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This is exactly what I meant by "not so much" in my last post. Her medical history is none of your business so I will not discuss it in order to make you feel better. I have no interest in discussing the back story here, she is ready to work out and that's all you need to know.
Please people, if you don't have any experience-based equipment advice, you aren't helpful on this thread. You really aren't, no matter how authoritative you try to sound nor what colors you use on your post. This isn't a hypothetical thread, my friend is going to follow my advice and I am taking this very seriously.
And thanks again to those who wrote out a lot of help information. I really appreciate it!
Interesting how that poster just assumed your friend hadn't already talked to her doctor.
Someone earlier talked about getting resistance bands. I would encourage your friend to get dumbbells instead. Not only will they be easier to find, they're also easier to resell. Plus, dumbbells require you to use more stabilizer muscles. The bands are more limited as far as range of motion. If your friend wants to buy weights brand new, she should avoid going to specialty stores that sell high-end cardio equipment. Those stores never give good deals on weights. She can either go to places like Dick's or go online, although then she'll have to pay for shipping which can get pretty pricey since you'd be ordering some heavy items. Along with weights, make sure she gets a decent set of lifting gloves.
When shopping for ellipticals, pay attention to height clearance. Some can be pretty high and once you stand on it and start pedaling, you could be hitting your head on the ceiling. Make sure to get one with arms on it. Not all ellipticals include them. Lastly, check the pedal spacing. I don't know how tall your friend is, but many ellipticals have pedals that are kind of far apart. It's fine if you're tall or have a big frame. But if you're shorter, you may develop hip problems over time.
Interesting how that poster just assumed your friend hadn't already talked to her doctor.
Someone earlier talked about getting resistance bands. I would encourage your friend to get dumbbells instead. Not only will they be easier to find, they're also easier to resell. Plus, dumbbells require you to use more stabilizer muscles. The bands are more limited as far as range of motion. If your friend wants to buy weights brand new, she should avoid going to specialty stores that sell high-end cardio equipment. Those stores never give good deals on weights. She can either go to places like Dick's or go online, although then she'll have to pay for shipping which can get pretty pricey since you'd be ordering some heavy items. Along with weights, make sure she gets a decent set of lifting gloves.
When shopping for ellipticals, pay attention to height clearance. Some can be pretty high and once you stand on it and start pedaling, you could be hitting your head on the ceiling. Make sure to get one with arms on it. Not all ellipticals include them. Lastly, check the pedal spacing. I don't know how tall your friend is, but many ellipticals have pedals that are kind of far apart. It's fine if you're tall or have a big frame. But if you're shorter, you may develop hip problems over time.
Yes it is odd that people would come to here and proclaim one must talk to ones doctor, as though this is new information that no one could have possibly considered. Gotta love the screaming blue text on the last one...
While I agree with you that dumbells are better in general, I think resistance bands are much less intimidating for a beginner woman, and that the instructional DVDs will be more useful for her. Also, I think that there is less of a chance of injury using resistance bands as opposed to lifting weights without having someone there to correct her form.
The good news is, I did a quick check of Craigs list in her area and used free weights are SUPER CHEAP. Tons of listings, so once the final budget is set she can probably buy both weights and bands.
Good call on the elliptical info... I didn't think of it, and that would really suck getting it into her house only to find it's too tall for her ceilings! Thanks!
While I agree with you that dumbells are better in general, I think resistance bands are much less intimidating for a beginner woman, and that the instructional DVDs will be more useful for her. Also, I think that there is less of a chance of injury using resistance bands as opposed to lifting weights without having someone there to correct her form.
A lot of beginners can be easily intimidated. For the longest time, I only did cardio cause I thought resistance training was only for bodybuilders. Even when I finally realized it wasn't, I was still hesitant to get free weights cause I worried about dropping the weight on my foot. So I got a Bowflex cause I thought that would be safer. Big mistake. I was doing one set to failure and when I finished the last rep, I lost control of the weight and the power rod snapped my arm back causing me to injure my shoulder. I can see the same thing potentially happening with resistance bands. I eventually sold the Bowflex and got some free weights. I had to ditch my ego and start out really light and focus on learning to control the weight and learn proper form. I think if your friend is intimidated by weights, she should start off with extremely light weights. They make dumbbells as light as 2.5 pounds. And there are plenty of DVDs out there that show how to perform exercises with dumbbells.
Yes it is odd that people would come to here and proclaim one must talk to ones doctor, as though this is new information that no one could have possibly considered. Gotta love the screaming blue text on the last one...
I find it more odd that you can't address a valid point without calling someone out & resorting to sarcasm.
Whatever, I hope you show more patience & moderation for your friend. They've got a tough road ahead of them.
A lot of beginners can be easily intimidated. For the longest time, I only did cardio cause I thought resistance training was only for bodybuilders. Even when I finally realized it wasn't, I was still hesitant to get free weights cause I worried about dropping the weight on my foot. So I got a Bowflex cause I thought that would be safer. Big mistake. I was doing one set to failure and when I finished the last rep, I lost control of the weight and the power rod snapped my arm back causing me to injure my shoulder. I can see the same thing potentially happening with resistance bands. I eventually sold the Bowflex and got some free weights. I had to ditch my ego and start out really light and focus on learning to control the weight and learn proper form. I think if your friend is intimidated by weights, she should start off with extremely light weights. They make dumbbells as light as 2.5 pounds. And there are plenty of DVDs out there that show how to perform exercises with dumbbells.
I started off with weights as a beginner, but I had a trainer there to show me proper form. I know for sure that if I just looked at a video, my form would not have been correct... and several years later my form still needs to be corrected here and there. This is a woman who has not worked out a day in her life, never participated in sports, an entire life of inactivity. I don't think she will be comfortable with weights in the beginning... I think she will be more likely to use resistance bands.
Quote:
Originally Posted by robee70
I find it more odd that you can't address a valid point without calling someone out & resorting to sarcasm.
Whatever, I hope you show more patience & moderation for your friend. They've got a tough road ahead of them.
Once again I really have no use for opinions from people who do not have experience purchasing gym equipment. Your opinions aren't useful on this thread; I ignored your first post in the name of being polite. I'd ask you why you insist on being here, but I worry you'd actually answer me and thus waste more of my time.
I find it more odd that you can't address a valid point without calling someone out & resorting to sarcasm.
Whatever, I hope you show more patience & moderation for your friend. They've got a tough road ahead of them.
The issue is not one of patience or moderation. When you post a question, you hope people can answer in the terms that you defined. What you also hope is that they give you a little credit for intelligence. The OP has a friend who wants to lose weight. Most people reading that would assume that the friend has arrived at that point by making an informed decision. It's sort of like if I posted a thread saying that I wanted to move to Atlanta and was looking for advice on what areas to look at and someone responded by telling me why I shouldn't bother moving to Atlanta. They could list all the reasons not to move there, but I'd be insulted that they assumed I didn't already already do my homework on the city before deciding to move there.
The issue is not one of patience or moderation. When you post a question, you hope people can answer in the terms that you defined. What you also hope is that they give you a little credit for intelligence. The OP has a friend who wants to lose weight. Most people reading that would assume that the friend has arrived at that point by making an informed decision. It's sort of like if I posted a thread saying that I wanted to move to Atlanta and was looking for advice on what areas to look at and someone responded by telling me why I shouldn't bother moving to Atlanta. They could list all the reasons not to move there, but I'd be insulted that they assumed I didn't already already do my homework on the city before deciding to move there.
Once again I really have no use for opinions from people who do not have experience purchasing gym equipment. Your opinions aren't useful on this thread; I ignored your first post in the name of being polite. I'd ask you why you insist on being here, but I worry you'd actually answer me and thus waste more of my time.
I choose to answer and you can choose to not reply. My best friend's mom battled with obesity. After years of on & off dieting and weight gain she had done some serious damage to her heart and hips.
She hired a personal trainer who would only tailor a plan based specifically on her medical limitations and only after she signed a waiver of liability. My OP was offered simply as a good & responisble way to start a goal of fitness, when someone is obese and likely leading a sedentary lifestyle. I made no mention on how to implement it, since I have no experience in that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DennyCrane
The issue is not one of patience or moderation. When you post a question, you hope people can answer in the terms that you defined. What you also hope is that they give you a little credit for intelligence. The OP has a friend who wants to lose weight. Most people reading that would assume that the friend has arrived at that point by making an informed decision. It's sort of like if I posted a thread saying that I wanted to move to Atlanta and was looking for advice on what areas to look at and someone responded by telling me why I shouldn't bother moving to Atlanta. They could list all the reasons not to move there, but I'd be insulted that they assumed I didn't already already do my homework on the city before deciding to move there.
I will disagree with you only based on the fact that none of those replying to the OP, regardless of how knowledgable they may be, know this person's physical limitations or restrictions. Therefore, how can any of you responsibly recommend her spending up to $1000 on equipment or related-exercise material, that she may not or should not be using right now.
Lastly, a simple reply stating that this person has no medical or physical limitations would have sufficed, without the added effect of an eyeroll.
I will disagree with you only based on the fact that none of those replying to the OP, regardless of how knowledgable they may be, know this person's physical limitations or restrictions. Therefore, how can any of you responsibly recommend her spending up to $1000 on equipment or related-exercise material, that she may not or should not be using right now.
Lastly, a simple reply stating that this person has no medical or physical limitations would have sufficed, without the added effect of an eyeroll.
Whether we know about her medical or physical limitations is beside the point. The issue here is that you couldn't answer the OP's question on her own terms, but instead chose to tell her something she and her friend probably already knew. If someone comes to me and says they're planning to spend 30K on a car, I don't bother to ask if they can afford it, if they really need that expensive a car, or whether that money could be used for other things. I just assume they know what they're doing with their money. Likewise, I and others assumed the OP and her friend know enough to make sure that it's medically safe for her friend to begin a workout program. I still don't understand why you couldn't give her that benefit of the doubt.
This is exactly what I meant by "not so much" in my last post. Her medical history is none of your business so I will not discuss it in order to make you feel better. I have no interest in discussing the back story here, she is ready to work out and that's all you need to know.
Please people, if you don't have any experience-based equipment advice, you aren't helpful on this thread. You really aren't, no matter how authoritative you try to sound nor what colors you use on your post. This isn't a hypothetical thread, my friend is going to follow my advice and I am taking this very seriously. (are you a doctor?)
And thanks again to those who wrote out a lot of help information. I really appreciate it!
Hey! Chill down ,mate. Any one with common sense knows that before starting any training program they need a doctor to guide them and give them an Ok to start or not.
Besides, I didn't comment ,or ask, about the person in questions health in any way. Your rely to my post was very, very rude.
Good luck...........
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