Serious "Lifting" w/o a Gym

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  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    jacksonpt - since you brought up food -- when you say "adjust diet", do you mean overall calories? I've been playing with that, but my diary isn't open, so I wasn't going to ask for feedback. :tongue: Whatever general tips you have, though, are greatly appreciated!! I'm trying to stay with mostly fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, etc but I don't cut anything out completely.
    Everyone has a "sweet spot", where your body responds well to both the caloric deficit (i.e. you lose weight) and to the exercise (i.e. where you have energy). The trick to all this is to find that sweet spot, and to do it in a way you can sustain long term.

    Most people don't get enough protein and are overly worried about fats, thus not getting enough. Based on the little bit you said above, and general tenancies of people, you probably need to increase your protein significantly. To do that while staying at the same total calories, most people have to reduce carbs.

    That's often why you'll read success stories from "low carbers". In most cases, it's not the reduced carbs that led to success, it's the increased protein.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    5lb dumbell (with maybe the exception of side laterals) aren't going to do it. If you want to strengthen your body more without having to cover your home with a bunch of equipment, look into the TRX suspension system. A little pricey, but it weighs just 2lbs and can be used virtually anywhere (including when you travel).

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • purplegoboom
    purplegoboom Posts: 400 Member
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    BTW, you aren't going to be "toning" anything with 5 lb weights, unless you're a newbie. Lift heavy if you want to see a dramatic difference.

    Actually, I knew this and I totally agree - hence why I'm here looking for tips :smile: I've actually not used the 2s but maybe once, and I only use the 3s and 5s for the DVDs...I figure using those is better than doing them without any weight. What I wasn't sure about was if the 30DS, RippedIn30, etc DVDs were actually going to get me much of anywhere. I assumed my little current hand weights were basically useless for real lifting.

    I know I need protein for muscle - what should my daily goal be (roughly)? It seems to me that MFP underestimates...would you agree?

    jacksonpt - since you brought up food -- when you say "adjust diet", do you mean overall calories? I've been playing with that, but my diary isn't open, so I wasn't going to ask for feedback. :tongue: Whatever general tips you have, though, are greatly appreciated!! I'm trying to stay with mostly fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, etc but I don't cut anything out completely.


    (thanks guys, I"m LOVING the tips!!! Keep 'em coming!)

    Many posters agree MFP definatly underestimates protein. You can customize the goals, mine are 35% carbs / 35% protein / 30% fat and that seems to be working for me now. I think MFP sets you up with a goal of only 15% protein which I think is not enough.
  • PrfctGdess
    PrfctGdess Posts: 257
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    ...mine are 35% carbs / 35% protein / 30% fat and that seems to be working for me now.

    That's the exact kind of comparison info I was looking for, thanks! I recently changed mine to 40/30/30 but I haven't been at it long enough to see if it's working
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    ...mine are 35% carbs / 35% protein / 30% fat and that seems to be working for me now.

    That's the exact kind of comparison info I was looking for, thanks! I recently changed mine to 40/30/30 but I haven't been at it long enough to see if it's working

    Another way to look at it...

    Generally speaking, the starting points should be:

    a minimum of .3g of fat per lb of body weight
    a minimum of 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass
    fill in the remaining cals however you like.

    So, (making some assumption here)...
    185lbs @ 20% bf on 2000 cals per day...
    - a minimum of 56g of fat (56g of fat = 504 cals)
    - a minumum of 148g of protein (148g of protein = 224 cals)
    - fill in the remaining 1272 cals however you want

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