weight loss + lifting weights?

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beckieboomoo
beckieboomoo Posts: 590 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So am wanting to lose around 54 lb, i have already lost 9 lb since January. i do 60 minutes on my exercise bike a day for 5 days a week either 60 minutes at a moderate speed or 3 sets of 20 minutes for as fast as i can go. I started doing 30 minute shred yesterday, so think am going to do 30day shred everyday and cut bike down to 3 days aweek, i would also like to start lifting weights as i have read it does help weight loss and it will put my body in better shape. To be honest i am clueless when it comes to lifting weights :/ so any help or advice with routines/reps would be very helpful? :)

Thanks guys :)
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Replies

  • devan44
    devan44 Posts: 130
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    I was just going to ask the same question. I walk 4 miles in 60 minutes 4 days a week and do 30DS 4/5 days a week and want to incoroporate lifting as well.

    Long story short - Bump :flowerforyou:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    Lots of great advice in these groups:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/771-women-strength-training

    Stronglifts and NROL4W are both beginners programs.

    Stronglifts is available free online, but the literature on the website can seem geared more towards men. The sticky in the group explains it much better than the actual site. It's really basic and simple... you do bench press, rows and squats in one workout, and overhead press, deadlifts and squats in the other workout. You alternate the workouts, and do them three days a week, adding more weight each time when/if you can.

    New Rules is book that will also explain the benefits of lifting and (I believe) proper nutrition while lifting, as well as a program. I haven't read the book or done the plan, but it's a more complex than Stronglifts.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    So am wanting to lose around 54 lb, i have already lost 9 lb since January. i do 60 minutes on my exercise bike a day for 5 days a week either 60 minutes at a moderate speed or 3 sets of 20 minutes for as fast as i can go. I started doing 30 minute shred yesterday, so think am going to do 30day shred everyday and cut bike down to 3 days aweek, i would also like to start lifting weights as i have read it does help weight loss and it will put my body in better shape. To be honest i am clueless when it comes to lifting weights :/ so any help or advice with routines/reps would be very helpful? :)

    Thanks guys :)

    I know a lot of women at my gym have been doing this "new rules for lifting for women" and some of them are seeing awesome results. One of them I talk to quite a bit and the progress and changes she's made has been jawdropping. So I'm a believer in that program!
  • beckieboomoo
    beckieboomoo Posts: 590 Member
    Options
    So am wanting to lose around 54 lb, i have already lost 9 lb since January. i do 60 minutes on my exercise bike a day for 5 days a week either 60 minutes at a moderate speed or 3 sets of 20 minutes for as fast as i can go. I started doing 30 minute shred yesterday, so think am going to do 30day shred everyday and cut bike down to 3 days aweek, i would also like to start lifting weights as i have read it does help weight loss and it will put my body in better shape. To be honest i am clueless when it comes to lifting weights :/ so any help or advice with routines/reps would be very helpful? :)

    Thanks guys :)
    everyone has been going on about it..... i think i may order the book, just thought id ask in here first :)
    I know a lot of women at my gym have been doing this "new rules for lifting for women" and some of them are seeing awesome results. One of them I talk to quite a bit and the progress and changes she's made has been jawdropping. So I'm a believer in that program!
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
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    my opinion would be to cut cardio down to 2-3 days a week and make sure you do something FUN that you really enjoy doing. I do Zumba on my cardio days. Then strength train 3 times a week. Look into Stronglifts 5x5 or New Rules of Lifting for Women. I do stronglifts and i'm on week 5 right now. i love it. Compound moves help you incorporate so many more muscles rather than just working on lateral raises. A couple of my girlfriends are just starting up with it now, so we are working on their form before they start adding weights.

    Also, i would make sure that you aren't set on a certain number that you want to weigh. That's what i was doing before. Now i am concentrating much more on how i look and feel. Eat enough to fuel your body and you will be surprised at the results. Best of luck to you!
  • beckieboomoo
    beckieboomoo Posts: 590 Member
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    my opinion would be to cut cardio down to 2-3 days a week and make sure you do something FUN that you really enjoy doing. I do Zumba on my cardio days. Then strength train 3 times a week. Look into Stronglifts 5x5 or New Rules of Lifting for Women. I do stronglifts and i'm on week 5 right now. i love it. Compound moves help you incorporate so many more muscles rather than just working on lateral raises. A couple of my girlfriends are just starting up with it now, so we are working on their form before they start adding weights.

    Also, i would make sure that you aren't set on a certain number that you want to weigh. That's what i was doing before. Now i am concentrating much more on how i look and feel. Eat enough to fuel your body and you will be surprised at the results. Best of luck to you!

    As sad as it sounds i love going on my exercise bike :laugh: it makes me so happy and i go so hyper after ive been on it, id rather do that than anything else ha. I've noticed since i've been doing exercise am so much happier, that's really good for me i use to suffer with depression and i still have my 'off days' and thanks i will looks them up! :) i do need to up my calories when i start weight training as i only eat 1200 a day

    Thankyou for your comment :)
  • sweetteacher123
    sweetteacher123 Posts: 178
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    I would say mix things up: do the bike, 30 Day Shred, and lift weights. However, I am here to tell you to keep doing what makes you happy. You are more apt to exercise if you are doing a form of exercise you enjoy. Sometimes we feel like we "need" to do other forms, but if we dislike that exercise and skip workouts, it has done no good! Do what you like, as long as you are moving. If you like lifting weights...do that too!
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
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    I think any of the programs listed above are great to start with.

    If you are trying to lose weight with lifting just remember to stick to compound movements, things like deadlifts and squats will seriously tear through some calories. I lost all of my weight through lifting - If I do cardio its just so I can keep my calorie requirements up and get some extra blood flow, very rarely for weightloss
  • dngrwmn
    dngrwmn Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm currently doing Body Revolution which is Strength training 4 days per week and Cardio 2 days per week. I'm just about to finish up my 1st month. So far in the first 3 weeks I've lost 4 lbs and 12 inches. The weight loss is slow but steady, but I'm really stoked about the inches lost. I have 9 weeks to go to complete the program and then I will figure out how to keep up with the routine. I think I will check out the suggestions on this thread.

    Also, I'm going to start incorporating the gym back into my routine while still doing the BR program.

    Advice to the OP, keep at it and build yourself up. The 30 day Shred is actually strength training. Lifting is another form of strength training. You may want to finish the 30 day Shred before you incorporate additional strength training (especially if this is all new to you), but that is up to you. You should listen to your body. You don't want to over do it because that can lead to injury.

    Good luck
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    Advice to the OP, keep at it and build yourself up. The 30 day Shred is actually strength training. Lifting is another form of strength training. You may want to finish the 30 day Shred before you incorporate additional strength training (especially if this is all new to you), but that is up to you. You should listen to your body. You don't want to over do it because that can lead to injury.

    I'm as annoyingly evangelical as a reformed smoker when it comes to the benefits of lifting, but I fully agree with the above.

    If exercise in general is new to you, it's a good place to start. I know when I first started, I was sore as hell just doing body weight exercises and using 5 pound dumbbells. When I stopped feeling challenged by that is when I moved on to heavier work.
  • beckieboomoo
    beckieboomoo Posts: 590 Member
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    Think i may see how i feel half way through 30 day shred, did it for first time last night and i was sooo tired :L thanks for all your advice guys been really helpful :)
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
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    my opinion would be to cut cardio down to 2-3 days a week and make sure you do something FUN that you really enjoy doing. I do Zumba on my cardio days. Then strength train 3 times a week. Look into Stronglifts 5x5 or New Rules of Lifting for Women. I do stronglifts and i'm on week 5 right now. i love it. Compound moves help you incorporate so many more muscles rather than just working on lateral raises. A couple of my girlfriends are just starting up with it now, so we are working on their form before they start adding weights.

    Also, i would make sure that you aren't set on a certain number that you want to weigh. That's what i was doing before. Now i am concentrating much more on how i look and feel. Eat enough to fuel your body and you will be surprised at the results. Best of luck to you!

    As sad as it sounds i love going on my exercise bike :laugh: it makes me so happy and i go so hyper after ive been on it, id rather do that than anything else ha. I've noticed since i've been doing exercise am so much happier, that's really good for me i use to suffer with depression and i still have my 'off days' and thanks i will looks them up! :) i do need to up my calories when i start weight training as i only eat 1200 a day

    Thankyou for your comment :)

    You need to up your calories regardless of whether you are lifting or not. It doesn't matter whether you're lifting or not you should only eat ~TDEE -20%.

    An easy way to calculate what to eat can be found here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538943-how-to-calculate-calorie-goals-according-to-nrolfw

    I did both nrolfw and stronglifts and although I prefer stronglifts now, I don't think I would have liked it when I started lifting, as I was really intimidated and scared to start. NROLFW helped a lot with nutrition, guidance, form, warming up, why lifting is important, and it's a very thorough program.

    Another option is Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer. I think that one is nice too because you can sign up for daily emails and it's very structured, day by day and week by week. It also provides meal plan suggestions. It does emphasize supplements a lot, I personally don't use supplements besides protein powder.

    Good luck!
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
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    Think i may see how i feel half way through 30 day shred, did it for first time last night and i was sooo tired :L thanks for all your advice guys been really helpful :)

    You'll feel less tired if you eat more and make sure to eat back exercise calories.

    And I agree it's not a bad idea to do 30ds first, I did 30ds and Turbofire before doing lifting. Take your time and build up your strength!
  • dotknott
    dotknott Posts: 88 Member
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    I've got to admit, I'm loving new rules.. I'm only on week 2, too early to be seeing results, but I'm enjoying it!
  • beckieboomoo
    beckieboomoo Posts: 590 Member
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    Think i may see how i feel half way through 30 day shred, did it for first time last night and i was sooo tired :L thanks for all your advice guys been really helpful :)

    You'll feel less tired if you eat more and make sure to eat back exercise calories.

    And I agree it's not a bad idea to do 30ds first, I did 30ds and Turbofire before doing lifting. Take your time and build up your strength!
    cheers thanks for your advice! :)
  • Smackemdanno
    Smackemdanno Posts: 83 Member
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    Not a gal giving advise about lifting but my story is still applicable. I starved myself down to 273, hit a plateau, got discouraged and quit for 3 months regaining 17 of the 50 lbs I lost during starvation. I started back lifting weights and am thinner now than when I starved myself but I am still 8 lbs heavier than the lowest I was when I starved myself. I look at myself in the mirror and see the beginning signs of muscles poking out from amid the fatness of my belly. My arms and legs are mostly lean muscle mass now. My arms and shoulders are showing curved muscles instead of looking like cheese sticks.
  • RichardAceves
    RichardAceves Posts: 29 Member
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    bump for info
  • mayflowermn
    mayflowermn Posts: 52 Member
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    Ditto what everyone before me has said !!! :smile:

    I really did not want to go to a gym to workout in public, but my BF & I really needed to lose some weight and he told me my “new job” was to go to the gym and workout to look good (I was laid off at the time). I'm a total introvert and the idea of going to a gym and working out in front of people about terrified me to death!

    Now it will be a year in March since I’ve been at my “job” and I am totally in love with lifting weights and love challenging myself as to what I can push.

    I am still blown away at the fact that my weight at 130 lbs has almost identical measurements to when I weighed 120 lbs or less. And I look a lot better ie firmer, no skinny fat For some reason my arms have muscled out incredibly, ( only wish my legs had that definition) and it’s kind of fun to see that I’m way more cut than a lot of the guys half my age at the gym…hee hee. Not bad for a broad that'll be turning 44 in June! lol

    Definitely give it a try. I like the fact that lifting allows me to eat more (I’m a total food addict!) and it burns more calories long term since my muscles are working even at rest.

    We typically lift weights for about 60 minutes and then do 30-45 minutes of cardio afterwards and have a 3 day on, 1 day cycle.
    Hope you give a try as you might find you really enjoy it! I never see any other women lifting at Planet Fitness and I wish they would give it a go. It’s been great for my self esteem and has helped with my depression. Of course finally getting fit does wonders in general!

    Sounds like you’ve got a great plan and I love that you’re willing to try new things!!!

    As Red Green would say, "We're all in this together".

    Best of luck in your journey!
  • mike667grace
    mike667grace Posts: 36
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    Lots of great advice in these groups:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/771-women-strength-training

    Stronglifts and NROL4W are both beginners programs.

    Stronglifts is available free online, but the literature on the website can seem geared more towards men. The sticky in the group explains it much better than the actual site. It's really basic and simple... you do bench press, rows and squats in one workout, and overhead press, deadlifts and squats in the other workout. You alternate the workouts, and do them three days a week, adding more weight each time when/if you can.

    New Rules is book that will also explain the benefits of lifting and (I believe) proper nutrition while lifting, as well as a program. I haven't read the book or done the plan, but it's a more complex than Stronglifts.

    Lorina has it right.
    My wife does kettle-bell and dumbbell stuff, but i personally have my own strategy i call "Envelopment" which i wrote about on a blog here on MFP
    I'm down 13 lbs in 4 weeks thanks to the weights AND the cardio and the idea i wrote about. :smile:

    You have to trust your instincts and work with what feels good, what makes you happy to do. If you follow your bliss in your workout, it will just radiate out into the rest of your life (smiling)
  • beckieboomoo
    beckieboomoo Posts: 590 Member
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    thankyou guys! you all have been really helpful :) so i will get some of my 30 day shred done then add some lifting! My dad is going to start lifting again, so i will have your support on here and my dads in person :)

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