Issues at the Gym - Help please!

rchupka87

Okay - so I signed up for my gym membership last week. I asked for a personal trainer so they could try to help me get through the first workouts - since I have no previous knowledge about lifting what so ever. While I have not FINISHED the book, I have read almost all of it. At this point, I think I have a slight idea of what is going on.

My issue is this. My "trainer" has no idea what he is talking about - at least as far as NROLFW is concerned. He walked me around to a lot of the machines. He kept talking to me about what our "plan" was - as I had told him I wanted to start lifted per NROLFW. He never showed me a free weight. He never had me doing squats, or pushups. He kept telling me I needed lower weights and more reps - or I was going to get bulky. I 'needed lower weight, and more repetitions" in order to get the "long, lean, toned look". I wanted to punch myself in the face.

I am not the kind of person that would say to this guy - you are literally wasting my time and telling me to do the exact opposite of what I want to do. I have managed to avoid him every day I have been since. BUT - I still have NO idea what I am doing!!! I know I may sound stupid, but even the bar bells confuse me. One is a straight bar, the other is curved. Which one do I use? What in the hell is a squat rack - because this guy sure as **** never showed me that.

I don't know what to do. Do I need to take my copy of the book in, and say - "SHOW ME HOW TO DO THIS!" Should I try to catch a different person? Should I just randomly walk up on a stranger and ask them - hey do you know what a squat rack is, and can you show me where it is and how to use it?

I feel soooooo stupid.

jenniet04

I would go back and tell them that the person they set you up with did not have a clue about free weights and lifting and that you are looking specifically for someone to show you how to use the free weights. Take the book in if you want, but you could also just write down the names of the exercises and if the person actually knows how to use free weights, they should know what the lifts are.

You want the straight bar (the curved one is for bicep curls and it's lighter). Your other option is just to go into the free weight room, find someone who looks nice and ask them.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I agree. I would go back and ask for someone else, take your book with you, say to that person "I am doing this program and I need someone to help me establish 1) how to keep a log, 2) starting weights to do this (emphasis on this) program, and 3) check my form to make sure I don't injure myself as a beginner."

You could always go back to the same trainer with the book and say, "I think you misunderstood my intentions when we last met *hands book open to Stage 1 work out over to trainer*. I am doing this program and I need someone to help me establish 1) how to keep a log, 2) starting weights to do this (emphasis on this) program, and 3) check my form to make sure I don't injure myself as a beginner"

samntha14

I also agree. You should go back and ask for someone else. Besides any trainer worth his salt KNOWS women DO NOT get bulky. Reiterate that YOUR goals For YOURSELF include heavy lifting.

Perswaysion

Yep ask for a new trainer/s.

Don't feel stupid. We own a squat rack and I had my husband walk me thorugh our equipment (I"ve never touched his free weights) I was very lost and finally demanded that he use it and let me watch. I'm glad I did because it was not the way I was thinking you use it. :blushing:

Yanicka1

Put your big girl panties on and ask for what you want. I did exactly that myself, after all we are paying clients.

deninevi

I agree with everyone! Go in there and tell them you want some one else.

kcfaber

Yup. Think being direct with that trainer is key and if he doesn't get then get someone else. Unfortunately maybe his experience with other women is this pervasive fear of getting bulky and scared of free weights so he directs them to the machines and talks up the whole high reps low weight toning blah blah blah.

Beeps2011

I want to know how this turns out!!

I got a personal trainer to help me with "form", too. He really isn't into NROL4W....but, when I've scheduled my appointment, he (now!) knows what I'm coming for and he even takes his own book on NROL4W out of the library in preparation for our "visits".

LOTS of personal trainers aren't worth their pay, that's for sure....but, so long as my dude is showing me THE LIFT, and spotting me when I'm HEAVY, I'm fine.

GO GET 'EM GIRLIE!!

lu123

This is what I'm like at the moment! I joined a gym because I want to use a squat rack not lift my barbell over my head all the time (really worried one day I won't be able to lift it off after the set.) Had my induction and the stupid woman didnt even show me any of the weights machine or otherwise, she rushed me through the cardio and told me (when I asked) that I could use the freeweight section if I wasn't intimidated by the guys. gee! thanks for the help! so i booked another induction which will be on saturday and this time I will tell the trainer exactly what I want him to show me how to use! grrr really annoyed me.

p.s. rant over.

karensoxfan

Knowing that a lot of women have never lifted before, or never lifted free weights before, I do kind of wish the book showed more detail about the different machines, or at least a link to the author's youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/louminator?ob=0&feature=results_main) which doesn't show squats in a rack, but is helpful for some of the other moves.

I was also shocked that there was no reference to staying away from the Smith machine for squats, since online it seems so widely shunned.

Polly758

You could always try looking up a photo online, then you can actually point to it in the gym, or ask whoever is using it at the time.

Also, the way I learned how to lift was by starting with the cable machines because those had directions and pictures that are posted right on the machine. So assuming your gym's machines have the little pictures, you can find the cable versions of the lift you want to do, read the directions, and try that before you go over and do it on the free weights.

As a side note... The cable machines are considered less preferable to the free weights, because the cable keeps you locked in to a simple movement, rather than engaging your whole body. But it's good for learning, especially when you can say, "oh NOW I know what a tricep is because it hurts HERE!"

Zalissa

I haven't started this program yet. I read the book and I'm working through some other stuff, but I plan to get to it next. As for learning the lifts and figuring out equipment, the following link is a great tool. You can click on the body part you want to work and sort through all of the exercises available for that body part. Each exercise has two videos. One demonstrated by a man and one demonstrated by a woman. Perhaps this will help someone:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Some of the exercises may have slight differences in names from those in the book, but overall they should be dead on. I love this site for figuring out how to do a new to me lift!

mbts08

I also hired a trainer for squats and deadlifts (specifically asked to teach these). He had never heard of the book either.

I agree with everyone else.

hello77kitty

I youtubed a lotta things :P