Beginning lifting at home

forestfreek
forestfreek Posts: 5,770 Member
Hey there!
I know I need to start incorporating some resistance/weight training into my fitness routine. My lifestyle and schedule currently does not leave time to go to a gym so what sugggestions do you have for a total newbie for home workouts? Is there an online program I can follow that comes recommended? Equipment you’ve found helpful?
Any advice would be helpful😊

Replies

  • kellieolson05
    kellieolson05 Posts: 11 Member
    Following
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,725 Member
    There are lots of workouts on YouTube. You could start there.

    Some dumbbells and/or kettlebells or resistance bands are all you need to start resistance training at home.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited June 2019
    With a moderate weighted dumbbell, you can do nearly everything you need to get started. Maybe a 15 pound one. In my humble opinion, many overthink weights. I used to lift a lot in the gym (and still do occasionally).

    If you do pushups, goblet squats, planks, bridges - that's a very good start. Maybe add in some light overhead presses and rows and you'd be working 90% of what you need to work.

    Like Steve mentioned, I love Kettlebells too. Very versatile. But watch YouTube and get the form down on swings first.

    SPRI, and a few others, now make a really nifty handle for their resistance bands that can be quickly changed to a different band. I like their bands, too, because no metal grommet, which can be very dangerous if the band breaks.
  • Phirrgus
    Phirrgus Posts: 1,894 Member
    I strongly recommend following a good program. It will include how often you should lift, what lifts etc. Here's a good list.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Body weight workouts can be fantastic, require no equipment and usually not much room, while a pair of dumbells or set of kettle bells can offer plenty of variety. Your choice given your goals of course.

    And don't be shy with questions. Lots of knowledgeable lifter here, women and men. Best of luck :)
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    FitnessBlender videos on youtube are so good. Look for things that say "bodyweight" if you don't have equipment. Here's an example one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7K6yFOjsJI I really like fitness blender because they talk you through each workout and it doesn't go too fast.
  • gonnasnap
    gonnasnap Posts: 146 Member
    I would def recommend getting yourself a kettlebell. There’s a lot of full body movements you can do with them
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    edited June 2019
    Phirrgus wrote: »
    I strongly recommend following a good program. It will include how often you should lift, what lifts etc. Here's a good list.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Body weight workouts can be fantastic, require no equipment and usually not much room, while a pair of dumbells or set of kettle bells can offer plenty of variety. Your choice given your goals of course.

    And don't be shy with questions. Lots of knowledgeable lifter here, women and men. Best of luck :)

    This.

    I wasted a lot of time just bouncing around from random fitness videos or doing unfocused, random lifting exercises and I now regret all that time I could have been spending in a more efficient and productive way.

    Following an existing program is the best way to maximize your strength gains and will have rests and deloads written in.

    If you're just getting started, I'd recommend looking at the bodyweight training to start. My personal favorite from that list is nerdfitness.
  • deckhogan1
    deckhogan1 Posts: 9 Member
    I recommend Hasfit. They have a ton of free workout videos on YouTube. You also can purchase their app for $5 a month if you want to have access to their 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day programs.

    https://hasfit.com/

    I had to drop my expensive gym membership and I've been working out with Hasfit videos about a month. They provide videos for all levels and many of the videos have the husband doing the more intermediate moves and the wife doing modified moves. And they have workouts from 5 minutes to about 50 minutes with a lot of workouts around 20 - 30 minutes.
  • JesNotJen
    JesNotJen Posts: 10 Member
    Great thread!
  • Phirrgus
    Phirrgus Posts: 1,894 Member
    Phirrgus wrote: »
    I strongly recommend following a good program. It will include how often you should lift, what lifts etc. Here's a good list.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Body weight workouts can be fantastic, require no equipment and usually not much room, while a pair of dumbells or set of kettle bells can offer plenty of variety. Your choice given your goals of course.

    And don't be shy with questions. Lots of knowledgeable lifter here, women and men. Best of luck :)

    This.

    I wasted a lot of time just bouncing around from random fitness videos or doing unfocused, random lifting exercises and I now regret all that time I could have been spending in a more efficient and productive way.

    Following an existing program is the best way to maximize your strength gains and will have rests and deloads written in.

    If you're just getting started, I'd recommend looking at the bodyweight training to start. My personal favorite from that list is nerdfitness.

    @CaffeinatedConfectionist - I only wish I could reclaim the wasted time :D It's good to look back on when I start feeling lazy though :)
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    Phirrgus wrote: »
    Phirrgus wrote: »
    I strongly recommend following a good program. It will include how often you should lift, what lifts etc. Here's a good list.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Body weight workouts can be fantastic, require no equipment and usually not much room, while a pair of dumbells or set of kettle bells can offer plenty of variety. Your choice given your goals of course.

    And don't be shy with questions. Lots of knowledgeable lifter here, women and men. Best of luck :)

    This.

    I wasted a lot of time just bouncing around from random fitness videos or doing unfocused, random lifting exercises and I now regret all that time I could have been spending in a more efficient and productive way.

    Following an existing program is the best way to maximize your strength gains and will have rests and deloads written in.

    If you're just getting started, I'd recommend looking at the bodyweight training to start. My personal favorite from that list is nerdfitness.

    @CaffeinatedConfectionist - I only wish I could reclaim the wasted time :D It's good to look back on when I start feeling lazy though :)

    Ditto!
  • danae16
    danae16 Posts: 62 Member
    I am not a beachbody coach or anything like that, but I used their on-demand workouts when I was starting. There are a variety of workouts at different levels. You don't need to eat their meal replacements or anything that they are selling. A lot of them combine body weight with other weighted exercises. Some of my favorites were t-25 (no weights - more cardio). 21-day fix (these are 30 minutes or less). 80 day obsession (don't do this first! its for a more moderate level). There is also a weighted one called ChaLean or something like that, that was low impact lifting. It was definitely progressive so you could start slow and work up to more lifts and more weight. There was another that I can't remember the name of right now that did a cardio workout one day and a weighted workout the next. I think the membership for this was about 40 dollars for 3 months.

    There are much higher intensity workouts on there too. Also yoga and other things.

    For weight...I started with 8, 10 and 12 lb weights. That sounds small, but my arms especially weren't strong. Now I have 15, 20, 25 and 30 lbs. Also - be patient!
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    I wasted a lot of time just bouncing around from random fitness videos or doing unfocused, random lifting exercises and I now regret all that time I could have been spending in a more efficient and productive way.

    I mean, true. I get better results when I follow Starting Strength than I do following youtube vids. It's also a matter of commitment. The best routine is the one you can stick with. I am more likely to do 1-2 youtube bodyweight exercises a week and some weighted squats in the morning than I am to stick with a full blown program. Am I making way less progress? Oh yeah. But I'm in a cut, so lifting already makes me so hungry. I'd rather do a little instead of nothing.