Women who lift weights ??? Advice please

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  • sandrinamsilva
    sandrinamsilva Posts: 651 Member
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    Keep Lifting. The heavier the better. That's what I have always been told. I seem to get more compliments when I lift.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    my funniest story from the first time i did New Rules :

    My cat is diabetic and I have to order special food for her every month. When I first started to get it, the box was too heavy to pick up and i would have to push it into my apartment. then one day, about mid way through the program, the fedex guy came with the food.

    i took the box in one arm (my dominant arm at that) so i could sign with the other. Meanwhile he was staring at me like WTF? then I was like wait, there should be another box, this isn't all my cat's food. he insisted that was the only box.

    when i got in to open the box i saw that it was all the food, but I was just able to curl almost 50 lbs :laugh:
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    The scale is the worst measure of progress. After I started lifting heavy around the holidays, it took me about a month to go down a pant size but I had only lost 1# per the scale. Did I care? Nope, loving my smaller pants.

    For women, bulky just means you still have too much body fat overlaying the muscles you are strengthening. You won't build new muscles while eating in a deficit but you will activate, for lack of a better word, the muscles you already have and, as they are strengthened, they will get tighter and take up less space. So continue to eat in a small deficit to lose the layer of fat over the muscle and, between both processes, the inches will be lost and you won't end up bulky.

    Another benefit of lifting heavy is that this will help you retain your muscles while losing the fat. This is important because the more muscle you retain, the more food you can eat as your metabolism will be burning faster/hotter. And it makes it easier to maintain your weight loss once you reach your goal.

    I am now starting to lose scale weight again while lifting and I can eat more than I was previously and still lose. It's a wonderful thing.
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
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    ok - first myth is that muscle weighs more than fat...WRONG...a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat; HOWEVER muscle takes up less room as it is more condense..hence even though you may not drop weight, you will become SMALLER as you tone up.....women are not really built to become bulky..I lost 40 lbs..they say every 10 lbs is a size smaller...however I went from a size 18 to a size 4....because I lifted weights and lost a ton of inches everywhere...that is the difference.

    My goal is to spend just as much time on weights as cardio...that way I am turning all my fat into muscle...and muscle naturally burns more calories than fat..so the more muscles you have, the more calories your body burns on its own :)

    Also - get yourself a good protein shake. This another myth that protein shakes are for men and make you big...NOT - it will help you with your energy level, your muscle recovery and make your hunger satisfied :)
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
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    I've been lifting heavy for a couple months now and absolutely love it! My profile pic and the other boudoir shots on my profile are since I've been lifting. Pretty sure I don't look bulky!
  • rw4004
    rw4004 Posts: 157
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    Happy to see this post.Lots of good advice here.Lifting burns a lot of calories,makes you leaner,gives you more energy.Would you rather have a small number on the scale or a flat stomach?I measure myself and keep track of how many inches I have lost.Are you eating protein after your workout?
  • woodsygirl
    woodsygirl Posts: 354 Member
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    I love the New Rules of Lifting for Women and have dropped 2 pds this week by increasing my calories (from 1500 to 2000) and following the workouts in the book. I had been stuck for months, this book really helped me see that I was starving my body. I just love being able to eat! I recommend the book also (I love seeing so many other posts about it).
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
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    bump
  • maggie16sweetxoxo
    maggie16sweetxoxo Posts: 314 Member
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    OKAY PLEASE READ MINE I HAVE THE ANSWER!!! Hey my workout is 3 days a week and i do 5 sets of squats (with 45lb bar) And 10-12 reps per set, and a bunch of other things, but I don't really want to write all that, anyways the key is to tone up not bulk up, you do this by doing more reps per set and less weight per rep. Hope it helps you its really working for me, but your might still gain a little muscel weight , but thats good wight and you won't look funny its just like replacing the wiggly fat with muscle


    :flowerforyou:
  • nutandbutter
    nutandbutter Posts: 447
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    OKAY PLEASE READ MINE I HAVE THE ANSWER!!! Hey my workout is 3 days a week and i do 5 sets of squats (with 45lb bar) And 10-12 reps per set, and a bunch of other things, but I don't really want to write all that, anyways the key is to tone up not bulk up, you do this by doing more reps per set and less weight per rep. Hope it helps you its really working for me, but your might still gain a little muscel weight , but thats good wight and you won't look funny its just like replacing the wiggly fat with muscle


    :flowerforyou:

    Highlighted part is not true. Lifting heavy weights with low reps won't cause you to bulk up. Women are so scared of accidentally bulking up while on a caloric deficit. Guess what? It's hard to gain muscle even when you're eating above maintenance. Most of the "bulk" women see on themselves is the fat, not the muscle.
  • johanaaah
    johanaaah Posts: 37 Member
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    I learned a lot with my trainer.....He is nationally recognized and has trained many famous body builders. First thing he taught me is the only way to get rid of the fat is cardio PLUS building muscle. The more muscle you have/build, the more fat you will burn. This of it this way: visualize your fat burning. Now visualize your muscle growing. You will have less fat if you have two actions going on rather than just the fat loss.....The first thing you should do is focus on cardio about 4 times a week for 50 mins. Then you should focus on a whole body workout 3 days a week, starting with 10 mins cardio to warm up and get your heart rate up....Once your heart rate is up you keep it up with lifting weights, doing squats, lunges etc....In the middle of your workout do 8 mins on the stairmaster to get your heart rate up again....then continue your weight training....finish with another 5 or 10 of cardio....He recommended 2 sets of 15 reps VS 3 sets of 10...Why? Women need to look leaner and this will accomplish that vs more sets. You wont bulk up. I promise!!! ALso, he recommended not waiting too much time in between sets.....The faster you do your sets and reps, the better for your muscles. Your total body should be no longer than 1 hour to 1 hour 15 mins......I lost a good ammt of fat percentage working out with him........I gained it back because i got lazy but i am on my game again and also the reason I am on MFP.


    Good luck!!
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
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    The only time my butt ever looks good is when I weight train!!

    The only downside is that my shoulders do get a little bulky. but only A LITTLE!! Also because I pole dance, which is freak load of arm work.
  • tataliciousd89
    tataliciousd89 Posts: 465
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    Just do it. Keep doing it. Don't be afraid. You will look and feel soooooooooooo much better than dieting alone, I promise.
  • auditorz
    auditorz Posts: 15
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    If you don't lift weights you can only get skinny fat.
  • nel0311
    nel0311 Posts: 248
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    I was nervous too. My husband told me that i wont bulk up real bad just by using 3-5 lb weights. it just helps my body make the muscles stronger so that they can burn the fat. Yes it is true that you will see the scale rises a little while doing so but it will right before the muscle starts to help burn off the rest of the fat that is in your body. Seeing how you cant turn fat into muscle you should see the results you want. Best bet is to stay away from any suppliments that will bulk you up and contain massive amounts of calories and you shoud be fine. The change happens slow but it happens. Good luck!
  • SmallerBecky
    SmallerBecky Posts: 177
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    OKAY PLEASE READ MINE I HAVE THE ANSWER!!! Hey my workout is 3 days a week and i do 5 sets of squats (with 45lb bar) And 10-12 reps per set, and a bunch of other things, but I don't really want to write all that, anyways the key is to tone up not bulk up, you do this by doing more reps per set and less weight per rep. Hope it helps you its really working for me, but your might still gain a little muscel weight , but thats good wight and you won't look funny its just like replacing the wiggly fat with muscle


    :flowerforyou:

    Highlighted part is not true. Lifting heavy weights with low reps won't cause you to bulk up. Women are so scared of accidentally bulking up while on a caloric deficit. Guess what? It's hard to gain muscle even when you're eating above maintenance. Most of the "bulk" women see on themselves is the fat, not the muscle.

    Less reps, more weight--I agree! Lift, lift, lift...and lift HEAVY! My profile pic is me on Week 11 of P90X (three days of strength training a week, among other cardio workouts). I'm starting New Rules of Lifting for Women right after I finish Week 13 (end of next week). These arms lift 15s, 20s, and occasionally 35s...and they're only gonna get better! :)
  • DarleneT22
    DarleneT22 Posts: 224 Member
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    I have been lifting for 4 weeks now and I lift heavy. I have about 20 lbs to get to my goal but really I just want to tone up and get rid of the jiggle. Thanks to this thread I just bought that New Rules book for my Kindle so thanks!!
  • kir911
    kir911 Posts: 228 Member
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    Don't be afraid to lift. At first the scale may not move alot, but don't worry, you are making more progress than you think. I lost more inches than I did weight at the beginning from primarily lifting. I lost 24 inches in about 2 - 2 1/2 months, 2 pants sizes. It really is the way to go!
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
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    I'm sure you have heard this, but you must believe it. Women really cannot bulk up. We don't have enough testosterone to get big. I strength train 4 days a week, and have developed incredible tone and definition in my upper body. You will not gain weight from muscle. In fact, having more muscle burns more calories, so you will still lose weight. Do not be scared. I repeat, do not be scared.
  • BJC78
    BJC78 Posts: 324 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice! I think I'm going to check out the book too :) Question~ can this be done at home or only in the gym?

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