Has anyone "transformed" their body WITHOUT lifting heavy?

rybo

Zombie thread.

But as for the OP, you don't need to lift heavy, body weight does more than fine. After 6+ years out of the gym & not touching a weight, I've been doing body weight only for about a year and just "tested" my strength last week, benched 1.5x my body weight, did 20+ pull ups & almost 30 dips. I have a BF% around 10-12%

sunglasses_and_ocean_waves

Hellzyeah! The overwhelming group think here is if you don't lift heavy, you're a moron who worries unnecessarily that she'll get bulky and/or that you're destined to be a mass of jelly if you're not pushing out a loaf at the gym while squatting heavy heavy heavy.

I lost my weight a few years back with Jillian Michaels dvds which is suppose to be all wrong :laugh: even though I looked and felt great. I tried upping to heavy weights this year because I bought into all the hype. I was injured within a week which set me back months. So while it works great for many, it may just not be the end all be all for some. Don't let anyone tell you that's what you have to do. :drinker:

What if I told you I do Jillian dvds and lift heavy? Mind, blown?

Not really. TBH, I don't give a fig what you did. It certainly wouldn't "blow my mind" *eyeroll* . Your experience is your experience. Mine is mine. Isn't the world wonderful like that?

Achrya

Hellzyeah! The overwhelming group think here is if you don't lift heavy, you're a moron who worries unnecessarily that she'll get bulky and/or that you're destined to be a mass of jelly if you're not pushing out a loaf at the gym while squatting heavy heavy heavy.

I lost my weight a few years back with Jillian Michaels dvds which is suppose to be all wrong :laugh: even though I looked and felt great. I tried upping to heavy weights this year because I bought into all the hype. I was injured within a week which set me back months. So while it works great for many, it may just not be the end all be all for some. Don't let anyone tell you that's what you have to do. :drinker:

What if I told you I do Jillian dvds and lift heavy? Mind, blown?

Not really. TBH, I don't give a fig what you did. It certainly wouldn't "blow my mind" *eyeroll* . Your experience is your experience. Mine is mine. Isn't the world wonderful like that?

My, you're a little ray of sunshine aren't you?

You're the one implying that Jillian DVDs are somehow 'all wrong' to the heavy lifting crowd, I wasn't aware that pointing out that some of us might do both would cause such a hostile response.

alpine1994

Yes. I changed my body by eating right and doing Jillian DVDs and running outside. I've mixed it up since then (I lift now, and take ballet classes as well as continuing to run and do bodyweight workouts) but yes, definitely can create a great physique without heavy lifting. Just be consistent with both diet and exercise and you'll do great!

I got a dry-erase calendar and put it on the wall in the room I did my Jillian DVDs in, and I wrote in which video I did each day. It helped me mix up my workouts so I was doing different ones through the weeks and making sure I was progressing through the levels. My favorites of hers are her new one Hard Body, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, Extreme Shed and Shred, and Yoga Meltdown.

NavyWifeTwinMom

I haven't belonged to a gym since 2008. I do mostly bodyweight exercises, beachbody programs (p90x, p90x2), and pick up great tips at bodybuilding.com for at home moves. I think I would see more progress in my legs if I belonged to a gym, but I do what I can at home and do see progress happening. Don't let anything stop you, least of all a lack of a gym membership!! Cheers!!

UpEarly

Yes! I do a combination of cardio (mostly hiking/walking/running) and moderate weights (high reps/medium poundage with an endurance focus).

I lost 65 pounds. I'm 41 and I think my body looks better than ever - lean & sleek.

I've lifted heavy weights before - it's not for me. But like the OP said... I have nothing but respect for anyone who does lift heavy weights.

cevans_rr

I would second Vailara's recommendation of Body by You by Mark Lauren. My daughter began using it consistently since 1st week of Jan and has seen lots of strength gains as well as changes in body shape. She was able to surpass her original goals due to being able to do it consistently probably. It also did not take a lot of time out of your day. She did a couple of short HIIT sessions each week but that was her only cardio. I started in Jan. also but due to a previous injury had to give up strength training for awhile. I'm now back at it with a routine by Rachel Cosgrove but when school starts in the fall I'm back to Body by You simply because it works and is not a huge time commitment . I've always done cardio but never had results like I did last summer when I was doing New Rules of Lifting for Women, but if you can't get to the gym, it looks there are lots of great options that have worked for others here. Love your question, OP, and have learned a lot from others replies as well! Good luck - a lot of good alternatives here!

jadermary

Interesting....I would love to see more responses to this. I am always impressed with the heavy lifting results but I am not quite ready to enter the weight room. :blushing:
I know a few people who have done Insanity and they looked great, so depending on the results you are looking for I don't think you NEED to lift heavy.

Yogi_Carl

As a good number of folks have said, lifting heavy is relative. I collected my weekly bags of manure for the vegetable garden today and today was my chest, shoulders and triceps day. Wait - I'm getting to the point.

Before lifting those bags into the compost bin, I used them to perform sets of feet-raised push-ups, then did pike push-ups and tripod headstands and finished off by putting a bag of manure on each end of a water wastepipe and cranked out 3 sets of 12,10,8 shoulder presses (total weight 50lbs).

My point - you don't need a nice set of flashy weights or a fancy gym membership to lift heavy. Lifting heavy is all around you - your own body, water filled gas cans, sand bags and so on, and it's fun to be creative.

Boy - I'm shattered. I'll surely feel that workout tomorrow!

jadermary

Thanks C4RL05, I get what you are saying.
Back to the topic of the OP though, I would love to see success stories without lifting. I am not against lifting at all...but I don't currently lift myself. It just seems like there is so much feedback from people saying they will never reach their goal, or they will just end up skinny fat if they don't lift.

reach4thestar

Thanks C4RL05, I get what you are saying.
Back to the topic of the OP though, I would love to see success stories without lifting. I am not against lifting at all...but I don't currently lift myself. It just seems like there is so much feedback from people saying they will never reach their goal, or they will just end up skinny fat if they don't lift.

Jadermary...I am in the same boat as you....can't get to gym right now....well I don't think I will stop myself lifting heavy because of it.....what I am trying to start with is do lots of squats and lunges with dumbbell weights...I am also thinking of creating my own sandbag...with varying weights within it....important thing is to concentrate on the proper form....just look for some YouTube videos on proper form to deadlift and squat with sandbag and dumbbell weights.... Ofcourse plank variations are always good anytime...

laurenz2501

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beyondmywildestdreams

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