Hi there Casey! My main question is, as someone who's lifted weights in the past in a gym -- but did it all under the supervision of a trainer, and therefore didn't actually learn much about what I was doing -- where would you tell that person to start? Do I need a gym membership -- is that a must? -- or are there things I can do on my o…
Hi there Casey! My main question is, as someone who's lifted weights in the past in a gym -- but did it all under the supervision of a trainer, and therefore didn't actually learn much about what I was doing -- where would you tell that person to start? Do I need a gym membership -- is that a must? -- or are there things I can do on my own, starting today? Especially if I've never done it before. Thanks!
This is a good question! To be honest, "how do I get started with strength training?" was the absolute top question people asked me for years after I started writing Ask A Swole Woman. I wrote LIFTOFF to give as complete of an answer to that question as I could, for the widest audience of people. That's why it starts with basic bodyweight movements and stresses really learning good form, and progresses upward into dumbbells and barbells. You don't need a gym to start, or any equipment, really, you just need a little floor space. If you've never done any strength training before, you will get a ton out of Phase One of LIFTOFF.
Eventually, I recommend investing in a gym membership, just because when you look at the cost of the equipment it takes to allow you to linearly progress in the weights you lift (adding a little weight anew every session), a membership is pretty solid bang for your buck. Many people don't know this, but independent non-chain gyms also tend not to have weird predatory contracts that lock you in for a year; most let you pay for even just a day at a time for a few bucks to try it out.
The best possible thing you can do, in my opinion, is invest in knowledge about good form and body mechanics. You do have to sit down and learn some things, unfortunately, haha, but it's knowledge that will pay off many times over, all over the place in your daily life. While I think it's incredibly gratifying in ways people will be surprised by to learn to use heavy weights, really learning solid mechanics even just for bodyweight stuff will give you a taste of what is available to you there.
Hi there Casey! My main question is, as someone who's lifted weights in the past in a gym -- but did it all under the supervision of a trainer, and therefore didn't actually learn much about what I was doing -- where would you tell that person to start? Do I need a gym membership -- is that a must? -- or are there things I can do on my own, starting today? Especially if I've never done it before. Thanks!
This is a good question! To be honest, "how do I get started with strength training?" was the absolute top question people asked me for years after I started writing Ask A Swole Woman. I wrote LIFTOFF to give as complete of an answer to that question as I could, for the widest audience of people. That's why it starts with basic bodyweight movements and stresses really learning good form, and progresses upward into dumbbells and barbells. You don't need a gym to start, or any equipment, really, you just need a little floor space. If you've never done any strength training before, you will get a ton out of Phase One of LIFTOFF.
Eventually, I recommend investing in a gym membership, just because when you look at the cost of the equipment it takes to allow you to linearly progress in the weights you lift (adding a little weight anew every session), a membership is pretty solid bang for your buck. Many people don't know this, but independent non-chain gyms also tend not to have weird predatory contracts that lock you in for a year; most let you pay for even just a day at a time for a few bucks to try it out.
The best possible thing you can do, in my opinion, is invest in knowledge about good form and body mechanics. You do have to sit down and learn some things, unfortunately, haha, but it's knowledge that will pay off many times over, all over the place in your daily life. While I think it's incredibly gratifying in ways people will be surprised by to learn to use heavy weights, really learning solid mechanics even just for bodyweight stuff will give you a taste of what is available to you there.