zaph34

So basically when you pick the weights ad 12 or 25. Thanks.

I think I have made a rather dumb newbie error. I took the advice about dumping machines and using free weights. My gym has, well it is like a squat rack with a bit more added, sorry don't know the technical term. Virtually nobody else uses it, seen as intimidating, so I have to myself. I tried deadlifts with a small bar and I was surprised how much more difficult it was with the large bar from the rack. I couldn't figure this out, it was the same weight. Now I realise that the bar itself weighs something. So I thought I lifted 50kg, when in reality it was more than that. So how much does the bar actually weigh? Since I only weigh 67kg I suspect i may have gone a little to high too early, I could only lift that much 3 or 4 times before failure.

Hi, I'm looking to bulk up, someone at work challenged me to do so, so I thought why not. I am 36, 5' 6" and around 145 pounds, but alas I am also one of those people who looks like a human stick insect. I have started a weight lifting program in the last couple of months that has been blown out of the water by illness in the last couple of weeks, so I am getting back to it. My plan was to combined eating more with deadlifts, squats and pullups. With some dumbell exercises. Basically because I am lazy and these seem relatively simple things to do. I am not 100% inactive, I play tennis twice a week, normally for 4 hours at a time. Which I understand is not optimal to combine with weight lifting, but I am loathed to give it up. I suck in the gym, but I am quite a good tennis player. My big issue is I have all the upper body strength of a smurf, so lack the strength to do anything but the lightest lifts and minimal number of reps on things like pullups.

So I have just joined a new gym here in the UK. Nice cheap discount rates, and easy parking. I have been a member of one before, but avoided free weights. Mainly used machines and exercise mats. My problem is I still feel like a fraud in the gym, especially in the free weight section. Generally quite shy, so I prefer to figure things out myself. So I tried the free weight section and the one guy there starts telling me everything I am doing wrong. Now I know he was trying to be helpful, though looking at various youtube videos his advice was not 100% acurate, but I did find it off putting. Does anyone else feel the same way?