"Lifting Weights Is The BEST THING You Can Do"

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  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    Lifting finally helped me break out of a 4 month plateau and I do it only 3 times a week for about 10-15 minutes. Squats, tricep extensions /kickbacks and bicep curls are all I do at this point. It works!!!!

    I want to increase the weight , but am unclear on when and how I should go about it..... Any advice on that??? I only have 8 more pounds to go until my goal weight but I want to continue toning beyond that and I know that increasing the weight I lift will be vital to getting there.

    Follow a proper beginner routine that tells you when and how to progress like Starting Strength, Stronglifts, Reg Park's beginner routine, Babylovers SS, etc, or this http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933

    The last is a bit slower progression and easier to manage on a calorie deficit
  • jjl0412
    jjl0412 Posts: 278 Member
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    bmp
  • jjl0412
    jjl0412 Posts: 278 Member
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    Ok, Just read "Lifting Weights Is The BEST THING You Can Do" thread. I need to get started. Here are the facts.

    I am 62, male. Lost from 285 to 251 in about 4 months. Been doing Leslie Sansone, Wii, Dancing to Oldies, and walking up to 2 miles in the woods pushing my puppy in a stroller. That is it. I average 1200 calories 'healthy' eating. I do use the bands for resistance sometimes.

    For the past 8 years I have averaged 1000 miles per week driving a car from customer to customer repairing on site equipment. Laid off in April and up until about 1 June, did not start exercising.

    I have a bi-polar prosthesis in my left femur, (metal mushroom spike for an upper femur bone in the socket). Arthritis in my elbows, neck and back. I have been taking meds for these conditions since I was medically retired from the Army in 1986.

    I am VERY apprehensive about the lifting weights thing, whatever I do will be a 'Testing' of the possibility to actually be able to incorporate them into my exercises regime.

    Please advise what I should get, how I should proceed and what I should expect. Thanks.

    Edited by jjl0412 on Thu 08/23/12 10:25 AM
  • StormyGal8
    StormyGal8 Posts: 184 Member
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    In my Mixed Martial Arts Fitness class, we do a lot of sit ups (full), push ups, squats, lunges, etc. Then he ups the ante sometimes and asks for diamond push ups, or what he calls yoga style push ups (push up, then go up onto 1 hand, while lifting the other straight up in the air). We do small amount of work with actual weights, and some with medicine balls.

    Is this a sufficient place to start? Do these all count as lifting weights even though we aren't using actual weights all the time? Or would I be better off to get some barbells for home?
  • livlovra
    livlovra Posts: 139 Member
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    Hi I just started after reading new rules of lifting for women, and so far I have already lost 3%body fat so feel like it is working already - and I mean I only JUST started. I am doing running as well cos I can't cut that out completely but it feels good to be lifting and i think the book is really good at explaining why you need to as well as telling you what to do.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
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    Just because someone is fat or can't walk up a flight of stairs after lifting, does not make them unhealthy. A lot of bodybuilders are considered obese by BMI standards, but very healthy by body fat standards.

    The same thing can be said about a skinny person.. just because someone is skinny, does not mean they are healthy. There are plenty of skinny people out there who can run for miles, but can't pick up a 5 pound dumbbell.

    So don't be so quick to judge people.

    So, I just want to say first of all that I think lifting is awesome. Right now I mostly do body-weight exercises, but I plan to start lifting weights again as I get stronger.

    That said, I really doubt that "there are plenty of skinny people out there who can run for miles, but can't pick up a 5 pound dumbbell." In fact, I would be surprised if there was one. My full water bottle weighs almost 2 pounds. A gallon of milk weighs 8 pounds. I'm having a hard time imagining an endurance athlete asking for help at the store because they can't put their milk in the cart.

    Now, I think there are plenty of endurance athletes that ignore resistance training and can't do a pull-up or more than a couple of push-ups and I agree that they're "unhealthy" in the sense that their fitness isn't balanced. At the same time, if you can't walk up a flight of stairs, no matter how strong you are, you're unhealthy.
  • HartJames
    HartJames Posts: 789 Member
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    Bump
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
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    OH my god. So many replies. Well, now I HAVE to do weight training. However, my "trainer" is sick. It was only going to be a general consultation since I can't afford an official session so my next question is, can you point me in the right direction video or web wise? (: I have lost a significant amount of weight, but I do look like a smaller "big" Kassie.
  • steelersfamily6
    steelersfamily6 Posts: 138 Member
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    BUMP!
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
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    Woo for bumping!

    Another question. This is completely self personalized. When did YOU see results from lifting?
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    Everybody is different. When my sister does a lot of intense cardio - like running - she plateaus or gains. When I run, I drop weight and my muscles tone up. I guess I'm wierd. I do some weights, too, but running just feels so incredible.

    I stopped running after an injury several years ago, and went back to the gym just walking and doing weights for a couple of years. Lifting seems to increase my strength and help tone muscles, but it didn't really do anything to my weight until I started a calorie deficit. I still had terrible cholesterol and blood pressure, even at a healthy weight. So I added back in the running a couple of years ago and my cholesterol, body fat and blood pressure dropped right back down to normal.

    I personally like a combination of intense cardio and some moderate weights, but if I had to choose one, I'd pick the cardio - I love my runner's high! I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but oh well. :flowerforyou:
  • SariC3
    SariC3 Posts: 69 Member
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    So what should I be doing? What kind of weights? Should I use machines? Should I use free weights? What is the best plan or routine to follow? I would like to start lifting. I do some machines, but I feel I get nowhere. I probably am not doing it right. By that I mean not lifting enough or reps or something of the sort.

    I am a type of girl that needs to follow a plan. Are there any apps, websites or books to follow from?

    I too needed a plan. I'm doing the "New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women". It includes a very detail plan. Exactly what I needed. I'm almost finished phase 1. I love it. I love how I feel. I've started running on the off days as well, so I'm getting both.
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
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    Look up all of Mark Rippetoe's videos. You don't necessarily have to follow Starting Strength (Squatting 3x per week makes me want to kill a puppy), but he is one of the best teachers of form in both written text and video.
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
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    I personally like a combination of intense cardio and some moderate weights, but if I had to choose one, I'd pick the cardio - I love my runner's high! I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but oh well. :flowerforyou:

    I don't like the fanatics on either side. Do both. There's no reason not to. If you favor one, pay more attention to it. But, both are functional for being a human being.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I'm gonna start lifting when my trainer feels better.

    Obviously, I am the only one who caught this!! :noway:

    WAIT..........WHAT????????

    Really????

    what? her trainer is probably sick or something...
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I started lifting weights and my body just got a little bit "tighter" .... I don't know if that's the best way to describe it. Then I decided to eat a ton to try and build muscle... I gained a little bit of fat so I can't say what my results are. I'm cutting back on the calories now.
  • bacamacho
    bacamacho Posts: 306 Member
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    Sounds like a good thing if losing weight and looking fab are my only goals. My hobbies need me to be cardio fit too though. I do a little big of strength training as a supplement to my cardio training, which has helped with my overall efficiency.
  • BigRich822
    BigRich822 Posts: 681
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    The more muscle you have the faster you burn fat. You should always involve weight training with cardio for maximum results when losing weight!
  • irisheyes7177
    irisheyes7177 Posts: 40 Member
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    Great thread...you all have motivated me to start lifting. I have been doing cardio 5-6 times per week for the past 8 weeks and I gained weight...recently started the Dukan Diet and dropped 5...but that's severely limiting my diet, only eating protein and working out an hour a day. I have always wanted to learn how to lift - but it's so intimidating at the gym - everyone seems to know what they are doing and I know NOTHING about lifting. I have a few sessions with a personal trainer for joining the gym and hopefully he/she can start me off on the right path. Thanks for all the great info! Hopefully the inches just melt away. :)
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    OH my god. So many replies. Well, now I HAVE to do weight training. However, my "trainer" is sick. It was only going to be a general consultation since I can't afford an official session so my next question is, can you point me in the right direction video or web wise? (: I have lost a significant amount of weight, but I do look like a smaller "big" Kassie.

    2-3 months, but I am a man so it is probably faster for me than you

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