Wanted to start a 5x5 type program but trainer is against it.

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Replies

  • Qskim
    Qskim Posts: 1,145 Member
    Fantastic! I'm glad it was better than you anticipated.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    That's fantastic, so glad it worked out! :)
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    JadeRabbit08 wrote: »
    Ok back from the session

    To those discussing that I was unable to describe the trainer's program other than its x 12 which means that I am incompetent to access a trainer, I would just like to clarify (for my prides sake) that was ALL he said to me while booking the first initial consult. It was a 1 minute conversation. I was given no program or description. I can't read minds. (sorry about not getting all the details in, rereading my post I can see how people could have misconstrued how long the conversation went for.) What I did take away from that very short communication was his reluctance at the time.

    The post was more about my wariness from previous trainers when I was fit (before I got ill for the first time which is over ten years ago) and my disappointment that he didn't seem keen from the get go about 5x5.

    I have lifted before although not SL and when I got into weights a number of years ago there was a lot of broscience around so I have a lot to update myself with information wise. So I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to express their view and give me some direction. It helps and I went into the initial consult with a much clearer description of what I would like to do.

    So what happened?

    He sat down and listened first, and asked a lot of questions about what I wanted to achieve. Really professional guy and I totally have egg on my face over this.
    He also ran overtime and seemed more interested in getting things right than rushing off.

    Despite all my initial fears he was absolutely fine with me wanting to do compound type lifting, and encouraged it (which pretty well makes me a panic merchant over the whole thing) he then accessed me to check my range of movement to see if there was anything that needed to be addressed before I could start lifting.

    I get a program from him on Friday and it is only for the first 4 weeks. He wants to work on more range of movement in my calves in preparation for doing squats with weight. Also building strength in my less dominant left side. We didn't talk about 5x5 but I am ok with that as long as the goals are strength and using more compound lifting which he supported.

    I am doing lifting for strength gains and hopefully to minimise muscle loss while I am losing fat. I am relying on my calorie deficit from dieting to lose the fat (its working well so far)

    I have other fitness goals to do with my cycling and at the moment walking/ later running. (I miss cycling and running a lot)

    This is a totally different class of trainer than what I have had before and I am definitely keeping him.
    Lesson learnt - don't allow previous crappy experiences to completely shade your expectations.

    and I didn't see one pink weight.

    Ok, as the first sentence is primarily addressed to me - you deserve an apology - it wasn't clear about your knowledge/history in the OP. Your pride can remain intact. :wink:

    I'm glad your experience was excellent and your are spending a few weeks to work on stability and imbalance. One suggestion from a cyclist - please discuss cycling related imbalances if you've done a lot of road cycling. Resulting weak or stiff hip abductors, etc can affect lifting significantly. If cycling is an objective then you should also consider lifting for power - not just strength. That's a whole 'nother ball game than a trad 5x5 program.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    JadeRabbit08 wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    JadeRabbit08 wrote: »

    So what do you think an obese woman in her mid forties should be doing as a start up for lifting?

    Mid-forties? Any full-body workout is probably fine, but I'd stick with 8-12 reps, especially in the first three months. It's effective and safe, you can make progress on that. It's actually what's advised by the NASM for beginners (google to see their current recommendations).

    Also, even people with a lot of training years behind them transition to working smart vs. working hard, after a certain age. Heck, even Schwarzenegger uses machines now. I would approach this more from the point of view of injury prevention and less from the POV of "I want a hard body". Because 5 reps of 5 is hard on the body, and if you've had chronic fatigue and illness, why not stay on the safe side?

    edit: 8-12 reps isn't exactly pink dumbbells. Come on.

    I've had enough down time from sickness so I am all for the injury prevention angle.

    I wasn't aware that 5x5 was harder on the body than other lifting programs so that is good to take into account. I'm all about the safe side, my goals are about seeing progression in the long term.

    As for "the 8-12 reps isn't exactly pink dumbbells" well if its 8-12 reps holding a 1 kilo weight I beg to differ! :)

    If it's a 1 kilo it better be a burnout cooldown set of 60-100 reps.

    Some trainers are good, some trainers aren't. Some clients are good, some clients aren't.

    A lot of times it is important to be able to properly communicate, this thread demonstrates that on several levels.

    You mean sort of how the OP got worried about a snippet of information from a one minute conversation, shared that unfounded worry (without divulging that it was just a sentence uttered while booking the first consult) with the forums and a bunch of people jumped to conclusions that were proved completely untrue as soon as more information was revealed?

    This thread went down like exactly like every relationship thread in Chit Chat, ever.

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    JadeRabbit08 wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    JadeRabbit08 wrote: »

    So what do you think an obese woman in her mid forties should be doing as a start up for lifting?

    Mid-forties? Any full-body workout is probably fine, but I'd stick with 8-12 reps, especially in the first three months. It's effective and safe, you can make progress on that. It's actually what's advised by the NASM for beginners (google to see their current recommendations).

    Also, even people with a lot of training years behind them transition to working smart vs. working hard, after a certain age. Heck, even Schwarzenegger uses machines now. I would approach this more from the point of view of injury prevention and less from the POV of "I want a hard body". Because 5 reps of 5 is hard on the body, and if you've had chronic fatigue and illness, why not stay on the safe side?

    edit: 8-12 reps isn't exactly pink dumbbells. Come on.

    I've had enough down time from sickness so I am all for the injury prevention angle.

    I wasn't aware that 5x5 was harder on the body than other lifting programs so that is good to take into account. I'm all about the safe side, my goals are about seeing progression in the long term.

    As for "the 8-12 reps isn't exactly pink dumbbells" well if its 8-12 reps holding a 1 kilo weight I beg to differ! :)

    If it's a 1 kilo it better be a burnout cooldown set of 60-100 reps.

    Some trainers are good, some trainers aren't. Some clients are good, some clients aren't.

    A lot of times it is important to be able to properly communicate, this thread demonstrates that on several levels.

    You mean sort of how the OP got worried about a snippet of information from a one minute conversation, shared that unfounded worry (without divulging that it was just a sentence uttered while booking the first consult) with the forums and a bunch of people jumped to conclusions that were proved completely untrue as soon as more information was revealed?

    This thread went down like exactly like every relationship thread in Chit Chat, ever.

    Precisely.
  • JadeRabbit08
    JadeRabbit08 Posts: 551 Member
    edited January 2015
    Ok, as the first sentence is primarily addressed to me - you deserve an apology - it wasn't clear about your knowledge/history in the OP. Your pride can remain intact. :wink:

    I'm glad your experience was excellent and your are spending a few weeks to work on stability and imbalance. One suggestion from a cyclist - please discuss cycling related imbalances if you've done a lot of road cycling. Resulting weak or stiff hip abductors, etc can affect lifting significantly. If cycling is an objective then you should also consider lifting for power - not just strength. That's a whole 'nother ball game than a trad 5x5 program.

    Thanks for the feedback. Noted on the advice too. I'll chat with him about that.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Thanks for coming back with "the rest of the story" (most of you are probably too young to recognize the quote). I am glad you had such a positive experience.

    Don't worry about jumping the gun at first. It lead to a good discussion.
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