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Freeweights Program Advice for Newcomer Please?

  • 06-05-2011 8:37am
    #1
    justbringit89
    Closed Accounts Posts: 829 ✭✭✭


    Hi Guys,

    So I've been using weight machines for the last year & being told time & time again to switch to freeweights. After experiencing no results with weight machines, I've decided to switch to free weights but I haven't a clue where to start.

    My goal is to lose fat, get rid of the belly!! I was hoping someone here could point me in the right direction.

    Would I be right in saying Starting Strength is a good starting place?

    Cheers,

    Mark


Comments

  • #2
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    well... machines are usually set to isolate muscles / muscle groups, but the movements you do on them can easily be adapted with Barbells / Dumb bells.

    The reason why people tend to encoruage free weights over resistance machines, is because the free weights would generaly engage your muscle groups more and you can also alternate the way you are using your range of movements.

    You said you were experiencing no results after a year, what were you doing first on the machines?


  • #3
    squod
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,704 ✭✭✭squod


    Better to ask an instructor. Learning by yourself is difficult and learning with bad form is a total waste of time. Google a bodybuilding three day split. Get an instructor to train you on the barbell movements involved. My 2c.


  • #4
    hooplah
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 570 ✭✭✭hooplah


    For a while there it was treated as the answer to everything but you could do worse than give "Starting Strength" a go. Its a programme aimed at beginners or novices based around a small number of what the author considers to be the most important barbell lifts.

    The book is written for someone who doesn't know how to do the lifts so it spends a good bit of time explaining how to do them, what to look for as cues to use correct form, and how to pick appropiate weights.

    Theres also a dvd where he coaches 5 or 6 people through each lift a number of times and so you can see what hes talking about. If you know your way around the internet you'll get nboth for free though i own the book and its nt a bad reference.

    Word of warning though, I lifted using the book and no supervision and while I won't say it ****ed my back up I do think that following the programme by lifting with bad form and being over eager to add weight to the bar contributed to some problems I had and may have been the straw that blah blah blah

    If you do choose to follow the programme get someone to check your form and mak esure you don't get into bad habits. you could video yourself and post it here or even on the startingstrength website.


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