I am so mad at myself for not strength training sooner
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- petite fitness rant
@wisdomtracker ISN’T IT FUN? My first “little win” was noticing how much lighter packs of water and my cat litter felt while carrying them up my 5 flights of stairs.
I’m so proud of you for being self sufficient and strong!! I’m so sure that helps in moving, which is stressful enough as is. May your moves be smooth and muscles be strong.
I’m so proud of you for being self sufficient and strong!! I’m so sure that helps in moving, which is stressful enough as is. May your moves be smooth and muscles be strong.
@rg8_ I started off really simple with basic free weight exercises like hammer curls, bicep curls, raises, squats (with resistance bands or while holding weights), lunges, etc. I watched a lot of videos on correct form for them to make sure I was doing it right, and started slow with weights (3 pounds) to make sure I nailed the form before moving up in weight.
I started with videos like fitbymik’s “10 minute STANDING ARM WORKOUT with dumbbells” (I’m not yelling at you, the caps are hers, lol) to get an idea of different types of exercises, and sometimes throw on my own playlist and mix and match exercises depending on the day instead of following a video.
It can feel so weird and overwhelming, especially if you’re like me and don’t want to go to the gym and play with machines. I’d (unprofessionally, for the record) say start simple, start light, and just feel it out. You’ll learn to feel the right muscle groups firing.
I started with videos like fitbymik’s “10 minute STANDING ARM WORKOUT with dumbbells” (I’m not yelling at you, the caps are hers, lol) to get an idea of different types of exercises, and sometimes throw on my own playlist and mix and match exercises depending on the day instead of following a video.
It can feel so weird and overwhelming, especially if you’re like me and don’t want to go to the gym and play with machines. I’d (unprofessionally, for the record) say start simple, start light, and just feel it out. You’ll learn to feel the right muscle groups firing.
@slant I love this for you! I started in early 2020 just before covid hit and built up a really good at home garage gym setup while I couldn't go to my gym. Because of life I've had some long breaks since but I've been really consistent for a couple of years now with a couple short breaks. I just turned 38 and I'm in the best shape I've ever been and it has helped my mental health more than pretty much anything else ever has. I also deal with body dysmorphia and while I still have bad runs with it I'm the most confident I've ever been in my body while I'm lifting. My kids all watch me doing it too and they've gotten into it and find it really fun and exciting and it makes me happy and hopeful that they can use it to enhance their lives and keep good healthy habits starting much sooner than I did ♡
dmhanson511
New member
startender
New member
@slant Similar story to you. Started in August, and I feel SO GOOD! I'm only doing 3 days a week and 3 days of cardio, but I can already see baby gains and even though my weight has remained stable I can see my body composition starting to change. I enjoy my runs so much more now that I'm not forcing myself to do them almost every single day :'D
@dawn16 I’m going to copy/paste a previous reply I wrote out, and add to it because I can’t shut up.
I started off really simple with basic free weight exercises like hammer curls, bicep curls, raises, squats (with resistance bands or while holding weights), lunges, etc. I watched a lot of videos on correct form for them to make sure I was doing it right, and started slow with weights (3 pounds) to make sure I nailed the form before moving up in weight.
I started with videos like fitbymik’s “10 minute STANDING ARM WORKOUT with dumbbells” (I’m not yelling at you, the caps are hers, lol) to get an idea of different types of exercises, and sometimes throw on my own playlist and mix and match exercises depending on the day instead of following a video.
It can feel so weird and overwhelming, especially if you’re like me and don’t want to go to the gym and play with machines. I’d (unprofessionally, for the record) say start simple, start light, and just feel it out. You’ll learn to feel the right muscle groups firing.
Maybe invest in one set of dumbbells and utilize YouTube videos to get your form down, then go to the gym and use the plethora of free weights they have once you feel confident in your stance and form? I really like free weights as opposed to machines, especially as a short human because sometimes I swear I canNOT fit in some of them properly, even when I adjust everything. That’s an added stressor I don’t need, so I still prefer free weights, kettlebells, the bars, etc.
Body weight stuff is also a good place to start, and I find it really empowering to know I can hold myself up and kindly throw myself around (safely).
I get that it’s scary, I totally do, but once you build that first step of confidence, you’ll be unstoppable.
I started off really simple with basic free weight exercises like hammer curls, bicep curls, raises, squats (with resistance bands or while holding weights), lunges, etc. I watched a lot of videos on correct form for them to make sure I was doing it right, and started slow with weights (3 pounds) to make sure I nailed the form before moving up in weight.
I started with videos like fitbymik’s “10 minute STANDING ARM WORKOUT with dumbbells” (I’m not yelling at you, the caps are hers, lol) to get an idea of different types of exercises, and sometimes throw on my own playlist and mix and match exercises depending on the day instead of following a video.
It can feel so weird and overwhelming, especially if you’re like me and don’t want to go to the gym and play with machines. I’d (unprofessionally, for the record) say start simple, start light, and just feel it out. You’ll learn to feel the right muscle groups firing.
Maybe invest in one set of dumbbells and utilize YouTube videos to get your form down, then go to the gym and use the plethora of free weights they have once you feel confident in your stance and form? I really like free weights as opposed to machines, especially as a short human because sometimes I swear I canNOT fit in some of them properly, even when I adjust everything. That’s an added stressor I don’t need, so I still prefer free weights, kettlebells, the bars, etc.
Body weight stuff is also a good place to start, and I find it really empowering to know I can hold myself up and kindly throw myself around (safely).
I get that it’s scary, I totally do, but once you build that first step of confidence, you’ll be unstoppable.
texanincali
New member
@slant I had the opposite problem once I quit regular gymnastics training. I always did body weight based strength training as part of the regiment, but the cardio was sort of built in. I had to learn to schedule cardio. It has been a few months since my time as a gymnast wrapped up. The first couple, I had to learn to fit in cardio without the specific drive of competition to motivate me.