Some questions from a new girl.

[Forever Fifi]

Hi, I'm new here and have a few questions.

Let me tell you about me and my body a bit to give some background info. I'm fairly active in daily life but I am quite overweight, about 20kg too much, most of that I gained after I quit smoking. I took up lifting weights 2 months ago to improve my general shape and stamina, I use machines at the gym. I do 3 sets of 20 reps, taking a weight that is a bit difficult but still doable, ranging from 15-60kg, depending on the bodypart. I do the machines for lower body and midsection, because that is where I have troubles. I also do pilates, Tai Chi and bellydance. I walk or cycle for 30-45 minutes daily. I also do some cardio and stretching when I go to the gym. I read some of the articles here but still have a few questions.

If I want to build up more muscle to burn more calories, do I need to use heavier weights with fewer repetitions? Or do I need to do lots to burn the fat or just do what I do now? The information on this topic is kind of conflicting so I'm a bit confused.

I want to have more control over my muscles to have more crisp, precise movements when bellydancing, what would help with that?

The muscles in the back of my calves are too short because I have problems with my feet.(I have soles for it and see a foot doctor.) I think some of the muscles in my legs are used much more than others because of this. This improved somewhat since I started lifting weights and also from doing Tai Chi. Before I took it up, my butt was kind of flat and my calves and quads were disproportionately muscular. Can exercise be used more effectively to correct this?
Something that may be related is the fact that I can't cross my legs. I do general stretching exercises for my legs and see some improvement in my ability to do them, but not in my legcrossing ability. I have a tendency to sit and sleep with my knees turned outwards.

Finally, although I am fairly active I still feel a bit sluggish, I would like more of a spring in my step, be more energetic.

Thank you for your time.

[giuliagoolia]

Hi, I'm new here and have a few questions.

Welcome to the bb forum Forever Fifi

If I want to build up more muscle to burn more calories, do I need to use heavier weights with fewer repetitions? Or do I need to do lots to burn the fat or just do what I do now?

YES, lift heavier, work in 8-10 rep range such that it's difficult to get 8-10 but you complete ALL reps without failure and while keeping proper form.

I want to have more control over my muscles to have more crisp, precise movements when bellydancing, what would help with that?

Start using free weights, be sure to use strict, PROPER form and really concentrate on the mind/muscle connection. Otherwords, really focus on using the targeted muscle(s) when performing the exercises.

The muscles in the back of my calves are too short because I have problems with my feet.(I have soles for it and see a foot doctor.) I think some of the muscles in my legs are used much more than others because of this. This improved somewhat since I started lifting weights and also from doing Tai Chi. Before I took it up, my butt was kind of flat and my calves and quads were disproportionately muscular. Can exercise be used more effectively to correct this?.

sorry, I'm at a loss here

Finally, although I am fairly active I still feel a bit sluggish, I would like more of a spring in my step, be more energetic.

first thing that comes to mind is what does your diet look like? what are you currently eating, how many calories, what's the macro breakdown (Protein/carb/fat),
use the link below to figure all this out
http://www.fitday.com/
how long have you been eating like this?


Another suggestion is to drop the amount of cardio you're doing. Get your diet on track, if it isn't already, start lifting heavier and perhaps look into doing 1-2 days of HIIT and 1 day of steady state cardio. Here are links to sites with great info:

http://www.stumptuous.com/index.html

http://exrx.net/

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1864731

All the best!

[Forever Fifi]

Thanks for your advice!

YES, lift heavier, work in 8-10 rep range such that it's difficult to get 8-10 but you complete ALL reps without failure and while keeping proper form.

I still do 3 sets, or more?

Start using free weights, be sure to use strict, PROPER form and really concentrate on the mind/muscle connection. Otherwords, really focus on using the targeted muscle(s) when performing the exercises.

That's a great tip! I learned about the benefit of attention in Tai Chi and it would be a good idea to apply it when working out. What is the benefit of using free weights over using a machine?

first thing that comes to mind is what does your diet look like? what are you currently eating, how many calories, what's the macro breakdown (Protein/carb/fat),
use the link below to figure all this out
http://www.fitday.com/
how long have you been eating like this?

I put a typical day's menu in it and it came out as:
2148Cals (Protein24%/carb42%/fat34%) So I eat too much and need more protein.
I then made a healthier day's menu of:
1621Cals (Protein49%/carb23%/fat29%)
Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs,tomato, apple, tea.
Snack: yogurt, coffee
Lunch: tuna with chickpeas, an orange.tea
Snack: cucumber with cheese, tea
Dinner: Chicken breast with broccoli and carrots.
Snack:1 boiled egg, tea with milk.
(I removed sandwiches, rice and cookies and increased the chicken and eggs. Instead of rice I added chickpeas and moved them to the lunch. According to the boyscout guide I need even more protein and less fat, but I tried to find a diet consisting of foods I normally consume and no powders and shakes, so I can stick with it long enough to get results.)

[QUOTE=giuliagoolia;44641931]

Another suggestion is to drop the amount of cardio you're doing. Get your diet on track, if it isn't already, start lifting heavier and perhaps look into doing 1-2 days of HIIT and 1 day of steady state cardio. Here are links to sites with great info:

So I should drop the warmup cardio(20mins gentle hills) before I do weights and instead do a 10min steep hills interval and faster?
The walking and cycling I do is mostly getting from a to b, but I suppose I could run the last few minutes when I'm walking home, every little bit helps.
I basically get the idea I need to do the same distance/calories in less time so the workout gets more intense.

[giuliagoolia]

I still do 3 sets, or more?

In short yes, it does depend on how many exercises you're doing per bodypart. For larger muscles (back/chest/legs) you can do 3-4 exercises w/ 3-4sets/exercise
smaller muscles(bi/tri/shoulder) you can do 2-3 exercises w/ 2-3 sets/exercise. Of course this is just a guideline and you can modify if you feel it's too much to start off with, then just drop down a set and work your way up to it overtime.

That's a great tip! I learned about the benefit of attention in Tai Chi and it would be a good idea to apply it when working out. What is the benefit of using free weights over using a machine?

First, I must say that I'm not advocating the use of one over the other. They both, free weights and machines, have their place in one's workout. With free weights your moving the weight in a 3-dimensional plane (it's not fixed like w/ machines) so, this will incorporate the use of stabilizer muscles into the movement (like when you do bb squat, you involve use of lower back and abs to help stabilize your body as you move the weight, so they get also get worked, indirectly) This will help improve your balance and allow you to increase your mind/muscle connection as you're having to focus more on keeping proper form. *as a side note: maintaining proper form is priority #1, otherwise you put yourself at very high risk for injury.* free weights will also help in improving functional strength. (if you do a search for free weights vs. machines I'm sure you'll find some good articles explaining all this better then I just did)

I put a typical day's menu in it and it came out as:
2148Cals (Protein24%/carb42%/fat34%) So I eat too much and need more protein.
I then made a healthier day's menu of:
1621Cals (Protein49%/carb23%/fat29%)
Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs,tomato, apple, tea.
Snack: yogurt, coffee
Lunch: tuna with chickpeas, an orange.tea
Snack: cucumber with cheese, tea
Dinner: Chicken breast with broccoli and carrots.
Snack:1 boiled egg, tea with milk.
(I removed sandwiches, rice and cookies and increased the chicken and eggs. Instead of rice I added chickpeas and moved them to the lunch. According to the boyscout guide I need even more protein and less fat, but I tried to find a diet consisting of foods I normally consume and no powders and shakes, so I can stick with it long enough to get results.)

Not knowing your ht/wt, I'll assume that 1650kcal is what you should be taking in for bf loss. another way to determine it is by multiplying 12xBW(bodyweight).
You don't want to suddenly drop your intake from 2150kcal to 1650 overnight. Do it slowly, drop by 100-200 cals/week i.e. you're curretnly taking in 2150 so drop to 2050-1950 and eat at that for a week then drop by another 100-200 cals till you get to your target. Remember, this is a marathon not a sprint, and by going at it slowly=better lonterm results.
Another thing to mention is that you want to eat P+C pre and postWO. You don't want to add fat to the PWO meal for sure. So, eating complex carbs (oats/rice/sweet potato/whole grains) are good to eat during this time and to include in your fist meal of the day.
If you can adjust your macros to be closer to 40p/40c/20f, that is a great starting point. So. to cut some fat some things to do is have no-fat dairy(milk/yogurt), lowfat cheese/tuna in water/lean meats. You can also include more fibrous veggies i.e. spinach/cauliflower/string beans/romaine lettuce/celery....

So I should drop the warmup cardio(20mins gentle hills) before I do weights and instead do a 10min steep hills interval and faster?
The walking and cycling I do is mostly getting from a to b, but I suppose I could run the last few minutes when I'm walking home, every little bit helps.
I basically get the idea I need to do the same distance/calories in less time so the workout gets more intense.

A warm-up before weights is fine, but just do 5-10 min. of low intensity (no fast, steep hills), just enough to get the blood flowing and muscles warmed-up.
Also, either do cardio after lifting weights OR on a separate(non-lifting) day all together. I also suggest you do a search on HIIT to learn more about it, it's a great, effective way to help with dropping bf while helping to preserve muscle, and only 15min of HIIT 1-2x's/ week is all that's needed-More isn't better.

[Forever Fifi]

I will read up a bit more and draw up a good plan.

Thanks for the advise!