Question about how to build muscle?

Hi everyone. I'm 4'11" and 3/4", 24 years, 122lbs. I need to lose 15-20 lbs to get back in shape. I want to do this as quickly and healthily as possible.

Someone gave me advice on building muscle. They said heavier weights and fewer reps will "build" instead of "tone". I have 8,10,15 and 25 lb weights.

My questions are:

1. How many reps are considered "low reps"? 10-20? 20-30? I really don't know much about weight lifting. :)

2. Should I start with the 25lb weight and do as many as possible? Or start with the 15 and work up to 25?

3. How many sets should I do? How many times a day?

4. What specific exercises should I be doing with the free weights in order to build muscle quickly?

I work from home so I can easily fit a lifting routine into my day. I would appreciate advice! Thanks!

I would suggest looking into one of the programs sticked.  I've been doing New Rules of LIfting for Women, and am now doing New Rules of Lifting.  They have a number of different workouts that you can cycle through.

Some of the workouts have setups like 2x15, or 3x10 of 4x6.  If you follow a progrm, try and select a weight that you can complete the number of "set X reps" with, but that those last few are tough.  

If you want to do a total body workout, you may need to get a barbell and some heavier weights.  You are likely going to need a lot ore than 25 pounds for some exercises, and maybe less for some.  (I used 5 pound weights for YTWLs and those were heavy for that exercise!)

For weight lifters starting out, it's often recommended to lift 2-3 times per week, with at least one day of rest in between.  

As for what exercises, big compound exercises that let your body work as a whole.  Squats, deadlifts, rows, push-ups, pull-ups, military presses, bench presses, lunges.  There are variations of all of these, but those are the basics. 

What's the difference between 'build' and 'tone'?

1) as a general rule. 1-6 reps for strength, 8-12 for hypertrophy (make muscles bigger), 15+ for endurance

2) You should start with the heaviest weight with which you can complete the prescribed number of sets/reps for a particular exercise.

3) Depends on which program you're following. 5 sets of 5, 4 sets of 6, 3 sets of 8-10, 2 sets of 12-15 are all popular set/rep schemes. Do full-body workouts 3x a week to start

4) Assuming you don't have any injuries/imbalances which would limit what you can/can't do: Squats, deadlifts, presses, chin/pull-ups, rows, lunges, step-ups, etc.

Hi Aimee,

     You've got a lot of good questions there and the other two posters adressed them very adequately so I have nothing to add there. But something else to consider in terms of building muscle and tone is your diet. I've been with a PT for about 8 years now and he always encourages me to get a small meal in after workout that consists of something low-carb and hi-protein. The way he explained it to me was that after a workout, your body is usually running low on fuel and needs a boost. By providing it with a high protein source (whether it's lean meat, nuts, whey, or soy) this gives your body something to allocate directly to muscle tissue for building. Hope this helps you.

Peace,

Ray

Thanks for all of the great information evveryone! I start weights today :)

Good luck Aimee! Stick with it and you will get results. Don't get discouraged if you level off now and then though. It's all just part of the process. Some days I even GAIN a pound or two but then the next couple days I usually go right back to shedding fat.