Let's talk about weight training!

[HeWillSoar]

I'm interested in adding to my at home routine since I'm not a member of a gym.  For months now, I've done arm exercises in my bathroom before my shower.  Just a few minutes a night, but I've went from five pounds to 20 and I can see definition in my arms that I've never had!!!  It's kind of exciting!  Now I'm inspired to do more so I bought a barbell and am looking for a good bench.  I'm trying to build some muscle to help boost my metabolism since I struggle with my weight. 

 

Any tips or advice?  I'd love to hear what you do, where you started and where you are now. 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2017 by HeWillSoar

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I've had a wandering path with weightlifting.  

 

During adolescence and early adulthood, I did olympic lifts (squat, clean and jerk, bench...).  That was awesome, but requires a gym and partner to be safe.  

 

Then I wandered through adulthood and motherhood until...

 

I discovered You Are Your Own Gym, which is all about bodyweight exercise.  That's pretty awesome, too.  There are lots of bodyweight programs out now, it's the "in" thing at the moment.  

 

But, I do still like lifting, and recently (like, a week ago) discovered kettlebells.  I have been having so much fun with kettlebells.  Now, kettlebell lifts are often times pretty dynamic, so you'll want to start low and work up until you know your form is good.  If you can't go to a gym, spend lots of time watching form videos, mimicking, and videoing yourself to be sure of your form.  

 

 

[HeWillSoar]

Oh I do have a set of kettlebells  They could add some variety.  My son, who lifts weights at a gym, has told me a couple times to watch videos to make sure I don't throw my back out.  I'm trying to just slowly work up.  I put that book in my Amazon cart.  Thank you!

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

The author of YAYOG also has a book out specifically for women called Body By You.  It has some easier variations.  I don't really think it's any better or worse than the original YAYOG.  The YAYOG app is also really good.  

[Bluegoat]

I'm interested in this too - I need to get started doing some strength exercises.  I'm kind of lost on where to start, its been so long since I've done anything like that.

 

HeWillSoar, what kind of arm exercises were you doing?

[Carrie12345]

Oh I do have a set of kettlebells  They could add some variety.  My son, who lifts weights at a gym, has told me a couple times to watch videos to make sure I don't throw my back out.  I'm trying to just slowly work up.  I put that book in my Amazon cart.  Thank you!

 

Girls Gone Strong (on FB and .com) has some great videos on injury preventing form! (And not just for kettlebells.)

[Pawz4me]

Basic body weight exercises can be a good place to start -- squats, lunges, planks, modified push ups. I rotate around between body weight stuff and free weights. I'm not following any formal program at the moment, just doing whatever I feel like doing on a given day. I can't go too heavy on the weights due to arthritis in my fingers, but I figure anything is better than nothing. If I feel like keeping things really simple I just do kettle bell swings.

[arnold]

I started with various dumbbells, and a long step with 5 risers for each side to use as a bench for chest work. I later added a barbell and exercise ball. I also have exercise bands in various tensions, tubing in different tensions, a weighted vest and gloves. I use exercise videos by cathe friedrich.

[HeWillSoar]

I'm interested in this too - I need to get started doing some strength exercises.  I'm kind of lost on where to start, its been so long since I've done anything like that.

 

HeWillSoar, what kind of arm exercises were you doing?

 

I've been doing mostly bicept curls, hammer curls, overhead press, bent over row and tricept kickbacks.  I had to look them up to get the correct names, lol.  Also squats.  I just saw on Pinterest there are some nice charts of different exercises to do.  I just kept the weights in my bathroom and it takes almost no time. 

Edited July 12, 2017 by HeWillSoar

[HeWillSoar]

I started with various dumbbells, and a long step with 5 risers for each side to use as a bench for chest work. I later added a barbell and exercise ball. I also have exercise bands in various tensions, tubing in different tensions, a weighted vest and gloves. I use exercise videos by cathe friedrich.

 

I wish I wouldn't have gotten rid of my step!

[Kassia]

I started with various dumbbells, and a long step with 5 risers for each side to use as a bench for chest work. I later added a barbell and exercise ball. I also have exercise bands in various tensions, tubing in different tensions, a weighted vest and gloves. I use exercise videos by cathe friedrich.

 

I started with Cathe in the late nineties and still use a lot of her workouts!  

[Laurie4b]

I started with bodyweight exercises: Squats, modified push-ups (had to start against a wall!) & planks. 

 

I found out that you should make sure your routine is balanced. Women are particularly prone to knee problems due to having disproportionately stronger quads compared to back of the leg (hamstrings, glutes) and side of the legs. 

 

So, pair squats which work the quads with something that works the posterior chain: bridges or  hamstring curls of some sort (I started with a Swiss ball). 

 

Also, balance your push exercises with pulling (like rows). 

 

At first, I watched lots of you tube videos. I would typically google "Proper form for ______ (whatever the exercise was) " and watch several. I would often search for physical therapy as part of the description because then I knew I would be getting proper form but after a while you get the hang of who you can trust and who you can't/ Girls Gone Strong is a good video source. 

 

I then paid of a couple of personal trainer sessions at the gym to look at my form as well. Form is so important to prevent injuries and the older we get, the slower we heal, so better not to get injured in the first place!  As I wanted to do more, I would pay for a personal training session--for instance, to learn to deadlift with proper form. 

 

Now, my routine is : 

 

Lower body: Squats while holding dumbbells paired with clamshells  on one day; deadlifts (with a barbell) paired with side walking with a band around my ankles. 

Upper body: Push ups (I can do a handful from the floor but combine with doing some on my knees till I work up to being able to do them all full body) paired with incline rows (on a bench with dumbbells) or lateral pull downs (if I am at the gym.) For vertical pulls, you could also work with inverted rows or regular pull ups depending on your strength. I sometimes add a chest press if I am at the gym. 

 

Make sure you warm up first: a general cardio type warm up of 5-7 min and then do an easy set of whatever you'll be doing. So I might warm up with a set of push-ups off the counter and then do the ones on the floor, or do bodyweight only squats before doing ones where I am holding dumbbells or do deadlifts at 1/2 the weight I will be working with in my real sets.

 

I like the You are Your Own Gym book and also the New Rules of Lifting Supercharged or New Rules of Lifting for Life by Lou Schuller. Nia Shanks also has good programs. There is a basic one that is free on her website. She has loads of free articles in addition to the products she sells. Nerdfitness and Girls Gone Strong are other good websites for weight lifting. You can also look around for Facebook groups. I am in New Rules of Lifting (the one with more titles in the name--there is another just for New Rules for Women/Strong. The one with more titles allows you to talk about other programs. I am also in the Girls Gone Strong Facebook group. 

 

Edited July 12, 2017 by Laurie4b

[nixpix5]

We started out with kettlebells two summers ago and went all in. We bought a weight bench, a rack for squatting safely, leg press, tricep bar, Olympic bar his and hers, a bunch of colored bumper plates, a rack with dumbbells in many sizes, a stair stepper, rowing machine...it got crazy. I would stalk craigslist and got everything really cheap except wr splurged on our

Oly bars which we got from Rogue. I would say our best investment was the rack. We got the Valor fitness BD7 rack with lat pull. Best. Thing. Ever.

 

We started with a 4 week challenge that increases in difficulty. It would tell us what to do each day and we did it. We also invested in shaker cups and protein shakes. Fitness pal became our friend :) It was so fun that we developed a habit pretty quickly. I lost the 40lbs I had been carrying around extra since I had my gallbladder out. So we cannot park our cars in the garage but we have a bad ass gym :)

Edited July 12, 2017 by nixpix5

[solascriptura]

I've had a wandering path with weightlifting.

 

During adolescence and early adulthood, I did olympic lifts (squat, clean and jerk, bench...). That was awesome, but requires a gym and partner to be safe.

 

Then I wandered through adulthood and motherhood until...

 

I discovered You Are Your Own Gym, which is all about bodyweight exercise. That's pretty awesome, too. There are lots of bodyweight programs out now, it's the "in" thing at the moment.

 

But, I do still like lifting, and recently (like, a week ago) discovered kettlebells. I have been having so much fun with kettlebells. Now, kettlebell lifts are often times pretty dynamic, so you'll want to start low and work up until you know your form is good. If you can't go to a gym, spend lots of time watching form videos, mimicking, and videoing yourself to be sure of your form.

Thank you Monica! I just bought the app. This will come in handy when I travel next month. I was worried because I'm not going to have access to a gym and it'll be too hot to workout outside. Thank you!