what size weights!?

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Lil_Leah
Lil_Leah Posts: 376 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey ya'll! (i never say "ya'll"... weird.:tongue: )

anywho! i went to walmart yesterday to get some hand weights for my 30-day shred. and OF COURSE, all they had were a bunch of 2lb weights, which i figured would be too light after just a few days, they only had ONE 3lb weight:grumble: those are what i wanted, and a ton of 5lb weights.

so, i went ahead and got the 5lb ones. my arms are fairly sore today, but i figured i'd work my way up to those, rather than sticking with 2lb ones and not seeing results as quickly. what size weights do you guys use? i dont wanna bulk up, i know that much! so i'm hoping 5lbs is reasonable? :ohwell:

thanks! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • pawprint061
    pawprint061 Posts: 640
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    I use three pound weights for "toning"
  • marii92
    marii92 Posts: 77
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    I've got two 2lb weights and I hold both in one arm whilst doing my workout. I'm going to start the Shred next month and I'm going to continue to do that, because...well, like you I don't wanna bulk up but I want the to have an effect. Hopefully using both on each arm will be good enough. I don't want to have to buy anymore. =]
  • tmomma
    tmomma Posts: 5
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    You want to make sure whatever the weight is, that the last two rep's are very difiicult, whether that means 12 reps of a 5lb weight or 8 reps of a 25lb weight. I will tell you I lift heavy, and unless you are taking some sort of steroid or Human Growth Hormone there is no way you will "bulk up". I promise!!! I have been lifing heavy weights and keep my rep's low, and I am more toned now than when I was doing high reps with a lighter weight.
  • SylvieJacques
    SylvieJacques Posts: 113 Member
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    I use 5 lbs like the ones you got and I haven't bulk up either; so I think you should be ok.
  • jerren
    jerren Posts: 196
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    I'm a guy so it would probably be a bit different for you. But I still wanted to share a funny experience.

    So I walked into Yoga class one day and my Yoga instructor told us to grab a pair of weights. I saw all the ladies grab 2 lb or so weights. I figured, "GRRRR I'm a Manly man, I played high scholl football, I'll grab the largest weights they have here" which were only 5lb weights. Long story short, I was hardly able to hold any of the poses for long and i was sore for a week. LOL.
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    First of all 5 pounds is fine. Secondly, women are not designed to get 'bulky'. We do not have enough testostorone in our systems... you would have to take steroids, synthetic hormones, and work out for hours (like 8-9 hours) every day in order to truly bulk up. I easily do weights at the gym of 100 pounds for chest press/lat pull (that's more than I weigh) and I haven't bulked up.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    We do not have enough testostorone in our systems... you would have to take steroids, synthetic hormones, and work out for hours (like 8-9 hours) every day in order to truly bulk up.

    AND a person needs to be eating at a calorie surplus (not a deficit, like the majority of people on this site) to really build a LARGE amount of muscle. You want to increase strength and that should be done at whatever weight is challenging to you for the last couple reps, as a previous poster mentioned. Challenge yourself and your body will adapt and you will get stronger, leaner muscles. You won't get bulky.

    I use 5lb weights. They are too light for some of the exercises, but perfect for others. Sometimes, when I have my head on straight, I also grab my 3lb weights and hold 8 lbs in each hand for the larger muscle exercises. But I had done some resistance work prior to getting the 30 Day Shred, too.
  • amymt10
    amymt10 Posts: 271 Member
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    I bought the 3lb weights and they work great for me. They seem light at first but after you get into it you can feel it. So glad I didnt go with the 5lb weights!!
  • amberc1982
    amberc1982 Posts: 468 Member
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    Right now I am using 5 pound weights and 10 pound bands.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    I second Maid's comments - you won't bulk up!
    I use 10's and 15's and have a 30 lb body bar, or use my body weight...
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    I use the 3 lbs for 30 day shred (i don't do it regularly, just when I'm on crunch) and they get the job done. By the end of each segment I'm tired. I thought it wouldn't be enough at first but it is.
  • byHISstrength
    byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
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    I don't do the 30-day Shred workout, but when I do strength training, the size dumbbell I use depends on the muscle I am working. I don't think it is a one size fits all.
  • sjcply
    sjcply Posts: 817 Member
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    I use 8 , 10 and 12 lb weights depending on what exercise I am doing (p90X).....and I am not bulking up. Women are not built to bulk unless you are hardcore body builder or taking something! I use the heaviest weight I can so that I can get 12-15 reps of an exercise and struggle with the last 3 reps!
  • greeneyes82
    greeneyes82 Posts: 318 Member
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    I've never done the 30 day shred so I'm not sure what type of workouts are involved. I personally use 10-15 lb weights. Far too many females think they will bulk up. I've been lifting weights for years & it has only toned me. We don't have enough testosterone to bulk up. It is better to work your muscles more since you are burning calories even when you're not working out after lifting! Don't be afraid to increase the weight when you are ready. I promise, you will not bulk up! Unless you are taking steroids or something - LOL!
  • mirgss
    mirgss Posts: 275 Member
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    I'm going to add to what others said here....as a woman, it is very difficult to get all muscle bound. My coworker who works out quite often does squats with 100+ lbs and curls with 35 lbs and she just looks really tone. I personally use 5-10 lb weights but I don't do strength training as much as I should, so my muscles are weak and I get to failure after 3 sets of 10-15.
  • lknorthstar
    lknorthstar Posts: 132 Member
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    I love the manly man! I can so see a man thinking that way! Of course I would probably be the same...I ain't no wimpy girly girl arrrr I can't lift more then that!!!
  • uli2477
    uli2477 Posts: 9
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    I am a guy 195 lbs heading to 165, so far I have lost 40 lbs since December. I have been using 2lb weights while do my cardio, I hae to say they start to get heavy after 25 minutes. I am going to move up to 5lb now. Thinking that if they get too heavy mid workout I can always sitch back to the 2 lb to finish up.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    what size weights do you guys use?

    A muscle either grows or it doesn't. It's really that simple.

    If it's going to grow, it must be placed under a stress that it's unaccustomed to. Therefore, if you always lift the same weight, after the initial exposure, there's no further novel stimulus for positive adaptation.

    This is why you should also purchase adjustable dumbbells unless you can afford the money and space required to constantly purchase heavier, non-adjustable DBs each time you "graduate" strength levels.

    i dont wanna bulk up, i know that much!

    Muscle growth is a very intensive process, energetically speaking. Calories are a unit of energy. Assuming your goal is fat loss right now, that means you *must* be in an energy/calorie shortage. Your body isn't going to make matters worse by adding an energetically expensive tissue, like muscle, while it's already shortchanged for energy.

    I really wouldn't worry about "bulking up."

    Guys, who are actually hormonally dispositioned to add significant muscle (women are not) have trouble doing so when all factors are aligned. By that, I mean even when they're eating enough calories to support growth and they're lifting heavier weights over time with sufficient volume... many of them don't add slabs of muscle.

    So if you're a dieting female... this should be the least of your concerns.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    You want to make sure whatever the weight is, that the last two rep's are very difiicult, whether that means 12 reps of a 5lb weight or 8 reps of a 25lb weight. I will tell you I lift heavy, and unless you are taking some sort of steroid or Human Growth Hormone there is no way you will "bulk up". I promise!!! I have been lifing heavy weights and keep my rep's low, and I am more toned now than when I was doing high reps with a lighter weight.

    This is an excellent post.

    When dieting, you want to give your body a reason to hold onto the stuff that emphasizes or creates the lean look the most people are going for - MUSCLE.

    Losing weight is very simple. There's no such thing as toning. But to reach a toned appearance, you need to lose fat while gaining or at least maintaining the muscle you currently have. Genetics heavily influences partitioning (where calories come from and go to) but what is in our control to ensure muscle maintenance is eating adequate protein AND lifting weights effectively... which many people aren't sure of.

    For those who are unsure, I wrote two informational articles in my blog that many found useful:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/stroutman81/view/resistance-training-foundation-19725

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/stroutman81/view/more-random-thoughts-on-resistance-training-19945
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I hire a personal trainer for 5 sessions every few months to change up my routine.

    I always say "Oh, that is way too light!" when we start out on any workout. By the 15th rep I am begging her to let me stop!!

    Just the work out video you selected will do the job......I would use 3lbs and then work up to 5lbs in 2 wks. Before you know it you will be looking for heavier weights.

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