Going to start lifting

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Cc215
Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all

I'm after a bit of advice from some of the women who lift.

After reading these forms for a few weeks I'm inspired and ready to give lifting a try. I'm heading to the gym after work to get started.

The thing is now I don't know what I shuld do with my diet. Should I continue eating at a deficit whilst also lifting - or should I ieat a bit more for a while and build up a bit of muscle (I know it won't happen quickly), then go back to eating at a deficit at a later date.

I don't want to stay this weight forever (I'm heavy!!) so at some point I'm going to eat at a deficit, but I wondered which way would be more effective - because I want to see a drop on the scales but I'd be even happier see a drop in body fat!

Replies

  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
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    Eat at a deficit. Lose the fat while you get stronger.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    If I were you, I would continue to eat at a deficit for a few more months to get your weight down. (You will lose body fat on a deficit and retain more lean mass while lifting.) Since you are a new lifter, you will be able to see some muscle growth while on a deficit. You won't actually form new muscle, but you will grow and strength the muscle you currently have that goes untrained.

    When you do start lifting, you'll probably see a gain on the scale from water retention. Don't worry, once your body realizes what you're doing, you will lose the water weight.
  • afortunatedragon
    afortunatedragon Posts: 329 Member
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    Well, first of all:
    You will not gain, or only very little, muscle mass while on a deficit.
    What you are actually doing with weightlifting while on a deficit is you prevent your body from taking the energy from your muscle tissue but from your fat cells.
    You might lose some muscle mass as well, but this is something you only would find out if you do intensive tests.
    If you start weighting you might gain some muscles - Newbie muscles. But this will stop after a while.

    Conclusio: Lifting is great, you will not become a hulk while on a defizit and specially for women it is very important to strengh your muscles around your bones to protect them (osteoporosis)

    For starting use only light weights till you know how to lift, without getting injured. And from there you add weight. :-)
    There are some great programs (I love 5x5 ice cream novice program)
    But as you are in a Gym you can always ask a trainer how to lift correctly.

    Have fun.
  • Cc215
    Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
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    That's great - thanks everyone. I've been doing ok so far - I didn't want to mess up my progress by getting it wrong now!

    Will have a look at the 5x5 ice cream one - I've been looking at Stronglifts and New Rules of Lifting for Women, and was thinking of going for Stronglifts initially - but it's nice to have more options :)
  • Cc215
    Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
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    Ok. I'll admit it. I wimped out. I got to the gym, I looked at the men (only them in there) in the free weights section. They were all huge, muscles all over the place!! I told myself they all started somewhere, so I tried to ignore them - and looked at the weights. Realised that I had no idea what the hell I was looking at - YouTube videos of how to do the prefect squat had not prepared me for this!

    So I ran away. I took myself into the women only section - which apparently had a free weights section. I walked past it 3 times. I didn't grasp that meant the teeny weeny dumbbells that weigh less than my handbag! So I sat on a few machines - and tried to work out if I could do this. The weights I managed to lift with the machines weren't bad. I'm not claiming I set world records - but I was stronger than I thought. So, feeling a lot less freaked out, I headed to the pool (my favourite cardio), and spent my 30 minutes there reminding myself of all the impressive lifting stories on here.

    Before I left the gym, I stopped at reception. I've booked myself a personal training session. I've been emailing him over the weekend to let him know what I want to do. I'm not sure he got that I want to lift, and lift heavy, at first. But, hopefully I've got him on board. I just want to know I'm doing it properly and won't hurt myself! The idea of my body weight landing in my chest if I screw up a bench press is pretty scary (I know lifting that isn't gonna happen overnight - but some of the women on here are benching around that mark!)

    So, I'm a little disappointed - I wanted to have done some lifting by now. But I'm also proud of myself. Yes, I freaked out. But I also haven't given up. I've just decided to be smarter about it!

    Wish me much better luck at my second lifting attempt!
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Good luck with the trainer. And don't let him talk you out of barbell training - if he mentions 3x15 on the machines just tell him NO =D
  • nicailyzee
    nicailyzee Posts: 183 Member
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    Good Luck!
  • vho1117
    vho1117 Posts: 3
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    You should just ask any of the lifters, many i am sure likely to give tips and hints on the exercises you want to do. We train because we don't know how to work out.
  • Cc215
    Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
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    I've told him I've been looking at Stronglifts and want to do that.

    He's already tried to talk me into other (more feminine, pink and glittery) programs. I've made it clear I don't want that! He has said he can help me with Stronglifts (I would have looked elsewhere otherwise). If he doesn't do that it'll be one session with him - I'll try somewhere else for a second session.
  • Cc215
    Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
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    I wanted to ask the men in there in the week - but I felt so out of my depth I didn't know what to ask! So I decided to go with a session or two first - after that I'm brave / silly enough to go for it on my own or asking a few dumb questions when using the right words!!

    When I learned to dire a friend taught me how to change a tyre. This has been one of the most useful lessons in life I ever had! I've blown tyres / developed punctures, but I've only once had to call for help (nuts screwed on too tightly). First time I did it - I changed to the spare, drove to the nearest garage and asked for a new tyre. It took me 15 minutes to convince the mechanics I'd done it myself. What eventually convinced them was when I stopped hiding my utterly filthy hands!

    I don't want to have to go through that first 15 minutes every time I step foot in a gym ! I want to at least know the very basics! And hopefully somewhere down the line - if someone asks me for a bit of help - I'll be able to do that without still feeling like a complete moron!
  • TechNerd42
    TechNerd42 Posts: 225 Member
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    I know exactly where you are. I've dabbled a bit over the years, with the machines at least. Free weights intimidated me because I had no idea what I was doing, and I did not want to hurt myself. Between the lifting threads here, research on the net, a consultation with a trainer (1 included with my new gym membership) and the Jefit app, I now have a plan. The consultation with the trainer was really just to get a form overview. He was really down on free weights because of the risk of injury, and when I said I wanted to do squats, he took me to a smith machine instead of teaching me how to do it freestanding. He did show me some dumbbell stuff, which, since my left side is noticeably weaker than my right, is where I want to start anyway, so that was good at least.

    Anyway, I'm still tweaking (I've only had one strength day since the consultation, which was yesterday, and boy can I feel it today. Glad I don't have another til Monday, and that one depends on how long I'll be at jury duty/selection) but I think I have a decent full body regimen laid out. I will say, the jefit app is helping me at least try to work a regular routine out, although I had to find exercises and such myself, since I could not find a publicly shared routine that seemed to be suitable for me. You can do it. And ask for help, I know I probably will at some point.

    Machines are ok, but since they usually take balancing out of the equation, you aren't working everything you can. Oh - and with free weights, you'll lift less than with a machine, just because you won't have the assistance a machine brings.

    Anyway, as a beginner, I won't really offer too much advice (beyond the Jefit app, because I've seen that mentioned by others, usually people wishing it would sync with mfp) but I definitely wish you the best. You can do it.
  • TechNerd42
    TechNerd42 Posts: 225 Member
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    Good luck with the trainer. And don't let him talk you out of barbell training - if he mentions 3x15 on the machines just tell him NO =D

    Yeah, the trainer I had my consultation with had me doing 3x10 - and it would've been all machine if I'd let him. No thanks. The only machines I used, were to test my strength (which probably isn't completely accurate, but since that'll change as I get stronger, it at least gave me a place to start) and the crunch one, which I think I'll just use the floor going forward, because my lats and abs don't feel like I did anything, and I did 5x5 3 times yesterday (one for each section of the abs - I forgot to include the obliques - that's been fixed for next time) although everything else (which I used dumbbells for) is achy and wobbly today. (but not so much that I can't move, just that I'm slow.)

    Question though - weights on crunches, just hold a weight on my chest as I work or are weights completely unnecessary for that particular exercise?
  • Cc215
    Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
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    So I left work - I headed to the gym - and lived through an hour of lifting.

    I managed to convince the trainer that was strength training I wanted - although he did try to talk me out of it. I stuck my ground - and he did what I asked without any fuss (whoop!).

    Turns out Stronglifts isn't for me right now - I can't squat!! Not the Stronglifts way anyway - I can't balance myself properly - and I don't like the thought of falling over with a weight attached! So we've amended things for me (front squat I can do!) and we'll revisit the squat thing at a later date when I'm stronger / balance has improved!

    I was only surprised by 2 things - the first how quickly my legs turned to jelly - I mean I'm heavy, they cart me around all the time, I naively expected they could take it! I need to work on that one! The second was the sweat! I expect to sweat from cardio - that's what happens. But I didn't expect to sweat like that from picking things up (allbeit heavy things)! I think I actually sweat more doing this than I would have done in an hour of aerobics! Not pretty or lady like - but I've decided to go with proof that this is a good thing!!
  • jtarmom
    jtarmom Posts: 228 Member
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    I'm inspired by your story! I've been waffling over the same thing for the past 6 months. I'd really like to lift heavy, but I'm so intimidated. Way to go!

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