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MyFitnessPal Community

Lifting weights for a TOTAL beginner (stupid questions!)

CodaSammy

Hi, so I'm getting married in 4.5 months. I've already lost some weight with deficit and Couch to 5K, but I'd like to get into lifting. I know that the best things for me are free, very defined programs where I just turn up and do as I'm told (which is why C25K worked so well for me). If there's any room for me to be unsure, or money to spend to be a deterrent, I'll procrastinate and just won't do anything. From googling around, it seems like Stronglifts is what I need? But I can't seem to find any actual program for it, just lots of "Stronglifts is great! Just follow the program! It's so simple!" But... What program?? When I DO find something, it's like this:

Squat 5x5
Benchpress 5x5
Inverted Rows 3xF
Push ups 3xF
Reverse crunch 3x12

And I don't understand what it means

I'm guessing "5x5" means five sets of five reps? But what does "3xF" mean? And what are the actual exercises? If I go into the gym and look at the machines, will I see something that says "Inverted Rows", or do I need to know what those are before I go in? And how do I know how much weight to lift?

Stupid questions!

Basically, I'm a TOTAL beginner and I'm scared and overwhelmed and could use someone to hold my hand!

Replies

FromHereOnOut

F=failure

Those are for barbells, not machines. Which do you want to do: free weights or machines? Start there. Check out exrx.net or jefit.com for the exercise library. exrx.net has an easy-to-use build your program guide.

FromHereOnOut

Basically, I'm a TOTAL beginner and I'm scared and overwhelmed and could use someone to hold my hand!

At least one session with a trainer to set you up would be well worth it.

skinnyinnotime

There's a Stronglifts group on here, it will give you the 2 workouts you need and you can look on youtube for correct form (how to do the exercise properly).

Smashley1947

Start with small weights, I am currently do most of my work out with 5-8 lbs dumbells.
If you can do 15-20 repetitions without being tired and unable to keep form then the weight is too light, if you can barely do 10 then the weight is too heavy.
Some exercises require different weights, I cannot use the same weight for shoulder press that I can for bicep curls, and I am at 5 pushups.

Try to start with 8-15 repetitions 2 or 3 times with 30-60 seconds rest in between sets. Don't forget to warm up and stretch afterwards.

Weights can be picked up fairly cheap at local stores, even thrift shops and classifieds will have them.

I love bodybuilding.com for exercises. you can search for exercises for each body or muscle group with video on how to do it correctly. Just do not get intimidated by the site it is used by a lot of extreme bodybuilders and fitness competitors.

Also check out your local rec centres or fitness centres for bootcamps, conditioning classes, weight training etc.

They usually have a lot of resistance training in them.

I do mostly squats and lunges, dead lifts, pushups and a bunch of arm workouts.

gwhizeh

If your interested in Stronglifts, Youtube Stronglifts 5x5 Both workout A and workout B are done in their entirety in two vids. Very simple program to follow and multiple apps just for it. If that is not what your looking for I would second the suggestion for BB.com.

Go to the forums, workout programs and look for beginner routines. If I were you, Id find a routine you can follow and not "design" your own yet, preferably along the lines of Sronglifts or Allpro Beginners so you can start light and focus on form. Starting weights for Stronglifts is the bar. Sounds like it would be a perfect start from what I understand in your post.

And please don't think they are stupid questions. Questions are asked to seek understanding. Nothing wrong with that!

Good luck!

CodaSammy

Ooh, wow, ok! Thanks so much for all your help!

See, I didn't realise stronglifts was free weights, not machines. I think I'm scared of free weights - machines seem easier because they tell you what to do! But are free weights better? Should I be doing them instead of machines? What's the difference?

AlysonG2

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

I ran across this the other day while looking for weight lifting routines. It's pretty much all you need

running_shoe

Free weights are much better, especially for women because the machines are built for men-sized people. I started in September with New Rules of Lifting For Women. Google that. It's an awesome program. DON'T BE AFRAID!!!

tcjrph

Machine weight lifting is a form of cheating. If you want to make real increases in strength and fitness then free weights are the answer.

Hear is a really good source of free and true weight lifting info, go to
scoobysworkshop.com Scooby does a great job expaining things and giving good ideas. Good Luck.

3laine75

That doesn't look like the Stronglifts programme.

But yes 5x5 is 5 sets of 5 reps and 3xF will be 3 sets to failure.

The Stronglifts programme, like others have said, is for barbell training. Barbell v machine - you train more muscles in a more natural way.

Good news is the programme is free, you just download it/sign up to the site (you will get A LOT of emails BTW.

Of the top of my head though it's,

WORKOUT A
Squats 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5
Dead lifts 5x5

WORKOUT B
Squats 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Barbell rows 5x5

(These might be mixed up but I think that's it.

You do 3 workouts a week alternating A and B starting with the empty bar (plates on for dead lifts and rows though to get the height off the floor) and increase by 2.5kg/5lb EVERY workout.

ETA: don't know how strong you already are but the empty bar was too heavy for me to squat at the start - I used a broomstick and small plates to work up)

hnsaunde

There's a Stronglifts group on here, it will give you the 2 workouts you need and you can look on youtube for correct form (how to do the exercise properly).

One Group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

CodaSammy

OK, so, today I met with a trainer who showed me how to do the moves with proper form.

I... Am dead?

i couldn't walk down the stairs afterwards because my knees were buckling and my thigh muscles literally couldn't support my weight if my knees weren't locked. This was with a very low weight because she knew she was just teaching me form. Also, I actually kind of can't do the moves with proper form because I don't really know how my body works, if you see what I mean. Like, to do squats/deadlifts you have to keep your back straight, not rounded, and I almost literally can't squat low without rounding my back.

The trainer said I need to start with flexibility and balance training with body weight strength exercises and working on the machines until I know how to move my body properly. She says StrongLifts is just too advanced for me.

I don't know. I'm really disappointed and I feel bad about how useless my body is. Has this happened to anyone else? Am I really so far behind or is this normal?

Sorry to bump such an old post but I thought it was better than starting a new one...

JoRocka

It is what it is- get over the fact that you aren't good at something you have never done.

I'm an awful yoddeller (yoodler?)
whatever.
you know why?

because I don't yodel.

I don't sing- I don't yodel. I'm awful at these things because I don't do them.

We live in a society where we think things come quickly- in 5 minute workout sets- in increments of 6 weeks or 90 days.

But these things are skills- and they take months and years to work on and get better.

Don't beat yourself up. Seriously. It's impossible to be good at something you've never done.

But here's the good news.
1.)You know that lifting is something you want to do. (YAY)
2.) You started learning the form.
3.) you have some super supportive people and some great research tools at hand.
4.) just takes practice and anyone can do it.
5.) The soreness (DOMS) eventually stops getting so bad- I promise!

So- google google google- youtube away- starting strength- strong lifts- strong curves- new rules of lifting- all excellent options.

now....

stretch- drink lots of water

and go forth and be fabulous!!!

hearthemelody

OK, so, today I met with a trainer who showed me how to do the moves with proper form.

I... Am dead? i couldn't walk down the stairs afterwards because my knees were buckling and my thigh muscles literally couldn't support my weight if my knees weren't locked. This was with a very low weight because she knew she was just teaching me form. Also, I actually kind of can't do the moves with proper form because I don't really know how my body works, if you see what I mean. Like, to do squats/deadlifts you have to keep your back straight, not rounded, and I almost literally can't squat low without rounding my back.

The trainer said I need to start with flexibility and balance training with body weight strength exercises and working on the machines until I know how to move my body properly. She says StrongLifts is just too advanced for me.

I don't know. I'm really disappointed and I feel bad about how useless my body is. Has this happened to anyone else? Am I really so far behind or is this normal?

Sorry to bump such an old post but I thought it was better than starting a new one...

Your trainer is an idiot

What weights did she start you at? For me I started with a standard size bar, which is only 18 lbs. Now I am going up 5lbs at a time.

It is okay to feel sore, but I am betting she has no idea what she is doing if she thinks STRONGLIFTS is too hard for you.

JoRocka

not necessarily.

For someone who has never done ANYTHING like that before- even the movement with a plastic bar can cause quality DOMS.

that being said- there are people who have tremendous form issues that need to be addressed before an actual lift program can commence.

It took 4 months to get one woman to get her to be able to understand and do a proper body weight squat- her body just was so unfamiliar and she had NO conscious awareness of her body. You say flat back and she would arch her tail bone under and cat back. It was mystifying. But not everyone starts capable of doing even a body weight squat.

That being said- working toward form issues with balance/flexibility can be part of working on strong lifts- even if it's like I said- with a PVC pipe.

DrMAvDPhD

The great thing about the internet is that there is a youtube of almost everything. If you are worried that you don't know what a lift description means, you can probably find a video and study the form before you ever have to go to the gym.

FromHereOnOut

I don't know. I'm really disappointed and I feel bad about how useless my body is. Has this happened to anyone else? Am I really so far behind or is this normal?

DON'T be disappointed! I can say with certainty that when I first started my new fitness lifestyle, I would've hurt myself if I had attempted SL. I started with 30 Day Shred, then Ripped in 30, then Fitness Blender, then I tried little bits of everything from youtube. Then I did an easy at-home program with a barbell. When I realized that the weights were going to be too loud in our tiny apartment (with kids sleeping in the next room), I searched for a gym to start SL. Most gyms didn't have OlyBars or an adequate weight section (for example, one of them had a weight section with a glass floor! Can you imagine that! It was more of a spa than a gym.) I finally found the only adequate gym and guess what....every guy in 3 neighborhoods had come to the same conclusion as me. So the tiny little weight section of the gym is absolutely packed and I just can't be dealing with that (I should also mention that I live in a foreign country and don't speak the language, so...yeah). So, I was disappointed for awhile and at a standstill wondering what to do. Finally, I just sucked it up and started on the machines. And guess what...I love it! I mean, I will still do SL, at some point in the future (I'm thinking in the Summer when the gym slows, or else wait til my daughter begins school so I can go in the non-peak hours), but for right now, I'm using strength-building loads/reps on the machines and it goes really quickly and I can tell that I'm making progress. I'll have much more confidence when I finally do start SL, I'll know the gym and the regular faces there by then. I think it's a great solution. And obviously....it's a whole lot better than doing nothing! Good for you seeing the trainer and getting started. There's no need to feel disappointed for something that is simply "delayed". It'll come with time. I think you're doing great.

hilts1969

not necessarily.

For someone who has never done ANYTHING like that before- even the movement with a plastic bar can cause quality DOMS.

that being said- there are people who have tremendous form issues that need to be addressed before an actual lift program can commence.

It took 4 months to get one woman to get her to be able to understand and do a proper body weight squat- her body just was so unfamiliar and she had NO conscious awareness of her body. You say flat back and she would arch her tail bone under and cat back. It was mystifying. But not everyone starts capable of doing even a body weight squat.

That being said- working toward form issues with balance/flexibility can be part of working on strong lifts- even if it's like I said- with a PVC pipe.

It took 4 months for her to learn how to keep a straight back? how does she get out of bed in a morning?

FromHereOnOut

One suggestion though....give yourself a deadline. I suspect that you could conquer preliminary strength and practicing form easily within 2 or 3 months (but of course, I don't know exactly from where you are starting). During that time, you can also study the SL report and form videos, etc. But pick a date to start. There are alot of trainers out there who are unfamiliar with free weight lifting. When I first visited the gym, the trainer who came to show me around wanted to show me the treadmills and aerobics room and when I finally got through to her that I want to use weights, she set me up with a trainer who was more familiar with that sort of thing to determine if the gym would have all the equipment that I needed (they didn't have a power rack, so I was worried about that). If you happened to get one of those "mainstream" trainers, she may try to keep you in the mainstream stuff, so mark your calendar with a date that you will actually begin SL and work towards that date and stick to it (change trainers if you have to, or just educate yourself and start).

archaichoney

Something I wish I had discovered when I first started lifting was this: http://www.davedraper.com He's got great info and some really great routines. His book Brother Iron Sister Steel will uncomplicate everything for you.

Good luck!

cwolfman13

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

This is their website...everything is there. Download the program...follow the program. You will want to watch some video for proper form...a couple sessions with a trainer wouldn't hurt either. You're not going to start off with a bunch of heavy weight...you'll start off pretty light just to work form and then you progressively add weight. It seems easy at first, and it is...it's designed that way...you learn form first and then get your smaller muscles a little conditioned before you start adding a bunch of weight to tax your big muscles.

CodaSammy

You are all AWESOME and I feel loads better. Thank you! I'll keep at it.

Mainly, I wanted to lift to burn body fat for my wedding which is in 4 months, so the delay is hard. But, I already lost more than half a stone and dropped a dress size. If I got married looking exactly as I do, I'd still be happy. So I guess I should just focus on doing something good for my body

pavrg

Some additional things:

1) Stronglifts kind of assumes the guy following it is going to add accessory exercises. The guy writing it is a man and he knows men will want to do curls no matter what he tells them, so it's kind of hard to follow a program exactly when it was meant to be added onto. Personally, if I were to start with just SL I would add pullups to day B and dips to day A. But if you do a quick read through BB.com you'll find that a lot of the people on there actually advocate starting out with a split.

2) Stronglifts is not 'too advanced' and you should demand your money back with any trainer who wants to put you onto machines over free weights. Most weight machines restrict your natural motion. Squatting on a smith machine, for example, is downright dangerous for your knees. Starting with a 10 lb plastic bar for squats or bench press so that you can master the form is one thing, ditching squats in favor of leg press machine or bench press for the push press machine is another.

3) The soreness is natural and will go away as you keep doing workouts. DO NOT SKIP WORKOUTS BECAUSE YOU ARE SORE. Just do a proper warmup and you'll find the soreness goes away once your body realizes it needs to do work.

JoRocka

not necessarily.

For someone who has never done ANYTHING like that before- even the movement with a plastic bar can cause quality DOMS.

that being said- there are people who have tremendous form issues that need to be addressed before an actual lift program can commence.

It took 4 months to get one woman to get her to be able to understand and do a proper body weight squat- her body just was so unfamiliar and she had NO conscious awareness of her body. You say flat back and she would arch her tail bone under and cat back. It was mystifying. But not everyone starts capable of doing even a body weight squat.

That being said- working toward form issues with balance/flexibility can be part of working on strong lifts- even if it's like I said- with a PVC pipe.

It took 4 months for her to learn how to keep a straight back? how does she get out of bed in a morning?

when she sat down- she wanted to curl her chest and her tail bone together.

When you only work on something once or twice a week- and you have a rounded spine- yeah.

I was super proud of her when she finally figured out how to tilt her pelvis backwards- she could do it doing somethings and not others- the concept that her pelvis could tip forward and back was like... completely foreign.

I was less concerned with how she got out of bed- and more concerned with how the *kitten* she ever had sex. seriously. oh well- she got there- just took a while.

hilts1969

not necessarily.

For someone who has never done ANYTHING like that before- even the movement with a plastic bar can cause quality DOMS.

that being said- there are people who have tremendous form issues that need to be addressed before an actual lift program can commence.

It took 4 months to get one woman to get her to be able to understand and do a proper body weight squat- her body just was so unfamiliar and she had NO conscious awareness of her body. You say flat back and she would arch her tail bone under and cat back. It was mystifying. But not everyone starts capable of doing even a body weight squat.

That being said- working toward form issues with balance/flexibility can be part of working on strong lifts- even if it's like I said- with a PVC pipe.

It took 4 months for her to learn how to keep a straight back? how does she get out of bed in a morning?

when she sat down- she wanted to curl her chest and her tail bone together.

When you only work on something once or twice a week- and you have a rounded spine- yeah.

I was super proud of her when she finally figured out how to tilt her pelvis backwards- she could do it doing somethings and not others- the concept that her pelvis could tip forward and back was like... completely foreign.

I was less concerned with how she got out of bed- and more concerned with how the *kitten* she ever had sex. seriously. oh well- she got there- just took a while.

Do not give this woman a rubik's cube