Ladies - beginner lifting advice?

shiseido_faerie · August 2012

I finally FINALLY have a gym membership, so excited! I feel like I have the cardio part down but I see the free weight section and think that since I only have about 15lbs to lose that it would really help me with the inches....the problem is I know Nothing at all about lifting weight, totally intimidated and would like to at least feel like I know what I'm doing a little bit. Is The new rules of weightlifting for women book or someone like me? Or could you recommend another, or a website you've found helpful? I tried the machines but I think I'd like the free weights better. Thanks for your help!

girlinahat · August 2012

yes. Something like New Rules or 5x5 or Starting Strength would be perfect for any female (or probably any male too....)

I got the guys at my gym to talk me through each of the moves so that I felt comfortable in the wreight room and had some idea of correct form. There's plenty of videos on Youtube to help also. But a prgramme will help you have a goal to stick to and teach you a few moves.

dad106 · August 2012

My suggestion if you have no idea what you are doing is to get a trainer for a session(most gyms offer a complimentary one).

Tell them you want to learn about free weights, and have them show you proper form and then you should be good to go with a book like new rules of lifting for women.

LisaWilson2012 · August 2012

I couldn't comment on what exercises you should be doing as everyone is different. If I were in your position, I'd probably get one of the ladies who work at the gym to talk me through what kind I could do and take it from there, and see what worked the muscle groups I wanted to target.

The one bit of advice I can give is do your weights before your cardio. The carbs you eat are stored in your muscle and are used up when you do weights. Therefore, when you do your cardio after, your body has no choice but to burn fat as it's the only thing left.

You will definately notice a difference in you weight and the inches. I have and I feel (and look) loads better.

Good luck!

wild_wild_life · August 2012

Agree. Get a trainer for a session or two to show you proper form on the major lifts. You can come up with a plan from any number of books or websites but there is no substitute for someone standing next to you saying "this is how you do it".

Personally I like this website:

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/

There is a lot of good info on it. It is similar to the starting strength program I think.

Good luck! I never thought I would enjoy strength training but I love it.

shiseido_faerie · August 2012

Awesome, a trainer for a couple of sessions is a great idea too!

azalais7 · August 2012

I also recommend NROL4W.

This site has excellent videos for just about any weight exercise, and it will even evaluate the different related exercises:

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

trishadams · August 2012

I also recommend at least reading New Rules before talking to a trainer. This way at least you will have some idea of what a program would entail as well as exercises you might want to do and can get their input and instruction on form.

slimmergalpal · August 2012

I started at home on my own after meeting with my Nutritionist. From there, I did find a Trainer that I now work with on a weekly basis. Called my local Technical college that had a Fitness degree, met with several soon to graduate students- tried a few of them out FREE, then picked the one that worked best for me. I do Circuit Training. However = There is also a boat-load of free online dumbbell exercises that are really helpful to get you started as a beginner. Sounds like you will be doing free weights since you do not want to do the "machines" . These exercises you can do at home with a simple pair of dumbbells. Remember to start out with a small enough weight that you can do ,say 20-25 reps with so that you get your form down. Proper form is critical to work the correct muscle group. This is why a Trainer is so important. For the online free stuff, I was directed to Corey Beasley's series, which was great for me to start with. He has beginner to a little more advanced. I still do a few of these daily with my trainers routine, especially the rotation and just getting the lunge down pat. But, if you do not like him, there are gobs more.
You should do some form of weights for several reasons, but there are a lot of misconceptions about weight training out there. This is what my Nutritionist told me : It will speed up your metabolism. Your resting metabolic rate depends primarily on your amount of fat-free mass, which is everything in your body that is NOT fat. Muscle, bones, blood, organs,and tissue. The more fat-free mass you have, the more energy your body uses in order to keep working. So, you want to be muscular. You cant do anything to increase your brain or liver- but you can make yourself more muscular . And, your metabolic rate slows down each year. So we need to do something to keep it going.
Good luck to you on your journey. This is a learning process for me everyday

. So far, In 6 months I have lost 50 lbs and 67 inches. Still more to go, but I'll get there !

azalais7 · August 2012

I also recommend at least reading New Rules before talking to a trainer. This way at least you will have some idea of what a program would entail as well as exercises you might want to do and can get their input and instruction on form.

^^This. Or whatever book you choose, if you do choose a book. Might as well make sure the trainer understands your goals and can tailor instruction to what you actually plan to do.