New to weights

[pinkyponkyplink]

I’m using 3kg weights. Can anyone suggest moves or someone I can follow as a newbie please? Sally Gunnell suggests 2 moves and a rest and then another 2 moves and a rest. But Caroline G seems to do a rest after each move. I want to do about 20-30 minutes. Can anyone suggest something for me to follow to use at home please? I’m confused by the different suggestions of rest between moves and rest between sets.

Not sure what you mean by moves - do you mean reps or sets?

There is a separate chat board on Mumsnet called The Weights Room.

I mean between reps as I move from one moment to another

Just pick a programme that appeals and give it a go. There’s no one answer to any of those questions as it all depends on what you’re trying to achieve. But the biggest thing is just getting started and doing something. Tinkering around with reps, sets, rests etc really doesn’t matter compared to just doing it. My programme (written by my coach) sometimes has individual exercises then rest, or two together then rest, or three together and rest. There’s reasons for that but it really doesn’t matter in the bigger picture.

Rest between sets as that allows you to keep lifting heavier or more volume.

as @RayKray says (and she’s very experienced) find a programme you like and enjoy and stick to it. Consistency is the main thing - train 3 times a week and build up to 4 times, plus walk 10,000 - 12,000 steps a day.

The other thing is make sure it’s a programme which gives you a progressive overload so once you’re confident in the moves and your technique, you start to push weights or reps so that you end each set (group of reps) with maybe one or two reps in reserve.

You’ll quickly outgrow 3kg weights! That’s very light after a while - except for lateral arm raises!

I’m glad it’s not just me with the lateral arm
raises!

I range from 2 4kg weights for those to a 30kg barbell for deadlifts, so it does vary massively, & usually have a minute’s rest between each set of reps. My PT wrote my plan & I just up the weights as I get stronger.

Ask ChatGPT to devise a programme for you based on your fitness goals.

Sign up to the Ladder app. I had a free 7 day trial before I had to pay.

They have different trainers with different programmes - dependent on your goals/ level.

I would recommend you start on the Movewell programme. The coach is Nicole M. Winter and you can see on her insta she provides exercise to do at home or gym.

I have started exercising and was doing YouTube resistance training for a few months and decided to join a gym and get a PT. I have dyspraxia and while I can follow a video I definitely can’t do free weights without following a video and I probably don’t lift heavy enough as I worry about injury.

I explained this to my PT and said I would like to do free weights without following him and a machine/cable based programme in between. He then gave me a free weights programme which was totally impossible for me. I messaged him to say I needed a simpler, machine based programme and he replied, just pick a few machines and do 3 sets of 10. You can’t get programmes for machines.

I asked him how to use the cables and he said he didn’t know and sugggested we did boxing. I was very clear from the outset I don’t like boxing.

A couple of my friends have PTs and have achievable programmes which get altered as they improve. They include machines and I see lots of other trainers using machines with people at the gym.

am I being unreasonable in asking for a machine based programme while I build my skills and confidence? I’m not sure what to do now. I ended up just doing my video at home last night as I didn’t know what to do at the gym.
I’m mid 50’s with dodgy knees and not fit so really wanted some guidance so I can progress safely.

Find a different trainer - it can take a couple of try outs to find someone you click with.

i was lucky - I liked my PT from the start.

Although he doesn’t have me using machines except for lat pull downs so when I’m travelling I have to improvise! But I’m pretty confident about what I like doing - even if I struggle with the Smith machine!

@AvoidingthetwitchYANBU. That PT sounds shit. I’d try again and find a better one. IME ones who work out of non commercial lifting gyms are better and don’t just work with more serious lifters.

Thanks for these replies. @RayKraythanks for encouraging me to just get started. I’ve done just that.
ive also asked chat gtp so ill see how I get on with the suggestions

@pinkyponkyplinkthat’s great to hear! Hope it goes well 💪

Of course you can be given a programme for the weights machines. Most gyms the first thing you do is have an induction session where they show you round the machines and write a programme for you - which ones to use, what weight, how many reps/sets etc. Is your PT based in the gym you go to or do you see them elsewhere?