So you want to start lifting? Great!

Options
1…1011131516

Replies

  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
    Options
    Just what I need! Thank you!
  • cyndiwilliams1198
    cyndiwilliams1198 Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    bump
  • NP7900
    NP7900 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    Anyone from Burnsville, Minnesota?
  • Christine7656
    Christine7656 Posts: 24 Member
    edited May 2015
    Options
    What basic equipment do I need?

    Would love to start lifting at home. I'm a woman, 45 years old. Could stand to lose about 10 lbs.

    Awesome post.

    Thank you!
    Christine
  • DorisBakes
    DorisBakes Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    Bump
  • 513SavageSquad
    513SavageSquad Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I need to read all this sometime lol . . . But in the meantime I'm looking for tips. I'm wanting to lose weight and firm everything up. I feel like the weights I've been doing have been to light. Yesterday I decided to go hard or go home and increased all my leg weights. I moved from Q10 lbs to 260lbs for my leg press. I'm still not sore. What am I doing wrong? I'm a newbie. Also? I'd like to do more free weights but need a spotter. Anyone in Cincinnati want to help spot me?! lol.
  • Immerito
    Immerito Posts: 105 Member
    Options
    If beginning lifters should do compiund lifts, why do intermediate/advanced lifters switch to working isolated muscles (biceps, etc)?
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    Options
    If you are new to weights, deadlifts of lower weight 3 times a week will get you a stronger core.

    A month of that and you will be and feel stronger, and ready to learn more exercises

    Deadlifts can be very aerobic

    I usually hit the 150 range of BPM after the second set in of 15 reps

    And you can find lots of info on deadlifts for fat burning!

    Work it!
  • Fujiberry
    Fujiberry Posts: 400 Member
    Options
    Immerito wrote: »
    If beginning lifters should do compiund lifts, why do intermediate/advanced lifters switch to working isolated muscles (biceps, etc)?
    Like the the cake analogy, compound lifts build the base (the actual cake), and isolations are the decoration (frosting).

    Isolations are used to being up lagging body parts, whether it be for aesthetics or for strength.


  • Fujiberry
    Fujiberry Posts: 400 Member
    Options
    SkinnyLindsay513 wrote: »
    I need to read all this sometime lol . . . But in the meantime I'm looking for tips. I'm wanting to lose weight and firm everything up. I feel like the weights I've been doing have been to light. Yesterday I decided to go hard or go home and increased all my leg weights. I moved from Q10 lbs to 260lbs for my leg press. I'm still not sore. What am I doing wrong? I'm a newbie. Also? I'd like to do more free weights but need a spotter. Anyone in Cincinnati want to help spot me?! lol.

    Soreness doesn't indicate that you've worked hard. If anything soreness most likely means that your muscles aren't used to the workload and they need to be trained more often.

    Basically, if you take 3 weeks off from the gym and come back afterwards to lift weights, you'll most likely be sore for a few days. Does that mean you worked really hard at the gym? Maybe, maybe not, but your muscles most likely need time to adapt again and you'll be less sore as you start your program again.

    But if you're not sore and you're eating and resting properly, your muscles are slowly getting used to the workload-- which isn't a bad thing! This will allow you to progressively add on weights. :)
  • Fujiberry
    Fujiberry Posts: 400 Member
    Options
    Christine7656 wrote: »
    What basic equipment do I need?

    Would love to start lifting at home. I'm a woman, 45 years old. Could stand to lose about 10 lbs.

    Awesome post.

    Thank you!
    Christine

    I recommend using a barbell (and a power rack for squats and bench) for compound lifts since the weights you use will greatly vary. However, if you're strapped for cash, you can buy adjustable dumbbells. Just keep in mind that you will outgrow them within a year or so if you're consistent with working out. :) There's variations to compound lifts that can be done with dumbbells.
  • Christine7656
    Christine7656 Posts: 24 Member
    Options
    Fujiberry wrote: »
    Christine7656 wrote: »
    What basic equipment do I need?

    Would love to start lifting at home. I'm a woman, 45 years old. Could stand to lose about 10 lbs.

    Awesome post.

    Thank you!
    Christine

    I recommend using a barbell (and a power rack for squats and bench) for compound lifts since the weights you use will greatly vary. However, if you're strapped for cash, you can buy adjustable dumbbells. Just keep in mind that you will outgrow them within a year or so if you're consistent with working out. :) There's variations to compound lifts that can be done with dumbbells.

    Thank you! I actually bought powerblock weights the other day and love them so far. They only go up to 24# per dumbbell but that's plenty enough for now. I've also started doing the dumbbell only program on the Jefit app ... Love it too.
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    Options
    I've been lifting for a few weeks since changing gyms and hiring a personal trainer. Omfg it was the best thing I've ever done!!!! I feel so great! I'm doing deadlifts, bench presses, squats, overhead presses, and machine assisted pull ups. I'm too unco to do the barbell rows so mu trainer has me doing lat pull down thingies on the cable machine thingie. I also do Pilates at my physiotherapists office once a week. As for evil cardio, I'm working on my c25k on my off days eg Mon, Wed, Fri are lifting days, Tue, Thu and Sat are running days. Pilates is either on a Wednesday or a Friday depending on my roster for work
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    While I agree that split days for intermediates, but the suggested routine will not work for me because my gym only has a Smith Machine as a barbell equipment. I'm substituting all with dumbbell exercises.
  • Smivenbiven
    Smivenbiven Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    Is the back squat tough on the tibia? I have an injury to one, and have been side lined from running and also told to avoid strength training that puts any pressure on them. Thanks!

    Smiv aka Sharon Markham
    RECowgill wrote: »
    This is very good advice of course, I would go a bit further and simplify your list of information personally. There are lots of different exercises to do, but only 5 that someone who is new should do:

    * Back Squat --- http://youtu.be/dQFsSj2IUAo
    * Bench press --- http://youtu.be/34XRmd3a8_0
    * Deadlift --- http://youtu.be/nXfzWe-6t0w
    * Standing Overhead press
    * Bent over row
    (I'm adding in a few example vids that I like, but please do your own research).

    You already mentioned them, but I would really emphasize these 5. These 5 are the only lifts a new lifter needs to do. They are the most rudimentary lifts every lifter should know. It took me months to figure that out, wish I would've had someone spell that out for me in the beginning. Do these 5 and ignore everything else. Literally. Until you get good at them, everything else is wasting time.

    These 5 compounds can be a little bit scary for newbies, they were for me. I suggest you go on YouTube and search "how to" on each one (how to deadlift, how to bench, etc). Lots of good proper instruction will come up. Watch and learn at least a few videos on each move to get a sample for the different subtleties and nuances from different instructors.

    A word of advice: maybe you're a dude who thinks he knows how to do one of these already, like benching. You probably don't, actually. Learn from these people who really know what they're doing and please study proper form. Even if you think you know, review the basics. Do it periodically. The last thing you want when lifting is an injury.

    The worst thing you can do is copy what others do at the gym. Please don't, people at the gym don't know what they're doing. The reason: people don't study. They don't ask critical questions. Some do, most don't. If you copy others you see, listen to your boyfriend or whatever, odds are their knowledge is incomplete and probably bad. YouTube videos are your best crowd sourced knowledge base. Do your own research. Please get in the habit of researching and studying.

    I'd skip pushups, pull-ups, chin-ups and dips to start. They are good compounds sure, but many new people don't have the strength to do 1 pull-up. Build some strength using the 5 then start incorporating other compounds like those. Really, every exercise is superfluous outside of the basic 5 lifts. I'd also argue they just aren't as good, pull-ups are a good compound but they only work a subset if the body. Squats etc work the entire body, and really need to be learned first.

    And the sooner you do and learn the 5 compounds the better off you'll be. If you're serious about lifting it will take you years to master all 5. They inform so many other lifts (there are many variants of them, related lifts etc) and it's almost impossible to know them all. But to start it's really that simple, the more complex and deeper stuff will come later.

    And as some twins say, it's just advice. Do your own research and figure it out. ;)

  • colldej
    colldej Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    MasterVal wrote: »
    While I agree that split days for intermediates, but the suggested routine will not work for me because my gym only has a Smith Machine as a barbell equipment. I'm substituting all with dumbbell exercises.

    Same here...search 'Smith machine' on YouTube. There are a bunch of good tutorials on using the Smith for the suggested exercises. I'm sure plenty of seasoned lifters don't like the Smith but we've got to make the most of what we have. I figure for a beginner, something is better than nothing!
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    colldej wrote: »
    Same here...search 'Smith machine' on YouTube. There are a bunch of good tutorials on using the Smith for the suggested exercises. I'm sure plenty of seasoned lifters don't like the Smith but we've got to make the most of what we have. I figure for a beginner, something is better than nothing!

    Colldej, I dont think Smith Machine is really good for any compound lifts - the predetermined range of motion would prevent most stabilizing muscles to engage and could potentially quickly develop muscle imbalance - some of the muscles would get hard workout and others will get none. That's the main reason I found dumbbells only routine.
  • bhawk102
    bhawk102 Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    Fujiberry wrote: »

    You don't need those separate days. You don't need isolation exercises. Splits like that are for intermediates. A lot of isolation work won't do you a lot of good if you don't have a good muscle base. Think of them us 'touch-up work' or as the 'decoration' to your plain frosted cake.

    While I think this sounds like a good idea, I decided to switch my routine to HIIT following this plan here:
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/six-week-shred-torch-fat-with-hiit-100s.html

    Splitting makes sense for it since you are working each muscle group really hard and need to give them a rest. I think HIIT is the way to go for better weight loss even with cardio too. If you do HIIT on a bike or a treadmill for 15-20 mins you get the same or better results than if you just did it at a steady pace for an hour. You just gotta push your body hard, but not too hard of course. But I've been seeing good results so far doing HIIT. I'm burning more calories especially once I am done working out.
  • Butterf1y_Effect
    Butterf1y_Effect Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    Great information. Thank you.
  • Luvmichnata
    Luvmichnata Posts: 186 Member
    Options
    Getting ready to restart my lifting routine..great info.

Categories