I need to buy some weights

Eselte
Eselte Posts: 49
in Getting Started
I'm into my 3rd week now, counting calories and such. I've become accustomed to walking or elliptical for cardio. Now I think it's time to incorporate some weights. Of note: I do not want to go to a gym to do this and I've never lifted weights before.

With that in mind, can anyone recommend what kind of weights I need to purchase? And even a few tips on how long/repetitions, etc. would be wonderful.

In fact, I welcome any and all comments pertaining to this. Please just keep in mind I am very new to "being healthy" & might not understand "gym rat" talk. :) Thanks so much.

p.s. - I do have 5 lb ankle weights already.

*edited for the p.s.

Replies

  • Squamation
    Squamation Posts: 522 Member
    I would encourage you to go to a gym just to see all the different types of weight and which ones seem like the best idea for your goals.

    Lots of gyms let you try a day (or week) for free with no obligation to join.

    In my home gym we have the bowflex adjustable dumbbell weight set:

    http://www.amazon.com/Bowflex-SelectTech-Adjustable-Dumbbells-Pair/dp/B001ARYU58

    and a bench (what you lay on to do exercises such as the chest press)

    We are working on getting a real bar and plate set now, as well as a bench/squat rack.

    I would also suggest going to http://www.bodybuilding.com/ they have a lot of instructional videos with all sorts of weight sets so you can get a feel for the lingo and form.

    I'm pretty new to lifting myself, so I can only tell you what I'm doing- not sure if it's "right". :)

    Good luck!
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    Well first off 5lb weights aren't going to cut it..........well maybe for some of your beginning bicep curls but generally no.

    You are going to want to get real dumbells where you can add and subtract weight.

    There are also weighted barbells which are good for some things but again a real barbell with the seperate weights will allow you to change the weight as you get stronger.

    However, there are some things you just can't do unless you are at a gym with their large weights and machines unless you can turn a room into a personal gym. Eventually you are going to want to lift heavy to make any progress.

    I started my lifting with The New Rules of Lifting for Women to give me a base. Or I've heard others like 5x5 lifting(I think that's the name)

    Squats, dead lifts, lunges, bicep curls, bench press are all good exercises. Many of the exercises in NROLFW are things you can do without big machines. There are many different versions of lunges, different step up exercises etc. I would highly recommend it for a newbie.

    As far as reps and sets go if you get the book they will give you that. Generally the higher weight you use, the fewer reps you do. So for example, I can deadlift about 90lbs and 12reps is my exhaustion point(the point where you could only do 1 maybe 2 more). I lower the weight to 60-70 and I can do 15reps. My trainer typically has me doing 5sets.

    I will be 43 in August and I just started lifting last year.....if you want a lifting friend feel free to add me.
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    I also have the bowflex adjustable weights, they'd be a good start because you can do so much with them, heavy for squatting, lighter for triceps, etc. Then as you progress you can decide if you want to add anything and what.
  • CommittedAndMotivated
    CommittedAndMotivated Posts: 71 Member
    I am in the same situation, I have been riding my bike and it is time to begin incorporating weights and body resistance workouts. I have a trainer who has been working with me on less weight 3-5 and 5-8 pound weights. And also the old fashioned crunches, push-ups, squats (lots of squats) and of course cardio. I agree with all that has been stated in the other comments. Here is an inspiring blog regarding The New Rules of Lifting for Women. http://mealsandmiles.com/new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-recaps/
    I wish us both great success!
  • slomo22
    slomo22 Posts: 125 Member
    I would start with dumbbells, a 15 lb straight bar, and an e-z curl bar. You can do a lot of different exercises with these. I like www.muscleandstrength.com for routines and instructions. However, I highly recommend getting a fitness trainer or start lifting with a friend who knows what they are doing. I would not recommend doing any other lifting exercises (bench press, squat, dead lift etc.) by yourself since you've never lifted before.
  • Eselte
    Eselte Posts: 49
    Thank you for all the replies! I guess I'll set aside my fear of the gym and go take some lessons :)
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
    Get a pair of dumbbells that have separate weight plates. Start off with a set of four 5 lb., and 2.5 lb.. That gives you every combination from 5 to 15 per dumbbell. Then expand that with four 10 lb. plates for up to 35 per dumbbell if you need more. That should cover you for most things that you'd do at home without a spotter. Plates by themselves also work great for Russian Twists, weighted sit-ups, etc... They're also transferable to future additions of a barbell or tricep bar.

    Used sporting goods stores are the best sources for weight plates. You can buy them new there for about a buck a pound, which is about as low as you'll find for new ones. Used are about half that and usually just need a good cleaning. Definitely Check Craigslist in your area. Free weights are often available for some good deals if you'll take everything.

    If you start lifting really heavy, consider a gym or a Smith Machine or rack or something to prevent any serious injuries. I prefer free weights, but resistance or cabled machines for home use are another alternative for the few exercises in your routine where you do want to push heavy to exhaustion without a spotter.


    I'm not a fan of ankle or wrist weights for people just starting out with exercising. The possibility of them causing injuries by stressing joints and throwing off your center of balance to me outweighs the option of just walking or running a longer distance.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    I bought all my free weights off of Craigslist or from Play It Again Sports. The bars with plates work for a while, but I eventually got tired of switching around the weights for various exercises. So I just got the fixed hex dumbbells and a rack. You can get them used for about 50 cents a pound, possibly less if you hunt around. No point in buying new, it's just a chunk of metal. I also got a nice adjustable bench off of Craigslist for about $70 which sells for $250 new. Still looks new and works great for me in the basement.

    Otherwise, if you're not into working out at home a gym like Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness, L.A. Fitness, etc would work, just depends on your goals and your budget. Try to join one that is close to home and has hours that fit your schedule.

    If you join a gym one of the trainers there should be able to show you proper form. Otherwise you can check a lot of places online for proper form. There is a guy online called Scooby, has a site called scoobysworkshop.com as well as tons of Youtube videos out there on how to do proper form, what exercises to do, which ones are most effective, how to start out as a beginner. His website has a ton of great info on it, I'd recommend reading up on some of the info there for starters.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I have these dumbbells, which I really like: http://www.amazon.com/MTN-Gearsmith-Adjustable-Dumbbells-Silver-Chrome-Coated/dp/B00C3RPWU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406746908&sr=8-1&keywords=New+MTN+Gearsmith+Heavy+Duty+Adjustable+Cast+Iron+Chrome+Weight+Dumbbell+Set+Dumbbells+52.5+100+105+200+lbs
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
    I bought all my free weights off of Craigslist or from Play It Again Sports. The bars with plates work for a while, but I eventually got tired of switching around the weights for various exercises. So I just got the fixed hex dumbbells and a rack. You can get them used for about 50 cents a pound, possibly less if you hunt around. No point in buying new, it's just a chunk of metal. I also got a nice adjustable bench off of Craigslist for about $70 which sells for $250 new. Still looks new and works great for me in the basement.

    Otherwise, if you're not into working out at home a gym like Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness, L.A. Fitness, etc would work, just depends on your goals and your budget. Try to join one that is close to home and has hours that fit your schedule.

    If you join a gym one of the trainers there should be able to show you proper form. Otherwise you can check a lot of places online for proper form. There is a guy online called Scooby, has a site called scoobysworkshop.com as well as tons of Youtube videos out there on how to do proper form, what exercises to do, which ones are most effective, how to start out as a beginner. His website has a ton of great info on it, I'd recommend reading up on some of the info there for starters.

    The hex single weight dumbbells are really convenient and compact, but do take up more overall space and cost more to build a set. Let's say you buy a set of 5 pounders. When you buy a 10 pounder, you're buying the original 5 pounds again along with the extra 5, which is true for a set of 15's, 20's, etc...

    If cost and space aren't an issue, they do work great for flys and other exercises where the smaller size is nice.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
    You don't need weights. Get a pull up bar, resistance bands and buy a P90X3 on Craigslist. Fully body push and pull routines are good enough to get you started. After 2-4 months of free hand exercises, you can move to weights and so on. If you weigh 180 lbs, a full pushup is like a 180 lb bench press.
  • littleancientheart
    littleancientheart Posts: 18 Member
    You should consider an at-home program for beginners. It's easy enough to find them on the web and some of the other posters have suggested some already - you could do a little research into the programs and find one that sounds right for you (which will probably mean minimal equipment to start). Then you can purchase the equipment you'll need to follow the plan you've chosen, which will mean you've got structure right off the bat to keep yourself engaged as you learn about strength training.

    If you've never lifted weights before, don't discount how much you can do with bodyweight only. Push-ups, squats, lunges, and abdominal work can all be done with no weight and often your bodyweight is adequate resistance - especially if you've never trained with weights before. Learning the moves with no weight allows you to perfect your form and avoid injury. You can do a lot with a chair, too - like stepping up on to the chair or chair dips. That's something you've got at home right now!

    Good luck, and remember to always use proper form for safety!
  • arfuss
    arfuss Posts: 90 Member
    I would recomend you getting a gym subscription instead. At the end. its not going to be more expensive then buying weights. You wont get the results you desire buy having a couple of weights. The body need variation and you need a whole lot of diffrent weights and workout equipment to be able to work all the essential muscle groups in your body
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    I bought all my free weights off of Craigslist or from Play It Again Sports. The bars with plates work for a while, but I eventually got tired of switching around the weights for various exercises. So I just got the fixed hex dumbbells and a rack. You can get them used for about 50 cents a pound, possibly less if you hunt around. No point in buying new, it's just a chunk of metal. I also got a nice adjustable bench off of Craigslist for about $70 which sells for $250 new. Still looks new and works great for me in the basement.

    Otherwise, if you're not into working out at home a gym like Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness, L.A. Fitness, etc would work, just depends on your goals and your budget. Try to join one that is close to home and has hours that fit your schedule.

    If you join a gym one of the trainers there should be able to show you proper form. Otherwise you can check a lot of places online for proper form. There is a guy online called Scooby, has a site called scoobysworkshop.com as well as tons of Youtube videos out there on how to do proper form, what exercises to do, which ones are most effective, how to start out as a beginner. His website has a ton of great info on it, I'd recommend reading up on some of the info there for starters.

    The hex single weight dumbbells are really convenient and compact, but do take up more overall space and cost more to build a set. Let's say you buy a set of 5 pounders. When you buy a 10 pounder, you're buying the original 5 pounds again along with the extra 5, which is true for a set of 15's, 20's, etc...

    If cost and space aren't an issue, they do work great for flys and other exercises where the smaller size is nice.

    I agree, they do take up more space. I had some room in my basement so I just made it into a small home gym. Cost is relative. I think I have under $500 into everything including mats, foam padding, bench, racks, weights, and a few bars and plate weights.

    You can join Planet Fitness for about $120-150 a year roughly and have access to a lot more stuff. But it's also an issue of convenience. I had a gym membership for years, from 2005-2009 at Bally's, then at our community center from 2010-2013, and I'm now a member at Anytime Fitness.

    Once we had kids it was a pain to come home from work, eat, then go out to the gym, then come home, and hardly see my kids. I didn't like the idea of getting up early in the morning either. So being able to workout at home works for me. Just depends on your situation and budget I guess.

    Bottom line is you should do whatever is easiest and most convenient for you, because you're more likely to stick with it. If working out at home is better for you, then get some weights and a bench and you can do quite a bit with just that. Like the others said, even using bodyweight exercises will get you quite a workout. Otherwise joining a gym that's close by might make more sense if you'll stick with that and make some friends there, etc.

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