Need Assistance w/Fitness and Strength Training

[HopeForTomorrow]

I'm hoping I can get some advice on how to start up again, particularly the strength training part.

 

I am female, 5'6", 130 lbs, which is about 5 pounds more than usual. Problem is, I suspect that I may have lost lean muscle because of inconsistent exercising lately so it's more than 5 lbs of fat gain.

 

I am relatively fit, but I want to reshape and tone my body. I have lost my direction on that because of stress and other stuff, but now that that's gone it's time!

 

Previously my exercise consisted of being part of a dance team (jazz, hip hop, so fast paced) but I'm not doing that now. I have tried running but I just HATE to run so I end up talking myself out of it. I try to do 10,000 steps a day (have slipped lately on that too) but that's not enough for cardio and reshaping.

 

Strength training - extremely strong legs, weaker upper body. I have researched kettlebells but can't really figure out where to start, what weights, what to do with them, etc. Is there some kind of website or program that can help with kettlebells?

 

Thanks for any advice!

_______________________________

Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. -Coco Chanel

[lchf]

I'm going to approach this with the idea that you're serious about getting into training, because anyone can walk into the gym and try throw weight around.

 

All great strength programming begins with a good understanding of core movements, how to program them, and understanding the role of supplemental exercises that are used to strengthen the main movement. This will be an ongoing, never ending process of discovery into what works for you and why but almost every competent program will place emphasis on the back squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and perhaps a power clean. The best starting point for each of the movements (besides personal coaching) is EliteFTS's youtube education which is the best free education on the web for strength related programs. Look up 'So you think you can squat', 'So you think you can bench', and 'So you think you can deadlift'. watch each series 10x.

 

The best starting point for any beginning strength program in my opinion is the 5/3/1 method by Jim Wendler. Copies of it are on the internet but if you want to support Jim you can buy the book. Read it, then read it again, then again. It's no bulls!ht training, and the concepts can be applied in so many ways.

 

Kettlebells are a tool and I've never really gotten into them. I'm sure someone else can chime in on those.

[dichotomy]

5/3/1 is a great strength program but I might say for beginner to intermediate the 5x5 programs (such as 5x5 strong lifts) are easier and simpler to follow.

 

Kettlebells are kind of specialized system I don't know much about ...but lots on the internet.

[HopeForTomorrow]

I'm going to approach this with the idea that you're serious about getting into training, because anyone can walk into the gym and try throw weight around.

 

Serious as a heart attack.

 

I had no idea where to start. I used to lift weights but I did it via the "throw weight around" method. I would focus on lower body because it was easier

 

All great strength programming begins with a good understanding of core movements, how to program them, and understanding the role of supplemental exercises that are used to strengthen the main movement. This will be an ongoing, never ending process of discovery into what works for you and why but almost every competent program will place emphasis on the back squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and perhaps a power clean. The best starting point for each of the movements (besides personal coaching) is EliteFTS's youtube education which is the best free education on the web for strength related programs. Look up 'So you think you can squat', 'So you think you can bench', and 'So you think you can deadlift'. watch each series 10x.

 

The best starting point for any beginning strength program in my opinion is the 5/3/1 method by Jim Wendler. Copies of it are on the internet but if you want to support Jim you can buy the book. Read it, then read it again, then again. It's no bulls!ht training, and the concepts can be applied in so many ways.

 

Kettlebells are a tool and I've never really gotten into them. I'm sure someone else can chime in on those.

 

Thank you! This is very helpful and gives me a great place to start. I don't think I want a personal coach.

 

__________________

Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. -Coco Chanel

[HopeForTomorrow]

5/3/1 is a great strength program but I might say for beginner to intermediate the 5x5 programs (such as 5x5 strong lifts) are easier and simpler to follow.

 

Kettlebells are kind of specialized system I don't know much about ...but lots on the internet.

 

Thanks so much; I will keep that in mind (when I figure out what it is )

 

______________

Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.

-Coco Chanel

[lchf]

5/3/1 is a great strength program but I might say for beginner to intermediate the 5x5 programs (such as 5x5 strong lifts) are easier and simpler to follow.

 

Kettlebells are kind of specialized system I don't know much about ...but lots on the internet.

 

Mmm I don't like 5x5. 5x5 seems to cause a lot of issues after a certain point in training. The recovery aspect alone puts a lot of people into the dirt if they are actually following the program. Honestly 5/3/1 is simple to follow you just need to organise yourself.

[SammySammy]

On Facebook, I follow fitness magazines like Muscle & Fitness, Men's Health, Men's Fitness and so forth. Every day it seems like there is an article from some trainer with a program he's designed. I usually read the articles. Every now and then, I'll pick a program I like and do that for a month. Do another guy's program the next month. Etc.

 

I'm sure women's fitness magazines do the same thing. Many times, the magazine websites have sections where you can choose a workout to fit your needs.

 

An example:

 

Muscle & Fitness - Workout Routines

[HopeForTomorrow]

Okay so I've looked into both 5/3/1 and 5x5, and I don't know. They look very heavy duty, throwing words around like 'intense weight training' and 'heavy lifting'. I don't want to build muscle at all. I just want to tone. So maybe I didn't do a good job of saying what I was thinking. I don't want bodybuilding.

 

BTW, I'm sorry that my replies to you above didn't appear in the thread until today. I didn't want you to think I was ignoring your input.

 

I have a fairly high-end Bowflex gym that I somehow inherited from my ex husband after our divorce. It's in one of my spare bedrooms upstairs. I tried using it when I first got it, but there is something about the tense rubber-band feeling. I feel like it's going to coil up and catapult through the ceiling if I use it too intensely. It just feels unstable. (I'm now using it for a clothes rack). Maybe I'll try it again.

 

On Facebook, I follow fitness magazines like Muscle & Fitness, Men's Health, Men's Fitness and so forth. Every day it seems like there is an article from some trainer with a program he's designed. I usually read the articles. Every now and then, I'll pick a program I like and do that for a month. Do another guy's program the next month. Etc.

 

I'm sure women's fitness magazines do the same thing. Many times, the magazine websites have sections where you can choose a workout to fit your needs.

 

An example:

 

Muscle & Fitness - Workout Routines

 

Thanks MidKnightDreams. I will check into the female version of those.

[fitnessfan365]

Testosterone is a major factor in getting "bigger". Women have low levels of it. That's why it's a common misconception that lifting heavy will bulk a woman up. I mean there are very rare cases with a woman that may have higher levels of testosterone, or female bodybuilders that take supplements to increase their levels. But most normal women don't get bulky from lifting. This is actually the most common myth that I spend time disproving as a personal trainer.

 

But learning proper form is CRUCIAL when it comes to squatting, deadlifting, etc.. That's why anyone (male or female) should not jump right into a program like 5x5 that have no real experience. In a lot of cases, new clients of mine are people that try things from the internet on their own who develop a ton of bad habits. Then I have t spend months helping them unlearn it all and start them from scratch. It's often like I'm Mr. Myagi from Karate Kid..LOL

 

What I'd recommend for right now is building a base level of fitness and strength starting out with body weight training. Push-ups, inverted row pull-ups, walking lunges, burpees, etc.. Then when you're getting your conditioning levels back, meet with a really good trainer who can start showing you the basics of serious lifting. Focus on proper form/mechanics of how to squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, bent over barbel rows, etc.. Then you start doing a full body program like 5x5 2-3x per week with heavy lifting making small progressions and really challenging your body.

 

However, body weight training and athletic performance (sprinting, agility, plyometrics, etc) is also a GREAT way to train as well.

Edited May 3, 2016 by fitnessfan365

[HopeForTomorrow]

Testosterone is a major factor in getting "bigger". Women have low levels of it. That's why it's a common misconception that lifting heavy will bulk a woman up. I mean there are very rare cases with a woman that may have higher levels of testosterone, or female bodybuilders that take supplements to increase their levels. But most normal women don't get bulky from lifting. This is actually the most common myth that I spend time disproving as a personal trainer.

 

But learning proper form is CRUCIAL when it comes to squatting, deadlifting, etc.. That's why anyone (male or female) should not jump right into a program like 5x5 that have no real experience. In a lot of cases, new clients of mine are people that try things from the internet on their own who develop a ton of bad habits. Then I have t spend months helping them unlearn it all and start them from scratch. It's often like I'm Mr. Myagi from Karate Kid..LOL

 

What I'd recommend for right now is building a base level of fitness and strength starting out with body weight training. Push-ups, inverted row pull-ups, walking lunges, burpees, etc.. Then when you're getting your conditioning levels back, meet with a really good trainer who can start showing you the basics of serious lifting. Focus on proper form/mechanics of how to squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, bent over barbel rows, etc.. Then you start doing a full body program like 5x5 2-3x per week with heavy lifting making small progressions and really challenging your body.

 

However, body weight training and athletic performance (sprinting, agility, plyometrics, etc) is also a GREAT way to train as well.

 

Thank you. I was hoping you would reply to my thread.

 

So the women who have the huge defined muscles (uggh... sorry, just not my thing) have to take testosterone in order to get that kind of body? They can have it.

 

What you said makes a lot of sense. Thank you again.

[dichotomy]

Kind of a minor but important point for this thread - 5/3/1 and specifically 5x5 strong lifts are not body building programs - they are whole body strength building programs. I did not want to have a body builders body either - I wanted to have very functional strength.

 

But I think the advice on body weight exercises are a good place to start.

[Emilia]

You need to start understanding how the human body works if you want a better one.

 

Another one for 5x5, dichotomy was on the money as usual.

 

What you call 'toning' OP is the combination of building muscle and burning fat. 5x5 and 5/3/1 are NOT bodybuilding but strength training programs that give you a much more solid, shapely look with a trim waist, round butt and shapely shoulders.

 

How far you take it is up to you but women tend to struggle gaining muscle because we don't have testosterone. I don't get the mentality about worrying when it comes to size. It's not like you go to bed skinny and wake up looking like the incredible hulk

 

If you want to change your physique, you need to read up on weight lifting, periodisation, programming, nutrition. There are no shortcuts and it will take you a couple of years if you make the effort but will see results after 3-6 months.

 

Good luck.

[Emilia]

Thank you. I was hoping you would reply to my thread.

 

So the women who have the huge defined muscles (uggh... sorry, just not my thing) have to take testosterone in order to get that kind of body? They can have it.

 

What you said makes a lot of sense. Thank you again.

Many of the take supplements, they have also been training for 10+ years

[Emilia]

But learning proper form is CRUCIAL when it comes to squatting, deadlifting, etc.. That's why anyone (male or female) should not jump right into a program like 5x5 that have no real experience. In a lot of cases, new clients of mine are people that try things from the internet on their own who develop a ton of bad habits. Then I have t spend months helping them unlearn it all and start them from scratch.

Just go down to a lifters' gym OP, they will show you form and there is usually a coach who will keep an eye on your development. You need a lifters' gym anyway because commercial gyms don't tend to have a clue how to equip weightrooms properly.

[dichotomy]

Just go down to a lifters' gym OP, they will show you form and there is usually a coach who will keep an eye on your development. You need a lifters' gym anyway because commercial gyms don't tend to have a clue how to equip weightrooms properly.

 

Agreed If you can find a qualified instructor or coach it would be best. Old school lifting is something many "fitness" folks don't understand or promote.

 

I kind of self taught myself started with dumbbells and a basic bench later moving to Olympic weights and a power rack (safety) at home. This man and his DVD and books helped.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Rippetoe/e/B0055JD4CW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1462544779&sr=8-1

 

I recently got off a strict 5x5 program and tailored it more to support my MMA training. But its not dramatically different as the fundamentals still apply.

Edited May 6, 2016 by dichotomy

[Mrin]

Just my two cents but I would just find a good crossfit box/gym and take the introductory courses. They're usually heavily focused on proper form

[joemarriage]

I used to weigh well over 300lbs i am6'1". I found going to the gym tough and had no discipline. I had heard of crossfit and thought I would give it a try. Seriously one of the best decisions I've ever made. I know people talk about getting hurt doing it and Is expensive.

The great thing is that you have set workouts in both cardio and strength combin d into one workout that takes no more than an hour a day. I have dropped over 60lbs over the past two years and converted most my fat to muscle, I've been a big guy my entire life.

Crossfit is like having a personal trainer and a support group at the same time. No one cares if your first done with the workout or last done all thy mmatters is you are getting it done. Don't be intimidated by it.

Also 80% of weight control is what goes in your mouth.

Good luck.

[hasaquestion]

The problem with crossfit is that there's zero quality control. All you have to do to open a "crossfit gym" is pay some dude in California a few thousand a month.

 

Yes, a responsibly-administered and well-programmed crossfit regimen can get you into shape. But those caveats are important. And if you are a newbie to fitness, you aren't going to tell whether you're signing up for a good gym where the coaches are actual trainers or a gym where the coaches are unqualified hardos.

[hasaquestion]

Anyway, OP - I think you'd be wise to focus on conditioning first, with the aim of getting into the gym with a professional trainer and learning how to do the compound movements right.

 

When you get there, be technical. Ask a lot of questions, get to the bottom line of WHY you're doing what you're doing as well as doing it. A trainer might seem expensive, but if you show up ready to learn, it's an investment in your long-term fitness.

 

At first you will likely have flexibility limitations that will stop you from lifting properly. Pay attention to the trainer because they will highlight those for you, and make sure you leave knowing what you need to work on.

 

Slow and steady wins the race - lifting heavier isn't the goal yet. Lifting better is the goal, and that's where the trainer comes in.

[heartwhole]

I'm right there with you. I went to an endocrinologist for help with health issues and wound up finding out that while my BMI is normal (22.5), my body fat percentage is 30.3%. So I'm low on muscle and high on fat. I do work out but I haven't been pushing myself very hard.

 

I do a lot of Firm exercise DVDs. Over the years they have gotten shorter and focused more on high intensity interval training and less on lots of repetitions with weights. I've decided I need the old-school, heavy on the weights approach. So I've forayed into all of their videos from the 80s and 90s. For a lot of them you need a tall step (14 inches), hand weights, and sometimes a dowel or barbell. You can usually improvise if you don't have everything available.

 

I'm anxious to go back in a few weeks and see if I've improved my muscle/fat ratio. I do recommend getting a biometric screening done because it will motivate you to improve on where you are. For whatever reason, I feel better and stronger doing a 50 minute, slower, more weight-focused workout than I do doing a 20 minute workout where I jump around a bit and do a few bicep curls and planks.

 

I do have one Firm workout with a 5 lb. kettle bell which is fine, but not my favorite thing. I will say, though, that just needing a kettle bell cuts down on the equipment needed, so perhaps this is the way to go for you. I just need a video or class to tell me what to do; I can't direct 50 minutes of working out all on my own.