Lifting heavy help!

If you use bodybuilding.com, you put in your age and what you want to accomplish and there is a ton of different programs to choose from.

First of all, what constitutes heavy lifting? Secondly, can you guys point me to a website or something that will give me a free exercise plan?

Probably the best way to define "heavy" is to think of it in terms of being what you can only just lift for 3 sets of 5 reps or 5 sets of 5 reps. [EDIT: That IS heavy, heavier than I normally go for and I personally aim for 6-8 reps.] I find it useful to set goals in relation to body weight. For example, a 120kg man bench pressing 90kg would be unimpressive. 90kg for a guy who weighs 60kg would be decent going. I don't know what the equivalent figures are for women.

I would go for mostly compound lifts using free weights and not machines. Bench press, pull up (or lat pulldown), squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, lunges, that sort of thing. Nothing wrong with some isolation exercises as well, particularly when starting out - curls and tricep presses for example. I try to always superset exercises so that I'm stimulating opposing muscle groups, such as a chest exercise followed by a back exercise.

Actually I have lower back and knee injuries so I avoid squats and deadlifts, which are pretty much the cornerstone of the big lifts, so in theory that's a problem. In practice I do trap bar deadlifts instead, which I find put much less pressure on my back while still being challengin. Just like "real" deadlifts and squats, trap bar deadlifts need a lot of care and attention to form. I am very cautious about that and I would definitely suggest getting some training from somebody who knows what they are doing, at least at first. I nearly always have somebody ready to spot me on the bench and overhead press.

For the past 2 years I have been working out 3 times a week with increasingly heavy weights and the results have been good. It's very satisfying to see the lines and sinews gradually emerging on your upper body! I maintain a modest calorie deficit and have dropped several pant sizes as a result of that, but I seem to have been able to add muscle mass while on the program. (I'm not a body builder so I don't bulk and cut or do anything like that.) It does seem to me that high intensity exercise has some post-workout calorie burning impact that is not captured by a simple estimate of the calories consumed during the workout.

And that brings me on to my last point, which is intensity. My advice is to work hard, be aggressive in terms of energy expended while being conservative in the amount of injury risk you take. I don't chat to others, take 5-minute breaks between sets or sit down and watch TV during my workout. I focus on the exercises, do what I can in 45 minutes then leave. If I'm working hard then 45 minutes is enough to leave an amateur like myself feeling fatigued and depleted.

Oh, and start gently. Injuries aren't fun.

SS

Stronglifts is awesome. There's a group for ladies doing he SL program that's a great place for support and advice. WRT the squats, I have bad hips due to femoral torsion, and no cartilage in my right knee. Squatting has actually helped with those issues up building my quads and hammies.

eta: here's the link to the group I mentioned.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

You can do the squat with dumbbells or no weight at all. Never do more than you are comfortable with, but train really hard for results. You may have to hire a trainer to learn how to work around your injuries, but be careful as trainers typically work women differently, and you want to emphasize that you want to lift and be strong. Even though you have problems now, doesn't mean you will always have them. The body is amazing. Nerves can build around injuries and redevelop those areas. Depends on the injury though.

Look up Stronglifts 5x5. Follow the program.

This.

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe is also an amazing program.

The most important part is to PUT THE TIME IN, read the material, do your research, watch videos about lifting form and muscle function - all for free on YouTube, and start applying this new knowledge while you continue learning, reading, etc.

Also, don't expect high calorie burns. Calorie burns while lifting are relatively low, as your body uses a completely different energy system for strength training than it does for aerobic exercise.

No.

We don't have magic "energy systems". Glycolysis happens during both lifting and cardio, as does the Krebs-Cycle, as does the Cori Cycle, etc.

You can absolutely get high caloric burns from anaerobic exercise (i.e. weight lifting, calisthenics, etc), and research shows that our metabolic rate actually stays slightly higher than normal for up to 48-hours after heavy lifting (vs only upwards of a dozen hours after something like running).

When lifting heavy I typically burn 1 calorie per minute even with short rest periods based on my hrm. So for a 60 min workout I generally burn around 600 calories--same as when i'm on the stair stepper or doing sprints.

I started with New Rules of Lifting for Women. Good read, but too complicated for a beginner, imo.

I moved to Strong Lifts 5x5. Love it, seeing great gains. Really good beginner program.

Next up is a specific program put together by my personal trainer consisting of the main compound lifts and a couple isolation moves (partner assisted hamstring curls, hanging situps, rack pulls, and forearm curls) to stengthen some smaller muscles to aid in those compound lifts (squats, deads, bench, press, row).

Look up Stronglifts 5x5. Follow the program.

This.

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe is also an amazing program.

The most important part is to PUT THE TIME IN, read the material, do your research, watch videos about lifting form and muscle function - all for free on YouTube, and start applying this new knowledge while you continue learning, reading, etc.

Also, don't expect high calorie burns. Calorie burns while lifting are relatively low, as your body uses a completely different energy system for strength training than it does for aerobic exercise.

No.

We don't have magic "energy systems". Glycolysis happens during both lifting and cardio, as does the Krebs-Cycle, as does the Cori Cycle, etc.

You can absolutely get high caloric burns from anaerobic exercise (i.e. weight lifting, calisthenics, etc), and research shows that our metabolic rate actually stays slightly higher than normal for up to 48-hours after heavy lifting (vs only upwards of a dozen hours after something like running).

When lifting heavy I typically burn 1 calorie per minute even with short rest periods based on my hrm. So for a 60 min workout I generally burn around 600 calories--same as when i'm on the stair stepper or doing sprints.

HRM's are not accurate for heavy lifting estimates. Plus when you are doing heavy lifting you usually rest for longer periods than you lift.

I used stronglifts 5 x 5, then madcow for my upper body stalls, then moved onto Wendler's 5/3/1, my latest lifting stats are in my profile...

I creeped - nice stats. I am jealous of your squat - I am having problems breaking 200 lb at the moment.

^^ This - VERY impressive!!!