Lifting at Home

pjrbs

My town (pop 40,000) has aerobic and yoga classes at the library and weight loss centres, a men's only gym and ONE rec complex. The rec complex is from the stone ages.
Women do the aqua fit , zumba, dancefit etc and men lift. I ventured in twice to the weight area and got the dirtiest looks, not sure if it was cause I am heavy or a women.

Any way, now that I have lost almost 50 pounds, I want to start toning. Is it possible to purchase and set up the type of weights needed to tone a 53 yr old 5'5" 194 pound women for home use?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

wmagoo27

Certainly it is possible. I would suggest that you research weight training programs, and settle on a program that appeals to you. There are already several threads on this subject. Then design your home gym around the needs of your program. Some programs utilize dumbells, while others do not. No need to buy equipment you won't be using, and you wouldn't want to settle for a program just because it lets you use equipment that you already bought. For instance, if you were to start stronglifts, you would need a bench, barbell with plates, and some kind of power rack or squat rack. A full home gym setup can get expensive, but I would start at Sears or a major sporting good store for the basics.

Maridar

Lifting weights for women or so, a very popular book, try it, the reviews from women were very good.

geebusuk

Is it actually men's only gym or just mostly men use it?
In the UK I've often seen women only gyms, but have never seen a men only one.

I've been to various women-only exercise classes and got some odd looks. But I was there to exercise, not to try and 'fit in'.
Most people are friendly if you give them a bit of time - a mildly thick skin often helps.

So I'd just go along to your rec centre one and ignore them - if they really don't like it, take pleasure in the fact you're making use of what you're entitled to regardless of other people .

Cyclink

I'm a huge fan of my Bowflex adjustable dumbbells for lifting at home, but they are a bit expensive.