Ladies & Weights... How did you start?

1. how do you know what to do each day? I mean - I get the whole "leg day" or arms & back, whatever. But how do i know WHICH exercises to do and how to do them?
2. how do you know you're doing the sets properly (form, etc)?
3. how do i NOT get intimidated with all the muscle-y people taking up the equipment

Thanks so much!

1. For me, I read and started following New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's 2-3 total body lifting sessions/week, laid out very specifically over a 7-stage plan. There's a group here for it too that you might want to check out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w

2. NROLFW includes photographs of 99% of the moves required and specific instructions on how to use proper form on each move.

3. You remember that you're a dues-paying member with as much right to use the equipment as anyone else. You go in, you do the work, you put your weights away when you're done, and you walk away a little stronger than when you went in.

You need to get on a program - I along with many on this board recommend The New Rules of Lifting for Women - it is a great beginner to intermediate program. I've done it twice and have learned a lot and got some good results.

Don't feel intimidated, as long as you have a plan of action and don't wander around the weight room you won't feel that way.

Thanks! I actually bought that book hoping it would help.
but got a bit overwhelmed at the start....
Did you take the book with you to the gym when you first started?? I think Im going to have to --- how else would I remember everything?
aw man, Im gonna be that girl with a "how to" guide... HAHA

I've never taken the whole book with me to the gym. I make a workout log listing the exercises I need to do, in the order I need to do them, with the # of reps, sets, and how long rest to take, then I just fill in the blanks as to how much weight I used. 1 sheet of paper & a pen. That's it.

If I needed to jot down reminders for myself (like in stage 3 for YTWL's which way my hands were supposed to be facing, or something like that, I just jotted down my reminders on the back of the page. Then, before each new stage, I just re-read the descriptions of those moves to refresh my memory too.

"Thanks! I actually bought that book hoping it would help.
but got a bit overwhelmed at the start....
Did you take the book with you to the gym when you first started?? I think Im going to have to --- how else would I remember everything?
aw man, Im gonna be that girl with a "how to" guide... HAHA"
[/quote]

I have the book on my sony reader so I typically practice the moves at home first, and then I only take 1 sheet of paper (front to back) that I can log my weight/reps. I've also made little notes next to each workout with reminders about what it is. However, there are plenty of women who just take the book with them. Honestly people will probably be more intrigued than anything else. I'm always catching guys trying to sneak a glance at my paper if I set it down or straight out ask what program I'm doing. You could always put the info in your phone, plenty of people log workouts and such on their phones nowadays. Once you get in there and get focused you'll forget about feeling intimidated.

Thanks! I actually bought that book hoping it would help.
but got a bit overwhelmed at the start....
Did you take the book with you to the gym when you first started?? I think Im going to have to --- how else would I remember everything?
aw man, Im gonna be that girl with a "how to" guide... HAHA

I'll second (or third, or fourth) NROL4W. Sorry you felt overwhelmed. What part felt overwhelming? As someone who has never lifted before, I thought the book was a really great introduction to lifting, explaining why and how.

I am in Stage 4. I take the book with me every time. Sometimes I need to re-read how to do something. I sometimes see other people writing stuff on pieces of paper also, so it's not uncommon. I like to make notes to myself, so that when I go and do the workout next week, I can remember why I did or didn't increase. No one has said anything, or looked at me weird. And even if they did, I probly wouldn't care. It's my workout, not theirs.

1. how do you know what to do each day? I mean - I get the whole "leg day" or arms & back, whatever. But how do i know WHICH exercises to do and how to do them?
2. how do you know you're doing the sets properly (form, etc)?
3. how do i NOT get intimidated with all the muscle-y people taking up the equipment

Thanks so much!

1. For me, I read and started following New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's 2-3 total body lifting sessions/week, laid out very specifically over a 7-stage plan. There's a group here for it too that you might want to check out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w

2. NROLFW includes photographs of 99% of the moves required and specific instructions on how to use proper form on each move.

3. You remember that you're a dues-paying member with as much right to use the equipment as anyone else. You go in, you do the work, you put your weights away when you're done, and you walk away a little stronger than when you went in.

Thanks! I actually bought that book hoping it would help.
but got a bit overwhelmed at the start....
Did you take the book with you to the gym when you first started?? I think Im going to have to --- how else would I remember everything?
aw man, Im gonna be that girl with a "how to" guide... HAHA

I recommend the NROLFW a lot, and I have the book at home. But I personally wanted something a little simpler, so I'm doing a 5x5 program. 5 sets, 5 reps each. Look up Strong Lifts - they have a good 5x5 program. It makes it easy to get in, get out and get the basics down. They also have an app for the iPhone that makes it really easy.

As far as muscle-y people at the gym, I haven't had to deal with that because I lift at the gym at my workplace. I'm usually the only one there. But I can tell you that most men are thrilled to have a woman in their general vicinity, so I wouldn't worry about it! :laugh:

Any time I see a woman at the gym doing some serious lifting (which is almost never), even if it isn't much weight, I want to clap and say "Bravo!" but I don't, cause that would make me seem like a wierdo...

Only doing workout dvds and not having access to the gym, my only option are hand weights. so I won't be able to do dead lifts or anything like that. right now I'm using 5lbs and it's tough on me during the workouts. possibly getting kettlebells in the future as my next dvd will require them. I'm guessing I should still go heavier even if I'm limited in the workouts? I'm a weakling lol but how much should I lift to see results?

Any time I see a woman at the gym doing some serious lifting (which is almost never), even if it isn't much weight, I want to clap and say "Bravo!" but I don't, cause that would make me seem like a wierdo...

^^ I would have no problem with this Come to my gym, I'll be at the squat rack.

OP: I'm doing NROL4W and love it! The group on here is awesome and will answer all your newbie questions. Once you get a hang of the workout A/workout B, it's pretty straight forward. I find it simpler than something like livefit trainer (bodybuilding.com) because you're not doing 9 different exercises each time you hit the gym. Also, for help on my squats and deadlifts, I went to the Stronglifts website and watched his videos. That was a major help!

Just do it! You'll be so glad you did.

Looks like you got some good advice here on programs to start with. I would start with one of the beginning programs here listed specifically for women. Women's workouts are different. The important thing to remember is that the amount of weight you do is the right amount of weight for YOU, for the given set. You should need the rest in between sets. If you don't need the rest you need to go up in weight. You should be working hard for the last few reps of a set. The amount of weight changes according to the number of reps but most likely the beginner workout won't have you doing low rep / high weight sets. A good program for women will have lots of leg work compared to a mans workout.

I made the mistake for almost 30 years of just doing what the guys did at the gym. Well it didn't hurt me, and I still got a pretty good muscle base for when I started doing a better program last year, and it still gave me awesome bone density. I really wish they had programs like the ones listed here when I was young but we didn't even have the internet then, let alone home computers.

I'm super happy you are starting this. Weight lifting is important for all women (and men). I realized I at least did one thing right by lifting all those years because my recent DXA scan showed that at 51.5 years of age my bone density is that of a super fit 30 year old. Now if that is not scientific evidence that lifting keeps you young and stops the clock I don't know what is. So I'm super happy to see you are starting on this. Yay for you!