Weight lifting--how to start?

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kristinL16
kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I see all of the posts about "heavy lifting" and have friends who post a bunch of stuff that I don't understand...:) I want to start lifting weights but don't know where to start. I need a simple routine and would prefer to use machines to start with since I am more familiar with them. I have 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30. Is that a good place to start or should I just jump in at the gym? Also, how long did it take to see results? Thanks!
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  • vikingdude93
    vikingdude93 Posts: 3
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    A good beginning resource is at http://www.stumptuous.com/category/starting, and http://www.stumptuous.com/basics-of-a-routine
  • cals83
    cals83 Posts: 131
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    30 day shred isn't really weight lifting but if you have never done any sort of strength training, I personally think it is a good place to start. It will give you a good base to work off of and show you proper form / alignment for a lot of what you would find in a heavy lifting routine.
  • blacknivory
    blacknivory Posts: 30 Member
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    You will see a large fan base here for New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROLW) and it has its own group. Have a look at that. I am on stage 3 and really enjoying it. The book is incredibly encouraging and straightforward to use (if you are prepared to study it carefully and plan ahead by reading other posts and getting the workout sheets). I had never lifted weights before and have never been very strong but loving how my body is starting to feel. You will see other people lifting heavy weights but I just start everything with either body weight or light weights and work up gradually. I like the big emphasis on rest and recovery and diet as being the key ingredients for success.
    The best lifting advice I find anywhere generally says to stay away from machines.
  • Gwyn1969
    Gwyn1969 Posts: 181 Member
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    A good beginning resource is at http://www.stumptuous.com/category/starting, and http://www.stumptuous.com/basics-of-a-routine

    ^ this. Stumptous is a fantastic resource.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
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    You will see a large fan base here for New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROLW) and it has its own group. Have a look at that. I am on stage 3 and really enjoying it. The book is incredibly encouraging and straightforward to use (if you are prepared to study it carefully and plan ahead by reading other posts and getting the workout sheets). I had never lifted weights before and have never been very strong but loving how my body is starting to feel. You will see other people lifting heavy weights but I just start everything with either body weight or light weights and work up gradually. I like the big emphasis on rest and recovery and diet as being the key ingredients for success.
    The best lifting advice I find anywhere generally says to stay away from machines.

    While I disagree with some of the information presented in the New Rules book, it's still the best beginner resource for women who want to reap the rewards of heavy lifting. It eliminates the intimidation most women feel by giving them a program and guide built just for them (even though most of it is exactly what a guy should be doing too). And misinformation or no...it's still going to be quite effective.

    As for the rest/recovery/diet...those are the key ingredients for success in any program :). The lifting sets you up for that success, but it's the other three that utilize that input and make something incredible of it!
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    I started Stronglifts 5x5. I like it. It's simple and straight forward.

    You lift 3x a week alternating between workout A and workout B. Each workout has 3 compound (full body) lifts. You do 5 sets of 5 reps for each.

    Workout A - Squats, Bench Press, Rows.
    Workout B - Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift.

    You can google the workout and see what it's all about. If you're unsure about form, talk to a trainer to familiarize yourself or look up youtube videos on proper form.

    There's a thread here for form critique as well (you can browse the videos and/or post your own videos and get feedback: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911984-form-critique-thread-post-your-videos-here:


    ETA: I had no previous weight lifting experience prior to starting the program.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    well jillian michaels isn't heavy lifting. I would just say go to the gym and start. I read a lot on the internet (on here and bodybuilding.com) before I started lifting weights at the gym. I think starting strength or stronglifts is a good place to start.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
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    I started Stronglifts 5x5. I like it. It's simple and straight forward.

    You lift 3x a week alternating between workout A and workout B. Each workout has 3 compound (full body) lifts. You do 5 sets of 5 reps for each.

    Workout A - Squats, Bench Press, Rows.
    Workout B - Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift.

    You can google the workout and see what it's all about. If you're unsure about form, talk to a trainer to familiarize yourself or look up youtube videos on proper form.

    There's a thread here for form critique as well (you can browse the videos and/or post your own videos and get feedback: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911984-form-critique-thread-post-your-videos-here:


    ETA: I had no previous weight lifting experience prior to starting the program.

    For the record I agree completely with this lol. It's just that in my experience women completely ignore me (a man), when I suggest they do a workout that seems to be 'geared towards men'...even though the same exact lifting strategy will work for either gender. This is why I've taken to suggesting the New Rules book. It seems to give women a warm fuzzy feeling that the other programs don't, even though the others in my opinion are superior.
  • ProudArmyWifey8
    ProudArmyWifey8 Posts: 41
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    Bodybuilding.com helped me a lot when I first started
  • Sawjer
    Sawjer Posts: 229 Member
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    Bodybuilding.com helped me a lot when I first started

    Thats what I have used / am using.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
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    I completed New Rules of Lifting for Women. If I was to start all over again, I'd skip it. I found it to be overcomplicated and confusing. And it doesn't give enough info on form. A lot of people like it though. And it did get me off the weight machines and using the free weights. Read the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Look up videos on youtube about lifting form videos on youtube with Mark Rippetoe. I learned sooooo much and this was after I completed NROLFW. Download the free pdf Stronglifts 5 x 5. There's really only about 5 pages of useful info in there, but it's worth it.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/788-women-strength-training
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/824-strength-training
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary (an excellent summary of the program if you can't get through Mehndi's shpeil)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/5469-stronglifts-5x5
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/12869-girls-who-lift-the-guys-who-spot-them-
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/119-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w-
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
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    Kudos for wanting to get started on weights. I believe you will find it rewarding.

    In the last couple of months I have started to do strength training at the gym in an effort to add some weight to my toothpick stature. It was a little bit intimidating for me to get started because some of it was unfamiliar territory or I was over-conscious about how light I would have to start with some of the lifts. I used mostly machines when I was first starting out, but gradually transitioned to mostly free weights and focusing on compound movements. Machines aren't necessarily bad, but the overwhelming consensus seems to be that freeweights will probably give you better results.

    I'd recommend "jumping into" the gym and familiarizing yourself with the freeweight area. I promise that the scariness of that will quickly go away. Start small if you have to. For instance, if you are doing squats, start with just the bar or do them with dumbbells if you need to. For chinups/pullups, a lot of gyms probably have a machine where you can offset your bodyweight. At mine, it's called the "Gravitron."

    I think you will start seeing results very quickly if you are new to it. Just make sure to keep pushing yourself (add some more weight or try to get another repitition the next day you do that lift). I am still basically a newb at weights, but I'm getting stronger, noticing muscle definition/growth, and overall feeling different in a good way.

    I've been reading up a lot on Martin Berkhan's blog, leangains. He has quite a bit of good information on weight training there, and is a huge advocate of squat, deadlift, chin-ups and bench press as the main compound lifts to focus on.

    Have fun!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    I would also review starting strength. Homie knows his game.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    I started Stronglifts 5x5. I like it. It's simple and straight forward.

    You lift 3x a week alternating between workout A and workout B. Each workout has 3 compound (full body) lifts. You do 5 sets of 5 reps for each.

    Workout A - Squats, Bench Press, Rows.
    Workout B - Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift.

    You can google the workout and see what it's all about. If you're unsure about form, talk to a trainer to familiarize yourself or look up youtube videos on proper form.

    There's a thread here for form critique as well (you can browse the videos and/or post your own videos and get feedback: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911984-form-critique-thread-post-your-videos-here:


    ETA: I had no previous weight lifting experience prior to starting the program.

    No lifting experience for me either and I started this program. I did read the NROL4W and well it just seemed to complicated for me. The strong lifts 5 x 5 is simple and easy to follow.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    Get a weight. Lift it up. Set it down. Repeat. Add more mass next time.

    j/k, Starting Strength is totally awesome.
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
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    I started Stronglifts 5x5. I like it. It's simple and straight forward.

    You lift 3x a week alternating between workout A and workout B. Each workout has 3 compound (full body) lifts. You do 5 sets of 5 reps for each.

    Workout A - Squats, Bench Press, Rows.
    Workout B - Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift.

    You can google the workout and see what it's all about. If you're unsure about form, talk to a trainer to familiarize yourself or look up youtube videos on proper form.

    There's a thread here for form critique as well (you can browse the videos and/or post your own videos and get feedback: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911984-form-critique-thread-post-your-videos-here:


    ETA: I had no previous weight lifting experience prior to starting the program.

    For the record I agree completely with this lol. It's just that in my experience women completely ignore me (a man), when I suggest they do a workout that seems to be 'geared towards men'...even though the same exact lifting strategy will work for either gender. This is why I've taken to suggesting the New Rules book. It seems to give women a warm fuzzy feeling that the other programs don't, even though the others in my opinion are superior.

    I've also started Strong Lifts this weekend. Before that I did a workout from scooby i think is the name you can google it. His stuff for women is basic. But I follow the men's workout. I lift heavy.
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member
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    I started StrongLifts, and it was simple and easy. And I did start seeing results within 2-3 weeks. Stronglifts has the benefit of being freely and immediately accessible, so if you want to start now, that's where I'd start.

    But I'd highly recommend picking up Starting Strength. I learned a bunch of things that I was doing wrong from reading that book.
  • jacque930
    jacque930 Posts: 122 Member
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    Bump for later
  • eastonna
    eastonna Posts: 30 Member
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    Bump.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
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    bump

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