Hi! I recently started working out again with my new diet, and so far I have made it to the gym 3x's last week, 30 mins each, and this week I plan on going 5 days for 30 mins. The gym in my apartment complex has an awesome eliptical machine that I use, and that is mostly what I like to do when I work out. I am just wondering if I only use that machine am I handicapping myself? Should I do other things also? I really really do not like the weights at our apartment gym, they aren't freeweights, they are really old machines from the 70's and I just don't want to use them...maybe I am making excuses though...heh. I amjust wondering if I keep to the eliptical only will my results be limited?

I am no expert by anymeans so please take this with a grain of salt.

My trainer at the gym says that weight training is very important in weight loss. It helps to build muscle (muscle uses more calories then fat so you will end up burning more calories even while sitting on the lounge if you gain more muscle!), aids in balance and stability and helps change the shape of your body (less wiggly bits!)

I was told to try and get in at least 3 weight sessions a week. (you need to give your muscles a day of rest in between)

Hope that helps.

bleh...so weight training I guess I should start doing! Any Ideas how to start? there are soo many different muscles in the body I don't even know what to work out!

I am no expert by anymeans so please take this with a grain of salt goes for me too. This is the theory that I have been using as I have gotten started working out.

The sheer number of things that you can do with weights overwhelmed me so I decided to concentrate on working on 4-5 different types of machines until I started to feel like I was getting some muscle tone with those and then I have gradually added a new machine or lift every couple of weeks. Doing this I have been able to see some results which makes me a little more eager to add the next thing and start seeing results there too without feeling like I'm spitting in the ocean.

I guess I would start with a trip to the library and see if there were any books on how to do basic exercises. Or search the net. I am sure there is a site out there that could help.

Where you going to use machines? Free weights? Stuff from around the house? Your own body weight? Do you have a fit ball?

Easy ones you can do without leaving the house would be push-ups and tricep push-ups (or dips), lunges, squats, wall sits, leg lifts etc.

http://www.topendsports.com/fitness/index.htm

I found that website. I have no idea who he is or anything but he gave some examples of lifts you can do at home- he says to use free weights but you could improvise!

All the best!

I would like to buy a set of free weights...what would I need? 2 5 lbs and 2 10lbs? I can just see myself doing it a lot more often if I have them at home, rather than doing that AND my cardio at the gym...the Gym has one of those machines that has like 6 or 7 different stations on it for different workouts...I just really don't like those machines because there are usually other people there using them and the whole waiting in line thing just doesn't appeal to me...and they are really old and smelly...lol. I tend to stick to my eliptical there. Exercise ball also sounds fun...anything I could do at home would be great.

The types of weights you need to start with will totally depend on your current abilities. When I started I had a pair of 3 lb dumbells, a pair of 5 lbs, and a pair of 8 lbs. You may need lighter or heavier weights, but that's a typical set up for a woman just starting out.

I can point you to a bunch of different resources that I've found helpful, and others here will have other recommendations.

I really like Kathy Smith's video series called Lift Weights to Lose Weight. I think the original version would be a great place to start -- it contains a 20-minute upper body and a 20-minute lower body workout. You could do both on the same day, and do it 2 or 3 times per week (resting a day in between). Or, you could do upper body one day, lower body the next, for either 4 or 6 days per week. This is in addition to the cardio you might do. The routines are well-designed and she gives good instruction on form. When you've worked with this tape for a while you could move up to the innovative volume 2. (You can also start out with volume 2, it's just a little more challenging). She also has a book with the same title that gives great explanations about why weight lifting is important and general information, along with specific exercises.

There is also a great online reference at www.stumptuous.com/weights.html if you are more of a do-it-yourselfer. TONS of great info and inspiration there.

Great question!

Thanks for the advice and info.

The firm video has great body sculpting cardio with weights to firm you up. I am a believer in it because it has helped me in tremendous ways beyond visible evidence!!

I was really intimidated by the whole weights thing a few weeks ago, and posted here too, I got loads of good advice, basically I asked the trainer at my gym for help. He was excellent, and now I do legs one day, cardio the next, arms and upper body the following day, then cardio, then a mix of upper and lower, and keep doing that rotation. It's made me drop centimetres a lot quicker. The only thing I have found, is it speeds up your metabolism and it has made me ravenously hungry. I now plan 5 small meals a day instead of three. I consume the same number of calories, but through out the day.

You'll love how the weights make you feel once you get used to it.

Hehe I really want to get a REAL gym membership, but most of the stuff I would need they have in my apartment gym...just not any sexy trainers Has anyone here ever used the bowflex? They are only $19 a month...hmmm...maybe I'll order one..

Hehehehe and he is too!!! He came and asked me today if I was single!!!!! Of course I was a good girl and said no that I lived with my boyfriend, but boy was he interrogating me!!! How long had we been together? Am I happy with him? All very weird!!!! All the girls adore him, and he pays attention to the fattest girl at the gym, strange strange strange.

I am hopeless at exercise and completely reliant on help, I'm not very good at following exercises on line or in books, I need a human to help me (or a gorgeous superhuman like my gym instructor LOL)

I had a personal trainer for 5 months and learned TONS of exercises that involve free weights and the fittness ball. They definitely make a difference in losing weight and you see a difference in yourself faster than if you didn't use weights. Everything just starts to tighten up. If you are interested, I would be happy to tell you ALL of the exercises I've learned. Let me know.