Want to start lifting at the gym - advice please

[LottaMarten]

Have read around a bit and decided that lifting 'proper' weights might be the most effective use of my time.

Does anyone else lift? If so could you give me some pointers? I put together a 'plan' yesterday and wondered if someone could scan their eye over it and see what they thought...

Also would anyone like to be a remote 'training buddy'?

Hi Lotta, lm a long time lifter (20 plus years) I'd say stick to basic compound exercises and there plenty of helpful stuff on youtube if you have time to browse.

Sure post up your proposed routine and I'll be happy to give my take on it.

Bearing in mind that different things work for different folks but there are some basic principles which apply to most :)

Thank you Suzanne! I will have a look on youtube. I had three sessions with a personal trainer a month ago which helped a lot with technique.

Yesterday I did

• Dead lift - 8 reps of 30kg, 8 reps 40kg, 8 reps 40kg
• One legged squat press - 8 reps of 30kg on each leg, and again 8 reps of 30kg on each leg
• Bolivian split squat things? (not sure of name) 8 on each leg, and again 8 on each leg again (no weights in hands)
• Chest press, 8 reps of 20kg, 8 reps of 20kg, 8 reps of 25kg
• The back exercise where you lean your hips on something going up diagonally like this / ,and then lift up - 10 reps and 10 repgs
• Assisted pull ups with 8 reps with 45kg, 8 with 40kg, 8 with 40kg
• Plank - normal and side

I didn't do any cardio apart from a dynamic warm up and warm down.

I thought I could do the above (increasing weights where possible) 3 times a week. In terms of cardio I am planning one interval run (1 mute walking, 2 minutes running around 14km/ hour for 20 mins); one parkrun per week where possible; one swim (interval training) and one HIIT class at the gym called 24.

I wanted to ask - do you think best to train one muscle group each session, or is a mix like the above good?
I will try to separate the cardio from weights where possible - is that the right idea?
Additionally, how do you exercise your abs? I try to do a quite intensive plank by tensing really hard, not sure if that is enough, should I do crunches too/ other types?

Would love to hear your views. Sorry this is so long!

Thank you Suzanne! I will have a look on youtube. I had three sessions with a personal trainer a month ago which helped a lot with technique.

Yesterday I did

• Dead lift - 8 reps of 30kg, 8 reps 40kg, 8 reps 40kg
• One legged squat press - 8 reps of 30kg on each leg, and again 8 reps of 30kg on each leg
• Bolivian split squat things? (not sure of name) 8 on each leg, and again 8 on each leg again (no weights in hands)
• Chest press, 8 reps of 20kg, 8 reps of 20kg, 8 reps of 25kg
• The back exercise where you lean your hips on something going up diagonally like this / ,and then lift up - 10 reps and 10 repgs
• Assisted pull ups with 8 reps with 45kg, 8 with 40kg, 8 with 40kg
• Plank - normal and side

I didn't do any cardio apart from a dynamic warm up and warm down.

I thought I could do the above (increasing weights where possible) 3 times a week. In terms of cardio I am planning one interval run (1 mute walking, 2 minutes running around 14km/ hour for 20 mins); one parkrun per week where possible; one swim (interval training) and one HIIT class at the gym called 24.

I wanted to ask - do you think best to train one muscle group each session, or is a mix like the above good?
I will try to separate the cardio from weights where possible - is that the right idea?
Additionally, how do you exercise your abs? I try to do a quite intensive plank by tensing really hard, not sure if that is enough, should I do crunches too/ other types?

Would love to hear your views. Sorry this is so long!

sorry not sure what happened there.. ;)

I'm another lifter, though of only a couple of years experience - am in awe of Suzanne and her long term commitment!

At this stage I'd suggest you're best off with a full body workout - there's no need to do split sessions and you'll see great results really quickly (there's nothing like newbie gains). Keep your cardio separate from your lifting and maybe drop one or more of the sessions - you really don't need to do a lot and your muscles will thank you for the rest.

A programme I always see recommended for beginners is Stronglifts 5x5 which is what I have DH doing at the moment - it's not a huge impact in terms of time but it's great for a beginner and three weeks in he's noticing changes to his body. Alternatively you could go onto bodybuilding.com and look at their programmes and forum for advice.

Welcome to the dark side

Hermione thanks for that and I'm delighted to be joining you on the 'dark side' - the Stronglifts 5*5 looks good to start with.

I'm happy with dropping a cardio and thanks for the tip - I will aim for 2 to 3 sessions a week, depends how I am feeling.

I guess the Stronglifts programme also exercises the abs if you have correct form on all the exercises?

PS have you guys changed your diet in any way (more protein etc?)

I agree that whole body workouts are fine to start with but beyond that I am loathe to be dogmatic, Ime strength training, cardio and food intake are all dials that can be adjusted to tweak body composition.

Also not sure that cardio and strength training need to be kept separate, I often do both in one session, we all respond differently to training, it's a matter of finding what works best for you I think.

The new rules of lifting for women book is a good one for you to read, it has some routines which might be helpful for you.

for abs I mostly do crunches, but there's a huge variety of things you can do for abs, try different things, the soreness next day will help to tell whats effective

I've not read the new rules book so cant comment, my daughter said she found it disappointing

tbh I'm not sure that we need 'lifting for women' I tell her to train like a man

Ok, so i did my first stronglifts 5 by 5 and it went fine! Certainly got me working and sweating

Finished off with six or seven bouts of 30 seconds skipping, 45 seconds rest

Thank you for advice.

Suzanne, how do you tweak food intake - do you mean eating more protein etc? Or just total calories?

You can put short cardio exercises in between your weight exercises: burpees, lunges, squats on a bosu etc. That works well.

Thank you

I did something very embarrassing... i was returning some weights to a rack, and by mistake put 10 kilos onto a bar NEXT to the weights rack.. a bar on a frame, that a man was about to lift! I was away in my own world listening to my iphone

Anyway, at least he laughed, and asked what i was trying to do to him!!!

I eat more protein than I used to - and more calories and stay thinner. Lifting is marvellous! I tend to aim for 2g protein per kilo of bodyweight or thereabouts and it seems to work for me. It can be very personal though.

Correct form on compound exercises will engage your core but there's no harm in sticking in an abs circuit a couple of times a week. I do 10 each of leg raises, crunches, reverse crunches and Russian twists for four rounds with no rest. It's a killer!

Well done on getting started today! And don't worry about the putting weights on someone else's bar - I'm forever stealing weights from people/getting in the way as I'm in my own little world!

more total calories Lotta, and keeping food as clean and basic as possible, no junk, no processed food.
I've never really gotten into low carb and while I eat an adequate amount of protein Im not sure that high levels of protein are all that good for you

Watching this thread with interest. The 5x5 link is great Hermonie, just what I needed something simple to get started with.

Is it daft to be a little nervous in the gym when you've never done anything like this before? I use the cardio machines and a couple of the weight machines but never gone in to the weight lifting area - there's always men in that part. I just know I'm going to do something stupid!

Ginger - I felt like that, went in and the guys were v helpful!

Just need to get into a routine of going now!!

I'm also a pretty serious lifter. I think a basic framework to start with can help with confidence. I'd saw someone else give the following advice on a weight training site recently and thought it was a great starting point for novices. Do:

one exercise which works both legs at the same time
one exercise which works one leg at a time
horizontal push
horizontal pull
vertical push
vertical pull

If you stick to something simple like this, no matter what gym you walk into or what's available, you can almost always get a good, full-body workout in.

So, concretely an example of the above might be (although there are lots of other variations):

2 leg exercise -- squat
1 leg exercises -- lunge or step up
horizontal push -- chest press
horizontal pull -- seated row
vertical press -- overhead press
vertical pull -- lat pulldown

This framework works because you're push and pulling in equal measure and you're not neglecting the big muscles in your legs. As you get more confident, you can build out from there.

Long term lifter currently taking a break during pregnancy. I really found ultrafit magazine useful when I started as plenty of routines and tips for beginners but a proper magazine about getting fit not loads of beauty and fashion. Most important thing is to change it every 6 wks or so. Experiment with different types of routine. I found Peripheral Heart Action really useful for shedding fat and getting lean. I also second whole body workouts every other day when starting out. You only need to split routines if working out every day. Weights is the way forward and far too many women avoid them for fear of 'bulking up' (total myth!!). Good luck with it!

Sorry to hijack here but what do you serious lifters think about body pump type classes?

I think they're a great thing to do, but they're too cardio to be "lifting". They are, however, what got me into the weights room. If you enjoy them, do them! I still take part on occasion when I fancy a bit of a change.

I don't view body pump as 'lifting'