Weights experts, help for a body pump instructor

jirmette
jirmette Posts: 12
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all, I'm after some advice with starting a weight lifting programme.

Bit of background...

I've been gaining and losing the same 2-3 stone for the last few years after losing 5 stone 8 years ago. I know there is complacency in there to blame. I'm currently a stone above where I'd like to be after losing 32lbs since may this year (thanks MFP)

I've been teaching body pump (low weights, high reps) for the last 6 years & currently teach 4 regular classes a week (of pump, I also teach body step, body balance & spin - I know, an I can still out eat all that training...) with cover sometimes 6 or 7.

My weights I lift are good, but of course when I'm teaching, I'm not my focus as its not my workout, so I don't work to failure. I'd love to work on my own weight training regime, without affecting my teaching, but to help my own body shape. I'm lucky that I'm a mesomorph and do tone up relatively easily, but obviously also have a tendency to store fat, specifically around my middle.

Any advice for me? I don't have a clue where to start.

My goals are...

Lose fat
Become stronger & more toned.

Thank you if you got this far!

Replies

  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    same as the rest
    new rules of lifting for women
    or
    starting strength
    or
    stronglifts
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    same as the rest
    new rules of lifting for women
    or
    starting strength
    or
    stronglifts

    This^^

    Do heavy weights low reps. I understand that you are teaching high reps low weights but if you do what you've always done you will get what you always got
  • Xaspar
    Xaspar Posts: 726 Member
    Heavy lifting.
    Add an extra workout 3 days a week just for you! Stronglifts 5X5 or NROLFW. (I personally love the SL 5X5 because the workouts are very predictable, fairly short and challenging EVERY time.)

    What you ARE doing is great but if you want to BUILD muscle, you have to WORK muscle.
    Looks like you are getting enough cardio already so bump up the weights and push yourself. If you can get through so many classes without issue, you can do so much more! Demand more of yourself with heavy lifting and your body will rise to the challenge.
  • jirmette
    jirmette Posts: 12
    Thank you!:)

    Daft question, 5x5... Is that 5 sets of 5 reps?

    I've really never worked out in a gym having always been a studio person. Will order the NROLFW book and take a read.

    The other thing I worry about is when to weight lift, presumably on a day when I only have cardio the following day and not pump, whilst its not the same, it is still resistance training.
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
    New Rules is a great place to start. I recommend Starting Strength after you've completed that.

    # x # is number of sets by number of reps, so 5x5 is 5 sets of 5 reps. :)
  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
    Yes, 5 sets of 5 reps. Read the report for it and it will explain everything.
  • Tonika44137
    Tonika44137 Posts: 167 Member
    I'm a group ex instructor and I teach 4x week (1 power sculpt class and 3 spin classes) when I started focusing on my own body compostion and lifting heavy I took my focus off "my class"..I'm doing Jaime Eason 12 week body building program and she has us lift heavy 6 days a week 3-4 sets of 8-10reps so on the days I teach Power Sculpt I dont do the exercises with them I show them and then watch their form and I do my workout for myself either before or after class..on my spin days I lift before spin class and use my spin as my cardio so that I dont overdue it with the cardio..hth some
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    same as the rest
    new rules of lifting for women
    or
    starting strength
    or
    stronglifts

    Honestly, I think the OP will have difficulty with proper progression on these or any routine while teaching and participating in that many fitness classes. I'm not talking from a weight management perspective, but from a wear and tear perspective. Not clear is she is involved in 6-7 classes or 11 classes weekly, but either number would interfere with recovery and increase injury risk, IMO. I'm basing this on the same principle of in season vs off season workouts for athletes. Her schedule basically has her in season mode, where a 5x5 type program isn't generally a good idea.
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
    She already said that when she is instructing she's not usually working out at high intensity. You can just start with 1 day a week and see how your body feels, if you still feel good then try out 2 days a week. Even at just 2 days a week you will see progress.
  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
    same as the rest
    new rules of lifting for women
    or
    starting strength
    or
    stronglifts

    Honestly, I think the OP will have difficulty with proper progression on these or any routine while teaching and participating in that many fitness classes. I'm not talking from a weight management perspective, but from a wear and tear perspective. Not clear is she is involved in 6-7 classes or 11 classes weekly, but either number would interfere with recovery and increase injury risk, IMO. I'm basing this on the same principle of in season vs off season workouts for athletes. Her schedule basically has her in season mode, where a 5x5 type program isn't generally a good idea.

    Perhaps this routine which is a bit slower strength progression and more forgiving overall http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    She already said that when she is instructing she's not usually working out at high intensity. You can just start with 1 day a week and see how your body feels, if you still feel good then try out 2 days a week. Even at just 2 days a week you will see progress.

    Football and basketball are high intensity sports that have wildly different in season vs off season training routines. Baseball is very low intensity as its mostly standing and sitting around for long stretches interspersed with short bouts of activity. Yet it has very different in vs off season training routines because they play so frequently. Frequency is the equivalent of intensity when we're talking wear and tear.

    Even pro golfers have different in vs off season programs.
  • jirmette
    jirmette Posts: 12
    Thank you, I teach 11 of my own classes a week, every week...

    6 x body step
    4 x body pump
    1 x spin

    Monday to Friday. The weekends are my rest days, although I'm currently doing long term cover on a Sunday evening, 1 x step 1 x pump for another month.

    Pretty much every week I will cover at least 1 extra pump class.

    So 11 is my minimum, 18 is the maximum but 13/14 is probably a realistic average. I try to have one rest day a week but do have the odd week when I don't manage this,although I would never accept cover that stopped me having a day off two weeks in a row, it's a necessity.

    This is my concern, I'm not really a 'normal' candidate!
  • keesh1123
    keesh1123 Posts: 229 Member
    same as the rest
    new rules of lifting for women
    or
    starting strength
    or
    stronglifts

    This^^

    Do heavy weights low reps. I understand that you are teaching high reps low weights but if you do what you've always done you will get what you always got


    ^^All of the above.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    same as the rest
    new rules of lifting for women
    or
    starting strength
    or
    stronglifts

    Honestly, I think the OP will have difficulty with proper progression on these or any routine while teaching and participating in that many fitness classes. I'm not talking from a weight management perspective, but from a wear and tear perspective. Not clear is she is involved in 6-7 classes or 11 classes weekly, but either number would interfere with recovery and increase injury risk, IMO. I'm basing this on the same principle of in season vs off season workouts for athletes. Her schedule basically has her in season mode, where a 5x5 type program isn't generally a good idea.

    Perhaps this routine which is a bit slower strength progression and more forgiving overall http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933

    That looks about right. But I'd still cut it back to 2x per week, especially now that we know the OP is leading up to 18 classes per week. There are times in my own life where I reduced lifting to just once per week because of the other activities on my schedule. Not enough to grow anything, but it kept the losses to a minimum.
  • jirmette
    jirmette Posts: 12
    same as the rest
    new rules of lifting for women
    or
    starting strength
    or
    stronglifts

    Honestly, I think the OP will have difficulty with proper progression on these or any routine while teaching and participating in that many fitness classes. I'm not talking from a weight management perspective, but from a wear and tear perspective. Not clear is she is involved in 6-7 classes or 11 classes weekly, but either number would interfere with recovery and increase injury risk, IMO. I'm basing this on the same principle of in season vs off season workouts for athletes. Her schedule basically has her in season mode, where a 5x5 type program isn't generally a good idea.

    Perhaps this routine which is a bit slower strength progression and more forgiving overall http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933

    That looks about right. But I'd still cut it back to 2x per week, especially now that we know the OP is leading up to 18 classes per week. There are times in my own life where I reduced lifting to just once per week because of the other activities on my schedule. Not enough to grow anything, but it kept the losses to a minimum.

    That's really really helpful, thank you. :-)
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
    Honestly, I think the OP will have difficulty with proper progression on these or any routine while teaching and participating in that many fitness classes. I'm not talking from a weight management perspective, but from a wear and tear perspective.
    Was thinking the same. That is a LOT of exercise. The body pump classes, while maybe not "heavy lifting" exactly, are not a joke either - really an intense muscular endurance workout, not merely cardio.

    OP, is it possible for you to teach your body pump classes using very minimal weight for yourself, so that it's more like a cardio class for you? Or would that be confusing for your students?
  • jirmette
    jirmette Posts: 12
    Honestly, I think the OP will have difficulty with proper progression on these or any routine while teaching and participating in that many fitness classes. I'm not talking from a weight management perspective, but from a wear and tear perspective.
    Was thinking the same. That is a LOT of exercise. The body pump classes, while maybe not "heavy lifting" exactly, are not a joke either - really an intense muscular endurance workout, not merely cardio.

    OP, is it possible for you to teach your body pump classes using very minimal weight for yourself, so that it's more like a cardio class for you? Or would that be confusing for your students?

    I could in theory but its not how we should teach, we should be lifting credible weights that the class are aspiring to. Hence why my own work out takes a back seat.

    You're right, it's no walk in the park, just very different to weight lifting.

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