Strength Training Newbie, help!

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Jennkies
Jennkies Posts: 382 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been wanting to get into strength training. I have messed around with kettle bells a bit watching YouTube videos. I'm wondering if anyone knows of a good website for beginners. I'd also like to incorporate some free weights in too, but I'm just not sure what I'm doing or where to start. I sometimes get frustrated flipping through videos with no real purpose or goal in mind. I'm lost on the whole thing!

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  • tcarp8
    tcarp8 Posts: 370 Member
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    Check out the Mayo Clinic website. They have many good fitness workouts
  • rodriguezdaniel598
    rodriguezdaniel598 Posts: 23 Member
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    You can also try the bodybuilding website. They have various strenght exercises for various parts of the body like the shoulder,chest,legs etch. The best thing is they show you the correct form of doing these exercises in order to prevent an injury. That is where I get my exercises from when I go to the gym.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    Bodybuilding.com has a ton of programs, tips, recipes, pretty much anything you could want to know!
  • Adam_Gibbons
    Adam_Gibbons Posts: 8 Member
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    Check out buff dudes channel on YouTube. They have detailed workout plans on their website too I believe.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    http://stronglifts.com/5x5/ i 'messed around' too for a few months and then just went ahead with this programme. you have to kind of ignore the guy's tone and everything as he's kind of a dick. but the programme is a good entry one.

    there's also a nice group on mfp for women who do sl and many other types 'heavy' strength training.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women. tons of support and resources etc, and friendly people.
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
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    Multitude of sources for good form and routines. Start with a few basics and then do adjustments. For instance a basic military push up (on your toes of course) is a great exercise. Even if you can't do them, it's a plank. Start there. Do more reps/sets to advance Along with variations like feet on a bench or hands on a Bosu. Hand location also works different muscles.

    Burpees are awesome too! Incorporate as many as you can in between sets to up your calorie burn.
  • Jennkies
    Jennkies Posts: 382 Member
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    Thanks guys! I'm checking all these out to find the best one for me.
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
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    I'd second SL5x5 for a beginner. 5 main lifts to get you used to free weight compound exercises and only 3 days a week.
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    edited March 2016
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    SL 5x5 or SS are excellent strength programs. They have clear progression and you will increase all your lifts dramatically in a few months, assuming your form and diet is on point.

    See more info here

    Basically, you start with a weight that begins to challenge you (i.e. the bar movement slows down). You increase that by +5lbs every time (for women, it's +2.5lbs for upper body). That means your squat and deadlift will go up +60lbs in a month, and your bench and OHP (overhead press) gain +15lbs per month (your OHP will stall very early, that's the nature of the lift). This will happen until you cannot recover enough for your next workout, and then you deload the weight by 10%, and start climbing back up at a slower rate (+2.5lbs to squats/deadlifts), and eventually surpass the weight you got stuck at.

    During this time, assuming recovery (diet and sleep) is on point, you will be gaining strength as you provide your body stimulus to rebuild better than before.

    Throw in some accessory work after the first month for things you like (cardio, glutes, lagging muscles, etc.). Add too much too soon and you set yourself up for failure.

    Any good program will have clear, measurable, and predictable progress. Bad programs will have none of those (i.e. those garbage 30-day "abs challenge" or whatever).
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Another vote for Stronglifts. You can check it out and download the app at stronglifts.com. There are only five exercises, and I only work it 3 times a week for about 45 minutes per. And I am seeing awesome results.

    I just posted progress photos here, if you want to check it out.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/35898105#Comment_35898105
  • Jennkies
    Jennkies Posts: 382 Member
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    Awesome. And I just went through the progress photos in the thread you linked. Amazing. It seems like stronglift is my best bet. Someone mentioned on the thread that you will still eat at a deficit. I must have misunderstood along the way, I thought you wouldn't see any muscle gain when eating at a deficit. But hey that works for me if it works like the progress pics show!
  • augustremulous
    augustremulous Posts: 378 Member
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    Incidentally I started the exact same thread with the same topic on bodybuilding.com today. You should take a look at what the folks there have been telling me, and feel free to add on with more questions. In this thread, I'm the OP, sk671221.

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=170905191
  • beatua1
    beatua1 Posts: 98 Member
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    Jennkies wrote: »
    Awesome. And I just went through the progress photos in the thread you linked. Amazing. It seems like stronglift is my best bet. Someone mentioned on the thread that you will still eat at a deficit. I must have misunderstood along the way, I thought you wouldn't see any muscle gain when eating at a deficit. But hey that works for me if it works like the progress pics show!

    You are unlikely to gain much if any muscle while eating at a deficit, but that does not mean you will not gain strength. If you have never lifted and you do SL5x5 consistently as programmed you should see dramatic improvements in strength. It is not muscle growth, but improvement in your central nervous system's ability to use the muscle you already have.
  • Jennkies
    Jennkies Posts: 382 Member
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    beatua1 wrote: »
    Jennkies wrote: »
    Awesome. And I just went through the progress photos in the thread you linked. Amazing. It seems like stronglift is my best bet. Someone mentioned on the thread that you will still eat at a deficit. I must have misunderstood along the way, I thought you wouldn't see any muscle gain when eating at a deficit. But hey that works for me if it works like the progress pics show!

    You are unlikely to gain much if any muscle while eating at a deficit, but that does not mean you will not gain strength. If you have never lifted and you do SL5x5 consistently as programmed you should see dramatic improvements in strength. It is not muscle growth, but improvement in your central nervous system's ability to use the muscle you already have.

    Thank you for this clarification!
  • Jennkies
    Jennkies Posts: 382 Member
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    I just read through the SL page that was posted. This seems like exactly the kind of program I was looking for. Nothing super complicated and changing each day or week, but adding weight to increase strength.

    I think I will need to invest in more weights to accomplish increasing the weight by 5 pounds each time.

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