Oh - speaking of boobs, if you have a chest that’s a fullsize B or larger and are doing high-impact stuff, this is the best sports bra for B-D cups IMHO.
Well, not just IMHO, it’s Amazon’s #5 seller, #4 is a pack of pull-over-the-head bras which are only suitable for yoga and those with A cups. #1-3 are too expensive, not as good at minimizing bounce and feel like straightjackets.
And of course you should be washing it in a wash bag that’s not mesh, so it doesn’t pill…Mine is some sort of silky polyster but I have no idea where I got it - this seems to be the closest thing on Amazon since it’s not actually just a crappy net bag, which actually makes things worse. Dumping stuff in a small pillow case and tying off the end also works.
Of course, it’s up to you, but I tell ya, getting a personal trainer was the best exercise move I ever made. Ballerinas who’ve danced for years still take class and private instruction-- because you can’t watch yourself move. And you can’t get good form on machines (which you need, to make progress and prevent injuries) unless somebody stands there and gets you through it the first time and helps you figure out what kind of weight to start at and when to move up. The pictures on the machines help, but not enough.
Here’s the other thing: those guys lifting free weights? Most of 'em are actually really nice people. Heck, I checked into an out-of-town gym about two weeks ago, and a guy built like a Samoan fullback with full tats kindly showed me how to use the controls on a reverse fly machine I’d never tried before. And I’m a seriously chunky, short, 62-year-old woman.
At my regular gym, I kid around with the weightlifters, calling them the “Russian team.” “Lift BIG weights, Ivan, or no wodka for you!”
Anyway, you’ll do what you want, but I suggest you try about four training sessions before you fire your trainer. It’s self-indulgent fun to have your very own coach, honest.
Look, y’all, I can’t try four sessions and then fire the guy. It’s a contract and I have three business days to get out of it. You can’t do a couple sessions, you have to sign up for a year because Gold’s Gym is like the fucking Russian mafia.
I mean, I would never sign up for a year let alone more than 3 sessions. Some personal trainers are garbage. Often the good ones have a steady book of clients that have weathered the recession and subsequently have the “prime” spots taken (before and after work).
Easiest, cheapest and most efficient way is for the classes.
I definitely second www.stumptuous.com for workout ideas. She has a whole page of workout plans from beginner workouts to more advanced here. STUMPTUOUS.COM Workout ideas Archives - STUMPTUOUS.COM
She really stresses doing free weight exercises over machines most of the time because they are more efficient in most cases. For example you can take 5 minutes doing squats (barbell or dumbbell) or take 20 doing 5 different leg machines instead. I was totally intimidated being on the “man” side of the gym but it’s been 2 months and no one has said anything to me about being there (this may be a regional difference however, people in the NE aren’t chatty).
I think it’s definitely possible to workout by yourself without the help of a trainer but you have to be willing to be consistent in your workouts. Apparently it’s pretty easy to get the credentials to be a personal trainer (no cite, just relying on what I read on some other workout board) and they’re all over the place in terms of knowledge. I know I’d be pissed if I was paying $60 an hour to have some guy watching me walk on a treadmill.