Need some weight training education (Long)..

Re: Need some weight training education (Long)..

• greenglasshero

  

  February 2010

  First off toned muscle is worth a lot more than just looking good. I used to have terrible back and neck pain all the time, but doing basic core training has almost completely alleviated it because my muscles can support my spine properly. Keeping your muscles in 'practice' is an ongoing process, but it's just part of a healthy lifestyle.
  As far as seeing results, it can be a slow process, but you will start to feel results much more quickly. Aside from working out releasing endorphins, you'll probably notice improvements in your energy level & even quality of sleep. Plus I always find it's a huge motivator to stay on track with healthy eating and not 'un-doing' all the work you just put in.
  Maintenance shouldn't be that much of an issue unless you don't change your eating habits. Your body needs a lot more calories every day to maintain a higher weight than a lower one.  Unless you're still eating a lot more calories than you need, just working out a few times a week should keep you looking and feeling pretty good.
  All that being said, starting a weight loss journey can be really scary and hard.  But you're far from alone, and a slip up here & there does not mean you've failed. You've got a lot of good resources already, I know some of the other ladies who are even more serious about lifting will give you some more technical tips too!
  

  

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• Nebb member

  

  February 2010

  You need a mixture of cardio and strength training, in my humble opinion. I know its appealing to work out at home and do these things in private but gyms offer a huge variety of tools to use, and that can be utilized for long periods of time. The problem I see with relying soley on a work out video is how long until youre tired of doing it, until it becomes boring from doing it over and over again. Can P90X or Insanity be done for life??
  
  If you did join a gym you can switch up what cardio you do and at what intensity (this will keep your body guessing, so that you dont fall into a plateau), you will also have TONS of weights at your disposal. Do heavy lifting now, there is no negative side effect to lifting heavy when you yourself are heavy - I started lifting heavy when I was 211lbs, I am not 177 and smaller than regular (not lifting) me would be at that weight. The high you get from lifting heavy, from feeling STRONG, keeps you motivated to continue.
  
  NROL4W is a great tool, so good for buying it!! I would suggest that hands down, because it can easily be done again and again, for life. Once you reach your goals, you do have to put in the work to maintain - your muscle mass, your weight, your diet, everything. It becomes easier the longer you do it, but you still have to be aware so that you (we) dont fall into that trap again, you know what I mean?
  

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• raynes member

  

  February 2010

  Ditto Nebb about a mix of cardio and weights.  The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest, and the only way to build muscle is to lift heavier.  Running is good for burning fat, but lifting is what will bring the muscle.
  
  Definitey buy and read NROL4W, cover to cover.  The lifting plan in the book lasts about 6 months (or longer, depending on how often you lift) and can be repeated as often as you like.  I know some ladies over on H&F on the Nest that are doing it a second time.  People also look into other programs designed by Alwyn Cosgrove (from NROL4W) because they love the way he structures the workouts.
  
  As for maintaining muscle, as far as I know, it is a constant thing.  Yes, I suppose that once you get to a place where you are "happy" you can continue to liit at the weight, but trust me, once you start lifiting heavy, you wont want to stop.
  
  As for time commitment, NROL4W is about 40 mins, 3 days a week (for the first stage, later stages can take up to 90 minutes to complete).  I would not suggest lifting every day.  Your body needs time to rest and recover from the work you're doing.  You'll respond better to the program and run a much lower risk of injury that way.
  
  How quickly will you see results?  That's hard to say.  I've stll got about 30 lbs of "extra" hanging out on my body, and I haven't seen too many changes yet.  I started NROL4W Jan 17th.  However, I feel awesome.  I feel much stronger.  And the increases I've seen in what I can lift is freaking awesome.  H says he can see a difference, but I'm not sure.  I feel like my posture is improving, and the nagging back pain I always have from my giant honkers is pretty much gone.  To me, those things are important.
  
  I think that you having a year until your wedding is fantastic timing.  You've got enough time to make some serious, life long changes.   If you have any other questions, just ask us! 
  

  
  We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
  

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• number55

  

  February 2010 edited February 2010

  There are two major keys to losing weight and then keeping it off. First is that you have to expend more calories than you take in and the second is that you want to increase your metabolism, (clearly, once you have reached your goal weight you don't need to expend more than you take in, you need to balance the two). Some people have metabolic health issues which make it difficult to raise their metabolism but most people can achieve it by one simple rule: the more lean muscle you have the more calories you burn.  Look at it this way: the more fat you have, the less calories you burn (therefore you have to intake less calories to lose weight), the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn...what does this mean in terms of real world weight loss?

  
  

  When you start lifting weights you will either see very little change in your weight, no change, or even possibly, some weight gain. This is ABSOLUTELY normal. Muscle weighs more than fat, so as a result, when you first start lifting weight (to lose weight) you may not see any different on the scale. I would say that after 8 weeks you will see a difference in your body but not necessarily the scale, or at least, not as much as you like. The key here is to not give up.  It isn't that you aren't changing your body, you are, it is just that you are building muscle and sometimes that mean little change in your weight (but you should feel it in your clothes within months).  

  
  

  What is more important is that as you are building that muscle, your body's metabolism is increasing so your body starts to burn more calories.  This won't happen over night but I have found that it does sort of happen all of a sudden. When I lost weight years ago, I lost very little in the first 3 months (like 10 pounds maybe) but then probably lost another 10 in month 4!  That is because suddenly my body was burning way more calories because I had more muscle. This is why weight lifting is so important for weight loss, because cardio alone will not build muscle as quickly, even though it does burn more calories (what is best is interval training where you do cardio mixed with weight bearing activities giving you the benefits of both).

  
  

  Muscle isn't hard to maintain as long as you work the muscle and keep your body fat within a reasonable level.  When I was at my goal weight I found that I could manage 3 - 4 workouts a week and eat pretty much what I wanted (without going overboard) and still maintain. For my body type I will never be able to get to my goal weight and just stop working out, it just isn't possible.

  
  

  Sorry so long...

  
  Planning / Married / TTD /

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• number55

  

  February 2010 edited February 2010

  One more thing...I would join a gym personally...I don't work out at home and I have never done P90X or 30DS or Insanity of any of those kinds of videos so I really can't speak to their effectiveness (although I have a friend who swears by P90X but I don't know if I really saw all that much change!)

  
  

  ....I find a gym has WAY more options in terms of exercise options.  I can do classes (I do high impact cardio, weight bearing and yoga/pilates classes), use the cardio machines (I run on some days, do elliptical on others), and do weights too. In an ideal world my gym would have a pool and a wall to climb too but you can't have it all!  

  
  

  I think another great way to 'use your body' is to go out and do a sport every now and then. When I go canoeing at the cottage I always feel my back the next day, I went curling a few weeks ago and my abs hurt for days.  These kinds of activities use your body in the way it was intended to and it is a good way to work muscles you can't always 'reach' in the gym!

  
  

  
  

  
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• raynes member

  

  February 2010

  number55, I heart you.  Ha.  You explained that all very well.
  
  I'd say I'm a case in point.  In the 6 weeks or so that I've been lifting, I've gained about 3 lbs, but I'm now wearing a size smaller pants (woot).
  

  
  We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
  

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• glam70s member

  

  February 2010

  Thanks for the info ladies.. Don't you ever find it a bit overwhelming, trying to determine the best way to do things? There are just so many contrasting opinions out there that it's nearly impossible to know what you need to be doing..
  
  I'm training for a 5K on May 2nd, and I'd really like to run a half marathon at the beginning of October.. My biggest concern right now is how to effectively train for those races while working in the amount of strength work that will be most beneficial.. This is going to be an interesting year, for sure..
  
  I went out and bought a Polar F6 today, so maybe I can work on making my runs more efficient, which should leave more time for strength... Although the formula appears to be simple (calories in vs. calories out), there seems to be so much more to it..
  
  I'll admit I'm happy with myself that I'm working on getting on top of things so far before my wedding - I just hope it's enough! The wedding sets so many other things in motion, and I want to make sure I'm healthy and prepared for the rest of my life with my FH.. Thanks again for all the advice, and keep it coming if you have anything to add!

  

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