Women and weight lifting.....

bump

you need advice from a pro/these programs are too generalized
it all depends on each person individually, and genetically
women will not bulk unless they use extreme amounts of exercise and testosterone precursers
look at different work out plans
if you need help, email me lordsfitness@aol.com I ca help
btw 34 y in fitness
ret public school fitness teacher
certified personal trainer
BS MA in fitness
ASFA certified
Doctoral candidate in sports performance psychology
hope my credentials can stack up to his....

I do three sets of 15 reps. I usually don't do super heavy weights. For example. The bench press, I only lift the bar no weights. For the shoulder press I do 20 lbs. My fitness trainer said moderate rate and high reps = tone. Just my opinion, but women do not have nearly as much muscle mass as men, so while we'll get definition I don't believe we can ever get as bulky as men ;-)

1. In the video Tony H. states that you can do 8-10 reps for bulk and 12-15 for lean muscle.If I choose to do 12-15 are these to be light weights or do I still bring myself to the point of muscle 'failure'?
--- Lift less than you would on the 8-10 rep range, but enough that the last 2 are relatively difficult.

2. Are women really going to 'bulk' up even while trying to lose weight by lifting heavy and doing 8-10 reps??
--- Typically no. There are few exceptions, but women lack sufficient testosterone to "Bulk Up".

3. Are there are women out there that have completed this program or who just lift 3x/week that can tell me what you do and your result?
--- Can't help you on this one.

4. Should I use as heavy a weight as I can?
--- See answer to #1.

Hey MFP friends!

I have started incorporating weights into my fitness routine but I have some questions as I have never used weights at all before, only cardio. I started P90X so that is what I am doing right now as far as weights go.

1. In the video Tony H. states that you can do 8-10 reps for bulk and 12-15 for lean muscle.If I choose to do 12-15 are these to be light weights or do I still bring myself to the point of muscle 'failure'?

2. Are women really going to 'bulk' up even while trying to lose weight by lifting heavy and doing 8-10 reps??

3. Are there are women out there that have completed this program or who just lift 3x/week that can tell me what you do and your result?

4. Should I use as heavy a weight as I can?

I guess just some overall help would be nice.

Thanks in advance guys!!:happy:

I asked a trainer at my gym some of these same questions ... and I have seen past controversy on this board about lower weight/high reps and higher weight/lower reps, but I will share what I was told.

As you mentioned in your 2nd post, lifting a soup can 100 times is not really going to do much. What I was told by the trainer I talked to was when someone looks 'lean', it's the result of 2 things: fat loss and building muscle. Fat loss is done via cardio and building muscle, well, speaks for itself.

To 'build' (thereby creating defintion, but not necessarily 'bulking' up), you have to push the muscles beyond their comfort zone. That was what I was doing wrong (for my goal anyway). When the trainer saw me working out doing 20 reps at a light weight with relative ease, he came out and told me to increase the weight and lower the reps.

When I asked how I know how much weight I should be lifting, he said my rule of thumb was to be sets of no more than 12-15 reps and using a weight that allowed me to do the first of three sets fairly easilym but feeling fatigued at the end. 20-30 second rest, 2nd set, half way through I should be feeling it burn and push through. 20-30 second rest again and during the last set, those last 3-5 should be very hard, if impossible to finish (close to or at muscle failure). I adapted to his advice and well, every day this week someone at the gym has commented on my progress over the past 2-3 months, which is when he gave me that advice, so I am going to say it's working He's also a body builder who still competes (and wins) and he'll be 59 next month, so I believe he knows his stuff.

Good luck!!

Most of your questions have been answered already but I just wanted to say that personally. I have had much better results with heavy weights until the point of failure (usually between 10-12 reps). Not only did I get nice definition it really kicked up my metabolism and help me lose weight better. I know there are different views on this but my motto is: go heavy or go home :laugh:

Based on my understanding:

1. In the video Tony H. states that you can do 8-10 reps for bulk and 12-15 for lean muscle.If I choose to do 12-15 are these to be light weights or do I still bring myself to the point of muscle 'failure'? I've always understood that you should go for muscle failure and to set your weights around that understanding.

2. Are women really going to 'bulk' up even while trying to lose weight by lifting heavy and doing 8-10 reps?? You shouldn't unless you have a testosterone impalance.

3. Are there are women out there that have completed this program or who just lift 3x/week that can tell me what you do and your result? I have tried that, I do 3 hours of weight lifting classes a week and have been for a few years and I have some very nice lean definition (if I do say so myself), just had to lose the fatty pockets around it to see it, LOL.

4. Should I use as heavy a weight as I can? I do.

I forgot what book or magazine my wife was reading, but the quote stuck in my head. "Lift like a man, look like a goddess."

I forgot what book or magazine my wife was reading, but the quote stuck in my head. "Lift like a man, look like a goddess."

^^^This = New Rules of Lifting for Women. That quote says it all, along with "Go Heavy or go HOME!" (Chalene Johnson)

.