Want to build muscle
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Hi all. I am looking to begin a weight training program. I am
44 years old and have some weight to lose but want to focus on also building muscle. I resemble the left side in the attached photo and want to look like the right side. What kind of weights and routine would I need? Would dumbbells be enough or would I need a barbell, machines, etc? https://www.instagram.com/p/ClqEfhhu2kl/ |
Anonymous
| I lift weights & use machines & dumbbells at the gym. My home setup just has dumbbells. Someone else who does freeweights or power lifting should weigh in though. Also, I do not really think those left & right pics are realistic. They don't even really look like the same body type to me but maybe it's legit? |
Anonymous
| OP your diet is a huge component to this, and to getting to your goal. Can you describe your current diet? |
Anonymous
|
Yes. For breakfast I eat egg whites and vegan cheese on a gluten-free wrap, coffee with almond milk creamer. Lunch is chicken or Turkey with vegetables and sometimes a small amount of rice. Dinner is similar. Snacks are 1/4 cup fresh blueberries or two dates and dry roasted unsalted almonds.
Portions are small. I drink water at all meals and during the day. I weigh 132 at almost 5 feet tall and want to get to 115-118. |
Anonymous
OP this is not a lot of calories. Are you post-menopausal? Are you on any medications that could be slowing down your metabolism? And speaking of metabolism, lifting weights will do wonders for that. |
Anonymous
|
I am not in menopause. I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which I treat with Armour thyroid.
I have lost over 25 pounds since September 2022–a combination of being very active at my job, not having time to eat, and my medications cutting my appetite (Wellbutrin for depression and Adderall for ADD). How much and what else should I be eating? |
Anonymous
Got it. Question about why you're eating egg whites and not the entire egg? Also why are you eating vegan cheese - are you lactose intolerant? Just want to make sure I understand some of your food choices. |
Anonymous
| Egg whites because of high cholesterol and vegan cheese because I avoid dairy due to inflammation m (also avoid wheat). |
Anonymous
|
If you have facebook, find the group "Hardcore on the Floor". The woman who started the group was a personal trainer who needed a manageable routine after having kids. She creates a monthly calendar of peleton strength classes with links to peleton classes. It's free (although I send her $10 every now and then on venmo because I appreciate it so much!
There are 5 work outs a week that are 40 minutes long and you do whatever works for you (every instructor tells you modifications you can make to the exercises). It's a very supportive community full of people of all ages, at all levels and goals. I begin to see results pretty quickly, especially upper body since I had never really focused there before. You'll need weights between 3 lbs-25ish lbs, a mat and the peleton app on your phone/ipad or airplay to your TV. You can add in cardio (either on the bike, on guided walks or runs or strength cardio). She includes suggestions for yoga, walks and meditations on rest days. You can ask questions in the facebook group and you'll get really helpful responses. I hope you find something that works for you! |
Anonymous
|
Focus on compound movements. Bench press, deadlifts, squats, dips, and pull ups are major exercises. You can do variations of those like dumbbell presses if you don't want to do the barbell. There are many variations of squats Dips can be done with a chair at home or using a bench at the gym. Deadlifts can be be done with lighter weights. Of course you won't be able to do a pull-up with no training. Use assisted pullups. Machines are OK, but only for targeting a specific muscle group. Compound movements are much better.
Spend 3 months buidling you your strength do you're staying from scratch, then start progressively overloading and lifting heavier weights for lower reps. 5-8 reps once you go heavier. |
Anonymous
| Diet, diet, diet… If you want to go from the left picture to the right picture, you need a nutritionist. Everyone will chime in and say no you don’t. Sorry to break it to you, in order to be that lean, yes you do. Women always say, “I e as my arms like X…” Go see a nutritionist… |
Anonymous
| Agree with the recommendation for the hard core recommendation above. You just need a few sets of dumbbells and a mat and you can do it at home. Diet can follow after you get into a routine, but do keep in mind that the IG lady is correct, it takes years to build muscle and change your body composition. You don’t need to kill yourself with grueling workouts, but you do need to be consistent. |
Anonymous
| As a beginner you can gain some muscle even in a deficit, so I would focus on fat loss plus lifting. You need to put your calories in a deficit, set your protein high, and follow some structured lifting program suitable for beginners. You can do a lot with DBs. I personally like Jeff Nippard’s programs and he also has a fundamentals routine for beginners. He provides substitutes for all exercises so you should be able to do everything with DBs though machines and cables could definitely help. His fiancé Stephanie Buttermore might have more female specific programs. |
Anonymous
This is me! I'm running a slight calorie deficit, started strength training YouTub with decent DD in Dec. Have lost 4 lbs. and can see the muscle definition. The biggest change was diet. Because I've increased my protein so much I'm not hungry and eating no bread/rice/pasta. Just veggies and protein. But if I find myself at a Mexican restaurant, I eat chips! |
Anonymous
| I would try to get down to 110 or 115. THEN add on muscle, which weighs more than fat. So you end up smaller rather than stockier. |