Weight Lifting for Weight Loss: When Do I Start?

sheryllamb72

I started strength training before I'd reached my goal weight, and then got pee'd off because my weight then started to go back up due to the weight of the muscle mass, so i stopped training. Now I'm almost at goal weight, so I'll start training in a couple weeks when i get there. Personally, I didn't want to start building my muscle on the fat that was left, I wanted to shift the fat that was there before builing the muscle up, I don't want to build bukly muscle, i want to to build toned muscle.

And how the hell can you people say that cardio doesn't work!!!!

The only exercise I do is walking for an hour every day, either at lunch time or in the evening, and thats all I've been doing, in line with eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in under 4 months.

Who said cardio does not work? And BTW, you do not build muscle on fat.

WACKYFUNSTER on the first page.

What I meant is that I wanted the fat on my arms to have gone before strength training. I didnt want to start doing weights when I had fat arms.

Maybe you should not have said 'you people' and addressed his quote specifically then.

Yeah, I probably should of, but it just made me bite........sorry.

Ejwelton

Are only weights considered 'strength training'?

To get the proper benefit, you need go 'lift heavy' - so in this context, yes (well, with the exception of push ups and pull ups I suppose as these don't actually include weights).

Thanks! So what is 'heavy'? ....I'm taking it my 1kg weights won't cut it!


You'll probably need different weights for different exercises. the guide is in a set of twelve that for the last three or four reps you are struggling to complete each lift.

Also is ab work etc considered strength?

Sarauk2sf

Now. Cardio sucks for weight loss, unless you have hours of free time every day.

Which I don't lol, so I'd rather make the most of my time spent in the gym.

How *often should I weight train? I've heard only twice a week.

If you are following a program like NROLFW, stick to the suggestions. Otherwise, you can go more 3 - 4 times a week depending if you split your workouts to different body areas (e.g. Legs, Back/Shoulders, Chest/Arms). Leave at least 2 full days break between working one area. And give your self at least 1 day of full rest a week.

Sorry to hijack post a bit -
Sarah, is there any benefit to doing split routines over full body?
I'm only doing upper body / abs at minute due to knee injury, but I'd be interested to know for when I can get back to lower body!

I really think it is preference as well as being able to train more times each week. I do not go to the gym at the weekend and so only can go a max. of 5 days. If I cannot get to the gym, say on Monday, then I really only can get 2 workouts in as you need the rest days. Doing a split routine, I can 'play around' with the timing - I usually split between legs/abs, chest/arms & back/shoulders.

Ah ok thanks!
I do boxercise/box circuits mon/wed/thurs/fri more because I like it rather than for weight loss, usually do weights before class on wed as that's a shorter session and also on sat, rest days sun and tues. ideally I'd have a rest day thurs or fri but that's just when the classes are so I'm stuck with it unless I cut out one day.
Then there is running when my knee isnt playing up, think I need more days to fit everything in lol

I totaly get it - I do not do it now, but at one point I was doing jujistu 5 x week, spin 2 x week, cardio 3 x week and weight training 3 x week - I was sort of having problems with getting time to eat I ended up having to cut out most of the cardio just to end up being able to eat enough to fuel my workouts!! I still kept the jujitsu for a while after as I did that for fun.

spamhead06

Do it all Cardio and as heavy weights as possible, to strengthen the muscle, if doing lighter weights it turns into a more cardio weight session, cardio is important for strengthening your heart which is helpful for doing your weights, as if your unfit cardiovascular wise, then you wont be able to push yourself hard at the weights as the body becomes more efficient at distributing and intaking oxygen when fitter.
Doing weights as a lady will not turn you into Arnie :glasses: as your hormones are different to a blokes I.e Woman have more Estrogen and have some Testoterone where as blokes have more Testoterone and some Estrogen, which is why women tend to have a higher body fat % at there healthy weight, so don't worry about bulking up, but weights will help you keep your lean muscle mass and when you lose all your weight and during, will help to keep your metabolism working at a higher rate (Higher BMR), also eating 1g protein per lb of lean body mass will help preserve muscle and some fat is needed in your diet, but good fat like olive oil (unsaturated fats). And as someone else has said, don't work the same muscle group with heavy weights everyday as the body needs time to repair and make sure you get enough sleep.
I am not an expert, just a humble lorry driver, lol, but this is my take on the weights and cardio.

persilcolours

bump!

dad106

Now. Cardio sucks for weight loss, unless you have hours of free time every day.

That's crap, get your facts right...............................All I've done is cardio and eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in less that 4 months!

You want to be thin and flabby? Then do only cardio.

You want to be thin, tight and sexy? Then do cardio and heavy weights.

To OP:
Lift now.. you are never to large to start weight lifting.

I started at 180 pounds, now down to 150 and 4 sizes smaller then I was when I weighed 150 four years ago.

hazelsmrf

. Personally, I didn't want to start building my muscle on the fat that was left, I wanted to shift the fat that was there before builing the muscle up, I don't want to build bukly muscle, i want to to build toned muscle.

Yeah, that's REALLY not how it works. Your muscle is attached to the bone by tendons, it doesn't just float around your body and form over fat. Your fat will be on top of the muscle (or sometimes inside the muscle), if you're building muscles you would be pushing the fat out. And you wouldn't be building "bulky muscle" as a girl, especially not by accident.

You need to lift heavy to failure. If that means squats with no weights, then that's what it is. If that means push ups on your knees with no weights, then that's what it is. You don't necessarily need weights depending on your starting strength. When the squats/pushups get easy, add weight... hold dumbbells while you do the squats, wear a backpack while doing push ups... You can do perfectly good strength training just using items in your house, you don't even need specialized equipment. Lift heavy things. If they're not heavy enough, get something heavier (follow proper form! safety first!)

AZKristi

Start now!

I was surprised by how many calories I burn lifting. I'm on stage 1 of New Rules of Lifting for Women and I easily burn 200 cals in 30 minutes of lifting (and thats with all of the recommended rest)! A little bit of high intensity interval training afterword makes for a great workout that burns tons of calories.

Carolstone1959

I lifted "heavy" for years and it's still one of my favorite things to do. But, as with everything fitness oriented, it's a good idea to switch it up now and again.
I highly recommend Cathe Friedrich's Pyramid Upper Body workout.
It burns LOTS of calories because it's nonstop. With traditional lifting, there's a recovery period between sets. No recovery with Cathe's workout. Yes, it uses light weights but don't let that fool you. I pooh-poohed her light weights the first time I did it and had to drop WAY back. This will work your muscles and I would categorize it as Circuit Training for your Exercise Diary.
Give yourself a week or two to get used to the workout. Keep a cheat-sheet of lifts, reps and weights to use on your bench so you're not wondering what comes next. You may need to start with half the workout or do some resting between sets at first. But don't worry. If you're faithful, you'll be zipping thru this workout soon.

GeekyGirlLyn

Awesome information in this thread! Great for a noob like myself.

dg09

I started 8 months ago. Start as soon as possible.

You're not going to get big, you're eating at a deficit after all. It's a good way to maintain what you have and burn fat.

wackyfunster

Now. Cardio sucks for weight loss, unless you have hours of free time every day.

That's crap, get your facts right...............................All I've done is cardio and eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in less that 4 months!

I didn't say it doesn't work, just that it is very time-intensive. If you only have 30 minutes free a day, you will do MUCH better with weights than cardio. You can burn 250-300 calories pretty easily in a 1 hour weight training session. As much of that is anaerobic, and it takes 4-5 calories to recover 1 anaerobic calorie expenditure, your net calories burned can easily be >1000 in the 72 hour period during and after your workout. Try burning >1000 calories in an hour of cardio.

If you have hours of free time a day, cardio can be superior in the short term. It won't increase LBM and thus increase BMR, so long-term I think weights still win out. Obviously the best is to do both, but if you are time-limited, you will get way more 'bang for your buck' out of weight training.

wackyfunster

I started strength training before I'd reached my goal weight, and then got pee'd off because my weight then started to go back up due to the weight of the muscle mass, so i stopped training. Now I'm almost at goal weight, so I'll start training in a couple weeks when i get there. Personally, I didn't want to start building my muscle on the fat that was left, I wanted to shift the fat that was there before builing the muscle up, I don't want to build bukly muscle, i want to to build toned muscle.

And how the hell can you people say that cardio doesn't work!!!!

The only exercise I do is walking very briskly for an hour every day, either at lunch time or in the evening, and thats all I've been doing, in line with eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in under 4 months.

Your weight gain would have been due to water weight. Even a novice female trainer with a perfect diet/workout regimen will have trouble adding more than 1 pound of LBM per month. However your body WILL retain water to repair the damage that is done to your muscles during weight training, which can lead to short-term weight fluctuations.

For reference, Arnold Schwarzenneger's (world class bodybuilder who has admitted to steroid use) BEST year had him gaining around 0.5 lbs. of muscle per week.

CoryIda

When should you start?




Yesterday.

sheryllamb72

Now. Cardio sucks for weight loss, unless you have hours of free time every day.

That's crap, get your facts right...............................All I've done is cardio and eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in less that 4 months!

You want to be thin and flabby? Then do only cardio.

You want to be thin, tight and sexy? Then do cardio and heavy weights.

To OP:
Lift now.. you are never to large to start weight lifting.

I started at 180 pounds, now down to 150 and 4 sizes smaller then I was when I weighed 150 four years ago.

Let me just correct you there......I'm certainly NOT thin and flabby!!!

josol1971

Great info - thanks!

NancyMarie13

Wonderful tips!

ladyraven68

Now. Cardio sucks for weight loss, unless you have hours of free time every day.

That's crap, get your facts right...............................All I've done is cardio and eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in less that 4 months!

You want to be thin and flabby? Then do only cardio.

You want to be thin, tight and sexy? Then do cardio and heavy weights.

To OP:
Lift now.. you are never to large to start weight lifting.

I started at 180 pounds, now down to 150 and 4 sizes smaller then I was when I weighed 150 four years ago.

Let me just correct you there......I'm certainly NOT thin and flabby!!!

Did you take measurements then and now? I'm interested I how much lean mass you lost/gained/maintained doing just cardio.

engineman312

I started strength training before I'd reached my goal weight, and then got pee'd off because my weight then started to go back up due to the weight of the muscle mass, so i stopped training. Now I'm almost at goal weight, so I'll start training in a couple weeks when i get there. Personally, I didn't want to start building my muscle on the fat that was left, I wanted to shift the fat that was there before builing the muscle up, I don't want to build bukly muscle, i want to to build toned muscle.

And how the hell can you people say that cardio doesn't work!!!!

The only exercise I do is walking very briskly for an hour every day, either at lunch time or in the evening, and thats all I've been doing, in line with eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in under 4 months.

weight is just a number... have you heard of staci??

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

on the left she is 131 lbs. on the right, she is 142 lbs. and she can dead lift more then i weigh.

Sarauk2sf

I started strength training before I'd reached my goal weight, and then got pee'd off because my weight then started to go back up due to the weight of the muscle mass, so i stopped training. Now I'm almost at goal weight, so I'll start training in a couple weeks when i get there. Personally, I didn't want to start building my muscle on the fat that was left, I wanted to shift the fat that was there before builing the muscle up, I don't want to build bukly muscle, i want to to build toned muscle.

And how the hell can you people say that cardio doesn't work!!!!

The only exercise I do is walking very briskly for an hour every day, either at lunch time or in the evening, and thats all I've been doing, in line with eating 1200 cals per day, and I've lost almost 2 stone in under 4 months.

weight is just a number... have you heard of staci??

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

on the left she is 131 lbs. on the right, she is 142 lbs. and she can dead lift more then i weigh.

She is also a great example of women not getting bulky - strong and sleek - yes, bulky - no