I want to learn the proper way to lift free weights. I’ve been doing it at home with a cheap 60lb dumbbell set (that is, up to 30 lbs each dumbbell) but I’m getting stronger and I’m also getting into territory where proper form could make the difference between me rocking it out or killing myself. I’m thinking a basic weightlifting group class would do the trick - I don’t really have the resources for personal training at this time. I don’t need to be an Olympic lifter and I am not interested in competition - I just want to do this at my own pace for my own personal fitness without dropping a 20 lb weight on my head.
The thing is, I move all the time so ideally this would be a place that has multiple locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois. I will be moving to another state (probably Philly or Chicago) in June I would hate to join a place with a 12 month contract and 6 months later be unable to use the facilities.
Does anybody know of a national or franchise gym that offers group classes on basic weightlifting technique? I was so in love with the concept of Planet Fitness until I learned they don’t even have barbells there.
If you think the gym membership is not the best route, feel free to give your input as well. I will consider all suggestions, it just means I’ll have to save up for a longer time before getting started.
I’ve never belong to a gym that had weightlifting classes, but many will include 1 free session with a trainer with a new membership, so you could use that to learn the basics, and pay for additional sessions if necessary.
You might also try enrolling in a class at a local community college.
I paid for a personal trainer, and it was simply 2 sessions at one gym. I forget, like $60 or so.
He showed me the techniques I needed to use (actually I had had a class in college so I did pretty well) plus gave me a 2-day weightlifting schedule.
Unless a gym membership is less than 2 sessions with a personal trainer, just hire a personal trainer. You can probably find one in the paper or on Craigslist or recommended by any local gym. Take your weights and your trainer to the park and have him show you what’s up.
If you’re just using dumbells there’s not much anyone can show you that you need a whole gym membership for.
Gold’s Gym has good nationwide membership plans. Check 'em out. I’ve been a member for years, and while the quality of equipment/service/facilities can vary from gym to gym, I’ve personally never had a bad experience.
As far as learning proper form, check out bodybuilding.com. Yes, strictly speaking, it’s a site for bodybuilders, but they have lots and lots of great, fully-illustrated guides to proper form for many different free weight exercises. (Whether you’re a bodybuilder or just wanting to get in shape, proper form is almost always the same.)
There’s no point in purchasing a gym membership if your only goal is to learn how to lift weights (the exception is Olympic weightlifting, but I’m going to assume you’re not interested in that). Instead, just find a friend/acquaintance/craigslist buddy to show you how. Nothing is terribly complicated; the hard part is maintaining a routine.
I was going to say this too, but on reflection there’s no guarantee a friend knows proper technique either. I see a lot of people at the gym who lift improperly. I mean, I know it’s bad form to correct anyone, but I’m pretty sure the guy jerking his curls up with his back is destined for…problems.
I have no advice about the gym membership thing, but there are good photo-tutorials on Stumptuous demonstrating the proper form for various exercises. The site is targeted at women, which I found particularly helpful.
Actually the gym membership was to have access to barbells, since I don’t, as well as dumbbells that will accommodate my increased strength. Right now I’m a member of my apartment fitness center but eventually I’ll lose access to the treadmill, rowing machine and other cardio equipment I’ve been using on a regular basis. Once that time arrives, I’ll probably be purchasing a gym membership anyway.
I wonder if I’d be better off just purchasing a better dumbbell set and hiring a personal trainer for a couple of sessions.
I love Stumptuous, and actually that’s how I got started. For the last month I’ve been using her Lo Tech Ass Busting Circuits A and B. I’ve been using on-line tutorials and things for form, but I just know I’d get better results with one-on-one coaching.
There’s also ExRx. They have short animations for each exercise. The problem there is it’s hard on certain exercises to tell if your form is correct from the lifter’s viewpoint.
I’d recommend finding a good gym instead of working at home with a dumbbell set. A trainer can show you the proper form and technique for every dumbbell exercise, and after his instruction you’ll replicate that well enough by yourself, but with only dumbbells to work with, the quality of your work-out will suffer and you’ll be getting results slower (or not at all) than if you were exercising in a facility with proper equipment. Your routine won’t have the variety of exercises necessary to keep your body in the correct state – meaning that unless you’re really careful, your body will adapt to performing the same exercises with the same dumbbell set, and you’ll get better at using dumbbells, sure, but your actual fitness level will start to flat-line.
And besides, I think there’s something to be said for going to a gym and exercising in the “proper” environment. I know that my disposition when I’m exercising at home is vastly different than when I’m in a facility that’s clean, well-lit, and exists solely for the purpose of fitness and physical well-being.
If you’re not wanting to get into competive weightlifting why are you messing around with free weights anyway? If you’re just using weights as a component of your workout regimen, join a gym where you have access to all sorts of cardio and weight machines that are much safer and provide numerous combinations to mix up your work-out. Then when you move, you don’t have to move those heavy weights.
As far as locking up with a gym membership, tell them that you are only going to go on a month to month contract. In this economy, they’ll make an exception, they need the revenue.
A lot of college gyms and community gyms (like YMCAs and the like) will have “learning to lift weights” classes, some that are specifically aimed at women. I know my undergrad university had “women’s learn-to-lift” classes that were kept small and taught by dedicated weight trainers. Though I never took one, I heard good things–the classes were really all about learning proper technique, rather than being a “look how much I can lift” grunt-fest. But I’m sure not all university gyms and Y’s are created alike, it’s worth a look to see.
Because I like getting stronger? I enjoy lifting weights. I love the thrill and power of doing another rep or adding some weight and struggling through it. It makes me feel amazing. I WANT to move those heavy weights.
I don’t trust weight machines. I want more dynamic strength than that. I’ve been doing things like power snatches, dumbbell swing and clean and press.
ETA: Omar Little, I just realized you meant when I move from my apartment. I thought you were being patronizing and telling me not to lift heavy weights. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Thank you. I noticed the local YMCA did have a group weightlifting class for women, but I wasn’t sure if it was like the patronizing, ‘‘here’s a 3 lb dumbbell for you to lift 20 times’’ sort of class, or like a real weightlifting class. I want to learn the real deal.
Are you still in school or somehow connected to one? Oftentimes the school will have gym facilities that you can use and personal trainers that can work with you for a few sessions - that might be more useful to you than a gym membership or long term contract.
Also, the Y would probably fit your needs (they’re everywhere, their trainers are trained and used to guiding people on every level (from beginners to people who have been lifting for years))
Would joining 24 hour fitness work for you? They’re in the states you mention and you don’t have to sign a contract to join.
It’s been a few years since I’ve worked out seriously but I agree - a good trainer is worth his or her weight in gold!
FWIW, I went to my local YMCA for a while. I didn’t take any classes, but the free weight room was a really friendly place, despite being devoid of women…the guys there were super-helpful and friendly and I never got the feeling anyone was looking down at me or minimizing my abilities. I’m not interested in girly weights either…I want to do the guy stuff!
What is it exactly that you would be using the barbells for? PlanetFitness sounds like an ideal match for everything you are looking for, minus the free-standing barbells.
While they don’t have free-standing barbell-benchs, they do have free-weight loadable Smith machine barbell benches; which can be used in place of just about any exercise for which a standard barbell is needed (bench-press, bent-over row, deadlift, shoulder-press, certain bicep curl exercises and certain tricep exercises (especially close-grip bench press).
In addition to the use of free-weight dumbbells and Smith machine barbells, the use of weight-machines can be very versatile. Planet Fitness does do the classes, as well (I’m just about certain). Everything there is cheap, one way or another.
I highly recommend that you check out the book Starting Strength, by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. There is a DVD associated with it that shows proper form for the basic lifts.
I highly recommend that you stay away from weight machines and in particular the Smith machine. I think you are very much on the right track focusing on barbells. Specifically, focusing on (1) squat, (2) deadlift, (3) bench press, (4) overhead press. These, along with pullups/chinups, are the core of any serious resistance training.
Most trainers at big gyms are terrible, and spend a lot of time trying to get you to do lots of pointless isolation exercises on weight machines and endless cardio work on treadmills.
I think that is misplaced advice to “strongly” discourage weight machines and Smith machines. While I would never recommend someone solely use such equipment, they most definitely can be used effectively and safely as part of a more comprehensive weightlifting regimen that includes freeweights such as dumbbells and barbells.
The best results come when you approach your weightlifting goals from a “all-inclusive” viewpoint; not eliminating any method which has been proven to be safe and effective but combining all of them together. Some exercises are actually better performed using machines (certain isolation exercises).
ETA…isolation exercises are not pointless. Far from it. They compliment and enhance the results of compound exercises. If isolation exercises were pointless, you’d never see anyone with any bit of exercise knowledge doing bicep curls.
The Smith machine is an unmitigated disaster as a piece of exercise equipment and dangerous to boot. It forces your body to conform to the machine rather than the natural range of motion and so is ineffective as a training device and risks putting unnatural stress on your body.
Weight machines are not as dangerous but generally a HUGE waste of time.
The body works as a system and should be trained as a system.
Approaching your weightlifting goals from an “all inclusive” viewpoint is generally a recipe for wasting lots of time and eventually giving up. Yes, for an experienced lifter, or for someone more interested in body building (i.e. appearance) than gaining strength then isolation exercises may be helpful. But for the OP, who is a novice, doing anything other than compound, multijoint exercises is a waste of time.
OP, keep it simple. Focus on the compound lifts that have worked for generations. Skip the goofy machines.
