Women and Weight Lifting

pkw58

Eight reasons why should women do weight lifting-
1 more effective fat loss
2 more muscle, more calorie expenditure
3 curves
4 quality sleep
5 increased energy
6 heart health
7 bone health
8 stress relief

Kettyload, Thanks for the list. I started my 10 week sessions with a PT this week. I am doing two thirty minute sessions a week and the quality in my sleep is already happening.

xmichaelyx

What about those of us who can't afford a trainer? Or can't do a push up let alone a pull up? Starting from Square -198756

What's a Hip Thrust? What's a tricep extension? The backwards one? What's a butterfly?

I'm dead serious. :laugh:

I guess I should purchase New Rules of Lifting?!

Honestly, you don't need to purchase anything except a gym membership or some weights.

You're sitting at a computer with the internet, a collection of information more complete and powerful than ever dreamed about in the wildest fantasies of the librarians at Alexandria; "What's a tricep extension?" is not a logical question.

Google it. Watch the millions of videos and gifs that come up showing you how to do it. And then do it.

Jennacita

I am at home an exerciser and use videos. Cathe Friedrich and Kelly Coffey Meyer are great for weight lifting. Cathe gives excellent form pointers.

New Rules of Lifting for Women is great book. StrongLIfts is also a great no nonsense program that a lot of women use.

laurenz2501

I know, its really hard too start. But nowadays you will find everything in the internet, just spend a little time.

Do 3sets of 12reps for each exercise.

You can message me if you need help, i am not a professional, but i'm working out for quite some time now and alot of my friends are personal trainers, so i know at least the basics for sure!

Awesome!! Nothing beats a positive, encouraging response as opposed to a negative one. :flowerforyou: :happy:

bcmom_1980

I'm doing a beginner dumbbell-only workout recommended on here, from the Muscle & Strength website. It gives videos and descriptions of all the exercises. If there are exercises you can't do, google "modifications for..." or "alternative exercises for..." example pull-ups, as a lot of people can't do a pull-up right off the bat, but there are lots of alternatives to work up to it.
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html

I use the bodyspace app to track my workout, and each exercise has a write up and video too, in case I need to refresh my memory quickly while I'm working out.


Also this: http://www.niashanks.com/guide-not-care-what-people-think/

eels4peels

strong lfits
starting strength
new rules of lifting for women
strong curves

and don't worry about what other people think of you. You'll waste a lot of time in life avoiding doing things if you are worried about doing stuff that doesn't embarrass you.

Do what needs to be done to meet your goals. eff everyone else.

Again This! Strong lifts is what I started with and it's super easy to follow. You don't have to guess on how to use all those machines and you will get stronger. Now all you have to do is fight for the squat rack!

jaeone

strong lfits
starting strength
new rules of lifting for women
strong curves

and don't worry about what other people think of you. You'll waste a lot of time in life avoiding doing things if you are worried about doing stuff that doesn't embarrass you.

Do what needs to be done to meet your goals. eff everyone else.

^^^ Agree!

sarahrbraun

What about those of us who can't afford a trainer? Or can't do a push up let alone a pull up? Starting from Square -198756

What's a Hip Thrust? What's a tricep extension? The backwards one? What's a butterfly?

I'm dead serious. :laugh:

I guess I should purchase New Rules of Lifting?!

Make friends with a trainer? Lol, that's what I did. My first trainer helped me with form, etc when he had time between clients. This went on easily for 6 months before I hired him.

jrhanna84

I also use bodybuilding.com as a source to create my off day routines. Monday's and Friday's I work with a trainer and the rest of the week I'm doing my own thing. Make sure when you start lifting you get your macros right too....MORE protein is going to be way helpful.

StrangeKraem

I'm also one of the gals who started out with Stronglifts 5x5, and my first times in the free weights section.. I just found it so embarassing! It felt like I didn't belong, I wasn't quite sure what to do - like, can I even take this weight plate? Am I allowed to use the barbell from the squat rack even though I'm about to do deadlifts? People gave me weird looks, and I actually got into an argument with a guy who wanted the bench I was using and constantly kept nagging at me, MID SET, asking how many sets and reps I had left. Even though I had just told him! That was not even my fifth time at the gym, and I have never in my life felt so incredibly out of place.

In the end, those things are exactly what ended up boosting my motivation. *Why* did it feel like I didn't belong? Well, mainly because I felt like I had no idea what the hell I was doing. So I'm lifting this weight and putting it down, lifting it up and putting it down.. is that it? Is that all I'm supposed to do? Where's the awesomeness in this that everybody keeps talking about?

I got home and researched the hell out of those exercises, I got better form, I did them correctly, even got praise on how well I executed them from some of the more muscular guys (imagine how awesome that felt to my chubby little heart!), but it wasn't until the weights actually became heavy that I felt like I got it. I finally understood. And that's also when I stopped feeling out of place. There's a certain acknowledgement you get from yourself when you lift something that's heavy to you, and feel your muscles working. I didn't notice it when the weights were lower because at that point I wasn't focusing on the actual task, but everything around me. When the weight increased I was forced to focus and that's also when I fell in love with the whole "lifting it up and putting it down"-deal.

Give it a few months, and please do dare to try it out! Focus on how your muscles act and how your body moves when you're doing your exercises - and if you're unsure on how to execute them, ask us! It's hard to find information when you're not sure what you're looking for but I can promise you that there's a whole bunch of us here just dying to get more people to join us in the realization of how awesome it feels to lift weights!

Enjoy it!

alereck

A great start for a newbie in lifting is:

1 exercise per body part
2 sets of each exercise
10 reps for each set
Get an experienced person to help with correct form

Squat
Leg curl
Pullup/pulldown
Push up/bench press
Shoulder press
Side laterals
Bicep curls
Tricep extension
Crunch
Leg lifts

Start there.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

^ This, but if you cannot afford a trainer or find an experience person do what I did. Watch hours and hours of videos online to learn proper form before stepping into the weight room or adding a good amount of weight. Not only stopped me from embarrassing myself but keeps me from getting injured.

This is a good website to find plans and see exercises done with proper form:
www.bodybuilding.com

I would start here to learn the different types of exercises then I would go to youtube to see variations. There is a lot of info out there, just know which ones to weed out.

Once you get into it you will love and get addicted.
Good luck!

AlbuquerqueMom

I just started working out at a smaller gym and the people there have been very nice and supportive. I'm one of the least "in shape" people working out! I'm an older woman and the young buff men and woman sometimes tell me stories about how they or other friends were 80 lbs heavier and now they look fabulous. They even compete in competitions.

So please don't be afraid of them judging you. I'm working with a Personal Trainer once a week, but if I'm doing something wrong the other people in the gym don't mind helping me out on the correct form. By the way, I have trouble remembering what I'm supposed to do with the dumb bells so I end up using the machines.

I think some of the younger people probably wish their mothers, who are my age, would work out too!

Don't worry what they think of you, because it's very likely they were in your shoes too.

theCaityCat

I really love FitnessBlender for strength training workouts. They have lots of beginner and intermediate workouts for those of us who are not exercise or weight lifting experts.

mymodernbabylon

Stronglifts 5x5 is great as you can download an app to help remind you/keep you on track. Don't be afraid to start a lot lighter than what they have on the app as it's geared toward men & stronger people. You can input whatever weight you want. I just began and love the simplicity. Lots of videos online to see form.