For the "heavy lifters" ONLY

Dave198lbs

please try to remember that you were once a beginner also.

Most of the people here have never been in a gym and have no idea what a rep is or what a set is and have NO idea that just doing something is SO much more important than doing nothing.

Telling someone who is brand new to getting fit that they must run out and get a full blown olympic set with 45's and a squat rack is just asinine and not doing them any favors.

Telling someone brand new that body weight exercises are a waste of time and they Must start "lifting heavy" and squatting deep is not helping them.

I have exaggerated here a bit, but I hope you know what I mean.

please try and remember that you were once a beginner also.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Gym memberships aren't that expensive.

Amberonamission

Did ya really think this post was helpful? You won't change anyone. All those wasted keys hit. what a shame.

usmcmp

Maybe this would have been better as a PM to the people you are addressing.

victoria4321

I'm not even a beginner and I never bought 45s for my home set. I use 45s at the gym but its easier for me to store 25s 10s and 15s at home.

Dave198lbs

Maybe this would have been better as a PM to the people you are addressing.

ha...all 450 of them?

harlanJEN

IS there a question in there ? I clicked on because I thought someone actually had a QUESTION and needed some help.

Instead a preachy rant ?

ironanimal

Maybe this would have been better as a PM to the people you are addressing.

ha...all 450 of them?

This does seem a bit of a soapbox rant Dave. Usually you're levelheaded, but I don't see how this post helps anyone.

ErinGBragh

please try to remember that you were once a beginner also.

Most of the people here have never been in a gym and have no idea what a rep is or what a set is and have NO idea that just doing something is SO much more important than doing nothing.

Telling someone who is brand new to getting fit that they must run out and get a full blown olympic set with 45's and a squat rack is just asinine and not doing them any favors.

Telling someone brand new that body weight exercises are a waste of time and they Must start "lifting heavy" and squatting deep is not helping them.

I have exaggerated here a bit, but I hope you know what I mean.

please try and remember that you were once a beginner also.

I have a question...if I'm a beginner using lower weights, and I also eat skinny cow ice cream, does that negate my work?

Natihilator

There's also some of us out there who are obese and dreaded the gym, not because we were intimidated or scared, but because we cringed at the thought of getting on an elliptical for an hour or bouncing between the weight machines, not really knowing what to do to keep ourselves engaged and interested - the key to consistent exercise. Heavy lifting made me love the gym again, and I have MFP to thank for that.

SomeoneSomeplace

Gymnasts pretty much exclusively do body weight exercises and take a look at their strength (not to mention balance and flexibility...).

When people say these are a waste of time I roll my eyes. No exercise is a "waste of time" everyone has different things that work for them.

lesliev523

please try to remember that you were once a beginner also.

Most of the people here have never been in a gym and have no idea what a rep is or what a set is and have NO idea that just doing something is SO much more important than doing nothing.

Telling someone who is brand new to getting fit that they must run out and get a full blown olympic set with 45's and a squat rack is just asinine and not doing them any favors.

Telling someone brand new that body weight exercises are a waste of time and they Must start "lifting heavy" and squatting deep is not helping them.

I have exaggerated here a bit, but I hope you know what I mean.

please try and remember that you were once a beginner also.

With over 8000 posts on MFP, I think you are trolling..... get a life.

AllTehBeers

There's also some of us out there who are obese and dreaded the gym, not because we were intimidated or scared, but because we cringed at the thought of getting on an elliptical for an hour or bouncing between the weight machines, not really knowing what to do to keep ourselves engaged and interested - the key to consistent exercise. Heavy lifting made me love the gym again, and I have MFP to thank for that.

I like this. I tried walking on the dreaded 'mill for what seemed like forever. Even watching tv, it bored the hell out of me. I had to come to terms with the fact that I hate exercise. I go for short, heavy bursts and get that crap overwith.

LittleMiss_WillLoseIt

There's also some of us out there who are obese and dreaded the gym, not because we were intimidated or scared, but because we cringed at the thought of getting on an elliptical for an hour or bouncing between the weight machines, not really knowing what to do to keep ourselves engaged and interested - the key to consistent exercise. Heavy lifting made me love the gym again, and I have MFP to thank for that.

I absolutely love heavy lifting!! I understand what the OP's point but it's really not going to help anyone. Instead of the rant maybe you should post a topic for beginning weight litters.. just saying.

LorinaLynn

I love lifting heavy and what it's done for me, but it took babysteps to get there.

When I joined here, I just wanted to be fit enough to run a 5k. That's it. I didn't put any thought at all into weight lifting or any other exercise. But the in-laws bought us EA Sports Active 2 for the PS3, and I started using that, with resistance bands at first. Then realized they didn't do much, so I switched to 2 pound dumbbells, then realized they didn't do much either, and bought 5 pound dumbbells. And I was really happy with my progress doing just that... it made me fit enough to pull myself over the Great Warrior Wall climbing a rope in the Warrior Dash. That's when I thought, "Hey, if I could do everything I've done so far, what MORE could I accomplish?"

And that's when I started my love affair with heavy lifting. And even then, it was just with machines at the gym. It wasn't until after I was doing that for a year that I started on free weights. And I still don't own or use an OLY bar or 45# plates or a power rack, but I'm able to bench 75% of my weight and squat 1.2x my weight. And for a 40 year old woman who had no interest at all in exercise, that's pretty damn cool.

So, yeah... while I want to scream the "heavy lifting is awesome" message from the rooftops, I also know that it's kind of like doing meth. You gotta start with the gateway drugs first.

knk1553

I wish someone had taken the time to tell me 5 years ago to not spend hours doing cardio and curling 8lb dumb bells a million times and to pick up something heavy and that I would gain the body I wanted quicker. I don't 99.9% of them are rude, people ask advice and they give it, non sugar coated.

On that note if most people used the search function in the forums or hell, even google, then maybe they would stop asking the same question over, and over, and over again.

I also agree with the statement that maybe you should have talked personally to the person you were addressing this at, pretty childish to attack them in a forum post.

Dave198lbs

I also agree with the statement that maybe you should have talked personally to the person you were addressing this at, pretty childish to attack them in a forum post.

this is addressed to all the heavy lifters who have forgotten they were once beginners...not just one or three people

GiddyupTim

I appreciate the sentiment, Dave. You're right. Snarky is appropriate and funny . . . . sometimes.
Thanks for trying.

Dave198lbs

I appreciate the sentiment, Dave. You're right. Snarky is appropriate and funny . . . . sometimes.
Thanks for trying.

thanks

The funny thing is, I guess, is that I am also an advocate of heavy lifting.

I am also a proponent of body weight exercises,....... pistol squats and diamond push ups and pull ups will always be a challenge and a good work out when weights are not available.

I also believe that the 30 DS is very beneficial as well as P90X.

The responses to this thread have been helpful to me. .... I have also been guilty of small minded meanness and not really seeing what a poster is saying but being more involved in what I wanted to say. Whether to impress some other person or just be an insensitve jerk. I need to change that.

I need to remember that I was also once a beginner who didnt have a clue and that the new people here deserve a break and that they are not a member of the clique and are just trying to belong.

This thread reminds me that I am part of the problem.

Merry Christmas and just keep doing something for yourself and dont worry if you aren't meeting the expectations of those of us that are no longer beginners.

LittleMiss_WillLoseIt

I appreciate the sentiment, Dave. You're right. Snarky is appropriate and funny . . . . sometimes.
Thanks for trying.

thanks

The funny thing is, I guess, is that I am also an advocate of heavy lifting.

I am also a proponent of body weight exercises,....... pistol squats and diamond push ups and pull ups will always be a challenge and a good work out when weights are not available.

I also believe that the 30 DS is very beneficial as well as P90X.

The responses to this thread have been helpful to me. .... I have also been guilty of small minded meanness and not really seeing what a poster is saying but being more involved in what I wanted to say. Whether to impress some other person or just be an insensitve jerk. I need to change that.

I need to remember that I was also once a beginner who didnt have a clue and that the new people here deserve a break and that they are not a member of the clique and are just trying to belong.

This thread reminds me that I am part of the problem.

Merry Christmas and just keep doing something for yourself and dont worry if you aren't meeting the expectations of those of us that are no longer beginners.

I understand what you were trying to say because I agree just thought maybe coming up with some information for beginners that would benefit them, ya know?

Merry Christmas to you also!!

wellbert

Yes. It's absolutely perfectly fine for someone to start with an empty olympic barbell (45lbs) or even use a lighter (20-30lbs) fixed weight barbell for things like bench and overhead press.

Speaking of compound moves.

I think what a lot of people here forget too is that when weights are mentioned, it doesn't mean the poster is looking to actually do weight training/strength training.

Though, I think it's also helpful to post alternatives.

I wish, years ago, when I talked about hopping around on machines and using 15lb dumbells to do power90 that someone would have stopped and said "Bro. Why don't you just do Starting Strength and get stronger in 1 month than this program will get you... ever... by ****ing around with those dumbbells?"

GiddyupTim

Yes. Nobody starts at the top. I am a runner mostly, and when I first started I could run about two blocks. If somebody had told me, 'you need to run a 26-mile marathon' I never would have developed the ability to actually run a marathon. You have to develop the habit. Then it becomes fun. Then you want to push yourself, and work harder -- and squat, and crank out deadlifts that strain your hands and turn your face red, and bench, etc.
It is odd how some of the smarta$$ people here will tell people to get over their self-consciousness and march into the weight area at the gym, but ridicule that same person if they ask a noobish question and have unfounded, preconceived notions.
Funny is funny. But remember we're all here to be helped and there is no shame in showing a little patience and generosity.

dunlunicor

It's also helpful for us new-to-fitness people to remember that the people on here are just strangers on the internet. If I ask a (maybe stupid) question and a bunch of people act like unhelpful douchecanons, I try to just scroll right over their posts to look for the helpful answers. Getting offended or discouraged by people who just want to add something snarky to the conversation to feel superior takes up too much time.

Example, today, I realized I didn't know the difference between a weighted squat and a deadlift. Did a quick Google search, didn't find much of anything helpful, so I asked. Yeah, a few people were like, "What's wrong with you?", acted like I must be stupid, or were just generally rude, but others explained, and I got the answer to my question. If I had gotten caught up in the snarkiness in a few of the replies, I probably would have just given up on the topic.

It would be nice if everyone were helpful to the beginners, but there will always be those few who just feel like if you aren't at their level, you aren't good enough. Fortunately, those people aren't the majority, and with a thick enough skin, you can just ignore them.

nexangelus

I do remember I was a beginner once, I also remember how much research I did...to get to where I am today. How much experimentation, how many questions I asked real people in real life IN THE GYM.

I think some people on here are lazy and that is what gets my goat. Yes, I do admit snarkiness and even sarcasm and even telling it like it is.

I guess I am more prepared to help those who are going through what I did with regards to food, rather than things that one can so easily obtain on the net. Where to start? Where we all started, at the beginning. I suppose I am also more willing to help those that are already helping themselves with regards to health, fitness and food and not asking the same old questions that pop up all the time. Impatient? Yes...

docktorfokse

I don't get this. The things you mentioned aren't that hard to either figure out or find within thirty seconds of googling, and no one's saying that every beginner MUST lift heavy. Still, if they have a certain goal best attained by lifting heavy, them being a beginner doesn't change the fact that lifting heavy is best for them. In a lot of cases, it seems to me that a quick google search would be much more convenient than asking people on this site, and learning how to do your own research is something i think everyone should know how to do, beyond health and fitness.

Dave198lbs

In a lot of cases, it seems to me that a quick google search would be much more convenient than asking people on this site, and learning how to do your own research is something i think everyone should know how to do, beyond health and fitness.

that is certainly true but unfortunately, it is not the MFP reality

Spokez70

doing something is SO much more important than doing nothing.

^^ Should have been the title of this thread.

I see your point- with both exercise and nutrition there are a lot of people in the forums who think their way is the only way.