Women lifting too heavy?
Bellsforkelly
Posts: 21 Member
Hi everyone!
I workout 3-5 days a week with about 30-45 min of cardio and then weights for about 30 min for arms, legs, and back. I don't lift heavy on machines, 30lbs max, sometimes 20. I do 3 sets of 10reps for each machine. I seem to be gaining more muscle in my arms as I would like and my sweaters are fitting tighter on my bicep/triceps. Am I lifting too heavy? Or am I doing this wrong? Can someone help?
I workout 3-5 days a week with about 30-45 min of cardio and then weights for about 30 min for arms, legs, and back. I don't lift heavy on machines, 30lbs max, sometimes 20. I do 3 sets of 10reps for each machine. I seem to be gaining more muscle in my arms as I would like and my sweaters are fitting tighter on my bicep/triceps. Am I lifting too heavy? Or am I doing this wrong? Can someone help?
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Forgot to say I don't want to gain more muscle! Just want to tone!0
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You are not lifting too heavy.7
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No.
And you can't spot reduce.
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No such thing as lifting too heavy.
You won't gain muscle unless you eat in surplus.5 -
"Heavy" really describes the rep range..."heavy" typically describes a rep range of 1-6 where you're lifting at a high % of your max and is optimal for building strength. You are working in a hypertrophy range which is moderate reps with moderate weight. Also, if you're dieting you aren't going to put on appreciable muscle...if you're actually feeling your clothes getting tighter, etc m guess would be that you're retaining water...it's really hard to put on muscle mass.3
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In order to "tone", you'll want to progressively lift heavier than you are and lose weight while you do it. This will help you maintain the muscles you already have, and weight loss will make them show more. Usually that's what I see recommended for a request like yours. It's mostly about weight loss. The only reason to lift is so that you don't lose the muscles you already have as you lose weight.4
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In order to "tone", you'll want to progressively lift heavier than you are and lose weight while you do it. This will help you maintain the muscles you already have, and weight loss will make them show more. Usually that's what I see recommended for a request like yours. It's mostly about weight loss. The only reason to lift is so that you don't lose the muscles you already have as you lose weight.
This^^ And you'll probably have more success if you use a structured lifting program like Stronglifts or Strong Curves.2 -
Thank you!
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You're just retaining water in your muscles - not getting super bulky, The muscles may appear larger temporarily but if you're eating at a deficit you can't build super huge muscles.3
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Are you tracking what you're eating? If you're not eating at a deficit (or eating at maintenance), you could very well be gaining weight and getting bigger.2
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I do track and stay at a deficit or maintain give or take a weird off day once every 2 weeks.0
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You aren't at a deficit if you are not losing weight (as you mentioned in another thread)5
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singingflutelady wrote: »You aren't at a deficit if you are not losing weight (as you mentioned in another thread)
I have stayed between a 300-500 cal deficit consistently and still can't lose weight. I started tracking my macros to see if I was just eating too many high fat foods, and it turns out I was and I wasn't eating enough protein. I started tracking that this week to see if it makes a difference. The only high fat foods I eat consistently are healthy fats such as avocado or evoo and the occasional slip up as I already mentioned.0 -
Bellsforkelly wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »You aren't at a deficit if you are not losing weight (as you mentioned in another thread)
I have stayed between a 300-500 cal deficit consistently and still can't lose weight. I started tracking my macros to see if I was just eating too many high fat foods, and it turns out I was and I wasn't eating enough protein. I started tracking that this week to see if it makes a difference. The only high fat foods I eat consistently are healthy fats such as avocado or evoo and the occasional slip up as I already mentioned.
Fatty foods don't make you fat - eating too many calories makes you gain weight.5 -
Ok, and that is what I'm currently trying to figure out. Like I mentioned, I stick between 300-500 deficit.0
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Bellsforkelly wrote: »Ok, and that is what I'm currently trying to figure out. Like I mentioned, I stick between 300-500 deficit.
The point @singingflutelady is trying to make is that if you are not losing fat over the long term, you are not eating in a deficit. It doesn't matter if you think you are in a deficit. What matters is actually being in one and you do not appear to be in one.4 -
In the other thread you said you tracked on and off and didn't use a food scale.....2
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singingflutelady wrote: »In the other thread you said you tracked on and off and didn't use a food scale.....
Correct. I track on and off on this app. I don't own a food scale, but I'm planning to get one. I do however eat the same things every day, so am aware of what the cost is. I don't weigh my food if I go out and I occasionally screw up drinking alcohol with friends. I understand the point you are trying to make, but I'm asking for help, not criticism. Thank you for making me aware I'm not in be deficit I assumed I was. If you just want to point out all the things you think I'm doing wrong without adding any tips to be helpful, why even post?2 -
The food scale can open all our eyes. Weighing my cereal was an eye opener for me.4
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Bellsforkelly wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »In the other thread you said you tracked on and off and didn't use a food scale.....
Correct. I track on and off on this app. I don't own a food scale, but I'm planning to get one. I do however eat the same things every day, so am aware of what the cost is. I don't weigh my food if I go out and I occasionally screw up drinking alcohol with friends. I understand the point you are trying to make, but I'm asking for help, not criticism. Thank you for making me aware I'm not in be deficit I assumed I was. If you just want to point out all the things you think I'm doing wrong without adding any tips to be helpful, why even post?
Sorry, but weren't you asking for help? Pointing out what you may be doing wrong so you can correct it, is helpful. Pointing out that you aren't in a deficit isn't being mean, it's giving you honest and truthful advice.
Tips have been given: Get a food scale, log every day.5 -
Bellsforkelly wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »In the other thread you said you tracked on and off and didn't use a food scale.....
Correct. I track on and off on this app. I don't own a food scale, but I'm planning to get one. I do however eat the same things every day, so am aware of what the cost is. I don't weigh my food if I go out and I occasionally screw up drinking alcohol with friends. I understand the point you are trying to make, but I'm asking for help, not criticism. Thank you for making me aware I'm not in be deficit I assumed I was. If you just want to point out all the things you think I'm doing wrong without adding any tips to be helpful, why even post?
Why post asking a question if you don't want useful information? It's not criticism to state that you are not in a deficit. We could sit here and blow smoke all day, saying that you're definitely in a deficit and just build muscle really easily but that wouldn't be helpful to you.3 -
Bellsforkelly wrote: »Forgot to say I don't want to gain more muscle! Just want to tone!
Toning is not a verb. You can increase muscle tone (it's an adverb). And when you say you don't want to gain more muscle, WHAT does that mean?0 -
I agree. I posted for help. I'll make sure to track every day and weigh what I'm eating.4
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I think another factor of all of this is being held accountable for mistakes or bringing light to the things I wasn't aware of originally. My mistake, thanks for the help everyone.4
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47Jacqueline wrote: »Bellsforkelly wrote: »Forgot to say I don't want to gain more muscle! Just want to tone!
Toning is not a verb. You can increase muscle tone (it's an adverb). And when you say you don't want to gain more muscle, WHAT does that mean?
Thank you-was not aware. Apparently I haven't been educated enough on this as I seem to be asking questions that don't make any sense. I just meant I don't want to be gaining what seemed to be muscle in my arms by using weights, but could very well be a combination of retaining weight and not being in the deficit I thought I was due to not properly tracking and weighing food.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »No such thing as lifting too heavy.
You won't gain muscle unless you eat in surplus.
assuming OP is new to lifting she may get some newbie gains...2 -
assuming OP is new to lifting she may get some newbie gains...
While that's absolutely true, it's difficult for most women to get actual size increases under ideal conditions, and what the OP has described aren't ideal conditions for muscle growth. It's far more likely that she's unintentionally eating more than she thought and isn't in a deficit.1 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »No such thing as lifting too heavy.
When you blow your back out, it's too heavy.4
This discussion has been closed.
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