Lifting Programs - what to choose

Brittany3914

I'm guessing you aren't completely new to lifting, but if you are or if you feel you get a better workout with a group of people, I'd suggest Les Mills BODYPUMP if it's offered at your gym. Great music, great routines, and I've burned 450-500 cals on average per 1 hour class (using a HRM).

Focusing on low weight loads and high repetition movements, you'll burn fat, gain strength and quickly produce lean body muscle conditioning. Basically, you perform 70-100 repetitions per body part totaling up to 800 repetitions in a single workout.

I'm completely hooked. Not sure if it's considered a "lifting program," but it's certainly a total-body workout.

_LilPowerHouse

give this a try..
http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/

babesintow

I would ask around, there is a team that trains at my gym hat just completed the mudder and are pushing for the next one this fall. They train outdoors,a lot of climbing and hiking. 4 out of 5 of them finished...and they are back to work training for fall.

LastMinuteMama

I just started "You Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren. (the bible of bodyweight exercises).

So at most you might need free weights?! I don't have bars or medicine ball, or kettlebells and really do want to invest for space reasons. I have adjustable weights that go up to 40lbs. If this is mostly body weight, then fantastic!!

You don't even need free weights....Take push ups for example: When you start out as a beginner you might have your upper body elevated, on the counter or table to start. When you are proficient at those, it's down for traditional ones. When those become too easy you elevate your feet on a chair or whatever else works. No fancy anything required, just your own body weight.

You do have to get creative for some of it, I haven't figured out a good way to so the "pull me ups", but I have a pull up bar and that.

michellekicks

Thanks all...

So, yeah, I've done enough classes with weights to know they're not what I'm looking for at this point. Definitely heavy lifting but definitely focusing on the basics. I'd like to stay away from 90 minute routines though?! Who has that kind of time? I do one or maybe 2 long workouts per week. The rest have to be under an hour.

I used gym machines and some free weights back in the day - like the mid-late 90's and it was the sorta 12-10-8 rep sets at increasing weight. Upper body one day; lower body the next.

I have a home gym with (*gasp* a smith machine I probably won't use as I read about it, but can I still use the plates on a normal bar?) a big laminate floor, a mirrored wall, the BowFlex adjustable dumbbells, a TV/DVD, some medicine balls, mats, small dumbbells, and a curl bar. What other equipment should I buy? Rubber for my floor no doubt lol...

Sounds like stronglifts might be the most straightforward program to get the basics. I probably won't bench press until I rehab my back and shoulders some... I have a very tight chest to where the nerves in my arms are pinched off and my hands go numb if I do too many pushups and other chest exercises. Need to strengthen my back - I was thinking lats and row, but then do these programs address the upper back?

Hmmm... sorry. Lifting NEWBIE. Please bear with my questions.

meshashesha2012

depends on your goals at the moment, those goals might change and that's OK, too.

if you want to feel more pump in your muscles then go for programs that do more isolation moves and where you're lifting in the 12-15 rep range

if you're going for strength and muscle gains definitely looking into starting strength, strong lifts and new rules of lifting for women i personally prefer the first 2 but the latter has its merits as well.

with strong lifts you can use the weights plates and the oly bar. the beauty of strong lifts is that theres only 3 movements per exercise : squats, bench press and barbell rows one day and squats, overhead press and deadlifts the other day. i'd say go ahead and do the benches with strong lifts otherwise you will be setting yourself up for longer rehab : how else are you going to strengthen your chest unless you strengthen you strengthen your chest?

JNick77

Sounds like stronglifts might be the most straightforward program to get the basics. I probably won't bench press until I rehab my back and shoulders some... I have a very tight chest to where the nerves in my arms are pinched off and my hands go numb if I do too many pushups and other chest exercises. Need to strengthen my back - I was thinking lats and row, but then do these programs address the upper back?

That's not a bad option, although I think 5/3/1 is a better long-term option that you can build with. A lot of people say it's a more advanced method but it's really not and the author also encourages people to start light and work there way up. He teaches form in his book.

Goal_Line

There is a book called "New Rules of Lifting for Women" - I suggest you check it out.