Strength training program for weight loss, how to?

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dubist
dubist Posts: 279 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just started my 200 lbs weight loss.
Just lost 5 lbs in 4 days which has kicked me into high gear, and a nice boost to the motivation part of my brain.
I have no idea what i should be doing and can't fit a trainer into the budget this year. but do have $20-30 for equipment
I have 20 lbs barbells already.

From what I have read I don't want to strength train more then 3 times a week to 20- 45 mins each workout.

Q;
When doing strength training what should your heart rate be at?
When your muscle still slightly sore from the workout 2 days ago should you still train?
Is their food you should eat on days you strength train and cardio vs days you just do cardio?
I don't have the best core or upper strength but a do have the kick of a oxen. how should this effect my work out?

Cheers

Replies

  • Cathleenr
    Cathleenr Posts: 332
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    I just started my 200 lbs weight loss.
    Just lost 5 lbs in 4 days which has kicked me into high gear, and a nice boost to the motivation part of my brain.
    I have no idea what i should be doing and can't fit a trainer into the budget this year. but do have $20-30 for equipment
    I have 20 lbs barbells already.

    From what I have read I don't want to strength train more then 3 times a week to 20- 45 mins each workout.

    Q;
    When doing strength training what should your heart rate be at?
    When your muscle still slightly sore from the workout 2 days ago should you still train?
    Is their food you should eat on days you strength train and cardio vs days you just do cardio?
    I don't have the best core or upper strength but a do have the kick of a oxen. how should this effect my work out?

    Cheers


    you may be interested in this group fr those new to strength training:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/396199-welcome
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    to up your calories burnt,, do skipping in between sets
  • barlowgirl8383
    barlowgirl8383 Posts: 2
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    it is nice if you can afford a gym membership so that they provide all the equipment for you - mine is only $7 a month! so as far as, what to purchase if you want to do in home, i'm not so much help there . . .

    as far as the actual weight lifting, you need to decide if you want to build bulky muscle or tone muscles - if it is the first, you want to do more weight and less reps (5-10) but if it is the latter, you want to do less weight and more reps (12-15) and typically they are done in sets of 3. as far as how much weight - you want to start feeling the burn after 5 reps and have it be a real struggle for the last 5 reps. it should hurt to a degree and you should be sweating and have to make funny faces to grit through it and really focusing on exhaling as you are lift/pulling and then breathing in on the way back to start - and you should definitely be sore the next day - if not, you aren't lifting enough weight. and typically you're even more sore the second day but still get in there! you're body will get over it and it will start to be a good kind of sore that makes you say, 'why yes, i did really work hard!'

    i don't eat anything different from normal - most people say make sure to have some protein within an hour after - lots of different schools of though on it though . . .

    hope this is a start to some help! good luck and keep up the great work!
  • schatzie1982
    schatzie1982 Posts: 5
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    In May 2010, my doctor told me to lose 216 pounds. As of today, I have lost 96 pounds. I went from sleeping 20 hours a day to 6-7 hours a day and from no exercise to 3-8 hours of exercise a day.

    You should ask yourself how much exercise have you done in the past three months. When I started exercising in July 2011 I started with 2 pound weights and an exercise band. It was all I could do to complete the two sets of exercise my nephew (he's a certified personal trainer) assigned me.

    There are some good sites you can consult. One is www.fitsugar.com. You want to make sure you get the go ahead from your doctor. Eleven years ago two of my disks ruptured and I lost all feeling below the waist. He tailor made my routine but it can work for anyone. He also had me go to our school track and walk for 30 minutes 3X a week. At first I didn't even walk a mile and I was exhausted.

    My advice is to start out slow. When I get back from church I will send send you a copy of the routine he gave me. You should start out slow. At first you will seem to fly but then you will see you have to work harder to get the same workout.

    Since June I have lost 38 pounds and reduced my body by 35". In that time I dropped 3 sizes and 2 bra sizes. I lost, what I call a shelf butt, most off my midsection.

    I don't drink sports drinks. They are too high in sugar. One thing I do is drink water during my workouts. It is vital to stay hydrated. After my workouts I either drink 12 ounces of low sodium V8 juice (spicy or mild) or I drink 8 oz of 1% milk. Both provide a small amount of sodium and they provide 1200 mg (V8) or 280 mg (milk) of potassium. They also meet the guidelines for the food pyramid. Milk has the added advantage of protein, which helps to rebuild the muscle.

    What I did was start out with no weights. I wanted to make sure that I was doing the exercise correctly. If you strength train and do it incorrectly you will injure yourself or you will do yourself no good. Once I knew I was doing the exercise properly I added a very low weight (1-2 pounds) and started with two sets of 8 repetitions for each exercise. I did this Mon, Wed, Fri. I walked 30 minutes before I did the workout. With you just starting I would recommend 15 minutes before and then 15 minutes after. Another tact is 10 minutes before, 1 set of each exercise, 10 minutes of walking, and then 1 set of each exercise. The walking keeps your heart rate up and keeps you warmed up for your strength training session. You may not be able to do 30 minutes of cardio at first. Start with 5 minutes and every week add 1 minute until you get to 10 minutes. Spllit the ten minutes into 5 minute sessions. After that add 1 minute to each session each week or every other week until you are doing 2 sessions of 8 minutes. After that do 3 5 minute sessions and add 1 minute to each session until you can do 3-20 minute sessions.

    You can message me and I will be glad to send you what I did. I am in training for my first 5K. It doesn't sound like much but my goal is to jog it. If done right, exercise can become a great part of your life. You want to take it slow and steady! I only have 120 pounds to reach the doctor's goal for me. I have more energy than ever before and I don't crave unhealthy foods.
  • schatzie1982
    schatzie1982 Posts: 5
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    Here are the exercises my nephew sent me:


    Barbell Military Press

    Band Resisted Rows

    Standing Biceps Curl, Dumbell

    Overhead Triceps Curl

    Squat

    Abdominal Crunches

    Wall Pushups

    Horizontal Dumbbell Chest Press

    Horizontal Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Press

    The correct way to do these can be found on facebook. They work because I lost 18 pounds the first month and several inches. It is slower now but I am losing steadily. Because we tend to lose in strange places and not where we would like I measure lots of places. I made an initial measure of my neck, upper chest, bust, just below my bust, my waist, stomach, hips, L&R thigh, L&R calf, L&R upper arm. I also made a note of my ring size and my shoe size. Another measurement I take (this may sound funny) is my front to back measurement. Remember when our mothers would stand us against the wall or in a doorway and mark our height? Well, I found a place on my wall and I measured my width from front to back and then put the date on each line. Then I measure the distance. It is hard to see my progress and this is hard proof. I also have an outfit that I cannot fit into that I check once a week. It keeps me focused. I have had to go through my clothes and get rid of some that don't fit. It is exhilerating to get into an outfit that was too small before. My shoe size has gone down by one size and I have lost two ring sizes. Since I swell I wear a ring to help gauge my swelling. One thing I do is only record my losses. Sometimes I won't record for a month and then it just falls off. It depresses me when I see the scales fluctuate. I have to weight several times a day to keep track of swelling caused by my kidneys. I don't use the scales to determine my weight loss; the scales is for the doctor's benefit. I use my measurements to tell me whether I am progressing.

    As far as the strength training I suggest you start out with one set of 8 repetitions and then add 1 rep every week until you are doing one set of 20 repetitions. Then split the reps into two sets of 10 repetitions. again work your way up to 20 reps adding a rep per set per week. Once you can do two sets of 20 reps at the beginning weight then you should add weight. I started out with 2 pound weights. I added one pound when I could do 2 sets of 20 reps easily. By starting with 5 minutes of cardio at the beginning of your workout and then progressing as I suggested you will not be as sore and you will want to stick to it. You should make a chart that records your sets, your repetitions, and the amount of weight you use.

    When doing your cardio your heart rate should be in the 60-80% range (220-your age). One way to increase the cardio benefit of strength training is to not rest more than one minute between going to the next set. I usually split my sets.

    I have the advantage of a gym at my college. It is free to attending students. I use the life fitness machines (nautilus). Next sememster I am taking a free weight training class. Doing free weights is much more difficult than machines.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    it is nice if you can afford a gym membership so that they provide all the equipment for you - mine is only $7 a month!

    :noway:

    Where are you and how can I sign up? That seems a better deal than the $100 a month I pay!
  • barlowgirl8383
    barlowgirl8383 Posts: 2
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    fitness19!
  • dubist
    dubist Posts: 279 Member
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    thanks for the input
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Check out Youtube for body weight exercises.

    My favorite is Bodyrock.tv

    Note that you do not need any expensive equipment for cardio or strength training.

    Rope skipping is a great cariod work out. If you have a watch with a timer, set it for 3 min. Start with a single 3 min set and then add sets as it gets easier. Give yourself a 30 sec break between sets.

    As for strength, push-ups, crunches, leg raises, burpees, etc are all great strength exercises. And, if you reduce the time between sets you can get a good cardio burn at the same time.

    With regards to post workout soreness. Make sure to stretch after you workout as a cool down. As you push your body there will be some amount of post workout soreness but a decent 5 - 10 min of deep stretching after a workout will keep it to a minimum. Note: When stretching, make sure you put the effort in during an exhale.

    Good luck and have fun!
  • seeled
    seeled Posts: 93
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    Here are the exercises my nephew sent me:


    Barbell Military Press

    Band Resisted Rows

    Standing Biceps Curl, Dumbell

    Overhead Triceps Curl

    Squat

    Abdominal Crunches

    Wall Pushups

    Horizontal Dumbbell Chest Press

    Horizontal Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Press

    These are most of the same exercises my husband has told me to do for strength training. Thanks for posting them as a reinforcer. I am soooo sore for the last two days for doing lunges combined with bicep curls and squats combined with overhead lifting. I used 7 lb weight for those. When I bench press and do the mility pressed, I bench 20-30 lbs. I also couldn't walk a mile when I started and now I run at least 1.5 miles and run/walk 3-4 miles and bike 2-4 miles almost daily. (not the last few days because I have been to sore from strength training!!) I have a lifetime membership to my college gym because they built it while I was in college.
    There is a gym around this area called fitness 10. From my understanding it is $10 a month for a membership. You really do not have to have a gym membership. Just got spend the $50-100 on weights and you can do it all at your home.

    Keep up the good work!

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