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| Light Weight High Rep Workout image courtesy of Pixabay |
I recently chatted at length with a friend who works out and has for years.
He helped me put together a plan for my own workouts following his preferred light resistance and high repetition workout theme.
The first part of the directions he gave me were to listen to my body, followed by, keep the resistance going both ways - never just let the weights drop after the initial part of the move.
This is because keeping the resistance going in both directions lets you work deeper into the muscle and get better results.
I start my resistance workouts with some simple stretches and side lunges. I find the side lunges don't stress my knees and I feel warmed up quicker.
I then pick up my three pound dumbbells and do 25 of each move - working each muscle group.
To keep my pulse up a bit, for a cardio effect, I move directly from one exercise to the next.
I alternate muscle groups to keep one set of muscles from getting overtired.
I also keep my core (abdominal) muscles tight throughout the standing portion of the workout.
Whenever I feel I need more intensity, I throw in some squats - a minimum of 50 - interspersed throughout the workout in sets of ten.
Then, I grab either my five or ten pound dumbbells, depending on how much more I feel my muscles need to hit a good intensity, and I put a pillow under my shoulders on the floor to do some presses, flies and pullovers. (Again - I go with 25 reps.)
I follow this up with between 100 and 130 crunches to really work my abs.
Finally, I get back up and stretch, really good, because in spite of fairly light weights, this is a very intense workout.
I do this every other day and enjoy some freestyle dance time on my off days for pure cardio fun.
So, my friend said I shouldn't expect to see visible results until at least two months of doing this workout consistently.
And, while not really visible results, I have seen some measured results only two weeks into it.
I checked my weight before I started - I've dropped two pounds. Not much, I know, but muscle is heavier than fat, so the fact that I've seen any loss while in the muscle building stage is great!
I also have 12 spots on body that I measure to help me stay on top of changes. Some spots have seen an inch (chest) to an inch and a half (hips) loss while others (my stubborn waistline) have gained 1/4 inch.
Overall, though, over the 12 spots I've lost over 14 inches in about two weeks.
While I don't see any changes when I look in the mirror, seeing those numbers drop is highly motivational for me.
In fact, that's my big tip for this post - choose lots of spots to measure, because one may lose a lot while others stay the same or drop - so the more spots you measure - the more chances you have for motivating results.
If you try my light weight high rep workout, let me know what you think of it - but most important - listen to your body and if you have any doubts or concerns - talk to your doctor or personal trainer.
This info isn't intended as advice, but rather, I'm sharing info on the workout my friend helped me develop for my personal needs, the results I've seen fairly quickly, and my experience with the routine.
Please note, the two places I linked the word dumbbells above are affiliate links. If you buy dumbbells through eBay after clicking the links, it does not affect the cost you pay, but Fat and Cranky does earn a small incentive through the affiliate links.
