Beginner Gym Routine

[britchenhauer]

I'm sorry if this has been posted before, but I couldn't find anything.

I have a chance to go to the gym tomorrow (and subsequent Tuesdays and Thursdays), and I'm a complete n00b. I have no idea where to start, but I want to be doing weight training (I already run on MWF, so I don't really need cardio there).

What kind of exercises should a beginner be doing? How do I know how much weight to use? How do I not make a fool out of myself? Etc, etc.

I really appreciate any help!

[Raincloak]

A lot depends on the gym. A lot also depends on what kind of exercises you LIKE to do.

See if somebody who works at the gym will give you a tour of the facilities. Follow them around and see what catches your eye. Like the swimming pool? Start going swimming. Like the weights? Learn to lift 'em. Just experiment and see what you enjoy. Try to exercise complementary muscles (biceps are no good without triceps, and so forth).

You'll know how much weight to use if lifting (with PROPER FORM please; ask for help on this if you're new at it) feels like a real effort, but not so hard that you can't do it. If it's so easy you can do more than 20 reps without resting, the weight is too light, so add some more and try again. If it hurts, you're doing it wrong; check your form or lighten the load. Make sure to warm up with a little cardio activity before you start lifting. A minute of jumping rope or jogging on a treadmill might do. Just listen to your body, it knows what's right and wrong.

As for making a fool of yourself, there are two approaches:

1) Accept that you will make a fool of yourself, and prepare to laugh at yourself. You're going to go sweat, grunt, and bust your ass toting chunks of iron back and forth. You're going to wear goofy shorts and a tacky shirt. If you're not careful, you may hurt yourself (please try not to). Of course you'll make a fool of yourself, so get over it.

2) Accept that everyone else at the gym is paying attention to one person only: themselves. You don't really look foolish to them, only to you. Anyone who bothers to make fun of you is a petty little asshat whose opinion is beneath your notice.

[Corbab]

Raincloak's suggestions are great. There are countless things you could be doing at the gym (or anywhere, for that matter), so take a little while and explore until you find something you really like.

If you already know you want to get big and strong or pick up heavy things, I'd check out either Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5. They're both about building basic strength and good form using basic compound movements, and a ton of people on here have used and liked these.

Especially if you've never seriously used a gym before, you should find a program (preferably one with a two-part split, and please not one of those god-awful one-muscle-per-day "sculpting" routines) gives you some structure. It's easy to get drawn in to some sexy miracle plan that uses fifty exercises in one session, but that's a waste of time, IMO. Once you've built a platform, you can branch out to whatever you want to.

[britchenhauer]

Thanks for the replies! Starting Strength/Stronglifts 5x5 are exactly what I was looking for (though I'm disappointed that SL5x5 seems to assume I'm a man, girls want to get strong too!)

Haha, yes, I'm going to need to learn to get over making a fool out of myself. Hopefully soon...

[Meshflip]

Thanks for the replies! Starting Strength/Stronglifts 5x5 are exactly what I was looking for (though I'm disappointed that SL5x5 seems to assume I'm a man, girls want to get strong too!)

Both Starting Strength and Stronglifts 5x5 are awesome. They are just both really well designed and easy for beginners to pick up. If you're worried about getting the form correct, the book is great for learning the exercises.

Good luck

[Shoshie]

(though I'm disappointed that SL5x5 seems to assume I'm a man, girls want to get strong too!)

TOTALLY! I followed Stronglifts for a while, but got super annoyed with his insisting that I must be a skinny dude instead of a fat chick. I ended up with a combo mix of SL and bodyweight stuff. Anyways, I do strength training twice a week, with squats first and deadlifts last (5x5 in squats and 1x5 in deadlifts). In between I do either assisted pull ups and overhead press or elevated push ups and inverted rows. Basically, a lower body push and pull bookending either a vertical upper body push and pull or horizontal upper body push and pull. And then I finish things off with some planks and yoga stretches, though sometimes I do that at home before bed. I don't do bench press because it aggravates my mouse-pushing tendon and, for some reason, push ups and OHP don't. ::shrug::

As a woman, I found that starting with the bar was just about perfect for squats, uncomfortably close to my max for starting OHP, and his recommended 95 lbs was a bit high for me for starting deadlifts. I found that I couldn't focus enough on getting perfect form. I went down to 55 lbs to start with deadlifts, though the mechanics of actually grabbing the bar get a little complicated, since it's lower to the ground. I stacked some plates to get it up to height. Basically, you want to start off with a weight that will be challenging enough that you feel like you're doing something, while still being light enough that you can focus on form.

[Jcannon98188]

http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women

For women

[Pat G]

Medhi's writing and attitude is always good for a laugh. To me, he sounds like a Telemarketer or Used car salesman, no doubt he's got some knowledge, but the target of his writing is a very specific market.

Regardless of if you're a skinny guy or a bigger woman, the basic strength training will still do the same thing, create muscle while removing inches.

Good ONYA for hitting up the gym and wanting to lift. Don't stop!

Edit: Yes apparently New Rules of Lifting for Women is apparently very awesome.

[britchenhauer]

Unfortunately my current gym access fell through, so I have to stick with bodyweight until I go to college in late August and get free access to an awesome gym which I will definitely be using.

Thank you so much for the suggestions (New Rules of Lifting for Women looks awesome), I promise I'll be using them!