For the first six weeks of beginning weight training, I completed full body circuits twice per week, 10-12 reps, 3 sets. They were absolutely grueling, and there was no way I could even think about doing cardio on those days. As a matter of fact, I would usually rest the day afterward, giving me 2-3 days where I did no exercise of any kind. Considering I'm forty-one, overweight, out of shape and had recently quit smoking, I think I did okay. I was losing 1-2 pounds per week and not experiencing a lot of soreness at all. I always stretch a lot afterwards to help reduce soreness.

     I get bored easily, so after the first six weeks, I switched from weight training two days per week to four days per week, two exercises per day instead of the eleven I was doing. I also increased my weight and decreased my reps (6 sets of 5 reps). I'm not nearly as exhausted at the end of my workouts, and I'm doing more cardio. The caveat: my weight hasn't moved in nearly three weeks. As a matter of fact, it stalled for two weeks and has now increased by two pounds. My diet is the same, but I did eat a lot of sugar on Thanksgiving Day. I usually cheat once per week, so I skipped the previous week before Thanksgiving so I could eat what I wanted. I was beginning to think it was too much, but now I'm thinking it's the workout.

     Then again, there's another factor. My blood pressure was so low on my last Dr. visit that my milligrams were reduced and the diuretic was eliminated in my blood pressure medicine. This means my body is no longer getting any help in eliminating water and excess salt. Three days after beginning my new medicine, I had my bp checked and it was still dropping-this is good! I am left wondering if I'm retaining water and if that is the culprit behind my two pound weight gain.

     I love the new weight training workouts, but I'm starting to have soreness where it scares me the most-my low back. I'm doing dead lifts and squats (not on the same day!), but didn't really feel the tightness/soreness until I did a Biggest Loser DVD workout two days ago. I was doing reverse lunges, and Bob had me hold in the lunge position until I thought I was dying (and I sounded like I was giving birth the way I was screaming) and my low back has been tight and sore since.

     All this has me thinking I should just go back to what I was doing to start with. I'm really scared of hurting myself to the point that I can't do anything-that would devastate my motivation and self-esteem. I would love to hear what you all think about this. I'm still a newbie, but I've learned through teacher training that it is better to get feedback from peers and work as a team to find the best solution. I'm tough and can take criticism, so don't hold back if you think I'm doing something really stupid-just say so. I'm not easily offended. Thanks!

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