Lifting to burn calories

lol yes im also familiar with that. but i dont want to build huge muscles

you're not going to build huge muscles

i know nobody on the internet is going to convince you of that

but you're not going to build huge muscles

lol yes im also familiar with that. but i dont want to build huge muscles

dont worry about that. it takes YEARS of training and proper eating ( eating above your TDEE ) to build huge muscles, even if you were that body type that gained muscle easily, it would still take years of training to get huge. so it's not like one day you go to sleep fat and mushy and then wake up the next day BAM looking all hard and cut like Ms. universe. that look doesnt exactly happen on accident. :laugh:
just lift weights and eat at a surplus and you'll be fine.

as for programs, look into New rules of lifting for women, stronglifts 5x5, and starting strength. all are excellent programs that focus on compound movements that will build strength and help you preserve as much muscle as possible while you lose weight

bumping to read again tomorrow. i knew there were a few books i needed for my birthday and the new rules....is def on my list now!

what do you mean what forms of lifting? i'm only familiar with one form : move a weight, put it down, move it again, repeat

What is this picking up of things and putting down of things you speak of? The moving of weights? I have never heard of such things. Explain this witchcraft, woman!

what do you mean what forms of lifting? i'm only familiar with one form : move a weight, put it down, move it again, repeat

What is this picking up of things and putting down of things you speak of? The moving of weights? I have never heard of such things. Explain this witchcraft, woman!

Completely off topic, but that little girl in your profile (Daughter?) is ADORABLE. Do NOT put her down, as I will pick her up and put her in my pocket.

I fully agree with those who've posted that large muscles don't appear suddenly, especially for women. Men's naturally higher testosterone levels encourage larger muscle mass on top of their having approximately 30% more naturally than women. Of course, exceptions always apply, I'm just trying to point out that as a woman, you would have to work far harder than the most buff guy in the gym (and for far longer) to ever approach that "musclebound" approach you're concerned with.

That said, I'll point out a few advantages to "strength training" (look it up on Wikipedia, it's distinct from weight lifting or bodybuilding).

Tom Venuto, a personal trainer for 30yrs to athletes as well as the rest of us, has written a book entitled "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" (easily found online as a pdf doc) that gives you some basic rules of thumb in strength training:

*6-12 reps, 2-3 sets
*2 lower body days, 3 upper
*core work can be done daily
*not to exceed 1hr of strength training daily

He makes an excellent point about strength training as an ADDITION to regular cardiovascular exercises: namely, that a pound of fat at rest burns almost nothing, while a pound of muscle at rest (that is, while doing nothing) can burn hundreds of calories. It's one of the fastest ways to raise your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, which is how quickly you burn through calories).

Of course, cardio is absolutely vital (30 mins 5x/week at target heart rate), but keep in mind it only temporarily raises your metabolism, while increased muscle mass uses more calories at a constant rate, day or night.

You can't have one without the other. As a man I do 1hr of strength training, 15mins of core work, and 30mins on the treadmill. I've broken down the major muscle groups into 3 upper body routines and 2 lower, doing the lower on Mondays and Fridays so I have the weekend to recover from them (as well as 3 days in the middle).

Venuto's book can easily help you find a routine that works for you and meets your goals, as well as any number of places online. Look out for anything promising you great results but little work, and stick with sites that make clear just how much work is required to see progress.

Oh, and Venuto's book's greatest selling point for me was that he advocates no weight loss products or exercise devices, just plain ol' common sense and elbow grease. Other sites I'm sure do this, so just look for that kind of thing to determine your routines.

At least now however, you have a sense of what a sensible long-term strategy might look like.

Hope that helps!

what do you mean what forms of lifting? i'm only familiar with one form : move a weight, put it down, move it again, repeat

What is this picking up of things and putting down of things you speak of? The moving of weights? I have never heard of such things. Explain this witchcraft, woman!

Completely off topic, but that little girl in your profile (Daughter?) is ADORABLE. Do NOT put her down, as I will pick her up and put her in my pocket.

somebody call the cops on these maniacs before talking about it just doesn't cut it anymore and they move on to ACTUALLY kidnapping ACTUAL children.

I'm only one maniac, don't paint everyone else with the same brush you paint me. :laugh:

It is not the liftning that burns calories it is the muscles you gain that burns calories in the long run.

This is debateable. You do burn calories while lifting, although not as many as it feels you should be burning. Building muscle on average only adds ~50 cals to your TDEE I've read.