Help! Weight lifting/women

cynnnabun
cynnnabun Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi. I want to start some kind of weight lifting to lose weight (fat). I'm doing my homework and scouring forums and articles to educate myself on as much as I can first, since words like reps and deadlift are completely foreign to me. My big question/problem is I don't have the time to go to a gym, and I don't have money to purchase a lot of equipment. I was considering a set of adjustable weight dumbbells (the one I'm looking at is a 105lb set) but when I research some different types of exercises I see plenty that use the long bar type weight. haha, I'm so sad I don't know what it's called right now. But what people typically bench press with. Is it possible for me to just modify those exercises and use dumbbells instead? Or do I need to purchase a bench to be successful? Any other tips for equipment/exercises I can do at home? It seems like I should come up with 5 or so exercises of upper body and lower body and alternate, is this correct? I guess I could just search until I find enough of each exercise to make a workout schedule that uses dumbbells. IDK, any other suggestions?!

EDIT to ask any idea on how much weight I would start off with? Or is this just a trial/error to see how heavy you can go doing 6-8 reps or so and adjust accordingly?

Replies

  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    Youtube sounds like it might be a good place for you to start. There are so many great videos that use weight or body weight and are completely free. Check out fitnessblender (not my personal favorite, but it's very popular and has TONS of videos), Blogilates, Zuzka Light, Sarah Fit, XHIT, Tone It Up, Live Strong Woman, and BeFit. Also look up yoga with Adrienne for great stretching routines. Maybe of the main sites for these channels (especially Blogilates) have free meal and workout programs to go along with the videos. My favorite program for weight training at home is Chalean Extreme. It is a pricier program, but I still think it's worth looking into. Jillian Michael's Body Revolution is my second favorite. I use the same weights (15, 10, and 8 lbs dumbbells) for each of these programs, so I don't have to have a ton of equipment laying around the garage. No you don't need a bench unless you want one. But if you're looking to save some $, I'd try some other options first. Resistance bands are also fantastic and don't take up too much space or cost a fortune. As far as how heavy. I try to make sure I can get to 10 reps, but can't do more than 15. That really is trial and error. You want it to challenge you, but you don't want to hurt yourself. Hope this helps! Good luck!
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    You can often get cheap workout equipment on Craigslist.

    I recommend that anyone who wants to start weightlifting begin with a barbell rather than dumbbells, and stick to compound exercises (that is, exercises that use several muscle groups at once). Stronglifts and Starting Strength are both good programs, and many people here like New Rules of Lifting for Women.

    Film yourself doing the lifts and compare your form to videos on YouTube to make sure you're doing everything right -- safety is really the most important thing.

    Dumbbells can be deceptive. Because they don't weigh much, people tend to use them with terrible form and never learn to properly control the weight, opening themselves up to injury when they move to heavier dumbbells. (I'm sad to say that this is how I injured my back, and it still bothers me 15 years later.)

    Begin very light, and work your way up. This way you learn proper form.

    Good luck!
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    You sound just like me when I first started out, lol. Reps are short for repetitions. Deadlifts are lifting a weight from the ground to your waist, usually done with bar bell (the long bar). Yes, you will need to go to a place that has several weights available to try out and you should only buy the one or two that challenge you enough that you can't lift it more than five times. If that weight is under 10 pounds, save a couple of gallon milk jugs and fill them with water. A gallon of water weighs eight pounds, so you can save yourself the money that those levels of weight will cost you. I am a cheapo so I can relate. I scour my Walmart bargain tables for fitness items. Walmart stock up for the New Year Resolutioners, and about mid February they put the not sold items on clearance.

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