Pumpin' Iron

“Hey you guys and gals, I need your support. I have been struggling to gain weight for a couple of yrs. (and no I don't need any comments about how "nice" it is to have my problem). I have had med. tests done, I eat a very, very high calorie diet, etc. Well, I decided to start lifting weights to try and gain. I start tomorrow. Do you all think this is goin' work? I'm pretty small, so I'm kinda' freaked about even going to the gym. The trainer I met w/ seems really nice and knowledgeable though. Wish me luck!”

“Sounds like we need some before and after pics.”

“I had the same problem. Even the prescribed diets didn't help much. A few month after I started working out I had gone from 'bean pole' to 'sorta skinny'. It was the first time in my life that I gained twenty pounds and kept the weight on. 'Course it's alot easier now that I'm hitting my mid-thirties.
Good Luck.”

“I was 6'-1" and less than 160lbs until my late twenties. I have a legendary appetite. My friends still talk with amazement when they describe my appetite. I started into some serious weights and ate the high protien garbage from the health food stores. I also ate grotesque amounts of food and stopped running.

Now I weight 205 and I'm back to running. The weights helped, the protien helped, the food helped. The best help was age. My metabolism slowed.”

“Muscle has a higher weight density than fat. Take creatine, this will help you gain weight as well, although there may be some side effects! Good luck, and don't gain tooo much weight!”

“Drink copious amounts of beer.”

“Newgirl:
Finally a topic, I feel confident giving advice on. While I am not an experianced BPer, I have been lifting regularly for years.
First off Newgirl the bad news. Lifting weights will probably not make you gain weight over night. If you have a fast metabolism and are female it will be difficult to start gaining muscle mass. Hormones make a huge difference in the amount of weight you will gain. Like the advice above in this post, metabolism will slow with age.
Now the good news. When you start lifting you will quickly get stronger and more fit. You will get stronger and more fit even before you see any difference in body composition. This will help you in all the things you enjoy like backpacking and just life in general. Now as you keep lifting you can change your body composition. You gain muscle and/or lose body fat. The great part for you is the weight you gain will go to all the right places and will look good.
Go for it and stick with it. Lifting is very productive. Here's a few tips.
1. Weight lifting is very intense and the body needs time to recover. One hour workouts 2-3 times a week is plenty for most people if you work hard.
2. Concentrate on heavy compound exercises. Ex. squats, bench press, deadlifts, pullups. Much more productive than those foo-foo exercises and machines. Yes, even for women!
3. Eat. Eat. Eat. Write down and count calories if you have to. Eat 5-6 meals a day. Always eat a meal after lifting!!! Get a protien shake if that is more convient.
4. You don't have to spend money on all those supplements they will try to sell you. Training, diet and rest will make up 95% of your success.
Good luck in your lifting. Oh, I have tons of great lifting links if you would like them. Always good to read and get knowledge on your own. Trainers don't always have all the answers.

Buddha Bear:
I would like to respectfully state a difference of opinion. I don't think a beginning lifter should use creatine. While it is one of the few legal supplements that actually work, however one should wait. Then make an informed decision on it's use somewhere down the road.”

“Just make sure you have a good trainer that listens to what you want.
Been lifting / running - you will feel better too.
Get some advice on diet and supplements also.”

“There is a great book called " Getting Stronger" by Bill Pearl. It is an EXCELLENT book for training advice and structured routines.

Start out slow and build your way up to higher weights SLOWLY (cant stress that enough).

Be really careful with your knees and shoulders. They injure fairly quick and take forever to heal. I am no trainer but have lifted for years, though much less now since I dont want to spend the hours in the gym I did in the past. But I would avoid supplements. Everything you need to gain strength and mass is contained in neat little pre-packaged things called...potatoes,rice,pasta,fruits,veggies and chicken. Drink plenty of water while lifting and eat a high carbohydrate snack after lifting. Keep in mind that weightlifting increases food digestion by nearly 60%. You will prolly eat lots more than you have in the past.

And watch out for "quick fixes". Your body isnt designed to rapidly lose or gain weight. It takes time,but slow and steady prevents injury. ENJOY yourself first and foremost!”

“I don't take creatine, and never intend to do so, I have heard it will help you gain muscle much more quickly. Thanks for filling newgirl in on the dangers of it. No more advice from me on this ! Late”

“I agree with Flatlander, women don't generally gain weight by weightlifting, unless they really go to extremes. If you had any fat, you are more likely to lose some fat by weightlifting.

If you are pretty lean, you will get definition and added shape in a few areas. The definition and added shape look great to me. You'll also do all sports a lot better, including backpacking.

I think no matter what you take as supplements, only a huge workout regimen plus genetic predisposition will result in any bulk to speak of. The other benefits are worth doing it however. Go for it!!”

“You might try getting impregnated again. That makes most women gain weight. (TIC)”

“I do a good exencise progrum. I run and run and run some times. I can do reel good hops and jumpin aroun. I got good mussels - but I am NOT FAT! (I jus got big hares) I am bout eleventy hours of wate, which is not fat for my size.

Hops are the good exencise


Wearin my pakpak is good exencise, to. Do you wanna see me wearin my pakpak? ”

“Them nother leenks did not do good.”

“Hmmmmmm...
/o:3

Them leenks are skrewy!”

“Please, not a female weightlifter (gag!). Won't make you gain weight, just make you uglee.

Newgirl all you need is a man at your side and you'll weigh plenty :P”

“

”

“I love that "all you need is a man crap!"
Man at your side and you'll be "overweight!" LMAO (I crack myself up, sometimes!"”

“I don't agree that a little weight training makes a woman ugly. I like it toned. Those steroid popping competitors that look like men are gross.”

“ditto on the creatinine -- it's more bad news than good.

You are not going to bulk up like guys (guys have these two little things between their legs that make them bulk up). Artificial steroids basically mimic male hormones, so taking them may turn you emotionally into a man (you don't want that, do you?). You will gain some muscle mass. More importantly you will gain strength and definition.

Don't exercise the same muscle groups every day. It takes a couple of days for the tissues to recover. If you want to lift every day do legs one day, arms the next.

Vary your routine periodically. Switch from heavy weights/fewer reps to lighter weights/more reps every 6 - 8 weeks or so.

Don't forget to do stretching, balance, and aerobic exercise too. You want overall fitness, not a body-building title.

Don't worry about weight if your body fat composition is in the normal range. Besides -- guys like a lighter woman on top.”

“Been doin' 12oz curls all night...I'm bushed!”

“lol... Drinking Buddur...”

“I once saw a movie called "Pumping Irene". Poor girl really took a pounding.”

“Good luck, newgirl. I'm sure weightlifting will do the trick. Stick with healthy food, no gimmicks. Getting older will help too.

Hyperpacker, I knew that weighttraining increased my appetite by a scary amount, but I never heard anyone else say that. I try to do more hiking and aerobic exercise as a result.”

“if you want to gain muscle weight, the rule of 3 applies (as it does to most things in life): 1) exercise according to your goal(s) - weighttraining to build muscle and power is completely different than weighttraining to stay lean & mean. be prepared to life heavier weights at lower reps focusing on the main muscle groups (chest, back & legs), but only after you have had a few months to develop your form, learn technique and strengthen the connective tissues in your joints to bear heavier loads (relative to your body weight) 2) eat properly - you need the right mix of protein, carbs and fat. i generally recommend a balanced diet. consult a dietician for details 3) rest - you will have the best results if you get sufficient sleep and allow your body time to recover between heavy workouts. most people can't train hard more than 3x per week. listen to your body.”

“new girl,
I've been fighting this problem for a while too. Last month I started running and immediatly I gained weight. I think it was because I gained more muscle then then the body fat I lost. I gained around five pounds in the first week or so. I also started lifiting, but the school year ended and thus my free access to equiment did too, but the little I did do did help out. If you really want to bulk up, just go help out in the yard where you work.

btw: creotine is dangerous if you take it for too long. Your body actually naturaly makes the stuff. If you take the supplements long enough, then your body stops making it. If you stop taking it after this point then the levels drop dangerously and can cause some major health problems.”

“I am not trying to become a bodybuilder here. I want to be as female as ever, but with a little more weight, tone, and curves. I am not going to take any supplements at this point and will never take any steriods. The trainer has me doing more weight, less rep. workouts three x a wk. w/ a day of rest between and starting very slowly. I eat a healthy high, high calorie diet already. I have an enormous appetite already so, I can't imagine it getting bigger. LeSubtil, I gained a healthy amount of weight in my pregnancy and gave birth to a 7 lb., 3oz. baby. I lost most of the excess weight in about 4 days and any extra fat was burned w/ in wks. due to breastfeeding. Breastmilk production burns lots of fat (good for baby and mommy). Anyway, I didn't end up gaining any "lasting" weight out of the deal. Getting pregnant again would be a very poor solution to the prob. Thanks for all the support. You guys are just great!”

“Supplements as in amino acids, multivitamins, calcium, etc. Lifting takes alot out of your body. Protien right after you lift will help repair the muscles you just broke down and give you the muscle mass you want. Your trainer should be able to fill you in. Diet is just as important as the actual lifting.

Been lifting 4x a week for the past 3 years under a trainer's instructions. From expierence - If you don't do the diet right and rest you could loose muscle mass. There are also issues with osteoporsis when you drop below 18% body fat for women and even more health issues when you get below 14%.
Supplements at this % is necessary.”

“I take a lot of supplements, because of the LYME illness. What m&m says is true, listen to your body. If you feel wasted after one or more sessions, maybe adding more protein, amino acid supplements, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, A,B, and C vitamins, would be better than quitting the workouts. A lot of food has diminished nutrition due to processing, ageing, and quality of farm soil.”

“Newgirl - I was just kidding about getting impregnated. It was close to quitting time on Friday and I was trying to be funny. Sorry.

Actually I can identify with your problem here, and have read with great interest some of the responses. I am 6' and 160#. I run and exercise daily, and lift 3 times a week for the last 3 years. If I get any skinnier people start asking me if I'm sick, if I gain any weight it goes straight to a "spare tire". I have had a hard time adding meat to the muscles, so I'm glad you asked this question. I can't afford a trainer or a nutritionist so I'll try to find some useable hints here?”

“Here's a good link for any of the Women interested in lifting. Good website for anyone, but written by a women,for women. Very good information.

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html”

“yeah - I sent that to MaryPhyl - she was inerested in lifting alittle.
I'm having trouble with my joints right now. The more weight I seem to work up to the more my wrists and elbows take a beating. Have to research this. Heard about some supplements for that - got to get to the health food store. Already popped the Aleve this morning.”

“m&m
The supplements that are said to be helpful for joints are:
Glucosamine
Chondroitin
MSM
Not too expensive and from what I read side effects are very rare. Probably worth a try. However unlike pain killers they take weeks to begin working, so give them a chance. They actually help your body rebuild the joints rather than mask the symptoms, at least that's the theory.
I have used them and did notice some difference in the knees and shoulders.”

“LeSubtil, I know just what you mean. I swear if one more person asks me if I'm sick or implies that I have an eating disorder and they know how to get me help, I'm going to flip out. It is politacally incorrect to make remarks to an overweight person, but if you say something to an underweight person you're being "helpful." M&M, thanks for the info. on percent body fat and calcium supplements. I like those Viactiv chews. Yum. I took them during my preg. and w/ your info. I'm going to start them again.”

“Thats some pretty good hoppin Sarabelle, I wish I could hop like that. I take in a lot of protein and carbs in the spring and summer or I lose a ton of weight. I have been elnaturel until this year, now I take a protein supplement to stay above 200#. Creatin is ok but your need lots of water so you don't damage the liver. Good luck.”