Hi
I thought this might be the best place to ask for help. I am overweight and I want to lose weight. I swim and I play wheelchair rugby so my upper body needs to get stronger, I went to the gym last night and the instructor wouldn't let me use the weight machines because he said that I need to lose my fat before I build up muscles. Is this true? What I wanted to do was about 30 mins cardio then some chest and arm exercises. I explained everything to him but he said that I shouldn't do weights until I have lost weight and that weights are just for toning. Can anyone give me advise because most of the cardio machines (that he said I should use) are for legs and mine don't work very well. I really need to build my upper body strength.

Thanks
Heather

Sounds like your instructor needs a good smack in da mouth! But that's just my opinion! (I'm not violent - honest!)

Muscle burns calories, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. You SHOULD be doing weight training but perhaps weight machines are not the best way, try some free weights first and check out www.stumptuous.com (iron).

Hi
That was my local gym and if I could afford to join another gym I seriously would never go there again. My sister and I complained about him because they charged us £12 to give us an induction and then watched for half an hour whilst we went on the exercise bikes...no blood pressure thing, no asking about medical conditions nothing like that. When we complained though they just said 'well, he is qualified...' it was a joke.

I agree with 2F, smack the "qualified" personal trainer by the side of the head, please... And I'm not a violent person either...

Get some hand weights and bands and you can do plenty of stuff...

I'm going to try and find Meg's band workout ... BRB ...

Thanks, I hoped I was right and that I should be allowed to try some weights...my boyfriend was really angry when I told him about it, at the time though I didn't know any different and thought he knew what he was talking about...

There I found it....

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...42&postcount=4

I started weight training when at my all time high bodyweight (385#), didn't really do any significant cardio, and I have lost close to 100# and gotten much, much stronger.

I don't see why you shouldn't start lifting right away. Even is you don't have access to a gym you can start getting stronger with bodyweight exercises.

Can anyone advise me what sort of exercises I should be doing in a language that a comitted couch potato will understand...what kind of stuff can I do at home?

You might start with push-ups: http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=75

Here are some other good sites Fitsite and ExRx.net

If there are some terms that you don't understand, ask!

oooo yes, lets talk about wieght lifting. I've grown to love it, Heather and you will too.

Heather? Would you do something for me? Please change the little saying under your name above your avatar. You are a slimming darling who is eager to learn and improve .... not that!

Heather, you said you are in a wheel chair. How much lower body movement do you have? Your mobility will determine what you can and can't do (duh), but there is plenty that you CAN do.

Here is a picture of a young man who is a wheelchair competitor at my gym and has placed nationally several times. Just a bit of inspiration!



As for losing the fat then toning, the trainer has it backwards
Does your gym have an "arm wheel"? I know that John (above) uses one to do his cardio when he is trying to drop a few pounds of body fat before competitions. It's not the ideal cardio, but we aren't all living in an ideal world.

Mel

Thanks all...I'm not actually in a wheelchair all the time, I can stand and walk, I have no feeling in my right leg. I play wheelchair rugby occasionally and swim lots but I don't use my legs when swimming so it is really imperative that I build up strength in my upper body because my ambition is to be a paralympic swimmer.
I'm going to go to another gym tomorrow because I've been told that they might be just as cheap as my council run gym and they have instructors trained in disability fitness and accessable machines.

Heather? thank you and about the other gym? good idea!

I can actually see what he said being good for me because the more someone says I can't do something, the more I want to do it and the more I know I will do it. The fatty-fat-fat on my avatar was just a jokey reference to what me and my little sister used to call each other...not offensive or anything!!!