How heavy should female lift?? - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

ducttape1000 · 01-29-2007, 11:27 AM

Hi. I'm female 24, 5'4", 125lbs, average build. i want to lose 10 lbs of fat. I've been doing a lot of cardio, but have added 3 days a week of weight training. I'm not sure how heavy of weights to lift during my workouts. I want to tone the muscle I have and NOT gain any. For my legs I do the quad, hamstring, inner/outer thigh machines at the gym. For upper body I do free weights for triceps, biceps, shoulders, etc. I have above average arm muscles for a woman and do not like this. I just want to tone what I have (for it's a little too much already) I've always heard that you should not be able to complete the last set. But is this man talk for gaining muscle? I use 12 lb weights for upper body. 15 lbs I would not be able to complete last set. I can do about 15-20 man pushups. I also don't want bulky thighs. How do I know how much weight to use on the leg machines without A) wasting my time, B) becoming "jacked up". I want to optimize my workouts. I do three sets of 12 for most things.

Naxis · 01-29-2007, 01:35 PM

If you can do 3 sets of 12-15 of any given exercise, you're in the right range. There's no need to be going to the point of failure if you're not looking to gain muscle, so in a sense, yes that's man talk for muscle building.

Just make sure it's not too easy or it's not helping, but it seems like you're doing it just right.
One thing I might recommend is to focus less on arm exercises and focus more on chest and back exercises. The bigger muscle groups will give you better results and keep you from putting any more size on your arms if that's an issue for you. Chest and back still hits the arms, so it's not like they're being neglected.

missingyou · 01-29-2007, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducttape1000

Hi. I'm female 24, 5'4", 125lbs, average build. i want to lose 10 lbs of fat. I've been doing a lot of cardio, but have added 3 days a week of weight training. I'm not sure how heavy of weights to lift during my workouts. I want to tone the muscle I have and NOT gain any. For my legs I do the quad, hamstring, inner/outer thigh machines at the gym. For upper body I do free weights for triceps, biceps, shoulders, etc. I have above average arm muscles for a woman and do not like this. I just want to tone what I have (for it's a little too much already) I've always heard that you should not be able to complete the last set. But is this man talk for gaining muscle? I use 12 lb weights for upper body. 15 lbs I would not be able to complete last set. I can do about 15-20 man pushups. I also don't want bulky thighs. How do I know how much weight to use on the leg machines without A) wasting my time, B) becoming "jacked up". I want to optimize my workouts. I do three sets of 12 for most things.

You wont get "jacked up" just by pushing yourself in the gym. Im sure you could do 6-8 reps while doing compound movements(squats, deadlift, bench press) while seeing little to no difference in your body compostion!! Well how could that be you ask? IF you dont have a diet thats built around gaining muscle, your not going to gain muscle its that simple.

Getting ripped or huge takes years and years of hard work and diet. You just dont lift some heavy weights and in a few weeks your all of a sudden "big".

Toning is acheived by doing cardio. not by going easy when you work out. A girl who wants less fat on her arms is getting no where when doing really light tricep exercises. Seriously try a more intense workout regmine and im sure you will lose some weight or size on your arms. This is because someones arm size is dirrectly related to their bodyfat %.

twiceblessed · 01-30-2007, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naxis

One thing I might recommend is to focus less on arm exercises and focus more on chest and back exercises. The bigger muscle groups will give you better results and keep you from putting any more size on your arms if that's an issue for you. Chest and back still hits the arms, so it's not like they're being neglected.

I agree with this whole heartedly! And remember your SHOULDERS! They are a tremendous force in shaping your arms.

Naxis · 01-30-2007, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missingyou

...someones arm size is dirrectly related to their bodyfat %.

Believe it or not, some women do actually gain muscle fairly easily, and arm size is *absolutely not* directly related to body fat %. Ask any bodybuilder.