New to strength training!

Hey! weight training is AWESOME! You will love it Try looking up "calisthenics for beginners". It looks intense but body weight exercises are so effective and the plus side is you don't need a gym! Many of the programs also offer exercises for you as you get more advanced so there will always be a challenge!
Remember to keep a little bit of cardio in there as well. You say you still want to shed some fat - HIIT (high intensity interval training) is VERY useful when trying to shift fat so be sure to look that up too!

Wishing you all the best!
x

Hi there! I used to do cross fit classes but recently quit to save money and continue to workout at home with weights. I LOVE my kettlebell and recommend one just so you can add variety to your workouts. I bought mine for fairly cheap on Amazon.com (the cheapest iron bell) - it's 25lb. I also have a medicine ball (10lb) and they are fun to use too.

If you are on Pinterest - search for "strength training" or specifics like "kettlebell" and you will find lots of sample workouts you can do from home. I have a lot of workouts pinned and just pick one to do every other day.

Lastly, you don't have to be chained to the dumbbells, kettlbells, etc. You can also use your body weight for strength training with pushups, squats, situps, lunges, etc. Look up "crossfit wods" on Pinterest too for some fun ideas.

Good luck!

Welcome to strength training! 8lbs is a good starting point.

There are a lot of great exercises that you can do with free weights. I divide my workouts each day so I work different muscle groups and give others time to rest and recover. Here are a few examples to get you started:

For each exercise, do 10 reps, rest for a minute, and repeat for a total of 3 sets. Don't overexert yourself. Pay attention to proper form and if in doubt, reference pictures of these exercises online. All movements should be controlled and smooth. If you have difficulty, it doesn't hurt to use lower weights until you build more strength.

Day 1 - Chest and Triceps - Example: Dumbbell flat bench press: lie on your back with your hands just wider than your shoulders, lift weights directly above your shoulders, arms fully extended (there are also incline and decline presses -- the only difference is the angle of your body so it works different parts of your chest), Dumbbell fly: lie on your back with your arms extended, elbows can be slightly bent, lift weights until they meet above you and slowly lower your arms back down. (If you're having a hard time picturing this one, it's like clapping with your entire arms while lying on your back), Triceps extension: standing, hold one weight with both hands, bend your elbows above your ears and straighten your arms (keeping elbows in the same place) to lift the weight over your head. Push-ups are also a great chest/tricep workout.
Day 2 - Back and Biceps - Dumbbell Rows: leaning forward with your torso parallel to the ground, pull the weight up towards you, bending your elbow until the weight is at your side (do one arm at a time, 10x each), Bicep curls: holding the weight, palm upward, pull weight up to your shoulder. (also look up hammer curls, preacher curls and other variations)
Day 3 - Shoulders - Shoulder press: hold weights at your shoulders and push upward over your head, keeping hands shoulder width apart (Also sometimes called a "military press." You can also do this one arm at a time, but I prefer to do both at the same time), Dumbbell raise: standing, with arms at your sides, holding weights with your palms facing behind you, pull arms directly up, bending your elbows like you are lifting the weights up to your armpits, Front dumbbell raise: starting at the same standing position, arms at your sides, palms facing behind you, keeping arms straight and pivoting at your shoulder until your arm is parallel to the ground in front of you (this is a tough one, you may have to drop the weight down if you have trouble keeping good form).
Day 4 - Abs - You may not have to add weights to your ab workouts yet, but if you want to, you should youtube Jillian Michael's ab workout videos since it's easier to understand than trying to type out all of the movements and where your weights should be here.
Day 5 - Legs - Full disclosure - I go to the gym for leg workouts since my home weights aren't heavy enough... BUT... there are great leg workouts with weights that you can do at home, like holding weights at your side while doing squats.
Day 6 - Cardio
Day 7 - Rest

I hope this helps and if you need any more tips, feel free to add me as a friend and send me a message.

Bump

Have fun - - it is a lot of fun. I'm not that good because of the arthritis but baby I try.

Bump for later - I'm in the same boat!

bump

In for the advice.

I am currently doing Chalean Extreme(2-3 days a week, only doing the weight lifting, not cardio videos) and LOVE it!! I asked my bf for adjustable dumbless for xmas this year and he got me the Bowflex adjustable ones that go up to 50 pounds each. They are awesome!!! (and expensive!! $300) However, I won't outgrown them ever, so it is a worthwile investment. I like the advice of others to start with body weight exercises. That's what I did too before I got my weights. I think weight lifting is totally awesome!! Good luck!!

The idea behind strength training is progressive loading (doing more weight with this workout than you did at the prior workout) which is easiest with either dumbells or a barbell, IMO. You won't gain much strength doing the same weight every workout. If you use the same 8 lbs every time, your body will only adapt that far and no further.

As far as programs, strong lifts (stronglifts.com) is very simple and it's free, and a very easy way to get started and something to keep you gaining strength while you're doing more research into the more advanced or complicated stuff. :happy:

Start with a bodyweight program. Stick with it for a couple of months. Make it a part of your life. When you start to outgrow it (you will intuitively know when you are ready to move on from these programs), purchase a power rack online (doesn't need to be new - people are always getting rid of these). Purchase an olympic barbell. Purchase an adjustable bench (one that goes from flat to upright). Purchase either an EZ bar or adjustable dumbbells (preferably both). Purchase some weight plates (rubber or iron, whichever best fits the space you will be working out). Make sure to get clamps for your bars.

That is all the equipment you will ever need. Except to eventually purchase more plates!

Good luck!

Good comments! I have alot to learn!

Just a comment to some of the posters who are saying you need to get heavier and heavier weights or you won't keep getting stronger. That's a bit oversimplified and not quite accurate. You should still build strength as long as you are lifting. If you find your exercises are getting too easy and don't want to buy new weights, you can change the exercises around a bit to make them more difficult. It's not just how much you lift, it's how you lift it.

To give you a real world example... I can curl 40 lbs like it's nothing... yet on another exercise, a mere 10lbs is plenty. Try this if you don't believe me: while standing, hold 10lb weights with a reverse grip (palms facing behind you). Keeping your arms perfectly straight, lift the weight over your head 10 reps, 3 standard sets.

That's a truly horrible example. Those two things don't even use the same muscles.

Of course those two exercises don't use the same muscles -- that's the point. As I said, it's not just how much you lift, it's how you lift it. You can still exercise muscle groups with relatively small weights, even if you press, curl, etc. much larger weights for other exercises.

But, if you insist on an example that uses the same muscle group, here you go: so 100lb squats is easy for you now? try 1-legged squats with 10lbs.

Just a comment to some of the posters who are saying you need to get heavier and heavier weights or you won't keep getting stronger. That's a bit oversimplified and not quite accurate. You should still build strength as long as you are lifting. If you find your exercises are getting too easy and don't want to buy new weights, you can change the exercises around a bit to make them more difficult. It's not just how much you lift, it's how you lift it.

To give you a real world example... I can curl 40 lbs like it's nothing... yet on another exercise, a mere 10lbs is plenty. Try this if you don't believe me: while standing, hold 10lb weights with a reverse grip (palms facing behind you). Keeping your arms perfectly straight, lift the weight over your head 10 reps, 3 standard sets.

That's a truly horrible example. Those two things don't even use the same muscles.

Of course those two exercises don't use the same muscles -- that's the point. As I said, it's not just how much you lift, it's how you lift it. You can still exercise muscle groups with relatively small weights, even if you press, curl, etc. much larger weights for other exercises.

But, if you insist on an example that uses the same muscle group, here you go: so 100lb squats is easy for you now? try 1-legged squats with 10lbs.

Still not a good example.

But your point is taken. Progressive overload is still key.

Bump

try 1-legged squats with 10lbs.

1 legged squats will double the weight on that leg.
HOWEVER, it will also be significantly harder for balance reasons. Improving balance with light weight DOES NOT improve muscle significantly (as far as I know).

Weights make it easy to have easily measurable progression in resistance.

SO, for the OP;
If you've got the space and cash, I'd look to getting a squat rack with 'spotter bars', a barbell (if you're a light woman a normal one is probably fine and may be better for starting out) and a bench.

I made my own 'power cage' with stuff I had lying around, bench was just under £50 and previously I bought an 82kg set of weights with a normal bar for £32 (even better, 50kg of them were Olympic weights, which I then sold for £50 when I'd got some more cheaper Olympic weights!)