Originally Posted by srleahe

BikeSwimLaugh,
My fiance drinks soda and my sister-in-law can't seem to function without Mt Dew.

Originally Posted by amp89

It's diet pepsi, and that has to be one of the greatest commercials all time (if I get what you are talking about)

Originally Posted by BikeSwimLaugh

Yoga and especially Pilates ARE working quite a lot of muscles and many people can and have achieved great results with that alone. Weight-lifting or weight-training is just another means of using your muscles and getting exercise. It's like you're saying "I walk & bike...but I need to learn how to use the elliptical"...as if to suggest you aren't working your legs already.

All these machines & free-weights are just used to help isolate and train particular muscle groups...you don't need these machines or weights to hit all your muscles. Especially for woman, yoga, hardcore pilates and a good diet can take you to a swimsuit edition photoshoot. From my experience, most woman want to look all-around fit & tone...whereas men want big bicepts, big traps and are focused more on particular areas (this is where the machines/free-weights really shine...isolation!).

If you're intent on incorporating weight-training into your routine....just check out the equipment at your gym and observe what others are doing. Most people enjoy sharing and welcome the diversion to chat about their routine, ESPECIALLY with a woman! You probably aren't looking to do low-rep building and as such are more inclined towards higher reps for toning. Form & technique are always important, but a bit less so with the higher repts...in other words, I doubt you'd hurt yourself.

Most gyms have trainers and they offer a one-free session to evaluate you. What they generally do is take you through some of the various machines and routines and provide you with a taste of what they can do for you...then they try to sell you on a package-deal for 10, 25 or 50 sessions. Plan on spending about $50 per session, or more. Can you learn enough from one session to be ready to do it yourself? Probably not..but you can learn quite a bit and then check it out from there. Most machines have a picture or diagram depicting which muscle-groups the machine hits and how to execute the motion.

Again, I'd suggest getting friendly with a more experienced person and go from there. Good luck!

Originally Posted by BikeSwimLaugh

All I wanted was a Pepsi.... (I doubt many people will get that)

D-don did send me a pm and was/is a very polite & professional person, she was truly & honestly disturbed with what I wrote/suggested and had Sr's interest in mind. I respect that.

I tend to write long responses...in my effort to be brief I didn't explain everything I meant to express very well. To me it was clear, but to a reader it wasn't. A lot can be read into text, but in all cases there are only good intentions here....nuff said.

Back to subject. You put a load/stress on the muscles; that's exercise & beneficial. I encourage Sr to look into a good program...check with trainers at the local gym, meet someone who has some knowledge and is willing to train and my point: don't be afriad of using the machines....they will only move in a direction/method intended to focus on those muscles in a correct pattern. You're also safer with a lighter load (higher reps) in the beginning so you don't rip it up too hard at first. Free-weights generally offer more because you have to stabilize the weights....and this requires skill and in the beginning supervision from a qualified trainer.

Keep up the good work, you'll get there!

Originally Posted by tribal

It is well known that Derwyddon received blunt force trauma on the part of the brain responsible for good manners. Imagine a potential client of hers (let alone a newbie) seeing this type of behaviour as "advertisement" of her skills. Perhaps she should have gone into snake charming instead?

Originally Posted by tribal

srleahe, without sounding rude I faced the same problem from pro-steroid hulk wannabes whose opinion of keep fit/weightloss is limited to a powerlifters/weightlifters approach.

Originally Posted by Derwyddon

And yet, you managed to sound rude.

Originally Posted by srleahe

""yoga this and pilates that" I'm so sick of it. None of those place enough stress on muscle to cause growth.
Also, in yoga you often do poses which gives you flexibility in the wrong places, like the lower back. And pilates is teh **** if you want to get short hip flexors and an anterior pelvic tilt. Also, they don't put the body under enough stress to really up the metabolism and burn a lot of calories. If you do yoga right, it can be a good tool for flexibility and the whole spiritual thing, but it won't give you toned muscles, less fat, and stronger bones." - karky

Karky,
I try not to angry with ignorant men who have obvioulsy never done yoga or pilates enough to know that there are different forms but you have me quite pissed at the moment. Try out an advanced pilates or yoga class that is done with free weights and in a 95 degree room and tell me that you don't burn calories and don't build muscle. Most gyms do not have these classes because they are a liability to the owners of the gym, I have only gone to a few and would love to continue going to a private gym to do these groups but it is too expensive for me so I turned to the fitness forum to lead me into weightlifting again. I have no idea where you got the idea that pilates gives anyone short hip flexor mobility, they must be doing the exercises wrong. I have tons of guys in my YMCA classes that had not realized how difficult these practices were until their first day and they felt ashamed of their shaking muscles and inability to keep up with even a basic routine. These are very difficult practices and very stressful on your body if done correctly, so please do your homework before you criticize anything in public, you just may make a fool of yourself.

Originally Posted by tribal

srleahe, without sounding rude I faced the same problem from pro-steroid hulk wannabes whose opinion of keep fit/weightloss is limited to a powerlifters/weightlifters approach.