Starting Weightlifting-Help/Tips Pleeeeaaaasseee!!

Emagali74

Hello everyone,

I have reached my goal weight and have now started thiinking i need to incorporate strength training into my workouts. I need work on my arms, stomach and thighs.... I currently exclusively do cardio workouts-normally 6 days a week.... 5 sessions will be about a 5k run then the other session is an hours dance class,

I recently bought a book called The New Rules of Lifting For Women. I have read through it and it seems fine but I wondered if anyone else on here had followed it and if so how easy it was. Also did everyone follow the food plan within the book?

I currently follow the 17 day diet but Im on the maintenance cycle which means I have mainly protein, low fat and two small servings of starches a day-mainly before 2pm with three cheat meals at the weekend-in reality this means i have a day where I dont log anything and eat what I want then watch what I eat the rest of the week.

My concern is that this diet works well for me and I dont want to switch to a different plan if I can avoid it. Will it be necsssary to follow the food plans in this book? I do know I may gain weight if Im building muscle but basically I will look more toned which is what I was hoping to achieve.

Any tips/help would be greatly appreciated....

Thanks

Emma.

melaniecheeks

Lots of us lift weights without following the food plan in NROLFW, I don't think it's compulsory.

Protein is good after a workout to help repair the muscle tissue, but you say you're already eating lots of it, so that's fine.

Have fun with it!

bug1114

There is a group on here dedicated to this - here is the link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/119-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w-

emyback68

There is a group on the Community boards for New Rules of Lifting for Women. You should join.
Personally, I think you can keep to your diet plan if that is working for you. I started the program in March, but then had an injury, and just started it up again in April. I did notice that each time I started I gained about 2 pounds initially -- I think this is water retained by your muscles as you are working them very hard. I also just read the New Rules of Lifting for Abs, and have incorporated some of the core work into my program. I really like the weight lifting. The program allows for so much variation with weights that I think it is doable for anyone. Each workout you set a new personal goal with weight, so it is tailored specifically to where you are at. Good luck!

howeclectic

I would recommend you consider hiring a trainer for a couple of weeks. They can help you design a sensible routine and more importantly help you get proper form.

I would say... forget about working you "arms,stomach, thighs". To start out in weight training, usually you want to build a strong base. Squats, dead lifts, and presses are good for this.

Awkward30

Hi! I started lifting heavy with that book. I refused to follow the diet because I wanted a 500 calorie deficit, many people do and it works for them. I know nothing about your maintenance plan, but if you are trying to build muscle, you should eat at least 1 g protein per pound of body weight (or lean mass). Other than that, I haven't read any convincing arguments that there is anything you MUST do. Without a calorie surplus it will be hard to really build muscle, but most people that just finished dieting down to a weight don't want to eat in a calorie surplus to put on muscle and fat, just to have to diet off the fat again (this would be a bulk/cut cycle, how figure competitors and the like build their physiques).

I'm sure you will love lifting, it makes me feel so strong and powerful, I've damn near abandoned my cardio, which mostly just makes me feel low on energy... lol

wolfehound22

Main thing is instead of a aclorie deficit, you will need to eat a surplas, it is very hard to gain lean muscle without a surplus in calories, this is why a lot fo folks that lose weight, dont really bulk up with muscle, but if your at your goal weight, then adding some cals shouldn't be an issue.