New to Strength Training... Advice, please. :)

bookyeti

I do about 45-60 minutes of cardio per day (running, run/walk intervals, and Zumba), but I would like to start adding strength training to my routine.

I really don't know where to start.

Any ideas, for a beginner? Your help would be much appreciated. :-)

SHBoss1673

in all seriousness, my best advice would be to find a trainer. You don't need a bunch of sessions, but hiring a trainer for 1 or 2 sessions just to show you correct form, and give you a basic outline is invaluable. Maybe you'll go back later, and maybe you won't, but there's no better way to start than by receiving help from a trained professional.

HoopFire5602

in all seriousness, my best advice would be to find a trainer. You don't need a bunch of sessions, but hiring a trainer for 1 or 2 sessions just to show you correct form, and give you a basic outline is invaluable. Maybe you'll go back later, and maybe you won't, but there's no better way to start than by receiving help from a trained professional.

Excellent suggestion.

tross0924

Aside from a trainer, if you have a community college in the area you can take a weight training class there usually for fairly cheap. Then the instructor can get you all set up and show you the correct form repeatedly until you get it down.

atla_moves

I have to agree with SHBoss1673. Like you, I do plenty of cardio (hiking/cycling), but wanted to incorporate strength. So I read a couple of books, decided to follow the program in New Rules of Lifting for Women, then tried to start. I kept leaving the gym with pain in all the wrong places, and could feel (while I was doing the exercises) that I was going to end up hurting myself. So I got with a personal trainer.

It's pricey at $60 per session, but I signed up for 6 sessions after my free consultation. I've done two already, and he really knows what he's talking about. He can see my strengths and weaknesses and modify the plan to work on getting my body balanced and stable so that I can do any exercise plan properly and without hurting myself. I'm definitely more sore in the RIGHT places and know that my form is 1000x better now that he's showed me what to do, and provided feedback and adjustments when I do it.

SoldierDad

I do about 45-60 minutes of cardio per day (running, run/walk intervals, and Zumba), but I would like to start adding strength training to my routine.

I really don't know where to start.

Any ideas, for a beginner? Your help would be much appreciated. :-)

The most comon mistake I see with beginners is lifting to heavy with improper form. I would start light with max reps. Getting a trainer to show you correct form is an awesome idea.

MayhemModels

Plenty of ways to use you own body weight to strength train, alot of videos on youtube showing beginners push-ups ect and I love using workout bands when I'm on the road, there cheap and a excellent way to tone and sculpt all body parts, the blue ones (medium) are the best for starting out

End6ame

in all seriousness, my best advice would be to find a trainer. You don't need a bunch of sessions, but hiring a trainer for 1 or 2 sessions just to show you correct form, and give you a basic outline is invaluable. Maybe you'll go back later, and maybe you won't, but there's no better way to start than by receiving help from a trained professional.

Excellent suggestion.

I would call this an excellent suggestion only if the trainer is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). This is the only certification that I respect anymore since it is one that cannot be achieve without a real functional understanding of the fundamentals of exercises science. There are way too many crap certifications out there that can be passed with minimal actual knowledge. I have seen multiple trainers teach improper technique, or simply pointless exercises.

If you can’t find a CSCS, in all honesty, I would resort to teaching yourself proper form and technique. Starting Strength by Mark Ripptoe is a great book for this. There is also great information on the StrongLIfts website about how to perform core barbell lifts. (www.stronglifts.com). Another good resource would be the New Rules of Lifting for Women book.

EDIT: I would also recommend that you find a trainer with a degree in exercise science.

kaitlynnm10

There's an outstanding book called New Rules of Lifting for Women. I highly suggest reading it. The book includes workouts for beginners through advanced. Easy to follow.

Jennloella

in all seriousness, my best advice would be to find a trainer. You don't need a bunch of sessions, but hiring a trainer for 1 or 2 sessions just to show you correct form, and give you a basic outline is invaluable. Maybe you'll go back later, and maybe you won't, but there's no better way to start than by receiving help from a trained professional.

agree

stenochick0417

I just started reading "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and plan on incorporating that weight program into my exercise regimen. There's plenty of common sense in this book and why you should and shouldn't do things a certain way; plus from what I've read, the author uses a lot of science to back it up.

wonnder1

I know my YMCA offer a free session to walk you through the machines with one of their trainers. I did that 3 times and they didn't say anything! I started on your basic circuit (the ones they have in a circle). Once I was comfortable I slowly began researching the free weights and the scarier machines (assisted chin ups etc.). I probably did the circuit training for 3 months before I was brave enough to walk over to where the grunting men were. Now I'm a happy grunting woman. And I notice a HUGE difference between what the circuit machines and the free weights do.

Katie3784

Buy yourself some 5 and 10 lb hand weights. Go online and google something like "free weight workouts for women". Do strength training 3-4 times a week, and when the weight gets easy, bump it up. I usually increase my reps before I increase weight and I have been able to build a lot of tone and definition. I also recommend pilates to EVERYBODY. It changed my life.

End6ame

Buy yourself some 5 and 10 lb hand weights. Go online and google something like "free weight workouts for women". Do strength training 3-4 times a week, and when the weight gets easy, bump it up. I usually increase my reps before I increase weight and I have been able to build a lot of tone and definition. I also recommend pilates to EVERYBODY. It changed my life.

Ugh… please don’t do this. You should lift heavier than 5-10lb dumbbells. Ideally you should lift around 80% of your max capacity after you have learned proper technique. At 80% capacity you should be able to complete between 5-8 reps; this is ideal for building strength.

bookyeti

Thanks for all your thoughts! Really appreciate it.

atomdraco

Books, such as: "The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Sexier, Healthier YOU!". And look for online resources.

If you want to spend more monkey on it, get DVDs, like P90x, or just simply search online (like Amazon).

ShannonMpls

in all seriousness, my best advice would be to find a trainer. You don't need a bunch of sessions, but hiring a trainer for 1 or 2 sessions just to show you correct form, and give you a basic outline is invaluable. Maybe you'll go back later, and maybe you won't, but there's no better way to start than by receiving help from a trained professional.

Exactly what I decided to do. I can't even describe what a difference it has made for me. I know what to do in the gym for strength now. I'm never on a machine or sitting down; before I wasted time doing single muscle isolation machines. My strength sessions are now 50 minutes of total butt-kicking. I never would have known what to do, or even known that I COULD do this, without a trainer.

Unfortunately, now I want a trainer forever! I see mine every two weeks for a new one-hour routine which I repeat three times a week until we meet and change things up. I LOVE strength training days now.