I can relate to so much of what you are saying! I am still too afraid to sign up for a gym but I know that I need to. At least you took the step to sign up and make an appointment with a trainer.

If it cracks, it doesn't break! Or something like that. I'm just 27 and I've been a firework crack-wise for as long as I can remember lol. It won't stop you!

And we all have to start somewhere! It's great that you're taking a step! I was afraid of stepping in the gym at first too, but now it kinda feels like a second home. The atmosphere makes me want to sweat and give it my all!

And yes, strong lift is simple. That's the whole point. There is no need for over complicated routines, especially starting out. As you get used to it you'll learn about how your body reacts and be able to customize acordingly, but trust the system to begin with I kinda wish I had started with stronglift as opposed to the bro split I did. I would prolly be stronger by now! XD (please excuse the phone typing btw)

You can do this! We'll cheer you on!

OMG this was too funny. You are going to do great I am sure. Just bring in your awesome attitude and everything else will be fine. :flowerforyou:

Just keep your sense of humor, that will get you through anything.

You can do it!

Welp, I manifested it. Totally tried to discourage me from freeweights and kept cattle-prodding me to the machines.

that really really is irritating. but kind of validating for me, tbh . . . because i had the same thing. from a *woman* who is a trainer, to boot!

i know it sucks in the first little while, where you feel you don't know enough to be able to write your own lines, and you 'have to' take whatever they're telling you. i had the same experience myself starting out. disappointed too that the classes i took were run by a woman who lifts 'heavy' herself, but wouldn't answer questions about even basic strength standards from the likes of me. i guess i can give her the charity of pretending to think she was worried about my r.a., but when i'm not feeling charitable i don't think much of her.

see it as dues. like getting through high school, in a way . . . if you're one of the people who detested high school.

Halfway through I stopped trying, started nodding and "uh huh"ing, and came to the realisation that tonight it will be me doing a lot more video watching during workbreaks and between sets.

this is what i did as well, although i was mad enough to catch snakes by halfway through session 9 of my 10-session set. in the classes i'd just smile and nod, although it was more like don't-roll-your-eyes-like-a-teenager-and-nod, and then through the rest of the week i'd just go in there and get going to do my own thing.

i walked out of the last class entirely though, and i'm a liar if i pretend that it didn't feel great. she was just about to start everyone on round two of exactly the same asinine 3-lb-dumbbell routines that we'd all already done, and that's when i realised it wasn't even really 'weight lifting' stuff anymore, and it definitely wasn't the 'core' moves she'd been promising us. it was just jane fonda with itty-bitty little tone-you-up weights. i took her stupid stability ball and shoved it (back on the rack). and then i went and did a lovely half hour of benching and squats all alone, in the freeweights section.

one thing i bet you'll notice. i bet getting herded AWAY from the freeweights and the compound lifts is probably clarifying your ambiguity about whether or not you're motivated :laugh:

Will likely start squats holding a couple of dumbbells, and I saw some smaller barbells for my overhead press and deadlifts. And there you have it.

this is exactly what i did, in between the mostly-pointless classes that i kept going to just because i didn't want to shoot myself in the foot by missing whatever there might be of value in them. and i guess i will say that 10 weeks of preliminary dumbbell work, didn't do me a whole lot of harm. it was enough to make the transition to the big-kid playground and the stronglifts programme much easier.

keep on truckin' with it. this part is just dues.

Haha! The soreness just kicked in. Did someone use my legs for punching bags? Urgh, and awesome! :bigsmile:

I was there for 35 minutes for my A workout. Squats with 20lbs about killed me (possible fail on very last rep), but the rest felt almost too easy (30lb chest, 40lb row)...until right now that is. :laugh: I almost feel guilty and bummed that I don't go tonight. I feel can see how this could very well be something I start to look forward to.

Congrats!!! So intimidating to start, but so liberating to push through anyway!! Have fun!

Congrats on getting started!

You're hilarious and I wish you worked out at my gym.

I think having a physical job is the best motivation for weightlifting. I bet you start noticing a difference in a couple weeks, at most!

I'm a midwife and the lifting and long hours was really, really hard on me. I remember after a couple months of lifting, I was contemplating a client passing out on the floor of her tiny bathroom and I realized, hey, I could just carry her to the bed. And I did and was fine the next day. Long hours of squatting with women while they push don't phase me at all anymore and I can lift all my crap at 4am after not sleeping for two days with no problem at at. Its just so much better.

Also, I learned everything I know about powerlifting from this group and youtube and was just told by a powerlifting coach that my form was "pretty much perfect". Pretty soon you'll be schooling that trainer at your gym (in your head).