advice before I meet with a personal trainer

[Thremp]

[ QUOTE ]
ok, so i learned how to lift weights *kind of* back in the early years of highschool, maybe late middle school. Like 7 or 8 years ago.

It isn't hard AT ALL. just watch videos online, try and copy it, make sure nothings hurting, and don't kill yourself with heavy weights for a while. i really don't think anyone needs professional help to learn how to lift weights properly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Two things.

1) Stop giving advice.
2) You are the guy shemp, smiley, and I laugh at while we sit around and max our Turkish get ups.

[EricW]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ok, so i learned how to lift weights *kind of* back in the early years of highschool, maybe late middle school. Like 7 or 8 years ago.

It isn't hard AT ALL. just watch videos online, try and copy it, make sure nothings hurting, and don't kill yourself with heavy weights for a while. i really don't think anyone needs professional help to learn how to lift weights properly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Two things.

1) Stop giving advice.
2) You are the guy shemp, smiley, and I laugh at while we sit around and max our Turkish get ups.

[/ QUOTE ]

tone it down on the condescension BUCKO.

[Thremp]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ok, so i learned how to lift weights *kind of* back in the early years of highschool, maybe late middle school. Like 7 or 8 years ago.

It isn't hard AT ALL. just watch videos online, try and copy it, make sure nothings hurting, and don't kill yourself with heavy weights for a while. i really don't think anyone needs professional help to learn how to lift weights properly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Two things.

1) Stop giving advice.
2) You are the guy shemp, smiley, and I laugh at while we sit around and max our Turkish get ups.

[/ QUOTE ]

tone it down on the condescension BUCKO.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't you have an obscure perverse sex thread somewhere that is being left unattended?

[Wynton]

Well, here's a little trip report.

The trainer I mentioned earlier had to cancel, so I found another one. With this guy, I made it crystal clear I wanted to learn proper form with free weights. Initially, I was reassured that this guy was pretty knowledgeable, if for no other reason, he took several opportunities to tell me he had been doing this for decades and understood proper form. But a red flag came up when he also told me right away that it would take a lot more than 1 session to do what I wanted.

Without anyone else to turn to on short notice, I went through with the session. After a brief discussion of one issue I have with my knees, he had me perform certain motions purportedly designed to display how much flexibility I had. Next thing I know, this became the entire focus of the session. Somehow the entire time was devoted to my performing various flexibility or stretching routines, with barely any use of weights. The only thing we did that used weights at all was one version of a leg press machine (and the point of that was to stretch the hamstring). Bottom line is that I found the entire experience to be a waste of time, though I also concede that he might be good for someone who wants their hands held for months.

The good news is that he didn't charge me, evidently because he assumed it would bring him good will, especially since he was late to begin with, and he figured I'd be coming back.

At this point, I am tempted to just watch some videos and figure out proper form for myself, even though I suspect it is a bad idea in the long run.

[FUJItheFISH]

wynton

chum it up with people in the gym working out. watch them and ask them to watch you and spot you. i dont care if its just the bar you are trying to put up. no shame in doing things correctly so you don't hurt yourself.

this costs nothing.

and for squats make sure you arent placing the bar at the base of your neck. you should be supporting it with the groove your shoulders/deltoids make when you bring your arms back like little wings. also dont be vain and look in the mirror when you squat. look up to help keep your balance.

[theblackkeys]

wynton,
I'd say go to one more session then report back. I'm not really sure if his checking your flexibility was bad. It could go either way. plz to be reporting back.

[notfreemoney]

why dont you go back with a list like someone else had suggested?

Heres one that would at least start you off and could be done in an hour.

deadlift
barbell squat
bench press or dumbell chest press
cable row or bent over barbell row
barbell shoulder press or dumbell shoulder press

tell him you want to do one set of each with light weight at first to learn the movements.

[Wynton]

So, on a whim this morning, I called and found a different trainer available. (I didn't really consider it an option to go back to the same guy, if for no other reason, that he spent way too much time talking about himself for my personal taste.)

Anyway, I made it quite clear at the outset to this guy that I wanted FREE WEIGHTS. After completing some forms, though, he said he wanted to show me some of those "secondary" machines also. I said fine, as long as we get to the free weights too.

Inexplicably to me, we then spent most of the hour going over machines, albeit ones which were supposed to be a much closer experience to free weights than what I had done before. As this was happening, I was just reconciling myself to the apparent fact that NYSC personnel, for whatever reason, have trouble deviating from this particular "transitional approach." Later, he elaborated that I should be able to move on to nothing but free weights within a few months, once I felt the motions were more natural. I suppose I could have kept arguing with him, but I didn't think that would be a productive use of the time. (Believe me, sometimes people are so committed to an approach that their minds really can't be changed.)

In addition, I was content that, unlike the first guy, this person was at least moving through the machines quickly and giving me common sense advice about proper form. In total, he showed me about 10 exercises. Of those, the only ones that were truly with free weights were a bench press and bicep curl. The machines included ones for:

squats
leg curl (for hamstring)
leg press (which incorporated a stretch in the middle)
hip abducter (and another hip one, going in opposite direction),
chest fly
shoulder press
triceps (with a cable machine)
pull down (for lats)

Note, I asked specifically whether a dead lift would be good for me at this stage, and he didn't think so.

At this point, I'm actually content. It so happens that I've been shown true squats by someone else, which means that I have at least 3 free weight type exercises I'm comfortable doing right now. And my plan is to substitute free weights for the other exercises gradually, casually enlisting the assistance of the trainers who happen to be nearby at the time.

Since each of these training sessions have been free, I can't complain too much. Considering I was doing virtually no lifting before, perhaps a little transition phase to free weights is fine. Either way, a few months is not a big deal to me.

Only thing that bothers me about the end result is that I strongly suspect my time could be used more productively. According to this trainer, the upper body stuff he showed me should take about an hour and the lower body stuff about 45 minutes. (This assumes 3 sets of 10-15 reps, resting about 45 seconds in between.) My impression is that many of you here have routines that go faster and are more concentrated.

Anyway, this should be the last of my posts about the great personal trainer experience, at least for a couple of months. Thanks for reading.

[notfreemoney]

ok first off I can automatically tell that that trainer is dumb because under no circumstance should anyone be put on those adductor and abductor machines. They are among the smallest muscles in your legs and are worked during squats and deadlifts for stabilization. They do not need to be worked in isolation.

Also, if your main goal is to gain mass, stay in between 8-12 reps. If you want strength, go for less reps than that (3-6). Obviously there is a continuum and you will still gain mass with the lower rep range that everyone on here advocates with the 5x5 programs and stuff. Switch it up every now and then so you gain some strength if your mainly going for mass.

The problem with trainers is that there job is to try and sell you months worth of sessions. So they want to start you out on machines and tell you that it will take months to reach your goal. Machines certainly wont hurt you, but try and weave in free weights as much as possible as you become accustomed to the gym. sounds like you have a good plan though. Good luck

[Blarg]

That guy is a moron. No deadlifts "now"? Then when...and why the delay? Dumb. Leg curl??? WTF??? Hip adductor? Flys when you could be doing benching instead? Tricep isolation work when you could be doing compound movements instead? Curls?

Sounds like you got yet another guy who didn't really listen to you and didn't really care what you wanted. He may well be just doing what his boss tells him to do by recommending you machines, though. Either way, it looks like your needs and interests were not paramount. And ten to 15 reps is definitely working toward the endurance range. Honestly, it sounds like the guy wasn't of much use to you.

At least you got someone to show you a squat. But I wouldn't bother working things like tricep isolation work into your freeweight routine. Those muscles are better used for pressing, and the muscles you use for curls should be getting killed doing rows and pull-ups.

You might also give serious consideration to doing some forearm/grip work, which you haven't touched on yet, and perhaps neck work and maybe shrugs.