Back to the Gym Advice Please

roxylola
roxylola Posts: 540 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I have a 1 month offer for membership at a local gym. I want to make the best possible use of my time there. I am pretty confident using any of the machines for either weights or cardio. I generally do about 20 mins cardio on a cross trainer followed by 20 minutes or so on weight machines. Either legs or arms. Other days I will do more cardio and throw in some crunches or even a run through some martial art forms.

I am intrigued by the idea of doing some free weights, but I am not sure what to do with them. Dead lifts I know about. Squats with a bar, am I right in thinking I squat, stand then lift the bar over my head? What other stuff can I do? What sort of weight is going to be effective for me to use?

On the chest press machines I can do around 30 reps at around 15 kg bicep curls I am around 10kg (ideally it would be 7.5 but the machine does not offer that) Lat machine I can do 30 at 45kg. Leg press I can press around 50kg. The overhead lift machine thing I do around 30 at 20kg.

I weigh about 115lb and am around 5'3" and almost 31 if any of that helps.

Replies

  • Antioxidote
    Antioxidote Posts: 23
    Bent over barbell rows are a great for your lats, incline and decline bench press for chest, overhead or military press for shoulders are all good. Look up proper form and practice before you start slapping the weight on. Pick a weight with witch you can do 10-15 reps with good form, then go from there.
  • JamesDanek
    JamesDanek Posts: 95 Member
    That's not a squat.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy28eq2PjcM

    thats a squat

    as far as weight is concerned if you can do 30 reps you are not using enough weight.

    If you can 5 to 10 with good form then that is the weight to use.
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    Hmm the link is not working for me just now - rubbish work computer! I shall try at home. More weight less reps sounds good. To be honest although I am reasonably fit it has been that long since I went to the gym I had no idea where to start with weight so I did not think I did too bad. I went for 30 as I seem to remember a trainer once telling me to aim for only just being able to do 30 reps and then I would know I was using enough weight.

    Thanks for the advice so far though, gives me something to build on.
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    Bumping for any other suggestions
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    Right the gym I am at has olympic bars, am I right in thinking they weigh around 45kg? It is busy enough that I really would feel a twit if I can't lift the bar even. So I am thinking dumbell rows, squats and military press and I will work on upping the weight. Does this sound reasonable?

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