i really really wanna start weight training.

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peopletalk
peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i know it's the key to faster fat loss. a girl i knew started working out and the pounds melted off her within 6 months! she looks amazing and i'm so jealous.

problem is... i'm so busy. i wake up at 6am to get ready for work, then right after work i goto school and i don't get home till 10pm :(

i find it hard to function on less than 8 hours of sleep so i have trouble finding time. plus i'm so freakin' exhausted from my day that its hard to do anything.

would weight training help even JUST on the weekends? if not, i'm seriously considering taking a semester off so i can find more time to really focus on my goal.
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  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    Doing something is better than doing nothing. If you wait until you "have time" for the perfect workout... well, yeah, that never happens. Do what you can now and figure out what you can add whenever something changes.

    Also, working out gives you energy. So, put something together that will give you a strength base to build on and squeeze it in first thing before you can make any excuses and when it will give you the most benefits.

    A great place to start is a simple bodyweight circuit, like http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ (they have an advanced one too if you can already do this easily). I've also been looking at the Pentagon's "Fit for Duty" series which is a bunch of nice, quick workouts that will hit everything, I use them when I'm traveling. Plus, hey, military guys working out. http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/Shows/FitforDuty.aspx

    Good luck!
  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
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    Doing something is better than doing nothing. If you wait until you "have time" for the perfect workout... well, yeah, that never happens. Do what you can now and figure out what you can add whenever something changes.

    Also, working out gives you energy. So, put something together that will give you a strength base to build on and squeeze it in first thing before you can make any excuses and when it will give you the most benefits.

    A great place to start is a simple bodyweight circuit, like http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ (they have an advanced one too if you can already do this easily). I've also been looking at the Pentagon's "Fit for Duty" series which is a bunch of nice, quick workouts that will hit everything, I use them when I'm traveling. Plus, hey, military guys working out. http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/Shows/FitforDuty.aspx

    Good luck!
    thank you for the response. i'll look into those things. i'm trying hard to fit in workouts. i only managed 20min cardio lately, but i guess its better than nothing.
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
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    Whenever you can fit it into your schedule, GO FOR IT! Good luck!
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
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    It sounds like you have a very busy lifestyle. The weekends may be your only option to fit it in
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
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    You can definitely start with 2 days a week ( weekends) of strength training! It's better than nothing and so are your 20 min a day of cardio!
  • tnsons
    tnsons Posts: 15 Member
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    Do they have a gym/fitness center at your school/college? I work at a College and it is my saving grace. I sneak over every chance I get. If they do then you could stop in before/after/between classes. I just do cardio most days but every other day I do arms. It really just takes 20 min or so. Haven't started on legs yet other than the elliptical and treadmill. Just start slow every little bit will help.
  • _chiaroscuro
    _chiaroscuro Posts: 1,340 Member
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    Hi there, I just started New Rules of Lifting for Women which says three times a week is optimal but two has an impact too. If you're interested I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy.
  • kcritter77
    kcritter77 Posts: 162 Member
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    bump
  • jamimari777
    jamimari777 Posts: 101 Member
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    Yes! Two days a week is fine. Also, if you don't have time to make it to the gym, do full body weight exercises. Squats, pushups, tricep pushups, lunges, jump squats, planks, sideplanks, get a jump rope - even 15 minutes a day will give you results if you don't have time for more. When I started lifting the weight came off great...and is still coming off. You just have to start! And stop thinking about it.
  • JezzD1
    JezzD1 Posts: 431
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    I read an article the other day on women who weight trained and did cardio twice a week, four times a week and six days a week after months of this the surprise was that all the women in the study showed the same amount of strength gain, weight loss and overall being healthier. The women working out twice or four times a week actually expended more energy during the day so the thought was the women who exercised less showed overall they felt better and had more energy then those who worked out daily. I go for four times a week but just start out with two. Once your body is used to it you will see you get more energy and you will find time to workout more. I also work from seven to five and have school from 5:30 to 10.
  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 Member
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    Check out "You are your own gym". It's 4 days/week of strength training - all bodyweight so no need to go to the gym - and each workout is a max of 35minutes. The best part of this routine is that there's a corresponding ipad/iphone/android app that times everything and counts all your reps for you. The guy who created the workouts trained military who are frequently on the go/abroad so they can't make it to the gym.
  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
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    Do they have a gym/fitness center at your school/college? I work at a College and it is my saving grace. I sneak over every chance I get. If they do then you could stop in before/after/between classes. I just do cardio most days but every other day I do arms. It really just takes 20 min or so. Haven't started on legs yet other than the elliptical and treadmill. Just start slow every little bit will help.
    unfortunately they don't. it's a small school :(
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    Yes, absolutely.

    Lift on the weekends and if you get a chance one day during the week to try to squeeze in a third day, do so.
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    thank you for the response. i'll look into those things. i'm trying hard to fit in workouts. i only managed 20min cardio lately, but i guess its better than nothing.

    If you can do 20 minutes of cardio, you can do 20 minutes of circuits - none of the workouts I linked take longer than that (although, ok, you should probably at least do a 5 minute warmup and stretch a bit afterwards but most of those are only 10-15 minutes if you're efficient about it). And you'll get all the benefits of cardio plus some benefit of resistance training AND it will be more fun than running. Winning all around!
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
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    Bodyweight exercises can be great, as suggested previously. Then you don't need any specific equipment.

    Another thought is that there are 30-day shred videos on youtube - if you pick up some ~5 lb handweights, that can be a great workout in under 30 minutes.

    Those are all ways to save you time and money - anyone can fit 2-3 of these workouts into their week.

    But really, if the weekend is your only option, that's still WAY better than nothing. Don't let your fear of not doing enough stop you from doing anything at all :)
  • LJCannon
    LJCannon Posts: 3,636 Member
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    i know it's the key to faster fat loss. a girl i knew started working out and the pounds melted off her within 6 months! she looks amazing and i'm so jealous.

    problem is... i'm so busy. i wake up at 6am to get ready for work, then right after work i goto school and i don't get home till 10pm :(

    i find it hard to function on less than 8 hours of sleep so i have trouble finding time. plus i'm so freakin' exhausted from my day that its hard to do anything.

    would weight training help even JUST on the weekends? if not, i'm seriously considering taking a semester off so i can find more time to really focus on my goal.


    I have No Idea what your Living/Financial/Career Goals and Requirements are. But if I was Your Age -- With The Life Knowledge that I have at My Age -- and taking a Semester Off to take Care of My Health and Invest in My Fitness was an option I WOULD JUMP AT IT.

    That being said, yes you can make a Difference in 2 Days a Week, just be sure to Work Different Muscle Groups each day!!

    :flowerforyou: Good Luck!!
  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
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    thank you guys so much, this has all been really helpful. i'm gonna start weekends and really get into it. after this semester, if i'm really dedicated to strength training, i think i'll take a semester off. i have a lot going on and one semester wont kill me. that way i can get my life in track first, then keep focusing on school.
  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
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    OKAY SECOND QUESTION!
    what should i do? strength training or cardio?

    like which one is more important to fat loss?
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I just finished reading New Rules for Lifting for Women - it suggests weight training 3 days a week, but emphasizes that at least 2 days will be sufficient.

    However, the book also suggests we take a day off in between lifting workouts for muscle recovery (which is very improtant). So, maybe you could find a balance and lift one weekend day and make room for a 40 minutes lifting workout some other day? I don't know how bad it would be to do it two days in a row...
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
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    I have all the time in the world to go work out and lift weights.. I don't want to go by myself! :( None of my friends locally want to lift weights .. so I feel intimidated to go and not know what I'm doing all alone ..

    I would love to re-sculpt my body! I'm small .. petite .. and would love muscular definition you can only get with weights *sigh* I dunno if I could even advertise at the gym "looking for work out buddy" :laugh:

    I don't care if it's a man or woman .. just someone that knows what they're doing. I can't afford to hire a personal trainer ..

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