Joining the gym

Mandino788

I'm joining a gym in the very near future. What kind of things should I do to start? I need to build upper body strength and I have back problems that I'm told will get better by gaining core strength.

I also need to lose like 80 pounds.

Plates559

Squats, Bench, Deadlift, Press, Cleans, Dips, Rows, Pullups, Push ups.

mirthfuldragon

Squats, Bench, Deadlift, Press, Cleans, Dips, Rows, Pullups, Push ups.

Lifting heavy is never a bad thing. Check out New Rules of Lifting for Women; there's a MFP group for it too. The word "toned" is a joke; don't be afraid of lifting weights beyond the small 1, 2, and 5lb dumbbells - as a female, unless you are on steroids, you simply don't have the testosterone to build bulk.

Most gyms will give you a free personal training session; save it until after you've wandered around and gotten used to the gym generally, and then use it to focus on specifics. Most gym folks are happy and helpful (or I am, anyway).

What you do also depends on your goals. From your profile, it seems your primary goal is to loose weight, which is great - getting here and getting to the gym is the hardest part. Weight loss is 95% diet. Cardio exercise can help accelerate it, and will make you a fitter person, but cardio alone will not loose the weight. That is not to say cardio is bad - I enjoy it, and if your gym has classes, those can be fun and, importantly, keep you motivated and committed to your goals.

victoriavoodoo

I don't know how limiting your back problems are but I started with 5 minutes cardio on the elliptical to get my heart rate up(worked my way up to 25 in a couple months, but the first day 5 minutes KILLED me) then I would do alternate days of upper body/lower body machines, building up to more reps/slightly higher weights.

Also, nice profile pic. I'm doing a color run next February and can't wait =]

Mandino788

I don't know how limiting your back problems are but I started with 5 minutes cardio on the elliptical to get my heart rate up(worked my way up to 25 in a couple months, but the first day 5 minutes KILLED me) then I would do alternate days of upper body/lower body machines, building up to more reps/slightly higher weights.

Also, nice profile pic. I'm doing a color run next February and can't wait =]

I'm thinking that's how it's going to be for me. I have a bunch of problems in a small area that cause my muscles to spasm when they're stressed. I know It's going to be a slow process but I'm hoping to eventually really "work out" lol

Mandino788

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the input!

PRMinx

I know someone posted about waiting to use your free training session (if you have one) but, personally, I've found it beneficial to use it right away. Your trainer will use that session to show you how to use the machines while working you out, and that may give you confidence to do it on your own. Then, as you get more comfortable, invest in another session to hone in on more specifics.

DavPul

Squats, Bench, Deadlift, Press, Cleans, Dips, Rows, Pullups, Push ups.

that sounds like crossfit

JasonDetwiler

Squats,

Bench,

Deadlift,

Press,

Cleans,

Dips,

Rows,

Pullups,

Push ups.

that sounds like crossfit

There you go, I put in some rest so it's not crossfit anymore.

n0ob

Squats,

Bench,

Deadlift,

Press,

Cleans,

Dips,

Rows,

Pullups,

Push ups.

that sounds like crossfit

There you go, I put in some rest so it's not crossfit anymore.

LOL, and this...