best way to get strong

elisa123gal
elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
k.. ive come over to this side. Ive lost my weight..but now find I'm a weak.. It seems I have lost my strength.

So, my focus of losing the weight has now shifted to getting strong. I do have parts of my body I want to improve..but right now.. gaining strength is my first priority.

Today, I worked out on the machines at Planet Fitness...,basically because they have instructions and I could jump right in. It felt great.

But.. For the experienced ones here.. is starting with the machines fine..or should I be lifting free weights to get strong? I read a few articles saying to get strong, do dead lifts, squats and bench press.

Replies

  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Check out the “most helpful posts” at the top of this forum. There are many good resources there for people new to strength training.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    Check out the “most helpful posts” at the top of this forum. There are many good resources there for people new to strength training.
    thank you.. yes.. it has the info on the basic lifts to gain strength.. great information! :)
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    I read a few articles saying to get strong, do dead lifts, squats and bench press.

    Those are done with a barbell, which is not a required tool to get stronger. But you should do similar movements as those. For example, instead of a barbell squat, you could do goblet squats, or the leg press. The problem with machines is they don't train lifting skills very well.. so if your daily life lacks lifting, it's best to prioritize freeweights.
    Let us know if questions come up. :+1:
  • yukfoo
    yukfoo Posts: 871 Member
    Planet Fitness offers classes every day included with your membership. Just match a class to your schedule and they'll help you develop a training program based on your goals. They'll take you through the machines and get you familiar with proper lifting technique with free-weights as well. It's all right there in one place...good luck!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    The most important aspect of getting stronger is to progressively increase the load, regardless of the equipment used.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited July 2019
    lorrpb wrote: »
    The most important aspect of getting stronger is to progressively increase the load, regardless of the equipment used.

    I'd argue that both proper intensity and recovery has equal importance. They are all part of load management and should be addressed for both short and long term progress.

    Also OP, "load" doesn't necessarily mean add weight.

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