Wannabe Lifter with No Access to a Gym

losingit4infinity
losingit4infinity Posts: 31 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Lady 227 lbs trying to get into lifting with little to no knowledge which makes internet research kinda hard when you don't really know what's good advice and what's crap. So if anyone can direct me to some sites that are legit that would be awesome :)

Also with no access to a gym where do I start? I realize that a gym would just be easier but it is not an option at this point in time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
    Your only real options are:

    1: Body weight exercises, there are heaps of exercises and tutorials online

    2: Buy yourself equipment. Basic or advanced up to you and how much you can afford, whether you start out with resistance bands or a set of adjustable dumbbells with a bench
  • millie2604
    millie2604 Posts: 4 Member
    I was in a similar boat to you - wanted to do some lifting, be more focused on strength training, but had no gym access (due to my lack of cash!)

    First off I bought just a simple range of dumbbells. Heaviest went up to 4.5kg, which killed me at first, but I can now do reps quite easily with them, so looking into my next purchase...

    As for workouts, I just Googled 'dumbbell workout', or something similar. Just have a look around and see what looks good to you, try them out etc. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but what I found online as being recommended for beginners is doing 3-4 reps, or 8-10 movements of each exercise.

    I started out doing a 30 min whole body routine, so that included squats, lunges, dead lifts, plank, leg lifts, variety of arm exercises etc (all of which I found instructions for on Google. I still do that once a week, and then dedicate a day each to just legs, or arms and back/stomach. I do about 30-40 mins each.

    Since you say you haven't got gym access either, I would advise just to start by buying some dumbbells if you don't already own some, as you can get them without spending too much.

    I've only been doing the dumbbell workouts for a couple of months, so still consider myself a complete beginner, but I'm amazed at how quickly I've felt stronger, my arms and legs are already looking more toned. It's definitely something you should try!
  • losingit4infinity
    losingit4infinity Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks for the input :) I will definitely look into getting myself some dumbbells. I only have one set and they are just three pounds that I bought to go along with walking on a treadmill.

    I guess realistically depending on what my ultimate goal is with lifting (to be honest I don't really know exactly) I can only go so far at home and would eventually need access to a gym.

    Thanks again for the advice! :)
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Don't bother buying dumbbells unless they are adjustable. You'll just have to buy more when you want to increase weight, and it's usually more economical to buy a set. I have a nice one which comes in a case with various plates, and I can always go buy larger plates for the same set when I'm ready. They don't have to cost a fortune. I think mine were about $30 and they go up to 40 lbs. total. If you decide to buy some, pay attention to the weight increments...some of the really cheap sets jump from 5 to 15 lbs and don't have a real option for 10 lbs or anywhere in between.

    If that's too much for an initial investment, you could always buy adjustable ankle weights and either hold them or wrap them around your wrist. They usually have pockets in which small metal weights or bags of metal beads are inserted, so it's easy to change the weights.

    A good comprehensive book is a must. You can find all the information you need online if you're willing to invest the time to hunt it down and piece it together, but it's much easier to find a used copy of a good book on Amazon for cheap. Another great resource is YouTube, where you can find tons of instructional videos.

    In both the videos and the books, look for something that tells you what to look for to achieve proper form, and fully explains the "don't's" in an easily understandable way. With no one observing your form, it's very easy to pull something by using bad form.
  • LadyTalulah
    LadyTalulah Posts: 174 Member
    I owe a huge part of my success and motivation to this website:
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/01/14/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/
    Don't have time to explain about it but I thought I had to answer because it's really a great, easy to understand website (:
  • xsmilexforxmex
    xsmilexforxmex Posts: 1,216 Member
    owe a huge part of my success and motivation to this website:
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/01/14/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/
    Don't have time to explain about it but I thought I had to answer because it's really a great, easy to understand website (:

    www.nerdfitnes.com is a great place to start! Body weight excercises are definitely the place to begin if you don't have access to a gym!

Categories