Strength training for women questions

Sincerely, free weights will give you the best results for your time . I do not say that machine are totally useless but I do not recommend them. Personally I get injured when I use the machines. Get the book the new rules of lifting for women (15$) and ask a trainer to show you how to do the routine.

Good luck

This book actually has a detailed strength training routine right? Just want to make sure before I buy the book!

Yes, it should last you about six months if you complete all phases.

Find someone at the new gym that you can trust to go over form with you, very important to lift correctly to avoid injury and have the best results. Just warning you, you may get some weird looks from guys when you use the free weight, if they are not use to seeing women lift in the gym you go to.

Get a trainer/coach to explain the Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Barbell Row, and either Power Clean or Snatch to you. Do 5 sets of 5 reps with each of these lifts every other day, lifting as much weight as you can with good form (the good form is why the trainer is there). When you can do 5 sets of 5 reps with a given weight, increase the weight. If you have a smart phone, record yourself lifting to check your form.

Strength training is not different in any way, shape, or form for men and women. The only difference will be that the amount of weight you can lift as a percentage of your body will be lower for upper body lifts.

If you don't have a trainer at your gym who is familiar with these lifts, I'd recommend spending a lot of time on youtube (search "how to [name of lift]", if you search just the name of lift, you'll find lots of videos of people doing the lifts without any info on technique/form). As always, you should ask a doctor if your body is ready to pick up heavy things.

My best suggestion is to smile and say hi to the bulky guys at the gym. The free weights side of the gym intimidates me, I usually only go over there with the trainer but eventually those sessions are going to run out. Anyway, make friends with the guys who lift, they can give you great pointers and they will be the first to let you know when they see results!! Good luck and I hope you get the body you want!!

Great suggestion. Here are some additional tips.

-Before you talk to a guy (or a girl) lifting free weights, make sure they've finished their set. A lot of folks will do two different exercises back to back, so make sure they're actually stopped and resting before you strike up a conversation.
-When you're looking for someone to ask about an exercise, look for someone who is lifting with good control. If you see them using terrible form, that's not the person to ask!
-Watch videos on Youtube first! I love helping people, but it helps if they have even a basic idea of what's going on.
-The key to differentiating a good lifter from a bad one on most lifts is to look at his or her back. If the spine isn't straight, then this is probably not someone you want advice from.

Oh this is so helpful. I had just decided to go to the library and check out some books. I already looked up the New Rules book and will check it out (and probably buy later but since I'm going to the library anyway...)

Bump

I started off with weighted machines, and did those for about a year with pretty decent results. I moved onto free weights 3 months ago. I am shy and don't want people watching me work out which I why I was so hesitant to use free weights; I didn't want to be in the weight room surrounded by men. I had no training program to follow, I just watched a few ladies for a few weeks and kind of mimicked their routines. I also got a ton of great advice on these boards. It can be intimidating to use free weights, especially when just starting out, but you will see such better results from those vs. weighted machines.