StephiiP started this discussion ·
I want to learn weight lifting but have no idea where to being what to work on etc and the gym is intimidating with all the muscle men. I have sets at home. Can anyone help?
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I generally think that it depends on what you'd like to train! If you want bigger arms, a stronger core, a more developed back... all that stuff, or none of that stuff... Most people know about bicep curls (as in, you hold a weight in your hand and bend your arm at the elbow all the way up, and then all the way back down?), and it's fairly easy to tell what muscles those target: Biceps. Best thing would be to decide on what you'd like to work on, and ask Google about it! That's what I usually end up doing! You can find some really awesome websites, and gear it toward the equipment you have at home.
I've taken up pole in part to try undoing the damage of a few dozen years of weight training, mostly machines. I loved the intense feeling of isolating just a few muscles at a time, and it's fun to think just about intensity and not stabilization or self-protection. And it makes you look real good, real fast. But unfortunately that approach also means you don't integrate that muscle with others, you don't explore your range of motion, you don't learn coordination. (My biceps were so disproportionately strong, and inflexible, that withing months of starting pole I tore one biceps tendon on each side). As long as you stick to free weights, like at home, you'll probably be fine. And if you do lots of different and interesting exercises, and keep your posture perfect, it will probably make you an even more awesome dancer. Just don't do what the guys do. Good luck!
StephiiP ·
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lee-labrada-12-week-lean-body-trainer-week-1-day-2.html I found this site to be very helpful today. including meal ideas. =) Day one was great.
Beware of BB.com; at times it can be filled with a lot of broscience and you can hurt yourself even more. A really good place that is geared specifically to women is Oxygen. It is probably the best and most researched magazine I have found that is aimed at women who lift. http://www.oxygenmag.com/
Veena ·
Oh hey, I'll be sharing 30 strength training excercises over the next 30 days from my Instagram account! They're just super short clips so not as much info as I normally like to give, but it gives people a starting point. You can find it on our studioveena.com Facebook page too!
Bad information is definitely a problem in regard to gyms and weightlifting exercise. I would say that you can trust Veena's information to be well researched. I have yet to hurt myself following one of her videos, and the information I've learned from using the resources on this site has helped me tune out bad or incomplete information from other sources. My husband has had success in his own, non-pole fitness journey with exercises he found on the bodyweight fitness forum on Reddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness. Since it is bodyweight focused, most of the exercises do not involve free weights, but some involve equipment like chin up bars, weight benches, etc. There is also an r/fitness forum for more general audiences, but he said it often runs into the broscience problem that chemgoddess mentioned. r/bodyweightfitness is full of a lot of gymnasts, crossfitters, acrobats, parkour enthusiasts, etc.
