Women Lifters? Ewwww...

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marjen002
marjen002 Posts: 112
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, DEFINITELY kidding. But I posted this an hour ago and got no hits. Sorry to mislead! :blushing:

I would like some advice from experienced weight lifters, men and women, please.

I usually strength train at home 3 days per week. I also do either a ballet (barre & dancing) workout, Zumba or Yoga/Pilates another 2-3 times per week. Eventually I would like to start lifting heavy but for now I can't go to a gym. Instead I have been progressively increasing the amount of weights I use...I started with 5 lb dumbbells about 5 weeks ago (sad, I know) and have gradually increased (I will now be at 10 lb dumbbells). I have been losing inches since starting this routine but want to make sure I am doing as much as possible to maximize my workout and continue to get stronger and leaner (and eventually do some serious lifting!).

Below is a list of the exercises I do. I usually start at about 10 reps and once it gets easier I increase to 12 reps before increasing the weight again.

1. Front Squats (Warm-up)
2. Alternating Side Lunges (Warm-up)
3. Squats with Front Raises
4. Bent Over Rows
5. Pushups
6. Squats with Shoulder Presses
7. Straight Arm Plank
8. Hammer Curls with Narrow Presses
9. Squats with Bicep Curls
10. Seated Rows
11. Squats with Overhead Triceps
12. Bent Over Flys
13. Hammer Curls
14. Shoulder Presses
15. Squats with Lateral Raises
16. Pushups from Knees
17. Bent Arm Side Planks
18. Squats with Calf Raises

Cool Down & Stretch: (Crunch with Punches, Reverse Crunches & Different Stretches)

Thanks! :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • skierxjes
    skierxjes Posts: 938 Member
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    Do you do ALL of that in one workout?

    ETA: When I'm lifting, I devote one day to upper body and the next to lower. I feel like I get a better workout and I'm not totally drained the next day.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    This isn;'t really strength training, more circuit training or 'cardio with weights', which is fine as a CV work out.

    There are a ton of exercises there, how many sets are you doing on each one?

    I would ditch some of the isolations like the bicep curls, lateral raises and especially front raises.

    Spend more time on golbet squats, clean and press, snatch, rear foot elevated split squat etc
  • marjen002
    marjen002 Posts: 112
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    Yes...it usually takes 30-35 mins and I burn about 300 cals.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Personally, the routine seems like quite a lot. You might be better off just incorporating the basic "lift heavy" type routines, which can still be done in your own home, even though maybe not as well as in the gym.

    One thing I noticed was there was a lot of squats, I'd stick to trad. back squats, maybe include front as well if you wish, but I wouldn't advise squats with curls, or squats with tricep stuff. Just concentrate one at a time and you're more likely to reach your full potential for that muscle group (we are stronger with legs than arms, naturally)

    The basic lifts I would include would be squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, rows, pull ups/chin ups... Aside from the pull ups, you can do all these with dumbells if you wish instead of barbells (may be easier if you're at home) and also, I would lower the reps to around 6-8 instead of 10-12. Just a personal preference but I find it so much better for me in gaining strength especially, and looking better!

    ETA: If you can do all those in one session in around 30-35 mins, I would agree with a previous poster about it being more like circuit training. It has it's uses, but it's quite different.
  • marjen002
    marjen002 Posts: 112
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    This isn;'t really strength training, more circuit training or 'cardio with weights', which is fine as a CV work out.

    There are a ton of exercises there, how many sets are you doing on each one?

    I would ditch some of the isolations like the bicep curls, lateral raises and especially front raises.

    Spend more time on golbet squats, clean and press, snatch, rear foot elevated split squat etc

    Will definitely look into those, thanks!
  • SilentJo
    SilentJo Posts: 66
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    I've been wanting to get back into weight lifting as well (I took it in high school and LOVED it), I'm not sure what half of those exercises you listed are though, lol. But from my class I remember us starting out doing 10 reps of a low weight, then increasing by about 10lbs and going to 8 reps, then add more and go to 6 reps, etc... We also alternated doing upper and lower body exercises too. I wish I had been given back the journal we were required to keep up with all the exercises and weight/reps we did. It would be a big help to get me started back lifting again. I just acquired a bar and about 70lbs of weights, now all I need is a bench and a few more weights and some dumbbells and I'll be all set! Good luck finding more advice on this!

    jo
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    IMO what your doing isnt bad and if you enjoy it, keep doing it i would just maybe take one or two movements for each body part and make it into 3 or 4 different workouts, so they are all full body sessions, thats if youre training for strength. if you are training more for body sculpting, then isolating body parts through the week is a good idea. ie, upper body, lower body, abs or even more specific then that, but then that usually requires more workout sessions which is usually cancelled out by the extra recovry for each muscle, but if you enjoy lots of cardio this could pose a problem so plan carefully!!
  • hannahamay
    hannahamay Posts: 77 Member
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    What I find more useful is doing a different muscle group each day. For instance, Mondays I work my hamstrings and glutes, Tuesdays I rest, Wednesday I work arms/back,Thursday I do my abs and cardio, Friday is the front of my legs, Saturday is purely abs, and Sunday I rest. Your routine seems like a lot for one day, especially if you're doing more than one set of each work out. My work-outs are usually around 30 minutes to an hour and I like it because I can focus just one one muscle group instead of everything at once.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    shortening the routine and lifting significantly heavier weights would be more beneficial IMO.
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    also if you are training for strength, reduce reps to 6-8 and increase weight til you are struggling at the last 1 or 2 reps. training for strength wont change your body results but some people find it easier to get the results they want in that area with isolation.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    and

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/119-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w-

    or

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/771-women-strength-training
  • ltkasmala
    ltkasmala Posts: 109 Member
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    I agree with the people saying to do upper body one day, then lower body the next. I do it this way but I do multiple reps per exercise and increase the weight once it starts getting too light (usually start with 8 reps then at 15 move up in weight). Yes, I work out on machines. I think, however, even circuits in the gym that work both upper and lower body together only use 10-15 different exercises as the theory is to do about a minute with as many reps as you can then break for 30 seconds and move to the next exercise.
  • nickwylie
    nickwylie Posts: 35
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    Ok, the golden rule of thumb is that if you are working at 70% you are maintaining.

    Higher the weight, the lower the reps (like a pyramid)

    So, 2 x 10 on lower weight, 3 x 6 on higher weight, working up to 1x2 or even 1x1

    Are you talking about lifting weights or Olympic Weightlifting? (Snatch, clean and jerk) Weightlifting has entirely different exercises to work your main muscle groups - I can help you with that as I did that as my sport for many years. Lifting weights, then others on here will be better :o)
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
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    Congratulations on your success so far.

    I agree with Heidi.

    You clearly understand "progressive overload," which is terrific; that's how you realize strength and aesthetic gains. You're also working in the right rep range to achieve those goals.

    It's my view that 5 - 12 is a good rep range for maximizing strength and aesthetics. When you can easily do 12 reps with a given weight, increase the weight so that you are challenged when doing 5 reps, and continually repeat this cycle.

    As for exercises, it's my opinion that you'd do well to focus on the major lifts: deadlift, squat, bench press, overhead press, and rows; additionally, pull-ups and dips are tremendous exercises. If all you did was these 7 exercises, incorporating progressive overload, it's highly probable that you'll get the results you're seeking.

    Best wishes to you.
  • MMarvelous
    MMarvelous Posts: 1,067 Member
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    Bump
  • jenstanley13
    jenstanley13 Posts: 194 Member
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    bump to read later
  • TravisBurns
    TravisBurns Posts: 354 Member
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    I've seen women do some very weird lifting workouts in my gym. Just dont do anything like this and I think you're good lol.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxn0BYvIthI
  • jcr85
    jcr85 Posts: 229
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    What I find more useful is doing a different muscle group each day. For instance, Mondays I work my hamstrings and glutes, Tuesdays I rest, Wednesday I work arms/back,Thursday I do my abs and cardio, Friday is the front of my legs, Saturday is purely abs, and Sunday I rest. Your routine seems like a lot for one day, especially if you're doing more than one set of each work out. My work-outs are usually around 30 minutes to an hour and I like it because I can focus just one one muscle group instead of everything at once.

    Two days of legs and none of chest?
  • TripleJ3
    TripleJ3 Posts: 945 Member
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    You could try this routine. Its what I started with and still use:

    http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html?page=2

    I started with a $20 set of hand weights (bars, plates and clips) and just add new plates as I need them.
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
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    Bump

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