Weights - where to begin?

[Teamkhaleesi]

I am a regular gym goer but always stick to the cardio machines. I would love to add weights in to my routine but I have no idea what I’m doing and feel too self conscious to venture over to the weights section. I’m also worried about injuring myself due to bad form or starting with too much too soon.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can get started? I have no real goals except becoming generally more toned and stepping out of my comfort zone. Thanks for any help!

My physio suggested getting some hand weights, often for sale in Aldi etc and watching some YouTube videos for beginners.

The gym I go to has swarms of qualified staff and trainers who advertise their services. You only need a session from a willing staff member to get you going.

Have you tried asking at your gym? I have found that the people using weights are not judgmental because it's a relatively specialised part of the gym and everyone has been a beginner at some point.

@Teamkhaleesi I'd suggest you've got two options really - first is to arrange a PT session at your gym specifically for a weights session. It'll get you into it much quicker and will help you feel more confident in the space, find where things are, know how they work etc.

Second is the longer route I did (mainly because when I started a long time ago, PTs weren't interested in teaching women how to use weights and kept walking me back over to the machines - idiots!)

• spy the dumbbell rack. Look for some floor space, preferably near a mirror and not blocking any other equipment. Go to the rack and pick a light pair of dumbbells (lightest ones are usually on the top of the rack but you might have to hunt to find a pair) Find that space, do a few sets of dumbbell shoulder press. Don't worry so much about the exercise itself, just give yourself a bit of time to get over the nerves. I used to have a bit of a nosy in the mirror at what other people were doing too! Do this on a few gym visits until you feel more comfortable in the weights space, and then start thinking about what else you can try next.

The other exercises that are good beginner exercises with dumbbells (and require minimal other equipment) are: Dumbbell one arm row (using a bench to lean on)
Dumbbell goblet squat, and dumbbell bench press.

These will all be searchable on YouTube and I found them a useful entry to the weights room. Start off with something simple like trying to do 3 sets of 8 reps with a rest in-between each set. Once the weight starts to feel comfortable, try doing more reps; if you get as high as 12 then next time try a heavier dumbbell.

I would definitely advocate using barbells as well but there's no harm starting with dumbbells especially if you're not used to weights (barbells start at 15kg for a women's specific and many gyms only have men's standard 20kg barbell so they can be quite heavy for a beginner) For learning how to use a barbell and plates I found Mark Rippetoe useful (he has a book called starting strength, and lots of YouTube videos about how to squat and deadlift. One caveat is I would avoid his advice about learning to snatch or pendlay row; personally I think they're not suitable for most people and wouldn't be popular in a commercial gym due to space/injury risk/noise)

Good luck, and please post how you get on!

I'd third the suggestion of a couple of PT sessions.

But also ... I'd recommend MegSquats. Her aim is to get a barbell in the hands of every woman. She's really down to earth & funny. She does an intro to weightlifting specifically for women called: Before the Bar. I think she charges a flat price for that.

A lot of her content is free (Instagram, YouTube) & her paid-for weights programme specifically for women is called "Stronger by the Day" - I've not tried it, but it seems to be a fully supported progressive programme for a set price (around $USD10 ) per month, so cheaper than a PT! There's the opportunity for filming yourself & getting her feedback.

If you work on compound all-body weighted movements such as squat & deadlift, you'll find you tone up really fast! Within 6 months you'll see the difference.

If your gym has the piece of equipment called the sled, and a fairly friction free track of 10metres, I'd add in weighted sled pushes & pulls, as they require very little technique, just glutes and determination. And sled pushes can help you get strong AF. I can drag 350 kilos (I'm early 60s), but I watched a gym-mate drag 400 kilos the other day. (She's probably 20 years younger than me, though). These numbers can be yours, with regular training!

PS. I am not MegSquats publicist - I heard about her in here! And I really like her content.

Also have a look at the Instagram account of Jason & Lauren Pak. They used to run Achieve Fitness, but post-COVID they do personal training online. Their INsta account is really full of content.