Female Strength Training: More reps or more weight?

Hi, I have been working out since Jan 6th. I have been doing strength training 2x a week on 12-13 of the weight machines at the gym. I want to up my strength more, but (as I still weigh 206) I do not want to get bulky, just stronger. I typically do 3 sets of 10---or 3 sets of 15 depending on what I'm working. I am putting more hard work into my inner/outer thighs, obliques and abdominals. Smaller sets are on shoulders/arms/back. So, I have been doing the same routine for 7 weeks and want to make it more intense/challenging so I was wondering if I need to up the reps or the weight?

Also, I typically do not do the weight machines for legs. As I get quite a workout on the elliptical 5 days a week, as well as the treadmill. I normally do speed interval training 2x a week with 0 or 3 inline and I do the random cycle level 15 3x a week that has a set 3.5mph speed but with various degrees of incline (between 3-11) every so many minutes. I feel like I get a good leg workout with that. Plus I'm doind Kickboxing class and DVDs at home too. My other question is should I still be doing weight training for my legs regardless of this exercise or is what I am doin enough? Remember, my goal is to tone and strenthen, not turn into the HULK! Haha. :)

Thanks for any input you may have to guide me here. It is appreciated!

Most peeps here will direct you to the book, New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women, or something like that.  I think pretty much everybody here likes it as a guide for strength training (and for good reason).

Here is a good blog post a friend wrote that might provide you with some insight as well...

http://trimarni.blogspot.com/2009/02/train-li ke-athlete.html

Original Post by findingmeagain2009:

I am putting more hard work into my inner/outer thighs, obliques and abdominals. Smaller sets are on shoulders/arms/back.

 Why focus so much of your time on such small muscles and so little time on the big muscles?  You'll get much more bang for your buck using your bigger (legs, shoulders, chest, back) muscles than focusing on tiny muscles.

If you want to get stronger, you need to lift things that are progressivly heavier, lifting the same weight more times isn't getting you any stronger, it's building muscle endurance. If you are keeping a calorie deficit you won't 'bulk up'.

Reguarding training you legs, you asked if what you were doing was enough? Since you stated that you wanted to up your strength more, what you are doing is not enough.  You aren't doing any strength training for half of your body.

wesmckean-Thanks for the link. That was useful information. I think I'll check the Library for the book you mentioned as well. :)

floggingsully-Thank you as well for your input. I suppose I focus on those particular for the wrong reasons, they are troublespots for me. I will try upping the weights and also doing weight sets for my legs as well. Thanks. :)

Original Post by findingmeagain2009:

I suppose I focus on those particular for the wrong reasons, they are troublespots for me.

Just remember, exercising the muscles in on area will not cause you to lose fat in that area.

And a normal free-weight squat will hit the muscles in each of those 'troublespots' 

You know, that sucks though! It'd be nice to guide your body to loose where you wanted it too! :) Really, I knew that by exercising there if would'nt help me loose fat, but I did it anyway!  I am doing my best at a diet as well to help with fat loss. So, hopefully when the fat is gone, you'll be able to see nice toned muscles. Thanks again!

Original Post by wesmckean:

..........Here is a good blog post a friend wrote that might provide you with some insight as well...

http://trimarni.blogspot.com/2009/02/train-li ke-athlete.html

Wesmckean, thank you for that link.  There was one little paragraph on there that just gave me an entirely new perspective on my 'exercise' routine.  It states:  "If you are a woman exercising on a daily basis, do not be afraid to use the word "training" when talking about your exercise routine. Rather than exercising on the treadmill for an hour, think of your workout as an opportunity to train specifically for an upcoming event. Stop going through the motions of doing the same thing each day and start feeling the rewards of challenging your body by training like an athlete."

I love that!  I'm not exercising.....  I'm TRAINING!  Not for any kind of marathon, but rather to be the best me that I can be!  How cool!

You are welcome, kaufmkk!  Yes!  Train to be the best you can be.  Today, this is my best as of right now.  Tomorrow, I can ALWAYS strive to be better.  Marni is a wonderful athlete, teacher, and friend.

The internet can be a beautiful thing...

O I SOOO agree with the training quote.

Use more free weights. Heavy lifting. If you can do more than 10 reps without a rest the weight is not heavy enough. Machines are fine but free weights are superior in my opinion. I lift heavy, fast and hard.

Girls do not get bulky. We do not produce enough testosterone to look like the hulk.

Fat loss happens mostly in the kitchen. The kind of foods you are eating is just as important as the calories you intake.

HIIT and lifting are two of the only types of training that naturally increase HGH levels in your body (Human growth hormone) As you age that hormone declines and leads to weight gain, fatigue, fat accumulation and so on. If you naturally increase your HGH levels it aids in fat loss strength and stamina and an over all feeling off well being.

HIIT and lifting also burn calories while you are doing the activity but also keep burning calories for days after. If you alternate your HIIT days and your lifting days you can keep your metabolism constantly reved and you will be burning calories pretty much all of the time. More calories than you would with steady state cardio which burn calories while you are doing that activity but not long after. HIIT also burns more fat than steady state cardio. It is good however to add 10-20 minutes of steady state after an HIIT session for maximum results. For example. I sprint three days a week. It takes about 20 minutes to complete the sprint routine. When I am finished sprinting I follow that with 20 minutes of fast paced walking.

Also the more muscle you have the more calories you burn just living. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Your leg muscles are the largest muscles in your body so the more muscle you have in your legs the more calories you burn.

Eating clean/balanced is also key. If your diet is made up of mostly simple carbs, fried foods, trans-fats, processed foods, sugary drinks, artificial sweeteners and other chemicals you will not see good fat loss results. Even if you calories are at a deficit.

You need complex carbs, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meats and fish, whole grains, brown rice, pasta, bread. Healthy fats.

Don't fall for "diet" foods. Sugar free, fat free crap. They are highly processed chemically filled foods, usually loaded with sodium. Go for fresh, whole, unprocessed foods when you can. Artificial sweeteners should be avoided. They have been shown to actually lead to weight gain, not loss. If you must have something sweet eat real sugar in moderation.

Don't drink your calories. Drink plenty of water. Before, during and after your meals.

Thanks for your post. I appreciate the idea on rotating HIIT with lifting. I will definately try that this week. That is a great idea.

My diet is usually NOT fried, as I would fear that to take up too many calories. I get plenty of fruits/veggies, fish/chicken/lean beef, whole grains, etc. What are complex carbs?? I have heard people talk about both simple/complex carbs. I honestly do not understand the difference. I do have alot of fat free/sugar free stuff. That has given me something to think about. I will take a look more carefully at the labels. I do not drink calories unless I have some v8 juice, or the occasional glass of cystral light tea (5 cals). I do get more than my fair share of water daily too. I have always been a major diet soda drinker, but since I began all of my changes, even that is down to 2 8oz glasses a week. (which is major for me)

Thanks to everyone for all of your input!

(EDIT: Ok, I found an extremely LONG yet informative forum on the differences between complex and simple carbs. So if anyone else needed to know, here's the link!)

http://caloriecount.about.com/simple-carbs-co mplex-ft4957 

You're welcome. Yes that article will help you with simple and complex carbs. Some good examples of complex are whole grain bread. When you read the label the first word in the ingredient list should be WHOLE. You want whole wheat or grain. Not all wheat breads are the same and some are full of sugar and High fructose corn syrup . Avoid those. Whole ingredients without much else added is best. Most veggies, brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain cereal, buckwheat, wheatgerm, beans, Legumes, nuts and seeds.

Some examples of simple carbs are

Table sugar
Corn syrup
Fruit juice
Candy
Cake
Bread made with white flour
Pasta made with white flour
Soda pop, Candy
All baked goods made with white flour
Most packaged cereals

Artificial sweeteners wreak havoc on your system and are detrimental to fat loss. Actually you gain weight from them. The public has been misinformed. Read more about them and educate yourself. http://www.emaxhealth.com/11/586.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9684 9.php

I am a total New Rules of Lifting for Women convert. It's hard as hell, but I have gotten more results in the 2 months I've been following that plan than I did doing low weight/high rep training for the past 2 years. It's awesome!

It's definitely a challenge, but it's nice because you can start light and work your way up. :)

Original Post by littleshellys:

Use more free weights. Heavy lifting. If you can do more than 10 reps without a rest the weight is not heavy enough. Machines are fine but free weights are superior in my opinion. I lift heavy, fast and hard.

Girls do not get bulky. We do not produce enough testosterone to look like the hulk.

Fat loss happens mostly in the kitchen. The kind of foods you are eating is just as important as the calories you intake.

HIIT and lifting are two of the only types of training that naturally increase HGH levels in your body (Human growth hormone) As you age that hormone declines and leads to weight gain, fatigue, fat accumulation and so on. If you naturally increase your HGH levels it aids in fat loss strength and stamina and an over all feeling off well being.

HIIT and lifting also burn calories while you are doing the activity but also keep burning calories for days after. If you alternate your HIIT days and your lifting days you can keep your metabolism constantly reved and you will be burning calories pretty much all of the time. More calories than you would with steady state cardio which burn calories while you are doing that activity but not long after. HIIT also burns more fat than steady state cardio. It is good however to add 10-20 minutes of steady state after an HIIT session for maximum results. For example. I sprint three days a week. It takes about 20 minutes to complete the sprint routine. When I am finished sprinting I follow that with 20 minutes of fast paced walking.

Also the more muscle you have the more calories you burn just living. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Your leg muscles are the largest muscles in your body so the more muscle you have in your legs the more calories you burn.

Eating clean/balanced is also key. If your diet is made up of mostly simple carbs, fried foods, trans-fats, processed foods, sugary drinks, artificial sweeteners and other chemicals you will not see good fat loss results. Even if you calories are at a deficit.

You need complex carbs, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meats and fish, whole grains, brown rice, pasta, bread. Healthy fats.

Don't fall for "diet" foods. Sugar free, fat free crap. They are highly processed chemically filled foods, usually loaded with sodium. Go for fresh, whole, unprocessed foods when you can. Artificial sweeteners should be avoided. They have been shown to actually lead to weight gain, not loss. If you must have something sweet eat real sugar in moderation.

Don't drink your calories. Drink plenty of water. Before, during and after your meals.

 This is awesome! - Thanks!~

Original Post by littleshellys:

Artificial sweeteners should be avoided. They have been shown to actually lead to weight gain, not loss.

I agree with everything else you had to say, but this isn't quite true.  People who eat artificial sweeteners have been shown to be heavier, but the cause-effect direction hasn't been established.  It's just as likely that people who are heavier consume food with artificial sweeteners thinking that'll help them lose weight (which it might, if they take other measures as well but, as we all know, if you allow yourself to supersize your fries because you had a diet coke instead of a regular coke, you didn't save any calories).

I lift pretty incredibly heavy for a girl... and I do not get bulky. Also with legs you want to lift weights... your legs and back are your two biggest muscle groups. The more muscle you have the less fat you have and the higher your metabolism is...

lift heavy and go until fatigue/muscle failure.

sorry, I just have a question about the rest between sets. if you lift very heavy, do you take a minute rest in between?

Original Post by susiecue:

Original Post by littleshellys:

Artificial sweeteners should be avoided. They have been shown to actually lead to weight gain, not loss.

I agree with everything else you had to say, but this isn't quite true.  People who eat artificial sweeteners have been shown to be heavier, but the cause-effect direction hasn't been established.  It's just as likely that people who are heavier consume food with artificial sweeteners thinking that'll help them lose weight (which it might, if they take other measures as well but, as we all know, if you allow yourself to supersize your fries because you had a diet coke instead of a regular coke, you didn't save any calories).

Artificial sweeteners alter your metabolic limit, your brain chemistry, they cause insulin spikes which lead to weight gain. I agree that there is still research being done but more and more evidence/studies at very reputable teaching hospitals and clinics agree that artificial sweeteners not only increase weight but have many other damaging health effects. Enough evidence for me.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/11/586.html

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/Story?id=427 1246&page=1

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/ 080210183902.htm

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040630/artif icial-sweeteners-damage-diet-efforts

Original Post by mellisaann:

Original Post by littleshellys:

Use more free weights. Heavy lifting. If you can do more than 10 reps without a rest the weight is not heavy enough. Machines are fine but free weights are superior in my opinion. I lift heavy, fast and hard.

Girls do not get bulky. We do not produce enough testosterone to look like the hulk.

Fat loss happens mostly in the kitchen. The kind of foods you are eating is just as important as the calories you intake.

HIIT and lifting are two of the only types of training that naturally increase HGH levels in your body (Human growth hormone) As you age that hormone declines and leads to weight gain, fatigue, fat accumulation and so on. If you naturally increase your HGH levels it aids in fat loss strength and stamina and an over all feeling off well being.

HIIT and lifting also burn calories while you are doing the activity but also keep burning calories for days after. If you alternate your HIIT days and your lifting days you can keep your metabolism constantly reved and you will be burning calories pretty much all of the time. More calories than you would with steady state cardio which burn calories while you are doing that activity but not long after. HIIT also burns more fat than steady state cardio. It is good however to add 10-20 minutes of steady state after an HIIT session for maximum results. For example. I sprint three days a week. It takes about 20 minutes to complete the sprint routine. When I am finished sprinting I follow that with 20 minutes of fast paced walking.

Also the more muscle you have the more calories you burn just living. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Your leg muscles are the largest muscles in your body so the more muscle you have in your legs the more calories you burn.

Eating clean/balanced is also key. If your diet is made up of mostly simple carbs, fried foods, trans-fats, processed foods, sugary drinks, artificial sweeteners and other chemicals you will not see good fat loss results. Even if you calories are at a deficit.

You need complex carbs, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meats and fish, whole grains, brown rice, pasta, bread. Healthy fats.

Don't fall for "diet" foods. Sugar free, fat free crap. They are highly processed chemically filled foods, usually loaded with sodium. Go for fresh, whole, unprocessed foods when you can. Artificial sweeteners should be avoided. They have been shown to actually lead to weight gain, not loss. If you must have something sweet eat real sugar in moderation.

Don't drink your calories. Drink plenty of water. Before, during and after your meals.

 This is awesome! - Thanks!~

 You're welcome.