Seeking Workout Advice (sore, muscles, lifting weights, gym)

[WH59]

Hi All

I am a male age 53 and would like to start a workout program at one of thelocal fitness centers. My question(s) are since I have not done anythinglike this in a number of years how do I get started. I am interested inweights and perhaps treadmill and elliptical. I would like to get in shape and take off some pounds I have no expectations of looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
What level of weight should I start off with? How many for each type of exercise? I am thinking of bench press, curls etc. My current exercise is walking on the weekends about 80 - 90 miles a month. My stamina is pretty good and I usually walk about 8 miles in a clip. Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Ringo1]

When I started back working out after a period of years of not working out . . I hired a personal trainer. I went once a week with her and she got me started back. It was private and I didn't feel like a total iodiot! She then fed me into some classes that I enjoy to this day.

Personal training is the most expensive way - but once a week for a month . . is doable. They can write out some workouts for you . .

[skiffrace]

Here are some hints how to go about the weight training:

1. Start VERY slowly. At 53, your body is far more susceptible to injury than you think. First several weeks should be spend on no more than learning the proper technique and getting your body used to lifting weights. Do not attempt any serious effort, or you will end up injured and your program will be over.

2. Keep in mind that the muscles are somewhat easily trainable, but your ligaments and tendons are not, and they are injured most often if you start too fast.

3. Don't expect any visible results for the first several months. The first phase is to prepare your body for the actual training that will provide noticeable results.

4. At a first sign of injury, stop and let it heal.

5. Now, as far as what to do, read as much as you can on ExRx.net website - the hands down best exercise resource on the web.
Here is a link to the beginners page: ExRx Beginner's Page: Beginning an Exercise Program
Here is a link to workout templates: Weight Training Workout Templates

I'd hire a personal trainer as a last resort. Based on what I've seen they do in the gym with their clients, IMHO they are not worth the money.
On the other hand, I'd look for workout buddies who've been through similar phase as you do - they can teach you a lot.

[RD5050]

Originally Posted by WH59

Hi All

I am a male age 53 and would like to start a workout program at one of thelocal fitness centers. My question(s) are since I have not done anythinglike this in a number of years how do I get started. I am interested inweights and perhaps treadmill and elliptical. I would like to get in shape and take off some pounds I have no expectations of looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
What level of weight should I start off with? How many for each type of exercise? I am thinking of bench press, curls etc. My current exercise is walking on the weekends about 80 - 90 miles a month. My stamina is pretty good and I usually walk about 8 miles in a clip. Thanks in advance for the advice.

Do cardio for around 20 - 30 minutes on whatever machine you like most. My preference is the elliptical.

Then try out all the different weight machines your gym has. Some are designed specifically for legs, some arms, some chest, some abs, some the back, some the lats, some the shoulders (delts).

Usually there is a diagram of a human body on the machine showing you which muscles that machine will exercise.

The way to determine how much weight to lift on each machine is by starting with light weights, and adding weight until it feels like you can only do that machine around 6 - 10 times in a row before needing to rest.

So you have to experiment with your own strength on each machine.

There is no specific starting weight that works for everyone since everyone's starting strength is different.

The goal is to lift around 6 - 10 repetitions (reps) per set, and around 3 - 5 sets in total for that exercise. Rest around 1 - 2 minutes between sets.

One good approach is to work on your legs one day, your arms another day, your chest another day, etc. That way you don't overwork your entire body all on the same day.

You will likely feel pain after exercising which is a good thing. That means you are breaking down tiny muscle fibers, which will then grow back stronger and bigger. Hence the expression: "no pain, no gain".

Always start light, and gradually increase weight until you feel you are at your personal limit for that machine. Don't attempt lifting heavy weight from the start or you may injure yourself.

And when using free weights, use extra caution. Again, start out with light weights and gradually work your way up.

It is easy to sprain your wrist or pull a ligament in your knee if you lift too much before you are ready.

Also check YouTube for sample exercise videos showing proper form on lots of different exercises. There are thousands available.

And you should also try to eat healthy foods, and get sufficient protein each day for weightlifting. Around 1 gram of protein per pound of lean muscle is usually the recommended amount.

You may also need protein supplements like powdered whey if you aren't getting enough protein in your food.

Also consider taking a multivitamin each day.

Another thing I recommend once you start lifting heavier weights is getting weightlifting gloves with wrist wraps. The wraps will help to prevent your wrists from getting injured.

[caligirlz]

^^^ good advice here, but I would add....

Start with an exercise eval, or functional movement screen (FMS) at your local gym for your baseline.

Get a tour of the gym, and instruction on how to use each machine. It is possible to use the machines incorrectly, so instruction is good.

You will need more than a one time intro to the machines or free weights. If you have a trainer, he/she can correct bad form immediately. if the movement hurts or doesn't feel right, it gets corrected by the trainer. Do not rely on other gym members to help you. Most are clueless.

There are many, many different weight lifting routines. I've found it is best to let the experts (a trainer) do the programming, while I just follow his directions. Trainers in big box gyms are expensive, but they are a good place for newbies to start. Eventually you may want to advance to an independent personal trainer, a weight lifting gym or crossFit.

[WH59]

Thank you for the advice it was most helpful.

[spider32]

My advice would be the "old" consult a doctor first for some one not used to training this could be the differance between enjoying it and "overdoing it",the most important thing is to check the heart rate.........but once the all clear is given i would suggest simple exercises at first for instance walking 1 mile on a tread mill then aiming to better that mile every session,also i think body weight work outs are better for general fitness,such as press ups, dips, possibly chin up's you could also try skipping ...but the best way to lose flab in my opinion is a punch bag try 5 minute session's with no break ....and the last thing never allow a work out to last more than 1 hour because this after a while will become a mind issue...you could easily have a good work out in 15 mins

An example...press ups [3 sets of 10] dips [3 sets of 10],treadmill walk/run, punch bag 5 mins
sit ups [say 30]and make this your routine for 1 month [5 days a week]

[villageidiot1]

To the OP,
The best advice you got here is to "Start VERY slowly," and "Get a tour of the gym, and instruction on how to use each machine. It is possible to use the machines incorrectly, so instruction is good. You will need more than a one time intro to the machines or free weights."

Hopefully, the gym will have someone take you around and demonstrate each machine. You will probably have to hire a personal trainer to get any instruction on free weights.

Don't over do it in the first couple weeks. You will probably be sore no matter how easy you go the first workout. I recently went 5-6 days without lifting and I was sore.

Start with lifting on machines no matter what anyone tells you. They work the same muscles. You can gradually start incorporating barbells and dumbbells into your workout. You can watch what other people are doing to get ideas on what you want to try.

Start light and gradually increase the weight. It helps to keep a record of how much weight you are using for each lift. In the beginning, shoot for 8-12 reps. When you hit 12 reps, increase the weight by the smallest amount possible. Once you have lifted for a few months, you might want to go heavier with less reps, such as 5-8 reps. I would start with one set. After you have lifted for some time, you can progress to two or three sets. In the beginning, do approx. 8 exercises for one set and 8-12 reps. Start by lifting three days a week, every other day.

You are already walking, so you can use the treadmill and/or elliptical either before or after lifting. Try to progress to running easy on the treadmill or increase the level on the elliptical.

Most important advice is not to get hung up on how much you are lifting compared to other people in the gym. Too many people hold themselves back by worrying about how much other people are lifting. They will use more weight than they can handle and use bad form, and end up hurting themselves.

[mattywo85]

If you do weights start out small, whatever you comfortable with that won't be a strain. If you want to do cardio, again do whatever you comfortable with for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise. Keep in mind:

-Losing weight is more diet then exercise
-Don't do the same routine over and over, vary your routine so your body doesn't get used to it.

The legend goes that weight lifting burns more calories than cardio but it depends on the type of cardio. When you do lift weights vary the weight and reps each set, keep you muscles guessing.

[paulcline7]

I like to workout to videos ... so I grab some from this website: [url=http://cardioworkouttips.com]Cardio Workout Tips[/url] .. If I find ones I really like, I bookmark them or even download some. Hope this helps!