Welcome
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Hi everyone - I've lost 64 pounds mostly through use of MFP food journal, walking and occasional use of dumbbells. Yesterday I joined a gym and completed my first cardio/weight class. This morning I am a "wee bit" stiff but it feels great!
I am retired and want to live long enough to spend and enjoy every penny of my pension. That means I would like a firmer body since I am starting to sag as the weight comes off.
I have never focused on strength training in the past and am counting on the inspiration and knowledge of my fellow MFP'ers on this board. I want to :bigsmile: :bigsmile: lose a total of 155 pounds so I have 91 to go. I will use the gym membership to expand my social circle and to attend classes until I become a regular. I also want to start using some of the circuits that the gym has set up for those focusing on strength training.
Thanks for any input you'd like to offier. Here's a virtual toast (of water of course) to success for all!0 -
Hi all, I'm chams.
I'm a 51 year old, 5'-7" male from Ontario Canada.
I started out about 200 lbs. and I'm down to 173 lbs. My goal is 165.
Background, and why I joined this group:
I worked construction most of my life and basically destroyed my joints. I suffer pretty badly from arthritis, both from wear and tear and genetically. I also had an ankle rebuilt at about age 22 due to bad ligaments and constantly rolling it.
The last 15 years I've worked in an office behind a desk most of the day and I still retained a healthy appetite from my early years.
That said, I've still been doing about 3 miles per day on the treadmill at 5 degree incline and 3mph.
I want to add strength training to my routine to burn the last fat and just tone my muscles not bulk like crazy.
The main thing for me is I want to learn a way to strength train either sitting or lying on a bench so that I don't put further strain
on already poorly abused ankles and knees.
Thanks in advance for any ideas.0 -
Hi, my name is Kim. I am 47 years old and the mother of two teenage boys (17 & 19) and I live in the Boston area. I am a newbie to MFP and I am looking for some motivation as well as information on strenght training. Although I go to the gym often to do my cardio, it's becoming evident to me, that's not enough! I am just trying to get my courage up to give weight training a try. I don't have the foggiest idea of where to begin, that's why I joined this group. Hoping to pick up some tips on picking up the weights and dropping a few pounds!0
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Hello everyone!! My name is Tracy and I am a gym rat from Montana. :-) I have been lifting for two years now, and I am getting ready for my second season of figure competing. I started lifting in an attempt to strengthen my legs while I was training for a half marathon, but quickly fell in love with lifting, and now only run if something horrible is chasing me, or if I have to test for my Army fitness test.
I am currently in my seventh month of bulking, and am getting ready to start cutting again at the first of the year. I have added 15 pounds, and increased body fat from 9-10% on stage, to 15-16% now. I am huge on nutritious and nutrient timing. I contribute all my success to that. I consider myself to be a hard gainer, and struggle to keep muscle once I work my *kitten* off to gain it.
I lift four days on, with one rest day. On my rest day, I do sprint hill intervals. When I cut, I basically, just add cardio. I keep my calories high.
My routine looks like this: (compound movements are priority...isolation second)
Day 1: Legs -
Day 2: Shoulders/Abs
Day 3: Back/Biceps
Day 4: Chest/Triceps
Legs are my favorite, although they used to be my least favorite. I believe in making your weakness your strengths over time. :-) Lifting has changed my life for the positive. I only surround myself with like minded, positive people, that support and understand my lifestyle. I have never been happier. :-)0 -
Jake,
You sound very similar to me.
I am 53 years old and live in Seattle
I have done a lot of cardio, but never have been able to stick with doing weight training , but really want to .
I really just want to look toned , especially my upper body .
Any hints and tips to keep me on track would be great.
Is three days of weights for 30 minutes enough or should I be doing more ?
Thanks
Mark0 -
Hi! I know a Jake Jacobson in my town but hes 67. my name is Katie. I am 38 years old. I am the atheltetic type and want to build muscles and look tone as well as lose weight. I am starting tomorrow with the Jorge Cruise strength training work out I have.0
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New to this group...so stopping by to say hello.
My name is Jessica, and I'm here to learn about strength training. After so many years, I finally feel I have my diet figured out. I know exercise is important for me to get fit and stay healthy, but there's still a lot I don't know!!
I've had gym memberships in the past and would usually incorporate cardio with some mild lifting. I do enjoy working out...when I'm actually doing it.
About a year ago, I quit my big city job and moved from New Jersey to a small town in Portugal. By design, I am unemployed and living my life like the adventure it should be.
I recently regained control over my weight and health, and have lost ~30 pounds by eating clean food and working out at home. I just completed the 30DS and am pleased with the results...loss in inches, a gain in strength and confidence. This workout made me realize I want to focus on strength training to reach my goals....
Fun part is to find creative ways to incorporate lifting into my routine without spending money! Even for the 30DS, I made my own weights by filling water bottles with sand and cat litter...painted them a nice blue and they worked just fine.
I do own a beginner's resistance band set to see if I'd use them...so far, I haven't. Not really sure what to do with them, lol.
I'm hoping to use this group as a resource, and I welcome any tips, advice, feedback, etc...from anyone!0 -
Hi!
I've been using MFP for a few weeks to track my nutrition, and now just starting to participate in the forum. I'm glad to have found this group because strength training is my primary activity these days.
About 4 years ago (age 38) I began lifting weights for the first time since my teenage years. As a youth, I wrecked my shoulders doing too-heavy bench press with bad form. When I discovered the Starting Strength book 4 yrs ago, I was excited to learn that I could, with good technique, lift without wrecking myself.
So my goal was to get strong, and getting strong required lifting heavy and eating heavy. Yeah, I got stronger...and fatter. I was willing to put up with the fatness because I was having a lot of fun with my newfound strength! (Stronger is relative here...I will never be a very strong guy).
After a couple of years, I had an accident and was immobilized for a few months, and while my strength slowly declined while I sat on my *kitten*, the fat stuck around. For whatever reason, I haven't been able to train consistently since recovering from the accident. I make the easy strength gains then lose them. I still really enjoy lifting heavy, but I want to lose the fat more than be strong now.
My motivation is to start with Olympic Weightlifting, where strength-to-weight ratio matters. So, I'm training with that in mind.
I hope to be active on this board...please tell me to stfu if I get too annoying 8 ))
scott0 -
Hi my names shelley I am 27. I live in NZ and have just joined fitness pal. My starting weight was 358 pounds or 165kilos. I am now down to 255 pounds or 116 Kilos. I still have a long way to go I started walking last year in July and then about 3 months ago joined a gym and am having a personal training session once a week and doing 4-5 workouts on my own. I am now doing strength training. I am worried about loose skin my skin is already getting wrinkly on my arms when I move them in a certain way. Has strength training helped other with loose skin. I am going to have a look through all the other posts because I am trying to work out a good strength training programme for myself. I did a hard work out last night on my upper body and dam my arms are sore today woohoo. lol...Am looking forward to read more and learn more about strength training.0
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hi my name is Amanda,
I've yo-yoed for a couple years now with my weight never understanding what it really takes to be fit. I'm not sure what my heaviest was but I was at 240 last year. I started doing a lot of research around Feb of this year and stopped making excuses. I made meal plans and prepped food and learned that was my weakness. ive been going steady in the gym since Feb with no real issues on staying motivated. Even though my weight is still a large number I have learned there is more to it than a number. Once I started lifting heavy I knew the scale would never tell me what I wanted to see. However my body is so different and the feeling I get during and after lifting is amazing. I still do my cardio classes but I know those are not key to the body I want. I go Friday for another session to see where I stand and what I have accomplished these past 6 weeks. My goal is 165ish with a bf% of 15-18 by the end of the year. But if it takes longer I am ok with that. I no longer beat myself up over my health because I actually feel like I make an effort every day to change it.0 -
Hi, I'm Lenore. I'm 43, and I started taking weightloss seriously in March when I topped out at 361. MFP has been the lynch pin in my ability to keep up this weight loss. I have lost 69 pounds so far and have a very long way to go. I found out in my 20s that weight training is very good for me, like magic bullet good. My body and brain respond so positively to it, I am amazed that I walk away from it so easy. But when I stop caring about my body, I pretty much do it completely. Well, those days are over and I'm ready to see this through for the rest of my life. I started lifting again this week. I am suprised that my body is so forgiving and I am still able to work pretty hard. I want to do it right. I'm a big lady, not just weight wise, but I'm 5' 10" with a very large frame. I am not excusing my obesity. I am honestly built like a linebacker. With that in mind, I want to make sure that I give my body the heavy weight it loves, but not so much that I look like a man when muscle building.I did that in high school. I had a stupid condition that required I take steroids for 8 months. Back then I was swimming a mile in a half hour. One day I was looking at my back in the mirror, and traps and intercostals were so big I would have thought it was a man in a girl's swimsuit. I'm not interested in being a body builder. I just want to push heavy things and get as fit as possible for someone who has been obese pretty much all her life. Hoping I can learn and ask stupid questions here without feeling like an idiot.
Thanks,
Lenore0 -
Hi I'm new to this group. I am hoping that this will be a great place to get some information. I have been doing Body Pump for a while but I am not sure that this is really considered lifting (seems more like cardio). I like the class but I am really looking to tone up and I want to get some information, help and support while doing it. Looking forward to becoming friends with some of the members of the group to find out what is working for them and to start taking steps to building muscle.0
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Hi I'm Kevin age 57 and got a pretty good start on weight loss but am looking for some advice on strength training.0
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Hi, My name is Kristin and I am 31 years old. I currently live outside of Detroit and have become addicted to the gym. I have been watching my diet and working out for about a year now but in the last 6 months I have really turned up the heat and started training hard. I am down to about 16% body fat but want to see more definition, my goal being 13-14%. I recently started to lift heavier and more frequently.0
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Hi my name is Dave. I've been working on a new years resolution to lose 72 lbs. I'm 53, 5'6" and started out at 242lbs. and have lost 66lbs so far. I exercise 6 days a week. At first I did only cardio but about 5 weeks ago I added strength training to my training.I currently do my strength training 3 times a week and do cardio on the other days. I not trying to become a body builder just tone up and lose fat. My current strength training rotine is leg press, calf press, push ups , dips , overhand pull ups and chin ups. I rest 45 seconds between set to keep my heart rate up and finish off with 25 mins. of cardio. I use the assited pull up machine at the gym for the dips and overhand pull ups my body weight for chin ups and push ups and the leg press machine and the calf press machine. I would just do squats for my legs but I have a very bad back and don,t want do anything that puts my back in compression. Any advice on work outs would be great.Thank you Dave0
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Hi, I'm Juan, 28 yo engineer from Mexico. I started losing weight at the beginning of the year and a couple of months ago I joined the gym, and been doing Starting Strength ever since. Slow progress though, since I'm on a cut, and will be for a little while, but I feel great about myself and love lifting.0
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Hello my name is Henri, I am 25 and live in Finland.
I used to weigh almost 500lbs around 2010. Now I weigh in at around 380lbs. My goal is to get back to a fit weight and make my husband happy at the same time. I have always been strong but after high school I did next to no exercise, I was on the football and swim team back in Texas. I want to start strength training, which is something I never did. The only thing we ever did was the sport itself, practice, or stretching... you know just minor athletic routines.0 -
Hi! My name is Carl and I am 53 years old. I have been trying to lose weight for many years with varying degrees if success. I have also been trying to exercise consistently. I recognize the need to strengthen my body through strength training. In the last few years, i have had chronic lower back issues and injuries die to weak core muscles. I recently won a one year membership,to a gym and five sessions with a trainer and couldn't be happier!0
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Hi I've lifted weights before for like 2 weeks and then quit. Now I'm in this wonderful gym and love going. Only one thing wrong with it. It's so intimidating to use the free weights. It's a dude's area. It's bad enough they stare when people walk by. I really want to start using them though. Any suggestions?0
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I'm Sean.
And I lost more than 100 pounds in almost two years. I've been working out at the gym 3 days a week for almost 19 months.
I'm enjoying everyday of my health lifestyle.0 -
I have just returned to the gym after a 20 year hiatus. I have been on a 'get healthy' kick for almost a year now. November 2013 I quit smoking; January 2014 I quit all dairy products, only almond milk; March 2014 I quit all gluten, rice, potatoes, bread and pasta; May I quit all obvious sugar and salt; July I couldn't think of anything else to 'give up' so I went back to bodybuilding August 1st
I have been lifting weights again for almost a month and just added cardio in to my routine on a daily basis. I am modifying my diet yet again as per my personal trainer, using a diet to increase my metabolism and lose body fat.
Looking forward to listening and learning from everyone in this group!0 -
I have just returned to the gym after a 20 year hiatus. I have been on a 'get healthy' kick for almost a year now. November 2013 I quit smoking; January 2014 I quit all dairy products, only almond milk; March 2014 I quit all gluten, rice, potatoes, bread and pasta; May I quit all obvious sugar and salt; July I couldn't think of anything else to 'give up' so I went back to bodybuilding August 1st I have been lifting weights again for almost a month and just added cardio in to my routine on a daily basis. I am modifying my diet yet again as per my personal trainer, using a diet to increase my metabolism and lose body fat.
Looking forward to listening and learning from everyone in this group!
Just wanted to chime in a bit with some information and maybe some miss-information you are being given or maybe some miss-understanding on how the body works. Unless there is a medical reason to negate a food group, then there is no reason to negate whole food groups. Weight loss is 100% dictated by calories in vs calories out, not the negation of a food group like dairy, or carbs, or fat, etc.... Now if you have a medically tested allergy to said food item, then of course...but that allergy has no correlation to weight-loss. Notice I said weight-loss and not health, as allergies can cause health issues, but of course, so can being overweight. Being on a energy deficit (calories less than what you need daily to maintain weight) will always decrease your metabolism. There is nothing you can do to increase metabolism except eat more and or increase muscle tissue (which in itself dictates training and eating more, ie.. being in a caloric surplus). How much you depress your metabolism is dictated on how low you drop your calories and how long you do this for. That is why the general rule of thumb is only drop calories by enough to lose from between .5-1% of your total bodyweight weekly on average. The lower end if you are leaner and the higher end of you have a fair amount of weight to lose.
This link will get you started on nutrition 101, training, etc...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants0 -
Good morning everyone,
I just joined the group today and I am excited to meet new friends who enjoy lifting weights and living a healthy lifestyle. I started lifting weights in HS while playing sports and continued to lift weights for many years afterwards. When I got married, had kids and my career started growing, I took some time off from the weight room begrudgingly. Now that life has slowed down a bit, I am back in the gym and loving it. I pretty much lift on Mon, Wed, Fri, and do cardio on Tues, Thurs and Sat. Sunday I'll usually take off.
I'm pretty knowledgeable in the area of weight training after being a certified personal trainer at one time and also doing some power lifting while in high school and college, so if you need any advice or want to add me as a friend please do so. I could also use some support, advice, and motivation myself.
Good luck everyone in your weight training regimens!0 -
Hi guys
I've been strength training for just over a year. Thought I'd join so I can read back over the collective wisdom.0 -
Hi there, I'm Reed! I'm new to MFP and to the gym in general.
I have been trying to lose weight doing just cardio, but it was pointed out to me by multiple people that my genetics lean toward building muscle. So now, I'm going to do both! In the last month I've played around on the machines but I am hoping to start lifting with the bar soon. I even convinced my friend to join me so we can spot each other!
I joined this group in the hope that I would gain some friends and learn more about lifting so I can do it safely and effectively. Can't wait to get some valuable wisdom from all of you.0 -
New guy to the group! Been on MFP for a little while, but wanted to get in a group with some lifters, for a little inspiration and support.
I've been lifting for about 4 years off and on. Luckily I had some of the best training partners in the area to help me get my form right. I have a sporadic training schedule (trying to work on that) since my goal isn't really to lift heavy - I'm a highland games athlete and so I switch around between speed work and heavy work. Still doesn't stop me from trying to test my limits where I can!0 -
Hi everyone! I'm 53 year old female. I joined the group for motivation. I want to lose weight and turn back the clock. I have been strength training on and off for 2 years but never stick with it. I'm setting a goal to gain muscle and firm up. right now I am doing the intermittent fasting and doing strength training 3x/wk, I do 30 mins of cardio then hit the weights.0
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Hi everyone! I'm 53 year old female. I joined the group for motivation. I want to lose weight and turn back the clock. I have been strength training on and off for 2 years but never stick with it. I'm setting a goal to gain muscle and firm up. right now I am doing the intermittent fasting and doing strength training 3x/wk, I do 30 mins of cardio then hit the weights.0
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I'm Ryan. I'm 38 and recently moved to Minnesota.
I used to be pretty active, but over the last few years have slowed down for career and family reasons.
I'm here because I just started the 5x5 program and am starting to learn about strength training as a means to lose so E weight and get in better shape.0 -
Hi I'm Cimia. 24 years old and have used mfp in the past. I lost a decent bit of weight, but now I want to focus on building muscle. The only thing I have access to is dumbbells, and I don't really know what I'm doing. But I'm trying to figure it out.0
