# Scrawny People?



## masquedxangel (Jun 5, 2009)

Is anyone else here under 100lbs? I tend to dip under 90 quite a bit. It's fully natural, and despite my best efforts (-still nursing a nice soda-) it's apparently not going to change. I'm 20, just over 5'0", and today I think I'm at 88lbs.

So here's the issue: I have to be able to lift at least 100lbs. That's, obviously, more than I weigh. I don't know many people who can lift their body weight plus 12lbs. But, obviously, I have to be able to.

So I suspect weight-lifting will be my best bet. I can dead-lift fifty pounds, so I have to work up. Any suggestions from other scrawnies as to what the best method would be for this? Free-weights, or something else?


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## rmellish (Jun 5, 2009)

I thought it was 125lbs, and that's just a minimum for competency...


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## masquedxangel (Jun 5, 2009)

Our book and instructor said 100 - I originally read that it was 165 so I have a lot numbers confusing me now lol.

I want to be able to lift 100 minimum and if you think it's 125 then I suppose it'd be in my best interest to work toward that.

It's just intimidating being so small, I don't want to start a weight regimen that doesn't do me any good. When I said I could lift 50lbs everyone in my class started chuckling at me as they didn't believe I could lift that much. ;


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## Sasha (Jun 5, 2009)

masquedxangel said:


> Our book and instructor said 100 - I originally read that it was 165 so I have a lot numbers confusing me now lol.
> 
> I want to be able to lift 100 minimum and if you think it's 125 then I suppose it'd be in my best interest to work toward that.
> 
> It's just intimidating being so small, I don't want to start a weight regimen that doesn't do me any good. When I said I could lift 50lbs everyone in my class started chuckling at me as they didn't believe I could lift that much. ;



I'm 5'3" and my weight has always fluctuated from the the 90s to the low 100s. I've never had a problem meeting the physical requirements.

If you're trying to gain weight, however, may I humbly suggest that instead of doing it by way of soda and sugar and junk food that you speak to a dietitian on how to gain the weight as healthily as possible? 

Also, when you start to gain muscle you will gain weight. Muscle is heavier than fat


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## masquedxangel (Jun 5, 2009)

I'm not really trying to gain weight lol, I just have to add a disclaimer or I get "omg you're anorexic" usually.  I was DETAINED in the nurse's office at school once to be lectured about how dangerous anorexia/bulimia are. Never mind that my hypoglycemia won't LET me not eat every two hours, or that I said "no, I am not anorexic, my family is just small." 

I have a pretty good amount of muscle, which I'm glad for. Years of karate workin' for me there. I wanted to go to the weight room today to try out my 100lb lift to see if I could just deadlift a 100lb set of weights but flip-flops do not a likely prospect make.

Is there any specific move you favour for strengthening lifting? Curls/pecs/etc?


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## Sasha (Jun 5, 2009)

> I'm not really trying to gain weight lol, I just have to add a disclaimer or I get "omg you're anorexic" usually.  I was DETAINED in the nurse's office at school once to be lectured about how dangerous anorexia/bulimia are. Never mind that my hypoglycemia won't LET me not eat every two hours, or that I said "no, I am not anorexic, my family is just small."



Uhm...You may roll your eyes like it's such a problem and a hassle for them to be concerned about you, but I sure wish someone had pulled me aside sometime before I was bad enough to spend two months in inpatient eating disorder treatment. 



> Is there any specific move you favour for strengthening lifting? Curls/pecs/etc?



It's more about leg strength, especially for lifting and lowering the stretcher, I've always had strong legs from playing water polo and swimming in high school.


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## masquedxangel (Jun 5, 2009)

Maybe you do, but I don't appreciate it one bit. Especially not when I said "No, I am not anorexic nor am I bulimic, and I need to go to class." She kept me out of class for two hours to talk at me. I particularly liked how she made a lot of her information up.

My legs are very strong, I'm kind of afraid my arms will be too weak.


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## Sasha (Jun 5, 2009)

masquedxangel said:


> Maybe you do, but I don't appreciate it one bit. Especially not when I said "No, I am not anorexic nor am I bulimic, and I need to go to class." She kept me out of class for two hours to talk at me. I particularly liked how she made a lot of her information up.
> 
> My legs are very strong, I'm kind of afraid my arms will be too weak.



Do you have any idea how deadly and life destroying bulimia and anorexia is? The mortality rate for eating disorders is higher than the mortality rate for any other mental illness.


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## masquedxangel (Jun 5, 2009)

Yes, thank you, I'm well aware. That doesn't mean I like being trapped for two hours when I've already stated that I don't have one.

Being skinny doesn't mean I have an eating disorder and the fact that I just realized I always feel the need to qualify my weight with "but I eat!" sort of aggravates me. I'm definitely going to stop doing that. I have had many people accuse me of having an eating disorder despite not knowing warning signs, physical signs, or ME for more than ten minutes.


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## Sasha (Jun 5, 2009)

masquedxangel said:


> Yes, thank you, I'm well aware. That doesn't mean I like being trapped for two hours when I've already stated that I don't have one.



You think people just openly admit they have an ED? EDs make your body do disgusting things, it's humiliating and most girls deny deny deny.

Be happy you have people that are concerned about you.


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## masquedxangel (Jun 5, 2009)

This is becoming frustrating.

You had an eating disorder. I get it. I know it's devastating, embarrassing, and many girls don't even want to admit to themselves that something is wrong - some don't even realize something is wrong. I had a friend in high school who nearly died in middle school because she stopped eating, so yes, anorexia and bulimia and other similar psychiatric disorders are serious.

My comment was a response to a comment made about my slipping in something about eating junk food. It was not "I think people who are worried other people are anorexic are stupid" and should not have been interpreted as such. It was simply an explanation for why I automatically feel the need to add something about not trying to keep my weight low so people will stop accusing me of being anorexic. I have been accused of this a LOT and it's extremely frustrating, so I try to just head off potential questions right off the bat.


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## Chimpie (Jun 5, 2009)

Let's get back to what the OP asked, which was,


> Any suggestions from other scrawnies as to what the best method would be for this? Free-weights, or something else?


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## Sapphyre (Jun 5, 2009)

masquedxangel said:


> So I suspect weight-lifting will be my best bet. I can dead-lift fifty pounds, so I have to work up. Any suggestions from other scrawnies as to what the best method would be for this? Free-weights, or something else?



I'm just over 5', today I'm 113.  I had to do several different lifts at 120 and one brief one at 140 (both on hire, and when I was ready to go back after injuring my back by not asking for help on a heavy that I knew I couldn't lift.)
What I did was get a trainer, and explain to them what I needed to be able to do.

The trainer I worked with personally had gotten many small women through fire and police academies, but I was his first (at the time) future EMT.

Yes, it is mostly about leg strength, and the dead lift is the closest to the gurney movement, but there is some arm strength in there too (mainly from just above waist to just above bust) that you will need to work on...


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## gicts (Jun 5, 2009)

How do you have to lift it? If course you can lift more than what you weigh! Nearly all bodybuilders do! In high school I weighed 160 lbs and dead lifted 350 lbs!

Low reps of high weight will help you gain the most strength IMO! Body form and lifting technique goes along way! I'm sure we have all seen frail (usually lady) EMS personnel who can impress us all with what they can lift!

Being small can have its disadvantages! Don't overexert or injure yourself in the field! Very few things are worth a debilitating injury! I'm in the mood for exclamation points!


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## masquedxangel (Jun 6, 2009)

I see! I like it! Exclamation party!

Lol.

The amount of people who snicker when I eye the weight room is sort of pathetic lol. Most people can get their fingers to touch around my upper arm which is sort of embarrassing. The worst part is people who look at a 50lb bag I have to lift an raise a brow to drawl, "You sure you can handle that on your own?"

So I usually swing it up and toss it over my shoulder like it's nothin' and stroll away. Sure it burns afterwards but the look on their face? Worrrrth it.

I don't have the access to a trainer so I'm pretty well on my own. I'll see about leg presses for leg strength, although after six years of karate I don't think I need much more leg strength... it's my hands and arms that worry me. I had a brief stint with hyperthyroidism and I can't get that weak "loose grip" feeling to go away even if I have a deathgrip.

When working with weights on arms, do you have a specific move you think helps the most? I reallllly hate working on the pec machine because I can't even do it once but that's probably going to be what you all say isn't it? lol


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## FTRPO (Jun 6, 2009)

I personally would say deadlifts no matter how good you think your legs are. This helps your lower back and hamstrings along with your grip strength which are key to lifting anything. As far as a key upper body movement I would suggest the bench press or dumbell press, just google both of them if you dont know what they are. The deadlift,military press,bench press, and squats are all key exercises for anyone trying to strengthen the primary muscle groups. Good luck and dont make excuses for not getting into the gym. Hard work and dedication always pays off.


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## masquedxangel (Jun 6, 2009)

Deadlift, Military Press, Bench Press, Squats.

Got it.

I'll see about putting some sort of regimen together in the next few days. Probably include a foot press...mostly because I can press over 200 pounds and it makes me feel hardcore.


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## FTRPO (Jun 7, 2009)

Just remember its always gonna be the muscles that you hate working the most that need the most working. I promise deadlifts will help you tremendously with lifting anything. Be smart and start with light weight. Your not trying to impress anyone, leave your ego at the door and come in and lift smart. Smooth lifts with good form will get you a long way. Most of all have fun with it, weightlifting is a great discipline. Once again good luck.


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## irish_handgrenade (Jun 7, 2009)

again i say this... BE CAREFUL WHO AND WHAT YOU LISTEN TO IN THESE FORUMS.  DO NOT JUST WORK ONE OR TWO BODY PARTS. you will be doing much much more harm than good. what you should do: go online and google full body work outs start off with body weight stuff until your joints and muscles and tendons and ligaments and anything else that can be injured is healthy enough for weights. do aerobics or kickboxing or anything like that as well. but the biggest thing i can tell you is work every muscle EVERY MUSCLE other wise you are setting yourself up for lots of problems down the road and you if you only do 3 or 4 different exercises you are going to "plateu" and then you are going to get nothing out of your workouts. There is a lot of opinion in this post but i have been training people like you for a long time and i can tell you most of the advice you are getting here is not going to help you.

Disclaimer: my grammar and spelling suck, I know, but it gets me going when people give others bad and dangerous advice to people.

-Handgrenade


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## FTRPO (Jun 8, 2009)

*hand grenade*

i feel like that was a low blow to me????? She was asking what exercises we thought were the most important for upper body and i said bench which is very true, and decided to tell her that deadlift is very important for lifting anything which is also true. My second post if you truly are a trainer is accurate by anyones standards that is really trying to help and prevent injuries. If that wasnt a low blow then i guess i cleared everything up fot the OP.


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## masquedxangel (Jun 8, 2009)

Irish -- I'm not coming in with nothing. I swim three times a week and I'm a black belt in tae kwon do, so I'm not going to fall apart. I was just wondering what exercises would be suggested for strengthening muscles that are the most important to the lifting I need to do. I would really, really hate to...you know...drop someone. But of course, I take everything with a grain of salt, don't worry.


FTRPO -- but I really, really like my ego. It gets lonely when it's left at the door all alone.   so far you've had the most direct response to my question, and I thank you for it. It helps to have suggestions for what muscle groups to focus on.


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## irish_handgrenade (Jun 8, 2009)

muscle groups to focus on, in all reality, for your job: calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, groin, abd, lower back, lat, pecs, shoulders, upper back, bis, tris, forearms, and stabilizer muscles... in short all muscle groups. (if I forgot anything it's probably due to the fact I have not slept and just got back from 2 hour xfer) Yes, your second post was actually pretty accurate. I have just seen so many of these type of posts where people give advice and have no idea what they are talking about, and it frustrates me. If you want to put on muscle and you already workout several times a week. Then you need to change something, add more protein to your diet, add more calories to your diet, take multi vitamins,and create a diversified workout that works the entire body.


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## triemal04 (Jun 8, 2009)

Still have to recommend that you use crossfit if you want a workout that will cover the entire body and is variable enough that you don't become over-used to specific movements.

Found at http://www.crossfit.com.  But, from what you have said you'll need to scale the workouts quite a bit, which you can do either on your own, or use the preset ones at http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index.php/forums/viewforum/16/.  A lot of the exercises you probably haven't done before I'm guessing, so investing in a personal trainer for awhile until you are sure to use proper form might be a good idea; it'll help prevent injuries.

Toss in some extra cardio (running or swimming) a few times a week and extra weight lifting as things progress and it's a good system.


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## 46Young (Jun 8, 2009)

Crossfit is good. Also check out www.firegroundfitness.com If you have an olympic weightlifting club nearby, I'd strongly recommend joining. The best job specific exercises, in my opinion, are conventional/romanian deadlifts, renegade rows, olympic style front quats, and hanging knees to elbows. Most lifting in EMS is front loaded, and these exercises will replicate that, along with the requisite trunk stability. Your core is designed for stabilization, not movement. The rows, front squats, and KTE's will cover your needs nicely, giving you a built in weightlifting belt. Take someone who back squats 500# and have them try to overhead squat bodyweight. See what happens. Try taking a 6 rep max, and do 8 sets of 3, lifting as fast as possible with good form. Take about one minute rest between sets. Progress to 4X6, 5X5, 4X6, then increase the weight. The intent to lift as fast as possible will target the muscle fibers responsible for maximal size/limit strength, as well as maximize CNS efficiency. Not going to failure will preserve form, as well. For conditioning, try thrusters for 10 sets of 10. Start with one minute rest between sets, and reduce the rest period when you hit 10X10. The GH release from this session will help you gain some size. Whatever you do, don't run. Observe the physique of a sprinter vs a 400m runner, 800, on down to a marathon runner. The thruster session is very much like running sprints. If you must run, don't do more than 3 miles, and do it FAST.


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## fit4duty (Jun 16, 2009)

hey masquedxangel how are things progressing?


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