Need advice on weight training.

[Fred the Bunny]

So after three years of cardio & changing of the eating habits, I have embarked on a new journey....weights.

I started with 10lbs weights, doing fewer reps.
A friend (somebody I actually listen to) suggested that I go to 5lbs weights and do more reps if I am wanting to tone. I am also studying the various muscle groups of the body and how to do all this stuff the right way.

There is a problem....
I spent about an hour this morning on it & don't have the same feeling (I guess it's a high of sorts) as I do when I do my cardio.
I'm not getting the "feel" of a workout with these 5lb weights.
It makes me mad that I have to sit there and pump 5lb weights
countless times to feel any type of burn.

I'm not saying that I don't trust my buddy's advice. Am I just being impatient?

Considering my height of 5'3", I'm pretty damn strong...especially in my legs.

I don't want to "build" in the wrong places (and end up looking like a butch truck driver).

So my question is this....as a woman, how much do you have to lift to build verses how much you have to lift to tone?

I'm looking for arm definition & core definition.

I know nothing about this.

So I will start by asking you people.

Help is CP'ed and appreciated.

Thanks,
V

[Kapaibro]

So after three years of cardio & changing of the eating habits, I have embarked on a new journey....weights.

I started with 10lbs weights, doing fewer reps.
A friend (somebody I actually listen to) suggested that I go to 5lbs weights and do more reps if I am wanting to tone. I am also studying the various muscle groups of the body and how to do all this stuff the right way.

There is a problem....
I spent about an hour this morning on it & don't have the same feeling (I guess it's a high of sorts) as I do when I do my cardio.
I'm not getting the "feel" of a workout with these 5lb weights.
It makes me mad that I have to sit there and pump 5lb weights
countless times to feel any type of burn.

I'm not saying that I don't trust my buddy's advice. Am I just being impatient?

Considering my height of 5'3", I'm pretty damn strong...especially in my legs.

I don't want to "build" in the wrong places (and end up looking like a butch truck driver).

So my question is this....as a woman, how much do you have to lift to build verses how much you have to lift to tone?

I'm looking for arm definition & core definition.

I know nothing about this.

So I will start by asking you people.

Help is CP'ed and appreciated.

Thanks,
V

Fred, the lower weight/higher reps thing is definitely good for toning, but the weights shouldn't be so light as to make you need to do stupid amounts of reps to feel anything.

If anything, to bulk up, you should be using weights that force your body to exert itself(to the point where you KNOW you can't lift one more time).

If 10lbs feels okay to you, do more reps with that weight, and go up to 15 or 20 for bulk.

For absolutely the best advice, see a personal trainer(or someone who works at your gym) for the best shaping info for your body.

Also, for toning, yoga and pilates (as opposed to cardio) are excellent!

[Jared]

Pilates and yoga can do great thinsg for tone without weights.


I like running and swimming when I can. I need to lose some extra pounds only near my waist, but the muscles under there are ok. RUnning and swimming add definition by burning off calories and fat all over your body.

[Saddletramp]

what the hell is wrong with butch truckdrivers? I am one. And you like me.

[Kapaibro]

Ooooo, and the core training?



Get a swiss ball(y'know one of those big gym balls you do crunches on) to sit on while you're at the comp, or at a desk at work, or even watching TV. The unconscious muscle contractions that your body will do to mainatin stabilty will improve your core muscles.

For arms, boxing!!! Not Tai-Bo(it's good and all), but actually hitting a bag! Get shown how to throw your punches correctly and off you go!
The resistance of hitting the bag helps to define your arms really well(how many boxers you know with flabby arms?).

[Fred the Bunny]

what the hell is wrong with butch truckdrivers? I am one. And you like me.

NEG!!!!

[dare2bme]

Agreed!

Fred, the lower weight/higher reps thing is definitely good for toning, but the weights shouldn't be so light as to make you need to do stupid amounts of reps to feel anything.

If anything, to bulk up, you should be using weights that force your body to exert itself(to the point where you KNOW you can't lift one more time).

If 10lbs feels okay to you, do more reps with that weight, and go up to 15 or 20 for bulk.

For absolutely the best advice, see a personal trainer(or someone who works at your gym) for the best shaping info for your body.

Also, for toning, yoga and pilates (as opposed to cardio) are excellent!

FTB, I agree with Kap here. If you are doing ridiculous reps then you aren't using enough weight to see what you are looking for (burn and eventual tone).

As a general rule, you need to be doing 3-5 sets of an exercise at 12-15 reps. If you use a weight where you can feel a burn by the 10th rep in the 3rd set 8th rep of the 4th set and 5th rep of the 5th set you'll be getting the kind of workout you are looking for. However, I think the most important factor in developing tone over mass isn't the weight you use, but your form. You need to be very deliberate (slow) and have very good form with full contraction at the end of each rep. A rule of thumb for tone can be 3 seconds down, 1 second up, squeeze for one second. Do that for every rep and even a lighter weight will give you the burn you want.

BTW, if you want to get the tone in your arms you're looking for without lifting at all, get in the pool. Everyone is surprised by the kind of shape they can get in without lifting if they get in the pool and start swimming. Plus, you absolutely get your high every day! Just learn a little form and start swimming. To focus on your arms you can even get gloves (they are webbed between the fingers) and focus on pulling the water down and pushing it behind you (with a freestyle stroke). You'll start to see the tone in your shoulders and arms within a few weeks.

Ok, I'm sure there is a TON of other good advice, but in my pre-surgery days, these are the things I did during toning phases.

Oh yeah, last but not least. Shock your body. Everyone forgets to do this. As you master an exercise your body becomes more efficient at that movement so you have to mix it up to keep results coming. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, if you don't change the routine your body won't respond.

EDIT: And the pool rocks your core too!!

No CP's for this please. It was just fun to write it out

[Fred the Bunny]

Running...

Something that I would love to do, but haven't yet.
Right now I'm jogging lightly, lol.
I have a friend who is a freak about running and tried to get me to go all the time, but I never felt lke I was ready to do 5 or 6 miles!

Swimming is a good option for me.
Pilates is another. Yoga scares me, but it would be worth a try.

I need a stability ball.

[Saddletramp]

DO OLD fashioned situps to tone your tummy and your ass and thighs.


Jog/run to build endurance and burn fat off. Will also tone your calves. (Lt will love me for this one )


Keep doing the weights (5 - 10 lbs ) to tone the arms and shoulders. If you do enough reps then you will eventually get the feeling you desire. (Great sex will give you the same feeling)


Tai Kwan Do is great for every body part.

[dare2bme]

Hahaha

DO OLD fashioned situps to tone your tummy and your ass and thighs.


Jog/run to build endurance and burn fat off. Will also tone your calves. (Lt will love me for this one )


Keep doing the weights (5 - 10 lbs ) to tone the arms and shoulders. If you do enough reps then you will eventually get the feeling you desire. (Great sex will give you the same feeling)


Tai Kwan Do is great for every body part.

That's classic.

My fiance and I call it SEXERCISE!! It really is better than almost everything else because there are rewards to keep you coming back

[Kapaibro]

Running...

Something that I would love to do, but haven't yet.
Right now I'm jogging lightly, lol.
I have a friend who is a freak about running and tried to get me to go all the time, but I never felt lke I was ready to do 5 or 6 miles!

Swimming is a good option for me.
Pilates is another. Yoga scares me, but it would be worth a try.

I need a stability ball.

Running!!! Blecchhh! Too high impact and not good for the knees!

Swimming good, but sometimes your body maintains a layer of fat(yeah yeah) if the water is cold. Get the gloves, and a float to immobilise your legs(so your arms shoulders do all the work!).

Rollerblading rocks(but not on rocks!) for getting the legs looking good, as does horse riding(english style as opposed to western, cos you use the legs more).

[Fred the Bunny]

I'm addicted to my damn treadmill.

My goal is to have something different to do every day of the week.

I know that most folks say 3-5 times is enough, but I don't feel "right" unless I'm doing something every day. Considering that I was 260lbs before all this, I never thought I'd be doing anything at all.

The other day I weighed myself & it turns out that I've lost exactly 107lbs.
The only part of me that won't go all the way back into place will be my tummy (from having a baby ). Oh well, the kid was worth it & I can always go and get tucked, right?

If I want to get all technical about it, I want to lose 30 more lbs of fat.

Since warmer weather is coming up, the swimming will be on my list.

Sit ups, push ups & pull ups are already part of something that I am doing with the weights.

SO MANY things I can do, but now that I'm on the last stretch, I lose my imagination.

Sex? What's that? Obviously, Saddletramp, you forget...married with a kid & a full time job. Sex is all but a distant memory now, lol.

[CinnaMunMun]

Well, mostly everything has been covered but:

Swimming is great cardio, but it is not as effective for losing weight as running or some other exercises. I know why, but it escapes me at the moment, I'm not usually awake before noon....

Running is hard obviously (I hate it) but its great for cardio, losing weight, and getting toned. Funny thing though, all the runners I know can't swim worth jack. They all sink in the pool like rocks.

If you want to add muscle mass, you should do this:
When weightlifting, change up the reps/weight every day.
Like Monday: 3 sets of 10
Tuesday: 5,4,3,2,1+
Thursday: 5,5,5,5,5+
Friday: 10,8,6+

Your body won't adjust to your regiment as easy, thus you should add muscle easier. Most women won't turn out to be buff girls though as you lack the testosterone. If you really don't want to add a lot of muscle, go on a lower protein diet.

You want to give your body a break usually in the middle of the week from weightlifting (if you are intense about it) because when you weightlift, you are actually tearing and damaging your muscle tissue, then when it heals, it thinks it needs to adapt to take on the new stress its having, thus gets stronger. If it is constantly tore to bits by extreme weightlifting, you won't get any stronger.

Of course, not sure if you want to do weightlifting that seriously.

Kickboxing is nice. Fencing can be a fun thing too, and you get to stab people, how cool is that?

This reminds me I need to get back into shape. Thanks Fred.

[shanniefly]

I'm addicted to my damn treadmill.

My goal is to have something different to do every day of the week.

I know that most folks say 3-5 times is enough, but I don't feel "right" unless I'm doing something every day. Considering that I was 260lbs before all this, I never thought I'd be doing anything at all.

The other day I weighed myself & it turns out that I've lost exactly 107lbs.
The only part of me that won't go all the way back into place will be my tummy (from having a baby ). Oh well, the kid was worth it & I can always go and get tucked, right?

If I want to get all technical about it, I want to lose 30 more lbs of fat.

Since warmer weather is coming up, the swimming will be on my list.

Sit ups, push ups & pull ups are already part of something that I am doing with the weights.

SO MANY things I can do, but now that I'm on the last stretch, I lose my imagination.
Sex? What's that? Obviously, Saddletramp, you forget...married with a kid & a full time job. Sex is all but a distant memory now, lol.

Back to the marrage thing again

[BigBroncLove]

Well here is my take on it....

Nutrition - This is extremely important IMO to maintain a healthy workout schedule. Not only will it help fuel your workout schedule, but as you workout and your body starts to metabolize more effectiently, nutrition deficiencies will begin to rear their ugly head. Whether they do so through yellowish eyes, brittle finger nails, or tons of other sympotms of nutrition defeciency, for many who go from a small workout shceudle to a full one, this can be a problem. This is very individual though. Myself, I have a high metabolism and it forces me to have to eat a lot to continue to build beyond my current size. This usually means I have to eat an hour or two before I eat to ensure I can build properly. Other people don't have this problem, and obviously since you are toning and not building your nutrition will vary. However with higher reps require higher energy output (which is why you burn fat and create tone) so to avoid pooping out before you've actually reached your true rep limit, nutrition will come in handy before the workout (make sure you eat at least an hour before the workout. Otherwise it can cause you to cramp up. Your involuntary muscles will be working while you are trying to utilize them for the workout, which equals ouch.)


Most Important Thing IMO - While rep count, weight, and set have a great importance on the workout, I think there is one thing that defines a good workout and a bad workout, and that is the length of time you take to do your rep. A lot of people like to yank that weight up to it's highest point, then quickly drop them back down to your rest level before beginning the rep again. While this is semi-effective in buildign nuscle or tone, short 3 seconds bursts of your muscle, no matter how many of them you do, will only have so much effect. However when you slow that rep down, and bring the weight slowly up to you, and then slowly back down you utilize mroe muscles, do so for a longer period of time, and depending on weight this will increase how quickly you will build or tone. This is the most important thing IMO when it comes to utilizing weights. When people do not they wi;l not be getting the most out of their workout, and personally I find it sort of comical to watch in the gyms, especially some of the younger guys with too much weight and to quick of reps.....

Cardio - I hate to say it, but cardio work will always be the most effective way to tone and lose weight. After all, having a good workout always relies on your bodies circulation, and utilizing cardio increases that ten fold. Personally, I hate all cardio work. I do not like to run, blah, patooey. I hate it, but it's something that I generally have to do. Weights will certienly help you, but utilizing cardio based workouts would help you tremendously.

Don't pay attention to rep count - I used to count every rep. However I find this isn't a very good mental tool for working out. It created a plateua for me. I would count out to a number I felt was good for the weight I was doing and wouldn't work my muscles to their highest output. About 3 years back I gave up on counting my reps when working out (whether that was high rep military style workouts, or with weights). I find it helps me tremendously. Instead of trying to reach a plateau I set for myself mentally, every time I grab a weight now I just workout till my muscle can;t do another rep, and since I've built tremendously well . I don't think you hsould count your reps, just work till your muscle can't work anymore, and that means on every set.

Stretching - One thing I am a believer in, is don't stretch before the workout! Whe nyou stretch you are actualyl using energy to stretch your muscles out. While this bit of energy might seem minute to you or me, it will effect a workout. I find it far better to stretch after the workout rather then before. The one workout that I think does not apply to this is running, in which I think it is important tot stretch before and after the workout.

Lastly, Military Style Workout - While I utilize weights more and mroe now to continue to build, I stil lthink high rep military style workouts are some of the best ways to work your body to the limit. Every muscle in your body can be worked out utilizing a simple mechanics based workout with no weights. Such as flutter kicks (butterfly kicks), bicycle kicks, pullups, push-ups (wide arm, diamonds, or regular), situps, leg lifts, boiler room kicks, mule kicks, and tons of other workouts. These are best for building white muscle (white muscle is for endurance, red muscle is for short bursts of strength) and toning.


Long.... sorry. Anyways, I jsut want to add that don't stop when your brain tells you to. Always try and breach your limit. Half of working out is mental, and to often people don't maximize their workouts because they listen to their brain to much. Tell it to shutup! and work past your limits every time you hit the pavement, the weights, or the gym. If you do that, you can't lose.....

Good luck with your work outs.