Advice Needed for Strength Training

sassyhobbsy

Hey all!

I apologize in advance for this being a long post, but thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts, experience, and advice!

I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in January 2010. As a result, I gained 80+ pounds in addition to the 15 extra pounds I was already carrying at the time.

I'm finally cancer free and have been cleared to get my exercise on. SO pumped! I'm currently a member at 24 Hour Fitness and plan on using the facility to the max. My home gym is a Sport, I'm not really sure what all they have for strength training machines.

When I first joined, I purchased some personal training sessions. At the first one, my trainer checked my fat percentage, muscle mass, measurements, etc etc, and said that my muscle mass was actually almost exactly where it needed to be for my goal weight (which is 140 pounds, I'm currently 237), so he wouldn't have me do a lot of strength training. It's a long story, but I ended up not completing the sessions because our "workout ethics" didn't mesh well and my doctor wouldn't sign off on the release form because she felt the workouts he wanted me to do were too intense. So now I'm on my own.

From the research I've done, I know that strength training not only builds muscle, but it also tones. I have a lot of body fat, especially in my abs, hips, and thighs. I also know that cardio alone will not tone my body. But the trainer said that I didn't really "need" any strength training. Was he just wrong? I feel insecure about it now, for some reason. I can't see any cons to adding some strength training to my routine, because how else will I tone my body? Thoughts?

I'm just starting out, but I am hoping to do cardio at least 3x a week and strength training 2x a week. Does this sound like a good starting ground? For food/exercise tracking, I'm meshing MFP and my fitbit. What is the best way to start strength training, since I have access to an abundance of weights? Any redirection to some good websites would be awesome too.

Thanks again for reading! I'm SO ready to lose all this extra weight and continue getting healthy!

Sarah

wellbert

Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5 or New Rules for women.

yoovie

I also recommend NROLFW but I would switch that to 3x ST and 2x cardio!

rileysowner

The biggest reason for strength training while losing weight is that it preserves your muscle mass. Since you are new to it, you may (emphasis on the may) put on a little muscle, but generally most people will lose muscle while losing fat, no matter how moderate their calorie deficit may be. The bigger the deficit, ie. the more pounds per week you try to lose, the more muscle you will lose with the fat. Lifting weights helps to mitigate this a great deal. I would suggest the same as has been suggested above. Stronglifts 5x5, New Rules, or Starting Strength which I have heard good things about as well. Whatever program you choose, I would suggest if possible work with free weights rather than machines as they force all your stabilizing muscles to work as well giving a more functional strength.

azalais7

I also recommend NROLFW but I would switch that to 3x ST and 2x cardio!

^^This. And yes, that trainer was completely wrong. At the very least, you want to do some strength training (and make sure you're getting enough protein!) just to maintain your muscle when you're losing, as rileysowner notes.

erickirb

strength training is important even when you have a lot to lose. By incorporating it it ensures most of your loss will be fat mass, not lean muscle. This means at your goal weight you will have a lower BF% if you incorporate strength training from the beginning.

yoovie

strength training is important even when you have a lot to lose. By incorporating it it ensures most of your loss will be fat mass, not lean muscle. This means at your goal weight you will have a lower BF% if you incorporate strength training from the beginning.

plus- you dont just wanna lose the weight hanging on your skeleton and expect to have a beach body at the end. Incorporating strength training now means you're already building the new body youre going to replace this one with. You arent handed your dream body when you reach goal weight, just like you wont be handed self-esteem and a great new life as prizes either. You have to build those things from scratch while your losing weight or youre going to have a very harsh reality check and not know what to do when you reach goal weight and not look anything liked youd hoped.

RuthieCass

I don't think that trainer knows what he is talking about. If you are eating a deficit, strength training helps you to retain the muscle mass that you have. So even if you already have a decent amount of muscle, weight training will help you keep it as you lose. And since you are on a deficit, you are not going to gain much muscle.

I would suggest that you not start off doing super intense cardio. As a beginner and cancer surviver, just work on creating an exercise "base" rather than trying to jump immediately into a high-volume, intense routine. Cardio 3X a week sounds fine, and I would say keep it at 30-45 mins depending on intensity. Strength training 2X a week also sounds good-- as you get a bit more used to the exercise, you can eventually add in another day of strength training. Even cardio 2X per week + Strength training 2X per week is a good start. It's a great idea to work with a trainer to get down proper form on weights, etc. But I would generally not want to pay a trainer to have me do cardio. I figure I know how to do running/ellipticals/etc. on my own.

Oh, and pay attention to what your body is telling you. Some soreness is perfectly fine and normal, but being in pain or being able to only barely move the next day means you're pushing too hard.

akaporn

strength training is important even when you have a lot to lose. By incorporating it it ensures most of your loss will be fat mass, not lean muscle. This means at your goal weight you will have a lower BF% if you incorporate strength training from the beginning.

I should have listen to you a couple months ago. All true.

sassyhobbsy

Hey Everyone!

Thank you all so, so much for the input and advice. I'm really glad I reached out now, I had never thought about the fact that I will be losing muscle mass as well as fat as I lose weight (although I think I knew that in the back of my mind, it does make sense).

I'm a bit intimidated by free weights, so I may start with the weight machines for now and research proper form and technique for free weights in the mean time.

Today marks the end of my first week of tracking my food, and I've lost 5 pounds. Yay! I know that it won't all slip off this easily but that was a huge boost when I stepped on the scale this morning.

Again, thank you all so much, I've read all of your replies several times already, and I think I'll read them one more time and take notes just to make sure I don't forget anything (one of the sucky results of cancer? Memory loss.).

Thanks, everyone!

Sarah

wellbert

Best way to get good form on free weights is to start with free weights. Just start really light until you have the form down.

hallmansm

Couple of additional thoughts to what has already been mentioned:

Eliminate the word "Tone" from your vocabulary. It is meaningless. You can build or lose muscle, you can add or lose fat. Period. There are no other criteria, or measurable metrics (with the exception of bone mass). "Tone" is not a verb you want to say. Ever.

How did you choose your "target weight"? I'm always skeptical of these randomly chosen numbers. There is no mold of what you are supposed to be. Even if you had a separated-at-birth twin, and you suddenly met her, and she is in "perfect" shape. Who is to say you need to, want to, have to look like that? You could add 10 lbs of muscle to your "perfect" twin and still be a different flavor of perfect.

I'm an advocate of throwing away the scale. Or at the very least, measure no more than once a week, and do not use your weight as a relevant metric. Use the calculated body fat % and lean muscle mass. And I strongly second this: Get started with free weights immediately. Nothing else supports compound movement training, muscle mass increase, and bone density preservation like free weights. I have never understood what it means to be "intimidated by free weights". You drive a vehicle that weighs a ton and could crush a person like an egg. At one point, you had no idea how to operate it. A free weight is a tiny, palm sized 2.5 lb. circle of iron. It just sits there. It doesn't bite. Start with the smallest weight you feel comfortable with and work up when you can.

Determinednoob

Couple of additional thoughts to what has already been mentioned:

Eliminate the word "Tone" from your vocabulary. It is meaningless. You can build or lose muscle, you can add or lose fat. Period. There are no other criteria, or measurable metrics (with the exception of bone mass). "Tone" is not a verb you want to say. Ever.

How did you choose your "target weight"? I'm always skeptical of these randomly chosen numbers. There is no mold of what you are supposed to be. Even if you had a separated-at-birth twin, and you suddenly met her, and she is in "perfect" shape. Who is to say you need to, want to, have to look like that? You could add 10 lbs of muscle to your "perfect" twin and still be a different flavor of perfect.

I'm an advocate of throwing away the scale. Or at the very least, measure no more than once a week, and do not use your weight as a relevant metric. Use the calculated body fat % and lean muscle mass. And I strongly second this: Get started with free weights immediately. Nothing else supports compound movement training, muscle mass increase, and bone density preservation like free weights. I have never understood what it means to be "intimidated by free weights". You drive a vehicle that weighs a ton and could crush a person like an egg. At one point, you had no idea how to operate it. A free weight is a tiny, palm sized 2.5 lb. circle of iron. It just sits there. It doesn't bite. Start with the smallest weight you feel comfortable with and work up when you can.

I was amused by this analogy. Also the rest is spot on. If you want an overload of info on body recomp, check here

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=146519303

dortress

Couple of additional thoughts to what has already been mentioned:

Eliminate the word "Tone" from your vocabulary. It is meaningless. You can build or lose muscle, you can add or lose fat. Period. There are no other criteria, or measurable metrics (with the exception of bone mass). "Tone" is not a verb you want to say. Ever.

This - a thousand times - THIS.

Eradicate the word 'TONE' from your vocabulary and swear to never, ever use it again.

Also, don't stay on the weight lifting machines long. They're a good place to start, to get the feel of moving your muscles along a particular plane, but as soon as you've got a handle on the mechanics of how to lift properly, move to free weights. Not only are there a lot more good looking men at that end of the gym, they will be willing to spot you and correct your form. (and not in a lacivious way).

My favorite story: I'd been lifting free weights for about 6 months, gradually increasing my bench; I worked without a spotter. One morning, I realized halfway through my last set I was spent - I wasn't going to get the bar up. In those seconds I was frantically trying to work out how to get the bar onto something, hands appeared out of nowhere, and lifted them into place. I looked up to see it was one of the 'regular's' - a guy that, in all my fatness, I'd never had the nerve to talk to. I stammered 'thank you' and he said "No problem. We've been watching you. "

The free weight people are generally very watchful of folks and good resources. Don't take too long getting over to their side of the gym.

sassyhobbsy

Couple of additional thoughts to what has already been mentioned:

Eliminate the word "Tone" from your vocabulary. It is meaningless. You can build or lose muscle, you can add or lose fat. Period. There are no other criteria, or measurable metrics (with the exception of bone mass). "Tone" is not a verb you want to say. Ever.

How did you choose your "target weight"? I'm always skeptical of these randomly chosen numbers. There is no mold of what you are supposed to be. Even if you had a separated-at-birth twin, and you suddenly met her, and she is in "perfect" shape. Who is to say you need to, want to, have to look like that? You could add 10 lbs of muscle to your "perfect" twin and still be a different flavor of perfect.

I'm an advocate of throwing away the scale. Or at the very least, measure no more than once a week, and do not use your weight as a relevant metric. Use the calculated body fat % and lean muscle mass. And I strongly second this: Get started with free weights immediately. Nothing else supports compound movement training, muscle mass increase, and bone density preservation like free weights. I have never understood what it means to be "intimidated by free weights". You drive a vehicle that weighs a ton and could crush a person like an egg. At one point, you had no idea how to operate it. A free weight is a tiny, palm sized 2.5 lb. circle of iron. It just sits there. It doesn't bite. Start with the smallest weight you feel comfortable with and work up when you can.

I see what you mean when you say toning shouldn't be a word in our vocabulary. I had never thought of it that way, but it makes a lot of sense!

I chose 140 pounds as my "target weight" based on the recommendations of my dietician, my endocrinologist, my surgeon, and my primary doctor. If I get to that goal weight and decide that it's too little or too much, then I'll adjust accordingly, but for now, I'm following the advice of my cancer team. They've done an amazing job with my healthcare for the past two years+, so I have no reason to doubt them.

I have met many people who are advocates/not advocates of weighing weekly. For me personally, I enjoy seeing the change on the scale. But, I also agree with what you said about paying attention to the amount of body fat and/or lean muscle mass I have on my body. I think the two should be balanced, but that's just me!

I guess I am intimidated by free weights more because I have never used them. I am more intimidated of the unknown rather than the weights themselves, I know they won't bite! Thank you so much for your advice!

Dortress, thanks for the advice! I don't plan to stay on the weight machines for long at all, especially after reading everyone's advice. And I love your story! Too funny. I can't wait to get started with free weights soon!