Weight lifting advice needed

Any fitness buffs out there willing to give me some advice about weight lifting?
Over the past 7 months or so I have lost 50 pounds. Lately I have noticed that I have lost a bit of muscle mass along with the fat. I would like to get into the weight room but I have never really been into that kind of fitness training. Right now I'm walking about 4 miles a day and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not interested in body building. I just want to tone up and fill out a few places that seem to be disappearing! Some of that may be due to the fact that I'm almost 50 but I'm hoping I can still tone up some areas.
Any tips on how to get started and what types of lifting I need to do would be appreciated!

Thanks!

First, talk to a doc. I know, I know, but it is kinda important. Once you get to a gym, take it slow at first. For lifting, it is a good idea of what results you are looking for and taylor your workout for that.

Well considering there is no such thing as "toning" up. Tone means more muscle period. Maybe not as much as someone who has bulk but more than avg.

Good plans are simple- Mon Back, Tues Chest, Wed Legs, thurs Shoulders, Fri Arms.

If you have a time crunch Mon Back and Biceps, Tues Chest and Tri, shoulders Wed legs.
As for exercises- Barbells build strength while dumbells build size so use them both. Maybe one week alternating. Focus on the basics Bench, squat, pulldowns, latteral raises, presses, curls

Good muscle tone is easy to achieve if you have 4 things, Good diet 40% Protein, 40% carbs, 10%fats. Once thats good any your calories are in the right target range you can focus on training.

Training for good muscle growth changes all the time but a good base starts with 3 sets, one warm up 10-15 reps, one for working 10 reps 65% max lift and last on 6-10 reps 80% of max weight.

3rd is good supplementation. Vitamins, protein and some extras. Dont rely on these for a bad diet. Protein supps should be less than 25% of your total protein intake. This goes hand in hand with diet.

Sleep- Its been proven that sleep will increase muscle gain and fat loss. Too little and the body cant regenerate.

Above all- make a plan and stick with it. 6 weeks you can see some results but 6 months people will be talking and telling you that you look amazing. Never give up.

Also for more info visit www.muscletalk.co.uk

I actually had a complete physical a few weeks ago and the doc was quite impressed with how healthy I am. I don't have any restrictions on physical activity except I can no longer run for long distances.
Can I just go to a gym and ask someone to tailor a weight lifting regimen for me?

Can I just go to a gym and ask someone to tailor a weight lifting regimen for me?

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Depends on the gym- Good gyms will show you the ropes. Some will charge. Spend the $ and get a trainer. That can really help, especially if you need someone to push you.

The best thing for you to do is read- learn and do. Ive spent over 10 years in the gym learning. Your body can tell you a lot. Start easy but then challenge yourself. I watch guys do all sorts of crazy lifts without doing the basics and they wonder why they never improve or get hurt a lot.

What I did when I joined the gym was hired a personal trainer for two weeks. They hired this hot little thing named Olga Hurtzenschlitz to give me some pointers, what kind of regimen I should have, and how to use all the machines. She also made me wish I was never born because of the untold pain of billions of muscle cells crying in unison, then silence.

Resistance training. Keep the weight down, repetitions up and do each rep slowly. Find out the maximum you can lift for each exercise and work with 60%. Start with 5-10 reps and three sets, work up to 20 reps. Sub-maximal training is much safer.

Building fast-twitch cells is just about impossible at our ages, but slow-twitch cells respond well. Also, use free-weights. More muscles are involved.

What David said, except that I go for machines on the bench, shoulder, and legs because I don't have a spotter nearby. Free weights are better, though, as long as you can be safe. Also, when doing sets of say, 10, if the tenth rep isn't really, really hard, you should increase the weight. There's no reason to spend hours lifting when a much smaller time spent doing focused, intense work will get the job done.

Also, wear headphones. People make the strangest noises when picking up heavy things and putting them down again.

Lastly, taking some ibuprofen either before or right after the workout will do wonders for your soreness over the next couple of days. Once your body gets used to lifting, the soreness will mostly go away, but the first couple of weeks usually find me creaky in the mornings.

Here's a good link for a beginner.. There are other great articles on that site, so be sure to explore a bit.

Another great site is exrx.net. They have animated gifs on how to execute the different muscle exercises.

Don't start skipping your aerobic exercise. One day weight, next day aerobic is a good regiment. It give a day for your muscles to repair themselves after a weight lifting workout.

I saying this to myself as well as you. I've let my middle aged body go to pot this past year. Time to get back in the regular exercise routine!

MikeFlynn74 said:

Well considering there is no such thing as "toning" up. Tone means more muscle period. Maybe not as much as someone who has bulk but more than avg.

Good plans are simple- Mon Back, Tues Chest, Wed Legs, thurs Shoulders, Fri Arms.

If you have a time crunch Mon Back and Biceps, Tues Chest and Tri, shoulders Wed legs.
As for exercises- Barbells build strength while dumbells build size so use them both. Maybe one week alternating. Focus on the basics Bench, squat, pulldowns, latteral raises, presses, curls

Good muscle tone is easy to achieve if you have 4 things, Good diet 40% Protein, 40% carbs, 10%fats. Once thats good any your calories are in the right target range you can focus on training.

Training for good muscle growth changes all the time but a good base starts with 3 sets, one warm up 10-15 reps, one for working 10 reps 65% max lift and last on 6-10 reps 80% of max weight.

3rd is good supplementation. Vitamins, protein and some extras. Dont rely on these for a bad diet. Protein supps should be less than 25% of your total protein intake. This goes hand in hand with diet.

Sleep- Its been proven that sleep will increase muscle gain and fat loss. Too little and the body cant regenerate.

Above all- make a plan and stick with it. 6 weeks you can see some results but 6 months people will be talking and telling you that you look amazing. Never give up.

Also for more info visit www.muscletalk.co.uk

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He's right on the money. I have always done back and bi's on the same day, chest and tri's, shoulders and legs. This works for me, I have tried other work outs which had no effect. I would start easy, learn a few things. Maybe for chest to flat and incline bench, and tri's do dips and pull downs on a machine. Then as you get going start to incorporate more.

Also just as Mike said, keep going. If you haven't lifted before your in for a treat. The day after you will feel fine. The second day your muscles will be super sore as with the third day. I have found working those same muscle groups on these days helps. But don't give up, once you get past that you shouldn't feel like that again, unless you stop for a while.

Also Iv'e been taking protien shakes for years now, that really helps. I get the vanilla kind and mix it with OJ about 30mins after the workout when the muscles need it most. Also the OJ helps it get into your system faster because of the glucose.

Good luck

MikeFlynn74 said:

Well considering there is no such thing as "toning" up. Tone means more muscle period. Maybe not as much as someone who has bulk but more than avg.

Good plans are simple- Mon Back, Tues Chest, Wed Legs, thurs Shoulders, Fri Arms.

If you have a time crunch Mon Back and Biceps, Tues Chest and Tri, shoulders Wed legs.
As for exercises- Barbells build strength while dumbells build size so use them both. Maybe one week alternating. Focus on the basics Bench, squat, pulldowns, latteral raises, presses, curls

Good muscle tone is easy to achieve if you have 4 things, Good diet 40% Protein, 40% carbs, 10%fats. Once thats good any your calories are in the right target range you can focus on training.

Training for good muscle growth changes all the time but a good base starts with 3 sets, one warm up 10-15 reps, one for working 10 reps 65% max lift and last on 6-10 reps 80% of max weight.

3rd is good supplementation. Vitamins, protein and some extras. Dont rely on these for a bad diet. Protein supps should be less than 25% of your total protein intake. This goes hand in hand with diet.

Sleep- Its been proven that sleep will increase muscle gain and fat loss. Too little and the body cant regenerate.

Above all- make a plan and stick with it. 6 weeks you can see some results but 6 months people will be talking and telling you that you look amazing. Never give up.

Also for more info visit www.muscletalk.co.uk

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I think for what he wants to do this is the wrong approach. If you create workouts that isolate a part of the body each day like that you are setting up for large muscle growth and getting big, ripped, whatever you want to call it. When I was in HS and College thats how we set up our workouts. If he just wants to "tone up" he'd be better served doing an all around body workout that hits everything about 3-4 times a week. Also focus on lower weight and higher reps, 3-4 sets of like 12-15 reps would be good for this.

As someone else said though just get a trainer for a couple weeks at the gym and they can tailor a workout to what you want.

I have no advice to give, but DAMN - bully for you, losing 50lbs! Yooper's going to want an updated picture, you know...

What did you do to lose the weight, BTW?

the_bird said:

I have no advice to give, but DAMN - bully for you, losing 50lbs! Yooper's going to want an updated picture, you know...

What did you do to lose the weight, BTW?

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I won't be betting again any time soon so probably no more pics for awhile!

The weight loss was simple! No diet at all. I just changed my eating habits. I eat healthy, cut down the portion size, and cut out the junk food. I also walk 4 miles a day. Oh, and McDonald's is taboo!

If you create workouts that isolate a part of the body each day like that you are setting up for large muscle growth and getting big, ripped, whatever you want to call it

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You simply cannot get this "size" without the required nutrition. If you do not eat enough you will only get what you called "toned".

he'd be better served doing an all around body workout that hits everything about 3-4 times a week. Also focus on lower weight and higher reps, 3-4 sets of like 12-15 reps would be good for this.

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You are stuck in the 80s.

And when I say diet I mean food intake- not cutting calories or carbs bull****

I'm considering working out at the gym on base. It's free and convenient. I'm not sure how helpful the staff will be but I'm sure I can make due. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for all of the great advice!

I'm certainly not a model of fitness these days but I used to be into weights before I got married. I agree with Mike on the topic of different kinds of muscle work being a total myth. You either break the muscle fibers down or you don't. I actually think people that say things like "I don't want to over do it and get all hulk-like" are either misinformed about how much work that kind of growth actually takes or it's a cop out to work out like a sissy without being ridiculed.

My advice if you can only dedicate an hour or so a few times a week is to do basic circuit training. Hit every major muscle group in every workout in the order of the size of the muscle. For example, chest before arms.

Take weight increases extremely slow, but try not to stagnate on one weight level more than two workouts in a row.

Priority should be control and form with the slowest reps you can stand. Moving the weight quickly will just invite injury.

MikeFlynn74 said:

You simply cannot get this "size" without the required nutrition. If you do not eat enough you will only get what you called "toned".



You are stuck in the 80s.

And when I say diet I mean food intake- not cutting calories or carbs bull****

Click to expand...

I am just speaking from my experience which sounds somewhat similar except for the part where he dropped 50lbs, when I started working out I was 160 lbs and kind of chunky I went in and started working out 5-6 days a week with specific days and got to almost 200lbs and a lot of size without ever changing my diet if anything I ate worse. Then I trained for a sprint triathlon and got ripped, then I got lazy again and didn't workout for like 2 yrs. When I started again I went to a full body workout that I did 3-4 times a week and I got toned back up without really putting on a lot of size again. Your body is smart it will reallocate what nutirtion you put into it to support what your doing. If you are working out hard it will direct the extra nutrition to support muscle growth.

I lift regularly two times a week and have done a bit of reading about it as well as talking with a couple of fitness trainers. There's a couple of things ... toning vs. bulking up is a myth. As others pointed out, you either tear the muscle and it rebuilds or you don't. When you lift weights, you tear the muscle and then that muscle rebuilds itself, bigger and stronger. That's how it works. It doesn't matter if you do high reps of low weight or low reps of high weight.

Attitudes, trends and theories on fitness and weight training change all the time. However, if you find a routine and an exercise that works for you, stick with it. Weight training is the best method of exercise. It helps build muscle which helps with joint pain and aging (stronger muscles around the joints take stress off the joints). For every half pound of muscle you build, you burn an extra 50 calories an hour doing nothing.

I agree with the senitment of working out alternate muscle groups on alternate days. One important thing, you should definitely incorporate core exercises into both days. And, if you're just starting out, you should use dumbells. You'll be able to build muscles more symmetrically and concentrate on form easier than with barbells.

I typically do a sort of super set, where I group two opposing exercises together and do one set of each quickly to keep the heart rate up, then rest for 30 sec. then do another until I've reached the 3 sets of each. Here's what I do:

Tuesday
Chest/Tri/Ab (all sets are 10-12, or exhaustion)
3 sets bench press
3 sets of weighted side bends (for obliques)
3 sets of tricep extensions
3 sets of weighted squats
3 sets of inclined bench press
3 sets of leg crunches
3 sets of dips (tricep muscles)
3 sets of leg lifts

Then I typically try to do three sets in pretty quick order of medicine ball crunches, flys and oblique twists with medicine ball

Thursday
Back/Bi/Shoulders/abs
3 sets of bicep curls
3 sets of deadlifts (for the lower back - very important)
3 sets of lat pulldowns
3 sets of weighted squats or lunges (I hate lunges)
3 sets of hammer curls or reverse curls
3 sets of shoulder presses
3 sets of lateral shoulder raises
3 sets of bent row

Then, if I still have any energy, I try to do some pull-ups, crunches and low back extentions until exhaustion.

I try to move up in 5lbs increments every few weeks unless I've missed a bunch of times of going to the gym. So, if I'm doing bench presses with 2-60lbs dumbells, then I'll move up to 65's after 3-4 weeks or when I think I'm ready.

Look online for some core exercises and try to incorporate those in every workout. I used to concentrate on just upper body and it's pretty remarkable how much stronger I feel since I began doing a lot of ab and lower back exercises.

Whatever you do....start really slow . I have fallen out of weight lifting but a few years back I went into it 'gung-ho'. Well I literally couldn't get out of bed the first weekend, my body was wracked with pain. The worst part is, I felt great when I was lifting hehe.

Mike and SRM are right on. By the time you hit your first major plateau and need to change your reps schedule, you likely won't be asking beginner questions anymore. I second the go to the gym and get a personal trainer or find a friend to go with you. Confidence will really help you stick with lifting and allow you to lift better and safer. When you start going, just remember that all the people in the gym who look like they know what they are doing, were noobs once too. PLus, they probably can't brew beer!

Good luck, and congrats on the weight loss!

Rich
My brother in law is a pro and he has told me the best way to start, is to first work on your core muscles (back and abs) the best way to do that is push ups, crunches and back raises.
Good luck
JJ

Your core is your entire torso. So, everything between your armpits and your hips is considered your core. One thing I read, is that your core is so important because it's used in nearly every other exercise you do. Whether it's curls or calf raises, you'll use some part of your core during those exercise.

And, the core protects your spinal cord/column so it definitely is important to strengthen that area.