So I joined a Gym and need advice...

[Nemo2]

It takes years of hard work for men too. No one says they won't take up jogging because they're worried that they'll end up looking like a skinny ultra runner, yet somehow they don't want to lift weights for fear of suddenly becoming too muscular.

Reminded me of when I worked out in Toronto in the mid 1970s.....newbies would periodically come into the weight room and ask the guy overseeing the place for some exercise suggestions.....invariably at one point they'd almost all say "But I don't want to get too big"........("Don't touch that dumbbell or you'll never be able to squeeze back through the door".)

 

[splitwdw]

Use a trainer to learn machines if that is what you are interested in. Just because you use a machine doesn't mean that you will have proper form as someone suggested. I've seen people set the seat at the wrong height, position their hands/arms incorrectly, use too much weight and not sit up straight. I use a trainer off and on over the year as a refresher course and to learn new routines, you don't want to get tired of the same exercises. There are cross fit ellipticals at my gym where you can adjust the incline and resistance. I find they work my legs and glutes better than the treadmill. Get trainer to teach you the proper form for doing planks, squats, lunges, Russian twists (I like all of these) all of these exercises you can do at home if you can't get to the gym for some reason. I have a set of free weights at home that range in size from 5# to 20# plus a set (3) of kettle bells. Which are pretty cheap, you can buy over time and don't take up much room. I go online to check out different versions of exercises (like different types of planks) and have my trainer check that I am doing them correctly. Hope you enjoy yourself while improving your body.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Running shoes are lightweight (meshy) and generally have a taller heel area with more cushion to absorb the impact of running. Training shoes are typically lower profile, sturdier, designed more for stability. For basic working out, if you'll be using the treadmill, I'd just use running shoes.

If you want to tone versus building muscle, you generally use less weight and do more repetitions. You do want to give your muscles a day of recovery after strength training.

Before I got lazy, my routine was an hour of cardio every other day and the other days a half hour of interval training cardio plus a half hour+ of strength training. For strength training, I limited my leg workouts to squats (since the cardio workouts put a lot of effort on the legs), some arm curls with weights, pushups, situps (yes, I know they're generally accepted as bad nowadays), and planking (to work my core).

I'm trying to get back into it by first building my cardio back up.

 

[Chuckanut]

You might wish to pay a trainer for several sessions to get you started.

Also, beware the 'gym rats' who give advice and are always exhorting you to do more reps, add more weight, try a harder way etc. etc. etc. Nothing you do will satisfy them, and you might injure yourself. One injury can knock a person out for weeks, maybe a month of more, thus undoing a lot of the hard work. If the injury is severe enough (like damage to the shoulder) your gym days could be over.

 

[O2Bfree]

I'd go with free weights, using a trainer or a good book or videos to learn the correct form. Free weights make you use more, different muscles for balancing the weight and allow for more variety of motion to accommodate the mechanics of each person's body. Good form is not difficult to learn, and is not a given just because you use machines. I've seen plenty of people using poor form on machines!

Whether you go with free weights or machines, learn which exercises could hurt you in the long run, such as overhead presses, especially behind the neck. There's lots of good info on the web about potentially harmful lifts.

 

[Sunny]

Some thoughts and suggestions for you:

• Strength training is just as, if not more important to some people, as cardio. Glad you are doing both.
• The first week or two of strength is going to be a bummer. You will be sore, I got nauseous, etc. but it gets better
• Consider starting out with success...defined by if you are doing two sets of 15 elect weights that let you get to 15..don't push it early.
• I'm fond of allowing your progress dictate when you go up in weight. Using the 2 sets of 15 example, if you can't do 10 you have too much weight, if you hit 15 you need to add more weight next time.
• If you take a break...don't go cold turkey. On vacation do something every third day at least. Otherwise, you may have to go through that soreness/sick feeling again when you get back.
• Bring a towel with you, and wipe after yourself. The former because many people don't do the latter.
• Shoot for 3 days a week or every other day if you are doing your whole body. If you are going daily for cardio, then for strength do upper one day, lower the next
• i believe free weights are better as they require your core to help balance them as you use them, but machines are beneficial for most starting out. Just move on when you hit a plateau
• As others have said, any closed comfy shoe is fine
• As others have said, try out a personal trainer. Even one time and tell them to give you 8-10 machine exercises to get a bit more muscle but not bulk up and they should give you a starting routine and weights/reps. Do those, adding weight as you can and progress, and hit them up again in a month or three when you hit a plateau.

 

[splitwdw]

Running shoes are lightweight (meshy) and generally have a taller heel area with more cushion to absorb the impact of running. Training shoes are typically lower profile, sturdier, designed more for stability. For basic working out, if you'll be using the treadmill, I'd just use running shoes. ...

Forgot to mention this^^. My trainer was just talking to me about a pair of running sneakers that I wore on a weight training day. Running sneakers can make you wobble and throw off your balance when lifting weights, doing lunges or squats.


OMG, Sunny, if you are nauseous after working out you are doing something wrong. I have never heard of being sick, sore muscles yes but never nauseous.

 

[Sunny]

Something else...you don't have to go all crazy and pound down protein shakes like they are candy, but consider increasing your protein.

Recommended daily protein intake may be 0.36 grams per pound you weigh, but that is the bare minimum. Many people need more. Athletes and people trying to build muscle mass need twice that at least, people trying to lose weight should be at 0.7 grams per pound they weigh, older people (60 and over) should shoot for at least 0.6 grams per lb.
Sources: https://www.consumerreports.org/healthy-eating/how-much-protein-do-you-need-to-be-healthy/ and https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-per-day after a quick google search, but really many, many reports indicate a lot of people should increase their protein intake.

While I think protein as food is better. I do do a shake of dynatize iso 1000 when I can't eat enough protein in a day. But when I started tracking what I ate, before I read about adding protein, I was averaging around 30 grams of protein a day. I shoot for 140 now, although many calculators and calculations actually say I need more than that. Still working on it.

 

[Music Lover]

Before I got lazy, my routine was an hour of cardio every other day and the other days a half hour of interval training cardio plus a half hour+ of strength training. For strength training, I limited my leg workouts to squats (since the cardio workouts put a lot of effort on the legs), some arm curls with weights, pushups, situps (yes, I know they're generally accepted as bad nowadays), and planking (to work my core).

I'm "lazy" in the sense that I've pared my workouts down to about 20-25 minutes a day. I could work out longer but have found that's enough to maintain a lot of strength and endurance.

Day 1: upper body (5 sets of a push and 5 sets of a pull exercise)
Day 2: cardio (usually treadmill or outside run)
Day 3: lower body (squats or lunges, or sometimes deadlifts or good mornings)
Day 4: cardio
repeat

 

[Winemaker]

1.Set your goal(s) first.
2. Use a trainer to learn how to use the machines properly as they isolate certain muscle groups.
3. Form is very important. Proper movement in the full range of the machine; that is let the plates barely touch and go to your full extension as your body allows. Doing 4 reps correctly in the full range is more advantageous than 20 buzz saw reps that I see a majority of people do.
4. Heavier weights/ few reps add more strength and bulk.
5. Lighter weight/ more reps add endurance, increase strength, and add a small cardio element to your routine.
6. Sweat, but have fun.

 

[Music Lover]

[*]The first week or two of strength is going to be a bummer. You will be sore, I got nauseous, etc. but it gets better

No need to get nauseous...start light and only do a set or two. Minor soreness is normal, but you shouldn't be excessively sore or feel like throwing up.

 

[O2Bfree]

Some thoughts and suggestions for you:

• The first week or two of strength is going to be a bummer. You will be sore, I got nauseous, etc. but it gets better

I hope you didn't push it too much. Muscles release toxins when you have DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), a.k.a., sore muscles a day or so after lifting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhabdomyolysis

Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly. Symptoms may include muscle pains, weakness, vomiting, and confusion.There may be tea-colored urine or an irregular heartbeat.Some of the muscle breakdown products, such as the protein myoglobin, are harmful to the kidneys and may lead to kidney failure.

 

[Ronstar]

Like many others have said - get a trainer. At least to get started. Many people (that do not know you or ever met you) giving advice online will give you advice on what works for them. You will need advice specifically for you.

 

[Music Lover]

Like many others have said - get a trainer. At least to get started. Many people (that do not know you or ever met you) giving advice online will give you advice on what works for them. You will need advice specifically for you.

A trainer can be very helpful for a beginner, but there are no real secrets to working out. A few basic exercises done correctly with the proper weight and the right amount of rest will work for every single person unless they have physical limitations.

 

[Sunny]

I hope you didn't push it too much. Muscles release toxins when you have DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), a.k.a., sore muscles a day or so after lifting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhabdomyolysis

Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly. Symptoms may include muscle pains, weakness, vomiting, and confusion.There may be tea-colored urine or an irregular heartbeat.Some of the muscle breakdown products, such as the protein myoglobin, are harmful to the kidneys and may lead to kidney failure.

While I didn't have it that bad (the brown output) most of the other symptoms occurred and I was told the same thing when it happened (about the toxins making me sick). Lots of water, a bit of rest, and going easier helped.

No need to get nauseous...start light and only do a set or two. Minor soreness is normal, but you shouldn't be excessively sore or feel like throwing up.

Now you tell me. But that is what I was trying to convey to the OP...go easy at first. You put it in a better way.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

Wow thanks for all the advice. I will get a trainer. Since many of you are at least as frugal as I am, if you think its worth the money, it probably is. I discussed this with my brother and he laughed at my concern about building visible muscles. He said I was too old for that. I'd have smacked him, but we were on the phone. Also since he's my OLDER brother he doesn't have many opportunities to tease me about my age! Will be at the gym tomorrow morning right after I drop DS off at high school. Will Let y'all know how it goes. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

 

[Ronstar]

A trainer can be very helpful for a beginner, but there are no real secrets to working out. A few basic exercises done correctly with the proper weight and the right amount of rest will work for every single person unless they have physical limitations.

True, but I’ve been working out for 50 years and I still get helpful tips from trainers that improve my workouts.

 

[splitwdw]

True, but I’ve been working out for 50 years and I still get helpful tips from trainers that improve my workouts.

+1

 

[Bestwifeever]

Thirty-five years ago I was going for the burn with Jane Fonda videotapes.

 

[audreyh1]

Might be worth meeting with one of the trainers at the gym to get an orientation and recommendation for a workout plan.

Definitely. This!

It's too hard to screw up with the machines. You need someone to walk you through them and to help you establish an appropriate starting weight for each machine.

 

[Bestwifeever]

The two times I used trainers (two different trainers, fifteen years apart), each asked me about what I wanted to accomplish before we got started with a program (I wanted strength, flexibility, and balance). That really made me think about what I was doing there.

 

[Aerides]

As an introvert, especially one who isn't supremely body-confident, a trainer can be a hurdle. I know, rationally, I am the client and this is a business relationship, but for someone who is shy it can be a challenge, especially since it's a new environment, in which one naturally feels a little more vulnerable to start.

OP doesn't sound like you are so much so that's great. The things I would look for are making sure they are listening to you, and that they are focusing on form and movement vs. "oh you should use more weight for that".

 

[slowsaver]

I go to a fairly nice gym because it's a free perk at my place of employment. The last year or so, I've been thinking about whether I really want to *pay* for a gym membership after retirement. I decided the answer was, "no," so I started to look for gym classes that don't use a lot of expensive equipment. Rather, I've been focusing on classes that rely mostly on your own body weight for exercise.

The best classes for 'body weight' exercise are: Pilates (mat style), Yoga (many different styles), and "Core" workout classes. If you go to those classes for a year, you can usually remember your own routine and you can quit the gym membership. You might want to buy yourself a good jump rope too. Ever since I started jumping rope, I've had tons of energy for other things (jogging, dancing, etc.)

 

[Nemo2]

I go to a fairly nice gym because it's a free perk at my place of employment. The last year or so, I've been thinking about whether I really want to *pay* for a gym membership after retirement. I decided the answer was, "no," so I started to look for gym classes that don't use a lot of expensive equipment. Rather, I've been focusing on classes that rely mostly on your own body weight for exercise.

The best classes for 'body weight' exercise are: Pilates (mat style), Yoga (many different styles), and "Core" workout classes. If you go to those classes for a year, you can usually remember your own routine and you can quit the gym membership. You might want to buy yourself a good jump rope too. Ever since I started jumping rope, I've had tons of energy for other things (jogging, dancing, etc.)

+1

 

[MOSAT]

+1 on the trainer. I've been going to the same gym for a number of years. Initially a trainer set me up with a routine geared to my goals, and as anything, the routine became that and boring. Progress slowed, forward a number of months and I got a second trainer, only for a few sessions, new routine, fresh start, more progress. Wash rinse repeat. I'm not a gym rat, I get in two to three sessions a week, more regular now that I'm retired. Goal is to stay active.

It's a journey, not a destination.