Posting on behalf of my wife. We read this awesome article on T-Nation about fat loss exercise fundamentals ( http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1499282 )
So as we all know, you gotta lift heavy to keep/build muscle as well as incorporate some circuits for the lactic workouts. She can do the latter because she has some light weights at home but right now has no access to the gym.
She was saying that she’ll just have to lift light, but I was concerned that she’ll start to loose muscle. So what would you guys advise? stick to circuits and HIIT for the time being?
Did she previously have access to a gym where she built up muscle to lose?
While the article you posted is good, I think it understates the importance of diet in fat loss. My wife lost fat and got a heck of a lot stronger going to the gym once a week and working out at home once/twice a week w/ no weights.
we’re doing the best we can with diet, keeping an eye on Kcals and macros etc.
she wasn’t at her previous gym long so likely didn’t build up too much there. So perhaps just lifting something at home won’t be too bad after all? although she’ll adapt pretty quick to those light weights, especially for legs.
My wife’s body (hormones?) are pretty damn stubborn so the regime has to be tight. Think there’s a slight thyroid issue which is why I’m scrutinising all aspects and not just having her ‘eat less/exercise more’ type thing.
Consider kettlebells as a cost effective half way point between a gym and home training.
[quote]threecoaching wrote:
So as we all know, you gotta lift heavy to keep/build muscle as well as incorporate some circuits for the lactic workouts.
[/quote]
I’m not sure that ‘we all know’ you have to incorporate circuits. I know I don’t do this. That’s quite the assumption.
As far as adding a load for her to lift, particularly for legs, have you considered buying a sandbag? You could fill this up to whatever she can handle for sandbag carries and squats, and over time add more sand as she adapts to the load. This would be a good start. Pushups and pullups are great bodyweight exercises if she’s capable of performing these movements. I also like lunges. Even at my size, lunges with no additional weight can be very taxing.
Also, rubberbands, like the ones elitefts sells, can be very useful, and inexpensive. I often do curls and triceps extensions with these, by standing on one end of the band or hooking it on something above me. They can also be used for pull up assistance.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Duly noted. I’ll pass on the info!