Signed up w/ personal trainer...don't think the type of program she recommends is effective
Hello,
I just signed up with a personal trainer because I'd like to take my workouts to the next level and I feel I need that extra push, otherwise I won't do it on my own. I also want a new, more intense program. I want to lose maybe 5 lbs but my main goal is to build muscle and as a result be stronger and look ultra ''toned''.
My bf's friend used to be a personal trainer at my gym, but no longer works there. He pretty much told my bf that the trainer I signed up with isn't that great...He said that she will tell me to do a LOT of cardio (ex. min 40 mins/day) and will also create a split-day workout consisting of mostly machines, and not very heavy weights. Another girlfriend of mine asked her why she has to do so much cardio, as she used to only do 20 mins HITT w/ her previous trainer, and she responded that what he was telling her to do was designed for a man and not for a woman.
I thought the most effective way to build muscle and lose fat is to lift heavy, mostly free weights and do HITT (max 30 mins??)....
I hope I didn't pay all this $ (I signed up for 10 sessions) for nothing!
What do you guys think? And what should I tell the trainer? My first session is today.
Thanks so much
Original Post by dabrock:
Original Post by arusden96:
I do have to ask, are you going for a body building looking body? Because if you start to really limit your diet, and workout with "heavy" weights for a woman, you are going to start bulking up. So be careful with what your goals are vs. what you are actually doing.
Despite all our efforts the myths are alive and well here.
Some myths just never die!
Original Post by kcmosam:
Original Post by amethystgirl:
kcmosam - what do you think would happen if you picked up a heavy weight while eating at a deficit?
I think if your goal is to gain muscle then you should feed your muscles what they need in order to grow. I think if you add muscle while trying to lose weight, youre going to just have bigger muscles under all the fat which make you look even fatter...
Example would be stomach... why would you want bigger muscles under all the flab? You will gain inches around the waist.
I do believe you can lift weights to help the calorie burning, but dont overload the weight unless youre wanting bigger muscles. Lose the weight, then tone and grow...
Sorry. Not true. Exhibit A: Me
Because of the fine advice from those on this board, the majority of my weekly exercise is heavy lifting. Heavy enough that I can only do 8-10 reps before resting. I eat at a deficit. I have seen dramatic improvements in my strength since starting, approximately 6 months ago. I have also lost several inches in my thighs, butt and upper arms.
I've lost 20 pounds, which is less than half of what I need to lose to be at the upper end of my healthy weight. But after 10 pounds, co-workers were commenting how much slimmer my legs and arms looked.
More importantly, while I know that I can't gain muscle while eating at a deficit, I have absolutely strengthened the muscle I have and have prevented muscle loss which can accompany weight loss.
Original Post by kcmosam:
Original Post by amethystgirl:
kcmosam - what do you think would happen if you picked up a heavy weight while eating at a deficit?
I think if your goal is to gain muscle then you should feed your muscles what they need in order to grow. I think if you add muscle while trying to lose weight, youre going to just have bigger muscles under all the fat which make you look even fatter...
Example would be stomach... why would you want bigger muscles under all the flab? You will gain inches around the waist.
I do believe you can lift weights to help the calorie burning, but dont overload the weight unless youre wanting bigger muscles. Lose the weight, then tone and grow...
from her orig. post Starbright is only looking to lose 5lbs.. not 20lbs. While this may be true if you are overweight.. those who have less to lose need that muscle to increase your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day. And, unless a woman has a ridiculous amount of testosterone (or other 'bulking' supplements) surging through her she isn't going to 'bulk'.
Original Post by kcmosam:
Example would be stomach... why would you want bigger muscles under all the flab? You will gain inches around the waist.
I do believe you can lift weights to help the calorie burning, but dont overload the weight unless youre wanting bigger muscles. Lose the weight, then tone and grow...
Wow, you mean I can gain inches around my waist while eating at a deficit?
I can't even gain inches around my arms while eating at a deficit and lifting heavy -- for months! Honestly, I didn't even gain inches around my arms when I ate aat a surplus and lifted heavy!!!
It's HARD to gain muscle, especially for us females. And from what I understand it REALLY HARD to gain any kind of muscle mass in your abs, so yeah not believeing any of this.
sigh, yes, zombie myths, we keep trying to kill them and they keep coming back.
Yeah, the majority of my workouts involve heavy weight lifting and I'm pretty sure I don't look like former WWE star Chyna circa 1996 over here. I would need to start juicing (taking steroids) pretty hardcore to look like that. I'm baffled that people still hand out that sort of advice...
Forgive me if I am wrong, but I thought that lifting heavy weights, but low reps= build fat burning muscle, but not bulk and lighter weights but lots of reps= bulk? When I was running competitively my strength routines involved 2-3 reps of heavy weights (full body) and I certainly never looked like a body builder!
Original Post by samantha135:
Forgive me if I am wrong, but I thought that lifting heavy weights, but low reps= build fat burning muscle, but not bulk and lighter weights but lots of reps= bulk? When I was running competitively my strength routines involved 2-3 reps of heavy weights (full body) and I certainly never looked like a body builder!
Besides eating at a large calorie surplus... High weight, low reps to build and get stronger. But with legs, higher reps help them bulk faster.
Ah, this thread was doing so well the first few posts. Then, BAM! In comes the uninformed trying to inform us... Nice try. Let's see who can find the best supporting evidence for our claims on here. Good luck!
So starbright... how did the training session go?
Original Post by amethystgirl:
So starbright... how did the training session go?
Well, I didn't really train during the first session. The personal trainer introduced herself and talked a little about her experience and her certifications. She then measured and weighed me, took down my age, height and finally bodyfat %. We talked about the importance of proper nutrition and how it affects your mood and energy levels. She talked a little bit about the nutrition plan she will create for me and explained how it's essential to eat healthfully in order to achieve your fitness goals. She also mentioned how it's important to still enjoy your favorite foods in moderation. She also gave me a journal and asked me to write down everything that goes into my mouth for the next 7 days. She gave me my target heart rate along with a cardio program (intervals) to follow 3-5 times a week for 20-40 mins. As for my strength training program, she will be giving me a full body program that I should be doing 2-3 times a week (I will be with her twice a week, and alone once a week) that consists of machines and free weights. After two weeks, she will give me a new split-body workout. We will start off like this and eventually move to mostly free weights. I personally was satisfied with all the info she gave me and the program she will be creating for me. What I like about her is that she really explains everything in detail. And it sounds like shes really going to push me! :) I think it will go well. Monday is my first real training session, I'll keep you guys posted!
Sounds at least better than you feared - hopefully this means that she actually listened to your goals. It's possible that your friend's experience was because she (unlike you) didn't have a clear idea of what she wanted out of the trainer, so the trainer did what she thought the average woman wants.
Original Post by kcmosam:
Original Post by amethystgirl:
kcmosam - what do you think would happen if you picked up a heavy weight while eating at a deficit?
I think if your goal is to gain muscle then you should feed your muscles what they need in order to grow. I think if you add muscle while trying to lose weight, youre going to just have bigger muscles under all the fat which make you look even fatter...
Example would be stomach... why would you want bigger muscles under all the flab? You will gain inches around the waist.
I do believe you can lift weights to help the calorie burning, but dont overload the weight unless youre wanting bigger muscles. Lose the weight, then tone and grow...
Sorry. Not true. Exhibit A: Me
Because of the fine advice from those on this board, the majority of my weekly exercise is heavy lifting. Heavy enough that I can only do 8-10 reps before resting. I eat at a deficit. I have seen dramatic improvements in my strength since starting, approximately 6 months ago. I have also lost several inches in my thighs, butt and upper arms.
I've lost 20 pounds, which is less than half of what I need to lose to be at the upper end of my healthy weight. But after 10 pounds, co-workers were commenting how much slimmer my legs and arms looked.
More importantly, while I know that I can't gain muscle while eating at a deficit, I have absolutely strengthened the muscle I have and have prevented muscle loss which can accompany weight loss.
Too funny.... Of course you did. You had it to lose... She said her #1 goals was to gain muscle. These posts are soooo freakin funny. Apparently I'm taking the post as she's wanting to start looking more like a body builder and others take it like she wants to become stronger and not gain any muscle mass. If that's the case then do high reps with lower weights and continue cardio... Thats what I did as well.... However now I want MASS...More cals, heavier weight.
kcmosam - when you say "high reps" how high are you talking about?
Original Post by kcmosam:
Too funny.... Of course you did. You had it to lose... She said her #1 goals was to gain muscle. These posts are soooo freakin funny. Apparently I'm taking the post as she's wanting to start looking more like a body builder and others take it like she wants to become stronger and not gain any muscle mass. If that's the case then do high reps with lower weights and continue cardio... Thats what I did as well.... However now I want MASS...More cals, heavier weight.
Your thinking is backwards here. The moderate weight range (8-12) with moderate weight (around 60-75%) is the hypertrophy range with lower reps and higher weights leading to strength gains with less bulking effect. The reason is that the majority of bulk comes from fluid (scaroplasm) and not an increase in the contractile tissue. 50-70% of the gains bodybuilders make is the fluid rather than the tissue gains. Check out the routines of bodybuilders vs power lifters and you will see what I mean.
If you go too high in reps (over 15) you end up in endurance training not strength training and will get neither significant size nor strength gains. You at least understand that you need more calories but probably less than you think.
Check out http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/ you will see that they do relatively high reps with low rest between.
Good luck with your training.
