When to start strength/weight training

BettyBlueEyes · May 2012

Now! You don't have to start with giant dumbells and lots of grunting. The idea of a PT for a few sessions is great to get the right idea about what to do. If you have gym membership, they can usually organise this for you. You can start on the resistance machines, where you can choose the weight you're lulling/pushing against. If you can't afford to go to the gym, there are plenty of youtube videos to help, or doing something like 30 day shred might get you into it. You can buy small hand weights for a few pounds/dollars.

Strength training increases your lean muscle mass. If you're overweight, it's highly likely that there is fat inside your muscles (this happens as we get older too). By strength training, you reduce the fat inside your muscles as well as under your skin and around your organs. You'll be stronger, and your metabolic rate will go up so you'll burn calories faster. You may see either a steady weight or a slight increase, but probably only for a week or 2 then it'll go down again. As others have said, go for the measurements!

Enjoy it, and good luck

waldo56 · May 2012

You know what builds an awesome core?

barbell squats and deadlifts.

Flags, levers, and planches.

And to the OP's question, should have started yesterday. You will lose your muscles as you lose weight otherwise. You don't have to go to the gym and pump iron, you can do progressive callisthenics (bodyweight exercise) with the world as a gym.

chubberlang · May 2012

I can understand your concern regarding what the scales say. I too am motivated by weight loss. It can be only too easy to blame no loss or even a gain in weight on 'building muscle'. In many cases this is not true and is weight gain for the wrong reason. Ballance is the answer and of course cals in v cala burned as always. I weight train and do cardio but try to watch carefully cals and monitor weight. I am starting to also monitor body fat which can be very useful along with body measurements. I am a big fan of resistance trainng but unless yoi are looking to bulk up (which most of us on here are not!) a careful balance between cardio, stretching & resistence is a good approach.

waldo56 · May 2012

I am a big fan of resistance trainng but unless yoi are looking to bulk up (which most of us on here are not!) a careful balance between cardio, stretching & resistence is a good approach.

Careful balance?

You don't accidentally bulk up. You have to try really, really, really hard to do it, eating insane amounts of food, and even then, it might not happen or if it does it takes a loooooooong time. Unless you're on 'roids.

dlwyatt82 · May 2012

Now.

You will probably see the weight loss slow down, but if you're tracking your measurements, or even just eyeballing in a mirror, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Your body will retain more water when you're doing heavy lifting (to repair the muscle tissue), which throws off the scale a bit.

chubberlang · May 2012

Surely if you eat insane amounts of food you put on weight. My experience is that if you don't monitor your intake as well as your excercise regime you can put on weight for the wrong reasons. Maybe my ballanced approach is not the right way to go

Briski1411 · May 2012

You should start immediately, today! Weights training is part of burning of the FAT. That is essential what you are doing with cardio anyway. A good mix of cardio and weight lifting for a dedicated focused person would be mon, wed, fri weights and tuesday, thursday, Saturday do 45 min of cardio first thing in the morning before you eat. Rest on Sunday.. Also the day of the week doesn't matter if you number the days or your work outs then it will work the same. More muscle burns more calories just to maintain plus it weighs more and takes up less room on your body.

Remember and this Web site helps emphasize that diet is the BIGGEST most important part of loosing weight.

mmapags · May 2012

Surely if you eat insane amounts of food you put on weight. My experience is that if you don't monitor your intake as well as your excercise regime you can put on weight for the wrong reasons. Maybe my ballanced approach is not the right way to go

Oh I think it is but there's no reason to be concerned about bulk if you are eating in a deficit. Or if your a woman. Or both. Gaining bulk requires testoterone and a calories surpluss. It also requires the kind of lifting that is more Body Building utilizing slightly higher reps and hypertrophy rather than pure strength training as in heavy lifting. It takes work to gain bulk even when you are trying. With heavy lifting you ge stronger but not bigger. You get sleek and lean and muscular. I also mix in cardio for endurance and heart health and also for the burn. A balanced approach is good.

crisanderson27 · May 2012

*sheds a tear*

I'm so proud of you all! Only ONE comment in the whole thread pushing any sort of misinformation

.

To the OP...as has been said multiple times...NOW. The recommendation for bodyweight stuff is a good one as well. ANY exercise that you can only perform 5-8reps of before you fail, or lose good form, is HEAVY strength training. The more of your body each of these exercises pulls in, the better it is for your overall strength, health...and level of FAT loss (for example, squats are better for fat burning than pushups, but both have their place).

If you can only perform 20 pushups...that's endurance training.

If you can only perform 6 pushups, that's strength training.

The difference is...how heavy is the resistance TO YOU.

jadedone · May 2012

BUMP

I was thinking the same thing as I do mostly cardio. Not sure what exactly to do. When I first started at the gym should be a couple of the machines. Just wonder if machines would be enough.

Honestly, you can get results with the machines, body weight and free weights. Free weights work more muscles at a time, so that's why people recommend them. But of course form is really important. I'd recommend a trainer to teach you the more complex full body lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench press etc) so you have the right form down. This is especially important as you move into heavier weights.

Also, it is good to master moves like lunges and squats with no weight so you have the proper form down.

waldo56 · May 2012

*sheds a tear*

I'm so proud of you all! Only ONE comment in the whole thread pushing any sort of misinformation .

To the OP...as has been said multiple times...NOW. The recommendation for bodyweight stuff is a good one as well. ANY exercise that you can only perform 5-8reps of before you fail, or lose good form, is HEAVY strength training. The more of your body each of these exercises pulls in, the better it is for your overall strength, health...and level of FAT loss.

If you can only perform 20 pushups...that's endurance training.

If you can only perform 6 pushups, that's strength training.

The difference is...how heavy is the resistance TO YOU.

Time under tension is more important than # of reps.

<15 seconds till failure -> C-P system and strength focus, rapid strength gains
15-45 seconds till failure -> anaerobic glycogen and hypertrophy focus, feel the lactic acid burn
45 sec+ till falure -> Aerobic glocogen and strength endurance focus, buh bye calories

This is more important with bodyweight as many exercises are not rep based. It also applies to things like sprinting, especially hill sprinting, which is very much a strength training exercise.

cfriend71 · May 2012

I didn't read the other responses but I have been told and have read that it's best to start right away because the more muscle you have, the more fat/calories you will burn.

PS - I love your photo

crisanderson27 · May 2012

*sheds a tear*

I'm so proud of you all! Only ONE comment in the whole thread pushing any sort of misinformation .

To the OP...as has been said multiple times...NOW. The recommendation for bodyweight stuff is a good one as well. ANY exercise that you can only perform 5-8reps of before you fail, or lose good form, is HEAVY strength training. The more of your body each of these exercises pulls in, the better it is for your overall strength, health...and level of FAT loss.

If you can only perform 20 pushups...that's endurance training.

If you can only perform 6 pushups, that's strength training.

The difference is...how heavy is the resistance TO YOU.

Time under tension is more important than # of reps.

<15 seconds till failure -> C-P system and strength focus, rapid strength gains
15-45 seconds till failure -> anaerobic glycogen and hypertrophy focus, feel the lactic acid burn
45 sec+ till falure -> Aerobic glocogen and strength endurance focus, buh bye calories

This is more important with bodyweight as many exercises are not rep based. It also applies to things like sprinting, especially hill sprinting, which is very much a strength training exercise.

This is true for the most part (I don't necessarily count sprinting as something that will give you the hormonal benefits of strength training...but I could be wrong), and something that's often overlooked.

If you look at my profile though, you'll see that I have a rep based bodyweight program listed that definitely counts as heavy strength training, even by a traditional sense.

waldo56 · May 2012

If you look at my profile though, you'll see that I have a rep based bodyweight program listed that definitely counts as heavy strength training, even by a traditional sense.

Same here, aside from being in my profile.

Though I'm working on statics at the moment to recover from some tendonitis in my shoulders. Lever training also counts as heavy strength training. No matter how strong you are, a front lever or planche is not easy.

But when it comes to progressive calisthenics, low reps does exaclty the same thing as it does with weights. For some reason when most people think bodyweight, they think easy, as if they didn't realize that you can do hard bodyweight exercises.

How different really is a hill sprint than a set of jump squats?

cheachea2 · May 2012

Balance Your Exercise Program

Research shows that good nutrition and regular exercise help people reach a healthy weight. These habits can also help you live a longer, healthier life.

A balanced exercise program combines these activities:
•
Warm up to get your muscles ready to move. Every exercise routine should start with a 5–10 minute warm-up.

•
Aerobic training works your heart and lungs. It improves the blood and oxygen flow through your body. It also helps you stay active for a longer period of time. Do aerobic training for 30 minutes, 5 days a week.

•
Balance training strengthens your hips and legs. It also helps with coordination and reaction time. Do 5–10 minutes a day, or as needed.

•
Core training strengthens the muscles in your abdomen, back, and pelvis. Do 30 minutes of core training (alone or with strength training), 2 days a week or more.

•
Strength training strengthens and tones the different muscle groups in your body. Do 30 minutes (with core training), 2–3 days a week, but no more than 3 days a week.

•
Flexibility training helps joints keep their range of motion. Do flexibility training at the end of your workout, 3 or more days a week.

•
Cool down for 5–10 minutes after every exercise session to help your heart rate and breathing return to normal.

When to start strength/weight training

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