I'd be more motivated if I knew what I was doing...

SuzanneBall

Hi! I have been losing and watching my intake ect. I am currently doing c25k and just being more active in general. I need to start strength training but am completely clueless where to start or what is enough for a beginner??

Can you please advise me or point me in the right direction. I just need to build a lil muscle, not bulk at all...

There is so much info out there that I dont even know where to start.

rml_16

Do you belong to a gym? A trainer can give you good tips if so.

If not, yoga is a good toning exercise, free weights, balance ball. You can find routines and exercises with all those things online. Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred is a great DVD for toning. I'm sure there are many others. Pushups and planks will tone your entire body.

christina1109

Are you using a gym or doing it at home?

I find that low weights (2-4 lbs) or resistance bands are a good place to start. Also, start off with 3 sets of 10 repetitions and build from there.

If you're using a gym you could always consult a personal trainer.

lilRicki

There's a website that i tried, http://www.freetrainers.com/...they give you basic work outs...i used it, and I only had to modify my routine a little bit...if you don't like the excercise it offers, google the muscle group that it's working on and you can find other excercises that do the same thing...if you're uncomfortable with how the weights work at your gym, instead of risking injury, ask the trainer or the person on charge at the gym...if it's anything like my gym, there's no one to help you, so i tend to find the hottest, most ripped guy i can and bluntly ask him a question...he clearly knows what he's doing, and i clearly need to work my *kitten* off at the gym...i have two hotties i ask now...and they both know that i allow myself one question a day...and now they come and check on me when i'm doing cardio to see how my program is going lol.

dj_stevie_c

If you're going to a gym try taking some of the classes, just turn up to random ones and see what you like.

Ask the trainers if they'd be able to point you in the right direction, personal training costs a lot but also they don't want you to leave because you're not sure what to do so the 'regular' staff should be able to help you get a program together.

stylistchik

If you go to a gym, I'd start with the machines. Most of them have instructions and are fairly easy to use. When I first started I would do about 2 sets of 10 on each machine and work up. Then later a trainer showed me how to do the same movements with free weights. It was a easy was to start at the gym when I had little confidence! haha

daj150

As already noted, the best thing is to go to a trainer for a little bit to get advise that will be tailored specifically to your needs. However, if you do not have the budget for that, there are a few options. First off, sites like www.womenshealthmag.com are awesome. I personally go to Men's Health website for a lot of info. Also, Runner's World is a plethora of information for exercising and what to do. Second, you can try searching for the specific areas you want to focus on; e.g. female toning tricepts. You still have to sort through all of the results and find what works for you.

SuzanneBall

I should have added this at first, but I do not go to a gym or have a personal trainer...That may be why I'm so lost. I appreciate alll the advice so far! You guys are so helpful!

just4peachy

There's a website that i tried, http://www.freetrainers.com/...they give you basic work outs...i used it, and I only had to modify my routine a little bit...if you don't like the excercise it offers, google the muscle group that it's working on and you can find other excercises that do the same thing...

I just signed up and got my first weeks workout, that site is pretty great!

Thanks for sharing!!

ErinMarie25

I am almost finished with this program, but ChaLEAN Extreme is a great program for building muscle and not bulking up. It's instructed by a girl, who is just awesome! You can check it out through my site in my siggy.

Nano911

I was really lost too...I bought some DVD's. My favorite has been P90X. I put off buying it for a long time because it cost $150.00 and I did not think I could do it. But once I got started there was no turning back!! I do not sell beachbody products like P90X, but if you want to know more about the workouts, I can share my experience with you.

SuzanneBall

I was really lost too...I bought some DVD's. My favorite has been P90X. I put off buying it for a long time because it cost $150.00 and I did not think I could do it. But once I got started there was no turning back!! I do not sell beachbody products like P90X, but if you want to know more about the workouts, I can share my experience with you.

P90X scares me. It seems like the kinda thing I'd need to get a little more endurance built up before I could do it...

I did buy 30 day shred, almost scared to open the package lol

dj_stevie_c

Any nice 'scenery' where you live? Walking is always good, try getting some audio books or anything you like listening to and just go for a walk.

At home, any stairs? Use them like a step machine I use to do 100 x 3 steps 'per foot' and then jog up/down the stairs 5 - 20 times in between sets.

Chair, for your arms slide yourself slowly off a nice solid chair and 'dip' towards the floor (not too far at first)

Push up's, always a good one.

You can usually get cheap things for home workouts, light weights are usually pretty good value.

That should be enough to get you going

amandal15

Suzanne ~ I may start the 30 day tonight. You should join me!

SuzanneBall

Suzanne ~ I may start the 30 day tonight. You should join me!

Okay, I did it...did you get to it tonight?

amandal15

Nooooo! But I wrote on your wall