Weightlifting for Women Beginners: How To Start By Yourself
“Weightlifting for women beginners”. I searched these words about 8 years ago. At the time I was interested in lifting but did not know where to start. So youtube became my best friend. Then I ended going down a rabbit hole for years. Yes, I admit that I became one of those girls obsessed with the gymshark athletes. But most importantly in the past few years I have gained a lot of skills. Then ended up getting a certified personal trainer certification in 2021. So last week I shared beginner running tips. But now, I want to share advice I wish I knew when I started.
1. Which is better: Machines or Weights?
So you want to start weightlifting but aren’t sure which one is “better”?
*Drum Roll Please*
Neither.
According to research, they are both effective. It all just comes down to personal preference. For example, I prefer free weights. But you don’t to copy me. I would recommend just doing what you prefer doing. Because when you are having an exhausting day, you want to stick with doing something you enjoy. Since they both produce similiar results, don’t worry about which is better. They both are great
2. Stick With the Basics
Doing more isn’t necessarily better. You don’t need to do 10 exercises in 1 workout to have an efficient workout. Sometimes just 4 is best. On social media you will see the most complex exercises sometimes. They are cool and enjoyable. I am not saying you shouldn’t do them.
But the most complicated exercises are not always the “better” one. The basics like squats, shoulder press, calf raises, etc will always reign.
3. Progressive Overload > Switching
Progressive Overload is key!!! Following up on number 2, switching workouts weekly may seem effective but is not actually the most efficient. This isn’t just weightlifting for women beginners advice. No matter how long you train for this advice is gold – even for me.
ideally you should stick with the same workout for maybe a minimum of 4 weeks at least. And “overload” over time by — increasing the number of reps/times and/or weight you are using. An effective way of doing this is keeping track via a small notebook or a notes app.
I use a notes app and organize it like the image below. In order for me to keep track, I need to organize it in the easiest more readable fashion. So for example, I listed the first workout then showed 3 sets for 8 reps. Then beside it is a list of me tracking the weights like 25, 35, etc. Sometimes I add notes like “increase weight next week” or “stay here next week”. Because I know that I will forget how I wanted to overload in the following week.
4. Keep It Simple
Don’t overcomplicate it. Like I said above, stick with the basics. Two good foundational ways to split your week can be 1) 3 Full Body Workouts or 2) 2 Upper Body and 2 Lower Body workouts. You can always add more movement in your week if you’d like to. But also don’t neglect rest days. In the future, I will talk more about that.
5. Find A Private Place
I know what you might be thinking. Girl what are you are talking about? But a big challenge when it comes to weightlifting for women beginners is intimidation understandably so. It can be really scary and daunting weightlifting in a heavy male environment. It can feel like everyone is watching you. So, this is a reminder that 9 times out of 10 everyone is focused on their own thing.
But a good way to slowly ease into getting more comfortable is taking baby steps. For example, isntead of immediately going for the squat wrack, go pick up some weights and find a corner that is less crowded. Or bring the weights to the yoga room or the dance room. Over time as you gain more confidence you can slowly start itching your way closer and closer to doing moves in front of people.
It’s normal to feel uncomfortable. Most of us do when we start. You got this though. Just take lil ole baby steps 🙂
6. Follow Other Educational & Inspirational Women Doin the Dang Thing
When I first started weightlifting, there were barely any women online doing wieghtlifting. The people I looked up to were like Ahjahzi, Whitney Simmons, Jazmine Garcia- basically all the gymshark women at the time.
Now? There are so many. It’s led to 2 things. Number one, a lot of misinformation spreading on the internet. Just because someone looks a certain way doesn’t mean their fitness advice should be taken. That includes myself. Don’t look at my physique to determine whether or not to take advice of me.
Because just because we are sharing information about fitness does not mean we known everything. We are not perfect. As humans, we will make mistakes. . We are all always learning and growing which is the beautiful thing. While you are learning, we are also learners sharing as we gain more knowledge
*Cue “We’re all in this together”*
Secondly, it’s has increased the opportunity for us to be inspired by more people. Although social media can impact mental health, it also has a flip side. It cab be a tool for good if used appropriately and with boundaries.
So I am pretty pretty picky about who I follow on social media. Over the years I’ve learned that during the weightlifting journey, it’s important follow people who educate and/or look like. We are created beautifully and uniquely but some people remind us of ourselves than others. For example, Danyele Wilson was a breath of fresh air since she is also a tall Black girlie. But if my feed was just a bunch of thin white woman, I would probably feel more discouraged. As women, it’s so important that we guard our hearts about who we follow so we don’t rest in jealous and comparison.
Therefore, over the years I have followed pages that induce inspiration instead of jealousy and comparison. Who have educated instead of shamed me for looking a certain way through the messaging on their platform. I share a lot of these names in my disordered eating journey blog post. If you love a research lens to things, Sohee is that girl, for my tall girlies, Danyele Wilson is my inspiration and for girlies who love to run & lift, oreyfit is a baddie.
They are women have made an impact on the fitness industry in different ways and in my own life. If I taught a weightlifting for women beginners class, I would require everyone to follow them and others who look like you so you can continue to learn more and train better.
