Any Heavy Weight Lifting success stories-esp. newbies?

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NewLIFEstyle4ME
NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
in Success Stories
This is my 9th week working with a personal trainer and lifting heavy...today, I leg pressed 275lbs!!!!! :love: :noway: :love:

Now for some folks that may be child's play (no really big deal) in terms of heavy lifting, but for me--WOW--it's like I lifted the Empire State bldg. I am so thrilled and excited I lifted soooooo much weight today! I did 3 sets 8 times each with the 275lbs :drinker: I also did the prowler push thingy with 225lbs on it, running with with and walking back with 90lbs of kettle bells.:noway: :love: :drinker: NEVER in my life could I have ever imagine that I would be capable of lifting such SUPER HEAVY weights (for me)--a total success story for me--WOOT!

I'm in my mid-50's and this heavy lifting makes me sweat (fat crying) like NO cardio I've ever done for me. I'm not seeing a lot of scale loss, but my clothes are fitting much loser and I have much more energy and an appetite like never before. I'm so GLAD.

I'd LOVE to hear any heavy lifting success stories you've had--and especially from folk that are new to this heavy lifting business, also from older women too.

Replies

  • NextPage
    NextPage Posts: 609 Member
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    I am 51 and have always done some strength training but have just started working with a trainer 2x week. It has helped be a lot with getting my technique correct for deadlifts, squats, etc. I thought if I was going to move to heavier lifting I should first get my technique perfected. I can't say I'm lifting heavy yet but I'm progressing nicely. Your leg press weight is impressive!

    I don't know about you but I wish I had started this years ago. It is difficult to feel old when you are lifting heavy sh#t. Goodbye crone, hello badass!
  • Jayneh876
    Jayneh876 Posts: 3 Member
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    I started power lifting/olympic lifting about 6 months ago. I strength trained all through my weightloss but was looking for something different, really keep me interested, for maintenance. It's reshaped by body. There is nothing more exciting than hitting a PR! Yes, I still have some jiggile but who doesn't. And the lifting has increased my resting metabolic rate significantly. To put it simply, I can eat a lot more and

    I would suggest looking into Crossfit. It's changed my life! It's not just for 22 year old athletes...trust me!
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,369 Member
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    51 here also and not lifting "heavy" yet either -- nor will I ever be able to do any serious weight as I don't have access to a gym -- but I did notice the other day while putting lotion on my legs that my formerly amorphous upper thighs have suddenly developed quite a significant ridge of quadricep. Woohoo, it's working!

    I first started strength/resistance training two or three years ago when perimenopause came along, with the aim of maintaining/increasing bone density and muscle mass -- the stuff I was reading about the menopausal losses of both was pretty scary. I started dabbling in compound barbell lifts about a year ago but I've been inconsistent, and had to abandon all upper body work for five months due to a shoulder injury.

    I figure my bone density and my muscle mass are at least being preserved at this point, so my new (even vaguer, lol) goal is now to "look like someone who works out". :tongue: I'm fighting genetics on this one because I've never been able to acquire much in the way of visible muscle, and that only becomes more difficult in menopause. But success is sure motivating! :drinker:
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    <
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
    Options
    I am 51 and have always done some strength training but have just started working with a trainer 2x week. It has helped be a lot with getting my technique correct for deadlifts, squats, etc. I thought if I was going to move to heavier lifting I should first get my technique perfected. I can't say I'm lifting heavy yet but I'm progressing nicely. Your leg press weight is impressive!

    I don't know about you but I wish I had started this years ago. It is difficult to feel old when you are lifting heavy sh#t. Goodbye crone, hello badass!

    :smooched: Thank you so much for posting! I know what you mean about wishing I'd started this earlier in life--but then I think, ya know...better late than never. I'm yet still amazed what I did (lifting and pushing soooo much weight) yesterday! The thing about this weight lifting business is, the longer I go/do it...the tougher it gets and it NEVER ceases to AMAZE me at how my heart-rate zooms up and how much I sweat lifting heavy and doing weight lifting. It's humbling and exciting at the same time!
  • cadomaitis
    cadomaitis Posts: 1
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    I started lifting in my 30s, and it was pretty fun. I can say I personally prefer free weights to machine lifting (barbell squats to machine squats, for example). Although, the most important thing is to avoid ramping up weight until your form is perfect. I used to hit 315 pounds for 5 sets of 5 reps on a barbell, and my form was so bad it hurt my knees. I had to drop the weight very, very far until I got it light enough to lift it safely and properly--learning how to properly fire my glutes to avoid overstraining my knee, for example.

    But, as everyone says, this is a journey. It's taken me many years to get good form down. It's a lot of fun!
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
    Options
    I started power lifting/olympic lifting about 6 months ago. I strength trained all through my weightloss but was looking for something different, really keep me interested, for maintenance. It's reshaped by body. There is nothing more exciting than hitting a PR! Yes, I still have some jiggile but who doesn't. And the lifting has increased my resting metabolic rate significantly. To put it simply, I can eat a lot more and

    I would suggest looking into Crossfit. It's changed my life! It's not just for 22 year old athletes...trust me!

    This is a super encouraging post--thank so much for replying.:flowerforyou: :drinker: :love: I'm going to check-out this crossfit too. Also...what's "hitting a PR" mean?
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
    Options
    51 here also and not lifting "heavy" yet either -- nor will I ever be able to do any serious weight as I don't have access to a gym -- but I did notice the other day while putting lotion on my legs that my formerly amorphous upper thighs have suddenly developed quite a significant ridge of quadricep. Woohoo, it's working!

    I first started strength/resistance training two or three years ago when perimenopause came along, with the aim of maintaining/increasing bone density and muscle mass -- the stuff I was reading about the menopausal losses of both was pretty scary. I started dabbling in compound barbell lifts about a year ago but I've been inconsistent, and had to abandon all upper body work for five months due to a shoulder injury.

    I figure my bone density and my muscle mass are at least being preserved at this point, so my new (even vaguer, lol) goal is now to "look like someone who works out". :tongue: I'm fighting genetics on this one because I've never been able to acquire much in the way of visible muscle, and that only becomes more difficult in menopause. But success is sure motivating! :drinker:

    Congrats on your successes--you ROCK and thanks so much for posting this!!!
  • kbeloved
    kbeloved Posts: 67 Member
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    Wow! Definitely impressed with your leg lift weight!!! This is great! I've just started a strength training regime a few weeks ago and it's slow going, but I'm really loving it! I always saw people post on here that you should start lifting, and I see why now! It really does give you confidence and help with the inches. I have been frustrated because the scale hasn't moved for the last few weeks, but I can definitely see a difference in the way my body looks, so I can't complain too much. Keep at it! I really wish I could afford a trainer, but for now I've just been using bodybuilder.com routines
  • jrhanna84
    jrhanna84 Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    I started power lifting/olympic lifting about 6 months ago. I strength trained all through my weightloss but was looking for something different, really keep me interested, for maintenance. It's reshaped by body. There is nothing more exciting than hitting a PR! Yes, I still have some jiggile but who doesn't. And the lifting has increased my resting metabolic rate significantly. To put it simply, I can eat a lot more and

    I would suggest looking into Crossfit. It's changed my life! It's not just for 22 year old athletes...trust me!

    This is a super encouraging post--thank so much for replying.:flowerforyou: :drinker: :love: I'm going to check-out this crossfit too. Also...what's "hitting a PR" mean?

    I'm 30 and you leg press more than me!!! Keep up the AWESOME work. PR is personal record.

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