Why did I try lifting...
Replies
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Should I keep trying to lift or should I just let it go and focus on cardio? I think I'm too weak to lift, honestly.
You should keep lifting because you are weak! If you don't like lifting then try some other type of strength training like resistance bands or calisthenics (pushups, lunges, planks, etc.)
You don't have to power lift or lift really heavy weights, but if you are struggling with 8 lbs at your age you really should do some type of strength training. Trust me, your body is not going to gain more muscle on it's own as you age.0 -
Im not sure if this has been stated or not... did not have the time to go thru 4 pages.
First thing is that you need to decide what your goals are. Weight loss, muscle toning, power lifting, ect. Once you have that get on the interweb and do your research. Just going to the gym and grabbing some weight and doing what some poster shows is just not smart.
There are many different programs out there for different goals. Weight loss has programs for that, muscle toning, some more, power lifting has others. Some are interchangeable while others are not based on your goals.
One piece of advice I would say to do is to go to a personal trainer at your gym, if there are any, and get some guidance from them. Sure it will probably cost money but that advise can be valuable.0 -
You need to go into the weight room with a plan, especially as a beginner. It can be intimidating to begin with but if have at least an idea of what you're doing, then you can focus on that. I haven't read other responses but I'm sure you've gotten a lot of feedback on what programs to check out. I personally recommend Stronglifts 5x5:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary
Make sure you do research on form or if you have a friend who can show you how to do some of the lifts - it's important to stay safe! It's okay that you're starting at 8 lb weights or lower. "Heavy" lifting is a different weight for everyone. Keep at it and pretty soon you'll feel much stronger and look less flabby. Good luck!0 -
On the off chance that this is real as you say it is, please, please go see a medical professional.
Water makes you feel bloated and gross/sick to your stomach (this, this... I have no idea, but its scary)
You avoid activity rather than drink water
You've passed out due to dehydration multiple times because of this and it still does not signal you to drink more water - in fact you alter your life in order to avoid drinking water and easily solving this problem
Its apparently enough of a problem that your boyfriend actually monitored you while drinking water
You are so weak that you cannot lift even a text book and - again -altered your life in order to accommodate this.
You eat very few vegetables and meat, other than seafood, is also off limits, but you don't eat fish that often either, so its mostly vegetarian - what's left to be on the menu? <- this, really you could be vitamin deficient, low iron etc if your diet is not rounded out (also might account for the weakness you are experiencing)
Whatever is going on with you has affected a serious portion of your life. (Who doesn't go outside/stops doing things they enjoy without a serious medical condition?)
All this puts together a very frightening picture. I don't know whats going on in your life OP, but to an outsider (who is now rather concerned after reading all your forum posts) it sounds as if there are some serious psychological or medical issues going on here. So I urge you to go explore the reasons why this is going on with you. Leave no stone unturned mentally or physically.0 -
It's really simply. Don't want to lift, don't lift.
Why do you not want to lift?
- Too weak? Start with as much weight as you can handle and increase it gradually, this way your strength will increase with time and you won't feel too weak.
- Don't know how to? The internet is full of resources. Search around, see a program you like and stick to it.
- Don't like lifting? Look into other resistance training programs like body weight training
- Don't think it will give you results? Educate yourself, research, and see that it does have remarkable results.
- Don't care about strength? How much do you care about "not looking gross"? If not so much, then don't lift. You will be wasting your time.
- Don't feel you want to put in the work to make a difference? Then don't lift, but don't expect anything to change.
Basically, if you feel it's not worth it don't do it, but don't expect any change in strength or the way your muscles look under your skin. Stick to cardio, at least you will get the cardiovascular benefits.
In short: identify your goals and your obstacles and tackle them in a way you will stick to.0 -
Some people have tried the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women".0
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My knees were cracking when I tried to squat
I was a ballerina. Barre warmups sounded like a huge bowl of Rice Krispies. This is normal.
Keep at it. You have to build strength.0 -
This was my first work out DVD "The Abs Diet Workout." I got it in a bargain bin, and it was a steal! It has 3 levels, and it's only about a half hour long per session. http://www.amazon.com/The-Abs-Diet-Workout-Holland/dp/B0007TKGA8
I ignored the food bit, but the exercises are very basic and give good tempo. You start out with really light or no weights until you get used to the movement so you don't hurt yourself, and you work up at your own pace. Is it corny? YES! Are the moves clearly super easy for the people on the DVD? YES! Did I get results? YES! And then I lent it to my aunt and it has vanished and she isn't using it.
I'm now doing Strong Lifts 5x5. It's great, and fun. But if you are limited by dorm equipment, which sounds...sparse...I recommend getting your laptop and the this DVD to the gym and start doing something for your muscles.0 -
I'm more concerned that you refer to yourself as "gross".
But yeah, lifting weights IS worth it.
Here is a good place to start. http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/15833333980 -
Definitely get a set of resistance bands, or just some latex tubing to start exercises with. You can do it in the privacy of your own home with the right guidance.
As far as lifting an 8 lb weight, there are a LOT of jobs that list being able to lift a 25 lb box as a minimum requirement - basically any office job where you might have to move a box of files or random supplies. You don't need to become a bodybuilder, but you should be able to handle at least that.0 -
I really can't. I've even switched to ebooks because my textbooks are too heavy.
:noway: :huh:0 -
To give you an idea, my physics text book (mind you, I'm an artist by education) was 14 and a half pounds. One text book.
8 pound hand weight? you can do better than that.
I really can't. I've even switched to ebooks because my textbooks are too heavy.
But thanks everyone for the advice. After a long talk with some people I care about, I think I'm going to give this another try. I'll go in with a plan this time, something from one of the resources y'all suggested. Again, thanks a ton.
P.S. I'm going to drink more water. My boyfriend found out I hadn't had any today and he pretty much flipped a **** and monitored me while I drank at a water fountain. There won't be any escaping THAT.
Then you're going to have a hard time in life. A gallon of milk is 8#+. My dining room chairs are each 20# or so. I have an 8# iron pan. These are all too heavy for you. Is that the kind of life you want? One of frailty and looking for someone "big and strong" to perform basic things for you? I hope not.
You don't even need to go for anything ground breaking like finding out how strong you can be and explore your physical potential. Stick with what the geriatrics start with. Functional strength that they need for daily living. Moving furniture, picking up groceries, etc. Then go from there. Having some modicum of strength allows you to have a more fulfilled life, and at your age, that was something I wanted.
Good luck.0 -
After reading your post, I think that you would benefit most from lifting. The next time you go to the gym arm yourself with a plan and start slow. You will get stronger and will love the results.0
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I really can't. I've even switched to ebooks because my textbooks are too heavy.
:noway: :huh:
Laziness. LOL0 -
When it comes down to it, it's your life and you need to make your own decisions. Don't want to lift? Don't do it. You're approaching it like you're a little kid and your parents are making you do something you don't want to do -- dragging your feet and making excuses. If you really do want to lift, go lift the eight-pound weights until you're strong enough to lift ten-pounders. There's nothing wrong with starting off with what you can do, no matter how light. But...what you get out of lifting depends on what you put into it. If you don't like it, and don't push yourself to do better, it's not going to do you any good.
Lifting would certainly benefit you. But learning to make your own decisions based on what you want and taking responsibility for yourself would benefit you more.0 -
I had very little strength when I first started, even to the point were I had to use 5 lbs for a male that is embarrassing. But, now I can do up to 15 lbs!
Just keep yourself motivated!0 -
I had very little strength when I first started, even to the point were I had to use 5 lbs for a male that is embarrassing. But, now I can do up to 15 lbs!
Just keep yourself motivated!
Everyone starts somewhere. I knew some people in high school that wanted to play football and could not bench press the bar.0 -
Start small and work your way up. And if something hurts a joint, don't do it. Find something else to replace it with. Anyone can lift. I can, and I have little baby bird arms. Sure, I started out with low weights, but I'm working my way up.0
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trust me, i was saying the same thing when i first started out. everyone here probably has at some point. if you don't have access to a gym and you're too weak to do weights, start with bodyweight exercises and work your way up. DO. YOUR. PUSH-UPS.0
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On the off chance that this is real as you say it is, please, please go see a medical professional.
Water makes you feel bloated and gross/sick to your stomach (this, this... I have no idea, but its scary)
You avoid activity rather than drink water
You've passed out due to dehydration multiple times because of this and it still does not signal you to drink more water - in fact you alter your life in order to avoid drinking water and easily solving this problem
Its apparently enough of a problem that your boyfriend actually monitored you while drinking water
You are so weak that you cannot lift even a text book and - again -altered your life in order to accommodate this.
You eat very few vegetables and meat, other than seafood, is also off limits, but you don't eat fish that often either, so its mostly vegetarian - what's left to be on the menu? <- this, really you could be vitamin deficient, low iron etc if your diet is not rounded out (also might account for the weakness you are experiencing)
Whatever is going on with you has affected a serious portion of your life. (Who doesn't go outside/stops doing things they enjoy without a serious medical condition?)
All this puts together a very frightening picture. I don't know whats going on in your life OP, but to an outsider (who is now rather concerned after reading all your forum posts) it sounds as if there are some serious psychological or medical issues going on here. So I urge you to go explore the reasons why this is going on with you. Leave no stone unturned mentally or physically.
Other than the dehydration, low blood pressure, and a couple bouts of low iron (my family is vegetarian but I recently switched because there was nothing to eat in my dining hall) I don't have any medical condition. I guess I've just looked at convenience rather than fixing things. I didn't see any of these things to be problems. When I couldn't lift my books I thought 'oh, hey, there's an alternative--ebooks.' When I couldn't go out without fainting in the heat I thought 'oh, hey, there's an alternative--I never really liked spending time outside anyway.' Nobody ever really told me these choices were wrong. Apparently I've been doing stuff all wrong here...0 -
On the off chance that this is real as you say it is, please, please go see a medical professional.
Water makes you feel bloated and gross/sick to your stomach (this, this... I have no idea, but its scary)
You avoid activity rather than drink water
You've passed out due to dehydration multiple times because of this and it still does not signal you to drink more water - in fact you alter your life in order to avoid drinking water and easily solving this problem
Its apparently enough of a problem that your boyfriend actually monitored you while drinking water
You are so weak that you cannot lift even a text book and - again -altered your life in order to accommodate this.
You eat very few vegetables and meat, other than seafood, is also off limits, but you don't eat fish that often either, so its mostly vegetarian - what's left to be on the menu? <- this, really you could be vitamin deficient, low iron etc if your diet is not rounded out (also might account for the weakness you are experiencing)
Whatever is going on with you has affected a serious portion of your life. (Who doesn't go outside/stops doing things they enjoy without a serious medical condition?)
All this puts together a very frightening picture. I don't know whats going on in your life OP, but to an outsider (who is now rather concerned after reading all your forum posts) it sounds as if there are some serious psychological or medical issues going on here. So I urge you to go explore the reasons why this is going on with you. Leave no stone unturned mentally or physically.
Other than the dehydration, low blood pressure, and a couple bouts of low iron (my family is vegetarian but I recently switched because there was nothing to eat in my dining hall) I don't have any medical condition. I guess I've just looked at convenience rather than fixing things. I didn't see any of these things to be problems. When I couldn't lift my books I thought 'oh, hey, there's an alternative--ebooks.' When I couldn't go out without fainting in the heat I thought 'oh, hey, there's an alternative--I never really liked spending time outside anyway.' Nobody ever really told me these choices were wrong. Apparently I've been doing stuff all wrong here...
this is why people think you are a troll. The things you are saying sound so unrealistic, as though you are so lazy; next you'll say, when I didn't want to get out of bed to go the bathroom, I thought,"oh, hey, I'll just wear a diaper." If you don't have a medical condition, it sounds as though you might have a psychological condition, such as depression. It might be good idea to seek some counseling. I'm not making fun of you here, I'm serious. The things you are describing sound like classic avoidance behavior.0 -
Recurrent dehydration, low blood pressure, and anemia (low iron) are ALL medical conditions. I really think you should see a doctor.0
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Recurrent dehydration, low blood pressure, and anemia (low iron) are ALL medical conditions. I really think you should see a doctor.
Your forgetting more likely lack of vitamin D.0 -
And generalized weakness and, I'm guessing, lethargy. And yes, likely vitamin D and calcium deficiency as well as low or imbalanced electrolytes.
All medical conditions.
I'm curious about bone density. At 19...
This makes me sad.
Please see a doctor.0 -
And generalized weakness and, I'm guessing, lethargy. And yes, likely vitamin D and calcium deficiency as well as low or imbalanced electrolytes.
All medical conditions.
I'm curious about bone density. At 19...
This makes me sad.
Please see a doctor.
Doctors have told me about all of these things at one point or another in my life. I never took care of them, thinking they weren't that important. What am I supposed to do, though? Most of them never stressed any specific changes, they just told me 'you have this'. They also told me I was fat and needed to lose weight, and I guess that's the only message I took away.
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To give you an idea, my physics text book (mind you, I'm an artist by education) was 14 and a half pounds. One text book.
8 pound hand weight? you can do better than that.
I really can't. I've even switched to ebooks because my textbooks are too heavy.
But thanks everyone for the advice. After a long talk with some people I care about, I think I'm going to give this another try. I'll go in with a plan this time, something from one of the resources y'all suggested. Again, thanks a ton.
P.S. I'm going to drink more water. My boyfriend found out I hadn't had any today and he pretty much flipped a **** and monitored me while I drank at a water fountain. There won't be any escaping THAT.
Then you're going to have a hard time in life. A gallon of milk is 8#+. My dining room chairs are each 20# or so. I have an 8# iron pan. These are all too heavy for you. Is that the kind of life you want? One of frailty and looking for someone "big and strong" to perform basic things for you? I hope not.
You don't even need to go for anything ground breaking like finding out how strong you can be and explore your physical potential. Stick with what the geriatrics start with. Functional strength that they need for daily living. Moving furniture, picking up groceries, etc. Then go from there. Having some modicum of strength allows you to have a more fulfilled life, and at your age, that was something I wanted.
Good luck.
This reply seems very odd considering the post you quoted says she is going to give lifting another try and check out the resources recommended in the replies.0 -
And generalized weakness and, I'm guessing, lethargy. And yes, likely vitamin D and calcium deficiency as well as low or imbalanced electrolytes.
All medical conditions.
I'm curious about bone density. At 19...
This makes me sad.
Please see a doctor.
Doctors have told me about all of these things at one point or another in my life. I never took care of them, thinking they weren't that important. What am I supposed to do, though?
Can you imagine by like 50-60 you fall and break bones from lack of these vitamins? That being nice with the age too.0 -
Have you tried Body Pump? It's a great areobic/lifting class with music and an instructor. I think you would enjoy this class. 0
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The world you live in is inhereintly heavy.
And full of things that need doing.
How are you going to hold things up for someone you are helping?
You aren't- you are helpless. And that should scare you.
You should be able to help yourself- and instead of making your life better and stronger- you're just going to "convience" to avoid things that take work and are difficult.
You aren't making your life better- you're making it worse.
Don't you care about being able to take care of yourself - AT ALL?? THe concept of switching to Ebooks because your books are to heavy is just shameful. Seriously- man up- and pick some stuff up.
The world is heavy- it's not going to get lighter just for you.0 -
There is so much going on in this post that lifting weight is the least of my worries. Unless you troll cause you're bored.0
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