How to start with weights/strength building

isaott
isaott Posts: 28 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi y'all,
I really want to start building my strength, but have absolutely no idea where to start.
Can you recommend youtube channels or pages to follow to get started? I know I won't be able to lift very heavy due to some health conditions (hiatal hernia), but I feel like I've maxed out on body weight exercises. Also, gym is out for me, I need the flexibility to work out from home (and on the road as I travel a lot). Also, I'm just not the gym type.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Replies

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    I recommend Jonni Shreve and Renaissance Periodization on YT. The former for form guides, and the latter is more science based.

    No gym means you need to get stuff for home. What are you thinking of? The baseline rec imo is a set of adjustable dumbbells and a FID bench, but the sky is the limit really, depending how far you intend to go.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,073 Member
    edited January 2
    If you're thinking flexibility for home and travel, then in lieu of DB's I'd look into bands. They have near infinite flexibility in terms of different exercises you can use with them, they can hook onto door frames or furniture or stand on them, they come in variable resistance, and most importantly for the traveler weigh next to nothing and fold up very compactly in luggage.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    Are bands challenging enough @nossmf ? I thought about suggesting those but I have no experience with them, so I wondered if they'd be challenging enough compared to db's for home use, e.g. I do sets of curls with an ez-bar total weight 72 pounds. Does a band get near to that? Ofc someone else may be using less weight.

    For travel, yeah they're super light and easy.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    Have you looked at the strength training thread?

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Despite the title, it does include some strength programs that are not classic weight lifting.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,679 Member
    edited January 2
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Are bands challenging enough @nossmf ? I thought about suggesting those but I have no experience with them, so I wondered if they'd be challenging enough compared to db's for home use, e.g. I do sets of curls with an ez-bar total weight 72 pounds. Does a band get near to that? Ofc someone else may be using less weight.

    For travel, yeah they're super light and easy.

    Bands can be challenging, if they’re fresh and appropriate resistance. But they can also be irritating as hell because they have a tendency to roll up, and when they do they pinch and can be painful. I’ve used them mostly for side lunging or side stepping type exercises, or tabletop ones where you’re kicking legs back up or out sideways, or on back, doing a scissor type move.

    The long ones with the handles are a great low-tech replacement for dumbbells. If they’re really resistant, you can do curls, kickbacks etc. You can also increase resistance by widening your stance on them, or wrapping them around your hands to shorten them for (don’t know a better name for this) one arm flies.

    Gym bands of all kinds are usually stretched out and useless. I’d want a fresh set.

    I usually double up on bands at the gym to get enough resistance, which is aggravating because they roll up even worse when doubled.

    I could easily do a really good resistance/gym mimicking workout with a good set of handled bands and an elastic band.

    The only thing lacking would be the basics like bench press or squats. You can mimic deadlifts with them though.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,073 Member
    I don't want to post a link here and appear to be endorsing a product in violation of site policy, but a quick search of bands on online retailers show you can easily get massive resistance options, @Retroguy2000. The first set I pulled up had five bands ranging from 5# up to 125# resistance when fully stretched, and you can easily double up by using multiple bands together. This easily exceeds your ez-bar, and the entire set sells for only $25.

    @springlering62, bench press and squats are easy to achieve, or at least the basic movement pattern. For working the chest, assume a pushup position, with the band across the back of the shoulders and held down by your hands. For the squat movement, you can try looping the band across your shoulders and stand on it, but this will likely cause too much pull on your neck. Instead try placing the hands in front of your chest in more of a goblet-squat stance, or hold one end of a band in a hand at shoulder height. (This option would likely work better with a pair of equal-tension bands, one per hand/foot connection.)
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    Noss, interesting. I'll have to check those out. I'll be away from my home gym for a couple of weeks in early summer and was planning to join a local gym there for that time. I may try bands for that time instead, or in addition.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,498 Member
    You might like a suspension trainer. The TRX is the original, but there are a number of knockoffs
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,071 Member
    i like resistance bands like bodylastics, and they're available from super light to super heavy resistance. resistance bands are quiet, take up almost no space, and are light weight. the only thing i don't like about them is that the end of a move can have much more resistance than the start. for that reason, i prefer weights or machines, but when starting out, you can't beat a good set of bands with a few attachments as they're relatively inexpensive, can provide a lot of variety, and there are about a zillion workouts online for them.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,073 Member
    People are often stronger at certain portions of a movement. Think about doing a squat; many people are at their weakest when they are at the lowest point, compared to close to standing. With variable resistance, their muscles are hit hardest at the point when they are strongest. This is the whole point behind chains hanging from bench press bars and coiled on the floor; as the bar is pushed up, more links of chain hang from the ends, increasing the weight as the bar moves towards the strongest part of the movement. A band does this naturally.
  • isaott
    isaott Posts: 28 Member
    Thank you all, bands sounds like a great next step for me!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    YouTube channels I like that do strength workouts:
    Growingannanas
    CDornerfitness
    Sydney Cummings

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