excercising with free weights

[alicemagooey]

hope this is ok..

i am just beginning ( trying to figure out ) a program for excercise, which will include aerobic excercise with a rebounder and alternating with free weights routines, as was mentioned in the 'over 50's' thread when it was at the main raw foods discussions section..

a couple people said that they had done such a routine, and this " filled all the bills' for good workout, weight-bearing excercise, variety, and something which we can keep up..without 'going round the bend' ( which, admittedly , i am already half there.. with all this diet stuff.)

ok.. i have not done this for years.
i have a little sheet with four or five excercises.
1. dumbell squats..( who is the dumbell?)
2. dumbell lateral raise
3. dumbell curls
4. dumbell overhead triceps extension
5 dumbell bench press
6 dumbell one arm row.

these , hopefully, will sound familiar to someone.

If not , that is ok.

my question:
it says,on the instructions: "beginners should start with one set of 8-12 reps of each excercise, using 5-8 pound weights.

is this what any of you experienced people do?
i was going to begin with 2 pound weights.
but maybe i should increase the weight for it to be effective??

is that the point, or can i do , say, two and increase to three sets of 8-12 reps of each excercise using 2-3 pound weights.

i hope this is not all gobbledegook.
i am just wondering
where to begin.. and i definitely want to make it simple!

thanks in advance i hope
struggling weight bearing excerciser

[styersky]

Exercise . . . hmm. . . what is the best. I am really BIG on walking. But winter is coming on and I am beginning to think of alternatives. Have a tread mill and hate that thing. Think I will get me a mini trampoline. I am so bad about starting something and quitting . . . so may just get a cheapie at WalMart.

Any comments or suggestions?

[alicemagooey]

Yep.. Styerski.. matter of fact, i do have a little experience in this area.( (Not in many others, however)..

i got a cheapie walmart rebounder a while back..

it was good...in a way.. in that it was cheap..
i suppose it was sturdy enough..
i took it with me when i had to go travelling and did not want to subject myself to walking in a strange place alone.

i grew to like rebounding and the benefits very much.
i found a family with a bunch of kids who were tearing their place apart, so i gave them the rebounder before i came home..( hope that helped Mom and Dad keep from tearing their hair out)
( kids these days.....)(another topic )..

anyway, when i got home, it was winter .. and i , like you, live where i do not particularly want to face the ice and stuff in winter, so i went and got an URBAN rebounder.
This was an entirely different trampoline..
MUCH better made, and more comfortable to rebound on..
not sure how to describe it.
the bands which cushion you just seemed to work differently.. It seems sturdier, but more resilient..maybe that is the word i am looking for.
It also has a bar.. and i really like a bar to hang on to.. to keep my balance better.
I would definitely recommend this.
ACK.. I JUST WENT TO A DIFFERENT SECTION OF THE RAW FOOD TALK FORUM..THE EXCERCISE SECTION AND IT SEEMS DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS THAN I DO..YOU HAD BETTER READ THIS, STYERSKY
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthrea...t=28764&page=2

BUT I DEFINITELY THINK REBOUNDING IS A GOOD IDEA.
This does seem like the way to go for bone and mental health.
PS.. IN A DIFFERENT THREAD..ENTITLED 'CALORIE EXPENDITURES', i found the amount of calories used in rebounding..and noted them in one post.
the numbers are very impressive, and may be of encouragement.
(rebounders may help us in weight loss also)



BACK TO THE ORIGINAL TOPIC OF THE THREAD..
I really like the advice of some of the other folks who have posted at this location ( the over 50 gang) in that they do some weight excercises between rebounding excercises, which adds some variety, and keeps us interested ( well, it keeps them interested.. )(the people who posted)

i am busy trying to work out some kind of routine around these types of excercises..have posted a couple other threads asking for help.


cheerio
and hope this helps
alice

[learningrawways]

I just got the Urban Rebounder and like it so far. I used the dvd that came with it, it was a good workout, but after that when I used it, I would just bounc on it for like 5 minutes at a time not lifting my feet off the mat. I bounced to music and it's kind of fun.

[styersky]

I would be more likely to invest in the more expensive rebounder later . . . because I know that I am inclined to be interested in "things" for a while and then lose interest. I had a good rebounder 30 years ago, stopped using it, trashed it, and now wish I had it back . . . just my nature.

The two of you have encouraged me to at least get a rebounder of some sort. THANKS!

[alicemagooey]

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen.. could we please get back to the topic of the thread and that is all about 'excercising with free weights"

i would earnestly like to have a couple responses to my questions about how much weight and how many repetitions to do.
and how many sets.. to achieve what we want to help our bones stay strong ( and muscles).

it may be best if we follow the subject line (topic) of each thread ,and post a new thread, say, entitled: rebounders ..for a different topic..

after all , we have the whole over 50 place to ourselves.!!
I just re read what i posted.. i hope i did not seem 'poopie'..my tone of pen was a kind and gentle and encouraging one..really..!

many thanks

alice

[CaliRaw]

it says,on the instructions: "beginners should start with one set of 8-12 reps of each excercise, using 5-8 pound weights.

I'm not over 50 (yet), but 5-8 pounds sounds like a bit much for a beginner. Do the amount of weight that you are able to do. If that's too heavy, drop it to 3 lbs or no pounds. Sometimes, starting with 'air' weights is what absolute beginners need to do. If you can do 5-8 pounds, then do that. If one set is easy for you, do another one. Try to do three sets of 12-15 reps. The last 3 or 4 reps of the set should be difficult, but not impossible, while keeping good form. If you cannot maintain good form, then the amount of weight is too much for you.

[britaniefaith]

definitely don't start with 5-8 lbs! I would suggest using 2lbs and then going up from there when you feel ready to add more.

Just my two cents...

[alicemagooey]

Thank you so much, CaliRaw.. and BritneyFaith..
your post crossed my response.
yes..thank you ! Both of you


i try not to answer a question until i have done a little research on the topic.

i did a bit, but found conflicting reports.. so i thought i could perhaps ask "them that do it.!"

5 to 8 pounds seemed like a lot to BEGIN WITH for me also.

so i will start with less, specially since you seemed to intimate that it might be ok..( like, logical ...he he)

In the process of searching, i did find a lady who is a "Senior fitness enthusiast" . This lady said, " find what you can lift comfortably and then add 10 percent." ..

well, maybe.. but what you mentioned about FORM seems really important, and the number of reps and sets.

i hope this is not a thing of zillions of conflicting ideas.

I just want to do what is right for the old bod..
That is all.
No " Ms senior america" or such.

Thank you so much for taking the time to assist.
i am going to copy what you wrote and use it as a guideline.
keeping in mind the 'form' thing.

because i am a 'slight' person.. and when i have to lift really heavy things, i look like a dung beetle.. struggling along.
not a pretty picture.!!

thanks again,
alice

[blix]

I cannot do weights because of my RA and osteo arthritis, but instead I do those, now what are they called, those excercises where you clench your muscles and hold for a few seconds and then release. Also, I sit on the coffee table with my feet hitched under the settee and gently lean back and I do that just how many times it takes before I feel the strain. This is in place of sit-ups. A:) lso yoga and tai chi. Plus, I canwalk three miles when I have my good days and 3 separate walks of a half to 1 mile a day on my medium to bad days. on my bad days, I just do those contracting/release excercises

[EZ rider]

Take a look at my posts in the "Need advice from Bodybuilders" thread here on RFT:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=33324

Its about how I workout with free weights.