I think the absolute most important thing to understand about weight lifting is how to not injure yourself.  Even lifts that require little weight can injure you, and you may not realize it until the next day.  This pain and injury can cut a workout short or deter people from continuing with their program. 

Some small tidbits of advice for safety:

Warm up a little and stretch first, just like you would ANY exercise.  Do 20 jumping jacks to get the blood pumping, then some stretches (they'll be easier if you've warmed up a bit). 

Make sure you are getting plenty of calcium.  These are load bearing exercises.

Watch someone do an exercise before you do it.  Note their breathing (when do they inhale and exhale?) and speed.

Do reps until failure to immediately continue, not until you experience pain or can't go on.

Take rests (at least a minute) between sets.  Don't overwork a single muscle or muscle group for days in a row, alternate.  These rest periods allow your muscles to heal, and to actually grow.

Wear weight lifting gloves for bars and the like.  They improve your grip and keep the flesh on your palms intact.

Make sure weights are secured tightly to the ends of your bars.  No loose or jiggling weights.  They can fall off or cause injury by screwing with the balance.

Never be ashamed or afraid to start of small as you want to.  If ten pounds is too much for a particular exercise, it's too much and there is nothing wrong with that.  You're doing this to improve, not because you are already awesome (although you may well be).   I started at only 5lbs for bicep curls.  Pathetic but your weight will increase, not decrease.  Nothing makes you look more like a novice and an idiot like not knowing or respecting your own limitations.

If ever possible, use a gym or have a spotter for heavy lifting.  At home lifting should be limited to smaller, safer exercises.

Don't lift barefoot. 

Pay just as much attention to the eccentric phases (muscle lengthens as you lower or relax a weight) as you do the concentric phases (muscle shortens to lift the weight).  Suddenly letting a weight drop while still in your grip will strain your muscles, or could cause you to carelessly hit yourself or something else.   Both phases work the muscle and are important.

GO SLOW.  Or well, don't let inertia do your lifting or your work.  It's not doing you any good as far as building muscle goes and can pull something or make you dizzy or lose balance.  I see people do this a lot with sit ups.  Instead of concentrating and letting their core lift and lower their torsos, they bounce up and down as fast as they can so they can get in as many sit ups in under a minute as possible. 

Always make sure your muscles are the ones feeling worked, not your joints.  D:

Drink water!  Drink water!  Drink water!

Eat smaller meals, eat more often.  Lifting on a full stomach sucks, but you still need the extra calories and nutrients for energy and building muscles.

Last edited by OnlyInThisLight (06-12-2012 07:49:40 PM)

I'm loving this thread so much right now...

Okay, so the gf just started weightlifting, about a month ago really. She really enjoys feeling capable. She's been internet stalking Jackie Warner for some time now, and even goes so far as using her for an excuse to eat healthy i.e. 'I better not eat this candy... Jackie Warner says blahblah sugar blah blah' which is cool. I think I want to start lifting weights too. I want that extra burst of confidence.  My inspiration is a bit comical though. I've always loved cosplay, that is to say I've always like watching people cosplay. When I was younger, I had this great bod which was a result of soccer, track, and general country living. When I hit college though everything kind of went out the window, which was at the same time I REALLY started thinking of doing cosplay. I don't cosplay because I do have some body issues, and yeah it's tough to admit that.

So...  my goal this summer is to start working on 'getting my body back'. I mainly want to lift weights to add definition to my arms and legs. I ran for the first time in ages a week ago, it was tough-going, but it made feel good. I am out of shape but I managed to run a bit farther than I thought I could.

I'm looking over the info posted here. I want to try some of these exercises. I know it's important to put myself on a routine, so I'm outlining one now. I have a book called 50 push ups in 7 weeks that outlines a routine that should help improve my upper body strength. I'm going to start jogging for endurance.

[EDIT= That book is actually titled 7 weeks to 100 Push-ups]

Last edited by Melancholic_Soul (06-13-2012 07:07:26 AM)

I agree with everything on OITL's advice list.

I've been training with free weights for a good few years, despite being the "anti-jock". I go to a community center gym because it has a friendly atmosphere. For me, the biggest payoff is mental health; after a workout, stress goes away, and confidence comes flooding back. Apparently endorphins are a great anti-depressant. I get much more of a "high" from weight training than I ever have from running.

Don't fixate on the numbers. Although your weight/reps stats can be a good measure of progress, you might be tempted to:
a) use a bad lifting technique so you can lift more ("cheating")
b) compare your performance to that of others, or how much someone like you "ought" to be able to lift

The best way to measure the success of a workout is whether your muscles have the right amount of "burn". They should feel full and heavy immediately after the workout, and a little stiff the next day, but not painfully so.

I'd encourage anyone thinking of getting into weight training to give it a try, and don't be intimidated, there is really no way to fail at this activity.

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

I've been considering a gym membership of some sort, because you can get assistance from a somewhat dedicated trainer, access to yummy protein smoothie bars, not have to drive halfway across town to access machines and have a sort of obligation to stick to your routine, because Sunk Cost Fallacy and whatnot.

So, what are some good things to look for in a Gym?  What is a reasonable monthly payment or payment plan?  What sort of amenities (variety of machines, separate rooms for some degree of privacy, nice showers/changing rooms, etc) should I look for?

I've also been considering these things. A Gold's Gym recently opened within walking distance from my apartment. For a general membership it's 9.99 a month with a 30.00 yearly fee... the gold membership is 19.99 a month with the yearly fee. The only thing that separates the two is the fact that I'd be able to bring a couple of +1's, and have unlimited access to the massage and tanning bed areas. The truth is I'd only bring my girlfriend with me, and my skin is naturally tanned. There doesn't seem to be much of a down side really, but there is another gym within amazing driving distance (like two minutes, actually I could walk there too.) American Family Fitness has a pool, hot tub, sauna, and several classes offered that I'm interested in. It's a little overwhelming though, and a bit (A LOT) more pricey.

Gold's has the weight lifting equipment I'd want to use (So does AFF, but their equipment isn't quite as extensive.) They also boast that open air feel that's amiable.

There are a few 'little name' gyms around, and a YMCA. The gyms scare me though, because I don't know anyone there and the people are all body builders... seriously it's intimidating.  The Y is actually more expensive than Gold's.

What I'd really like to do is find a gym that has gymnastics equipment... I REALLY would love that.

Trial membership is a great idea if it's offered. At the very least, get a tour of the facilities during the hours that you would normally be using them.

Things that would be on my priority list:

* Is it crowded? Are there a reasonable number of stations (machines, benches) free? Is there space to do standing exercises?
* Are the people there observing good gym etiquette? Most gyms have rules about proper attire, excessive grunting, cursing, dropping weights, putting away weights and hogging multiple stations, but they are not always enforced.
* Is there a good sized stretching area?
* Is it easy to get to?

I'd be wary of places that ask for a lot of money up front, or pressure you into signing up for long term membership. Take time to do the math on how much it will cost you per workout, based on a worst case estimate of workout frequency, before you pick a plan.

I'm looking at some of the gyms here, and holy crap.  40 a month?  30 a month for a year's contract, paid up front, plus 40-100 dollar starting fee?


What the fucking fuck.


I may just have to stick to MSU's gym until I've got my Masters.  It's a ten minute drive but MSU has at least 30 different recreation and physical training centers and its all free.

Oh, so MSU has closed the weight training center in the sports arena (the only one you can access without being on a team or living on campus) in order to have the new Rec Center be the place for it...and the Rec Center doesn't open for another half a year, and you have to buy a membership.


I'ma do finger curls, get my middle finger really buff, and then go muscularly flip off the campus.

Weight training! I know something about this, including how to totally fuck your hip up, so listen to my advice.

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

Never be ashamed or afraid to start of small as you want to.  If ten pounds is too much for a particular exercise, it's too much and there is nothing wrong with that.  You're doing this to improve, not because you are already awesome (although you may well be).   I started at only 5lbs for bicep curls.  Pathetic but your weight will increase, not decrease.  Nothing makes you look more like a novice and an idiot like not knowing or respecting your own limitations.

THIS. In fact, good advice even for people who feel as though they are fit: begin with zero weight. Do squats with a broom handle. Do deadlifts with just the bar. It's dangerous with these exercises to begin weight bearing before you have the technique down.

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

Make sure you are getting plenty of calcium.  These are load bearing exercises.

Wear weight lifting gloves for bars and the like.  They improve your grip and keep the flesh on your palms intact.

1. Truth. Also proteins. Before or immediately after. Don't work those muscles and then deny them the proper fuel. This is the difference between slow and miserable gains and fast gains in strength.

2. People seem to be of two minds on this. Guys are usually pretty against gloves until you're hauling at least body weight, but I've noticed and experienced that at certain weights, I need gloves because my hands are otherwise too small to grip the bar properly. For women, I'd suggest gloves.

When it comes to choosing a gym, 40 a month is about what you can expect. That said, a lot of the 'brands' like LA Fitness suck for weights because their market is 'cardio bunnies', or women who are going to walk on the treadmill for two hours on their cell phone with makeup on never breaking a sweat. Golds Gyms I hear are good, but my experiences have been the YMCA in the US and the city of Edmonton recreation center pass up here. ( The major sports center is right across a bridge for me. Olympic indoor pools, weight training, etc.

For me, attitude has had a lot to do with this. 'Public' gyms like those are much more mixed crowds. There's Senor Buff next to Senior Wussy Weights, so there's less of that WHAT IS THIS WEAK WOMAN DOING ON MY SQUAT RACK stuff.

BTW, squats are singlehandedly (well along with deadlifting) the best single way to hit tons of muscles and improve everything ever. That said, you will see in most gyms something called a smith machine. The women use this, it puts the weights on a vertical sliding rail. DON'T USE THIS PIECE OF CRAP. It lets you cheat, it denies you the proper form for a squat by making the bar move perfectly vertical, and it's dangerous because it overbuilds major muscle groups without the minor stabilizers. Be awesome and squat in the cage the guys are using. Yes, you will squat less this way. It'll be better for you though, and it's way more impressive.

I majorly injured myself not by poor form, but by being an asshole resuming my training after 4 months of being sedentary. I wanted to get right to it, and because I survived lifting at a higher level than I should have restarted at, I felt fine about it, until I basically fucked the stabilizer muscles in my left hip.

So don't be dumb like me. Start small, and start small over again after a time of being off routine. Your big muscles have more memory than your smaller ones.

And yeah, I've definitely noticed I get props using the real weights. Even if all I can do is squat the bar, guys in the weight corner of the gym respect the fact that I'm not the silly blond spending an hour doing bicep curls with a one pound weight. Done properly and safely, weightlifting is one of the best things you can do at the gym, it covers a ton of territory, improves bone density, and burns calories. Also it's way more satisfying to add weight to a lift than it is to do yet another 45 on the cardio machines that day.