I want heavier dumbbells, but I can't get them, alternatives?

So I was looking to buy heavier dumbbells but since I'm a young woman, a tender young age my parents are very much against me buying any heavier weights because they hold a firm belief that a young lady like myself (pfft!) shouldn't need to use weights and I really can't tell them the whole reason I started working out is so when im older and stronger I can fight crime.

first i started using 2kg (I am weak!), then 4kg, and now 7kg...It has now gotten to the stage where i can do 15 reps without the same extreme ache in my arms, im finding them considerably lighter. But since I can't buy any more or go to the gym (Family is poor atm) i was wondering if there are any household objects that weigh a challenging amount for me, that i could use or buy.

Yes, I know this sounds a bit absurd but I am hoping you guys and your infinite innovative ideas could help me out.

All feedback appriciated! Have a nice day

you should increase the number of reps before moving up in weight. More reps = more endurance. If you just keep adding more weight you will build muscle but not endurance. I.E. you will get bigger but not necessarily better.

when you are ready to go up in weight just find larger and larger bottles and fill them with water. you can easily control the weight you are working with and it is very cheap to do.

Well, I'm not big into lifting (other than lifting my own body) so I don't know the best/cheapest places you could go. What I do know is that to strengthen your fast-twitch muscles, the ones that give you the speed you need for a lot of martial arts, you don't want to go too heavy, rather do lots and lots of reps with light weights, as many as possible. Augment that with pushups, pullups, situps, you can start getting in good shape without getting musclebound. I'm no expert though, just know what I've learned from my gymnast friends.

Gemini,

as a personal trainer and teacher of other personal trainers,
I am happy to help


I agree with what the good Artisteroi has typed above
but here is more:

1. you will not get bigger unless you triple your food EVERY meal.

2. once you get over 12 reps, it is time to raise the weight but not by much.
it is VERY easy to get injured.


Raising the weights will happen at 3 weeks, six weeks, six months,
one year and every three years there after as long as you keep doing
and eating.

3. it isn't good to sass the parents but lifting
creates wonderful bones density, REVERSES adult-on-set diabetes,
increases all abilites and maintains nerve function


4. don't go for "ache".
just go for a perfect set of squeezes.
Avoid injury.

I am happy to answer any and all of your questions

I am a vessel of my MANY teachers
ESPECIALLY in young ladies.
You can tell your parents that I typed so.

Rebound wrote:

Well, I'm not big into lifting (other than lifting my own body) so I don't know the best/cheapest places you could go. What I do know is that to strengthen your fast-twitch muscles, the ones that give you the speed you need for a lot of martial arts, you don't want to go too heavy, rather do lots and lots of reps with light weights, as many as possible. Augment that with pushups, pullups, situps, you can start getting in good shape without getting musclebound. I'm no expert though, just know what I've learned from my gymnast friends.

Pushups ARE weightliftng, my love
and
women are well-advised to not do some of these things
but
you are active and that is good!

the speed of very strong people
is a shock to those who don't study

Wow thanks for the quick replies everyone ^^ Your advice is helpful and much appreciated.

For regard to my parents, they are stubborn, they are ill informed as to what is means to be a woman, they become frustrated when I do things they consider not to be feminine, believe me i've tried to convince them otherwise so its pointless me showing them this but thanks anyways!

Bottles of water o_o why didn't i think of that!? i hope i can find big enough bottles though, y'know i think a watering can would be a good idea for a heavier weight come to think of it ^^"

As for tripling the amount of food i eat, I do try to eat more nowadays but there isn't always that much in the fridge heh! Damn i wish i could get a job already!

As for increasing endurance i should do more weights but i think that becoming stronger as oppose to enduring is something that i desire right now, i started out pretty weak and i always felt pathetic about my gangly arms! I need to get some big meat on there ;D Plus i don't do martial arts (again, money! i wish things like that were free...) so the muscle endurance for that i wont get to use as of yet but maybe when im more financially independent i hope to train in martial arts of some form

ok let's map out your goals
and
resources


1. time:

2. food:

3. goal one:

4. goal two:

5. goal three:



You fill them in, good?

1. time: Time? you mean how much free time i have? well i get back from college around 4 everyday, i basically have until i go to sleep (about 10 PM) to do stuff, but of course i have coursework a study time.

2. food: do you want me to list what i usually eat per day or what?

3. goal one: Get muscle, a substantial amount of muscle ^^" (protein I guess)

4. goal two:lose the stomach flab (cardio and healthy diet; low carbs right?)

5. goal three: hmn as far as fitness goes thats about it!


Eh sorry if i misunderstood about what you wanted to know ._.

Good answers!

1. skinny's people's brains shrink
LOVE your squeezbility!

Have you ever hugged a boney person?

ick!


2. yes, write down all of your food for the last three days and what time
you ate it

3. yes, how many minutes can you spend exercising?

this looks like a GOOD amount of time


4. other than strength
and appearing leaner, do you have any skills-goals

( i'll answer tonight )

Yes, skinny hugs are ew.

well i dont think i can recall everything for the last 3 days at the exactly time but i'll give it a go.

well i always have breakfast, i know i had Marmite on toast one day but on the other days i had liver paté.

Then skip to lunch i have turkey&cheese, a carrot (i love carrot's) ...a chocolate bar and maybe some crisps (i know, its naughty of me but i get so godamn hungry, fatty foods only fill me up) i know i had raisins for two days for lunch on top of that.

then when i get home, today i had an apple and another chocolate bar, but the other two days i had raisins and chocolate bar (damnit i love chocolate)

As for dinner, today i had some potato, peas, carrot and gravy thing, day before that i had roast potato, chicken, peas, sprouts, a little broccoli and sausage then on the day before that i was real bad and had bacon, sausage, egg and chips.

before i go to bed i either go eat some fruit or eat some more chocolate. Or both.

i can spend like 5 hours exercising a day if i really wanted heh

As for skills goals...i suppose psychology; criminal psychology would be very much an area of interest, i would have studied it if the college let me, instead i do sociology, philosophy & ethics, which is the closest i can get to criminal psychology heh.

Great!

Let's not type about "good and bad food", please.

Let's cherish that we have food and
discuss it only in terms of

1. protien
2. carbyhydrates
3. fat
4. fiber
5. water
6. vitamins
7. inert matter

Large books, buckets with sand/ect., old milk jugs with water in them, your own body.

Well uhm ._.

My parents mostly buy frozen food, which is known for being misleadingly less healthy than its organic or "homegrown" counterparts... So most of the time my dinners are not as healthy as they may sound, this is bad because i don't usually look at the packaging for the food we buy, i simply say "mum, what's the healthiest thing y'got that i can have today"

But at least i have control over the fruit i eat throughout the day, what i drink (a glass or two of pure orange juice, with the little "1 of 5 a day" thing on the carton) i try to drink 6 glasses of water a day, which is hard to measure since i don't have a litre bottle or anything, but the glasses are about the size of a tea mug ._. if that helps??

Just a pre-warning, i'll be offline in about half an hour, its getting late over in the UK ^^"

But dont rush yourself, we can always resume any other time

I can only offer encouragement on what the other' have said, I am really glad you shared the story and wish you best of luck!

Prof. Midnight wrote:

Large books, buckets with sand/ect., old milk jugs with water in them, your own body.

good ideas!

Gemini wrote:

Well uhm ._.

My parents mostly buy frozen food, which is known for being misleadingly less healthy than its organic or "homegrown" counterparts... So most of the time my dinners are not as healthy as they may sound, this is bad because i don't usually look at the packaging for the food we buy, i simply say "mum, what's the healthiest thing y'got that i can have today"

But at least i have control over the fruit i eat throughout the day, what i drink (a glass or two of pure orange juice, with the little "1 of 5 a day" thing on the carton) i try to drink 6 glasses of water a day, which is hard to measure since i don't have a litre bottle or anything, but the glasses are about the size of a tea mug ._. if that helps??

six tea mugs of water plus Orange Juice is very good.


Frozen food is fine but your dinners are a bit low in protien.

Do you drink milk?
If you have a glass or two of milk with dinner, that will bring up the protien just fine

Flora.........you are the master! thanks for all the info!

...my pleasure.

Ask More Questions, please!

Being a cheap bastard as well as a man who dislikes such dated beliefs as 'a young lady should not learn how to be physically strong', I say you need to improvise.

Milk Jugs. Water. A pole.

You've got a weight set.

Need more weight? Add more jugs!

*drinks milk*

Okay, thankyou for the advice, i'll hold it close!

Milk jugs and all those types of bottles are a good ideas, but i wish my hands were bigger so i could grip my weights and the bottles at the same time, perhaps i'll make an incision around the top so i can unscrew the weights from my dumbbells and put them in the container, then fill it with water.

Flora, i was also wondering how many days i should leave in between weight training days?

On the internet i get mixed answers, some say leave a day, some say leave 2.

Usually i work out Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. But im wondering if i could do any more?

clothes line rope a plunger handle and some duct tape. wont be pretty but it will hold the dumbells together