Beginner routine for my wife...

[Arnoldwanabe]

My wife has been going to the gym pretty regular now for about 6 months and has been doing the "Power Class" a few times a week and has been doing cardio a few other days of the week.  My question is....She wants to start training more with weights but what would be a good beginner schedule for her.  I would help her but she thinks that I am to rough on her and just criticize her (never)  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Mike]

My wife has been going to the gym pretty regular now for about 6 months and has been doing the "Power Class" a few times a week and has been doing cardio a few other days of the week.  My question is....She wants to start training more with weights but what would be a good beginner schedule for her.  I would help her but she thinks that I am to rough on her and just criticize her (never)  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Well for starters, what's her goal?  Need a little more info...

I'm guessing it's not to get bigger so I problaby wouldn't have her do a bodybuilders workout split. 

Those weight classes are great for variety and motivation, I would def. tell her to keep that up as well as the cardio on the other days. 

I would put her on a very basic Push, Pull, Lower Body 3 day a week program.  Compound movements with little rest inbetween and some core exercises to keep her happy. 

[Arnoldwanabe]

Her goal is to tone up.  She has been doing good ...diet and cardio but she wants to use some weights to get a little definition. 

[jpm101]

Might have your wife do the same program a  beginning man would do. No difference really. I also find that women do less complaining and can  work through some exercise discomfort better than a lot of  men do. Can expain to her that receint finding for women suggest that weight bearing workouts, twice or three times a week, aid greatly with weight loss. Even comparing favorably to some cardio movements. Also increases the bone health greatly (bone thickness/strength).

The point made about her not wanting a husband or boyfriend around is valid. From what I've seen, anyway. That feeling of being overly judged by those close to them, may bother a lot of women.  Your gym should have a instructer who can help her along at first. After a few weeks she can pretty much design her own workouts. No reason to push the workouts, go at a steady pace and with weight ranging from moderate to heavy, after she has broken into her workout scheme. Probably from 4 to 6 weeks time. Women are a lot stronger than the average guy would want to admit. We have three women working at out gym right now. Our gym is geared towards heavy lifting and these lady's are very strong, indeed. Correctly trained women, pound for pound, can be a lot more powerful than the average BB'er. Good Luck.

[benchmstr]

My wife has been going to the gym pretty regular now for about 6 months and has been doing the "Power Class" a few times a week and has been doing cardio a few other days of the week.  My question is....She wants to start training more with weights but what would be a good beginner schedule for her.  I would help her but she thinks that I am to rough on her and just criticize her (never)  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

if she is hot send her over to my place.we will work something out.

bench

[Mike]

Might have your wife do the same program a  beginning man would do. No difference really. I also find that women do less complaining and can  work through some exercise discomfort better than a lot of  men do. Can expain to her that receint finding for women suggest that weight bearing workouts, twice or three times a week, aid greatly with weight loss. Even comparing favorably to some cardio movements. Also increases the bone health greatly (bone thickness/strength).

I agree with the bone density, osterporosis(sic), fat-burning.....

But I DO NOT think that a woman should train like a beginning man would.  A man beginning to workout usually has the goal of gaining muscle at all costs.  He will do man single joint isolation exercises (curls, tricpes extensions, lateral raises) and never really get the hang of the real exercises for quite some time (squats, cleans, deads, bench press)

I would advocate mostly bodyweight work for your woman to start (squats, lunges, pushups, crunches, reclined pulls) with some compound exercises thrown in (lat pulldowns, shoulder press, leg press).  I would have her do 3 exercises in a row (last one being abs or cardio) with a maximum of 30 seconds between exercises and 1 minutes in between sets. 

Have her perform this no more than 3 days a week for 1 month and see what happens.  PM me if you want a detailed plan, I have plenty.

[jpm101]

Actually a women, like any man beginning a serious wokout program, should be concerned with a whole body workout as a beginning phase. Giving it a good 3 to 4 months of a breaking in period. She should avoid attempting any thing near a split during this period. Get the body accustomed to general BB'ing first. Stick to the 3, or even 2 ,day a week training sessions. No SS's, tri sets, etc at this time. The rest period between sets should be between 90 to 120 seconds. This is also not the time to try and push or rush her workouts. This is probably the main reason that so many people quite working out, lifting starts to become work rather than an enjoyable experience. The purpose is to establish the habit of working out as an experience looked forward to, not somethin akin to torture.

Some women will  choose a machine over a BB or DB. For some reason, free weights may seem threating at first. Machines may look less intimidating. And than again, some women are the direct oppisite, feeling that machines are those big ugly monsters things. And all those chrome DB/BB are more attractive. They
will learn to love both as time goes by. (I find that the younger a women is, the more it does not matter which form of equipment is used) So it might be suggested to mix up the equipment for a women's training at the beginners stage. Like pec deck/cables with DB benches, leg extensions with squats,etc, etc, etc.


The first 2 weeks, just one exercise per muscle group , 2 sets only. The main concern should be on form/ROM and getting the mental attitude geared towards training as well as the physical. Branch out after the 2 week period with 2 execises per body part. Make one a machine or extension movement if desired. But have the main movement a compound exercise. Reps between the classic BB'ing range of 8 to 12 .  Women can develop very good strength, so encourgement to using using moderate weight for BB'ing purposes is suggested. Never stay limited with just using light weight for endless reps and sets.  Or even heavy weights for 5 to 7 rep range after a reasonable breaking in period.  Make no mistake about it, some women can be very tough when it comes to working out. Good Luck.

[Mike]

Actually a women, like any man beginning a serious wokout program, should be concerned with a whole body workout as a beginning phase. Giving it a good 3 to 4 months of a breaking in period. She should avoid attempting any thing near a split during this period. Get the body accustomed to general BB'ing first. Stick to the 3, or even 2 ,day a week training sessions. No SS's, tri sets, etc at this time. The rest period between sets should be between 90 to 120 seconds. This is also not the time to try and push or rush her workouts. This is probably the main reason that so many people quite working out, lifting starts to become work rather than an enjoyable experience. The purpose is to establish the habit of working out as an experience looked forward to, not somethin akin to torture.

Some women will  choose a machine over a BB or DB. For some reason, free weights may seem threating at first. Machines may look less intimidating. And than again, some women are the direct oppisite, feeling that machines are those big ugly monsters things. And all those chrome DB/BB are more attractive. They
will learn to love both as time goes by. (I find that the younger a women is, the more it does not matter which form of equipment is used) So it might be suggested to mix up the equipment for a women's training at the beginners stage. Like pec deck/cables with DB benches, leg extensions with squats,etc, etc, etc.


The first 2 weeks, just one exercise per muscle group , 2 sets only. The main concern should be on form/ROM and getting the mental attitude geared towards training as well as the physical. Branch out after the 2 week period with 2 execises per body part. Make one a machine or extension movement if desired. But have the main movement a compound exercise. Reps between the classic BB'ing range of 8 to 12 .  Women can develop very good strength, so encourgement to using using moderate weight for BB'ing purposes is suggested. Never stay limited with just using light weight for endless reps and sets.  Or even heavy weights for 5 to 7 rep range after a reasonable breaking in period.  Make no mistake about it, some women can be very tough when it comes to working out. Good Luck.

I like my advice better but this is an open forum for discussion and debate.  Again, if you can't do a pushup you shouldn't be working on the Hammerstrength.  Agree to disagree. 

[wes]

Personally,I`d start her off with machines only for two months or soi,then start adding in free weight movements.

As a beginner,most people just starting with free weights have terrible form, and never feel the bodypart being worked directly.....they feel it in other areas,usually arms and shoulders if working chest or back for example.

Also,when you progressively add weight to machines,there isn`t as much of a chance for form to deteriorate unless using waaay too much weight.

Just my 2 centavos.

[Mr. Intenseone]

My wife has been going to the gym pretty regular now for about 6 months and has been doing the "Power Class" a few times a week and has been doing cardio a few other days of the week.  My question is....She wants to start training more with weights but what would be a good beginner schedule for her.  I would help her but she thinks that I am to rough on her and just criticize her (never)  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Always start beginners off with mostly bodyweight exercises for at least the four weeks.

http://www.joelocalpt.com/philo.htm

[darksol]

Honestly If her goal is to burn fat, get her in a spinning class 5-6 days a week.  People seem to work harder when its a group activity ( peer preasure ), it also doesn't hurt to have a hot triathelete female with an ASS and legs to die for pushing you.  I have my wife doing this and its working great. Something else I have her doing is squats with feet wide apart, ( all the way down til her thighs are parrell with the ground ) She is only lifting with dimes, but its helping her build up her butt, and for some reason this has caused her TEST levels to jump, and now she wants sex all the time.  If any of you are looking for a way to raise your girls libido.  Spinning class + squats does the trick

[Redwingenator]

Actually a women, like any man beginning a serious wokout program, should be concerned with a whole body workout as a beginning phase. Giving it a good 3 to 4 months of a breaking in period. She should avoid attempting any thing near a split during this period. Get the body accustomed to general BB'ing first. Stick to the 3, or even 2 ,day a week training sessions. No SS's, tri sets, etc at this time. The rest period between sets should be between 90 to 120 seconds. This is also not the time to try and push or rush her workouts. This is probably the main reason that so many people quite working out, lifting starts to become work rather than an enjoyable experience. The purpose is to establish the habit of working out as an experience looked forward to, not somethin akin to torture.

Some women will  choose a machine over a BB or DB. For some reason, free weights may seem threating at first. Machines may look less intimidating. And than again, some women are the direct oppisite, feeling that machines are those big ugly monsters things. And all those chrome DB/BB are more attractive. They
will learn to love both as time goes by. (I find that the younger a women is, the more it does not matter which form of equipment is used) So it might be suggested to mix up the equipment for a women's training at the beginners stage. Like pec deck/cables with DB benches, leg extensions with squats,etc, etc, etc.


The first 2 weeks, just one exercise per muscle group , 2 sets only. The main concern should be on form/ROM and getting the mental attitude geared towards training as well as the physical. Branch out after the 2 week period with 2 execises per body part. Make one a machine or extension movement if desired. But have the main movement a compound exercise. Reps between the classic BB'ing range of 8 to 12 .  Women can develop very good strength, so encourgement to using using moderate weight for BB'ing purposes is suggested. Never stay limited with just using light weight for endless reps and sets.  Or even heavy weights for 5 to 7 rep range after a reasonable breaking in period.  Make no mistake about it, some women can be very tough when it comes to working out. Good Luck.

Great advice.  She can do a full body in less than an hour 2 times a week and get excellent results. Bouncing between agonist/antagonist muscle groups really helps cut down on time.  As muscle soreness diminishes add 1 set to each exercise until she is at 3 sets, then start adding new exercises (Particularly isolation exercises for biceps/triceps/ and more abs)

Group 1: (1 set each, 8-12 reps)
Bench/Seated Rows

Group 2:
Military press/Lat Pull Down

Group 3:
Assisted Dips/Upright Rows

Group 4:
Squats/Ab crunches

Group 5:
Leg Extensions/Leg Curls/Calf Raises

[Mike]

Great advice.  She can do a full body in less than an hour 2 times a week and get excellent results. Bouncing between agonist/antagonist muscle groups really helps cut down on time.  As muscle soreness diminishes add 1 set to each exercise until she is at 3 sets, then start adding new exercises (Particularly isolation exercises for biceps/triceps/ and more abs)

Group 1: (1 set each, 8-12 reps)
Bench/Seated Rows

Group 2:
Military press/Lat Pull Down

Group 3:
Assisted Dips/Upright Rows

Group 4:
Squats/Ab crunches

Group 5:
Leg Extensions/Leg Curls/Calf Raises

This is OK but I would listen to Intesone (and myself) and go with the bodyweight advice. 

Functional exercises are great as well but it's just too hard on a Bodybuilding message board to explain how to do a Contralateral Toe Touch for balance and flexibility or how a 1 Arm DB Muscle Snatch can be a very functional and easy exercise for any beginner. 

[jpm101]

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) should be the foundation of any newbee, weither female or male. Teaching the correct form with BB's & DB can be a keystone for future lifting. Once style and form are stress through the basic of free weight training, than machine work is so much more icing on the cake. Any BB'er is going to do themself a great favor by learning proper technic, like learning to walk before you can run. This can also set the pattern of avoiding unneeded training injuries in the future due to bad habits in  lifting style.

By all means include bwt exercises, but the core exercise structure should be BB's & DB's. At times, even bwt movement can be too much for some newbee's. Even the common push-up or lunge. That's where a light set(s) of DB benches can fill in the gap of giving more reps and work to any weaker muscle group. (Like the person can not obtain even 5 or 6 reps in a push-up, where higher reps are required) And in return, making that former weak muscle group much stronger and developed.Than bwt push-ups become that much easier. After a fair period of time, machine work can be added to a training program. Learn the basic and safe way first and than add the bonus advantage of machines  when ready.Good Luck.

[Hedgehog]

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) should be the foundation of any newbee, weither female or male. Teaching the correct form with BB's & DB can be a keystone for future lifting. Once style and form are stress through the basic of free weight training, than machine work is so much more icing on the cake. Any BB'er is going to do themself a great favor by learning proper technic, like learning to walk before you can run. This can also set the pattern of avoiding unneeded training injuries in the future due to bad habits in  lifting style.

By all means include bwt exercises, but the core exercise structure should be BB's & DB's. At times, even bwt movement can be too much for some newbee's. Even the common push-up or lunge. That's where a light set(s) of DB benches can fill in the gap of giving more reps and work to any weaker muscle group. (Like the person can not obtain even 5 or 6 reps in a push-up, where higher reps are required) And in return, making that former weak muscle group much stronger and developed.Than bwt push-ups become that much easier. After a fair period of time, machine work can be added to a training program. Learn the basic and safe way first and than add the bonus advantage of machines  when ready.Good Luck.

Agree 100%.

Teaching her to lift the basic lifts, with proper form, using light weights, will give her the tools to make progress on herself in the future.

-Hedge

[overcome]

Always start beginners off with mostly bodyweight exercises for at least the four weeks.

http://www.joelocalpt.com/philo.htm

  I agree, pushups, pulls, if body weight squats are too easy then go with lunges, also alot of core.  These workouts will work the core to, and as any lifter knows every lift is affected by your core.  therefor core and basic bodyweight workouts are the biggest help with beginners.

[Arnoldwanabe]

Thanks for all the replies....she has read them and now has a better understanding of the steps she has to follow to get where she wants. She is excited to get started.