Strength Training FRUSTRATION!!!!!!

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  • sarahbeanz
    sarahbeanz Posts: 8 Member
    If you want to have a toned body then weight training is a must. Infact with a careful diet and weight training 4 times you wont need to half as much cardio as you are doing.

    Your body will just get used to the cardio and you'll find you wont burn fat like you'd hope. I trained 4 times a week for the London Marathon and only lost half a stone!

    I took up weight training as my main fitness training and the results have been the best i've seen.

    Read this article below for why....

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/girls-get-your-guns-why-women-should-lift-weights.html

    As far as how to do it....there are lots of ideas on bodybuilding.com (don't be put off by the name of this website)
    Try the Jamie Eason Live fit
    here:

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

    but i still recommend you have one or two sessions with a personal trainer so you can have their guidance on good form. Tell them you are new to weight training and want to know basic skills...
  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
    It makes a big difference - last year I lost about 25 pounds and my body fat percentage only changed minimally - this year I have lost same (after gaining it back :) but this time I started strength training and I feel much stronger and leaner, and my body fat percentage has gone down - and there is more of a visible difference.

    Agree with other poster - I got a nutritionist and a trainer and that was invaluable for showing me a good routine, keeping me motivated.

    In the end it's about health - you don't "have" to do anything, but strength training doesn't have to be body building or building up - you may find it makes you more toned though.

    Good luck! Great you already have an exercise routine that you like.
  • Angie__1MR
    Angie__1MR Posts: 388 Member
    I know that muscle burns fat, but doesn't cardio do that too?

    Where would i even start with bodyweight exercises????
    Exercise is stressful to the body, ALL forms of exercise. The difference between just doing cardio and lifting weights is when you lift weights you produce testosterone. Testosterone blunts cortisol production. Too much cortisol production CAN lead to fat gain.

    When you lift weight you build lean muscle (with the correct amount of calories). Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat. That means your RMR or resting metabolic rate is increased. Hence you become a fat burning machine.

    DAMN dude!! Killer transformation!!!
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    I'm not working at the moment so i don't have money for personal trainers/big weights etc.

    Why is it so important? Its not really in my goals to look like a bodybuilder or a fitness model etc. I just want to be a bit more healthy. I don't really care about being super-strong (i've never been strong but i wouldn't say i'm super weak either) i'm relatively ok with my own level of strength. I thought cardio was the way forward for being healthy.....

    Are my resistance bands not enough?

    Lifting weights is good for you. Not just from a weight loss perspective. For general health and well being too. Lifting weights will increase bone mass and density (this is especially important while on a calorie deficit) which will help prevent against injury.

    "Muscle building and impact exercise strengthens bone by muscle and tendons impacting on the bone at the attachment points and producing growth stimulation."

    It also helps with your strength, balance, posture, and coordination if done correctly. Again great if you're trying to avoid injury, back problems (i.e. lordosis kyphosis), and bone loss do to aging.

    "As you gain strength, joints and muscles work more efficiently together to increase your functionality all round including balance, flexibility, stamina and injury prevention. Weight training is heralding a revolution in the maintenance of functionality into older age. The muscle mass decline and the unsteadiness that goes with ageing may not be as inevitable as once thought."
  • Brunner26_2
    Brunner26_2 Posts: 1,152
    If you don't lift any weights, then there's a good chance that when you get to your goal wait that you will still have more fat than you want. So then you'll lower your goal weight, and maybe start eating less, and increase frustration. It happened to me and my wife.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    Just posting quickly to say that unless you train in a specific way and eat to support it (and even then) you won't get bulky. Women don't produce enough of the hormones necessary to look like that without a lot of help (not even PCOS levels of testosterone).
    I read her concern as 'increased testosterone due to weight lifting could exacerbate my condition since I already take medication to lower testosterone' rather than 'I'll get bulky due to weight lifting because I already have higher levels of testosterone'. I don't know enough about PCOS to know if that's the case though.
  • shellydd
    shellydd Posts: 156 Member
    just making a note so i can read later......again with all the "i have better advice then you do" bickering!! hilarioius. be nice
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    I know that muscle burns fat, but doesn't cardio do that too?

    Where would i even start with bodyweight exercises????

    Cardio definitely burns fat. As for your question of does cardio burn muscle? It can. Depends on how much you are doing & where your body is getting its energy from. While cardio will definitely help you lose fat, it will not change body composition. To do that, you need resistance training.
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    New Rules of Lifting for Women - get this book - it explains most of what you need to know about lifting, the benefits, proper form and gives you easy workouts to follow. It is perfect for women and perfect for beginners :)
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
    Just posting quickly to say that unless you train in a specific way and eat to support it (and even then) you won't get bulky. Women don't produce enough of the hormones necessary to look like that without a lot of help (not even PCOS levels of testosterone).
    I read her concern as 'increased testosterone due to weight lifting could exacerbate my condition since I already take medication to lower testosterone' rather than 'I'll get bulky due to weight lifting because I already have higher levels of testosterone'. I don't know enough about PCOS to know if that's the case though.

    Yes you're right. I'm not worried about "bulking up" in the slightest. I know that it takes a lot more testosterone than what women have even with PCOS to cause muscle bulk. It does concern me that if i started lifting heavy weights my testosterone may go up further as i have been working so hard for so long trying to reduce it. Higher testosterone is the absolute last thing i want/need with my condition!

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