I want to start doing heavy weights, but I hate the gym!

Check out TRX at www.trxtraining.com

You need that and your body weight.

I got a cheap (around a hundred bucks) bench and barbell set from Sears. For most guys, it wouldn't do but for me, that 80 pounds will be enough to keep me going for a while. I'm not looking to become a power lifter or fitness model. I just want to maintain what I have. When the weights I have are no longer a challenge, and I have more money, I'll get better equipment.

I hated going to the gym. (Planet Fitness) It wasn't conveniently located - I live between two locations, and it takes about a half hour to get to either one - and it didn't have free weights other than dumbbells. I hate doing indoor cardio... I'd rather run in the rain or snow than on a treadmill. I was paying $20 a month for the black card so my husband could go with me. But like I said, I hated going. I'd go maybe twice a week at most. I now lift every other day, because it's a lot easier to "commute" upstairs than drive a half hour each way. And in five months, this set will have "paid for itself."

Should I check walmart or somewhere like that for those things?

No.

A sports store, or amazon. Expect to spend about $1300 for everything in general.

You don't need a $700 barbell, but you don't want a $150 one either.

Why? Not being sarcastic, I'm serious. Whats the difference for those of us still new to this?

Quality. Cheap ones bend.

Ah. Thank you.

I have a pullup bar and a couple hand weights, that's all the equipment I need.

Bodyweight exercises provide plenty of resistance as long as you progressively decrease the leverage.

Take for example the pushup, the bodyweight equivalent of the bench press.

Wall pushups -> knee pushups -> standard pushups -> diamond pushups / feet elevated pushups -> one arm emphasized pushups -> incline one arm pushups -> wide stance one arm pushups -> close stance one arm pushups / pseudo planche puhups -> feet elevated one arm pushups / tuck planche puhups -> straddle planche pushups -> full planche pushups

If you are capable of doing a full planche pushup, benching 2x+ your weight is not a problem. I'm not aware of a female ever being strong enough to hold a full planche, let alone strong enough to do pushups while in the postion.

Should I check walmart or somewhere like that for those things?

No.

A sports store, or amazon. Expect to spend about $1300 for everything in general.

You don't need a $700 barbell, but you don't want a $150 one either.

This is why I've been skipping over this question all day. This is the equipment you need; it's expensive, takes a lot of space, and dangerous to use alone if you are not 100% sure of how to use it safely.

In other words, you need to join a gym. You don't have to stay the rest of your life, just long enough to be sure lifting is something you're ready to commit to, spend money on, and set aside home space for. Better to spend $40 a month for 6 mos to a year than write a fat check for a new place to hang your laundry. You hate the gym, but I'd bet you'd hate blowing $1500 even more. Especially on equipment you have no idea how to use.

Baby steps. Join a gym. Get some training. Develop a routine that suits your goals. Then spend a ****load of money.

This pretty much sums it up. You can start exercising with your dumbbells and body weight at home until you feel more confident, but just get into a gym if you want to start doing proper heavy lifting.

I got most of my stuff off craigslist and from Play it Again Sports. I have less than $300 in the whole rig. It's an adjustable bench, a separate rack that adjusts up to use as a squat rack (it's holding the weight I'm currently using just fine but probably won't for too much longer - a cage is definitely in my future but we're in the process of moving so it will have to wait for that), an olympic bar and weights adding up to 320 pounds. I've only put 235 pounds on the bar so far and it hasn't bent so I think I'm good for a while. I can add more weight to this over time if I need to and it's right there on my back porch to use whenever I want.

I used to do a lot of lifting in a gym years ago so already had a good idea of form and how things should feel. I would definitely recommend knowing what you're doing before building a gym and doing a bunch of weightlifting at your house.

I am still too weak to even do a "Real Pushup" so I don't imagine I'll be doing bench pressing any time soon!

I found bench presses to be much easier than push-ups at first (when I started with the empty bar weight of 45lbs). I'm a pretty heavy guy, though; not sure how different the experience would be for you, with a lower body weight.

I am still too weak to even do a "Real Pushup" so I don't imagine I'll be doing bench pressing any time soon!

I found bench presses to be much easier than push-ups at first (when I started with the empty bar weight of 45lbs). I'm a pretty heavy guy, though; not sure how different the experience would be for you, with a lower body weight.

Generally speaking, a real push-up is roughly 1/2 your bodyweight. So take that for what it's worth. I found once I could bench half of my weight comfortably I could do roughly the same reps as push-ups instead (maybe one or two less).

If you do a pushup with yoru hands on a scale, typically you will find that a pushup is about 2/3 bodyweight.

Does depend on weight distribution a bit though, where your center of mass is.

Nobody really likes the gym do they? It's hot and it smells funny. Not to mention it's full of meatheads. At least where I work out most people mind their own business. Maybe you should look into seeing if there is a woman only gym near you. What exactly do you hate about the gym?

LOL, what is it with the "meatheads" term being thrown around? We're going to the gym to try to burn fat, gain muscle, get fit, however you want to phrase it. Why throw some negative term at people who have already accomplished those things? I'd LOVE to be in a position where someone looked at me and said, "God, what a meathead."