Strength Training for a wimpy beginner

erickirb

**INSERTING MY OWN QUESTION**

How much cardio is required in 30 Day Shred?

I have a mild heart thing that keeps me from doing much cardio.

will 30DS work if I skip the cardio?

It is a cardio program that uses light weights for added resistance.

cmcollins001

For maximum results, check out a program like The New Rules of Lifting for Women or Strong Lifts. A program is a great way for a beginner to be introduced to strength training and learn good form.

These programs are going to require you to use more equipment than a set of dumbbells though. Do you have access to a gym with free weights? You will probably need a bench press, an Olympic bar, a squat rack, and some (increasingly) heavy dumbbells. Keep in mind that "heavy" lifting means heavy for YOU. If you have to start out with the bar (45lbs), that's fine. You add weights slowly. Everyone can work at their own pace - that's the great part of strength training. You're not competing with anyone but yourself, so there is no pressure to bench press 150lbs right off the bat! Just strive to improve upon your own performance.


If you aren't interested in doing free weights, you can always check out a program like P90X or a Jillian Michaels DVD like Ripped in 30 or 30 Day Shred. But, you won't see the same results with those programs as you would with a heavy lifting program.

This

I ordered New Rules of Lifting for Women for my wife and she LOVES the book. She's eager to get in the gym and throw some weight around and doesn't let the giant hulksters in the back in the free weight section bother her, or the "mini-hulks," as she calls them, that hang around the dumb-bells and mirrors in the front bother her either. She goes in, does her program with what she can lift and enjoys the results. It makes going to the gym really fun.

I suggest going with a partner if you go to the gym, but if you can't, go by yourself. If you can't get to a gym, or don't want to, then as mentioned above, there are several at home options to start with. Or start with a DVD and work your way to a gym.

Caution: Lifting can become addicting. Building muscle can become addicting. (and I don't mean looking like a huge muscle bound man, because you can't look that way without come chemically induced help) When you start lifting you WILL be sore, but it's a good sore, the kind of sore you look forward to and when it's gone, you want it again.

bprague

I just want to note that the term "lift heavy", unless we are talking true body builders, is probably used to indicate heavy to the individual in question. I know I say that I "lift heavy" but this means that every day I am challenging MYSELF to complete 6-8 reps per 3 sets. Heavy is relative to what I am capable of doing.


So my advice to you, is to continually challenge yourself with your weights and use as many free weight exercises as you can. It should always be hard and it should pretty much suck by the end of your sets, but it should not cause you to lose proper form. When I first started I really liked this website for ideas and proper technique.

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/rehabilitation-exercises/free-weights-exercises

Stefanny91

**INSERTING MY OWN QUESTION**

How much cardio is required in 30 Day Shred?

I have a mild heart thing that keeps me from doing much cardio.

will 30DS work if I skip the cardio?

its a circuit you do 2 minutes strength 2 minutes cardio and 1 minute abs .. X3 ... but they do a beginner modification to pretty much every move so if you are not strong enough to do the whole thing you can do a modified version to work yourself up to it.

WendyTerry420

I want to start lifting weights, and doing other strength training. I'm a ball of flab at the moment. I can MAYBE do 5 modified push ups.

I've been reading how good heavy lifting can be for women, and I want to get in on it!

What are some tips? How heavy should I lift, how many reps/sets, and what moves would be suggested? I have 5lb weights at home but I'm planning on heading out to get another set of dumbbells soon.

I could use all of the help I can get! Thanks so much!

I always figure that since I am so heavy, that body weight exercises are "lifting heavy" for me. I found this link very useful when I first started considering strength training:

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

ndj1979

I agree that you can't start off lifting heavy. Hell, when I started working out I could barely chest press a 40 pound dumbbell...actually I think I could only get it up once...lol...

Now a 40 pound dumbbell is like a warm up if I am doing chest press..and i typically use 70 pounders for chest press...

So weight is relative to where you are..

If you have 5 pound weights...try those..if you can barely squeeze off 8 reps then keep at it for two weeks, and then keep bumping up five pounds every week...for squats and deadlifts just use the bar, it will help you work on form too...

As long as you are seeing increased gains and are able to do MORE weight then its all good becuase you are progressing...

Don't forget that diet is important too...

californiagirl2012

For maximum results, check out a program like The New Rules of Lifting for Women or Strong Lifts. A program is a great way for a beginner to be introduced to strength training and learn good form.

These programs are going to require you to use more equipment than a set of dumbbells though. Do you have access to a gym with free weights? You will probably need a bench press, an Olympic bar, a squat rack, and some (increasingly) heavy dumbbells. Keep in mind that "heavy" lifting means heavy for YOU. If you have to start out with the bar (45lbs), that's fine. You add weights slowly. Everyone can work at their own pace - that's the great part of strength training. You're not competing with anyone but yourself, so there is no pressure to bench press 150lbs right off the bat! Just strive to improve upon your own performance.


If you aren't interested in doing free weights, you can always check out a program like P90X or a Jillian Michaels DVD like Ripped in 30 or 30 Day Shred. But, you won't see the same results with those programs as you would with a heavy lifting program.

I totally agree with this. I think you are best with free weights and you can do a lot with some bigger dumbbells and a bench for step ups, Bulgarian split squats, and bench steps, and one legged get ups, rows, kickbacks, etc. At some point you might want to get an easy curl bar or adjustable bar bell with some small plates. Find a good women's full body workout. The new rules of lifting for women sounds like a really good place to start.

NuggetLovesEdie

If you have a YMCA near you, many of them offer women's specific weight training classes, and all of them offer a couple of free introductory sessions with a personal trainer to make sure you are lifting properly so you don't injure yourself.

girlykate143

1) Stop calling yourself a wimp
2) See step 1
3) Look into a strength program and find one that interests you. NRoLFW, 30DS, P90X, Insanity, your body is a gym, StrongLifts, whatever.
4) Give it an honest attempt for 6 to 8 weeks
5) Adjust after that time as needed
6) Profit.

I agree. Stop the negative self talk, You have to switch it to only positive, because the more you say things like wimp and ball of flab, the more you will start to believe it, so stop it!
Switch the thought to something like, hey, I *can* actually lift this! Or, hey, maybe I'm the only one at the moment here who can even do 5 pushups. Just keep doing them. Nobody is judging but you.
Another thing to do to increase strength is little things. When I go to the grocery store, i don't usually push a cart. I carry a basket and as the basket gets heavier, well, then I know it's time to check out. Gallons of milk--check. Picking up a kid--check. Picking up my 20 lb cat with one arm and tossing him to the foot of the bed @ 5 a.m.--check. Walk up a few flights of stairs a day. Walk hills if you can. Little things.

I don't know what the poster means by profit, but maybe you can make money off your muscles one day.

kr1stadee

Oooh wow lots of responses, thanks so much!!

I'm at work right now, so I didn't get to read any, but I didn't want to post and run!!

I'm kind of excited to see what everyone thinks after work!
thanks again!!

Xaspar

OK to start ... you are not a wimp. You have simply not trained your body to do more than that... yet.

Start with basics as stated before ... use weights that challenge you and don't make it easy, but which don't cause your body to revert to poor form in order to complete the job you are asking it to do. If you try a weight for the first set and it isn't challenging, go up a step. Still no challenge? Try to up it again. If you haven't found the hard weight by the third set, you'll know where to start next time. And if it's too challenging, there is no shame in lowering the weight because you bit off more than you could chew to start. It has been done more times than could be documented.

I can't tell you to start with 5 or start with 15 or anything like that (much as I was wishing someone would have been able to do for me when I started working in this direction recently) because it is all about what you can do safely in your current fitness level. The goal is to build it up as you go. So judge your workout not by the quantity, but the quality and revel in what you have accomplished rather than what you can't.

Another thing I found encouraging for me was to do a "total weight moved" calculation after my workouts. There was something gratifying to knowing that I moved 400 pounds in my first workout (even if it was only ten pounds at a time). And in a relatively short time I have moved up to nearly 15,000 per workout and setting goals to surpass 20,000 in the future (responsibly). (#sets X #reps X Weight).

Good luck as you begin and be proud of each accomplishment.

lilRicki

I love New Rules of Lifting for Women...it gives me a purpose when I walk into the gym. I know what I'm doing and where I'm going, plus I know what weights I'm lifting and how to increase them each time. I also really enjoy bodybuilding.com. Don't be fooled by the title, there is a ton of information on there for beginners. I also write down each of my exercises for that day and youtube them to see exactly what I'll be doing. Form is key, if you can't get form, don't max out your weights. Everyone started as a beginner, but it's a lot of fun, and you're in and out of the gym in an hour if you include your cardio. Good Luck!

littlebuddy84

Chalean Extreme is also a great program. I'm currently doing it and I really like it.