Females only - lifting/weight training results?

mom23mangos wrote: »

Wow @sazzle1983 ! I don't think I've ever seen your before pics. What an amazing job!!! Way to go!

Pinupdollrawr wrote: »

You look phenomenal! How apart were the photos and your typical routine?

sazzle1983 wrote: »

mom23mangos wrote: »

Wow @sazzle1983 ! I don't think I've ever seen your before pics. What an amazing job!!! Way to go!

Lol its not something I normally post, but feeling brave today lol x

Mithridites wrote: »

@dbanks80 Your arms look great! What program do you follow?

persimmonfig wrote: »

So many amazing posts here from folks who do really intense routines and have really great long-term progress! I've really enjoyed reading your posts. I also thought I'd share my much gentler home routine and experience as a near-beginner.

No pics from me right now, but I've been lifting weights at home 2-3 times a week since the beginning of May, when I finished my PhD. I was extremely sedentary when I started. I used to do separate upper and lower-body routines, but I actually do quite a lot of lower-body strength building through yoga and standing HIIT cardio, and was noticing some muscle fatigue, so I've backed off a bit on those during lifting. (I might pick back up in the future to build further strength, but I've decided I need to stick with the intensity of those other exercises for overall cardiovascular health and for weight loss right now.) I built up from 5 pounds while learning the exercises and now lift 15-pound dumbbells in each hand.

This morning my routine was: biceps curls, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, overhead triceps extensions (only one weight), lateral arm raises, and chest presses. I added in some glute bridges (unweighted) and flutter kicks. 3 sets each of 10 reps.

I'd never done weight training before I started this. In two and a half months of what I consider very slow and gentle progress, I've lost nearly an inch in my waist, about half an inch in my hips (I hold weight there, it's not that surprising that it's not more), and two inches in my thighs (thanks also to the cardio and yoga for that). My weight hasn't really budged at all, either direction. But I am so much stronger, and I've noticeably slimmed down in my face too! I've just started being more intentional about watching what I eat and am looking forward to starting to see a little validation from the scale as well.

I used a lot of online resources to help choose exercises (and I do change them up occasionally!) and learn about proper form and motion. SELF has a lot of articles and videos/GIFs I liked about beginner weight-lifting routines, like this one. I also like that they feature diverse fitness models, including diverse body sizes--not only on principle, but because I found it easier and more encouraging to figure out how to do the exercises by watching people with a lot of different body types!