Female HEAVY LIFTERS unite!!!!

2

Replies

  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    What is something typical of your pre & post workouts?

    I usually don't have anything pre-workout... if I do, it's likely 8 oz. all natural juice.

    For post workout I go for protein and carb combos. Sometimes I use the P90X Recovery Formula, sometimes a protein bar, sometimes a 1/2 cup of nuts, sometimes a piece of fruit and oz. of cheese, sometimes a glass of skim milk (chocolate or chai), sometimes a protein shake. It really depends on my workout and how hard I felt I worked during it.
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
    What is something typical of your pre & post workouts?

    I usually don't have anything pre-workout... if I do, it's likely 8 oz. all natural juice.

    For post workout I go for protein and carb combos. Sometimes I use the P90X Recovery Formula, sometimes a protein bar, sometimes a 1/2 cup of nuts, sometimes a piece of fruit and oz. of cheese, sometimes a glass of skim milk (chocolate or chai), sometimes a protein shake. It really depends on my workout and how hard I felt I worked during it.
    Thanks!! :drinker:
  • McKnightAM
    McKnightAM Posts: 125 Member
    :bigsmile: i love lifting... i do 50 min of cardio, than lift weights, its easier for me than some, because i have free access to a top notch gym due to husband being in the army, but non-theless i would encourage all women to start weights,,, i'm not wonder woman, but i enjoy it!!

    Leg press= 240 lbs
    Leg Curls=70 lbs
    Inner Thigh=70 lbs
    Outer Thigh= 110 lbs
    Machine Calves= 150 lbs
    Machine crunches= 50 lbs
    machine obliques= 70 lbs
    Back= 70 lbs
    Bicep curls= 15 lbs
    Triceps= 40 lbs

    Thats all i can think of for now,, and i cant wait to see how high i can get with weights!!
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
    Bump
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    Tonight I get to lift the heaviest weight of all... myself ;) Hehe. I have aerials class... can't wait! :D I think we are using the lyra tonight. If I remember my camera I'll try to have someone snap some photos :)
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    Hey there ladies!!

    Picked up (and assembled on my own!) a weight bench plus bar, weights.....everything! The bar is 45 pounds and I added five total for my bench press. 50 pounds was not hard!! Did preacher curls (20 pounds) standing curls (20 pounds) dumbell chest flies (7 on each side....lol) and hammer curls (10 pounds each side).

    Tonight I'm doing just my cardio kickboxing....(just. Ha!)

    Tomorrow, I'll begin doing cardio in the mornings and lifting in the evenings. The DH got one of the pull-up contraptions that hang in the doorway. I can't even begin to lift myself.

    Goal for this month(well, next 30 days!): 10 military pushups and 10 pull-ups.

    Wish me luck!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I'm at the end of my power cycle today...:sad:

    Powerlifting and plyometrics are very taxing on the central nervous system since they require huge changes in the neurons innervating the muscles (and very little change in the actual muscle). So you can't stay with a power cycle much longer than a month without putting yourself at risk for injury or a reduction in the immune system. I've pushed it to 7 weeks to prepare for a comp and got sick right after, it was crummy. :sick:

    Now I am switching to endurance...of which I have like, none lol! I was feeling the burn and fatigue at 10-12's. I've had to reduce my bench from 3x6 @ 80 to 3x12 @ 65. *sigh* Made other reductions too. It's okay, just not my favorite stuff hehe :tongue:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    Aerials went well.. totally fatigued myself. Oy.
    I'm getting better and getting into an inverted position... my big problem is the mechanics of it. Yesterday I did something right because I totally flipped upsidedown way faster than I expected (in fact, I didn't even expect to get my feet over my head... hah)... so I'm getting better. Now I just need to work on doing it in a slow and controlled manner.
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    Aerials went well.. totally fatigued myself. Oy.
    I'm getting better and getting into an inverted position... my big problem is the mechanics of it. Yesterday I did something right because I totally flipped upsidedown way faster than I expected (in fact, I didn't even expect to get my feet over my head... hah)... so I'm getting better. Now I just need to work on doing it in a slow and controlled manner.

    Congrats!!!!

    Did my cardio this morning. Going to focus on weights tonight!
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    Aerials went well.. totally fatigued myself. Oy.
    I'm getting better and getting into an inverted position... my big problem is the mechanics of it. Yesterday I did something right because I totally flipped upsidedown way faster than I expected (in fact, I didn't even expect to get my feet over my head... hah)... so I'm getting better. Now I just need to work on doing it in a slow and controlled manner.

    Congrats!!!!

    Did my cardio this morning. Going to focus on weights tonight!
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
    My plan/challenge for October is to go back to the gym at least twice a week, Tue and Thu. I used to do some heavy (well at least heavy for me) weight lifting about 3-4 years ago. I have free access to the military gyms in town but it is not really that convenient to make it there. What do you recommend I do/not do when I start in Oct? Oh God, I am already anticipating some major soreness...I hope I don't go all out the first couple of weeks. Ouch!!! I am really looking forward to it but my concern is that I will not be consistent in going. I have dumbells at homefrom 3lbs to 20lbs. I don't have a bench. I have used in the past a coffee table and my aerobics step but they are not that comfortable. Thanks!! :flowerforyou:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    What do you recommend I do/not do when I start in Oct?
    What exactly do you mean by this???? Can you be more specific?

    As for consistency... the biggest thing you can do is PLAN. Write it into your schedule and get it done. Don't try to "fit it in," but rather... make it happen.
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    My plan/challenge for October is to go back to the gym at least twice a week, Tue and Thu. I used to do some heavy (well at least heavy for me) weight lifting about 3-4 years ago. I have free access to the military gyms in town but it is not really that convenient to make it there. What do you recommend I do/not do when I start in Oct? Oh God, I am already anticipating some major soreness...I hope I don't go all out the first couple of weeks. Ouch!!! I am really looking forward to it but my concern is that I will not be consistent in going. I have dumbells at homefrom 3lbs to 20lbs. I don't have a bench. I have used in the past a coffee table and my aerobics step but they are not that comfortable. Thanks!! :flowerforyou:

    Hey there alf:

    I suggest looking at fitness.com and shape.com for routines you can do in your own home. They use both your own body weight and the dumbbells you already own. as for making the step more comfortable, try placing a nice towel on it. I have gained quite a bit of tone with just simple routines that include weights and balance.

    :flowerforyou:
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    What do you recommend I do/not do when I start in Oct?
    What exactly do you mean by this???? Can you be more specific?

    As for consistency... the biggest thing you can do is PLAN. Write it into your schedule and get it done. Don't try to "fit it in," but rather... make it happen.

    Perfectly put.:drinker:
  • mlillie
    mlillie Posts: 302
    yep - Agree. I pack my clothes for work in the car the night before, pack up all my food for the day so I juts get outta bed and off to the gym. MWF lifting. I write it all down on notecards and see my progress with weights. Even when it is hard to get out of bed in the morning- I ALWAYS feel awesome afterwards. It is a committment but well worth every second. It makes me feel strong both inside and out.

    Right now I am doing a full circuit- 3 's with some jumping jacks or squat jumps inbetween and then stretching in the end. Take full advantage of the gym if you can. I personally find that when I wait to do it at home I never get as good a workout because I have other distractions. When you are at the gym- you are there to work out- no excuses or distractions. Start as soon as you can and just keep with it. Feel free to post to let us know what you are doing!
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    I've had subscription to SELF for almost 3 years now (not really intentionally... it just got renewed becasue I went to the workout in the park... I'm really not the biggest fan of that magazine)... most of the magazines I donated to my gym for the patrons to read... but I pulled out all of the workout cards from them before I did that. Despite not really liking the magazine I do enjoy that they put those pull-out workout cards in each issue... they will come in big handy when I start individually training clients :) Always good to have a lot in the "bag of tricks"

    Women's Health is a good magazine too. Fitness is a decent magazine. Shape is ok, but not great.

    My favorite magazines are Body&Soul and Yoga Journal.
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    I've had subscription to SELF for almost 3 years now (not really intentionally... it just got renewed becasue I went to the workout in the park... I'm really not the biggest fan of that magazine)... most of the magazines I donated to my gym for the patrons to read... but I pulled out all of the workout cards from them before I did that. Despite not really liking the magazine I do enjoy that they put those pull-out workout cards in each issue... they will come in big handy when I start individually training clients :) Always good to have a lot in the "bag of tricks"

    Women's Health is a good magazine too. Fitness is a decent magazine. Shape is ok, but not great.

    My favorite magazines are Body&Soul and Yoga Journal.
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    I've had subscription to SELF for almost 3 years now (not really intentionally... it just got renewed becasue I went to the workout in the park... I'm really not the biggest fan of that magazine)... most of the magazines I donated to my gym for the patrons to read... but I pulled out all of the workout cards from them before I did that. Despite not really liking the magazine I do enjoy that they put those pull-out workout cards in each issue... they will come in big handy when I start individually training clients :) Always good to have a lot in the "bag of tricks"

    Women's Health is a good magazine too. Fitness is a decent magazine. Shape is ok, but not great.

    My favorite magazines are Body&Soul and Yoga Journal.

    agreed that Shape and fitness aren't the best. They tend to be a little bit Cosmo and a little bit Health Mag. But, I suggested these for home routines because they do have some great ones. I like Shape's website because there isn't a whole lot of clicking and searching to get straight to the routines and from what I can tell, no "signing up" or "logging in" to get them. Also, they have online videos for how-tos.
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    I think a lot of these magazines have better websites than actual magazines :):laugh:
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    :laugh: Agreed. If I want fluff I'll pick up a Cosmo mag. I hate it when I have to flip through 100 pages for the one routine I want. I've actually been receiving fitness (for some reason the hubby was getting it????) and I cut out the routines and toss the mag!
  • ariannedavis
    ariannedavis Posts: 520 Member
    psyknife, thanks for starting this. Too many women are afraid of muscle, but I'd rather weigh a bit more and be solid than skinny and flabby! Anyone who doesn't believe can look at my profile pics and see the progress in less than a year!

    My average lifts are:
    Leg press & calves 300
    quads 90
    hams 70
    bench 85
    squats 120 +bar (nautilus machine so not sure)
    bi/tri 20
    rows 60
    lats 65
    deads 85

    I love the body for life regimen, 12-10-8-6-12-super-set, with increasing weight until the last 12 with 1-min rest between lifts. I was a distance runner through college and got stuck doing a lot of high reps/ sets. I get some extra cardio this way and can knock out the session a bit faster allowing for other intentional cardio. After several years off running & a child, I had to start from scratch on my training about a year ago. Proud to say I can now do a 10-mile run without any problems for the first time in about 5 years!
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
    What do you recommend I do/not do when I start in Oct?
    What exactly do you mean by this???? Can you be more specific?

    As for consistency... the biggest thing you can do is PLAN. Write it into your schedule and get it done. Don't try to "fit it in," but rather... make it happen.

    I was just asking what kinds of exercise I should start with and what I should try to avoid "starting up". I dont want to go in hard core and end up hurt or super sore...ouch!!!

    I really want to go back to the gym. I have been working out at home for a while now and I am getting bored. I need to get out there to the gym and use different machines/challenges.

    My only concern is that I cannot leave my house until after my son goes to school and that is about 8:30am By that time I am done exercising at home, showered and ate breakfast!! That is the beauty of working out at home. But it is getting old....I am going to try and see how it goes. If I am struggling to make it to the gym I will look up a good routine and perhaps buy an incline bench and workout at home. Thank you all for your suggestions!!!! :flowerforyou:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    In general, if starting out again, start lighter and work towards the heavy weights... just to get the form down properly :)

    Tonight is mostly a push/pull and core night for me. Cheers, ladies! :flowerforyou:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    :flowerforyou: How's everyone doing?
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    :flowerforyou:
    Good morning!

    GOt up and did cardio this morning (much needed after Monday night football!!). Plan on going home and lifting tonight. Legs and core. Trying to get to the point where I can do the plank positions without trembeling!!!

    :bigsmile:

    I'm not going to lie, though.....the stress from everything happening in the economy and with my hubby's job and everything is really wearing me down. :frown: Hopefully lifting will help!!
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    Tell me about the economy! Sheesh! I was a Washington Mutual customer and I'm grateful that my money is safe despite the bank collapsing (thank you Chase bank for saving my booty!).

    I find that lifting, cardio, heck... exercise in general really helps me when I'm feeling down or stressed.

    Last night in aerials we worked on the silks again... working on flipping upside down and then eventually wrapping and doing the butterfly (probably gibberish to most people reading... hehe). She had us start by hanging and doing a pull-up or two. Now, I have the negative pull-up down... I can hold myself at the top and lower myself nice, slow and controlled... it's getting back up that's my bain, however I'm getting closer all the time and I just KNOW I will get it eventually! :) I need to if I want to be truly successful with aerials.
    I'm proud of how I did last night... I didn't have an issue holding an upsidedown handstand while holding the silks, and I actually did the wrap and butterfly (though I didn't get my hips up high enough, so I ending up pretty much being almost at ground level... hah. The thing I need to work on the most is the tuck so that I can get inverted (i.e. upside down)... as I currently need to use momentum to get there. So, I'll be focusing on a lot of pilates core work, hanging core work, and lots and lots of various pelvis tucks. I'm thinking that it's the mechanics that I'm just not getting, I'm sure the strength is there. I find that with a lot of strength related things I won't get it simply because I'm not sure where to put my body and how to contract the proper muscles when I need them... so I know I'll get it... practice practice.

    Anyways... have a nice Tuesday everyone!!!!
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
    Tell me about the economy! Sheesh! I was a Washington Mutual customer and I'm grateful that my money is safe despite the bank collapsing (thank you Chase bank for saving my booty!).

    I find that lifting, cardio, heck... exercise in general really helps me when I'm feeling down or stressed.

    Last night in aerials we worked on the silks again... working on flipping upside down and then eventually wrapping and doing the butterfly (probably gibberish to most people reading... hehe). She had us start by hanging and doing a pull-up or two. Now, I have the negative pull-up down... I can hold myself at the top and lower myself nice, slow and controlled... it's getting back up that's my bain, however I'm getting closer all the time and I just KNOW I will get it eventually! :) I need to if I want to be truly successful with aerials.
    I'm proud of how I did last night... I didn't have an issue holding an upsidedown handstand while holding the silks, and I actually did the wrap and butterfly (though I didn't get my hips up high enough, so I ending up pretty much being almost at ground level... hah. The thing I need to work on the most is the tuck so that I can get inverted (i.e. upside down)... as I currently need to use momentum to get there. So, I'll be focusing on a lot of pilates core work, hanging core work, and lots and lots of various pelvis tucks. I'm thinking that it's the mechanics that I'm just not getting, I'm sure the strength is there. I find that with a lot of strength related things I won't get it simply because I'm not sure where to put my body and how to contract the proper muscles when I need them... so I know I'll get it... practice practice.

    Anyways... have a nice Tuesday everyone!!!!

    :drinker: :bigsmile:

    Congrats and wow!!

    You have a great Tuesday as well.
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    Here's an article from Chalene Johnson (creator of Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, and the newly coming ChaLEAN Extreme)...
    Myth Buster: Heavy vs. Light The Real Truth About Weightlifting

    To lift heavy weights or light weights, that is the question! Okay, so it’s not Shakespeare, but this question has had fitness experts debating year in and year out about which theory is better and produces the best results.

    If you ask most people what their weightlifting goal is, you’ll find there are 3 answers: gain muscle tone, gain strength or both. What most people don’t understand is that in order to get the results you want, you’ve got to think BIG!! By the way, just because the “B” word is used, it is NOT time to panic!

    The common misconception among women is that if they lift heavy weights, they’ll become the female version of the Incredible Hulk, however that is simply not the case. Women naturally don’t have enough testosterone in their bodies to create that kind of muscle mass. This single fallacy has been the cause for women everywhere to avoid the one thing that can aid in weight loss and the prevention of osteoporosis.

    Men, on the other hand, are able to gain larger amounts of defined muscle simply because they are blessed with tons of testosterone! Sorry, ladies, that’s the fact Jack! Either way, the same holds true for the men and the ladies, we all need more muscle to obtain the desired effects!

    Now, it’s time to break this thing WIDE OPEN!

    Like most of the general population, the goal is to lose FAT, right? We spend hours upon hours doing cardio, because we want to melt the fat off of every possible inch of our bodies. We want to see the number on the scale go down and our pant size decrease. The only problem, cardio is only HALF the solution. Wait, did I hear that correctly? HALF?

    You see, muscle acts like a huge furnace that burns fat. If you increase your body’s muscle mass, you’re automatically increasing your body’s ability to burn fat. Remember the bigger the furnace the greater the results! That’s why using heavier weights is crucial to the weight loss equation!

    Let’s connect the dots. Young or old, male or female, by lifting heavier weights you will not only increase your muscle mass, but your body will become more toned. You’ll actually transform your body into a fat burning machine! Of course, this doesn’t mean that you forsake cardiovascular workouts. On the contrary, the two work hand in hand to give you the stronger, leaner, more toned body you’ve always dreamed about!
  • FitJoani
    FitJoani Posts: 2,173 Member
    I am sooo game for this. I am striving for a sexy toned super muscular body, one that says that chick is fit. I want eviable arms, droolable abs and starable legs. I am so jumping on board for this!!!!!!!! I will take some pix soon. I love this group already!!!
  • MiaDolceBella
    MiaDolceBella Posts: 3
    HI:

    I'm newbie here. I'm 5 feet 3 inches tall. Female/35/Florida. My "original" weight was 125 lbs. when I was a teenager. Over the past years, after married a wonderful man and one son, I was at 188 lbs!!!. One month ago, I started to go to the gym and do some cardio (3-5 times per week, 1 hr. routine, and then some free weights). Now, I'm 169 lbs, but I need to loose more weigh, but my goal is to develop muscles, specially in my arms and legs, I don't want to be a "bodybuilder" but....I like the arms of them.

    I don't know anything about exercises, I'm newbie....but I want it to know....if I have to lose weight first, and then in a healthy weight, starting to build some muscles? What I'm suppose to do first?....Any suggestions? I have HBP, under control, taking medication daily.

    Thank you for any advice or comments!:tongue:
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