Noobie Has a Question

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

Hey guys. I posted a topic before and i wanna thank everyone who helped. But again what i feared the most happened i got 12 people with 5 different opinions and not a solid 1.

anyway, im gonna cut straight to the point , lets assume i follow a healthy diet similar to T dawgs diet , i drink protein shakes (enough) and i do 1 hour of some sort of cardio daily.

Obviously im gonna lose lean body mass , yesterday i came to the realization that i suck at lifting weights (free weights) because im too used to the pussy machines , anyway do you think i should diet and do dips , pull ups , chin ups , pushups for a couple months until i strengthen my muscles enough to do weights ?

or is weightlifting the end all and be all of preserving muscle while on a restricted calorie diet ?

Just a simple question. And if anyone has advice on what exercises to do so i can learn proper form and some exercises to help me retain muscle mass while losing fat weight id appreciate it alot. I find that doing dumbell presses is alot harder than it looks because ill raise one arm faster than the other , i start moving them from side to side , its a disaster HAHA.

I would like to do something that will help me maintain muscle and help me gain strength for the bigger exercises like benching , since i cant bench much.

Also i heard something from someone stating that as long as a weight is challenging to a person it doesnt matter if its 15pounds or 100 pounds. as long as its hard to lift and the muscles are worked hard it’ll be the same effect.

Thanks alot!

2

Lift weights, you probably want to make sure you use a spotter if it is hard to control the weights. Everyone starts somewhere so don’t feel bad/embarrased about lifting small weights. Start with a light enough weight to get the form down and then worry about the poundage.

3

If you suck at something you dont not do it to get better at it. use the load you can and get better slowly progress

sure your training can have some BW stuff but hit the weights as well

Phill

4

Don’t let the fact you can’t lift as heavy as the next guy get to you. Challenge yourself and grow your muscles at your own pace!

5

If you suck at lifting weights, then the obvious thing to do is more of it until you are good at it.

Try lifting lighter weights that you can keep good form with for the rep range you’ve chosen. Higher reps for beginners seem to be better in order to train the movement. Once a training effect has ocurred (you got better, faster and stronger) raise the weight.

As far as losing lean body mass - not necessarily. You are encouraging the muscles to grow and the fat to go. What matters is the balance in your diet. High protein and medium amount of good fats while lowering the carbohydrates should encourage fat loss while retaining and growing muscle.

I totally changed my body shape without changing body weight on a diet like this due to burning fat and increasing absolute lean body mass. What helps is eating carbs only when you need them (during the workout) and avoiding them otherwise. Meat and greens, carb workout shake, workout,meat and greens, sleep, repeat.

6

I agree with the other posters, check your ego at the door and lift weight, even if you’re not lifting many pounds. If you’ve been lifting using the “pussy machines” you have still gained strength and as you master the form of lifting free weights your increases will probably come fast as you already have a base. Good Luck

7

[quote]Colombinany wrote:
Hey guys. I posted a topic before and i wanna thank everyone who helped. But again what i feared the most happened i got 12 people with 5 different opinions and not a solid 1.

anyway, im gonna cut straight to the point , lets assume i follow a healthy diet similar to T dawgs diet , i drink protein shakes (enough) and i do 1 hour of some sort of cardio daily.

Obviously im gonna lose lean body mass , yesterday i came to the realization that i suck at lifting weights (free weights) because im too used to the pussy machines , anyway do you think i should diet and do dips , pull ups , chin ups , pushups for a couple months until i strengthen my muscles enough to do weights ?

or is weightlifting the end all and be all of preserving muscle while on a restricted calorie diet ?

Just a simple question. And if anyone has advice on what exercises to do so i can learn proper form and some exercises to help me retain muscle mass while losing fat weight id appreciate it alot. I find that doing dumbell presses is alot harder than it looks because ill raise one arm faster than the other , i start moving them from side to side , its a disaster HAHA.

I would like to do something that will help me maintain muscle and help me gain strength for the bigger exercises like benching , since i cant bench much.

Also i heard something from someone stating that as long as a weight is challenging to a person it doesnt matter if its 15pounds or 100 pounds. as long as its hard to lift and the muscles are worked hard it’ll be the same effect.

Thanks alot![/quote]

Yes, you should lift free weights no matter how much you can lift. Learn the form with lighter weights then increase the difficulty.

If during a dumbell press one arm is stronger than the other, lighten the weight so that you can maintain strict form.

How much weight are you trying to lose?
You will lose some muscle mass, but it doesn’t read like you have alot of that anyway. As stated above, eat lots of protein and limit carbs to the timing required, and you can lose fat and keep some of your muscle.

Exercises to learn proper form:

Squats
Deadlifts
Bench Press
Overhead Press
Bent Rows

Exercises to keep some amount of muscle:

Squats
Deadlifts
Bench Press
Overhead Press
Bent Rows

It is true that any weight that is challengine will work, a lighter weight will not have the same effect as a heavier weight. If all you can do is light weights, that is fine for now. Just keep lifting consistently and adding weight when you can and you will eventually be lifting heavy.

Good Luck.