Joining a Gym

Justin,
I have never used a trainer, but I was in athletics in school so I
had coaches shouting at me what to do. I would say that you could do
your own research on the correct form for lifts using either the
internet or books. I would recommend starting with a full body
compound exercise routine. These exercises use a lot of muscles at
once and allow you to put on some real strength more quickly than
starting out focusing on individual muscles in my opinion. The core of
a routine like this consists of the chest press (using either the bench
or incline, I personally feel like the incline press is easier on the
shoulder joint), the squat, and the pulldown or pullup if you prefer.
Some other good lifts are the deadlift and the clean but I would
recommend waiting to do these until you get more comfortable with
weightlifting. SAFETY FIRST! Start lifting very light with high
repetition and focus on doing slow and very controlled movements.
Focus on feeling the muscles work and this will put you steps ahead of
some of the people you see just slinging weights around in terms of
safety and musclebuilding in my opinion. Some other good lifts to have
in your routine are the overhead press, the one arm dumbell row, cable
pec flys, tricep press, etc. Maybe you have noticed that I am a
proponent of using free-weights, I feel like they give a better and
more satisfying workout. You do have to be more careful with them
though. I would recommend having an intense 1 to 1.5 hr workout
session around three times a week. I have my workout split into a
chest/tricep routine and a back/bicep/legs routine. Joining a gym is
up to you, I own a nice free weight set but I still like to go to the
gym because I get a better workout there.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

James

Justin,
I have never used a trainer, but I was in athletics in school so I
had coaches shouting at me what to do. I would say that you could do
your own research on the correct form for lifts using either the
internet or books. I would recommend starting with a full body
compound exercise routine. These exercises use a lot of muscles at
once and allow you to put on some real strength more quickly than
starting out focusing on individual muscles in my opinion. The core of
a routine like this consists of the chest press (using either the bench
or incline, I personally feel like the incline press is easier on the
shoulder joint), the squat, and the pulldown or pullup if you prefer.
Some other good lifts are the deadlift and the clean but I would
recommend waiting to do these until you get more comfortable with
weightlifting. SAFETY FIRST! Start lifting very light with high
repetition and focus on doing slow and very controlled movements.
Focus on feeling the muscles work and this will put you steps ahead of
some of the people you see just slinging weights around in terms of
safety and musclebuilding in my opinion. Some other good lifts to have
in your routine are the overhead press, the one arm dumbell row, cable
pec flys, tricep press, etc. Maybe you have noticed that I am a
proponent of using free-weights, I feel like they give a better and
more satisfying workout. You do have to be more careful with them
though. I would recommend having an intense 1 to 1.5 hr workout
session around three times a week. I have my workout split into a
chest/tricep routine and a back/bicep/legs routine. Joining a gym is
up to you, I own a nice free weight set but I still like to go to the
gym because I get a better workout there.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

James

Justin said:

Basically I don't have a clue. I'm a computer dork and I need to get
in shape. I'm nto fat or anything, just skinng any I have to build up
some muscle. Since I'm so clueless I'm thinking about joining a place
with trainers. Remember this s a completely new area for me so if my
questions seem dumb - bear with me. Do most places have trainers for
men? I usually see women with them - or am I just out of the loop?
Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

Yes, yes, maybe.

Two points:

Adams' Law: Everyone is an idiot at least some of the time.

Beginners suck. Persevere, and you'll get over it.

Justin said:

Basically I don't have a clue. I'm a computer dork and I need to get
in shape. I'm nto fat or anything, just skinng any I have to build up
some muscle. Since I'm so clueless I'm thinking about joining a place
with trainers. Remember this s a completely new area for me so if my
questions seem dumb - bear with me. Do most places have trainers for
men? I usually see women with them - or am I just out of the loop?
Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

Yes, yes, maybe.

Two points:

Adams' Law: Everyone is an idiot at least some of the time.

Beginners suck. Persevere, and you'll get over it.

I would highly recommend hiring a trainer for 1 or 2 sessions. I made a
huge mistake by not hiring one when I started. There are a lot of
things to know and a trainer will be of tremendous help.

Justin,
If you feel like you don't know where to start on lifting using a
trainer could get you aquainted with the lifts. As I said before, I
got my start over 15 years ago learning from my coaches. I would
recommend that you do some research before getting with the trainer so
that you are able to tell them, I want to do this show me how. Some
gyms offer several training sessions free to get patrons off on the
right foot. I still say that starting doing some good compound
exercises is the way to go and a trainer that just has you starting on
isolation exercises on machines is generally wasting your time. When
lifting it is good to structure your workout starting with the biggest
muscle groups to the smallest since the smaller muscles generally help
the big muscles do their work.
These are my opinions.

James

Justin,
If you feel like you don't know where to start on lifting using a
trainer could get you aquainted with the lifts. As I said before, I
got my start over 15 years ago learning from my coaches. I would
recommend that you do some research before getting with the trainer so
that you are able to tell them, I want to do this show me how. Some
gyms offer several training sessions free to get patrons off on the
right foot. I still say that starting doing some good compound
exercises is the way to go and a trainer that just has you starting on
isolation exercises on machines is generally wasting your time. When
lifting it is good to structure your workout starting with the biggest
muscle groups to the smallest since the smaller muscles generally help
the big muscles do their work.
These are my opinions.

James

Just make sure your trainer is a good one - ask for recommendations,
find out about the person, etc. I got a personal training session when
I first joined a gym, and the crazy woman nearly tore my hamstring with
the "assisted stretching" thing she did, and also taught me a tricep
exercise that hurt my elbow. Don't get one like that.

Incidentally, I got a lot of useful info from a "women's weight
training" website at www.stumptuous.com - most of the info is
applicable to men as well.

LM

Just make sure your trainer is a good one - ask for recommendations,
find out about the person, etc. I got a personal training session when
I first joined a gym, and the crazy woman nearly tore my hamstring with
the "assisted stretching" thing she did, and also taught me a tricep
exercise that hurt my elbow. Don't get one like that.

Incidentally, I got a lot of useful info from a "women's weight
training" website at www.stumptuous.com - most of the info is
applicable to men as well.

LM

Justin said:

Basically I don't have a clue. I'm a computer dork and I need to get
in shape. I'm nto fat or anything, just skinng any I have to build up
some muscle. Since I'm so clueless I'm thinking about joining a place
with trainers. Remember this s a completely new area for me so if my
questions seem dumb - bear with me. Do most places have trainers for
men? I usually see women with them - or am I just out of the loop?
Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

Bad news: you're a weak piece of [censored].

Good news: you're obviously smart and motivated.

You don't need a trainer, just read everything on the internet you can
get your hands on. Start with http://www.stumptuous.com/weights .

-Scott

no, but you might get your [censored] sucked in the showers

Quoted message said:

Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

Justin said:

Basically I don't have a clue. I'm a computer dork and I need to get
in shape. I'm nto fat or anything, just skinng any I have to build up
some muscle. Since I'm so clueless I'm thinking about joining a place
with trainers. Remember this s a completely new area for me so if my
questions seem dumb - bear with me. Do most places have trainers for
men? I usually see women with them - or am I just out of the loop?
Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

You can get a female trainer if you want.

But being a geek and sweating so close to a buff chick
who's leaning over your head spotting for you, you'll
probably sprout wood and embarass yourself, her, and
everyone who walks by.

So get a dude to help.

You'll be one of dozens who do it every week.

Part B: nobody at the gym will care. They were just like
you, once. Unless they're an [censored]. But everyone else
at the gym knows who the [censored] is. So you can too.

--Blair
"Hint: he's the one who won't shut up
about his gun safe..."

From my limited experience, I'd say the most important things are
finding a gym that's easy to actually get to (close to home), and that
has hour that make it possible for you to use. I'm disgusted with
Ballys closing at 5pm on weekends...

On 3 Aug 2005 05:47:32 -0700, "Justin" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Basically I don't have a clue. I'm a computer dork and I need to get
in shape. I'm nto fat or anything, just skinng any I have to build up
some muscle. Since I'm so clueless I'm thinking about joining a place
with trainers. Remember this s a completely new area for me so if my
questions seem dumb - bear with me. Do most places have trainers for
men? I usually see women with them - or am I just out of the loop?
Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

Ballys closes at 5pm on weekends? What the ?#&@! I used to think it
was weird that World's (now Golds) was 24hrs during the week but closed
at 10PM on the weekends. If I was going to work out at 2AM there is a
heck of a lot more chance it will happen on Fri or Sat. They are now
totally 24hr.
This is a really good point. I would look for a gym within around 15
minutes from your house if possible. If this isn't possible it should
at least be convenient to get to from work etc. If there are no places
within 30 minutes I would actually just start to recommend buying a
good weight set for home.

Scott Johnson said:

Justin said:

Basically I don't have a clue. I'm a computer dork and I need to get
in shape. I'm nto fat or anything, just skinng any I have to build up
some muscle. Since I'm so clueless I'm thinking about joining a place
with trainers. Remember this s a completely new area for me so if my
questions seem dumb - bear with me. Do most places have trainers for
men? I usually see women with them - or am I just out of the loop?
Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

Bad news: you're a weak piece of [censored].

Good news: you're obviously smart and motivated.

You don't need a trainer, just read everything on the internet you can
get your hands on. Start with http://www.stumptuous.com/weights .

-Scott

I may be motivated, but so is the user who tried to fix her PC by using
something called "fdisk." Those of you in the IT industry know exactly
what i mean. There comes a point where one has to stop, call in a
professional and work from there. A guy has to know his limitations.
With professional advice and training I'm 99% sure I'll reach my goals
in a acceptable amount of time.

Blair P. Houghton said:

You can get a female trainer if you want.

But being a geek and sweating so close to a buff chick
who's leaning over your head spotting for you, you'll
probably sprout wood and embarass yourself, her, and
everyone who walks by.

I sprout a wood when the wind blows.... so Yes, I would want a dude to
train me. Guaranteed wood free.

Justin said:

Scott Johnson said:

Justin said:

Basically I don't have a clue. I'm a computer dork and I need to get
in shape. I'm nto fat or anything, just skinng any I have to build up
some muscle. Since I'm so clueless I'm thinking about joining a place
with trainers. Remember this s a completely new area for me so if my
questions seem dumb - bear with me. Do most places have trainers for
men? I usually see women with them - or am I just out of the loop?
Will I look like an idiot having some dude show me what to do?

Bad news: you're a weak piece of [censored].

Good news: you're obviously smart and motivated.

You don't need a trainer, just read everything on the internet you can
get your hands on. Start with http://www.stumptuous.com/weights .

-Scott

I may be motivated, but so is the user who tried to fix her PC by
using something called "fdisk." Those of you in the IT industry
know exactly what i mean. There comes a point where one has to
stop, call in a professional and work from there. A guy has to know
his limitations. With professional advice and training I'm 99% sure
I'll reach my goals in a acceptable amount of time.

Believe it or not getting started at fitness is quite a bit easier
than fixing your PC. In essence you simply move heavy stuff, watch
what you eat, and remember to get some sleep.

Personally I would recommend that you take a look at Dan John's
website at:

http://www.danjohn.org/coach

He's got a free ebook that's pretty well done. He's also got a pile
of sample workouts that are very effective, are easy to do and require
a minimum amount of equipment and training.

My favorite Dan John workout, however, is detailed at t-nation.com.
It's called One Lift A Day, and it has been very effective for me.

http://tinyurl.com/dvtwp

Mistress Krista also has piles of good advice for beginners. Don't
let it bother you that her target audience is womyn.

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

The problem with personal trainers is that it is relatively easy to
get someone that doesn't really know what they are talking about. At
the very least take a look at some of these sites so you can get an
idea of what to expect.

Jason