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Ladies Who Lift

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ElementalMoe
ElementalMoe Posts: 186 Member
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I want to get into lifting, but I've not picked up a free weight in my life. I'm concerned about having proper form - I have back issues that I don't want to aggravate by doing things improperly. For those who lift - How did you get started? What did you do to perfect form? Any tips, pointers, warnings? Thanks!

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  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    I got the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" - really good all round guide to lifting with pictures of proper form :)
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
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    I lift but I do Crossfit so I have someone there to show me how the lifts are done....

    I've heard good things about the book WeightWars wrote about.

    If you plan on lifting i would highly suggest trying to find a trainer who is proficent in lifting and form and maybe spend the money for a session or two so you can make sure you have the proper form, hand placement, etc...
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
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    I've checked out the New Rules of Lifting for Women and it seems solid enough. When I started looking into Strength Training, I bought an ebook called "Beautiful Badass" when it was on sale. It's pretty neat, written and developed by Nia Shanks, a rather successful female trainer. I like her no nonsense approach, and as I was a total beginner as well, the links to unlisted youtube videos of her walking you through the form & movement were a major bonus. There are a lot of programs in the book to choose from, and they all use either bodyweight or barbells. Substitutions for moves and equipment are provided.

    You can find her website here, there's quite a bit of stuff worth reading on it:
    http://www.niashanks.com/

    The ebook can be found here but I'm not sure it's on sale anymore:
    http://www.niashanks.com/beautiful-badass
  • tabbychiro
    tabbychiro Posts: 223 Member
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    I lift but I do Crossfit so I have someone there to show me how the lifts are done....

    I've heard good things about the book WeightWars wrote about.

    If you plan on lifting i would highly suggest trying to find a trainer who is proficent in lifting and form and maybe spend the money for a session or two so you can make sure you have the proper form, hand placement, etc...
    +1
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    I agree, I got a friend who has been lifting for decades to take me through each workout when I started doing it but you could do it alone if you can read and take things in well. Loads of you tube videos too :)
  • sarasara42
    sarasara42 Posts: 24
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    I started out with my husband who bought me the New Rules of Lifting for Women, but found i got bored too fast. That said, the principles and techniques are solid and it's definately worth reading and trying.

    Instead i went to www.bodybuilding.com and printed off my own weight routine. It let me add in number of sets and i can just record how much i did, etc. And it let me choose between free weights and machines (which are never as busy since the guys always seem to be in front of the mirrors).

    My routine goes like this:
    Monday i do upper body and stomach (biceps, triceps, chest, back, lats)
    Tuesday lower body and back (squat, deadlift, hamstring, quad, calves, etc)
    Wed no weights. Just cardio
    Thurs repeat cycle above (or do cardio)

    Do what works for you and will keep you going. I just found it a nice break for my YEARS of boring cardio machines with no results.
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
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    My strength routine is based on the primal blueprint:

    pushups
    pullups
    squats
    planks

    I would start there.
  • digitalalchemy
    digitalalchemy Posts: 56 Member
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    Here are some links to videos from Greg Everett. He does the podcasts with Robb Wolf and he is an Olympic lifting coach. http://www.catalystathletics.com/media/video/

    Another good site for videos is the Crossfit HQ site http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html#Exer

    Also, if you go to a gym, just ask one of the trainers to watch your form. Most of them will do that for free.
  • ElementalMoe
    ElementalMoe Posts: 186 Member
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    Thanks all! I'm already doing plenty of floor exercises, such as lunges, planks, side planks, bicycle crunches, etc, etc, etc. . . But I can really see that "lifting heavy things" would benefit my physique. I'll start doing my research online.

    I've joined a meetup group specifically for lady lifters, and the organizer is offering a group training session on lifting for $40, Is this a good deal? Worse case scenario I have to wait for my next free training session from my gym.

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