Complete newbie to weights where to start?

[Posypointshoes]

I’ve got my cardio sorted - I do spinning four times a week and walk loads, but I really want to get into lifting weights. The problem is I need to do it at home ideally as I can’t afford a gym membership or trainer at the moment. I was wondering if anyone could recommend any online videos etc to get me started? I don’t want to do myself damage but I’m really keen to change my shape a bit and feel fitter and stronger and I think weights is probably the way to go.

Im following!

Caroline Girvan videos on YouTube are amazing. I've ditched my Les Mills subscription and only follow her now. I would start on the beginners videos then perhaps do the Iron series.

Thank you! I’ll check her out now!

There are definitely online classes to follow and you will no doubt get some good recommendations here. The honest answer though is that for your body shape to change in a very noticeable way, you need to lift heavier than you are probably going to be able to afford, in terms of the space and finances for an at home set-up. The classes you will do at home with light dumbbells or body weight are going to be high teo and therefore more focussed on cardio and stability.

Its about cumulative load, so even if you did many, many sets of 15 squat reps with, say, 5kg dumbbells you just will never reach the load you will achieve on a squat rack or leg press, lifting/ pushing to failure with something like four sets of 10,8,6,4 reps.

I moved to a very rural location without a gym last year and I bit the bullet and fitted out a basement, but it cost three years of my David Lloyd membership 😖💸! It will pay off (eventually! 😩).

teo = rep!

Not necessarily , you can see difference with heavier dumbbells which you can have at home

Also loads of people are selling barbells / plates that you can use at home without a rack on marketplace all the time

It's ideal to have a proper gym set up but you can do this at home easily - I'd just recommend a few sessions with a trainer to get comfortable with your form!

@stevalnamechanger I think it will depend on the changes you want to see. All I’m saying is that it is absolutely fact that higher load will give you more noticeable results in a much shorter time.

Even as a total beginner on a leg press on Day 1 the OP could no doubt push the plate and, most likely, another 10kg on either side, and progress from that within a couple of weeks. Yet 25kg dumbbells (the equivalent) would be very cumbersome to squat with and horrendously expensive 😞

But I agree that something is absolutely better than nothing and there will be some modest muscle hypertrophy with dumbells up to the maximum weight you could comfortably a) hold for something like a squat or manage to get into a chest press position with and b) afford.

F

Compound lifts are the most important

Learn good form before you increase the weight

Full range of motion is more important than how much you are lifting

I work out solely at home, with a range of dumbbells up to 40kg and I've built a LOT of muscle in the last couple of years. No it's not the same as a gym I expect but with a range of dumbbells, bench and pull up bar, I've managed to completely change my shape.

I'm lucky that DH is an ex fitness instructor/personal trainer and I've been buying weights for years so have spread the cost. I currently have a BODi subscription and am doing Joel Freeman's Liift More.

Caroline Girvan is pretty hardcore. I'd look at Sydney Cummings or a great start is Lift with Cee on YouTube.