Females only - lifting/weight training results?
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This is so awesome.. I start a "transformation challenge" at a gym on Monday. Just received an email to wear shorts and a sports bra for my picture, if i want to be in the running for the grand prize......
NOW, I am getting scared. Have not lifted ever, and i am 55 years old. These young girls are going to be calling me Grandma.
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This is so awesome.. I start a "transformation challenge" at a gym on Monday. Just received an email to wear shorts and a sports bra for my picture, if i want to be in the running for the grand prize......
NOW, I am getting scared. Have not lifted ever, and i am 55 years old. These young girls are going to be calling me Grandma.
Don't worry about it! You can do it. I was 57 when I started lifting heavy.8 -
How much cardio do you all do? I am 5'7 133 so pretty lean already. I have recently threw myself in burnout mode by training 6 days a week doing 40-50 min of cardio and 20-30 min of moderate lifting. Needless to say I was not seeing any results and spinning my wheels. I am slowly starting to get back into working out after a month of just walking and light spinning. I would like to start a program, but I am afraid to add much cardio back in because I don't want to overtrain again. I was eating around 2,300 cals a day and now around 2,000-2,200 depending on my activity for the day.
I also had blood work done to rule out anything that was causing fatigue. Everything came back normal. I also went to a hormone specialist for women and they found that my estrogen and progesterone were good, but my testosterone was 7...so it was shot. I am 33 and have had two kids. I have started testosterone therapy so I hope that it can bring back some of my energy. My goal is to recomp with little cardio.1 -
How much cardio do you all do? I am 5'7 133 so pretty lean already. I have recently threw myself in burnout mode by training 6 days a week doing 40-50 min of cardio and 20-30 min of moderate lifting. Needless to say I was not seeing any results and spinning my wheels. I am slowly starting to get back into working out after a month of just walking and light spinning. I would like to start a program, but I am afraid to add much cardio back in because I don't want to overtrain again. I was eating around 2,300 cals a day and now around 2,000-2,200 depending on my activity for the day.
I also had blood work done to rule out anything that was causing fatigue. Everything came back normal. I also went to a hormone specialist for women and they found that my estrogen and progesterone were good, but my testosterone was 7...so it was shot. I am 33 and have had two kids. I have started testosterone therapy so I hope that it can bring back some of my energy. My goal is to recomp with little cardio.
If you want to do cardio do what you like for fun. Heavy lifting is a great way to strengthen your heart as well as your body. I do the Kettlebell on non lifting and lifting days. It is supposed to enhance and improve your lifts.1 -
I don't do a lot of cardio (just because I don't like it). I ride my bike to work on days I don't go to the gym (16mi round trip) and do HIIT sprints for about 20 minutes (1min of actual sprinting total). I'll hula hoop while watching movies sometimes.1
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I'm 50. I am currently bulking. I lift 4 days a week, but currently not doing any cardio. I'm training for my first fitness competition. Once it's time for me to start leaning, I will start doing some cardio, but only 10-15 minutes before I start lifting.6
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Tattooedmom44 wrote: »I'm 50. I am currently bulking. I lift 4 days a week, but currently not doing any cardio. I'm training for my first fitness competition. Once it's time for me to start leaning, I will start doing some cardio, but only 10-15 minutes before I start lifting.
Whoo hoo! You go. I think that's great
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Ladies, incredible results! I've been watching this thread for years and I love it. I started SL 5x5 a couple years ago but stopped because of horrible neck and hip pain. I had it before lifting but it grew worse when lifting. This past spring I found out the cause of my inflammation and pain is mostly caused by food (wheat, corn, buckwheat, and a few others). In that time I was very sick as well and I stopped counting my calories but still watched what I ate. I was then diagnosed with celiac disease in the summer.
Anyway, a lot of my inflammation is gone but not all because corn is so hard to stay away from. It's even in supplements and most medications. I want to start lifting again but I can't do squats. Is there any way I can have nice legs and bum with a replacement? I've been lifting but only dead lifts, overhead press, rows, bench press, etc. Has anybody here had great progress with no barbell squats?0 -
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I do squats but also do step ups with a kickback (holding onto dumbells), leg press machine, cable lifts (forward and backwards), hamstring machine, calf raises (holding onto dumbells) , hip anduction/ adduction machine, hip raises (with weight across my lower abdomen, donkey kicks with ankle weights on. I know there's more, but that's all I can remember. I hope that helps!!!5
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Has anybody here had great progress with no barbell squats?
fwiw, i 'do' squats, but i never do them very heavy or stay even at 'heavy' for very long. my hips sincerely hate them. my other lifts are deadlift, bench, overhead press and pendlay rows as accessory.
there's still been progress. i don't post personal pictures on the internet, but i definitely don't feel i've been wasting my time.
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This is so inspirational! Really want to start weight training but not sure where to start. I'll be on my own at the gym and I've never really used weights. And what about diet? Obviously I am aiming to eat pretty clean but what are your goals for eating every day ladies?1
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When I first started lifting, I splurged and paid for three sessions with a trainer. That at least helped me to get started and develop a routine to follow. It's hard to comment on diet because there are so many variables.Kittyfeliz wrote: »This is so inspirational! Really want to start weight training but not sure where to start. I'll be on my own at the gym and I've never really used weights. And what about diet? Obviously I am aiming to eat pretty clean but what are your goals for eating every day ladies?
Personally I aim for 125 grams of protein and between 200-250 grams of carbs, but I'm currently lifting for 2 hours, 4 days a week. I'm working on a project. I'm competing in a my first fitness competition in 3 months.7 -
Kittyfeliz wrote: »This is so inspirational! Really want to start weight training but not sure where to start. I'll be on my own at the gym and I've never really used weights. And what about diet? Obviously I am aiming to eat pretty clean but what are your goals for eating every day ladies?
Try a solid beginner's program like Stronglifts 5x5, Strong Curves, Starting Strength, or New Rules for Lifting. These involve a small set of compound lifts that almost anyone can learn and be successful with. You can find a lot of the reading and form videos online, so you'll have a good base of info when you get started. Some people prefer a few sessions with a trainer to get the basic lifts down, but it's not necessary for everyone.
I started Stronglifts 5x5 about a year and a half ago and it's been great. There's a women's Stronglifts group here on MFP that has tons of helpful info about modifications that might help the program work better for you.
As for diet, you need to decide what your main goal is. If your main goal is to lose weight (body fat), then you should eat at a deficit. If you want to stay about the same weight, but change your body composition to be more lean mass (muscle) and less body fat then eat at maintenance. If you want to gain more muscle mass (are are okay with gaining some fat along with that) then eat at a surplus. Keep your protein up - a common recommendation is .8-1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. I personally aim for around 100 grams of protein a day.7 -
How much cardio do you all do? I am 5'7 133 so pretty lean already. I have recently threw myself in burnout mode by training 6 days a week doing 40-50 min of cardio and 20-30 min of moderate lifting. Needless to say I was not seeing any results and spinning my wheels. I am slowly starting to get back into working out after a month of just walking and light spinning. I would like to start a program, but I am afraid to add much cardio back in because I don't want to overtrain again. I was eating around 2,300 cals a day and now around 2,000-2,200 depending on my activity for the day.
I also had blood work done to rule out anything that was causing fatigue. Everything came back normal. I also went to a hormone specialist for women and they found that my estrogen and progesterone were good, but my testosterone was 7...so it was shot. I am 33 and have had two kids. I have started testosterone therapy so I hope that it can bring back some of my energy. My goal is to recomp with little cardio.
My cardio consists of 5 minutes on the dreadmill to warm up before each lifting session lol. Oh and the occasional run around the neighbourhood to run off a bad mood. Running is like my therapy but I really dislike cardio lol.
Um as for the rest, I'm not sure sorry. I'd suggest going easy on the cardio and concentrating on your lifting to help with the recomp. However, until you get your levels sorted out, I'm not sure that's a good idea either.0 -
Thank you ladies, I bought New Rules For Lifting For Women and I'm currently drinking it in and excited to start. Tomorrow my husband will show me the proper forms and movements at the gym (he was a trainer in a past life). I hope to have a success story to post here one day! Thank you for inspiring me!!8
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Ok so totally finished reading NROLFW and was a little intimidated since this is my first time in the gym weight room and I'd have to bring a clipboard and learn new lifts with steps and a ball and yadda yadda... so I looked into StrongLifts 5x5 and it's soooooo simple, there's the app for everything and it's a couple simple moves. I started today and my husband did as well (he just started with a little more weight) and we had the BEST workout. I feel better after this workout than I've EVER felt after a workout! I'm not beat down and exhausted (though reaching my arms up to scratch my nose is a challenge), I'm pumped!! (pun intended) thank you so much ladies, I'm so excited for Friday's workout!!! (that's the first time I've ever said that!)21
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@Kittyfeliz I did the same! I think NROLFW is a great read for why women need to lift and focus on protein.
But Stronglifts is so easy, working out becomes a real pleasure.
Join us here! http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women4 -
It's awesome to see more and more women getting into lifting!!1
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Omg, I just barreled through this thread. You ladies are such an inspiration. I'm 5'7 and weigh 294 pounds. I just ordered NROLFW yesterday. Until it gets here, I'm going to start using my dumbbells (I'm so weak right now that my 5lb dumbbell is heavy, I can't imagine picking up a barbell right now).
I'm going to have to modify my routine some (at least for a while), I have orthopedic problems in my knee (lunges are no fun). My goal is to be able to work through the New Rules by the end of the year.
Hopefully by then I'll have some before and after pictures to share!5 -
Omg, I just barreled through this thread. You ladies are such an inspiration. I'm 5'7 and weigh 294 pounds. I just ordered NROLFW yesterday. Until it gets here, I'm going to start using my dumbbells (I'm so weak right now that my 5lb dumbbell is heavy, I can't imagine picking up a barbell right now).
I'm going to have to modify my routine some (at least for a while), I have orthopedic problems in my knee (lunges are no fun). My goal is to be able to work through the New Rules by the end of the year.
Hopefully by then I'll have some before and after pictures to share!
You'll get there! Many of us couldn't use the bar when we first started. If you follow a good progressive program, you'll see an amazing different quickly!4 -
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I just can't believe the pictures on here, what incredible and inspiring photos. Thank you so much for sharing ladies!1
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Wow, all of these last three photo-posts are amazing!!! Way to go, @ashorey87 @psych101 and @Tattooedmom44!3
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I've always been scrawny. I don't look any bigger since starting heavy lifting a few years ago, but I'm definitely tighter and my muscles are way more defined. I feel good in a bikini and bought my first one ever on my 39th birthday! One of the biggest benefits I've gotten is that developing my strength has kept me virtually injury free and improved my performance in my other activities (mountain biking and running). I used to get injured fairly frequently, and I haven't had any running injuries in years - ever since I started weight training. Plus, my pack is so much easier to deal with when backpacking. I can lift so many heavy things now. So those are my results. I'm loving them!
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