An anxious geek reporting in

[anxiousgeek]

Hi all,

I'm Bread, I'm 34 living in Wales and interested in starting weightlifting and weight training of sorts. I found this place after some googling and seemed right up my alley as a geek and all.

I'm overweight. I weigh like 16 stone but it doesn't really bother me. I've been overweight since I was 16 and I've had a lot happen in my life, including serious depression and anxiety. Being fat isn't that big an issue considering.

So I'm not here specifically to loose weight.

 

What I want is to improve my health, my strength and my stamina. My wife just had a baby and I'm going to need to be fitter and stronger for my son.

I don't like exercise, running, aerobics...I like swimming and I like weight lifting. That's it. But I'm a complete beginner when it comes to weights. Unless it involves cats and children.

 

Geekwise I like Stargate, and cop shows and old films made before 1970. And MST3K. B-movies. Cartoons and video games. I write, blog and work in a pharmacy.

 

I need advice and tips and support on this weird little journey I'm starting myself on.

 

Take care - Bread

 

 

 

 

[Padawan_Ronin]

Hi Bread! Welcome!

I'm also new to the forums (registered yesterday).

It's great that you want to ameliorate your health, strength and stamina, and that you don't focus too much on your weight. I think it's the best mindset.

Concerning weight lifting, have you taken a look at the free resources available on www.nerdfitness.com? Under the tab "Free tools and resources"? You can find some free bodyweight workouts and "Strength Training 101" which might be helpful if you're a complete beginner.

Have you considered joining a local gym? It's really neat to have an instructor who can show you the right way to lift. Even if you join just for several months, it can be very motivating (in the past, I joined a gym and did strength training for about a year in complement to my martial arts training).

Of course, you can begin training by yourself doing bodyweight exercises or using some basic equipment.

Have you thought about establishing a training routine? Something very simple to begin with, like 2-3 basic strength workouts + 1-2 hours swimming per week, for example, depending on the time you have available.

Hope this helps

[The lone wolfie]

hello 

welcome to the  rebellion.

Do the workout that you like to do.

Strive for improvement. Dont hit the plateau. Make it challenging by adding chaos (with  more weight or in less time).

Like @Padawan_Ronin said the Strength Training 101 has some great resources on getting started with bodyweight and weight lifting training

Good luck 

[SpecialSundae]

Hey Bread!

 

Welcome to the Rebellion!

 

Whereabouts in Wales are you? I've got lots of powerlifting friends around Wales if you want to be pointed in their direction for advice on trainers/coaches. The Welsh gang are my favourites other than the Scots and then followed by the Northern Irish. Nothing wrong with the English but then never want to come out to play after a comp!  

 

I'm based up in Edinburgh and was overweight and desperate to sort things out about four years ago. I started lifting, got my diet to where it needed to be (it was never dreadful but I ate too much for my activity levels) and went from around 13 stone to 9.5 stone in less than 18 months. I now hover around 10-10.5 stone (deliberate weight gain rather than accidental). It's totally doable without having to kill yourself on a treadmill or entirely give up ice cream!

 

Anyway, give me a shout if there's anything I can do to help on lifting (or even sorting out your diet without necessarily going paleo).

 

Sundae

[SkyGirl]

Welcome, Bread! I am of the Ranger persuasion and therefore not a powerlifter, but I have been doing the Beginner Bodyweight Challenge 2-3 times weekly for about 6 weeks now and have noticed definite changes already - I was not in very good shape at the beginning, having just finished a grueling year of grad school and a summer of a desk job, but I can definitely see more definition in my shoulders, and my quads and hips feel so much stronger. It's not "lifting," per se, but it might be a good place to get started!

 

I wish you all the luck in the world on your journey - I think you've chosen the right people to travel with!!