Anyone else lift weights?

Will research my Insta and list my favourites for lifting for anyone who's interested

Anyone else not a fan of upper body? I don't know why I hate it so much. I've seen such a massive improvement to my legs/glutes over the last 18 months that I'm a bit addicted to leg days, which I know isn't a good thing.

This would be a great space to release our gym pet hates:

My number one: thoughtless, lazy arseholes who don't remove their weights from the barbell/equipment. I just loovvveee having to remove 300kg of plates from the leg press!!

I've got a heavy cold right now and am forcing myself to stay out of the gym and take it easy for a couple of days. Ugh. I really want to get back in there.

One side benefit of enjoying fitness is that it has made me pay much more attention to the quality of my diet. I've got a smidge of weight still to lose, but I need to reduce the body fat percentage whilst retaining/building muscle.

Agree with that. I always say to my classes: ‘You might sometimes dread coming to class, but I bet you never regret it!’

Same here DropOfff. I rarely look forward to going, but feel brilliant afterwards. I love it when you've worked hard and you can feel the buzz in your limbs

Back to the gym today. I feel so much better when I've been.

I've started on the weights machines at the gym since January and I'm loving it! Usually a runner but nursing an injury currently so decided to join a gym.

Regarding knowing what to do, my gym (council run leisure centre gym) offers a 6 weekly "workout review". So a member of staff produces a workout for me to follow while at the gym and includes suggested ways to progress over the 6 weeks. Then it's reviewed and a new workout schedule produced.

I find the gym staff and always happy to help with ad-hoc workout suggestions or guidance on form. Just ask whoever is working that day.

Morgan12 Have you any experience? If not, I would be cautious although it does depend what you mean by weights.

@Morgan12 I’m moving over to doing it at home which will prob mean getting a bit more equipment (I only have dumbbells at the moment) because I see my PT in a small gym just for PT use so I need to figure out an at home plan

I would love to get back into cycling (I used to spend weekend doing 65miles) and I miss that, and I went through yoga 3-4 times a week a few years ago so maybe I need to work out a proper plan that includes all that but as a family we also go rock climbing once or twice a week so I think 2 days of weights is probably fine

@librarylover53 no, I meant mine will write a programme for you to do at the gym yourself not in a session

Do you think it would be possible to start this at home?

You all make it sound great but I have no time for the gym unfortunately. But could do some at home during nap time.

I try to do some weights at my gym. We are classes only so I try and fit in a couple that do the weights because coach says it is good for me. I am built for cardio, and have developmental disabilities, so it can be struggle, but in smaller classes coaches keep me safe and will take my weight down if they see it's too much (I am really bad at self regulating!)
I have some days better than others. I am not strong, but I am a lot stronger than I was a year ago so it's all good right?
I can do a few kettle bell swings with 12kg, but can sustain swings for longer and not keep having to put it down every few seconds with an 8kg.
Last night was not a good night, I really struggled and coach ended up switching the weights so only had a 5kg barbell. That's low for me now! And I could only swing with 6kg and that was tough as well.
But I also struggle to keep up my weight and hadn't eaten a lot yesterday so that might be why. Coach is trying to help me keep a healthy weight but it is hard and I am dropping again at the moment so need to be a bit careful.
You all sound so strong! Not sure if I should be posting here, as I don't love the weights like other things at the gym, but do push myself in everything I do

I love weights too.

Running was my thing but I like to get in at least two weight sessions per week..
Plus a Bodypump for fun.

I used to have a PT which has helped me to keep the correct form. I also have some old workout plans which I like to use so I don't just wander around in the gym wondering what to do next.

I've lost it a little over the Christmas period and feel not as strong but working on it.

Can't do a chin up yet. Nowhere near.. I figure I'm quite heavy though so there's a lot to get 'up'

Library, that sounds like a good starting point.

Gyms can be intimidating- some more so than others! There’s a gym in my town I definitely wouldn’t go to as it’s full of people WAAAY younger than me- all the young women in their Gymshark gear who seem to be there mainly to take sexy selfies for Instagram, while the preened and tattooed hipster boys pose and grunt as they lift. 😆

I work at a number of gyms in my town, all of which are friendly places with a wide range of clientele of different ages and shapes. Everyone just wants to do their own thing. There’s the occasional twat everywhere but hopefully your gym is a friendly place where you’ll feel welcome. 🙂

@librarylover53 look up Strong Curves as a starting point for a routine

@AutumnRose1 I am permanently hungry but I don't see it as a problem 😂

I make sure I eat plenty of lean protein, veg, nuts, and good quality carbs like proper bread (ie not the spongy things from the supermarket), pasta, rice, fruit 85/90% of the time. For the remaining 10/15%, pastries, cheesecake, salami, ice cream etc.

I have no problem maintaining the same clothes size, and my body composition is getting leaner and leaner

Just embrace the hunger, your body needs fuel to get stronger!

Thanks @waterlego !

I want to build overall strength and convert fat to muscle. Hoping that an induction session at the gym will cover the equipment enough to make me feel comfortable using it. Gyms can be intimidating places!

Library the main thing is to do stuff you enjoy!

You need a 5 min warm up (any cardio machine) then hit the machines and weights. It’s a good idea to have a focus for a weight session (legs/chest and back/arms and shoulders) so you can do lots of exercises in those areas.

To build endurance you need lower weights and lots of reps. To grow your muscles, you need heavier weights and fewer reps.

Thanks madame but I'm currently at small group PT so it's not the same as 1-1 PT. in any case I'm stopping with it as it's too expensive so just want to join a regular gym. Only I have no idea how to come up with a varied programme!

@librarylover53 could you get your pt to write you a gym programme? Mine does that

Ah ok chillychicken, not menopausal by the sounds of things. I would ask for blood tests from GP. Could you have overtrained? Overtraining can actually make people feel really under the weather for a surprisingly long time.

Re weight loss- Flowerarranger has the right idea! Actual weight is rarely a helpful measure unless there’s a reason you need to be a specific weight (if you’re a jockey or a boxer perhaps!) As a PT, I would always suggest people take body measurements instead. (Bust, waist, hips, thighs, upper arms) and go by how your clothes fit. It’s entirely possible to be a flabby 8 stone or a very ‘toned’ 14 stone. So much depends on your frame and body composition. I’m 9.5 stone which is quite a lot for a short-arse (I’m 5ft 3”) but I’m in the best shape of my life with low body fat.

The scales many gyms have which measure body fat % are also useful. They’re unlikely to be particularly accurate, BUT I think it’s reasonable to assume they are reliable to themselves, so if you always use the same machine, you will be able to see loss of body fat over time. Once you get into that way of thinking and looking at your body, the weight on the scales becomes much less important.

If you're new to exercising, Lucy Wyndham Read is very good, especially for legs. She is gentle and explains everything really well. Fitness Blender, Popsugar's Sadie Lincoln (legs and arms) and Andrea Orbeck (sculpted arm workout), as well as Rebecca Louise are good for weight-assisted exercises. Rebecca Louise also has some very good abs workouts, particularly 'best exercises for lower abs'. I usually mix and match 4 or 5 workouts per day to target all areas.

After a few weeks of small group PT (good but ££££), I'm hoping to join a local gym. I've no idea how to make up my own routines though to ensure I'm making progress etc? Can anyone recommend websites, YouTube videos?

Unless I restrict calories, exercising with weights doesn't help with weight reduction - but I am thinner! Trousers definitely feel looser and I look more toned.

You don't need gloves, but I've got some cheap ones from decathlon which really help prevent callouses.

I'm doing Noom weightloss programme, currently 80kg want to get down to around 70kg. I've lost consistently at 1200kcals for around 9 months but since Christmas just can't shift anything.