Where to start (strength training)

shadowofender

I want to start with weight and strength training in addition to my cardio because I know it's so beneficial for you. The problem is...I don't know how to properly build a routine. So I looked for routine options and I don't even know where to start, it's so overwhelming. I'm fairly capable of a lot of motion but due to tibial torsion and a complete lack of weight training in my life, I can't do a lot. And I don't even know what half the stuff is.

Add that to the anxiety of feeling awkward in a gym...if I have a set routine I can put ear buds in and go...I'm just so overwhelmed trying to find a start. My bf suggested fitocracy cause they have some stuff, but again, there's so much going on with it...What's some advice anyone can give me with this? Thanks.

belgerian

I just recently started Strong lifts 5 by 5. Can get all the info online has an app for your phone I like it. You need access to barbell and plates and a Power stand. The other is Starting Strength they are both similiar. Honestly im the same always wanted to start one but information overload I would suggest strong lifts. Start light and work up.

klwells08

I'm a big fan of strong lifts. The phone ap makes it super easy to keep track of what to lift each time.

kshadows

StrongLifts 5x5!!

There's a community/group here for ladies!

shadowofender

Ooooh anything with a phone app definitely makes my life easier.

The barbell sounds intimidating, is the only thing> I'll get over it after doing it a couple times.

kbeckley11

I also jus started Stonglift 5x5. I love it. The app makes it easy to remember what I am supposed to be doing, and how much weight. Also, I didn't want something overly complicated, so Stronglifts was a good choice for me.

As an aside, has anyone ever told you that you look like Starbuck from Battlestar Gallactica (the re-make obviously)?

belgerian

Ive been running for about 4 years now and the free weight section seemed to always intimidate me ive been doing strong lifts now for 4 weeks and I enjoy. Sure as you learn more you can always do something different but it is a good place to start and you can google all the movements on youtube and see how they are performed so you dont look like a total novice in the free weight section. (that was a joke at myself also).

cwolfman13

For an actual strength program, you can't get any better introduction than Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Strong Lifts 5x5 is a similar program but works in a 5x5 format rather than a 3x5 format. Note that both of these are actual strength programs...as in training for optimal strength. They are low rep and heavy weight programs designed for optimal strength gains.

I'm also a big fan of the New Rules series...New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great read and it does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of lifting, why you should be doing it, and has good programming (though it can be a bit complex for someone unfamiliar with the weight room). It is also an outstanding read for women in particular who are maybe a bit intimidated by a barbell.

Strong Curves is another good program. Note that these programs are more of general fitness weight training programs that will work various aspects of strength (lower rep/higher weight), hypertrophy (moderate rep/moderate weight), stamina/endurance (high rep/lower weight) and power as well as balance and flexibility.

I started out with purely doing strength training and I'm glad for that as I built a nice base of functional strength...but now I'm doing New Rules Supercharged (for men and women) to work on other aspects of lifting beyond just strength and pulling the heaviest dead lift possible. I'm enjoying the variety, particularly the power stuff like box jumps, kettle bells swings, jump squats, etc. Good stuff.

Love2lift72

For an actual strength program, you can't get any better introduction than Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Strong Lifts 5x5 is a similar program but works in a 5x5 format rather than a 3x5 format. Note that both of these are actual strength programs...as in training for optimal strength. They are low rep and heavy weight programs designed for optimal strength gains.

I'm also a big fan of the New Rules series...New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great read and it does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of lifting, why you should be doing it, and has good programming (though it can be a bit complex for someone unfamiliar with the weight room). It is also an outstanding read for women in particular who are maybe a bit intimidated by a barbell.

Strong Curves is another good program. Note that these programs are more of general fitness weight training programs that will work various aspects of strength (lower rep/higher weight), hypertrophy (moderate rep/moderate weight), stamina/endurance (high rep/lower weight) and power as well as balance and flexibility.

I started out with purely doing strength training and I'm glad for that as I built a nice base of functional strength...but now I'm doing New Rules Supercharged (for men and women) to work on other aspects of lifting beyond just strength and pulling the heaviest dead lift possible. I'm enjoying the variety, particularly the power stuff like box jumps, kettle bells swings, jump squats, etc. Good stuff.

Second the Starting Strength recommendation. It's very technical but I think it's a must read for any beginner.

shadowofender

I appreciate the feedback so much everybody! I'm going to look into Strong Lifts and Starting Strength and see which one I would feel most comfortable with. You guys are the best

LAT1963

I also jus started Stonglift 5x5. I love it. The app makes it easy to remember what I am supposed to be doing, and how much weight. Also, I didn't want something overly complicated, so Stronglifts was a good choice for me.

As an aside, has anyone ever told you that you look like Starbuck from Battlestar Gallactica (the re-make obviously)?

I'm also a beginner at weights, so thanks for starting this thread so I can read it too.

And you do look like Starbuck in your pic.

Cait_G

Have you talked with a personal trainer at the gym? Most gyms allow one, sometimes more, free sessions. And if you have any simple questions on how to use a machine, they should be able to help. I don't know much about strength training either (something I'm just getting started with as well).

shadowofender

Have you talked with a personal trainer at the gym? Most gyms allow one, sometimes more, free sessions. And if you have any simple questions on how to use a machine, they should be able to help. I don't know much about strength training either (something I'm just getting started with as well).

I don't even know if there is a trainer at my gym. Certainly everyone I've seen walking around in the uniform is no one I'm taking fitness advice from. I used to work for Lifetime Fitness so I at least know how machines work and all that. I just hate machines. Free weights are where I want to be.

rachelrb85

I'm going to second, third, and fourth the Stronglifts 5x5 suggestion. There is a phone app that makes it easy to log and you can see your progress by charts and see your history via calendar. If a barbell is really intimidating, try it with dumbbells. They are a little easier to handle, although you may not go advance in weight as much. All of the SL 5x5 lifts are doable with dumbbells. My small, free office gym does not have a barbell, so that's all I work with. Maybe once you get the hang of the lifts you can try it with a barbell.

VeryKatie

In for suggestions! I like the concept of the Starting and SL programs though wonder if the SL program needs some calf development moves?

I am excited to start out... just waiting for September to get me a subsidized gym membership... Considering also getting the Body By You - You are Your Own Gym (For Women) book that I can use when I don't have a gym available.

shadowofender

I also jus started Stonglift 5x5. I love it. The app makes it easy to remember what I am supposed to be doing, and how much weight. Also, I didn't want something overly complicated, so Stronglifts was a good choice for me.

As an aside, has anyone ever told you that you look like Starbuck from Battlestar Gallactica (the re-make obviously)?

I'm also a beginner at weights, so thanks for starting this thread so I can read it too.

And you do look like Starbuck in your pic.

I know this makes me a bad nerd, but I haven't seen Battlestar Gallactica it's been on my to watch list for FOREVER. I hope the resemblence is a good thing though!

SezxyStef

In for suggestions! I like the concept of the Starting and SL programs though wonder if the SL program needs some calf development moves?

I am excited to start out... just waiting for September to get me a subsidized gym membership... Considering also getting the Body By You - You are Your Own Gym (For Women) book that I can use when I don't have a gym available.

umm SL is a compound movement program there is no "isolation" of any muscle in any of the exercises and that is my understanding of SS as well...besides with DL and squats and to some degree rows you are working enough of your leg muscles either from the push or stablizing yourself.

VeryKatie

In for suggestions! I like the concept of the Starting and SL programs though wonder if the SL program needs some calf development moves?

I am excited to start out... just waiting for September to get me a subsidized gym membership... Considering also getting the Body By You - You are Your Own Gym (For Women) book that I can use when I don't have a gym available.

umm SL is a compound movement program there is no "isolation" of any muscle in any of the exercises and that is my understanding of SS as well...besides with DL and squats and to some degree rows you are working enough of your leg muscles either from the push or stablizing yourself.

Oh, yes to clarify - I did know that. I was just more thinking to spice things up once you're well into the program. And I like me some calves

belgerian

And you call yourself a nerd and never saw the reboot. Your fired

CipherZero

Starting Strength is a great book. It goes into excruciating detail on the five major lifts, a few accessory lifts, and things to avoid and how to detect them.

For what it's worth it took me three months to get to two plate (225 lbs / 100kg) deadlfts on it.

shadowofender

And you call yourself a nerd and never saw the reboot. Your fired

I know, I'm a terrible nerdling
Damn she's hot. If you think I look like her, I take that as a win! haha

I downloaded the Strong Lifts app...does it just generate a workout every time or something?

dpwellman

For me (primarily a runner-ish and a cyclist-ish), strength training has one purpose: increase running (or cycling) efficiency*.

So not that I know what the purpose of it is, I need a plan to achieve that goal.

So how to start? In a nutshell: get a training program and STICK to it.

*This seems to be around 6 rep maximum.

azrubael

Stronglifts has a set program of exercises that you do three times a week. So every time you tap new workout it will move you to the next routine in the program. You will also have a history option to check on your previous workouts so you can see your progress. Great program, highly recommended.

alioopwontonsoup

bump

MKEgal

I second the suggestion about a session with a personal trainer.
If there's not a reputable one available at your gym, here's where you can search for people in your area who are certified by the American College of Sports Medicine:
http://members.acsm.org/source/custom/Online_locator/OnlineLocator.cfm

I did a blog post discussing exercise, goal-settting, the different ways to lift depending on what you want out of it, etc.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/exercise-667080

Here's most of the part about weightlifting:

To get calorie credit for wieghtlifting go under cardio & search for "Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)". It's not much of a credit, but it's better than nothing (which is what you get if you enter the work under "strength training"), & it's easier than trying to find every exercise.

There are 3 goals or types of weight training.
Most people should start by building muscle.
After a month or so of that, you can add in building endurance.
Going for power is a more advanced technique, which I'll leave to the competitive weightlifters.

Free weights or machines?
Machines reduce the chance that you can do something wrong & injure yourself, don't take as much understanding of what you're doing, and target specific muscles or groups.
Free weights work more muscles in concert and allow for more exercises to be done in a smaller area, even at your home, but require learning how to do them correctly.

No matter which you're doing, you need to know the maximum amount you can lift, called the one-repetition maximum or 1RM.

For building muscle, you want to do 1 or 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions of a weight that's 70-85% of your 1RM.
For building endurance, do 1 or 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions of a weight that's 50-65% of your 1RM.

Either way, start low on both weight & reps and work up.
You should just be able to do the last 2-3 reps.
When it gets easy to do the maximum # of reps, add 5 pounds and go back to the minimum # of reps.

(From the American College of Sports Medicine's book "Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th edition".)

Remember to work both sides of a joint (or the body) - if you're doing bicep curls, also do tricep extensions or dips. If you're doing quadricep extensions, also do hamstring curls. If you're doing abdominal curls, also do lower back extensions.

belgerian

I second the suggestion about a session with a personal trainer.
If there's not a reputable one available at your gym, here's where you can search for people in your area who are certified by the American College of Sports Medicine:
http://members.acsm.org/source/custom/Online_locator/OnlineLocator.cfm

I did a blog post discussing exercise, goal-settting, the different ways to lift depending on what you want out of it, etc.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/exercise-667080

Here's most of the part about weightlifting:

To get calorie credit for wieghtlifting go under cardio & search for "Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)". It's not much of a credit, but it's better than nothing (which is what you get if you enter the work under "strength training"), & it's easier than trying to find every exercise.

There are 3 goals or types of weight training.
Most people should start by building muscle.
After a month or so of that, you can add in building endurance.
Going for power is a more advanced technique, which I'll leave to the competitive weightlifters.

Free weights or machines?
Machines reduce the chance that you can do something wrong & injure yourself, don't take as much understanding of what you're doing, and target specific muscles or groups.
Free weights work more muscles in concert and allow for more exercises to be done in a smaller area, even at your home, but require learning how to do them correctly.

No matter which you're doing, you need to know the maximum amount you can lift, called the one-repetition maximum or 1RM.

For building muscle, you want to do 1 or 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions of a weight that's 70-85% of your 1RM.
For building endurance, do 1 or 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions of a weight that's 50-65% of your 1RM.

Either way, start low on both weight & reps and work up.
You should just be able to do the last 2-3 reps.
When it gets easy to do the maximum # of reps, add 5 pounds and go back to the minimum # of reps.

(From the American College of Sports Medicine's book "Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th edition".)

Remember to work both sides of a joint (or the body) - if you're doing bicep curls, also do tricep extensions or dips. If you're doing quadricep extensions, also do hamstring curls. If you're doing abdominal curls, also do lower back extensions.

Now I understand your trying to help and I say this for myself, most of what you said I now understand but when I started I would have read about 2 sentances then been done. Way to much information and I get confused on what do do and when whats a split should i do this or that and on what day blah blah blah. This is why for myself (A total novice and still is) Strong lifts is great its allready set up you pretty much start with a empty bar and go from there. Easy non confusing and good realitive easy compound excercises.

IllustratedxGirl

Stronglifts 5x5 baby!