Any beginner womens weight training guide out there?

daily 2 hrs of workout .one hour of walking n 1hr of gym...I do 30 min cardio running on treadmill, elliptical trainer..dumbell 3kg in one hand ...squarts n lunges...circuit, n some floor exercises... lost 10 kgs in 3 months itself, n of course MFP food diary daily. for motivation keep reading the blogs on mfp...all d best

Guides are great but I'd suggest meeting with a personal trainer as well. Strength training can be extremely intimidating and having incorrect form can often do more harm than good.

bump i've been meaning to ask the same! I'll check this reccomendation out.

For 2 decades, I had been on starvation mode, eating 1200 cal or less a day. I joined MFP last year around October when I was 62 kg. In January, I was advised to eat more (1600 cal). I did and I gained 3 kg. I am not happy about it but I wasn’t exercising much neither, because I injured my neck and needed to recover for 2 months. Since March, I started running or walking 5x a week and burn from 300 to 1000 cal a day. I didn’t lose a gram. Beginning June, I listened advises again and started strength training, calisthenics, circuit training along with 15km running once a week. It is too early to say I have lost weight, but I feel firm and it feels great. I will be interested to read this thread.

i bought the book new rules of lifting for woman and have been doing it for 6 weeks now and LOVE it... i am seeing changes in my body and for the first time in about 2 months i am going to have a lose in weight again. i have been eating between 1400-1600 calories. the basics are all in the program, deadlifts, step ups, squats and lunges i was doing so well on it my husband bought the mens book and he has been doing P90 X for the last year and he loves it.

Bump for later reading

I'm not sure you'll find a 30 day beginner's weight lifting program for women. Most lifting programs go well beyond 30 days. The other thing is that you really don't NEED a women's specific program. If you want one, that's a different story...not necessary, though.

All that stuff aside--there have been a number of great beginner's programs mentioned already in the thread: New Rules of Lifting for Women, Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, All Pro...

You might also check out Nia Shanks' site--she's got a bunch of different programs you could do. They are all aimed at women and I believe are very good for beginners as well.

As someone who's never been overweight, I think it is a bad idea not to weigh oneself at least once a week. If what you're doing is ineffective you'll be three weeks further behind.

I also disagree with the idea of automatically raising one's calories. If you haven't been losing weight it's more likely that you're eating too much and probably more than 1200 calories. A strength training program is a good part of a fitness program, but a woman starting out does not require massive amounts of extra calories. If you're hungry, eat a little more, but be conservative.

I don't understand why you're always trying to advise people who are looking to lose weight and strength train when you say repeatedly that you've never been overweight. From your previous posts all over various lifting threads here, it's pretty clear you aren't experienced in strength training, either....?

As someone who's never been overweight, I think it is a bad idea not to weigh oneself at least once a week. If what you're doing is ineffective you'll be three weeks further behind.

I also disagree with the idea of automatically raising one's calories. If you haven't been losing weight it's more likely that you're eating too much and probably more than 1200 calories. A strength training program is a good part of a fitness program, but a woman starting out does not require massive amounts of extra calories. If you're hungry, eat a little more, but be conservative.

I don't understand why you're always trying to advise people who are looking to lose weight and strength train when you say repeatedly that you've never been overweight. From your previous posts all over various lifting threads here, it's pretty clear you aren't experienced in strength training, either....?

I'm trying to give my perspective. First, I don't have the experience of having been 200 pounds; second, the fact that I have maintained my weight is meaningful. I am knowledgeable about strength training; I may have a different view than you do. Some of my advice is directed at women with specific goals. I keep seeing others repeat the same old answers that in my view and experience are not true.

Many people do find it helpful to hear from someone who had figured out how to maintain her weight. I'm also short and petite and many times the advice provided in the forum is not relevant, in fact ,it would cause women like me to gain weight.

As someone who's never been overweight, I think it is a bad idea not to weigh oneself at least once a week. If what you're doing is ineffective you'll be three weeks further behind.

I also disagree with the idea of automatically raising one's calories. If you haven't been losing weight it's more likely that you're eating too much and probably more than 1200 calories. A strength training program is a good part of a fitness program, but a woman starting out does not require massive amounts of extra calories. If you're hungry, eat a little more, but be conservative.

I don't understand why you're always trying to advise people who are looking to lose weight and strength train when you say repeatedly that you've never been overweight. From your previous posts all over various lifting threads here, it's pretty clear you aren't experienced in strength training, either....?

I'm trying to give my perspective. First, I don't have the experience of having been 200 pounds; second, the fact that I have maintained my weight is meaningful. I am knowledgeable about strength training; I may have a different view than you do. Some of my advice is directed at women with specific goals. I keep seeing others repeat the same old answers that in my view and experience are not true.

Many people do find it helpful to hear from someone who had figured out how to maintain her weight. I'm also short and petite and many times the advice provided in the forum is not relevant, in fact ,it would cause women like me to gain weight.

Sometimes my advice is based on anecdotal evidence, but that's because there aren't any researchers doing clinical, double-blind studies on the particular issues I'm talking about. But I know from my own experience that if I exercised a certain way I would become squat and I recognize the body type that has a propensity for this. I've also cited articles about the training of women who are interested in attaining a certain look and there's no reason for a trainer to lie. If someone who makes his or her living from training models and actresses says that s/he never has them use weights on their lower bodies if they're the least bit hippy because they'll get bigger, why would anyone doubt that?

Too many people here who actually haven't had a lot of successful experience with weight loss and exercise are all too happy to jump in with their recently acquired knowledge and lecture. They don't even understand that the current more bulked-up look is a trend and a preference, which you can emulate or not, but if someone is concerned about getting bigger she should have a choice. They also don't take the time to read my posts. My suggestions are usually directed towards a particular body type when someone asks about the possible effects. I understand that people have different goals and needs. Unfortunately, some on MFP think that everyone is the same.

Don't get me started on the people who rattle on about starvation mode and don't understand that 1200 calories is not a lot of calories but is nowhere near a Very Low Calorie Diet. Or the people who think it matters when you eat, or how many times a day you eat, or who think that fasting in a moderate manner is bad for you...

New Rules of Lifting for Women changed my life without a word of a lie. I love it as a start and then I move to 5x5 on my strength training days