Just bought some dumb bells...

FeebRyan

We are keen to start doing weight training at home 4 days a week

I am around 17.5 stone (my goodness, that feels nicer than saying 19 stone!) which is 255lbs

I am looking to build up my muscle, can anyone give ma any good exercises to do?

I also have some ankle weights so was planning on doing leg building exercises 2 days and upper body the other 2 days.

Any advice would be great

plaingirly

Would like the answers to this too! Just bought some dumbbells but am a weakling!

Awkward30

The problem is that resistance training is progressive... you have to constantly lift more to progress. This http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rudy6.htm is pretty much what I would do if I were doing a dumbbell workout. Perhaps adding lunges and removing crunches... I'm not a big fan of direct ab work. And I might do the lunges and squats as goblet (like this)
instead.

FeebRyan

Well the weights come with a few different sizes of weights and i was planning on a relatively small one, so there is a bit of room to grow

I certainly dont want to be lifting loads of weight though, I want to be toned rather than built up.

plaingirly

Well the weights come with a few different sizes of weights and i was planning on a relatively small one, so there is a bit of room to grow

I certainly dont want to be lifting loads of weight though, I want to be toned rather than built up.

My weights say they are "12 disc set: 7 weight levels from 5 to 15kg, 4 x 0.5kg, 8 x 1.25kg discs" really hoping that they do the trick and as I get stronger I can add more and more!

No gym access at the moment but I want to get strong! I don't think I could eat enough or put enough hours in to get bulked up - sounds like it would be a lot of work!

kenhelms17720

Bodybuilding.com has some excellent exercises listed here. You can do a lot with dumbbells.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/equipment/id/1/equipment/dumbbell

Like has been said before though, you have to eventually increase weight. Increasing reps only goes so far.

Don't worry about getting super built (lightning veins, etc) like what you see at bodybuilding comps, that doesn't happen to women without serious supplementation....
Weight training has some great health benefits so you can give it your all and not really have to worry about looking manly (women don't have enough testosterone to build like that) Just remember that recovery time is longer so be sure to have breaks.

JesterMFP

Well the weights come with a few different sizes of weights and i was planning on a relatively small one, so there is a bit of room to grow

I certainly dont want to be lifting loads of weight though, I want to be toned rather than built up.

To get built up, and really gain muscle mass, you need to be eating a surplus of calories, just like you do to gain fat. You are (presumably!) eating at a calorie deficit, so you don't need to worry about that. Lifting as heavy as you can while you lose weight will help you to maintain as much as possible of the muscle that you already have. You will likely lose some, as people generally do when they lose weight (that's why body builders have to do bulk & cut cycles), but lifting will help you not lose too much. As a result, when you reach your goal weight, you will be a lot closer to that "toned" look you are aiming for. You might even reach your desired size/shape at a higher weight. Those women who look too "bulky" to you have worked very hard for a long time to achieve that look. It won't happen by accident.

Capt_Apollo

Well the weights come with a few different sizes of weights and i was planning on a relatively small one, so there is a bit of room to grow

I certainly dont want to be lifting loads of weight though, I want to be toned rather than built up.

trust me, you won't get bulky.

have you heard about staci?? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

on the left she is 131lbs, on the right she is actually heavier at 142lbs.

ShreddedTweet

Well the weights come with a few different sizes of weights and i was planning on a relatively small one, so there is a bit of room to grow

I certainly dont want to be lifting loads of weight though, I want to be toned rather than built up.

Trust me, you will NEVER get really REALLY built up lifting weights, unless you are lifting megaweights. Those little pink weights won't do a damn thing either. Try looking into NROLFW or Stronglifts 5X5. I promise, it is the single best thing that you can do to change your body to the body you want!

Capt_Apollo

also, check out this thread. girl got great results from dumbbells

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820443-don-t-be-afraid-to-lift

FeebRyan

Thanks guys some really positive and supportive posts on here

I did some dumb-bells tonight, will do some more on Monday, then Wednesday and then back on Saturday again :0

I also have some wrist and ankle weights which i intend on using in the days, probably for a couple of hours (whilst cleaning) each day on either my wrists or ankles depending on what day it is x

dragonfly_em

new rules of lifting for women (NRL4W) loads of groups on here
Jillian Michaels dvds
bellydancing with your weights make it more of a workout...gymnasts do it - then when they do their routines without it's so graceful

bpotts44

www.scoobysworkshop.com has a bunch of different workouts which can be adapted to dumbells.

FeebRyan

new rules of lifting for women (NRL4W) loads of groups on here
Jillian Michaels dvds
bellydancing with your weights make it more of a workout...gymnasts do it - then when they do their routines without it's so graceful

ooooo I will start doing this with my wrist and ankle weights x