Any personal trainers around who can give me encouraging words/advice?

[sleepwhenidie]

After having my 3rd DC a year ago I have decided to try and get back into the shape I was in before I became pg with DC2 just over 3 years ago. I reached the weight and level of fitness I was then through a year+ of hard training, 4x a week, once a week with a pt. I didn't really change my diet during that time, continued to drink a glass of wine most nights, just cutting out carbs after 4pm most days. My diet is generally pretty healthy anyway. I probably lost around 2st and was very fit -9st 5lbs which was maintainable with regular training and no real efforts with food.

Since jan 5 I have been training every day except twice, mostly alternating weights and 25 mins cardio in the gym with a swim. I try and do interval training twice a week. I have made a huge effort with my diet this time - I don't believe in dieting and refuse to feel hungry so have just tried to make better choices and eat more protein, less carbs and fat and wine! Typical day would be porridge w ss milk and berries with fresh orange juice for breakfast, poached egg with half buttered bagel for lunch and baked/grilled fish w vegetables for dinner. Snacks would be the likes of a palmful of nuts, miso soup, half avocado, a few cooked prawns, fruit and a daily skimmed latte with sugar. About once a week I have been out for dinner and drinks and not worried about what I eat, but still within reason.

I went to the gym today and after losing 3lbs in first 10 days I haven't lost any weight this last week and feel pretty despondent. Is this likely to be muscle increasing so cancelling fat loss? Should I concentrate more on cardio and cut down weight training 3-4 times a week. Any helpful advice gratefully received!

I should add that I feel great, definitely getting fitter and feeling slimmer, several people have commented that I look as if I have lost lots of weight (even though I haven't )! that I am still bf ds2 about twice a day, trying to stop!

That should have been - and I am still bf........

HI, I'm not a personal trainer or have any qualifications in that field at all, just my own experiences but can I offer an opinion?

Our weight fluctuates hugely for lots of reasons such as water retention, time of the month etc so it isn't really the most reliable tool in assessing how well you are doing. Have you tried measuring yourself instead, and do this once a month to keep track of how you are doing. You are unlikely to have put on enough muscle in less that a month to have cancelled out weight loss as it is incredibly hard for women to build muscle even when trying to do so. Are you following any particular training programme? Do you have at least one rest day each week? This is important as your body needs time to recover as it is during this time that the muscles actually rebuild and repair and get stronger.

Your diet sounds healthy with lots of good protein and fats in it, and it sounds like you are feeling great so concentrate on that and don't let the scales get you down. When I began weight training I didn't weigh myself for a year. At the end of it I was the same weight pretty much as when I had started but I was three dress sizes smaller, and leaner and fitter than I have ever been.

Evening, I am a PT specialising in pre and post natal training. Firstly you sound like you're really working at it and compared to most food diaries I see from clients you are positively saintly!

It's important to remember that weight loss isn't linear so it can fluctuate in this way. Also as lost girl says, there are loads ofnother factors affecting weight. Try not to weigh yourself too often and think of the scales as a useful tool but remember that on its own, it's fairly meaningless. Think of how you feel, how clothes fit, how much stronger you feel.

Be honest with yourself though, it's easy to coast through a gym session and you do really need to work hard to get results. Not super-long training sessions just efficient. There's no magic wand, if there was I would be waving it in one hand while stuffing my face with pie.

What are you doing in the gym?

As far as diet goes, maybe try keeping a food diary for a few days, writing down everything you eat and drink. Sometimes something really obvious can jump out at you as easy to cut out. Maybe switch the juice for water and an actual piece of fruit - less sugar, calories and more nutritionally sound (more fibre for starters).

Let us know how you get on!

Oh and drink more water than you think possible 2 litres plus

Thanks both. I know you are right about focusing on how I feel rather than weight but it's hard to do, I think most of us have weight hard wired into us as being most important even when rationally we know it's not?!

I don't feel like I am coasting at the gym, if I have time on cardio days I will swim 70-80 lengths(2km) in 50-55mins, 90% crawl, or if pushed for time I will do 30-40 mins with approximately 20mins interval training in that-alternating two lengths fast crawl with one breast or backstroke length, usually 50-60 lengths in total. I am trying to improve my running and yesterday did 30 mins on treadmill, min 2% incline, intervals again, between 6.5kph on 7% incline up to 11.5kph (fast for me!) on lower incline, total about 3.3km.

On weights days I usually do maybe 10-15 mins on treadmill, 2-2.5pm, then chest press on a Swiss ball with 8kg dumbbells, followed by squats, lunges, shoulder press and bicep curls with 6kg dumbbells. I switch between upper and lower body exercises rather than resting between sets. Two sets of 15-20 reps of each. Then usually 5 mins rowing (1km) followed by tricep dips and press ups then 5mins stair master on level 10, then some abs and stretching. I feel great but shattered at the end of almost an hour. I also usually spend a good hour of my day pushing a heavy double buggy around with DD and DS in it, so this must surely help burn some calories!

I have started a food diary and will step up the water. Have had a rest day today and been a bit indulgent with bread and butter and a pastry top on my beef casserole but will be back on it tomorrow! Any other tips re training would be fantastic, thank you.

It's great that you are using free weights rather than machines, far more effective. However, if you are able to do 20 reps of each exercise with the weight you are using then you need to up the weight. Try and find a weight where you can just about complete 12 reps with and aim for 2-3 sets. I am personally not a far of isolation exercises like bicep curls and find that multi-muscle exercises like press ups, chest press, shoulder press and pull up will work your biceps just as hard and burn more calories as your whole body is working harder throughout the movement. Are you doing any exercises for your back as it is important to keep a balance or you are more likely to have an injury. Try adding a bent over row or a lateral pull down or seated row on a cable machine. Single leg deadlifts are also great for your hamstrings.

One of the best things you can do is change your workout every 4 weeks as this creates new challenges for your body. If you keep doing the same workout with the same weights for a year you won't see any changes after the first couple of weeks as your body will have adapted by then to cope with the workout and won't need to change anymore, if that makes sense? There are some good books which have weight training programmes for women which you might like to see if your library has:

New Rules of Lifting for Women, by Lou Schuler (Although the abs exercises in this such as crunches and anything involving spinal flexion are not recommended)

Female Body Breakthrough, by the Rachel Cosgrove.

Both of these have loads of useful information and routines but you need a barbell to do some of them which can actually be hard to find in many gyms!

Another great book is the Men's Health Big Book of Exercises. It has loads of different exercises using free weights and the cable machine, and is broken down into chapters such as Quads, Hamstrings and Glutes, Chest, Shoulders, Back, Abs. It has different programmes you can follow or shows you how to put your own together. They stock this in Waterstones and it is definitely worth a flick through to see if you think it would be useful.

IT is also good to change the rep range that you are working in every few weeks to challenge the muscles differently. For example you could do 2 sets of 12, 3 sets of 10, 4 sets of 6, or 5 sets of 4. Obviously you always need to choose a weight that is heavy enough there is no point in doing a set of 4 reps with a weight that you lift for 10 reps.

Lost girl is v wise. Ditch the bicep curls, totally pointless. Also how good is yr swimming technique - swimming is a skill sport so for instance my technique isn't good enough to get a really effective cardio workout (altho there are loads of other benefits).

I also wonder whether you might benefit from doing something totally different to keep challenging your body - do they have any good classes?

Don 't get too hung up on number of reps but as lost girl says you need to work up to a point where you can't do anymore with good technique.

Also don't be down on yourself, Sounds like you've really set your mind to it and are working at it!

Thanks lostgirl. I only manage 20 reps of squats but you are right about weights, I think after 2wks of 8kg for chest press I should switch to 10 as I can get to 15 much more easily already (ie without having to make a massive effort to lift the last two or three) than I could at the beginning of the month. Also no more bicep curls for me!

Also I take your point re back exercises-I probably shirk these a bit as you dont see the benefits so much! I still find lunges really hard going but am sticking at it, ditto press ups, I am up to ten from 4/5 a couple of weeks ago...

I will look for the books you mention, no problem with the barbell, there is one at my gym.

Hat cam, my swimming technique is pretty good, I am happy that I am getting a decent cardio workout, but am never sure if a longer, steady swim (maybe 7 effort
level) is better than a 40 minute one with intervals-or is it right to continue doing both to mix it up? Same thing with running on treadmill and doing 5 mins hard work on cardio machines in between weights rather than 20-25 mins in one go?

Unfortunately the one thing the sports centre I go to is missing is good classes-it has an amazing brand new gym and great pools but classes don't seem to have taken off yet. I may look for something outside or get a pt again soon, I really enjoyed boxing training with the one I used to have.

Thanks for your help

Try doing 3 sets of 12 reps instead of 2 sets of 20, you will only actually be doing 4 less reps in total (36 instead of 40) but it means you will be able to add weight. If the barbell is too heavy yet to do back squats with then use a dumbbell and do goblets (search youtube for demo). Really concentrate on your form, your hip crease should be level/below your knee, when you get there you will know it as you will feel your glutes and hamstrings get to work helping support your weight, rather than it all being about your quads.

Definitely give the 10kg a go for the chest press. Don't worry if you can only do 10 reps, just try and add an extra rep each time you workout. Once you can complete 2 sets of 12 then add an extra set.

Don't shirk you back! It is actually one of the first places my dh noticed a difference when I started lifting, and it is really important to keep your body balanced.

Hatcam is definitely right about finding different ways to challenge your body but if there aren't any classes then just change up your exercises. Instead of regular lunges try them with the front or rear foot elevated, or a

For your abs if you can already hold a plank for about 90 seconds then try variations with an arm or leg (or both) raised, or your arms or feet resting on a stability ball. The cable machine can also be used for static anti rotation exercises which are great for your core, .

I wouldn't worry too much about cardio on the days that you weight train. If you are weight training properly with the right weights and rep range and rest intervals then you won't need to hop on a treadmill for five minutes in the middle of your workout to get your heart rate up... it will already be up! If you are going to do any then do it right at the end after you have finished all your sets and reps, and fifteen minutes of intervals will be more than enough. Or you could try Alwyn Cosgroves evil body matrix finisher: 24 squats, 12 lunges on each leg, 24 jumping lunges, 24 jumping squats. Rest for as long as it takes you to complete and then repeat... then collapse on the gym floor.

Hatcam can probably advise more on cardio than I can. From what I understand I think that long steady state cardio tends to make your body start burning muscle for fuel after a while rather than glycogen stores/fat whereas intervals when done properly make your body work in the same way as weight training does, ie intense effort for short periods of time with brief rest periods in between.

Sorry to have waffled on! One more tip is to make sure you have a good high protein snack with some good carbs as soon as you can after your workout as this is when your body really needs it to refuel and rebuild and it will help you see the results more quickly.

Whatever you do make sure you don't try and overload and do too much in a week. You need to always leave at least one day in between weight lifting sessions as your muscles need time to recover or you could actually end up weaker than when you started! Don't feel like you have to be doing something long and intense everyday, and don't be scared to take days off to give your body a rest. Most of all, enjoy!

Thanks lostgirl, all useful stuff. I was doing lat pull downs but have also added bent over rows (consider myself told off!) also used 10kg for chest press-hard but not impossible. Those Bulgarian squat things look hard...! Can I ask what dress size you are now? You sound inspirational!

Hatcam-anything to add re cardio? Also, where do you work? Maybe I could be a client? Seriously. I am in NW London.

Don't know about inspirational but I went from a sixteen to a ten and am happy at that and am concentrating on training goals rather than aiming for weight loss /dress size IYSWIM. I am just sad that it has taken me this long to find a healthy balance with food and exercise. My goal this year is to be able to do a proper chin up from a dead hang... currently I can just hang there like a dead fish on a hook

Well done on the 10kg chest press. Bulgarian split squats are tough but will give you a great butt so well worth the effort.

That's fantastic and incredible that your weight hasn't changed much. Sounds like you have a great approach. I am signing up to do the for race for life 10k with a friend in May-my first goal! I am not a natural runner but am determined to do it in under an hour. I will keep up the weights every other day too though

How are you getting on sleepwhenidie? The main thing with cardio is really to keep mixing it up to challenge the body. Intervals are great because you train harder in a shorter space of time, also you tap into more than one fuel burning system. People often make the mistake of thinking that to burn fat you do only slower longer cardio sessions, but the body will in reality turn to the most efficient source of energy that it can at the time. It's the usual aerobic vs anaerobic debate. It's important to remember that your body continues to work aerobically even when you're in the harder part of your interval training - so one system of burning fuel doesn't replace the other, they layer up and work together - like a turbo boost iyswim!

One of the other and really simple ways to shift weight is to also think of all the stuff you do outside the gym, and I know it sounds crazy but it really helps. So never take the lift, never take the escalator, run up the stairs, walk whenever possible, be really purposeful with the buggy, if you think it would work with your lifestyle buy a bike trailer off ebay to put both kids in - really functional and a perfect combo of resistance (up the hills) and cardio.

You sound like a dream client a you're already so motivated but I'm in sunny berkshire! Happy to advise on MN whenever tho,