"Lifting Weights Is The BEST THING You Can Do"

Cardio made me flabby. Strength training changed my body completely.

This. An important aspect, though, is the type of lifting you do. These days, it's been pretty well established that multiple joint weight lifting (squats, deadlifts, etc. - pretty much the Olympic and power lifting exercises) have the most positive impact. Start low, start slow, and grow. (And yes, lose fat.) It's ok to do some isolation exercises, but as a foundation, do the bigger body movements to establish a more complete body improvement in all around strength. And keep stretching.

Ok, I'm done.

So what should I be doing? What kind of weights? Should I use machines? Should I use free weights? What is the best plan or routine to follow? I would like to start lifting. I do some machines, but I feel I get nowhere. I probably am not doing it right. By that I mean not lifting enough or reps or something of the sort.

I am a type of girl that needs to follow a plan. Are there any apps, websites or books to follow from?

Starting Strength...simple straightforward...build your strength gradually
New Rules of Lifting for Women...a good read...excellent program...more complicated than the above but well worth doing.

Starting Strength - completely agree. Great book.

I'm gonna start lifting when my trainer feels better.

Obviously, I am the only one who caught this!! :noway:

WAIT..........WHAT????????

Really????

The more muscle your body has, the more energy it needs to sustain it therefore the more calories your body has to burn. I have recently started using a bit of weight and have seen changes which i never saw doing cardio alone. I wouldn't say don't do cardio, just do weights cos cardio is- as the name suggests- good for your heart. Do both.

When I started running the weight really came off. Weights are something I do a couple times a week because it is important to work the muscles in different ways and obviously when I run my lower half benefits much more than my upper half. I had a program put together by a trainer at the gym and every few months we change it up. Lifting is not my favorite thing to do but it is necessary to keep me strong so I can run farther and faster

It is one of the best things you can do, DEPENDING on what your goal is. If its to get stronger and leaner it will absolutely help and is essentially imperative to reach these goals. On the other hand, like, one of the other posts indicated... A WELL ROUNDED fitness plan and healthy diet/sound nutrition is KEY, making sure your macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) are well proportioned and making healthier choices.

For lifintg: Develop a sound yet challenging strength training program...switch it up every 4-8 weeks so your body doesn't get used to the same old routine, and trust me, it will. I have had various periods in my life where I have lifted before and not lifted. The times I lift I feel stronger, tighter, healthier and more confident! Not to mention I loose inches, not necessarily pounds. I believe my beginning to lift weights this time around helped me go from a size 10-12 to a size 8. I know I would not have the muscle definition I do now without lifting the way I do.

Muscle, btw, increases your metabloic burn over a 24 hours period where as cardio only burns the calories for the time you put in and a few hours after. So while it may LOOK like you're getting a better burn with cardio you may not be. Just so you know, for eery pound of muscle you gain you burn an average of 50 extra calories a day! That's pretty awesome, if you ask me. As we age, our muscle mass declines and thus our metabolism slows. That's part of the reason why people, especially woman who start out biologically with less muscle, tend to put on weight as they age and say its harder to loose.

The sooner you start lifitng the better, IMHO. If you have a high level of fat to loose, building muscle at the same time as loosing fat may slow your number on the scale BUT one of the benefits will be helping to offset any loose and sagging skin that results often times when just loosing fat without building as it helps build a better base below your skins surface to keep you from"deflated" look.
I could go on and on about all the positives of lifting. Know this... If I am short on time and I have to choose between lifting and cardio, WEIGHTS always win!

I'm gonna start lifting when my trainer feels better.

Obviously, I am the only one who caught this!! :noway:

WAIT..........WHAT????????

Really????

Makes sense.

if you have never lifted before, a trainer is the perfect person to teach you the lifts and proper form.

You can watch all the videos you want, but until you have someone there correcting you as you go, you could get injured.

That is what someone at the gym told me yesterday. She was telling how she exercised for 2 years and saw NOTHING and then when she started lifting, the weight melted off. Had anyone else had these kind of "transformations"? I'm gonna start lifting when my trainer feels better.

No melting. No incredible transformations.

I'm stronger. I'm firmer. I'm healthier. But these are all more subtle changes, imo.

Cardio only people don't like to hear it, but you can lose fat weight with just lifting alone, a moderate calorie deficit, and no cardio. Have had lots of clients do it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

You can also lose fat by doing nothing at all. This doesn't mean its healthy and balanced. We are doing the readers a disservice here. I think we need to be promoting strength (lifting), flexibility (stretching) and cardiovascular fitness so that our fitness level is well rounded. You won't see a soldier training program or football training program only doing strength training.

Yes!! Lifting transforms your body!! I am living proof and I LOVE IT!! I don't have gym membership but use dumbbells. All of a sudden I started getting really nice arms (which I have NEVER had) and I find it almost therapeutic!!! :smokin:

I too dont have gym membership, what size dumbbells do you use and which program do you follow? I'm so ready to start lifting.

I cannot agree enough with that statement.

That is exactly what happened to me. And chronic cardio just made me crave sweets.... then hate myself.

Weightlifting has not only changed my body, but changed my mind. It has helped me feel powerful.

I wish more women would find their own power under the barbell.

ETA: Don't get me wrong, I LOVE running! Love it. But it is not the best tool if you want a strong powerful body. It is only one small tool. Not the ONLY tool.

Agree!!! 4-sure! Weightlifting has transformed my body and mindset! And above poster-Great strong back !:-)on your pic.

Thank you!

So what should I be doing? What kind of weights? Should I use machines? Should I use free weights? What is the best plan or routine to follow? I would like to start lifting. I do some machines, but I feel I get nowhere. I probably am not doing it right. By that I mean not lifting enough or reps or something of the sort.

I am a type of girl that needs to follow a plan. Are there any apps, websites or books to follow from?

The other suggestions you have received are great ones, I'll also add to the list Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer. You can find it here :
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html
It is a 12 week training and eating plan. Even if you don't follow the diet plan, it is a great introduction into weights. You start with some basics at lower weight ranges the first two weeks, then hit it harder the following 2 weeks, and then things get all crazy in the 2nd and 3rd month. It lays out for you EXACTLY what exercises to do--although you need a gym to follow this plan. I had been lifting pretty heavy before starting this plan, and I still like it...I have head New Rules is pretty good also though Have fun!

I agree to a point. Love lifting and it has changed my body for the better but I still do cardio because I want to be able to keep up with my kids and well not get winded just walking up a few flights of stairs kwim. I find it super funny seeing these big ripped guys at the gym that can dead lift so much but have to take a rest going up the 3floors of stairs to get to the track so IMO do both

Do what you enjoy!

After running for 2 years I am finally getting the bug for doing other things ... I have lost a lot of weight and feel strong in many ways (including my lower body obviously), but clearly I could benefit from strength training.

Calories in, Calories out. However things like HIIT, and I'm sure lifting and the way you can do circuit training and help boost your metabolism ... so calories in/out is not limited to what you do during that hour, but also what your body is doing afterwards (with a raised metabolism) ...

Don't let anyone push you in a direction that you don't enjoy though, as it's what you enjoy that turns into what you do regularly ... like I said, I went from the couch (literally) to running (and I love it) ... and now want to tone up a bit ... I lost a lot doing cardio, and I'm sure I would have lost a lot lifting (both managing your caloric intake however, obviously) ...

HOWEVER ... lifting and lifting to lose weight are also different ... I push my body hard in cardio ... if you think you are going to lose as much "lifting casually" I would tend to disagree ... serious exercise will get serious results, and you can do that in many ways.

So what should I be doing? What kind of weights? Should I use machines? Should I use free weights? What is the best plan or routine to follow? I would like to start lifting. I do some machines, but I feel I get nowhere. I probably am not doing it right. By that I mean not lifting enough or reps or something of the sort.

I am a type of girl that needs to follow a plan. Are there any apps, websites or books to follow from?

A lot of people will suggest programs with compound lifts such as deadlifts, benchpress, squats -- and they are correct. that's what my program started with & i've added in some other lifts in addition to it, just b/c i like them. I'd start with some kind of program that builds weight & decreases reps.

I found my program by just googling beginner strength training & it is 12 wks long, 8-12 reps for 4 wks, 6-8 for 4 wks then 4-6 for 4 wks.

When i'm done I plan on basically starting over at higher weight. "Wash.Rinse.Repeat" kinda method