WOMEN LIFTERS!!

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  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
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    I do cardio for 30 min before I lift and I lift every day. Right now I am running M/Tues/Thurs/Fri, Wed is the arc trainer. I do my cardio before because I won't do it after.

    As for diet I pretty much eat when I'm hungry.

    Pretty similar to this.

    My gym is on my walk home from work, and I do cardo in terms of a calorie burn rather than time, so most nights I will burn anywhere between 200-400 calories doing cardio (typically between 30-45 minutes), this, to me is simply to get my heart going as a warm up, and to earn some extra calories, which I usually eat back. Plus, I just like it.

    After that I walk home and lift. I have a good set of weights at home and I will do that anywhere between 30-45 minutes. I TRY to go for an hour cardio on a Saturday and an hour lifting, but it really depends on my energy levels. As for food, I worked out my protein needs for toning and I aim for 113g a day, usually go over.

    I've been cutting back on the cardio a lot, and I find that if you can let go, it does help. I need those calories to help me lift and I can feel that when I haven't eaten enough, or I've done a hardcore cardio session; I just don't have it in me to lift the bar. I don't follow any program except adding lbs when I can do more than 8-10 reps and am currently up to benching 115lbs.

    There's so much advice, so make sure you do your reading, but, ultimately, the only thing you can do is get under the bar and figure out what feels right for you!

    Good luck! I love hearing about my girls lifting!!

    Oh... And I'm eating 1,500 calories a day, and I'll eat back my cardio-burned calories!
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,051 Member
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    bump for later :) lots of awesome info here! Great questions, OP!
  • run2bfree
    run2bfree Posts: 108 Member
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    Great Post and Feedback!

    I was lifting 6xweek - circuits and doing 30 mins cardio before and after. Incline trainer/Stairmill and some running. As of today, I am changing it up to do strong lifts 5x5 MWF; with incline/stairmill 30-45 mins and T/TH/Sat - I'll do circuits with cardio HITT

    The diet is the key to getting rid of fat. Heavy weights definitely helps. Don't be scared to push a heavier weight. Unless you are eating to bulk - you won't bulk. :) trust me.

    Good luck and HAVE FUN with it!
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    nope
    can't be bothered.

    Sometimes I get saucy and do sprints.
    I'm a dancer- so I put in several hours of dance a week- I log it- but I don't really consider it hard core "cardio" I don't do long steady cardio unless I'm cutting.

    Um- I set my TDEE to sedentary- so I DO eat back my calories.

    I do okay with IFYM but I tend to find myself cheating a little more often than not.

    Right now I'm 40P/40F/20C but I'm switching up to include more carbs starting tomorrow for my bulk. I figured I'd go with 40/30/30 and see how that worked for me. I need more carbs- but I dislike eating them.

    I typically have one day where I'm a little bit more lax- usually BF day- he is very accommodating to my diet stuff- but I try to make it as easy as possible so we can both enjoy our time out- so I'll have extra food- or a beer or something- I don't panic if I go over or under a little on those days or I don't hit my calorie goals.

    So you dance like this:
    ScreenHunter_02_Dec_29_21_27.jpg
  • samyGrl87
    samyGrl87 Posts: 9 Member
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    I lift 6 days a week alternating upper and lower body and 30 Mins of cardio on top. 10 Minute warm up before and 5 min cool down.
  • JBeansie
    JBeansie Posts: 33
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    For all of the women out there who lift...and I mean not alb dumbbells but actually LIFT! Do you do cardio on the days you lift? And what do you do for how long? Also, what sort of meal plan or guide do you follow because I've been trying to IIFYM (if it fits your macros) but I am so confused with the concept...also, do you eat back any of your calories after working out?!

    Thanks so much!

    If by cardio you mean aerobic exercise, sure I tend to throw in something a bit more sustained to cool off after a strength session. I generally don't go over 10-20 minutes like a 1K row, 5 minutes on the Airdyne, or even a nice jog. I started as an endurance runner and find myself missing sustained aerobic activity for the "zenning-out" aspect.

    In my opinion (personal trainer and health coach), IIFYM is a bit advanced and tends to allow more questionable food than most building guides. If you're really interested, you can run your own calculations with something user friendly like the Owen equations which a lot of facilities and big names promote. It's been helpful for me and I'm using a 40 carb/30 fat/30 protein approach. Gains for days!

    As for "eating back calories", I always have a post workout shake. Depending on your goals, adding something to that shake (banana, steel cut oats, etc) can give you a boost. As a rule of thumb you always want something after working out if not to promote muscle healing and growth but to refuel from a hard workout. It's a great time to take in carbs since your muscle glycogen is depleted. Remember, the more muscle you build, the higher your RMR and caloric use during the day so to an extent you do want to feed muscle growth. Fat loss really depends on your level of activity and Owen calculations but I recommend never going below a 200-300 calorie deficit a day especially on lift days.

    Hope that helps! If you're new to the model, The New Rules of Lifting for Women has a great nutrition guide.
  • Haileyleavitt
    Haileyleavitt Posts: 19
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    I have read some of the comments above, and i can see not many like cardio. But cardio is fantastic for you, I do also lift. I am only 17 but i have done one hour of cardio and strength training for only half an hour. and i have completely changed my body. I have a six pack and i am getting very toned. Zumba has toned my legs to the max. my calves are huge but other than squats zumba has transformed my legs.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    So you dance like this:
    ScreenHunter_02_Dec_29_21_27.jpg

    god I'm so sad I can't see this- very few images/gifs at work
    I have read some of the comments above, and i can see not many like cardio. But cardio is fantastic for you, I do also lift. I am only 17 but i have done one hour of cardio and strength training for only half an hour. and i have completely changed my body. I have a six pack and i am getting very toned. Zumba has toned my legs to the max. my calves are huge but other than squats zumba has transformed my legs.

    hmmmmm I bet not. Zumba is just cardio- you have just lost body fat. All of what you described is a function of body fat % not strength training or cardio.

    Cardio helps facilitate the deficit and loss but it and of itself is only partially responsible.

    Plus lots of the women here who say they don't like cardio are trying to build strength or muscle...

    Cardio is good for your health and can take many forms- including weight training efforts
    and it's good for cutting by helping build a bigger deficit.

    But it isn't a requirement. If you don't like doing it- don't do it.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    there is a big misconception that you can't lift while eating at a deficit. that is false. it is also false that you cannot get stronger while lifting at a deficit.

    you can get stronger while lifting. you do not have to be either bulking or cutting. you can just eat at a deficit, although i recommend a slight deficit, and making sure to hit your protein goals.

    many people tend to go with the TDEE-20% rule when lifting, as the calorie burn from lifting is tough to estimate. if you decide to do this, eat your TDEE-20% every day, even rest or cardio days. do not eat exercise calories back.

    as far as cardio goes, it is up to you. as some have said, they don't do any cardio at all for various reasons. do you like to cardio? zumba, run, swim, bike, whatever. do you like it? so do it.

    personally, i believe that some time a week should be devoted to cardio, as it can help with your strength training and overall fitness. it doesn't have to be much at all, it can be as little as running for 8-10 minutes as a warm up before your lifting session.
  • sunshinesquared
    sunshinesquared Posts: 2,733 Member
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    Bumping for later
  • LiftHeavyWeights
    LiftHeavyWeights Posts: 336 Member
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    right now lifting 5 days a week and doing Rip:60 after a brief rest. Keeping my calories fairly high as I need the energy.
  • jasminetoi
    jasminetoi Posts: 62 Member
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    bump
  • powerlifter95
    powerlifter95 Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi, I'm the Michigan state champion in powerlifting right now and I don't do ANY CARDIO. You know what I do for cardio? Lift weights faster. It's totally useless to me. I'm not interested in losing water weight. I want to gain muscle. Cardio is good for getting your heart rate up but not for lifting. Especially running, it's hard on your joints.

    For my diet, I try not to stress to much about it. I don't keep a journal, or count calories, or anything. I eat healthy, protein, fruits, veggies, and all that good stuff when I'm hungry. As long as you're eating healthy and you feel good, don't stress so much.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    I have more fat than I would like but I want to lift and gain muscle! But I shouldn't "bulk" right because I am a little overweight or would it replace the fat with muscle?

    Eat @ a slight deficit & lift heavy. I think more than sweating the details of a cut vs. a bulk you should just concentrate on being consistent with what you eat/diet and lifting. Newbies usually have better luck @ gaining muscle on a calorie deficit.

    Yes, truth. Unless you have been lifting for a long time, I wouldn't go through all that cut/bulk business at this point because you can still make decent gains while shedding some body fat.

    I am following Eat to Perform and am eating at TDEE on my hard workout days and -20% TDEE on my recovery days. I just recently started following it to the point of minutia with macros and carb timing, but I was doing this roughly for quite a while and have lost 3 pants sizes and have definitely gained a lot of muscle in my shoulders and back, but I've only lost 5 pounds.

    I'm starting a 90 day challenge so I'll write back in 90 days to report my results more concretely.
  • redfiona99
    redfiona99 Posts: 116 Member
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    I'm not sure if I count as a heavy lifter but my routine has HIIT in it. Mostly because I exercise for an explosive sport so HIIT means I do the damn cardio and it fits in with my goals.

    I actually enjoy the evil rowing machine, it's just the treadmill and running that I loathe.
  • svsl0928
    svsl0928 Posts: 205 Member
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    I do cardio on different days 3 times a week. Most days I eat anywhere from 60 to 75 % of my exercise calories.
  • emboslice94
    emboslice94 Posts: 60
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    HIIIIII!
    Do I do cardio on days I lift? Yes. I'll do HIIT or I'll do lighter stuff (like walking with an incline or something) for under 20 minutes usually. But sometimes I don't if I don't want to!
    IIFYM has a place, I personally prefer to just follow the idea of "protein (chicken, lentils, fish etc), complex carb (usually rice), simple carb (Veggies)" at every meal, and make sure I'm getting my greens, I adjust my amounts based on how hungry I am throughout the day, and I tend to snack on high fibre (fruits, veggies) or high fat (nuts, avocados etc) throughout the day too. Also, I avoid processed foods, I started adding them in a little bit recently but I tend to avoid them. I always eat after a workout, I'm hungry. But I'm always hungry sooooo haha.
  • littlelou374
    littlelou374 Posts: 19
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    I don't do much cardio. Once or twice per week on non-lift days and it's 20 to 30 minutes of HIIT (high intensity interval training).

    If I do have to squeeze cardio in on a lift day, I do it after the lift. I find it easier to lift as heavy as possible if I don't let something else wear me out first. Also, I think there's some science from the Univ of Tokyo that even suggests you may burn more fat with weights before cardio...that said, I'm sure there's also research that supports the opposite. :tongue:

    Which leads me to another point: If it all seems like a lot to learn, I wouldn't focus too heavily on the science of bodybuilding yet. Whatever order you're doing your exercise in, you're doing something good for your body. Lift as heavy as possible, educate yourself on proper form, eat plenty of protein and even eat at a small deficit (but listen to your body if some days you need more calories). It's my personal opinion that you'll see some gains. Then, with proper form under your belt, you can get more into the science of it all and decide how to/whether or not you want to bulk.

    Great question, btw. I'm always interested to hear all the other opinions as well.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    The other thing I'd like to say is "What are your goals?" We have one gal on here who is an accomplished power lifter and she does no cardio. We have another who is a dancer (she probably incorporates a lot of flexibility work).

    Are you wanting to be functionally fit? Do enjoy activities that include cardio? I'm not talking about doing an elliptical. What I mean is that I enjoy, and want to be good at, hiking, swimming, and pole dancing...maybe even cross country skiing. Therefore, I do cardio, often in those forms, and often in forms that supplement or mimic them when I can't work out in the outdoors or in a dance studio.

    For me, I enjoy these activities so doing them as cardio is both rewarding and fun. I also lift. Lifting is just part of my life, so if I feel like going on a hike with a friend, I'm not going to base saying yes or no or when I do it around my lifting schedule. However, if I were a competitive powerlifter, things would probably be a lot different. So, your goals determine your routine.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    I do both heavy lifting and cardio. I love both (I just hate cardio machines). I am not willing to give up my intense step aerobic class because I lift LOL

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