Hi new women to it all . Any tips ?

[eastwater]

Hi all just found this site . it looks great. this is my first post . I am a 36 year old female fairly fit 5 feet 3 inches tall sitting at 9 stone .I box to keep fit once a week and do other active activites .

I have just started 1 month ago at the gym training 2 to 3 times per week with the weight training . I warm up on the treadmill then I do a combnation on free weights for the upper body and the machines for the lower body . I do aprox 3 sets of 10 I can usually finish the first set then the 2nd and 3rd set I lift till cant lift any more so cant allways compleat the last couple of reps .the compleat work out takes around 1.5 to 2 hours to compleat . I try to have a health diet . but chocolate keeps me in its vice wish I could give it up

I can see that some changes are starting to happen

My gols are to gain a good muscle size if possible with a very well difined body .

Any tips plans advice would be really helpfull .

Thanks in advance eastwater

[TALO]

welcome.

[widdoes2504]

Welcome

[ChinPieceDave667]

welcome

[Hilton]

welcome my only advice is don't promote any other sites cuz it gets on ppls nerves -take it from someone who knows

[IronKitten]

Originally Posted by Hilton

welcome my only advice is don't promote any other sites cuz it gets on ppls nerves -take it from someone who knows

Posting up links is fine, it's just when you're digging up old threads to put in the same link that it gets annoying.

[widdoes2504]

Agreed.

[IronKitten]

Originally Posted by eastwater

I do a combnation on free weights for the upper body and the machines for the lower body .

Why aren't you doing any free weight work for the lower body?

Things like squats and lunges would be a good addition to the machine work for your legs. Do the free weight, compound movements earlier in your program, and finish off with the machines if you want to keep using those.

I do aprox 3 sets of 10 I can usually finish the first set then the 2nd and 3rd set I lift till cant lift any more so cant allways compleat the last couple of reps .

You shouldn't be training to failure. Especially for 2 of the 3 sets on every exercise. And with a rep range of 10, you could injure yourself trying to constantly train to failure.

Use a weight that you can do the first 2 sets with to 10 reps and still feel like you could get 1 or 2 more reps after that. But stop at 10. Your third set, you should only be hitting about 7 or 8 reps before you feel like you can't go much farther. Once you can get in all 10 reps on that last set, up your weight a little. This is a form of progressive overload which needs to be done in order to make progress. If you always stick with the same weights, you won't get anywhere.

the compleat work out takes around 1.5 to 2 hours to compleat .

That is WAY WAY WAY too long to be training. Your lifting portion of your workout shouldn't take you past an hour. Otherwise, you'll be overtraining and compromising any gains. Also, you'll be making yourself susceptible to injury.

I try to have a health diet . but chocolate keeps me in its vice wish I could give it up

Don't worry about giving yourself little treats here and there. Just don't eat a LOT of chocolate.

[eastwater]

Hi Ironkitten thanks for your post it very helpfull . our gym has a limited range of free weights no bars with weights at each end . but a good range of dumbells . then it got all the usual lifting machines .

had not considered the free weights for lower body as the machines so far had been doing the job .but very new to it so I have got a lot of learning to do .

now doing 3 sets of 10 and on the 3rd set now up to 7 or 8 so got the weight right now . will move up the weight slowley as the weight becomes easier .

The lifting part of my session is about an hour or just over as I do both legs and arms in the same session . I did look at splitting it up into top one day then bottom the next but for now at this stage going to keep it together . I may split the sessions later on as I learn as I progress further and learn different excercises .

cool many thanks
Eastwater

[Pitysister]

and if you have to have chocolate...i've read that the stuff that is 60% cocoa and above is good for you.