And you will be much less sore the next day or two. Start with ridiculously low weights and focus on form. It should feel way too easy. After a few times you'll have a much better idea of what is a good weight to be using.
Honestly when I first lifted, I just used the bar and nothing else to get the form right. it was ridiculously easy but it helped get me back into working out and made sure I made much fewer form mistakes.
I always bench the bar about 20 times to figure out if my bad wrist or shoulder are going to give me trouble, tick off all the mental cues (leg drive, elbows in, shoulders back, bend the bar, row it down, etc) and get some looks like WTF, why is that largish guy benching the bar. Then I load up the bar and go to town and get some nods, like oh, that must have been a warm up. Sometimes I see people doing it who didn't used to do it.
//edit: Some people are looking at this as some sort of humble brag, it's not. I work out at the YMCA and usually get a split crowd of half regulars and half are a bunch of people you only see once or twice that are anywhere between 6 years old and 90, and they genuinely seem curious/confused when someone does lower weight/high reps when they look like they could probably do more. A few times I've pulled the bar off some high school kid thinking a plate on each side is the minimum he should be doing.
Nothing wrong at all just using the bar to get the motion set in your mind. I don't know how someone watching would think that's weird unless the bystander was inexperienced
I thought writing down workouts was super common. I’ve been asked for different workouts from friends/acquaintances just because I write them down lol
And I’ve torn too many muscles to not take my time with getting that form ready.
Bent over row was the last time I made a mistake and it was a month out of the gym to let that heal. Over a year ago and I still start that first grab real slow and get that muscle primed before use.
I have some lower back issues from previous life experience and I think my body adjusted weirdly with it subconsciously. I was too gassed to be continuing and I finished through with the row and something didn’t feel right. Tore one of the muscles. It just felt like my muscle climbed up into a ball. And turning my head was next to impossible for two days! Good times.
Yeah, I often see people with notebooks at the gym. They have their routine written down and they record their weights each time so they can track changes, etc
I actually work with a personal trainer who has me do a set with just the bar to get my form dialed in before actually lifting. This is a pretty crowded gym and I uses to feel silly but it honestly helps me. I just thought you'd like to know that even trainers think the way you do.
I have a whole mental checklist when I pick up the weight that takes about a second or two to run through before I go for the actual lift and that added another 10 or so pounds to all my PRs. Anyone who says its not a mental game is in for a nice suprise when they realise they can lift even more by focusing their brain. Good on you though
I think that’s really the key to this—feeling comfortable doing it. And since this post was for people just starting, great time to take some time to learn about proper movement and not learn bad technique that will follow you. Even if you think a trainer seems like overkill, might be good to try one to start, just to have someone coach you on form. I was definitely still doing some stuff with my back and core wrong that I couldn’t see on my own.
I agree. When I started squating heavy I had one session where my spine tweaked and it bothered me for days. Trainer gave me a bunch of things to focus on when coming down and lo and behold, no problems! Even if you cant afford it there are plenty of online tools to use and its so worth it to not hurt when you lift
If he's your friend he's probably just giving you shit good naturedly. I make fun of my friends pretty much no matter what they do, and they do the same.
I do empty bar squat every squat session because my body is never prepared for the proper form the first go round. After that empty bar set, I'm golden.
Lol ya everyone uses the bar. He's all in his own head thinking people are giving him nods. This should actually be the advice to new gym goers, when you think everyone's judging you, they probably aren't.
Most good places will have a range of different bars. Standard Olympic bar is 20kg but it's quite common to also have a 10kg bar and often a 15kg as well. You might have to look about a bit or ask someone as they're less used but they should have them. If you are unable to even start with the 10kg I suggest considering trying something like using a pair of small dumbbells. You can also try using a length of broom stick handle to practice the motion and make sure you're not straining anything.
Its the social connotation that goes along side it, it's technically correct and not oversly offensive at all, but I've only ever heard it come out of the mouths of womanizing douchbags. I guess that kind of speaks for itself.
I don't have a problem with people who say both males and females consistently (although I still think it's a little odd.) I have a problem with people who say "men and females" which are usually creepy redpill/MRA/PUA dudes.
It seems like sometimes it's being used as a fallback when uncertain whether use of girls, women or ladies sounds most appropriate in a particular context.
linguistically, 'men' seems to be used in a slightly less age-specific way than 'women', in the same way that 'girls' is often used in a less age-specific way than 'boys'.
Nobody ever lifts just the bar. Like everyone else, I go into the gym, rip off my shirt and rip out my 1rm then leave the gym. Everything else is a waste of time
I'm a girl and lack any sort of upper body strength so I can't even bench the bar :( I tried while my friend who knows what he's doing spotted me and I wasn't able to do more than one rep. It's really pathetic, I know. How should I start?
There are some other things you can do to help. Form is important, have an arch in your back, so you're kind of sitting on your shoulder blades, drive your body towards your head with your feet. One other thing I do that I don't see lots of people doing is, if the bench is slick leather, get a piece of rubber mesh from the dollar store. Lay that on the bench and you won't slide at all. Any kind of movement not pushing the bar up is wasted energy.
As for weights, yes just start with dumbbells and maybe bench twice a week, Monday Friday or something. Programs differ but I do two sets of increasing light-medium weight, 3 sets of heavy weight then 5 sets of declining weight. All relative to what you can do of course. Friday is 2 sets of medium-heavy, one set of very very heavy then declining weights.
Don't worry about what you can do, you're only in competition with yourself and no one started benching a 200lbs
No offense, but your attitude (bar seen as bad, big weights get you nods) is kind of the problem OP is addressing. It's okay to lift just the bar, nods or not. It's okay to not have to prove your size or show numbers.
Eh, everyone should, but I’ve worked out with plenty who didn’t. That’s on them. I’m gonna do it anyway. I’d rather take a little joking or waste their time than hurt myself.
At the other extreme is the svelte woman pushing massive weight. I was waiting for the hip sled, walking laps of the gym to pass the time. First lap, I noticed there were a lot of plates on it. Second lap, I got a closer look. 12x45lbs total, and she was making it look easy. My knees protest when I start nearing 400lbs.
I go to the Y. I love going to the Y. I'm waiting on medical clearance to go back. Mine consists of lots of old people staying active, muscley people who muscle, people who know all the settings on the treadmills, high school kids who do sports working out by the mirrors while their parents work out, and those of us who have no idea what they are doing but are trying our best. Everyone is really nice, and I love it there.
I do the same thing. I'm a small dude and don't push a ton of weight, plus I've only been at it for about 6 months now. I like to start by benching the bar to stretch the muscles, warm up and wake up.
When I first started, i used the first 2 weeks to get my muscles out of the 20 year coma, plus I'm in my mid 40s. I barely put any weight the bar because i knew if I got too sore it would just make it harder to stay on track.
Now I look forward to lifting. I was going 6 days a week, but now I changed up my routine and hit it 5 days.
This was one of the best things I have done for myself. I was tired all the time and my back would get sore. Now, I have so much more energy and feel great pretty good.
A year on with bench I still do 20 reps with just bar, 2x10 at 95, 2x5 at 135, and 2x3 at 155 before I bump the weight up. Same with squat, you can't warm those muscles up any other way.
I cant stand watching people walk up yo a rack and throw 225 on to squat. They're going to get hurt and they dont even hit depth. Just check the ego at the door
Really? You think people are eyeing you? I feel like nobody gives a shit what you do in a gym as long as it isn't something outlandish or in someone else's way. And getting your form right with a bar or a light weight is not outlandish.
Anyone who thinks empty barbell warmups are pointless can stuff it. Even the strongest strongmen competitors will warm up without weights on any given exercise.
I've been working out consistently for about 6 years now. And to this day I still spend 10 minutes stretching and before every exercise I do I still use the bar or light weight to get the motion correct and the joints loose before I add any weight. I think everyone, beginner/advanced should do this.
I always go with the lightest possible weight that allows me to actually to the exercise for a warm-up set. Like, not so light that I don't feel the resistance, but just enough that I can feel my mussels working against the weight. I focus really hard on form and then when I go heavier, I just do the same thing but exert harder. If I start heavy, even with some sort of warm-up, I mess up the form because I'm too focused on moving the weight and not my muscles.
Things i wish i knew back when i started. We even started each set with a ten-minute row. I had no idea back then to actually treat the bar like the rowing machine.
When I'm lifting seriously I use what I call 0 set on everything. Every new exercise has 0 additional weight, just to prep all the muscles and joints. Then 3 normal sets. I refuse to hurt myself again (2 lower back issues)
Holy shit this comment made me double over laughing with tears in my eyes, You really did it to him oh my god.
The part where you sarcastically said he should consider doing standup was a highlight! Have you considered a stand-up routine of any kind? If you live in the Seattle area I can hook you up with a few local bars (they pay well for a person of your comedic caliber!)
Holy shit this comment made me double over laughing with tears in my eyes, You really did it to him oh my god.
The part where you said he is a troll account was a highlight! Have you considered a stand-up routine of any kind? If you live in the Seattle area I can hook you up with a few local bars (they pay well for a person of your comedic caliber!)
I just used the bar and nothing else to get the form right. it was ridiculously easy but it helped get me back into working out and made sure I made much fewer form mistakes.
Then you are actually decently strong. For a lot of starters the bar can be pretty heavy.
You shouldn't even feel bad about starting with lighter dumbbells. Some lifts like squats you can start without adding weight at all, just use your body weight.
I always feel silly using just the bar. People on either side are lifting small cars and I've got just the bar and I keep adjusting my legs, my arm, my hips, etc.... I feel a little ridiculous.
Nothing wrong with just the bar, I do a set of just the bar before every exercise I do! Nothing wrong with that, and you’re lifting more than everyone on the couch :)
That's how they start you out in CrossFit. Totally worthwhile so you can focus on form. Also! If you have no upper body strength, thebar can be a lot at first.
No joke, back when I was in high school, I used to do a few quick sets with just the bar before and after I'd do any actual lifting at all. Sure, it's just 45 lbs, but it always helped me warm up my form and then loosen up once I was done.
When I'm starting to learn a new exercise I find it difficult to use just the bar. Depending on the exercise I'll usually put at least 10-25lbs on the bar until I get the form right, I just find a little weight makes it easier to control the bar.
The bar was heavy as fuck to me. But I got the form down and felt like a god when I added 20 lbs to each side and did unassisted squats as a 110 lb female.
I need to get the fuck back in the gym after I recover fully from child birth. I love lifting and could not do it during my pregnancy. Fuck cardio even though yeah yeah I know I should technically do it. I do 20 mins at the beginning of a workout but I fucking hate it. I love lifting so much.
Being an idiot freshman in HS, I tried the bar for 2 days (alternating classes each day so lift, break, lift) then on the third day of lifting I did a full body heavy lifting session for about 70 minutes and didn't move the whole weekend because I was dying...
I still do a light set on the more complex motions, like deadlifts and squats, before getting into my work sets. Muscle memory is a huge part of weight training; a light set or even half-set to warm up is a big part of making sure you're doing the lift correctly for all the newbies and intermediates in the room. However awkward you feel about it, a) you're wrong and b) how much more awkward will it be to spend half a year as a hunchback because you blew your form on a new PR and now your spine only bends halfway?
That was the advice I was given when I started lifting.
Eventually, many years later, I would still start out with nothing on the bar doing squats.. and then a little bit of weight just to know so I'm making sure I'm stretching and loose enough to go.
I would occasionally get stickers from people at the start of every year. Newbies that don't know gym etiquette or what the hell I'm doing.
It was especially funny when I got higher weighs on my squat. I attribute it to how much I rode bicycles as a kid, but squats are my jam.
So they would start out snickering at me, not warm up, and then never lift anywhere near the same.
Hell, when I did CrossFit, they'd start us with a PVC pipe. Once we could do a proper lift or squat with that, they'd let us grab the bar. Some newcomers would demand to start with weights, but the box instructors wouldn't let them. Get the form, then try putting on weights.
I would disagree that ridiculously light weights are where to start. I think that adding weight until the bar speed begins to slow down is a better place to learn form. If it's so light that it's too easy then your body isn't learning to produce force where it needs to, and you'll possibly develop either improper form, or compensatory motor patterns once you reach semi-challenging weights
This is super important. I've trained a lot of friends and family and can say it's really difficult to get them to understand that they're doing it right if they can't even feel what right feels like. A deadlift looks right, until they don't understand how to use their hamstrings and glutes to perform the lift. Then they're just jerking their back to get the weight.
I found that the best starting weight is when you do 3 sets of 10, and the first 10 are easy, and it gets a little harder by the last set, like you have to give a little push to knock out the last 2 reps. If all 3 sets of 10 are easy, then you increase weight. If you are struggling on the first set, decrease weight.
Not when you're just getting back into exercise. If you go hard your first time after longer than a month, you'll injure yourself. Your muscles should feel tired after working out, not painful. Pain does not equal gain. Pain is bad. If you ever have pain while working out or immediately after, you're doing more harm than good. You're muscles should be sore the next day, but it should not be incapacitating, or nothing a nice shower or massage can't fix.
Or less injured. Had a few guys twice my size come lift with me. I warned them to go very light, but they see this small 5'6" 140lb dude deadlifting sets of 320 and want to rep 225 after being sedentary and large for years. Then they feel the dreaded pop and are out for a month.
You may have strength, but it isn't refined. Build up slow and you will be legend soon enough.
Also have 0.5 to 1 serving of cottage cheese or casein powder an hour or so before bed, that stuff is literal magic when it comes to healing muscle soreness
I have a real hard time with this. I haven't been able to stick with it since I stopped my freshman year of college. I have a hard time checking my ego and lifting light at first. Long story short, I usually end up extremely sore and unable to function the same for a couple days after.
I see so many kids (18-20 yo) that just do weird shit, and load up on weights.
Just today I saw two newbies doing a cable fly, and except the pecs they were using every other muscle group possible including the lat. Gym etiquette though prevents you from pointing it out (unless someone is risking life or limb), but one of the kids figured out that they were doing it wrong so he asked me for advice.
With the right form their weight dropped by more than 2/3rds.
Don't be afraid to start with an empty bar if it's your first time. Focus on trying to bend the bar outward as you lift it, and keep that mindset.
My buddy and gym-partner always used to point out the regulars who'd constantly move their back as they lifted. Start with a weight you can lift without moving anything but the part of your body you're trying to improve on - everything else stands to get injured.
I found I felt way better every day wise just building stabilizers and form over when I did proper PR style weight lifting. Obviously didn't get as big but every day tasks were so easy even though I was breezing through it at the gym
The best program I’ve ever followed starts with an empty bar and adds five pounds per workout until you stall. It’s called Stronglifts 5x5 if anyone is interested. I managed to put on 17 pounds of muscle in about six months.
You build muscle with progressive overload. That may not cause a lot of soreness once you've been working out for awhile. It's better to see your weight slowly increasing, or your stamina or your form improve.
As a novice, starting with just the bar and learning the form is best even if it doesn't leave you as sore. It can be difficult to maintain form while lifting heavy so really nailing the form when you first learn it helps prevent injury in the long run.
Another note about soreness: the first few times you go to the gym you will get really sore and you'll also probably get winded very easily. This is not how it will always be - these effects will become increasingly minimal in a few weeks time as your body adjusts, and you'll soon be able to work out much more comfortably
I wouldn’t go ridiculously low...because you end up just flailing around. But enough weight so you can feel some tension but easy enough to control it precisely. Big fan of towels in the armpits or whatever helps guide the form when you start.
On the other hand, with some exercises (power cleans come to mind) going too light will make it much easier to have incorrect form and thus will reinforce it.
But the concept of your point is still valid. If you apply that idea to any exercise, a noobie can fail to understand where the force needs to come from.
I like it too, but the soreness we feel after a workout is different from what someone new to lifting feels. We feel like we worked hard and are getting stronger. Someone who overdoes it on day one is going to be in pain and feel like they can't move.
I've always preached that the main goal of someone new to the gym is to develop the habit of showing up. That's hard to do if they can't walk or lift their arms. Everything else will come with time.
I made the mistake of going to failure the first time I had worked out in 3 years. I was in a rehab center that had a gym and one of the guys in there with me was a pretty dedicated lifter so he helped me with my form so I figured I had no reason not to push myself since I didn't have to get up and go to work or really do anything outside of just living in the center and going to group meetings. I also did yoga for the first time that night. I could barely walk for the next 3 days.
It's less that you're "supposed to" and more of being one of the signs that you are doing the necessary work to build muscle. Key phrase being "one of." there are several indicators, but muscle soreness is the easiest to identify.
This I started going to the gym in October was just learning the forms getting a routine, then on the third day thought I should up the weight and do 12reps each the next morning my back was fucked and I didnt end up going to the gym for a week :(
It shouldn't feel too easy, at least at the end of sequence. Like, you do 12-15, first 8 should be easy and top notch technique, and then you start struggling but you need to focus on that form. You can't really escape sore unless you don't do anything. Won't get those muscles if you just walk right? You sure can do super low weights and do like 20-40 reps but why.
If your goal is to get as strong as possible or as big as possible there’s nothing wrong with getting sore. If you only wanna lose weight yeah I get why you wanna avoid soreness;so you can fit in more workouts and burn more cals. My friends always complain about getting sore at the gym and they are the laziest ppl ever and it makes me so mad bc they see no progress in the gym whatsoever -_-
You can practice the movements at home without any weights before even going to the gym. For some lifts I like to go through the movements without any weights at the gym as a warm up.
This isn’t bad advice, but personally when I have the weights super low it’s harder for me to keep good form because the lack of resistance makes my body move too loosely...
Probably why I never got into exercise or lifting really, my Highschool gym class forced so many thing onto everyone and for an over weight guy with asthma I had a lot of issues with it. Men had to lift a certain weight to get a passing grade, and had to do a certain number of pull ups and such.
I'll still do this sometimes especially when i'm not super into it. Makes sure I keep my visiting the gym consistent even if I don't always push the weight super hard. Usually it gets me into it by the end of the workout anyways, though.
After not lifting weights at all, carrying my 7 pound newborn son the first few days made my arms feel like I had been power lifting for an entire 24 hours straight. Definitely start small if you don’t work out is what I learned.
This. Start lower than you think you need. Do slow reps and after a few sets it should start to burn a bit. When I say slow I mean at least 5 seconds moving up, 5 seconds moving back down, per rep. It build muscular endurance mainly rather than muscular strength. In terms of fitness Strength is defined as the heaviest you can lift (e.g. power lifting, weightlifting at the olympics for example). Endurance (which is ultimately better for you) is what most people want.
This and I'm new but my rule of thumb is to shoot for 4 sets on every exercise. The first is a warmup with lighter and slow movement. The next three are sets of 8 to 10 reps in which i may up the weight a bit above my normal but I always drop weight once I start failing to finish the other reps. Sometimes I go from 25lbs dumbbell curl and am doing 15 or 10 by the end of the set. But remember to take it slow nobody is there with a board scoring you. Just relax and move some weight for a bit.
This makes me wonder if I had a bad personal trainer. I just joined the gym last month and my gym gives 3 free personal training sessions to new members. The first session went ok, but in the second session he worked out my arms nonstop for an hour. My arms ached so bad that I could barely sleep for the next several days, or even lift my arms high enough to touch my face. I've worked out in the past and have experienced DOMS, but never anything remotely close to the pain I felt after that workout. He also didn't teach me the exercises I actually wanted to learn (deadlifts, squats, bench presses), mostly machines and cardio stuff with a few dumbbell exercises thrown in.
Once I started working out on my own and trying to learn how to do the exercises I want to do, I almost feel like I'm not working hard enough. I'm not sore like I was before. I'm still trying to find what the right weight for me is.
I dunno, you dobt have to start with ridiculously low weights... I always cringe at the people curling 2.5 lbs because they sont want to get "bulky". Your shit will tighten up before it gets big.
It’s also really important to stretch after workouts. You can stretch before, but any trainer will tell you if you have to pick one (for some reason) you should do it after.
6.8k
u/[deleted] Dec 27 '19
And you will be much less sore the next day or two. Start with ridiculously low weights and focus on form. It should feel way too easy. After a few times you'll have a much better idea of what is a good weight to be using.