Help me. :(

libby328

I joined a gym last week (yay) it's a pretty small gym which was one of the things that attracted me to join. But, the main reason I joined was I knew someone who went supposedly regularly and I relied on him to be there as promised to help guide me through. Well, we went once together and he won't come back with me. I know that makes me sound like a baby (I admit I kind of feel like one) but I have no idea what I'm doing. I really wanted to start heavy lifting and take the focus off cardio and really try and condition my body. I've went 6 times in the last week and literally I always end up doing cardio and some light Dumbbells because everything else intimidates me.

I have contacted the gym about a personal trainer hoping someone will meet with me a couple times to just show me how to use the equipment. But until then can someone give me some suggestions on what else I can do to really make my workouts count?

_Bropollo_

I understand the fear of the barbell. I was nervous too when I started. Sorry your friend bailed on you .

Watch lots of YouTube videos to get started. I especially like BuffDudes because they are silly but definitely give correct info at the same time: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_UAXxDwtUkEexoG8TO-WXjJlfD8ScnwW

Obviously the gym should have a proper half rack or power rack for you to do barbell movements safely. Always make sure you are exercising inside the J-hooks on the half rack and that they are the proper height for you for that given exercise, or that the saftey bars are at the correct notch in the power rack. If you gym doesn't have either a half rack or a power rack, you can still get by, but you will get a lot better results doing compound movements as opposed to a bunch of small isolated movements with dumbbells, plus the fact that compound barbell movements (squats, deadlifts, bench, rows, pull ups, overhead press) mimic things you will ask your body to do outside of the gym, giving you "functional" strength through muscle memory. If you practice picking up heavy stuff off the ground....you get better at picking up heavy stuff off the ground. Practice pulling yourself up, you will get better at pulling yourself up. Pretty simple.

Definitely practice the movements several times and play with foot and hand placements and such before ever adding weight, especially on squats, since this requires both balance and power. This video is pretty amazing for squat technique. I still watch it sometimes to make small tweaks to my form: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rOJGzAgLWDc

Also recommend getting on a beginner lifting program to remove the guesswork. Ladies seem to like Bret Contreras' StrongCurves a lot, but StrongLifts 5x5 and Ice Cream Fitness are also great beginner programs.

sarab920

I don't lift without my trainer, but maybe you can try shoulder shrugs, shoulder presses, and some leg presses. I'd suggest starting with a 5-10lbs weight (I have no upper body strength, so that's what I have to do) or whatever you feel comfortable doing. As for leg presses, I went from 50 to120lb weights. It hurts, but it works! You can also go with the more reps less weight method too.

armylife

_Bropollo_ wrote: »

I understand the fear of the barbell. I was nervous too when I started. Sorry your friend bailed on you .

Watch lots of YouTube videos to get started. I especially like BuffDudes because they are silly but definitely give correct info at the same time: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_UAXxDwtUkEexoG8TO-WXjJlfD8ScnwW

Obviously the gym should have a proper half rack or power rack for you to do barbell movements safely. Always make sure you are exercising inside the J-hooks on the half rack and that they are the proper height for you for that given exercise, or that the saftey bars are at the correct notch in the power rack. If you gym doesn't have either a half rack or a power rack, you can still get by, but you will get a lot better results doing compound movements as opposed to a bunch of small isolated movements with dumbbells, plus the fact that compound barbell movements (squats, deadlifts, bench, rows, pull ups, overhead press) mimic things you will ask your body to do outside of the gym, giving you "functional" strength through muscle memory. If you practice picking up heavy stuff off the ground....you get better at picking up heavy stuff off the ground. Practice pulling yourself up, you will get better at pulling yourself up. Pretty simple.

Definitely practice the movements several times and play with foot and hand placements and such before ever adding weight, especially on squats, since this requires both balance and power. This video is pretty amazing for squat technique. I still watch it sometimes to make small tweaks to my form: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rOJGzAgLWDc

Also recommend getting on a beginner lifting program to remove the guesswork. Ladies seem to like Bret Contreras' StrongCurves a lot, but StrongLifts 5x5 and Ice Cream Fitness are also great beginner programs.

This. All spot on. But, I will promise there is a person there you can ask to help teach you the forms and watch you. You can identify them because they will be doing the lifts correctly (like on the recommended YouTube channels). And while good people don't offer advice unsolicited if you ask for help, they will generally gladly give it.

RoseTheWarrior

You can keep it simple, and try an Upper/Lower split, alternating every other day, or basically 3 days per week. If you're new, you want to mainly concentrate on form, rather than trying to use heavier weights, so start light enough that you can do about 12 reps, three times, then start to increase weight. When you increase, you should not be able to complete 3 sets of 12 reps at first. But then, once you do, you again increase the weight. Here is a sample you can follow (as another poster recommended, look on YouTube to see form - if your form isn't correct, you'll not be working the correct muscles, and could cause injury to yourself):

Upper:
Chest press machine, or use dumbbells on a bench
Dumbbell bent over row
Pec dec machine flyes, or use dumbbells on a bench for flyes
Dumbbell shoulder press, standing
Barbell or dumbbell bicep curls
Overhead dumbbell tricep extension

Lower:
Squats
Straight leg deadlift
Machine leg extension
Machine hamstring curl
Seated or standing calf raises
Back extensions, machine or not
Crunch or cable crunchs, or something else for your abs

So, you could do Upper today, off Wednesday, Lower Thursday, off Friday, Upper Saturday, off Monday and Tuesday, then continue with Lower on Tuesday, etc.

This is just an example, but it might be something you could try to get a good start.

Lifting is loads of fun and is really helpful for self-esteem and having that "fit" look and feel. Best of luck to you!

libby328

Seriously thank you guys for taking the time to respond! I will watch all the YouTube videos tonight. And hopefully next time I'm there someone who isn't just on the tredmill will be there.