How fast do women put on muscle?

You asked short questions with a significant lack of detail, so I'm going to give you short answers:

1. There is no way to answer that question accurately.

2. There is no way to answer that question accurately.

3. No.

All of this depends WHOLLY on diet, intensity level, amount of weight and reps lifted, your own genetic makeup and hormonal patterns and about a dozen other things. However, I can assure you that you will never put any significant amount of stress on your muscles (except maybe your side delts for the first week) with only 5 and 8 lb weights.

1. How long does it take a woman to put on one pound of muscle?
2. How long after strength training or how much muscle do you need to gain, for the new muscle to speed up your metabolism and start burning more fat faster?

Aslo- will 5 and 8 pound weights be enough to to tighten everything up?

1. It's going to be impossible to give you an exact duration due to the many..many variables. It really hinges on your endocrine system, namely hormonal production and your current blood work values...along with all the basic measurements. However if I was going to venture a hypothesis...I'd say at max 1.2-1.5lbs of muscle per month...an average of about .5-=.75 per month.

2. That's going to come in time as a result of body re-composition...Once you've added at least 10lbs of lbm or dropped a significant percentage of BF (depending on where your at now) you'll be able to up your calories a little bit to compensate for the extra lean mass your carrying around. Your actions/inaction will greatly effect the efficiency of your metabolism.

3. Probably not..Unless you're profoundly frail.

Doing the Jillian michaels videos you will most likely not add any muscle mass, as the type of lifting is for endurance, not strength or Hypertrophy (muscle building). You may gain a very small amount (couple of pounds) at first as you are new to strength training but that will go away quickly. Not to mention it is next to impossible to build muscle while in a caloric deficit (losing weight)

As for your second question, you need a lot of extra lean muscle to really make a difference in your BMR and metabolism. 20-30 lbs would probably make quite a difference, but 3-5lbs, not so much.

1. How long does it take a woman to put on one pound of muscle?
2. How long after strength training or how much muscle do you need to gain, for the new muscle to speed up your metabolism and start burning more fat faster?

Aslo- will 5 and 8 pound weights be enough to to tighten everything up?

1. It's going to be impossible to give you an exact duration due to the many..many variables. It really hinges on your endocrine system, namely hormonal production and your current blood work values...along with all the basic measurements. However if I was going to venture a hypothesis...I'd say at max 1.2-1.5lbs of muscle per month...an average of about .5-=.75 per month.

2. That's going to come in time as a result of body re-composition...Once you've added at least 10lbs of lbm or dropped a significant percentage of BF (depending on where your at now) you'll be able to up your calories a little bit to compensate for the extra lean mass your carrying around. Your actions/inaction will greatly effect the efficiency of your metabolism.

3. Probably not..Unless you're profoundly frail.

Your #1 would also assume a caloric surplus, without the surplus you may just stop the loss of your current lean muscle or at least reduce the amount you lose while in a deficit.

5-8 pound dumbells are perfect for starting Jillian Michaels workouts. You may not bulk up for a body building competition, but you will certainly add defitition and get nice and firm. As you progress through her worlouts you can always add more weights.


Good luck!

You asked short questions with a significant lack of detail, so I'm going to give you short answers:

1. There is no way to answer that question accurately.

2. There is no way to answer that question accurately.

3. No.

All of this depends WHOLLY on diet, intensity level, amount of weight and reps lifted, your own genetic makeup and hormonal patterns and about a dozen other things. However, I can assure you that you will never put any significant amount of stress on your muscles (except maybe your side delts for the first week) with only 5 and 8 lb weights.

YES YES YES and YES. Listen to this person.

I just started doing toning exercises this year, such as 30 DS. . I saw progress after a week and several months later, I can tell drastically how my body has changed. I have more toned arms, legs, chest and less flabby fat. I do a bit less cardio but the change in my body is amazing! Same size, same weight, just looks better!

6-8lb weights are pretty much only good for holding paper down. You need to start moving 100+lbs using compound, multi-joint exercises if you want maximal gains.

Don't "start" lifting 100lbs - you probably need to build up to it. Try somewhere between 10 - 20lbs and work out what is heavy for you by increasing from there.

Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

Do the weights have to be that high? Absolutely not. You can get lean and toned with lighter weights. You just have to do higher reps.

*insert a 'beating a dead horse' joke here*

Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

Do the weights have to be that high? Absolutely not. You can get lean and toned with lighter weights. You just have to do higher reps.

This is not correct, higher than 15-20 reps range is just for endurance and will not be that different than doing just cardio. If it appeared to work for you it was because you lost the fat over the muscle.

Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

Do the weights have to be that high? Absolutely not. You can get lean and toned with lighter weights. You just have to do higher reps.

This is not correct, higher than 15-20 reps range is just for endurance and will not be that different than doing just cardio. If it appeared to work for you it was because you lost the fat over the muscle.

I really don't want to get in a war of the studies, but:

"In a series of experiments, Burd and colleagues tweaked some resistance-exercise variables to see which had the greatest effect on building muscle mass. More repetitions with lighter weights can build muscle as well as heavier weights -- assuming they are done to the point of exercise-induced fatigue. And fatigue is the important point. That means even with light weight, the last two to three reps should be hard."

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20120427/high-reps-with-low-weights-builds-muscle-too

It's all good. Folks who want to lift heavy, can lift heavy. And the folks who want to lift light, can lift light. Have no fear of the lighter weight, higher rep workout, you will get results (although IMO it's harder than lifting heavy).

I put this in another thread as well, but here is a list of low-no equipment (pullup bar, smaller dumbbells, gymnastics rings for some of the really advanced stuff), strength training exercises that I put together (google should explain any of them) that should take anybody from easy to the equivalent of moving hundreds of pounds in the weight room:

Upper Body Horizontal Push:

Easy/Remedial: Wall Pushup, Knee Pushup, Incline Pushups, Pushups

Moderate: Decline Pushups, Diamond Pushups, Divebomber Pushups, Uneven Pushups, Typerwriter Pushups, Incline One Arm Pushups, Clap Pushups, Planche Lean, Tuck Back Lever

Difficult: One Arm Pushups, Decline One Arm Pushups, Pseudo Planche Pushups, Pseudo Maltese Pushups, One Leg Back Lever, Straddle Back Lever, Back Lever, Tuck Planche Hold/Pushups, Straddle Planche Hold/Pushups, Full Planche Hold/Pushups

Assistance: DB Flys, Crow/Frog Stand, Straight Arm Frog Stand, German Hang

Upper Body Vertical Push:

Easy/Remedial: PB Support

Moderate: DB OHP, Handstand, Dip, Weighted Dips, Bar Dip, Pike Pushup, Headstand Pushup, Headstand Press

Difficult: L-Sit, Freestanding Handstand, Handstand Pushup, Handstand Press, Human Flag Tuck/Full

Assistance: Headstand

Upper Body Multiplane Push:

Difficult: L-Sit to Handstand Press, 90 Degree Pushups

Upper Body Horizontal Pull:

Easy/Remedial: DB Rows, Inverted Rows

Moderate: Tuck Front Lever

Difficult: Tuck Front Lever Rows, One Leg Front Lever Hold/Rows, Straddle Front Lever Hold/Rows, Front Lever Hold/Rows, Victorian

Upper Body Vertical Pull:

Easy: Chair Assist Pullup/Chinup, Negative Pullup/Chinup

Moderate: Chinup, Pullup, Towel Pullups, Leg Assist Rope Climb, Rock Climbing

Difficult: Uneven Chinups, One Arm Chinup Negatives, One Arm Chinup, BW Curl, Arm Only Rope Climb

Assistance: Dead Hang, Inverted Hang, DB Curl

Upper Body Multiplane Pull:

Easy: Skin the Cat

Moderate: Bent Leg Middle Split Hold

Difficult: V-Sit, Middle Split Hold, Manna, Front Lever Pulls, Crank

Combined Upper Body:

Difficult: Muscle-Up, Elevator

Legs Vertical Force (Jump):

Easy/Remedial: Wall Sit, BW Squat, BW Lunge, DB Squat

Moderate: Jump Squat, Pistol Squat, Falling Tower, Weighted Lunges, DB Split Squat

Difficult: Shrimp Squat, DB Pistol Squat, Jumping Pistol Squat, Jumping Shrimp Squat, BW Leg Extensions

Assistance Exercises: DB Extension/Stall

Legs Horizontal Force (Run):

Easy/Remedial - BW Straight Leg Deadlift, Bridge, Straight Bridge, Bounding, Side Leg Lift

Moderate - BW One Leg Straight Leg Deadlift, DB One Leg Straight Leg Deadlift, One Leg Bridge, One Leg Straight Bridge, DB Hip Thrust, DB One Leg Hip Thrust, Assisted Glute-Ham Raise/Stall, BW Good Morning

Difficult - Glute-Ham Raise

All (difficulty scales) - Sprints, Hill Sprints, Stair Runs, Weighted Sprints, Sled/Car Pull/Push

Core Ab Dominant:

Easy - Crunch, Situp, Plank, Knee Lift

Moderate - Hanging Knee Lift, Incline Situp, Hollow Hold, Boat, Touch the Sky, Hanging Leg Lift, Bicycle Crunch, Bent Leg Straddle L, Tuck Dragon Flag, Floor Wipers

Difficult -L-sit, V-sit, Straddle L, Dragon Flag, Body Lever, Hanging Situp, Front Lever var.

Core Back Dominant:

Easy - Bridge, Straight Bridge (Reverse Plank)

Moderate - Superman Hold, Full Bridge, Elbow Lever

Hard - One Arm Elbow Lever, Stand to Stand Bridge, Bridge to Handstand, Back Lever var.

Core Oblique Dominant:

Easy - Side Bends, Twisting Yoga Poses (many)

Moderate - Floor Wipers, Side Plank

Hard - Human Flag Tuck/Full, Side Lever Pulls

..................................................................................
I'm sure I'm leaving off a lot of stuff, especially the easy and obscenely hard, but that is a pretty good overview of what is possible. Most people will never run out of resistance. Though heavy back squats and deadlifts are a nice addition. Most of the tough stuff is from gymnastics. In many ways men's gymnastics can be viewed as bodyweight powerlifting, iron powerlifters can move more total weight, gymnasts are stronger relative to their size. A lot of the tougher stuff is so tough that there is no record of a female actually being strong enough to perform.

As far as programming, there aren't any good comprehensive systems out there that are friendly to all levels, this article is about as good of an overview of programming as it gets:
http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2010/3/the-fundamentals-of-bodyweight-strength-training/

The only thing I disagree with is #3. You'll note that all the guys responding think that 5-8 lb weights aren't much - but as a female starting out, this is where you may need to be.

I've been doing Jillian Michaels for a few weeks with 5 lb weights (and the 30DS also has a lot of weight bearing activities for arms) and saw a difference within a week or two. I've already stepped it up to 8 lb weights though and am almost ready for 10 lbs....eventually you may need to increase your weights, but you can absolutely see some tightening starting with the 5-8 lbs.

That said...it really, really, really goes depend so much on your individual body for all the other questions. But the guys need to also remember, when answering the question re: 5-8 lbs, that their bodies are very different from a female body.

You asked short questions with a significant lack of detail, so I'm going to give you short answers:

1. There is no way to answer that question accurately.

2. There is no way to answer that question accurately.

3. No.

All of this depends WHOLLY on diet, intensity level, amount of weight and reps lifted, your own genetic makeup and hormonal patterns and about a dozen other things. However, I can assure you that you will never put any significant amount of stress on your muscles (except maybe your side delts for the first week) with only 5 and 8 lb weights.