Lift like a guy, look like a goddess or the other...

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TrophyWifeSass
TrophyWifeSass Posts: 490 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, my goal is to TRANSFORM my body. I have about 40 pounds (i think) to lose. I am 5'9" and now weight 195. Should I wait till 20 pounds are gone then hard core strength train? Right now I am doing 60 min cardio 5 days a week and the Golds Body Pump class two days a week. I am hearing lots of differing views on the whole "lift like a man, look like a Goddess" (yes, that's what I want!) or do loads of reps with low weight and work up to tone my body (yes, that's what I want!).So what should I do? Also, don't you get SOME muscles from cardio, if you are really unfit any movement will tone right?

On a side note, I went to the forbidden side of the gym to ask some of the muscle bound guys for some pointers and they were all looking at me like I was crazy. One said "oh honey, you need to go do those machines over there on that side. Free weights will just bulk you up and make you heavy!" I was like "but I don't want to do the wimpy machines, I want to try free weights!" So for any muscle guys, when an overweight, brave, determined women ask you for help, just do it! It took a bit of courage to ask for help and it felt like I was asking for top secret info, the way they were all shaking there heads and telling me no!

My journey is just starting and I am loving it! I am so determined to change it is just crazy. I am truly ready to be fit and 40!
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Replies

  • infosynth
    infosynth Posts: 81 Member
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    You will not bulk up like a man. Period. It's a myth. Do all the lifting you want.
  • susiekusie
    susiekusie Posts: 13
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    I have no clue how to answer your questions, but I think you're awesome!!! Good luck!
  • Buckeyt
    Buckeyt Posts: 473 Member
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    I would not wait. Lifting now will help prevent muscle loss on a calorie restircted diet comprised of cardio only.

    Women shold not be afraid of lifting heavy. Females lack the chemstry to develop big muscles. To add muscle means to gain weight, hard to do when restricting your calories to lose fat. I say start lifting.

    Tim
  • ppiinnkkmmoonn
    ppiinnkkmmoonn Posts: 418
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    you wont bulk i learnt that and my body has made big changes from it
  • mrdowden
    mrdowden Posts: 6
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    Lower weights, more reps will help you build strength and endurance. Definitely do lift, though, it's never a bad thing to have muscle!

    I prefer to start with the strength training and add in the cardio after I have lost some weight. My rationale is that the muscle from training will help burn calories and I won't have the extra weight on my knees when I start running, stairs, etc. Worst thing you can do is injure yourself early on because then you'll be forced to take time off from the workout and that can be as big of a psychological set-back as a physical one.
  • hippo421
    hippo421 Posts: 45 Member
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    Lifting wieghts is a great idea, and you won't bulk up. Females don't have the amount of testosterone in their bodys to do that. Most of the muscle building women that look like Heman, are taking supplements to get that way.I would suggest if you work out a a gym, possibly a personal trainer can help you. If you plan on doing freeweights, you probably will need a spotter. Otherwise, you can achieve some decent results from wieght resistance machines. Don't be afraid of strength building, if you are not doing it, you are not working out to your full potential. Another suggestion would be some strength building yoga DVDs, or possibly some on demand excersize videos. It's important that you know that your muscles will need 48 hours to recover, becasue your muscles break down before they can rebuild. Think of a routine that will allow you to work differentmuscles on different days or just do a whole body strengthening every other day. Read up on different routines, I'm sorry that I'm not going to put them out there for you since there are tons of options. I'm certain if you search you will find some ideas. Commen way to do it is to work your shoulders, chest, and triceps one day and then the next day do legs, back, and biceps another. Good luck!
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
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    Hi....I'm not a pro so all I can relate to you is my personal experience. I was told by a trainer to lift light with more reps, which I did for about a month and I gained endurance but then I read tons of articles that said women should be lifting heavy (machines and free weights) so I started that over a month ago and I have seen fantastic results. My body is not only getting firmer but pulling in, especially at the hip are, which was my biggest area. Of course all bodies are different but I strongly recommend lifting heavy. I'm in a weight lifting class now and I can keep up with the big boys that are just starting out and I'll be 52 in a couple of months......LOL. Never let anyone tell you what is right for you but you. Of course take into consideration what the LICENSED pros say but you still have to do what works for you! Good luck in your journey! :flowerforyou:
  • Beebs33
    Beebs33 Posts: 262
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    I think you should start lifting now. Do free weights 3 days a week would be my suggestions. If you do them too much your muscles do not have time to repair themselves. I do basic free weights but I have seen a huge difference. I need to post some new pics soon because I look a lot better than I did before.

    I still do cardio 6 days a week but the lifting is giving me so much more definition. So I suggest doing weights now. Also, look into a protein shake for muscle recovery for lifting. I find it helps me a lot with how I feel.
  • KLo924
    KLo924 Posts: 379 Member
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    I don't know about the whole light weights and more reps vs. heavier weights stuff (generally speaking I did the most I could handle doing 3 x 12-15 rep.s of a given exercise), but I will say that lifting makes me feel stronger. I love lifting weights. And also, show those jerks at the gym what you're made of!! I can't believe they said that to you!! It might help to get one or two personal training sessions, so you feel comfortable with free weights and have a few game plans of attack.

    Previously in life I lifted much more than I do now (I'm just a month back into working out and for some reason have fallen in love with jazzercise lol, which does incorporate free weights!) - when I used to lift more I worked out all the time among huge dudes. I was really intimidated at first, but some of the men I saw regularly were genuinely kind, helpful, etc. and would encourage me.

    You can do it! And, I really don't think you'll look like a man anytime soon :) Good luck, and have fun! I bet you'll feel better
  • jmafte
    jmafte Posts: 46
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    you can lift as low of reps as you want, with the most weight you can do and you will NOT bulk up. The reason men bulk up is because they have much large amounts of testosterone than women do. Unless you start taking some sort of testosterone supplement you will NOT bulk up.
  • aejbx4x7s
    aejbx4x7s Posts: 111
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    It can be intimidating to start lifting, so kudos! I love lifting and would recommend starting right away. While you will not bulk up like a man, per se, you can use differing weights and reps to control where you build muscle. I, for example, lift pretty heavy weights when I use the leg press as to add some bulk to my lower half. When using the bench press, however, I keep low weights and do 3 sets of 20. I found it very helpful to take a weightlifting class. The instructor provided information not only on how to use the weights but also helped me set up a plan based on what I wanted. Perhaps your gym offers something similar? It is important to use the free weights properly to avoid injury. Also, start slowly! It's difficult to be motivated to lift (or to lift at all) if you are overly sore.

    Lifting is a great way to get in shape and become stronger.

    Best of luck! I
  • Beebs33
    Beebs33 Posts: 262
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    Also I do not preach more reps. I go to the heaviest weight I can but still maintain good form. Maintaining form is key in weight lifting. Say I can bench 95 lbs with proper form and do 10 presses. If I got for 105, my form is terrible..that's not helping me. If I got to a lower weight so I can do more I don't feel like I'm getting the burn I should. That's just me. Everyone is different though.

    Add me if you want to know the exercises I do.
  • jmafte
    jmafte Posts: 46
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    also, lifting on machines isn't a bad thing to get you used to the proper form of lifting free weights. The number one most important thing in free weight lifting is the proper form. It not only keeps you from hurting yourself, but it helps build the muscles the right way.
  • hippo421
    hippo421 Posts: 45 Member
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    Also, this is a great magazine for learning new strength excersizes and tips- don't worry, you won't look like the crazy muscular women in the photos- some are competitive body builders, and their goal is size.

    http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    You will not bulk up like a man. Period. It's a myth. Do all the lifting you want.

    Not totally true. You can bulk up like a man but it's very rare with most women. It's all about how much free flowing testosterone is in your blood stream. With MOST women you have very little BUT some women do have more then others. The ones that have more then others you can usually tell by definition of muscle structure and overall apparent lean fat mass.
  • TayJoMama
    TayJoMama Posts: 348 Member
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    OMG what turds! Good thing they didn't have any advice to give you, It would have been wrong anyway since they don't know what they're talking about. They probably just look at themselves flexing in the mirror, thinking how awesome they are.
  • TrophyWifeSass
    TrophyWifeSass Posts: 490 Member
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    You guy's all rock! I will start lifting Friday and when I am a Goddess I will march up to those "guys" and say "See this, your not the boss of me! If you had helped you could have been proud that you had a part in the TRANSFORMATION, but no, this was all me and my FittnessPals!" I got this...we all do! We can and will do this.
  • kendf60
    kendf60 Posts: 234 Member
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    I would not ask for pointers from "muscle bound guys at the gym". They may or may not have enough expertise to help you and may even give bad advice unknowingly. Look in fitness magazines or reputable sites online, or even better, a personal trainer for a few sessions to help you with form and the right lifts and reps for you. But, don't rule out free weights, they're great if done correctly for strength and toning.
  • liveinbliss
    liveinbliss Posts: 108 Member
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    I would start now and I would lift heavy! Shame on the men at your gym for telling you that! I had really great advice from the men at my gym and no one was discouraging about lifting at all...maybe you just asked the wrong muscle head :) Good luck!
  • HolleeERL
    HolleeERL Posts: 313 Member
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    DO IT NOW!!! I run half marathons so I get plenty of cardio. I wasn't seeing any real results until I included weight training on my non-running days. So now I run every other day and do weights (usually upper body) every other day so I can let each muscle group rest a day. I did the P90X classic with my husband and I LOVED the results. The only muscles that bulked more than I wanted were my biceps so I just use lower weights with more reps for them. The rest I use anywhere from 5-15 lb weights (dumbells) depending on the exercise. I also incorporate pull ups and push ups - GREAT core workout. I love the way my arms look now PLUS you will be burning some great calories.

    I'll just have to add that the women on the P90X videos use up to 25 lb weights sometimes and not one of them looks bulky - they look FANTASTIC! Don't be afraid of weights!!! :o) Oh, and to answer your question on building muscle with cardio: Yes you do build muscle but only for a certain area - very limited. Just an extra word...if you are going to incorporate weights, you need a little more protein. Otherwise you are wasting your time and efforts. Muscles need protein! :o)

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