I am very happy to find you!

I am new to weightlifting. I began in Feb on Nautilus machines and started doing free weights in April. I am totally hooked and have bored the **** out of my friends and family with wanting to talk about the gym. Now the people at work are starting to ask me about my weight loss and I find it kinda hard to explain what I've been doing. I don't want to give anyone the impression that weightlifting will help them lose weight (altho it will!).

Actually, weightlifting changed me mentallty and emotionally right away. I feel like my brain chemistry changed or something. I am just much, much less fearful. I seriously don't give a **** what people think of me anymore. Did any of you experience something similar when you started?

It has also brought purpose and meaning to all those endless hours on the elliptical and in the pool, doing laps. It has given me real goals and made losing weight less exhausting since without it, I'd be losing a lot of muscle.

I should say that I was very, very weak when I started. Like someone coming out of a wheelchair. Actually, now that I think about it, probably many folks in wheelchair have much better upper body strength than I used to. More like bedridden. For example, I had to squat holding on to a chair for like a month before I could manage without one.

When I started in January I weighed 275, I weighed 235 today. I am 46 years old. I don't feel cocky but I do love the gym and can't see any reason to stop going. Weightlifting is just so much FUN! and so damn interesting!

I am enjoying being a beginner. Right now I do a whole body workout M/W/F. I do dumbbell squats (no rack at my gym), deadlifts, bench press, incline db benchpress, bent rows and lat pull downs. Still making good progress after 5 weeks on the free weights. My gym is lousy but I have been reluctant to change. I am afraid if I drive across town I might not make it! All that is due to change when school gets out next week and my daughter starts her summer schedule. There is a woman-only gym in my chain. I had envisioned a pink dumbbell crowd there but boy! was I wrong! Many, many jocks, beautiful lesbians, weightlifters and even a body builder or two there the day I visited. I'm excited. Barely anybody lifts weights at my gym - I've never actually seen anybody do any leg work. Other than the Nautilus stuff, of course.

I am so happy to find this site! I have been so lonesome for other weightlifters (especially women, and especially fat or formerly fat women). This post is really long. Thanks to any of you who made down to here.

Hi Clover (gotta shorten that name)-
This is a great site for us lifting ladies, and I'm glad you found it , too. I think You are our only Alaskan member, so when we all complain about miserable weather, you can put us in our place.

I think all of us have experienced the new freedoms that weightlifting has given us. Feeling strong physically does change your brain chemistry, IMO, and changes so many other parts of our lives.

ALthough your program sounds like it's working for you, you might want to reconsider the whole body workout 3X a week. As you get stronger and lift heavier, your muscles need more than 2 days to recover and rebuild. The general rule of thumb is 4 days minumum for large muscle groups (back, quads, hams, chest) and 3 days for smaller (arms, calves, shoulders). I've heard you can work calves and abs daily, but can't imagine why anyone would want to! After a while, most of us gravitate to a 4 or five day split- working the whole body over a period of 4-5 days, then rest for at least a day.

Please join us on the main weekly thread- we love new faces and perspectives!

mel

Hi Clover -- Welcome !!

Our gal Mel said it very well, I can't add anything much to it, except just a small .02 .... I hope you are following a good protein, carb filled food plan, if not you can check out Body for Life (BFL) or Body Rx, .... Mel is also spot on about giving each of your body parts a good 4-5 day rest between workouts....

Feel free to join us on the weekly main thread....

I am also 46, and have been weight training serously for 18 years now.... Did you read the Stickies at the top of LWL, they have great info....

Later...

Lana...

Hi Clover! Welcome to 3FC and LWL! I'm a former Alaskan, pretty much born and raised there. Was there till I was about 36, then I moved down here to GA to be with my guy. Whereabouts are you in AK?

I'm 42, and many many moons ago, I used to powerlift at U of A, Fairbanks. I recently got back into freeweights with my daughter, we're slowly building our own home gym in the garage. I'm following a modified BFL with the 3 day a week Upper/Lower body split and 3 days of aerobic interval training. I've learned so much from these gals, and they are such GREAT inspiration to me. How old is your daughter?

I thought I had more time before I needed to start "spits". I lurk in misc fitness weights and have seen many advised to go with a whole body workout for the first 6 months or so. I thought it would apply doubly to me since I am coming from such a weak/out of shape place.

The thing that confuses me about splits is that I have read that doing multiple sets on the same body part isn't really very productive. That you get 80-90% of the benefit from the first two good sets. So picking 4 exercises that work the same area and doing 3 sets of each wastes a lot of time.

If that's the case, then I worry that each day will be too short. What really motivates me is how good I feel while lifting weights. Getting stronger is second on the list and looking better is way down in 3rd place. I lift weights because it feels so damn good and has never failed to make me feel really, really happy during the session. I am into instant gratification. If I only get to do two or three different lifts, am I going to get the big rush I count on?

I know most everybody ends up splitting, I just thought I had more time before I needed to. I don't want to seem argumentative and I do respect the fact that you guys have a lot of great experience. I appreciate the advice and will continue to ponder it and do more research.

You have got me thinking about what my goals are. What am I trying to do? So far, its been to learn how to do the lifts and lift a little heavier all the time. Move up on something every session.

Thanks!

If you don't feel comfortable or ready to do splits, you eventually WILL!! That's the good thing, listen to your body....