Anorexia Recovery & The Gym

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Beannyo
Beannyo Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
This is the first time that I have ever posted on these forums, even though I have been lurking for a very, very long time.
I'm in the better part of recovery from anorexia right now and with the go-ahead from my team, I plan on starting to go to the local gym in order to gain muscle and definition.

I went into the gym about a week ago, told them my predicament of recovery and they said that they would be happy to take me on but that they would keep a close eye on me with a trainer and they would see how the trial session goes in order to assess my needs.

I've been doing some Pilates on and off for a while, and I can definitely feel the strength beginning to return to my core, but there is barely any definition -- which is a bit of a bummer, but I do enjoy it so I guess I can't complain fully!
Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have any experience with this and what would be the best weight training, or things in general, to do in order to achieve my goals. I don't want to lose weight, in fact, I do want to gain more in muscle.
I know that diet is also a part of it, but I think I have that down, and as I progress I'm obviously going to take that in consideration.

Thank you if you have read this, and all replies would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • hjc4862014
    hjc4862014 Posts: 3 Member
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    Congratulations on your recovery. I hope you continue to make good progress. I am no expert but I have been in a similar position a few years ago. To gain muscle you need to lift weights, so you should ask the trainers at the gym to devise a weights programme for you. That way you will build muscle and get some tone to your body.

    Good luck with it and take care :-)
  • Beannyo
    Beannyo Posts: 2
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    Thank you ever so much for the reply.

    I have been looking into weights, more so free weights rather than the machines as I have read that they aren't really the best for building the muscle that I want.

    I am just hoping that the trainer they pair me with will have a bit f experience with someone who has, what feels like, zero muscle and can help me build that and help me push myself in the right direction.
    I've already told them that I'm not really interested in a lot of cardio, just minimal for either before or after a workout session in order to peak my heart rate for the best results.

    I have researched quite a bit, but having people tell me their experience with it is definitely a lot more valuable than just reading and reading what 'normal' people should do -- if that makes sense?
  • hjc4862014
    hjc4862014 Posts: 3 Member
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    Yes that does make sense.

    I'm sure any trainer should know enough to help you build muscle. Good luck :-)
  • rebeccalee1986
    rebeccalee1986 Posts: 338
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    Firstly congrats on being in recovery.

    I would speak to the trainer, find out his experience and see if it is what you are looking for. Don't be afraid to speak up or change trainer if nessecary. Also not having much experience I would also say some weight training will be useful to build muscle but I am sure the trainer you do get will be able to help devise a plan that would be focused on building muscle.
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
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    Firstly congrats on being in recovery.

    I would speak to the trainer, find out his experience and see if it is what you are looking for. Don't be afraid to speak up or change trainer if nessecary. Also not having much experience I would also say some weight training will be useful to build muscle but I am sure the trainer you do get will be able to help devise a plan that would be focused on building muscle.

    Yep, the trainer should be able to adapt a program that will allow you to do what you want whilst still keeping to what's useful, as above don't be afraid to speak up, if there's a specific reason for not starting an exercise they should be explaining it, i.e. my trainer had someone who wanted to start lifting on 'clean and press', he advised that the basics needed to be learned first because the clean and press is technical, so get your form right on the basics before moving forward.

    Good luck
  • Julieelliott12
    Julieelliott12 Posts: 68 Member
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    When starting out, I would recommend using some machines, as they teach you proper form. Proper form is a REALLY big part of weight lifting because you don't want to hurt yourself by not engaging the correct supportive muscles when using free weights. Some exercises that I like are:

    Curls to shoulder press
    but machines of all variations including hamstring curl ( seated and laying) and butt blaster
    the weighted abs machine really helped me get some definition in my abs, but also doing crunches or sit ups on a decline bench (add a weight to make it harder)
    Chest press with a leg raise
    sumo squats with weight between legs
    leg press
    leg extension

    These are just some that I really like and have helped me build some muscle after recovering.

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