How heavy should weights be for a fat woman use to help with weight loss?

usedtobe · 09-30-2004, 04:08 PM

i'm trying to be very specific. i am not even sure if this is a good place to post a question like this, but... here i am.
i bought a girlie (weights are covered with green, pink and purple rubberish material - i thought it would be easy on the wood floors) weight set with a bench, but when i went to open it up, i saw on the box that the max weight for the long bar is 18 pounds (who isn't, right)! i am thinking that is not heavy enough. i am very overweight, and not at all athletic, however i know i am able to lift way more than that and i am thinking maybe that set is for the more feminine, little already in shape women(that's whats on the box), not for a big heifer like myself.
if someone could please just email me and direct me to where i should go online for advice, i would really appreciate it.
thanks most sincerely,
and i truly hope you healthy people are enjoying your healthiness,
Sincerely,
usedtobe (alot of things - some good, some bad)
ifidonlyknown@hotmail.com

DKing · 09-30-2004, 04:13 PM

You have come to the right place online for advice. This forum has some of the best advice you will find anywhere without all of the crap you usually have to filter through.

How heavy should the weights be? Its pretty subjective. The weights should be heavy enough to challenge the muscles while allowing proper amount of reps you are shooting for. You should also be able to add weights to you set with adjustable weights to allow for progressive change. Without new stimulus you will eventually stall out.

Danny

Big O · 09-30-2004, 04:43 PM

Without getting into too much detail one would need to know your height and weight first. Second have you checked with your Dr. about what you want to do? And what I mean by that is have your Dr. take height, weight, and all the necessary measurements so you have a starting point not to mention to avoid any possible "problems" that might occur from starting a workout program.

After all that I would find some time to stop by a gym and talk with a female weight trainer. I am telling you all of this because I once was fat..almost 300 Lbs of fat. And these are some of the steps I took before I started working out minus the female weight trainer part....As for finding weights or a weight set you can/could upgrade to a "male" weight set I think most are 300 to 400 Lbs of weights. But I would suggest that you start by working on getting more active and taking a good look at what you eat.

One of the down sides to lifting is you will put on weight and for most "people" they want or need to see that weight loss in the scale especially when you are starting out "in the hole". Secondly, it will take some time to start to see a difference in the scale. I started in Jan of this year and I have lost almost 70 lbs. But again I was working very hard to lose the weight almost every moment was spent working on what I ate and how much (use a scale for that) and on running, swimming, biking, etc. If you have the time start by getting active....and by putting the fork down, not to sound rude but we did not get this way overnight and your "fat" loss will not happen that way either. We got fat by eating too much and not "doing" enough...any questions?

Alwyn · 09-30-2004, 06:34 PM

Here's a very fast summary.

If you are doing 10-12 reps (which I feel will be good for fat loss), then the weigth should be heavy enough that 13 reps would be very difficult - practially impossible.

So 18lbs could be too light, but it could be too heavy. The reps dictate everything else.

AC

mystery_bowler · 10-01-2004, 09:57 AM

Everyone else is already giving you great advice on the weights, so I'll just interject something for you to think about.

The reps and weights won't have the kind of results you're looking for it you don't square away your diet.

This is the link to the thread for Adam's Diet:

http://forums.jpfitness.com/cgi-bin/...;f=11;t=000384

That diet is a very healthy one and great for fat loss.

After your diet is set, stick to higher reps (Alwyn nailed it, I think). Also, do some cardio. Walk a lot, ride a stationary bike...something. You'll be shedding pounds before you know it.