Complete beginner

[Hairymaclarysit]

Hi I hope I’m in the right section. I really want to put on some muscle especially around arms and shoulders. I have lost quite a bit of weight in the last couple of years due to two very sicky pregnancies and illness (5 foot 4 and about 7 stone 3ish) so I don’t want to lose any weight or fat.
What’s the best way to go about it? Should I do less reps but lift the heaviest I can? My DH has loads of weight training stuff but I have no idea what a woman beginner should be starting on? What would be a good weight to lift?
I’m just fed up of feeling thin and weak and eating as much as I can just isn’t working.
If anyone has any tips for healthy weight gain I’d happily take them too. Thanks.

Eat more protein, fats and veggies you need at least 2000 calories a day to sustain the weights and you should lift heavy being a lady doesn’t mean you lift or train and different to a man.

I’m smaller than you under 5ft I can bench 40kg without a spot I can squat with a barbell weighing 100kg deadlift 120kg leg press 340kg yes all more than my body weight for everything but the bench. I train heavy and hard only way to get results and add muscle is to feel the pain and push through.

As Strongbeatsskinny says, it doesn't matter that you're a woman. Pick a programme, there are loads out there, then stick to it. We can't tell you how much you should lift because we don't know your current strength levels, that is something you'll have to judge by trial in error in the beginning. Don't be scared of 'missing' a lift, push yourself - just so long as your form is good.

Resources you might find useful:
Girls Gone Strong
Strength Level Calculator
T-nation
Strong Lifts beginners programme
New Rules of Lifting for Women

There's loads more out there, Google is your friend, just be consistent and put the work in then you'll get the results.

Thanks I’ll have a look at those links later. I’ve just done a set of reps with a few different exercises. 10 deadlifts of 30kg and a few different ones with 10 and 20kg. And I could only manage a full squat without the bar 😂 but I’ve written down what I’ve done (DH knows all the proper names of what I did)
I went for weights where by the tenth rep it was a real struggle to get the last one in. So hopefully I’ll see some improvement by the summer if I do so enevery other day.
DH very into macro and protein at the minute so I will try to pay more attention and up my protein. Thanks.

So long as you break a squat to parallel that’s fine however build a stronger back and glutes beforehand. I’ve never give a novice squats weighted until they have spent a while building up the support muscles ground work before the fun.

Sorry to hijack this but can anyone recommend a good starter set of weights for home use? I'm gonna have to give up my gym membership as I can't get there after having DD but would really like to continue lifting at home.

Also @strongbeatsskinny those are some impressive stats, good for you!

Posting just to watch the thread as interested in more weight training myself.