Beginning Weight Training

-bump- interested in answer.

btw you look FANTASTIC - i saw your before and now photos and you've done so great! you should be proud! :flowerforyou:

What I do is called the basic 8 (snap fitness is our local gym) your basic generic all over muscle groups. You need to be able to do 10 reps..barely..then you know where your limits are . I get to 8 reps and want to die put i push thru!! I do 3 sets of 10.... Lift that weight for 2 weeks and then go up 5 lbs do that for 2 weeks ect and so on...It sucks believe me ..but its worth it in the end I think.

I've been doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and she mixes in some strength so it is not too bad. You may want to try that.

ive been doing my brothers training and its worked pretty good for me i went from benching not alot to now i bench 155 this is my routine you dont have to use it but it kinda helped get me started
i do all 3 kinds of bench press start out on a weight you can do example.
bench press i do as many sets of 8 with my max weight do as much weight as you can as long as you get 8 reps drop some weight if you cant do 8 then if i only get 2 sets i always do 4 sets so if i only do 2 sets with that weight i drop down 10 pounds and do the other 2 sets then do same with all 3 benchs then i do skull crushers and flys and then lat pull down or military press thats day one

day 2 i do squats then barbell curls ins and outs with dumb bells hammer curls and preacher curls and my bicep workouts also before that i do ab workout regular planks side planks (1 minute flip get all 3 sides) crunches (50) then side crunches (50 each side)

is that clear? probably not i dont use punctuation unless requires for example that last fragment and this sentence explaining it. (people give me crap about my grammar but i know im not punctuating)

*i just started 2 months ago and i noticed i do this routine for 3 weeks take a week of stick to cardio and then im always able to lift more that rest is key to increasing everything

You might want to look at:

http://startingstrength.com/ - Barbell Training
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki - Starting Strength Wiki
http://stronglifts.com/ - More Barbell Training

Both Starting Strength and Strong Lifts are programs comprised of using nothing but a barbell and will give you a full body workout every time. I prefer Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe as he seems to be one of the experts and his book and videos on the subject can teach you how to perform the exercises properly.

Hope this helps.

I basically took myself down to bare weight, just because I've never understood the idea of losing 5 lbs of fat but gaining 5 lbs of muscle, etc. I wanted to start from rock bottom and build myself up. My best advice is find a program from a reputable source. If you're working out at home, make sure your program doesn't include machines. I started with the Men's Health Hard Body Program. It's a bare bones, no nonsense program that takes traditional concepts regarding weight training and explains them step-by step. It's also very versatile in that you can custom-fit it to your lifestyle and schedule. It's also based on the above mentioned rule of doing 3 sets of whatever weight you can lift 6 times. If 6 is too hard, knock the weight back. If you can do it 10 times, advance to the next weight. I love my results and I'm loving my program.

Keep a detailed workout log. It's very motivating to look at what you were able to do 6 months ago vs. what you are capable now.

Keep form, do the exercised correctly, and you can't go wrong.

Good Luck to ya!

The machines at the gym should have directions on them. That's how I learned. Basically you'll want to do 15 reps per set, 3 sets each, unless you want to get bulky, then you do fewer at higher weights (I think that's how it goes). Start with weights that are comfortable, but still a challenge to finish on the last rep of each set.

BTW, that book is available just about anywhere and amazon.com usually has a used copy for next to nothing.

I am in the same boat, I have not lifted weights since HS. I was looking on another website and saw a routine made by Muscle and Fitness Magazine. It's a three month schedule and you can download the pdfs for free. It also comes with a diet section, but I follow the recommendations on here. Here's a link to month one

http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training_program_weight/training/167

weight training may seem like a "waste of time" because there's not always much of a calorie burn for the time spent, but it is well worth it. i think it has been the main reason why i consistently lost weight and a little extra. a strong body has helped my cardio.

you don't have to spend long hours in the gym lifting weights either. i believe compound movements are supposed to be the most effective....a small group of muscles helping out a larger group. do a search on beginning weight training and find something for the machines or weights you have. there's also plenty you can do at home....i push off against my kitchen counter while cooking since i can't do push ups and i will stop and drop and do a several chair dips in a minutes.

all the best

There's not much of an initial calorie burn with resistance training but there's the after-burn effect which happens while at rest. Same thing for HIIT, not much of an initial burn but continues burning fat for up to 36 hours afterward.

Keep doing the pushing off against the counter and as it gets easier move down to a lower level, eventually you'll be able to do full push-ups.