Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Gigi
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It is a common misconception when trying to lose weight, if you lift more weight, you will burn away more fat. In fact what you are doing if you try and do heavier weights, you are building bulk muscle under the fat layer which makes it harder and take longer to loose the fat!
When losing weight, you want to tone first and then work on building muscle.
When weight training, start out with a weight that is compfortable as to not strain, do that weight for 1 or 2 weeks, then add a little weight. (This will depend on the individual and how often you are weight training. Do not lift more than you are compfortable with (if you try to over do it, you can easily sprain and or strain the muscle).
I think it is a misconception that lifting more weights will build bulk and not burn fat. I've lifted weight for years and when I was lifting weights and watching what I was eating, I only lost inches, never gained. Plus it is very hard for women to actually gain bulk. Our muscles actually have the ability to gain strength and fat burning ability without gaining any bulk. Toning is really a myth.
Body builders, when they are trying to build bulk, do work with very short reps (8 and under) per set. Body builders also know it is very difficult to build muscle, even with the right hormones. Those who use weights for building overall muscle for weight loss and general health, tend to work in the 10-15 rep range per set. If you are lucky, you could build a pound a month of muscle.
If you are interested in more about weight lifting, I'd definitely recommend visiting our Weight training forum.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=80