Lifting for women

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  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Just be careful not to eat over 60 grams of protein a day, or you'll look like the she-hulk in a couple of weeks.

    Yeah, like me. :tongue:
    I have my macros set for carbs 40%, protein 30%, fat 30%. I almost reach my protein goal,but I do normally eat over 100g per day.
    I agree with everyone that heavier weights with less reps is the way to go.
  • rachelrb85
    rachelrb85 Posts: 579 Member
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    I'd go heavy/low reps. You're not gonna bulk, women don't have the testosterone for that.

    Great inspiration here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/709987-how-wrong-i-was-600-days-of-mfp-lotsa-pics

    *smooch*

    And after about a year of lifting with machines, this is what just 2 months of free weights did: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/744311-free-weights-vs-machines-holy-crap

    I eat around 2000 calories a day and I'm still losing. I have to up my calories more.


    Another reason I am to use the machines is because the gym I belong to is part of the hospital in the community and when you sign up they give you an eval which tells you where you need to work, your %BF, etc. and you are supposed to go by their routine, so what it says on the stupid little card they give you, you're supposed to do everytime you go to the gym and in 6 months you have another evaluation. I absolutely HATE the machines, but they are there and I don't know the ways to do something for that muscle group without the machines. I'd much rather lift weights but I want to be doing the right form and I can't afford a personal trainer.

    If you hate the machines, why do you use them?? If you'd much rather lift weights, then go for it. I've never gotten a personal trainer, there's plenty of resources online. For example, I looked up the Body for Life weight training program and googled all the exercises. Between the photos and videos available on the internet, you'll nail the right form. Plus, if you are comfortable doing the exercise, you are probably doing the right form. It would be really uncomfortable if you are doing it wrong.
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
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    Did you not read it? I'm supposed to! The gym with the hospital is like nazis I'm not even kidding. Like the trainers walk around and ask how much you've done, look at your card and sometimes watch you do the machines. They're crazy but they're the only gym around here I can afford.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I eat back at least 1/2 my burned calories. So yesterday, my goal was 1200, I burned 642 at the gym and ate back 350 on top of my goal of 1200, so I ate 1550 for the day.. I refuse to eat if I'm not hungry and I refuse to not eat if I'm hungry.

    I don't see why you're so defensive to everything I post in an attempt to try to help you. Fact is you eat too little, lift too little, and I honestly doubt at the weight you're lifting and the rep count you're doing that you even have any muscle to show for it (what are you stats BTW?) No muscle = no tone. Also, I would bet the 642 calories you burned at the gym was mostly cardio in an attempt to lose weight, unless you're lifting weights heavy for an hour and half, which you say you don't do,as you listed your workout in your first post. All that's going to do is put you at a deficit that you don't need with your current calorie count. Again, more wheel spinning...

    It's very frustrating when you try to help people and they refuse to listen...
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I eat back at least 1/2 my burned calories. So yesterday, my goal was 1200, I burned 642 at the gym and ate back 350 on top of my goal of 1200, so I ate 1550 for the day.. I refuse to eat if I'm not hungry and I refuse to not eat if I'm hungry.

    so you net about 900 cals?

    you will struggle to get much 'toning' going on if your body is busy feeding off the muscle because you're not eating enough....
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
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    Just be careful not to eat over 60 grams of protein a day, or you'll look like the she-hulk in a couple of weeks.



    Anyway, you should ditch those accessories/machines for compound movements. Squat. Deadlift. Bench (real bench), overhead press... that kind of thing.

    The first part of this is wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. OP, you will not look like she-hulk unless you use steroids.

    The second part I agree with.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    Is it better for me to do lower weights and higher reps or higher weights and lower reps?

    Either will work but I think a higher weight with a lower rep range will given you more benefits which you can translate over to real life if that is all you intend to do.

    If you try a 12-15 0r 15 + rep range you must ensure that the last few reps are challenging and difficult to lift. What most people tend to do is keep they weight so light it essentially becomes a cardio workout.

    What happens when you mix low calories with lots of cardio in the absence of sufficient load? Muscle loss....
  • T34418l3angel
    T34418l3angel Posts: 474 Member
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    Lifting heavy will not make you bulky. Heavy weights at low reps to fail.
    You tone in the kitchen not the weight room, eat at a deficit.
    That being said, eat enough to fuel your work out, and definatey above your bmr. you are only losing muscle eating at like 900 calls but exercising off 1000+
    Protein repairs your muscles, not make you look "like she hulk".
    Don't listen to the people who don't lift, they have no clue what they are talking about.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
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    Did you not read it? I'm supposed to! The gym with the hospital is like nazis I'm not even kidding. Like the trainers walk around and ask how much you've done, look at your card and sometimes watch you do the machines. They're crazy but they're the only gym around here I can afford.

    A good resource for starting a lifting program is New Rules of Lifting For Women. The book is about $20 and changed my entire outlook on lifting. You could always approach one to those nazi trainer types and ask for help with your lifts when you do start doing proper lifts.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Did you not read it? I'm supposed to! The gym with the hospital is like nazis I'm not even kidding. Like the trainers walk around and ask how much you've done, look at your card and sometimes watch you do the machines. They're crazy but they're the only gym around here I can afford.

    You're the one paying them. Tell them to stuff it.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
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    Just be careful not to eat over 60 grams of protein a day, or you'll look like the she-hulk in a couple of weeks.

    I'm pretty sure this was supposed to be sarcasm!! :wink:

    If you can't do compound lifts because of your gym, make sure you are challenging yourself by your 8th rep. If you can do more than 8 reps at a weight, add more on. I used to do the 12 rep thing and never changed weight and never really got anywhere. Now I can push myself and test my limits and it is awesome!

    Don't worry, at the amount of food you are eating, you will not gain muscle. In fact, you are losing lean muscle as you are also losing fat at that rate. If you don't care to preserve that, that's your choice. But there is absolutely no way you will bulk up just by lifting heavier, women can only bulk if they are a) taking steroids and b) I guess they can look bulkier if they are eating to bulk (eating over TDEE) because they will be gaining muscle mass and not losing body fat, but those guys may eat 3000 calories a day, depending on their TDEE.

    Definitely check out LorinaLynn's results (links have already been posted), she is a great example! Also here is thedreamhazer: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/730898-why-you-should-pick-up-heavy-things

    and their are a ton of other beautiful ladies on here that have posted their success stories from picking up heavy things and putting them down! Good luck!
  • BradHallFitness
    BradHallFitness Posts: 152 Member
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    Lifting heavy will not make you bulky. Heavy weights at low reps to fail.
    You tone in the kitchen not the weight room, eat at a deficit.
    That being said, eat enough to fuel your work out, and definatey above your bmr. you are only losing muscle eating at like 900 calls but exercising off 1000+
    Protein repairs your muscles, not make you look "like she hulk".
    Don't listen to the people who don't lift, they have no clue what they are talking about.

    Angel is dead on. Also, the post saying if you eat over 60g of protein per day will make you look like "She-hulk" should be 100% ignored. Even if you are trying to tone you should be eating about .8-1.0 grams of protein per pound you weigh as an average.
  • lauracljc
    lauracljc Posts: 20
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    Absolutely not true....agreed! ...about the protein bulk
  • needernt
    needernt Posts: 675 Member
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    nice and clear excplained
  • Daisy80
    Daisy80 Posts: 755 Member
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    Please check out New Rules of Lifting as mentioned before. It includes all you need to know. It covers calories, why women do not bulk, why to lift heavy and more. It also includes a program for 6 months. I have been doing it for about 5 weeks and I loooooove it! I am feeling great, I am excited to go to the gym and I have already lost inches!

    I took the book to the gym with me and got a trainer to go through it with me.

    Or check out our group on here as a great source of information.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    Just be careful not to eat over 60 grams of protein a day, or you'll look like the she-hulk in a couple of weeks.



    Anyway, you should ditch those accessories/machines for compound movements. Squat. Deadlift. Bench (real bench), overhead press... that kind of thing.

    When your sarcasm becomes so advanced that some people think you are stupid ;)
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
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    Just be careful not to eat over 60 grams of protein a day, or you'll look like the she-hulk in a couple of weeks.



    Anyway, you should ditch those accessories/machines for compound movements. Squat. Deadlift. Bench (real bench), overhead press... that kind of thing.

    When your sarcasm becomes so advanced that some people think you are stupid ;)

    Stealth sarcasm for the win!
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    Did you not read it? I'm supposed to! The gym with the hospital is like nazis I'm not even kidding. Like the trainers walk around and ask how much you've done, look at your card and sometimes watch you do the machines. They're crazy but they're the only gym around here I can afford.

    You're the one paying them. Tell them to stuff it.

    ^^^^ This, seriously it's your money do what you want. Plus they clearly don't know *kitten* if they said you can tone muscle without gaining any.
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
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    I eat back at least 1/2 my burned calories. So yesterday, my goal was 1200, I burned 642 at the gym and ate back 350 on top of my goal of 1200, so I ate 1550 for the day.. I refuse to eat if I'm not hungry and I refuse to not eat if I'm hungry.

    I don't see why you're so defensive to everything I post in an attempt to try to help you. Fact is you eat too little, lift too little, and I honestly doubt at the weight you're lifting and the rep count you're doing that you even have any muscle to show for it (what are you stats BTW?) No muscle = no tone. Also, I would bet the 642 calories you burned at the gym was mostly cardio in an attempt to lose weight, unless you're lifting weights heavy for an hour and half, which you say you don't do,as you listed your workout in your first post. All that's going to do is put you at a deficit that you don't need with your current calorie count. Again, more wheel spinning...

    It's very frustrating when you try to help people and they refuse to listen...

    I'm not trying to be defensive, but you're telling me things that my doctor and nutritionist are telling me otherwise. I was put on a 1200 calorie diet by them, not just MFP. I'm lifting what the trainer told me but I don't feel like it's enough even though I do feel like jello when I leave. My stats? Uh....22, 5'4" currently 147 pounds, 34% BF. I do already have muscles, I'm rather athletic or I was before I gained a bunch of weight. I do more cardio than weights, but I wear a HRM while I'm doing both, that day, yesterday, I did 25 minutes treadmill and 15 minutes elliptical, the rest was lifting(and strength-non-lifting like planks) and I was there for 75 minutes
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
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    Is it better for me to do lower weights and higher reps or higher weights and lower reps?

    Either will work but I think a higher weight with a lower rep range will given you more benefits which you can translate over to real life if that is all you intend to do.

    If you try a 12-15 0r 15 + rep range you must ensure that the last few reps are challenging and difficult to lift. What most people tend to do is keep they weight so light it essentially becomes a cardio workout.

    What happens when you mix low calories with lots of cardio in the absence of sufficient load? Muscle loss....

    I'm really trying to find a protein powder I like so I can keep my protein up(which usually has a lot of calories in it too) and I always do sets until I can't, so yesterday on the chest machine, even though it's a machine and it's probably easier than working the muscles via weights, I did 20 and by the time I got to 17 I was shaking, so it was challenging.

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