So my first day of the new rules of weight lifting.

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kag1526
kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
It went pretty well. I did the warm up stuff they suggest. Then body weight squats for a warm up. But I couldn't figure out how to work the gyms smith machine and the trainer was busy with someone else so I just did body weight for today. I really should have some weight because I could easily have done more.

Push ups I did one of the easier varieties by doing them against one of the railings at the gym. No problem with seated rows although switching between exercises in sets are annoying. These two areas are as far apart as they can be in the gym so most of my rest time is moving my stuff. If the gym was more crowded this would be much harder to do.

Step ups I have to do on a normal stair as my gym doesn't have any steps to use. Again would be annoying with the prone jackknifes due to where they are in the gym... but I can't do them at all. I don't have the strength in my arms to hold me up to get in position to balance on the ball. I just fall off.

The book doesn't having anything easier for that one... Any ideas of what I should do instead?
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Replies

  • deekaydee
    deekaydee Posts: 158 Member
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    A) The author really recommends against using the smith machine, does your gym have a squat rack or power cage?

    B) For step-ups, can you use a bench (like for bench presses) instead of a stair?

    C) I think you could do reverse crunches in place of the prone jackknife, maybe do some additional research on that. Do you have TRX equipment at your gym?
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    Do not use the Smith Machine unless you have a very specific reason for using it and know how to use it. Your chance for injury is actually greater than free squatting in a power rack.

    If you're unsure of proper form checkout:
    1. Squatting: (YouTube) So You Think You Can Squat
    2. Bench Press (YouTube) So You Think You Can Bench
    3. Deadlift (YouTube) Search for, "Deadlift and Dave Tate"

    Good luck
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    Ok maybe its not a smith machine... I just thought that is what it was called. It is a rack that alot of others do squats in. It holds a bar bell and has different heights all up you can put the bar at. I couldn't figure out how to move the bar right.

    The bench is really high I don't think I could do them on that.
  • deekaydee
    deekaydee Posts: 158 Member
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    Can you remove the bar from the rack? If so, it's probably a squat rack. If not, and the bar moves up and down along a track within the machine, it's a smith machine.
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    I don't know if you can remove the bar from the rack... you may be able to and I just don't know how it wasn't just sitting there though it is held in....
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
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    Based on your replies already it sounds like you should really get some personal instruction before diving into exercises like squats and deadlifts, they are incredibly complicated.
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    Its definitely a smith machine. Read something that says the difference and the machine does have a track the bar follows.

    The gym I go to is a planet fitness and it seems most of them don't have squat racks. I'll probably just use dumbbells instead of a bar bell.
  • seph_house
    seph_house Posts: 101 Member
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    a squat rack looks kinda like this squat-rack-236x300.gif

    bits pointing upwards with pegs in it allow you to set the bar at a suitable hight for your starting position (just below the shoulders for a squat). you stand between the bits parallel to the floor and, if you manage to fall or drop the bar, it should be caught on them rather than squishing you. the squat rack is just a frame of iron/steel bars welded together with no moving parts, the bar is completely separate.

    a smith machine looks like this smith-squat.jpg

    the bar is trapped between two rails so it can only go up and down so there is no chance of you toppling over forward or backward. however, it also means that you can only move at the angle the rails allow you to which is not really a natural angle for the squat and lots of people think it's evil for teaching/forcing you into bad forms.


    both the smith machine and the squat rack will probably be equipped with an Olympic bar which is 20kg with chunky 5cm diameter ends. if your gym has any smaller/lighter bars around (my gym has a bunch of 12kg bars which are used in body pump classes and the like) they can be a nice place to start 'cause they are light enough to pickup & lift into position without too much hassle but allow you to get the feel of holing a weight in the right place for the squats etc.

    i was terrified of making a fool of myself the first time i picked up the bar, way more than i was of using the dumbbells for the first time :) but take it slow and pay attention to the line of your back and hips & you should be fine. Of course, if you can get someone decent to give you some pointers in person, that's even better.
  • DorisR184
    DorisR184 Posts: 471 Member
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    Bump
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    Thanks seph_house as I said above and even more with your pictures they definitely only have smith machines. It seems there is no way I will be able to strictly follow the program and I'll just do as close as I can like doing squats with dumbbells in my hands instead of the weight across my back.

    From what I'm reading online a lot of planet fitness gyms don't allow deadlifts either (although we do have smaller silver barbells that aren't attached to the machines) so I might not be able to do those either. Although I have never seen anything saying we can't do them at mine I also have never seen anyone doing them..
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    bump
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,806 Member
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    The gym I go to is a planet fitness

    I found your problem right there.

    Honest response though, if you have no way of getting access to a barbells+squat/power rack (and I mean legitimately no way of finding a better gym or having a home set-up), then I would go with a Goblet Squat over a Dumbbell Squat where the DBs are to your side. I believe it will help you achieve better depth because it gives you a built-in depth check.

    P.S. If it's a money thing, which is understandable, look at other Planet Fitness franchises in your area. They all have slightly different rules, and some do have squat racks and barbells.
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    The issue is I live in an area with few gyms.

    My town has just the YMCA which is expensive (because I wouldn't make use of the classes and pool) or planet fitness. Oh there is a curves too but the one in our town last I knew had no free weights just a circuit that everyone went around.

    There is a retro fitness and another planet fitness in the town I work in but I'm not sure I would honestly go work out as much if I had to drive 35 min to get there and 35 min back. So it would only be good for going right after work and I probably wouldn't go on the weekends.

    I don't have the space to get stuff at home. I live in a smallish apartment.
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,806 Member
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    The issue is I live in an area with few gyms.

    My town has just the YMCA which is expensive (because I wouldn't make use of the classes and pool) or planet fitness. Oh there is a curves too but the one in our town last I knew had no free weights just a circuit that everyone went around.

    There is a retro fitness and another planet fitness in the town I work in but I'm not sure I would honestly go work out as much if I had to drive 35 min to get there and 35 min back. So it would only be good for going right after work and I probably wouldn't go on the weekends.

    I don't have the space to get stuff at home. I live in a smallish apartment.

    When do you work and how many days a week is NROWL4W? Because 3x a week is all I go to the gym myself. I do cardio outside (i.e. jogging/walking).
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    I do cardio outside too (c25K) unless the weather is really bad but its getting warm enough here now so that shouldn't be an issue much anymore.

    I work either 4 or 5 days a week (work is on a 9/80 schedule so we do 80 hours over 9 days and get every other friday off.

    New rules is 3 days a week but with running in between my plan was to do 8 day cycles of

    day 1: Run
    day 2: lift
    day 3: Run
    day 4 rest
    day 5: lift
    day 6 run
    day: 7 lift
    day 8 rest
  • KPainter70
    KPainter70 Posts: 152
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    Planet Fitness doesn't allow deadlifts? o_O I can't quite wrap my head around that.
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,806 Member
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    I do cardio outside too (c25K) unless the weather is really bad but its getting warm enough here now so that shouldn't be an issue much anymore.

    I work either 4 or 5 days a week (work is on a 9/80 schedule so we do 80 hours over 9 days and get every other friday off.

    New rules is 3 days a week but with running in between my plan was to do 8 day cycles of

    day 1: Run
    day 2: lift
    day 3: Run
    day 4 rest
    day 5: lift
    day 6 run
    day: 7 lift
    day 8 rest

    If you would be able to find something on the way from your work, and you work a typical monday-friday job, then you could do mwf for lifting and tue/thur/sat for C25K. That's actually what I'm doing myself (though a different lifting plan). If there's really no other option, you might need to find a different plan or adjust it accordingly.
  • kirkemorgan
    kirkemorgan Posts: 88
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    You could prob get away with deads at Planet Fitless, they just don't want ppl like me doing them. Use the bench for stepups, it's not too high unless your less than 5 feet tall. I doubt there will be any good trainers at that place so even if you get instruction watch it. The absolute best thing would be hire a trainer to come in with you and check form and modify New Rules for you on that equipment. Just find a good one ( one that has a CSCS) and tell them exactly what you want.
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    The bench is definitely too high for me for step ups. Even with no weights I don't think I could do them that high.

    I have no idea how I would even find a personal trainer. Tried to find some with google and the only things that came up are ones that work specifically at gyms like planet fitness.
  • kirkemorgan
    kirkemorgan Posts: 88
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    if a bench is too high to step up on new rules may not be for you, (is there something wrong?) cause unless your elderly, most can step up on a bench. Not slammin you but that doesn't sound rite.

    For trainers, the only certs I would accept are NASM, ACSM and NCSA, most of the others don't know enough unless they have a BA in it as well. So ask around your gym to see if anyone has one, there must be someone in the community if it's big enough to have a Planet fitless, there should be a trainer around somewhere, your local vitamin store may know also.

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