Good strength training/exercise book for beginners

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hoovified
hoovified Posts: 46 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!
My brother, sister and I joined Planet Fitness a little while ago when one opened by us. We are all obese and need to do something desperately before something worse happens.

Anyway, my sister and I have knowledge about losing weight, strength training, etc. We just don't apply it. My brother, we found out, does not.

He joined a weight loss program at the one hospital. He has since lost 40 pounds which is awesome and we are super proud of him! But they provided him with some information that I would say is questionable at best. Like they told him someone his weight could only lose 50 pounds before they would plateau and end up getting surgery or dying. I know people can lose the weight, and he is really set on not getting surgery.

He is strength training but does a bunch of reps all at once (I watched him on the one machine and he did 44). He thinks he can only strength train like 2 times a week due to what they told him (or maybe what he interpreted) at the hospital.

I would like to get him a book with basic strength training information. Maybe some workouts. But really more about how to exercise and/or strength train correctly. I am really pround of him for his efforts and I don't criticize him. I have mentioned the 3x12 before but he doesn't do it. He really values information from books, so I think if he read about it in a book, it would help.

He doesn't need mega muscles or anything. Is just exercising for exercise.

Any suggestions on books? A reasonable (under $20ish) price would be great haha.

Thank you all!

Replies

  • Coachjr29
    Coachjr29 Posts: 81 Member
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  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    Thank you! I should have said, he more uses the machines not the barbells. :/
  • superstargalaxy
    superstargalaxy Posts: 21 Member
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    hoovified wrote: »
    Thank you! I should have said, he more uses the machines not the barbells. :/

    It's a bit strange that he wants to do strength training with machines. Everything in starting strength can be substituted with a machine variation.
    For example:
    Squats - Leg Press
    Bench - Chest Press
    Deadlifts - Cable Pullthroughs (Best alternative I can think of..)
    Overhead Press - Machine Press

    His progress will be different and the after a certain point he will plateau and stall. Machine only go up to a certain limit in terms of weight, just the way they were packaged.
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    I have seen some pretty buff guys in using the machines. And Planet Fitness isn't for people who want to bulk up that much... He is a beginner. I'm not saying he will never use free weights. But to me free weights are much scarier than the machines that have the directions clearly on them.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    hoovified wrote: »
    I have seen some pretty buff guys in using the machines. And Planet Fitness isn't for people who want to bulk up that much... He is a beginner. I'm not saying he will never use free weights. But to me free weights are much scarier than the machines that have the directions clearly on them.

    This is what's wrong with fitness. Yes machines have their place, but perpetuating ridiculous fallacies like those stated here are not good for the industry. There is no need to believe free weights are scary or not for beginners. Not knocking you personally, just showing what the fitness industry (and places like planet fitness) want people to believe.
  • superstargalaxy
    superstargalaxy Posts: 21 Member
    edited November 2016
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    hoovified wrote: »
    I have seen some pretty buff guys in using the machines. And Planet Fitness isn't for people who want to bulk up that much... He is a beginner. I'm not saying he will never use free weights. But to me free weights are much scarier than the machines that have the directions clearly on them.

    Yeah, I have as well. That doesn't mean that they only use machines or free weights. What makes someone strong is constantly adding more weight to what ever exercise they're doing (progressive overload). I don't see why a gym (Planet Fitness is a gym right?) wouldn't be for people who want to bulk. I'm bulking and I don't go to a bulking gym. I go to the same one where I cut too.

    I don't want you to feel like I am bashing you, just trying to make you see the under lying message. What was mentioned above is a beginner routine and it is 100% safe since it recommend you to start with an empty bar and work on form. It also has direction in there on how to preform the exercise too. At the end of the day, your brother should pick what's best for him and what he feels comfortable doing because that's what's going to get him to the gym anyways.

  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
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    I'm not trying to bash anyone either. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I want a book to explain to him the basic principles of working out with what he is already doing. When I looked up that book, it was saying about how it teaches you why free weights are best, etc. Maybe they are. I don't know, I didn't read the book. But I don't want to buy a book for something my brother isn't even using.

    Let me make it clear, Planet Fitness never said free weights are bad. They have them. My brother just uses the machines though. If you're going to walk in to the gym having no clue how to work out, you go to the things that show you what to do and start branching out from there. Or at least that's what it seems most people would do.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Freeweights shouldn't be scary. If you lift groceries bags or other items in your daily life, you lift freeweights. Very few fitness professionals recommend a machine-based strength routine for someone who isn't disabled. Planet Fitness has plenty of freeweights, so there's no reason he shouldn't use them. I suggest the book New Rules of Lifting for Life. Ignore the fact that it's marketed for middle-age people - it's an excellent, scientifically-sound program for obese newbies of any age. I don't recommend Starting Strength for him. :+1:
  • JulieSHelms
    JulieSHelms Posts: 821 Member
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    I go to Planet Fitness too. They have a trainer on staff who will show him how to use the free weights for free. It was scary as heck at first for me (being an overweight, older woman) walking into that area, but I'm so over that now! Anyway, I started on machines but have been step by step switching over to free weights and I do prefer them.
  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
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    superstargalaxy wrote: »
    hoovified wrote: »
    Thank you! I should have said, he more uses the machines not the barbells. :/

    It's a bit strange that he wants to do strength training with machines. Everything in starting strength can be substituted with a machine variation.



    YNDTP.




    Seriously though, direct him to EXRX, it explains how to do a lot of the exercises. Grab Starting Strength when he's ready to get off the machines and do strength training. He'll probably need to find a gym rather than a fitness center at that point, too.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Another vote for New Rules of Lifting. Also Strong Curves. Also bodybuilding.com may be a good resource.
  • BrianKMcFalls
    BrianKMcFalls Posts: 190 Member
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    As mentioned above, my vote would be New Rules of Lifting for Life.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    edited November 2016
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    There's more here than what he needs, but I'd suggest reading the entire series (4 parts): http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html/

    If he really just wants to jump in, then Part 4 might be enough.

    eta: Part 4 has a beginner machine template that Lyle recommends, plus advice on how to progress.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited November 2016
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    TR0berts wrote: »
    There's more here than what he needs, but I'd suggest reading the entire series (4 parts): http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html/

    If he really just wants to jump in, then Part 4 might be enough.

    eta: Part 4 has a beginner machine template that Lyle recommends, plus advice on how to progress.

    ^ Excellent recommendation. There's just as much, if not more, information in that series as there would be in any book. And good information, not derp and broscience. Lyle's entire site is a great source for training, nutrition and weight/fat loss.

    [ETA:] Another recommendation would be the Muscle and Strength Pyramids by Eric Helms. It may be much more in-depth than the OP needs right now, but it's well organized and solid information through and through.

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