classes I do the free weights in the gym are always packed with large men eyeing them selves up in the mirror tehehe so I just tend to jump on an elliptical. But yeah how about the static weight machines etc??

Alejandro96

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html This looks good its meant for fat loss but still building muscle you wont get bulky and its free it also looks like a great program !

joybedford

I am waiting for my copy of new rules of lifting for women to arrive and can,t wait. i have lifted light weights in the past but have tended to focus mainly on cardio i am a runner training for a marathon. However my husband has recently bought a weight cage with various attachements and i have been using that. Still light weights at the moment 40lbs or so. I am quite weak but would love to be able to lift heavy weights. I still want to run (a bit addicted to be honest) so will hopefully combine the 2. Really looking forward to having a toned body. I have had 3 children one was over 4 kilos and twins of 3.2kg each is it possible for my abs to ever be toned.

jarrettd

Joy, you will love lifting heavy! The compromise with running and lifting is a little tricky, but some ladies on here are managing it. Lou Schuler discusses this in Chapter 12 of NROLW. He says "there's just no point in trying to make your body smaller and more efficient at the the same time you're trying to make it stronger and rev up your metabolism."

He speaks to this in NROL (for men) as well: "When you combine serious strength training with serious endurance exercise, your body will probably choose endurance over muscle and strength."

I'm not about to discourage anyone from lifting! But you may want to research this a little further before you decide when and how to get started. I wouldn't want you to get halfway through the program and realize you'd wasted your time due to conflict with your running.

As far as your abs...genetics is gonna decide that. All you can do is strengthen the muscles, then drop some body fat to see what you've accomplished. I can tell you that I had 4 kids in 5 years, and I have been pleasantly surprised to develop visible stomach muscles during the last year.

Good luck with whatever you decide.