I have around 120lbs to lose. I am getting some cardio each day, one of my biggest fears is excess skin, so want to get some muscle happening for the skin to hang onto.
Do I start a weight program now and build muscle over the next year so i am shapely when I reach goal, or do I concentrate on cardio until I am near goal weight to really start muscle building?
I started out with no exercise at all and three months in learned from the lovely ladies here that when you lose weight as much as 40% of the weight lost could actually be muscle. We don't want to lose muscle, we want to lose FAT. By lifting, we are helping the fight against muscle loss.
Also, muscle helps burn more calories at rest.
And finally, you will be building muscle underneath layers of fat so as the fat melts away, the muscle will be there waiting for you.
The only thing I want to caution you on is that you may need to develop a healthy relationship with the scale now, whatever that may mean for you. For me it means weighing every single day. For some it means weighing weekly and for some monthly. When I lift, the scale does funky things and makes me frustrated. The body retains water for muscle repair for one thing. Also, I tend to lose inches while my weight stays the same, so the measuring tape has been my friend.
Cardio actually stalls me big time. I don't know why... but when I'm doing too much cardio I just can't lose weight. Even if I measure and weigh my food. I've started weight training and walking and it's made a HUGE difference in how things look .
But yes, as Eliana said... be careful with the scale. It WILL do funky things. If you must weigh everyday, make a chart. I'm pretty familiar with my dips and dives during the month so I don't freak out if I'm up 3 lbs from a salty dinner or water retention in my mucles. Sure enough, it drops off with some of it's friends a few days later .
another thing I have been told is to lift heavy and basic just to help with the weight coming off; but I have been used to body part specific routines with lighter weights and higher reps/sets.
doing routines that use large muscle groups burns more cals, than routines meant to build muscle in only a small area.
that doesn't mean we should never do the other routine, but i think that's for toning and building the muscle up more. i think now you mostly concentrate on large muscle groups. example: squats work your butt, thigh, and abs if you hold them in. not sure if it works hamstring much.
lunges is another example. works glutes, quads, and hamstrings. if you elevate the toe(edit: not the toe, the heel. elevate heel) to make it more advanced, the calf works too. the whole leg.
i also suggest doing side(also called lateral) lunges and speed skaters. a speed skater is sort of hopping side to side with your feet spread wide. doing side/lateral moves work different muscles.
try looking thru about.com's exercises section. they also have charts to show you beginner, intermediate, advanced versions. then you'll know how to modify to make it easier or harder.
also, be mentally prepared to get doms. delayed onset muscle soreness. this happens when we work muscles differently from what we are used to. i look forward to these! and stock up on epson salts.
also, cathe dot com blog has great articles about wt training.
Last edited by katy trail; 10-24-2010 at 12:12 PM.
Reason: error
Lift heavy and yeah concentrate on the larger muscle groups and compound movements. Things like squats, pushups, lunges, etc are great compound movements using a lot of muscles at once. I started weight lifting at my highest weight (which is about 100 lbs more than your current weight) and never had any regrets
I say do both. Lift heavy with smaller reps and light with more reps. I do this by switching it up every few weeks. This past week I did 12 reps with heavy weights and then next week I'll back down to lighter weights so I can do 20 reps. Either way, I work to the point of not being able to lift the two reps without a great deal of effort.
Esme: Real quick...you've already received wonderful advice from the others supporting your interest in lifting. One thing I want to suggest is to add planks into your abdominal workout even more so than crunches. Eventually, you will learn why, crunches/sit ups are okay but I really prefer the planks. Planks are less stressful to the neck and lower back areas but still offer incredible core strengthening.
Best of luck! I"m so excited for you. Keep in mind, that no one begins knowing everything. We learn it in pieces that are important to our goals at the time. One final suggestion, carve out a little time each week to learn/explore weight lifting from the various forums. Once you learn this for yourself, you own it. In my own experience I have found great satisfaction in that. : There's just so much to explore and experience!
You'll lose weight quicker with weight lifting, and as the fat melts away you'll have a pre made hot body underneath (instead of waiting until it's all off then trying to train)
I'm a fan of heavy weights and less reps. Light weights and many reps bores me and makes me feel like I'm doing nothing, it feels more like cardio then actual muscle building.
Do I start now, or closer to goal weight?
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: There's just so much to explore and experience!
