Heavy lifting, but where to start

crisanderson27

I'd recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. It is pretty much the gold standard for the major lifts. In my experience, gym staff often don't understand proper form (especially for squat), so if you are going to go that route, find a real personal trainer who works a lot with barbell stuff (with the current crossfit craze it shouldn't be very difficult).

If it helps, here's a basic routine you can use. The volume is limited so it works well when losing weight (calorie restriction limits recovery, so a 'cutting' workout should involve a lot less volume than a bulking or maintenance workout).

Do 3 warm-up sets, one with just the bar (5-6 reps), one at 50% of your working weight (5-6 reps), one at 80% of your working weight (2-3 reps).
Wait 3 minutes.
Do one set at the heaviest weight you can with good form (target 6-8 reps).
Wait ~2 minutes.
Reduce weight by around 15-20%, do another set (target 8-10 reps).
Wait ~2 minutes.
Reduce weight by another 15-20%, do a final set (10-12 reps).

Repeat with second exercise.

It may take you a couple of weeks to figure out how much weight you need to do. That's normal.
If you are doing the right amounts of weight you will be REALLY sore for the first few weeks. That's normal, and it gets better with time.
Make sure you are getting at least 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. This is an absolute must when weight training!

Monday:
Push-up (if you can do more than 12 already, add weight with a vest, or do Press instead)
Deadlift

Wednesday:
Dip
Chin-up

Friday:
Bench Press
Squat

For dips and chins, your gym should have an assisted chin/dip machine, which you can use until you can do body weight. After that, you probably want to get a nice weight vest to continue to add resistance (weightvest.com has some good ones, although they are a little pricey).

Hope this is helpful!

It's so interesting to see the different formats for strength training! My gym workout is based almost directly on my bodyweight home workout, which borrowed heavily from Rippetoe and others of his caliber. Here's a writeup I did for someone else describing it:

Ok, here's your simple routine!

You will lift 3 days a week, preferably Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You should be able to complete this workout in roughly an hour. There are two routines...called 'Workout A' and 'Workout B'. You will do Workout A on your first Monday, and Workout B on your first Wednesday. After that you will simply alternate, A, B, A, B etc. So on your first week, you'll do Workout A twice, second week, Workout B twice. You will use a 5x5 format...meaning 5 sets of 5 reps, with no more than a minute rest between. I rest FAR less than that...30 seconds tops. In order to decide on a weight (this goes for all exercises), you'll need to find a weight you can do only 6 or 7 reps with on your first set. This should make it properly challenging for your last set.

Now, the exercises:

Workout A:
1 - Weighted Squats/Lunges - Using either dumb bells, kettlebells, or a smith machine, do 5 sets of 5 squats, or 5 sets of 10 lunges (5 each leg)
2 - Dumb Bell Press - Lay back on a bench, and using a 'bench press' motion, press up your matched dumb bells, twisting them so the sides touch at the top. Again, 5 sets of 5.
3 - Horizontal Row - Using the lat pull down machine, lay backwards as far down as you can, and using the bar with a shoulder width grip...pull the weight until the bar touches your chest (a slight gap is fine). 5 sets of 5.
4 - Ab Work Flex - I perfer to do leg lifts for this workout. Using the ab stand (similar to a dip bar, but with handles), lift your legs straight forward, bending at the hips...return to lowered, then lift them towards the left side, return, then towards the right, and return. That is one rep. Do 3-5 sets of 5 reps. If you cannot lift your legs with your knees straight, bend them however much is necessary to allow you to complete the workout.
5 - Ab Work Static - Forward Planks. Get in pushup position, only resting on your elbows. Hold your body straight as a board from shoulders to toes for 30 seconds. Do this 3-5 times.

Workout B:
1 - Weighted Squats/Lunges - Using either dumb bells, kettlebells, or a smith machine, do 5 sets of 5 squats, or 5 sets of 10 lunges (5 each leg)1B. Vertical push - 5 x 5
2 - Dumb Bell Shoulder Press - Using dumb bells, sit on a bench, then press your weights upward from your shoulders, to above your head. Do 5 sets of 5 reps.
3 - Weighted Extensions - Utilizing the extension stand, place a dumb bell of appropriate weight on the ground. Lock your ankles under the pads, and brace your hips against the stand. Bend down, pick up the dumb bell, then straighten your body, until your back is perpendicular to the ground...bringing the weight slightly forward. Then, lower yourself down, letting the weight touch the floor. That is one rep. Do 5 sets of 5 reps.
4 - Pullups - 5 sets of 5 reps. If you cannot complete that many regular pullups, use the assisted machine, and a level of assistance that allows you to do only 7 reps on the first set. Worst case, use the lat pull down machine, and use a pullup motion with it.
5 - Ab Work Rotation - Using the ab station, lift your legs straight outward, as if you were leg lifting, then, twisting your hips side to side, sweeping your legs side to side in a 'windshield wiper' type motion. Do 10 reps (each sweep in one direction is a rep, so left, right, left would be 3 reps), 3 sets minimum, 5 sets maximum.

That's it! This is my EXACT workout at the gym, currently. It's simple, quick, targets your entire body, and since you're lifting the heaviest weight you can...the workout is extreme. Each successive workout, try to add 5lbs to your weight. If you have to stop in the middle and lower the weight to complete the exercise, that's fine as well. The next time you do that exercise, start with the same weight, until you can complete the entire 5x5 at that weight...at which point you'll move up 5lbs again.

I agree completely with the more compound, barbell based lifts by the way...I just find the dumbbell based stuff quicker and easier to perform without assistance or a spotter.

Newme012

bump

Limajuliet

Update:
I got the NROLFW and it's full of great info. I will do the training program at some point, but it is rather complicated and I'm working on some basics first:
-Squats
-Deadlifts
-Bench Press
-Shoulder Press

I asked the trainers in my gym with help on form and I was amazed how simple it is and how fun!!
I also decided to start going to the gym in the morning when it's quiet and the guys who work out in the morning are really friendly and helpful. So this morning's work out was:
Squat 40kg
Bench Press 22kg (olympic bar only!)
Deadlift 30kg (I'm sure I can do more, but I only just added deadlifts in and I'm working on form)
Shoulder Press 12kg

:happy:

mmapags

That's awesome!! Update us on your progress from time to time!

Snapplejac

This is where you start.

http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women

Exactly!!

There is a group for this here >> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/119-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w-

docktorfokse

In my gym, all the men stand in front of the mirrors doing their weights and there is the occassional gorgeous girl with them, but I'm afraid of looking like an idiot, doing everything wrong and injuring myself from lifting.

The muscle boys aren't as judgmental as everyone seems to think. Mostly they won't even look at you. They will even help out if you ask them.

Any muscle boys out there??? Do you agree with me?

Lol I'm not a muscle boy, but I've never had any kind of problem with any of the big guys at my gym. A few will be judgmental about people who are clearly new who break gym etiquette (leaving plates , not wiping down benches, etc.) or not seeming to take a workout seriously (being a Barbie with pink 2lb dumbbells).

JNick77

Soon you will learn the beauty of multi-joint exercises and will laugh at all the barbies standing on bosu balls in the squat rack curling their pink dumbells. After you're done laughing, you'll hit a new one-rep-max squat with 150lbs on your traps.

LOL!!!

Ok, so form is obviously important, but I need someone to show me, right? It doesn't seem to be the kind of thing you can get easily from a book.

Unless you know an experienced lifter with good form; you are probably better off learning from a book or YouTube videos than a personal trainer. Unless you know the trainer has tons of experience and some decent credentials and even then I'd wonder.