new rules of weight lifting for women need advise

reneelee
reneelee Posts: 877 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Bought the New Rulse of Weight Lifting for Women on line two weeks ago. Just got to the lifting part of the book last night. Does anyone follow the book? I need to join a gym going to look at Anytime Fitness and Planet Fitness. Would you recommend I get a trainer?

Replies

  • ritmeyer
    ritmeyer Posts: 136 Member
    There is a NROWL4W group here. I just started my 4th week and have scoured that group for all my answers. It's an awesome program so far!!!
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
    A lot of us follow the book-- there's a group for it!

    I have a Planet Fitness membership and it's really not enough. They don't encourage the type of weightlifting you do in the book and they don't have the correct equipment-- they don't even have a step for lunges. Some workouts I can do there no problem, some workouts I have to substitute 2 or 3 exercises. Not ideal. Your location may be different.

    Not sure about Anytime Fitness.

    The things to look for are lots of barbell areas, that's a good clue that the gym will work. If you go up and ask, "Where do I do barbell dead lifts?", and they show you to a machine with pulleys or a Smith machine (just ask if it's called a Smith machine, I can't describe it hehe), the gym isn't ideal.

    Good luck!

    Edit to add: it wouldn't hurt to hire a trainer for a few weeks or so, especially if you really overwhelmed. Once you know the exercises, you can do it by yourself.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    yep, you need a good gym to do this...hence the reason why I'm going back to my "old" gym, because they have 3 weights areas and more cardio machines and open floor space then I could ever imagine. But personal trainer? no. I made a chart with pictures of each exercise so I knew what I was doing, and youtubed the exercise to make sure I was doing it right. You'll be fine, if you know how to squat, you're half way there ;)
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    Ritmeyer thank you for the group info, Poly thnk you for the barbell dead lift question, Lilricki Thank you for the chart idea and looking on youtube. You all rock!
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    From the locations that I have seen, Anytime fitness is convient but MUCH SMALLER then Planet Fitness.
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    bump to come back and read.
  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
    Planet Fitness only has the basics. It's a cheaper gym than most, but there's a lot of equipment that it doesn't have.
  • Fabnover40Kat
    Fabnover40Kat Posts: 300 Member
    bump Im wondering the same thing ready to finally join a gym but I dont know what Im doing!
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    Just make sure they have the equipment you need (squat racks) before you join up. I joined a Planet Fitness and they didn't have any olympic lifting bars, everything was on a machine.

    a squat rack will typically look something like this:

    squat_rack.jpg

    Smith machines, the one you want to avoid, look like this:

    523l.jpg

    Notice the rails the bar is on. You do *not* want this.

    It would be advisable to maybe have one or two sessions with a trainer to help you learn the correct form. Most decent gyms will offer this for free since it's in their interest to make sure their members don't hurt themselves.
  • ladytinkerbell99
    ladytinkerbell99 Posts: 970 Member
    bump
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Just make sure they have the equipment you need (squat racks) before you join up. I joined a Planet Fitness and they didn't have any olympic lifting bars, everything was on a machine.

    a squat rack will typically look something like this:

    squat_rack.jpg

    Smith machines, the one you want to avoid, look like this:

    523l.jpg

    Notice the rails the bar is on. You do *not* want this.

    It would be advisable to maybe have one or two sessions with a trainer to help you learn the correct form. Most decent gyms will offer this for free since it's in their interest to make sure their members don't hurt themselves.

    That's a power cage, and that smith appears to also have a squat rack on it.
  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
    and what about us poor folk where Planet Fitness and their equipment is the only option??

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