Females that lift.....

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lhaas24
lhaas24 Posts: 92 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I would like to give weight lifting a try and have a couple of questions.
What advice would you give a beginner?
What do you do for abs? I know the standard ab exercises, but I have no idea of how to hit the abs with weights.
How long before you started to see results?
Thanks for any suggestions/comments! :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
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    If you do a search of the forums you'll find a lot of info on Stronglifts, Starting Strength, and New Rules of Lifting for Women.

    I'm doing NROLFW and enjoy it. Different things work for different people.
  • hopeandj
    hopeandj Posts: 42 Member
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    Go to bodybuilding.com and find Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer. It's perfect for people who want to start lifting but have no idea where to start. She has great exercises that are always changing.
  • susieq101178
    susieq101178 Posts: 305 Member
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    If you do a search of the forums you'll find a lot of info on Stronglifts, Starting Strength, and New Rules of Lifting for Women.

    I'm doing NROLFW and enjoy it. Different things work for different people.

    Also doing this ^^ (complete novice)

    Still in stage 1, but I now know that prefer lifting to cardio (even though I do that too) - no measurable results yet other than I can tell I'm stronger and am finally able to complete 3 reps of 8 REAL push-ups with decent form. :happy: And everytime I stretch I feel a little soreness in my abs, so they must be getting some love.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    Squats and deadlifts are for abs.


    Throwing a couple hundred pounds on your back and squatting down low, or ripping it off the ground while keeping your spine straight VS laying on your back with your legs in the air and touching your elbows to your thighs.

    Think about it.
  • sapalee
    sapalee Posts: 409 Member
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    I'm farily new as well (Jan) so I can tell you a few things as a new beginner myself

    What advice would you give a beginner? Do it, you will be thrilled and feel like a beast. j/k, make sure your form is good by getting help form someone who really knows what they are doing and watch a lot of videos

    What do you do for abs? I know the standard ab exercises, but I have no idea of how to hit the abs with weights. Don't need a seperate thing, the compound joint lifts work everything, I got abs in 3 months I hadn't had in ten years. Just remember to tighten your core when lifting.

    How long before you started to see results? Weeks to month

    Have fun!
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    Turkish get-ups are also great for core strength and stability.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    I would like to give weight lifting a try and have a couple of questions.
    What advice would you give a beginner?
    What do you do for abs? I know the standard ab exercises, but I have no idea of how to hit the abs with weights.
    How long before you started to see results?
    Thanks for any suggestions/comments! :flowerforyou:

    Advice: Make sure you have the form right first. Don't worry so much about the weight in the beginning, once you have perfected form, then you can up the weight to something that's challenging.

    Abs: Nothing, apart from 1-2 minutes of ab work that is involved in my (once a week) body pump class. I get a lot of core work from heavy squats and deadlifts - the first time I did them both in the same session, my abs were SO sore the next day!

    Strength results came straight away. Looks results (definition etc) it depends on how your diet is and whether you have a calorie deficit. I put on weight when I first started lifting, but I must stress that I wasn't watching what I was eating at all, and I'm certain I was eating more than before I started lifting. After MFP, I had results in terms of figure/body fat/definition fairly quickly. I can't remember a time frame though, but it's a continuous process (for me anyway) I feel like I'm constantly improving on results.
  • doughnutwretch
    doughnutwretch Posts: 498 Member
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    I would like to give weight lifting a try and have a couple of questions.
    What advice would you give a beginner?
    What do you do for abs? I know the standard ab exercises, but I have no idea of how to hit the abs with weights.
    How long before you started to see results?
    Thanks for any suggestions/comments! :flowerforyou:

    Go to bodybuilding.com and youtube to view proper form on compound movements such as squat, deadlift, lunges, bench, dips, and pullups. Proper form is THE MOST important thing to maintain when lifting.

    Don't worry about doing weights on abs. Think about what happens when lifting heavy weight for a biceps... your arms gets bigger. Do you want your abdomen to get bigger? Probably not. All of the previous mentioned compound movements work abs and if you factor in planks and side planks, you will build strength in your core. A tight tummy doesn't come from working abs every day, it comes from eating at a caloric deficit and losing fat.

    I have been lifting a long time but notice I start getting soft within just a couple weeks if I haven't been lifting regularly. If you start lifting today, you will see strength results and results in your body composition quickly because you are a newb. Maintain a caloric deficit and lift at least three times a week and you will definitely see results. TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS. This is where you will see results the most.
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
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    I'm 6 weeks in, I lifted 2x per week for 3 weeks, now its been 3x for the past 3 weeks, compared to some I'm still lifting pretty light, but I'm a bit of a lightweight myself at 100lbs and trying to gain too.. I also do circuit training 1 or 2 times a week which I recommend for overall body strength too.

    Like the others say, if you are totally new to it then NROL4W might be worth a read (I personally didn't find that it told me anything new, but that's cause my husband had been training me before I read the book). Also like the others say, squats and dead lifts are def going to work you abs. as well as your legs and but ans back. You will not see clear result for a few weeks, you will feel it first . I feel so much stronger, I started being able to do on push up, not I can do 2 sets of 10. I stared with small little 2lb weight not i squat with half my body weight. And I'm just starting out.

    I actually just started seeing noticeable definition in my abs just today. In my arms and legs it showed in the last week or so. If you want definition you have to make sure you are eating well, and eating your proteins too.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    Agreed with others, New Rules of Lifting for Women is a GREAT starting program to get your feet wet. I've done it twice, and saw good results both times even as an intermediate lifter. I just scaled the workouts to higher weight.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    If you do a search of the forums you'll find a lot of info on Stronglifts, Starting Strength, and New Rules of Lifting for Women.

    I'm doing NROLFW and enjoy it. Different things work for different people.

    I love new rules and have just completed the program for the first time. I'll take some time off to do another one and will return to it for round two later this year.
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
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    Turkish get-ups are also great for core strength and stability.

    These are amazing and you will hate them but then love them and hate them more :)

    Overhead lifts are good for your core as you work to stabilize yourself
  • kandy221
    kandy221 Posts: 79
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    bump-just started lifting, so i will read all, thanks
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
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    I'm also just finally getting really into lifting.
    I just purchased NROL4W, and signed up for bodybuilding.com (although I had forgotten the site's url, so thanks for jogging my memory!!)
    Loving it so far, and really wish I would have started my "journey" with the knowledge I have now about weight training.

    I'd STRONGLY recommend keeping track of the exercises/reps/weights you're doing. I like to jot everything down in a little book right after I lift. It helps significantly when you work out the next time and see how heavy you lifted and how many times, and is a great reminder to push yourself harder to beat your old records :)
  • LovelyLifter
    LovelyLifter Posts: 560 Member
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    I started with New Rules and loved it but enjoyed lifting heavy so moved onto strong lifts. My trainer designed a program for me that is a bit more intense but New Rules is a great way to start. Just remember to keep good form !!!

    For my abs I do Incline situps with a 25 lb weight and hanging crunches Also squats and deadlifts seem to be helping too

    Best of Luck:flowerforyou:
  • Will_Lift_4_Shoes
    Will_Lift_4_Shoes Posts: 238 Member
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    Bump..I want to start lifting too.
  • AwesomeSauce4
    AwesomeSauce4 Posts: 1,062 Member
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    Bump :wink:
  • teinepalagi
    teinepalagi Posts: 86 Member
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    bump....thinking of doing this myself....
  • suavequeen
    suavequeen Posts: 273 Member
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    bump...
  • avenathus
    avenathus Posts: 113 Member
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    Focus on the big, compound movements: deadlift, squat, bench, overhead press, chin-ups. Add in some push-ups, rows, squat variations (single leg, Bulgarian split, etc.), deadlift variations (single leg, Romanian), kettlebell swings. Start off small but soon you'll see yourself lifting big weights! And stick to a few sets of a few reps. I usually stick with 3-10 reps for each movement depending on how heavy I'm lifting (lower reps for higher weights).

    I pretty much never hit the abs specifically, but they do feel sore after weighted chin ups!

    Also, consider logging your workouts on Fitocracy! http://www.fitocracy.com It's a lot of fun to get points and achievements for your lifts :D

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