To start lifting, what do I need?

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BethAnnieT
BethAnnieT Posts: 263 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all! I have decided that I want to start lifting. I don't know if "lifting heavy" is the thing I mean, but I think it might be. I'm not talking nautilus style machines where you do 100 of everything. I'm talking squats and bench press and the like.

Background: I'm 40 years old, semi-active (jogging, walking, volleyball, hiking, some tennis and skateboarding), and in good health. I am almost at my goal weight (5-10 lb away, depending on the day). I could commit a total of approx. 3 hours per week to this cause. (Is that enough?) This would be on top of my existing exercise as listed above.

There's a gym near my house (in the boonies) with a very small weight room. SO...

- What should I be looking for when I walk in there, to determine if it's the gym for me? I haven't signed up yet because I don't know if it has what I'll need.
- Will I need a partner?
- Anything else I need to know, just to get started?

Thank you!

Replies

  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    BethAnnieT wrote: »

    There's a gym near my house (in the boonies) with a very small weight room. SO...

    - What should I be looking for when I walk in there, to determine if it's the gym for me? I haven't signed up yet because I don't know if it has what I'll need.
    - Will I need a partner?
    - Anything else I need to know, just to get started?

    Thank you!
    - Part of it will be subjective feel of a place. If you couldn't see yourself going there regularly, you might need to look into something else. Objectively, having barbells, plates, and a little bit of safety equipment like a squat rack or power cage are all that is needed by a lot a of novice strength programs.
    - Need? No. Partners are helpful. Benching without a partner or safeties has a small risk to it, as could other exercises. A partner is mostly about motivation, and depending on the partner, knowledge.
    - Some decent programs NROLFW (New Rules of Lifting for Women), SL (Strong Lifts), SS (Start Strength), Ice Cream Fitness / Juggernaut Fitness 5x5. You'll also need to consider if you're going to be bulking, recomping, or cutting while doing the lifts as those all alter progression a lot.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited November 2015
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    If you're intending to do barbell training make sure they have barbells, plates, and some kind of racking system. If you are Olympic weightlifting, make sure they have barbells and bumper plates and blocks. And a nice set of dumbbells from 3 lbs to 120 lbs wouldn't hurt at minimum.

    And find out when peak times are. Always helpful. And brace yourself for the PT sales pitch.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Look through several beginner's plans, pick one or two that look interesting to you, and determine what equipment you'd need in order to do those plans. Then look at what equipment the gym has to determine whether or not the gym is a good fit or the plan is a good fit. If the gym is 90% there, fit-wise, look up alternative exercises that may require equipment that the gym has. Here are several programs to look over:

    Strength training programs
    * Strong Curves - http://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Strong-Curves-Workout-Templates.pdf
    * All Pro's - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
    * NROLFW - http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women
    * Stronglifts - http://stronglifts.com/
    * 5/3/1 (get the book but this is a calculator) - https://blackironbeast.com/5/3/1/calculator
    * Greyskull - http://strengthvillain.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=89
    * Fierce 5 - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=159678631
    * Lyle McDonald's barbell and machine routines - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-4.html/
    * A Workout Routine (beginner) - http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/
  • BethAnnieT
    BethAnnieT Posts: 263 Member
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    You guys/gals are THE BEST. Thank you so much. I will be reading these links for sure.
    Thanks again for your help!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Your program will determine the specific equipment you need, but very generally you should be looking for -

    A place to bench -
    A simple/standard setup with a flat bench is more than fine.

    A place to squat -
    Could be a full cage, could be a half rack, could be a squat stand. What's important is that there is a way to adjust the height of the bar and that there is some kind of safety mechanism should you fail/drop the weight.

    A place to deadlift -
    All you really need is a bar and some space

    A place to row -
    Something like t-bar row station is great, or a simple barbell starting at a reasonable height... nothing fancy needed here. Worst case scenario, dumbbells are fine.



    Beyond that, I'd look for a full set of dumbbells. I think a place to do pull-ups (and/or lat pulldowns) is also important, plus a dip station. Anything beyond that is gravy, IMO.
  • allysar
    allysar Posts: 87 Member
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    Subbing to this, I am pretty much the same position but 49 years old and interested in the same.....
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited November 2015
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    I'm 40 and started Stronglifts 5X5 about a year ago.

    Squats, Bench, Rows on Day 1
    Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift on Day 2
    Repeat

    I work out Mon, Wed, Fri and it only takes about 45 minutes. I have seen pretty good results so far. Once I got my diet on point, results were even better.

    I work out at a 24/7 type chain gym. All I really need is the squat rack, a barbell and a bench to do all the lifts.

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