Ladies - Strength Training - Where To Start?

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angelfish257
angelfish257 Posts: 81 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all, Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you had a good one :happy:

I have been looking at ways of changing up my fitness training in 2014 and am really interested in working on strength training, but have no clear idea on how to start - so I'm putting this out there and hoping some of you will be able to pass on some ideas and recommendations!

I've read lots of posts about strength training, doing deadlifts etc, different workout schedules - and it all sounds great, some of the progress pics have been amazing! My questions are as follows:

- are there any dedicated books specifically for beginners that would be good user guides to get me started?
- am I best to work with a trainer, at least initially till I get the hang of things? If so, can anyone recommend a trainer/gym where I can work on a dedicated strength training plan (I live in southside of Glasgow, scotland)

I currently workout at home using a variety of different DVDs with my hand weights (mainly Jillian Michaels HIIT stuff like 30DS and RI30, but also some Davina McCall) and also use a fitbit to try to hit at least 10,000 steps every day

Replies

  • glreim21
    glreim21 Posts: 206 Member
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    Read a The New Rules of Lifting for Women, even if you don't want to follow the program (although I don't know why you wouldn't:)), it will teach you how to go about it. Great for a newbie!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I'm a big fan of this program:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

    But yes, I'd also recommend reading New Rules.
  • mumof5
    mumof5 Posts: 328 Member
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    new rules of lifting is a great start as is eatmore2weighless. Dont be afraid to look up bodybuilding.com - ignore all the beefed up men on the home page, loads of great advice, workouts and diet ideas.
    i would advise you to use a trainer for at least the first couple of workouts. FORM IS EVERYTHING!! dont sacrafice form for weight.

    EAT, LIFT AND BE MERRY ;)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Read a The New Rules of Lifting for Women, even if you don't want to follow the program (although I don't know why you wouldn't:)), it will teach you how to go about it. Great for a newbie!
    +1
    I personally don't think stronglifts5x5 is a good place to start for someone with no real experience with free weights, and no one to teach them.
    NRoLfW has good solid advice.
  • brightblueskie
    brightblueskie Posts: 10
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    I started with NROLFW too and it was really helpful! I think some of their diet advice is iffy (I'm not a fan of fake food shakes and things) but the workouts were excellent and I've done it a few times through, including to get in shape for my wedding. The other thing I'm doing now is the Nike Training Club app on my phone. They're really effective workouts and the app does the thinking for you - it tells you what exercise to do, how to do it, and how long.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
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    Stronglifts 5x5 is the program I want to switch to. I am currently doing 5x a week split routine that I put together and learn on my own from bodyspace.com, YouTube and other sources.

    New rules of lifting for women are supposed to be very educational, however the routines are said to be unnecessarily complicated. Can't say for sure as I haven't tried. Starting strength would be a good starting point as Well.
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
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    I also want to get into strength this year. Thanks for the ideas everyone.
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Stronglifts 5x5 is the program I want to switch to. I am currently doing 5x a week split routine that I put together and learn on my own from bodyspace.com, YouTube and other sources.

    New rules of lifting for women are supposed to be very educational, however the routines are said to be unnecessarily complicated. Can't say for sure as I haven't tried. Starting strength would be a good starting point as Well.

    ^^agreed. I bought NROLFW, and didn't like the tone of the book. I also bought Starting Strength and although I'm still reading it, I like it much better. It's very technical in explaining the forms, which is perfect. The plan is a little random, sets-wise, so I'm considering doing Strong Lifts 5x5, using SS as my technical reference. Good luck to you!
  • thisgirlwantstoliftheavy
    thisgirlwantstoliftheavy Posts: 11
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    Stronglifts 5x5 is the program I want to switch to. I am currently doing 5x a week split routine that I put together and learn on my own from bodyspace.com, YouTube and other sources.

    New rules of lifting for women are supposed to be very educational, however the routines are said to be unnecessarily complicated. Can't say for sure as I haven't tried. Starting strength would be a good starting point as Well.

    ^^agreed. I bought NROLFW, and didn't like the tone of the book. I also bought Starting Strength and although I'm still reading it, I like it much better. It's very technical in explaining the forms, which is perfect. The plan is a little random, sets-wise, so I'm considering doing Strong Lifts 5x5, using SS as my technical reference. Good luck to you!

    Thanks!
  • nccarolb
    nccarolb Posts: 858 Member
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    Thanks for asking this question, OP! I, too, want to begin using weights more and am trying to figure out where to start and what equipment I need.
  • angelfish257
    angelfish257 Posts: 81 Member
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    wow, thanks everyone for getting back to me so quickly! Some great ideas and suggestions, I will go look up the suggested reads on Amazon and take it from there :)

    any other ides/suggestions keep them coming - I will check this thread again tomorrow but for now, I'm off to bed! :yawn:
  • evolutionbyariana
    evolutionbyariana Posts: 60 Member
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    I agree with the above comments: Stronglifts may not be the best start, but definitely an effective program once you've been at it for a little while! And I really enjoyed reading NROLW, but again, it can become quite complicated as the stages progress. Which is fine, but not necessary!

    Bodybuilding.com was where I started out. I did Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer and absolutely loved it! I also sell 4-week training programs for $10; I release a new one each month and they have everyone from exercises to number of sets to number of reps laid out, and there's a guide for cardio as well! If you're interested send me a message! But for free options Bodybuilding.com is my top pick :)

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