[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Teddybear

Ok I have a question for all of you who have been excerising on a regular basis. I have NO idea where to start on the strength training. How many reps I should do and how often should I increase the reps?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for all the support I have gotten for y'all already.

Here's an answer direct from a personal trainer. 12 to 15 is the magic range for reps (repetitions) in each set. The weight should be heavy enough that you feel the work it takes but not so heavy that you can't bang out 12 to 15 in good form. If your form is suffering, then you need to drop the weight.

Personally, I stick with 12 reps per set. When my trainer trains me, he has me do 15 reps per set.

Originally Posted by Teddybear

Randrum

I am assuming here that you are talking about free weights. If your not then please explain to me which machine. The gym I belong to has so many machines I have NO clue where to start or how to even use them.

I keep reading where some are talking about a circuit. Is there a certain circuit to follow? If so what is it? Do you have to do everything on the circuit everytime?

I have so many questions and don't want to hurt myself or break a machine. I promise to try and not overwhelm y'all with questions.

Thank you for your patience

The circuit is a designated section where you can get a full body workout of the major muscle groups in a reasonable amount of time (usually 30 minutes or so). For PF, like Randrum goes to, there is a traffic light. When the light turns green, you start your lifting and when the light turns red, you wipe the machine down and move on to the next machine in the circuit. I usually ignore the lights (unless it's crowded and then I'll obey the rules out of time consideration for the other gym goers) and do 2 to 3 sets of 12 reps for each machine.

You can hop in and out of the circuit as you please. It's your body, your workout so it's up to you how you do it.

That's a fair question about breaking the machines. Most of them you shouldn't have any worries about but those that can be mounted may have a weight limit on them.

Injury is a definite concern. It's very easy to hurt yourself if you use improper form and/or lift too much weight too fast.

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I suggest talking to the management at the gym. They should walk you through the machines and should give a general outline for what to machines to use to reach your goals. It is also important that they show you how to use the machines correctly so that you don't hurt yourself.

This is an excellent suggestion. Also, some gyms will offer one free training session or a free orientation to familiarize you with the machines. If yours does, take advantage of it. If not, it could be worth your while to pay for one training session to get you started. If you do that, make it very clear that you are a beginner and are not positive of how much weight would work for you.

Originally Posted by randrum

Dapper is right. It is a good idea to talk to the gym staff about how each machine is used so that you use it properly. They may also be able to give advice as to where to start.

Personally, I usually lift, when healthy, 2-3 times a week. And I tend to focus on muscle groups. Upper body (chest, arms, shoulders, and back) and lower body (legs & abs). I use a combination of free weights and machines.

Occasionally I'll throw in a circuit for variety. I go to Planet Fitness and they have a 30 minute express circuit that makes it easy.

I lift differently than Randrum. Nothing wrong with that; it's our individual bodies with individual issues, obstacles and goals, so we're bound to go about things differently.

Abs can be worked more often than other muscle groups as they heal faster, so when I'm in a routine, I'll work my abs every day. I just work different parts of them on different days. For example, upper and lower abs one day and obliques (sides) the following day.

Give yourself at least 48 hours between working out the same muscle groups. If you work your lower body (quads, hammies, glutes, hips) on Monday, don't work them again until Wednesday at the earliest. Give yourself more time at first because your body's not used to regular training. You may want to start with one day for upper body and one day for lower body each week for a couple of weeks and then add in one more day the third week.

One of my programs was upper body (chest, triceps, biceps, back, shoulders) on day 1, cardio on day 2, training lower body on day 3, cardio on day 4. Rest day then repeat.

One of the simplest and cheapest things you can do for yourself is to watch youtube videos of beginner weight training videos. If you want to start at home, go to Walmart or a discount store and get yourself some resistance bands and free weights. You can do those workouts at home if you are shy about the gym or if you can't make it to the gym one day or night but want to get some work in. You can do simple lifting while watching TV.

Maybe one of these might help:















Don't forget to warm up properly for about 5-10 minutes doing cardio or jumping jacks before you do any weight training. It warms up the muscles and minimizes your chance of injury. Lifting with cold muscles is a bad idea. Also remember to stretch and cool down afterwards.