When to start lifting heavy?

Loftearmen

There are also good circuit training sets out there to help you use body weight to begin training your body to handle weight. I've done some circuit training, some 30DS, some barbells, and now, moving onto some sandbags to try out "compound lifts" at home.

The benefit to circuit training was that I could get in cardio and strength without compromising either. A stronger VO2 Max also benefitted running, so does HIIT training.

On the downside, I find that with weight training, I am too sore or tired to run, but it does help with body shaping.

So, it may depend on your season and personal priorities somewhat. Great thread, and great question! I'm still working on my personal trial and error to figure out what works for me.

^This is the kind of mentality you want to stay away from. You need to find a specific physical adaptation that you are trying to solicit and train appropriately for that adaptation. What you don't want to do is float around and try a bunch of different things without adhering to them for long enough of a period of time that you are able to reap the benefits of it.

jzammetti

NOW.

My biggest regret was not starting to lift when i started losing the weight.

Me too!!

darwinwoodka

Start now. With a trainer if you can. Worth it.

wareagle8706

No time like the present.

taso42

Lifting heavy is relative. It usually means a routine centered around squat, deadlift, bench press, and overhed press. "Heavy" would be a weight that you can only lift about 4-8 times with good form.

Look into Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5x5.

edit: grammar

adamsilva

Now and your food scenario IIFYM

Danny_Boy13

Check out Starting Strength or Strong Lifts 5x5. Both are excellent beginner programs. They both have you start at a do-able weight and you progress from there.

limetree683

Thanks for all the input guys!

I definitely want to be lifting weights to maximise fat loss and get some upper body strength (always difficult for girls, I think). But I also know what I am like with exercise - I am built for comfort, not for speed. I tend to take it slow, form good habits and keep it up in the long run; if I push myself too hard I take ages to recover, fail, lose motivation and what have you.

So currently my plan is this - keep the running up (I'm using c25k), and instead of dumbells, I was thinking of including weight machines and more body weight exercises. So a typical workout would go:

Treadmill 30'
Squats with 5kg dumbell
Leg adduction/abduction
Leg Press
Lateral Pull Down
Dumbell Row with 5kg
Abs
Plank
Pushups

On upper body days, I will use the machines for chest presses, bicep curls, shoulder presses, again using progressive loading.

Squats I am very weak at atm anyhow, so going to keep those at 5kg for now and focus on completing 3 sets of 12 every other day. But the weight machines such as adductors/abductors, leg press and pull down, I was thinking of loading up the weights heavier and using the linear progression method to give me a flavor of what to expect when I get into the weights room (hopefully with a friend who knows his way around). It's just a bit daunting being the only girl in there! My friend has agreed to help out but he's not back from a work placement abroad from August/Sept, so it would have to be then.

Then there's also the option of taking body pump classes til August. I've done them before and loved them, they really shaped my body up. Should I do them in addition to my workouts or use them to replace my weight training??

Does this plan sound useful at all? I am raring to go with weights, but I'm a bit hesitant about going it alone at first!

@loftearman - thanks for the basic workout, that's really handy! Will give it a go as soon as I can.

taso42

Does this plan sound useful at all?

Not really.

limetree683

^About as useful as your post?

taso42

^ No, worse actually. My post was useful, whereas your proposed routine is useless, and absurd as it follows several good replies which you appear to not have read or comprehended.

ahmadfahmy

If you want to lose bodyfat you need to diet..no exercise required (although it will speed up the process)

Lupercalia

Using weight machines, even with "heavier" weights doesn't compare or translate to compound lifts with a barbell and plates. If you want to lift heavy, just do it properly--no need to be scared and hang around on machines and squat with 5 kg dumbbells. I can pretty much guarantee you can (and should) squat with more than 5 kgs.

It's kind of annoying when one solicits advice from the forums regarding heavy lifting and then brushes everything aside and decides to instead do his/her noobtastic version of "heavy lifting".

You had a lot of great replies that were right on.

Being "the only girl" is a really lame excuse. I'm usually the only woman in the free weights section on any given day. NOBODY CARES! I don't care, the guys don't care. We all lift weights and mind our own business for the most part. There isn't anything weird about being a woman lifting weights. Get over it and go lift.

limetree683

^ No, worse actually. My post was useful, whereas your proposed routine is useless, and absurd as it follows several good replies which you appear to not have read or comprehended.

Not true. Your post would have been useful if you had bothered to point out how/why I was wrong. I am new to this and trying to make the best of the situation I find myself in. Most of the replies merely urged me to start lifting. I comprehended that just fine, and I agree with them - I want to start lifting too. But for an unfit person to start lifting with absolutely no prior experience or access to a trainer til August doesn't seem that great an idea, so I came up with an interim plan to put in place til then. I just wanted to know if that plan would be at all useful in acclimatising myself to the realities of lifting properly when I got the opportunity. Maybe you didn't read or comprehend my post.

@Lupercalia - thanks for explaining the difference between the way machines work and the way free weights work, I wasn't sure what the respective benefits of each was. I'm not brushing anyone's advice aside though, and my 'noobtastic idea of what heavy lifting is' is in no way a long term plan, just something to try for a couple of months until someone who can help me is available.I stated this clearly in my post and it seems pretty obvious to me that I do not consider this to be heavy lifting, but a way to try out these new things. I wanted to know if people do use progressive loading on machines or if it's just for free weights. Also, it's not that it's weird that I will be the only girl there - but the only one who literally has no idea to use any of the equipment. Basic safety, form, or using the equipment is something I know nothing about.

medic2038

^ No, worse actually. My post was useful, whereas your proposed routine is useless, and absurd as it follows several good replies which you appear to not have read or comprehended.

Not true. Your post would have been useful if you had bothered to point out how/why I was wrong. I am new to this and trying to make the best of the situation I find myself in. Most of the replies merely urged me to start lifting. I comprehended that just fine, and I agree with them - I want to start lifting too. But for an unfit person to start lifting with absolutely no prior experience or access to a trainer til August doesn't seem that great an idea, so I came up with an interim plan to put in place til then. I just wanted to know if that plan would be at all useful in acclimatising myself to the realities of lifting properly when I got the opportunity. Maybe you didn't read or comprehend my post.

@Lupercalia - thanks for explaining the difference between the way machines work and the way free weights work, I wasn't sure what the respective benefits of each was. I'm not brushing anyone's advice aside though, and my 'noobtastic idea of what heavy lifting is' is in no way a long term plan, just something to try for a couple of months until someone who can help me is available.I stated this clearly in my post and it seems pretty obvious to me that I do not consider this to be heavy lifting, but a way to try out these new things. I wanted to know if people do use progressive loading on machines or if it's just for free weights. Also, it's not that it's weird that I will be the only girl there - but the only one who literally has no idea to use any of the equipment. Basic safety, form, or using the equipment is something I know nothing about.

Lime, that's what they were trying to tell you though.
Lifting 5kg over several months isn't doing diddly squat for you. You want to progressively increase your weight to "find the right spot" for your lifts. "The right spot" is where you're struggling to finish, with proper form, on your last set of reps.

Personally I stay away from machines for a variety of reasons (like some other mentioned). Most machines don't have a natural ROM, and are more iso exercises. Most of the freeweight exercises people are recommending are compound (IE take multiple muscle groups).

If you have to watch some vids on youtube, read about technique. My own personal advice is go find someone local (not one of the commissioned commercial gym trainers) that is some type of pro lifter. I found Ryan Celli (near Pittsburgh) who trained me for a week to "clean up" my techniques. We both knew EXACTLY what the arrangement was, and it was probably cheaper then any trainers at my gym. I got around 5 hours of instruction (along with videos of my "before and after" lifts, additions to my routine, and some advice for my diet) for around 200 bucks.

Lupercalia

I agree with Taso in that it isn't a useful plan in terms of what you stated you wanted to do, which was to lift heavy. You really want to avoid the machines because they isolate muscles and are nothing like barbell training. When you're doing the lifts with a barbell, you will be forced to use all sorts of muscles to stabilise and balance and move the weight. That is what you're missing with the machines. With free weights, you ARE the machine. That's what you want, to be the machine.

If you're looking for some sort of help as to how to execute the lifts, you might want to pick up a book or two. Starting Strength, by Mark Rippetoe is an excellent resource that goes into great detail to explain each of the big compound lifts and also has a very solid training plan.

If you want something more "girly", try The New Rules of Lifting for Women. There is an MFP group full of women who are using that book/program who are very enthusiastic and helpful.

There's also a great group of MFP women working on Stronglifts 5 x 5, which is another compound lifting program. Stronglifts is all online and FREE. There's also a free phone app to help with tracking and such.

As for trainers, they can be a bit hit or miss. Some are wonderful, others not so much. The trainers in my chain gym don't know *kitten* about lifting, for instance. They do not instruct their "clients" properly in safe lifting techniques, and certainly not for compound lifts. I would never recommend anyone hire them to learn to lift.

If you know/can find an actual strength coach, that is best. Otherwise, you're probably better off reading books and articles, watching tons of good videos, and asking many questions...then, try a lift. Make a video and upload it to ask for help from someone who has a bit of experience with lifting.

I was lifting when I weighed 95 kg, and I'm a few cm shorter than you. There is no reason your weight or your fitness (or lack thereof) should stop you.

Lupercalia

^ No, worse actually. My post was useful, whereas your proposed routine is useless, and absurd as it follows several good replies which you appear to not have read or comprehended.

Not true. Your post would have been useful if you had bothered to point out how/why I was wrong. I am new to this and trying to make the best of the situation I find myself in. Most of the replies merely urged me to start lifting. I comprehended that just fine, and I agree with them - I want to start lifting too. But for an unfit person to start lifting with absolutely no prior experience or access to a trainer til August doesn't seem that great an idea, so I came up with an interim plan to put in place til then. I just wanted to know if that plan would be at all useful in acclimatising myself to the realities of lifting properly when I got the opportunity. Maybe you didn't read or comprehend my post.

@Lupercalia - thanks for explaining the difference between the way machines work and the way free weights work, I wasn't sure what the respective benefits of each was. I'm not brushing anyone's advice aside though, and my 'noobtastic idea of what heavy lifting is' is in no way a long term plan, just something to try for a couple of months until someone who can help me is available.I stated this clearly in my post and it seems pretty obvious to me that I do not consider this to be heavy lifting, but a way to try out these new things. I wanted to know if people do use progressive loading on machines or if it's just for free weights. Also, it's not that it's weird that I will be the only girl there - but the only one who literally has no idea to use any of the equipment. Basic safety, form, or using the equipment is something I know nothing about.

Lime, that's what they were trying to tell you though.
Lifting 5kg over several months isn't doing diddly squat for you. You want to progressively increase your weight to "find the right spot" for your lifts. "The right spot" is where you're struggling to finish, with proper form, on your last set of reps.

Personally I stay away from machines for a variety of reasons (like some other mentioned). Most machines don't have a natural ROM, and are more iso exercises. Most of the freeweight exercises people are recommending are compound (IE take multiple muscle groups).

If you have to watch some vids on youtube, read about technique. My own personal advice is go find someone local (not one of the commissioned commercial gym trainers) that is some type of pro lifter. I found Ryan Celli (near Pittsburgh) who trained me for a week to "clean up" my techniques. We both knew EXACTLY what the arrangement was, and it was probably cheaper then any trainers at my gym. I got around 5 hours of instruction (along with videos of my "before and after" lifts, additions to my routine, and some advice for my diet) for around 200 bucks.

Excellent advice. :flowerforyou:

dixiewhiskey

Start lifting immediately. I don't like the lifting machines myself, I use free weights, barbells, large lb dumbbells (I mean the ones over 15lbs each). I would do reading up on weight lifting for women, forego hiring a trainer.. super expensive and not all of them really truly know proper technique.

Your BF reduction goal for 10 months is more than reasonable (I actually think you can do it sooner than that but slow and steady wins forever). You CAN do this.. I remember being afraid of the lifting area at the Y which happens to be male dominated but I just got in there and did my thing. No one is watching, everyone is watching themselves.

cwolfman13

Several people mentioned Starting Strength...it is an excellent program for beginners. You want to focus on a full body, compound lifting program that is progressive in nature at this point if you want to actually benefit. This is why others have stated that your proposed routine is pretty much useless.

look at Starting Strength, New Rules of Lifting for Women, Strong Lifts, etc. If you truly want benefits do an actual program that is tried and true in getting results. You don't know enough to make up your own routine as admittedly, you are new to this.

Cockney365

I'm 5'7 and 179lbs, BF% of around 35% estimated from various calculators. I too recently made the move from cardio heavy with a bit of lifting, to making it a bit more even. I also was confused about machines, free weights, what programme to follow, how much food to eat, etc etc. You kind of do have to experiment to see what works for you, at least to start with. At the beginning I was on 1200 calories a day, loads of cardio, lost 17lbs (probably all lean body mass, or LBM in case you are wondering what that acronym stood for - I know I did when I started reading these posts). That stalled, so after a bit more reading I stumbled across the less cardio/more lifting/more calories school of thought, and decided to give it a go as I want to lose fat, keep or increase my LBM eventually and not worry too much about what the scale says. I've been doing it for about a month now and I think I am getting to find what works for me. My first goal was to drop 39lbs (to get me to my ideal BMI) but now it is more about decreasing my BF% to around 20-25% in the long term, and looking better than I do now, regardless of what the scale shows.

There are so many programmes out there to follow, I didn't know where to start, so found this one from bodybuilding.com (from a link on another post, somewhere). It's straightforward, mixes up cardio and lifting, has compound and machine weights and you don't have to go and buy a book to do it, which I like. The link is http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/female-20to39-fat-loss/training. It has videos of all the moves so you can check what it's supposed to look like before you stumble in and get it wrong, which can be embarrassing and painful! Great tip from everyone on here is checking out You Tube, Fitness Blender etc for different moves and if you find you really can't do a particular exercise (there is one freehand jumping squat that I'm not about to do in a gym full of people), then find another exercise you can do which works the same muscles. Compound moves are great as you use several muscles at once and it makes the whole workout much more difficult and worth it! I'll keep on working with this programme and adapt it as I go along, adding more weights when it's getting too easy. You'll be surprised how quickly you progress when you really put your mind to it! My legs are pretty strong anyway but my arms are, quite frankly, pathetic in comparison, so I really want to improve their shape, size and strength.

It CAN be pretty intimidating when you first wander into the men's department (sorry, weights section) but seriously, once you go in, pick up a few weights and get on with it, they don't really pay too much attention, they are too busy doing their own thing. And if they think 'What's SHE doing in here?' then let them think it, don't worry about it. You are on the way to a new, healthier you, so focus on that and you'll be right as rain

No doubt someone will pick me up on something I have said wrong and that's fine, I am no expert. Just letting you know what works for me at the moment and hopefully will continue to work for me until I reach my goal. Good luck with lifting (start NOW!)