Dumbbell Lifting Question

brittjrogg · May 2015

I am a completely ignorant when it comes to weight lifting, I know slim to nothing about it really. So, let me start off by apologizing if this seems like a stupid question. I just want to make sure that I am going on the right path and if not what I should be doing to get on the right path. I purchased women’s magazine the “big book of exercises”, that has a lot of barbell and dumbbell exercises on it, pretty much weight lifting exercising. I have started to do some of those exercises with an 8 pound weight.

I started to do the basic curl, dumbbell row, lateral raise, hammer curl and extension, and chest press – I do 2 sets of 10 each, all with an 8 pound weight.
Okay, now on to my question – will this help tone me up or should I be using heavier dumbbells? I am currently 180 at 5’2 and wanting to get to 125. I am at a 1200 calorie diet that I maintain most weeks and I only eat back my exercise calories on Friday’s.

As I said I am completely ignorant when it comes to this. Am I doing myself any good with the arm exercises that I am doing? Or what should I be doing differently? Should I be eating more of my exercise calories back when I lift? Or does that make any difference at all?

Also, should I be taking a rest day in between days to help recover my muscles? Or is it okay to lift as I am every day?
Any help/ guidance on this would be greatly appreciated!

cdpm · May 2015

I'm no expert, but from my personal experience, it should help you tone up. I try to do about 12-15 reps with the last 1 or 2 being a real struggle. When I can do the exercise at 15-20 reps without feeling the burn on my muscles, then I move up to a bigger weight (gradually!)

I would advise to rest between weight days, because the day after you might be a bit sore!

RoxieDawn · May 2015

Think about this way... I bet your purse weighs more than 8 pounds? How about a jug of milk or 10 pound bag of flour?

WIth this said, you should learn form first. You should use the 8 pounds in order to practice form of all the exercises.

When you are comfortable I say lift as much as you can but enough to get through the exercises. 2 sets of 10 is not very much at all (IMO) that will not get you very far with 8 pounds.. Lift heavier, do more sets (like 4 or 5) less reps.

Devising a plan and a goal is first. Research based on your fitness level and where you want to go. Are you wanting to invest in home equipment or do you want to go to a gym.

Right now you are not doing enough work here to warrant eating back any calories or need extra rest days. There is no way to determine exercise burn however when you do start lifting "heavy" you will (I say this because I do) need to eat some of them back... it makes you hungry lifting heavy..

Research programs like StrongLifts, New Rules of Lifting for Woman, etc..

As a newbie to weight lifting, you will get some gains in your muscles mass, but over a time this stalls because building mass when in a calorie deficit is extremely rare.. Focus on strength and fitness for now.. If you want to get larger muscles in the future, this is a different goal entirely.

jocey517 · May 2015

what you're doing is a start but I'd recommend exactly what was said - it should be a struggle to do reps 12-15 (meaning muscles are hurting and your heart is pounding)... if you're only doing 10 reps each of those - increase them to 15 and if you can keep doing more than 15, increase the weight. if you're only doing arms and chest that day, definitely do not do the same muscles the next day but you could do weights on your lower half the next day - legs and booty. you want and should be breaking a sweat when you do weights - so you know you're body is working. adding weights to watching what you eat is a great way to work towards your goal - keep it up:)!

martinel2099 · May 2015

Can't tone a muscle, they get bigger or smaller that's about it. The only way you'll achieve the toned look is by lowering your body fat %.

To answer your actual question, if the workout is starting to get too easy it's time to increase the weight. There's no need to go crazy, just increase the weights in small increments from time to time and gradually build up your strength. I usually go up by 5 lbs or so each time I feel it's time to inceace. There's also no right or wrong starting point, start low and perfect your form and work your way up as you go.

You should be working out in accordance with your goals. If you want that "toned" look the most important factor to consider is your diet and to make sure you eat in accordance with your weight loss goals and account for extra activity when you have it.

If your goal is weight loss keep in mind that lifting heavy is a great idea and will help you retain the muscle you already have while trying to reduce fat. The last thing you want to do is work so hard losing the pounds only to end up skinny fat in the end.

Keep lifting, it'll do worlds of good for you.

martinel2099 · May 2015

gia07 wrote: »

Think about this way... I bet your purse weighs more than 8 pounds? How about a jug of milk or 10 pound bag of flour?

WIth this said, you should learn form first. You should use the 8 pounds in order to practice form of all the exercises.

When you are comfortable I say lift as much as you can but enough to get through the exercises. 2 sets of 10 is not very much at all (IMO) that will not get you very far with 8 pounds.. Lift heavier, do more sets (like 4 or 5) less reps.

Devising a plan and a goal is first. Research based on your fitness level and where you want to go. Are you wanting to invest in home equipment or do you want to go to a gym.

Right now you are not doing enough work here to warrant eating back any calories or need extra rest days. There is no way to determine exercise burn however when you do start lifting "heavy" you will (I say this because I do) need to eat some of them back... it makes you hungry lifting heavy..

Research programs like StrongLifts, New Rules of Lifting for Woman, etc..

As a newbie to weight lifting, you will get some gains in your muscles mass, but over a time this stalls because building mass when in a calorie deficit is extremely rare.. Focus on strength and fitness for now.. If you want to get larger muscles in the future, this is a different goal entirely.

Didn't see this post before, right on the money. Great advice.

rileyes · May 2015

This is what I would do:

Eat lots of protein
Incorporate body weight exercises (5-15 minute circuits 4 days a week)
Increase to 4 sets of 8-12 reps (arms, body weight etc.)
20-min cardio everyday

Incorporate push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, sit-ups, planks into a 4-day plan. These exercises can be altered to fit your level.

sofaking6 · May 2015

Here's how to tell if what you're doing will make you stronger: are you sore and/or fatigued afterwards? If so, congrats - you're working hard enough to make a difference

It's true that you will not be able to add much in the way of muscle mass, HOWEVER that is not the only benefit of lifting even relatively light weights. You can become stronger through a process called 'neuromuscular adaptation'. This means that your brain and muscle form better and more efficient connections, allowing you contract more muscle fibers more quickly.

http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/how-to-get-stronger-without-getting-bigger

You won't need rest days for your muscles, but you will notice your strength increasing as well as your speed when it comes to the exercises. Then you'll reach a point where that improvement will level off and if you haven't done it already, that will definitely be your time to start lifting heavy.

gonebeast · May 2015

U need to struggle to get to 10 reps, the last couple reps should be hard. 4 sets of 8-10 reps for all ur exercises.
The 8 lbs is fine for lateral shoulder rises and ur rear delt exercise.
The rest need to go higher or you'll be wasting ur time @brittjrogg

AllanMisner · May 2015

I’m assuming you want to build strength and maintain muscle mass. To do that, you need two things, stimulus and protein. The stimulus comes from lifting progressively heavier weights. And protein, is what it is, make sure you’re getting enough.

I wouldn’t waste my time on the smaller muscles (biceps and triceps). Just do dumbbell squats, dumbbell lunges, bench press, dumbbell rows, and standing overhead press. Go as heavy as you can for three sets of 5 - 10 reps. When you can get all three sets at 10 reps with a given weight (with good form), it is time to increase the weight on the next workout.

Definitely take a day or two off between lifting sessions. During these rest days is when muscle is built.

mkakids · May 2015

sofaking6 wrote: »

Here's how to tell if what you're doing will make you stronger: are you sore and/or fatigued afterwards? If so, congrats - you're working hard enough to make a difference It's true that you will not be able to add much in the way of muscle mass, HOWEVER that is not the only benefit of lifting even relatively light weights. You can become stronger through a process called 'neuromuscular adaptation'. This means that your brain and muscle form better and more efficient connections, allowing you contract more muscle fibers more quickly.

http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/how-to-get-stronger-without-getting-bigger

You won't need rest days for your muscles, but you will notice your strength increasing as well as your speed when it comes to the exercises. Then you'll reach a point where that improvement will level off and if you haven't done it already, that will definitely be your time to start lifting heavy.

You don't need to be sore to indicate an effective lifting session.

Also, rest days are always beneficial. Especially as you progress to heavier weights.

brittjrogg · May 2015

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for all the help and guidance. I know what I need to do now and I don't want to continue doing what I was doing and not get anywhere.

I don't plan on getting any weight equipment other than Dumbbells. I have an elliptical, treadmill, bike, and I also do T25, Jillian Michals DVDs and some firm DVDs as well. Those videos are pretty much all cardio lots of lunges,squats, and push ups. So I am getting some arm work in with the push ups.

I appreciate everyone's help!!!

Dumbbell Lifting Question

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