Dumb weight lifting questions

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natachan
natachan Posts: 149
in Fitness and Exercise
So I wanted to start strength training. I did a few bench presses on the machine and my chest and (I'm not sure what to call these muscles) my back around my shoulder blades are really feeling it. Problem, I've only been taught to use free weights and I can't always take my husband to spot me. Sooo.... questions:

1) Do I need to take a break while my muscles heal? Or can I still lift when my muscles or sore?

2) What are some things I can do for my arms that don't require free weights (biceps and triceps)?

3) How do I know when it's enough weight? I went and simply lifted until my chest couldn't take anymore, and on the ab machine until I began to feel real resistance, but I think I could have put more on.

Replies

  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    1) yes let muscles heal at least 1 day off and 1 on (if you're begginer) lifting with sore muscles es no muy bueno cause they're still recovering from mini tears you caused.
    2) biceps and no weights? nothing i can think of...triceps? pushups
    3) enough weight is no more than 12 reps in good form and stay around 4 to 6 sets
  • elisabej
    elisabej Posts: 30 Member
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    Yahoo had some really great exercises listed today: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/top-moves-tone-trouble-zones-142200283.html
    Hopefully you can paste that link into your browser if it doesn't copy right. I'm going to try the first move tomorrow morning and see how I do.
  • schaferjrs
    schaferjrs Posts: 3 Member
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    Hello ~

    1) When you lift weights, you are basically tearing down muscle and your body reacts to this by rebuilding muscle that is stronger. The soreness is a signal that your muscles have not recovered yet, so you should give your muscles rest as warmachinejt already pointed out. You can still lift using other muscle groups (assuming you aren't doing a full body workout with weights). For example, sore chest muscles wouldn't stop me from doing a leg workout.

    2) Do you have access to machines or other equipment? There are exercises you can do that work various body parts. For example, doing dips can work both chest and triceps. Chin-ups will work biceps and back. If you are going to the gym, there are usually machines available to work biceps and triceps. And there are many movements with dumbbells you can do without the need for a spotter.

    3) I typically train with heavier weight and lower reps (4-10), but I will also go with lighter weights higher reps on some days. I would recommend selecting weight that you can do for 12-15 reps, especially if you want more definition. I like to vary the number of sets based on the body part. And agian, warmachinejt pointed out that good form is important. Bad form can lead to injury.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    So I wanted to start strength training. I did a few bench presses on the machine and my chest and (I'm not sure what to call these muscles) my back around my shoulder blades are really feeling it. Problem, I've only been taught to use free weights and I can't always take my husband to spot me. Sooo.... questions:

    1) Do I need to take a break while my muscles heal? Or can I still lift when my muscles or sore?

    2) What are some things I can do for my arms that don't require free weights (biceps and triceps)?

    3) How do I know when it's enough weight? I went and simply lifted until my chest couldn't take anymore, and on the ab machine until I began to feel real resistance, but I think I could have put more on.

    1. Within reason. You can do some kind of upper body / lower body split. Something like,
    Mon-Upper
    Tue - Lower
    Wed- Off
    Thu- Upper
    Fri - Lower
    Although if you want to work on a lagging body part it's not unheard of that once and a while, not frequently by any means, you hit it 2 or 3 days in a row and maybe just vary the exercises.


    2. Bicep / Tricep exercises that don't require free weights? Well then you're referring to machines or body weight exercises. The machines will be obvious. Triceps, do Dips on Parallel or V-Bar and Chin-Ups (palms facing you). Push-ups are okay but Dips kick their butt as they work your tri's, chest, and shoulders and are far more challenging. Don't do the dips where you put your arms behind you on a bench and feet out in-front, they put your shoulders in a bad position, can be bad over time. Those are BS anyway, very easy, might as well just do push-ups IMO.

    3. Knowing it's enough weight? You kind of have to judge for yourself.
    - Compound movements (Bench press, squats, shoulder press, deadlifts, etc): sets of 3 to 5 reps, some trainers have mentioned 5 to 7 reps for women. For these exercises you can just start with a light weight and work yourself up to a point where you can only move a weight for 5 reps and no more then stop.
    - Isolation movements (Front Deltoid Raises, dumbell curls, etc): This can vary greatly. 8-10 reps is often considered the best mix of strength and hypertrophy for such exercises.
  • natachan
    natachan Posts: 149
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    Thanks for all the help! I took my husband with me to the gym yesterday and he showed me the proper machines for when he can't be there to spot me. Now my arms hurt.....

    More dumb questions now:

    Can I build muscle WHILE losing fat or is it an either/or?

    and linked with that:

    Can I gain muscle on a calorie deficit?

    And dumb aesthetic questions:

    I hear that women naturally won't bulk up the way men do. Is this true? I'm really not interested in looking bulky.

    We were talking about body fat percentage. Currently I am around 25%. Steve says I should be aiming for 5%. I think it should be closer to 15%. Which is more realistic?
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    build muscle while losing fat? most likely not. Some people might but they're lucky. If bulking up was as easy as most women think, all men would be in kick *kitten* shape... 5% you'll probably endanger your whole body because that's not even essential body fat on a woman I'm sure he meant 5% on a guy. 15% for a girl is still pretty dang tough and as far as i know there is no girl on here on mfp with that %
  • sarahdee2007
    sarahdee2007 Posts: 257
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    I'm glad you asked and got some helpful answers! I needed to know about this too!

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