New to working with weights- advice

lauragreenbaum

I'm in my early 50's and have not worked out with weights for years (ok a lot of years). I am mainly interested in shaping up my upper arms and my thighs. I'm about 25 pounds overweight but in general good health. How much weight should I start with and how many reps?

quiksylver296

How comfortable are you with compound movements - squat, bench and deadlift?

Stronglifts 5X5 is the program I started with and loved it. I was in my early 40's when I started lifting heavy.

Cherimoose

It's best to follow a program designed by a pro, which will explain the reps & weight, plus all the other details you need to know, like the best exercises, the order of the exercises, proper form, etc. A good program for middle age folks without barbell experience is the book, New Rules of Lifting for Life.

By the way, exercises don't target fat, they only build the muscle layer under it.. so don't modify the program to target your thighs & triceps extra. It won't give the results you want.

VUA21

If you have never done dedicated strength training before, I suggest you hire a good personal trainer. Shop around and find someone that is suited for your goals. They can not only show you how to properly use equipment, and instruct you on good form, but will also create a workout plan designed specifically for your goals, ability, and schedule. Some gyms have thier own trainers that can also help you, it just won't be quite as personalized.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

quiksylver296 wrote: »

How comfortable are you with compound movements - squat, bench and deadlift?

Stronglifts 5X5 is the program I started with and loved it. I was in my early 40's when I started lifting heavy.

This. If you can't start with the bar (an Olympic bar is 45lbs) you can modify most of the moves to use dumbbells.