Weight Training Demystified!!

[southernpuff]

Exactly. You are slender but still a little soft in the middle. No muscle tone. A lot of marathon runners are skinny-fat since all that running pretty much tears down all their muscle. I'm training for a half-marathon and am having trouble with strength.

 

[grapegirlplum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TISH1127 what is skinny-fat, exactly?

That was too funny; I was wondering the same thing!!!!

 

[Broomstick Babe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by southernpuff Exactly. You are slender but still a little soft in the middle. No muscle tone. A lot of marathon runners are skinny-fat since all that running pretty much tears down all their muscle. I'm training for a half-marathon and am having trouble with strength.

Didn't know that - thanks very much for posting.

 

[liciouslilly]

I love to incorporate cardio with weights. I take a class at my local gym that is energy packed with weight training in an hour session. It's an efficient way to get both my weight training and cardio.

 

[HeatherNicole]

Thanks for posting. I have a required health electice in college and I'm choosing weight training, so its good to take the mystery out of it.

 

[chocolategoddes]

I'm glad I saw this thread.
I've been getting pretty intense with my weight training lately and there's a lot of info that I didn't even know!

I've been trying to bulk up my arms and bootay, while slim down my waist and thighs.

 

[InspiredBlue]

New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great book for anyone starting out with weights. It gives a program to follow, which is great since it can be hard to work out what exercises one should be doing to get a full workout on your own, especially when you're new to it all. And don't you just love the title line "Lift like a man, look like a goddess"

 

[greengoesmoo]

I joined my gym in May 2009 - 62kg 5ft1 size 12 (uk) with chubby arms, bit of a jelly belly and biiig wobbley thighs.

Feb 2010 - 60kg size 8 with defined arms, the start of a six pack and legs which I am very proud of.

I like to browse Raw Muscle magazine, full of men and women normally from 200lbs up. It's not sexual, I am just incredibly curious to see what 278.2lbs of muscle look like on a woman.

I will never be as big as that, and I wouldn't want to be, I'm small and strong and I'm happy with that. That size comes with prices like steroids, poor flexibilty, or your entire life is taken up by being huge. It's also known that being muscle overweight is just as unhealthy as fat overweight.

I plan to continue my workouts for as long as I feel it is relevant to my life.

3mile walk 7x p/w
30 rep every muscle set 4x p/w
15 min 7.5kmph run 4x p/w
10 pose yoga strech thingie from women's fitness 4x p/w
It's not a lot.

Along with figure improvement I have seen and improvment in:
My skin, hair, nails, brightness of eyes, posture, sleeping pattern, confidence, eating habits, alertness, stamina, concentration, temper, willpower, definate improvement in immune system and overall happiness.

When we work our bodies harder, we start to see something a bit more alive.

 

[RandomnessWithK]

i absolutely LOVE this post! i always have a hard time teaching this to other women who do not believe in lifting weights!

agree with this post wholeheartedly!

 

[cyanidewine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanayhs If you're interested in free weights and don't know where to start, try looking at Women's Weight Training.

I second this! Krista writes TONS of amazing articles for women!
Nothing feels better than lifting some weights and feeling stronger every day!
I'm personally not a big fan of cardio because I don't care for running or plyometrics.

Here's one of my favorite reads from Stumptuous - Lies In The Gym
It debunks a lot of common gym myths, including the "you will get huge like a man", and one of my favorites, "There is no difference between toning, lifting, sculpting and firming - There is only building muscle mass and losing bodyfat, nothing else" Lots of reader sent in comments too that are fantastic!