Has she ever done any other type of exercise? If not, If she's in her 50's & has never exercised, she should get a clearance from a doc before starting any programs.
I recommend www.muscleandfitnesshers.com for photos of exercises.
As I was babbling on to Mini Mouse in this thread: http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=117127&highlight=weight
There are TONS of factors to consider when starting out. She should really hire a trainer or see if she can workout with a knowledgeable friend (Wanna try recruiting her to your gym & give it a go?? Your gym mgr should give you a discount or bonus of some sort for referring a new member!). Unless of course she is very motivated, and intelligent & kinesthetically aware - all of which I doubt! It will be difficult for her all on her own to be sure she's doing things correctly. Of course, not so much of an issue with machines, but we all know free weights are better.
Trying to really work & get to fatigue with free weights + no experience/ not sure what you're doing + no spotter to spot & help with form = INJURY! Then ya got one more lady like that damn nurse Spatts encountered at the ER who thinks lifting weights is bad.... grrr just what we don't want or need!
OK, rethinking my post here!!! Perhaps I'm a little TOO negative & don't have enough faith in the ability of ppl. Perhaps I ought to consider that a person could look at photos & go follow a program on their own, based only on photos, & be successful & safe. Perhaps.
BUT... in over 3.5 years of teaching group exercise classes, when I am standing there demoing a move, SAYING, "make sure XYZ, don't do ABC", sometimes even looking peole IN THE EYE saying, "check your wrists..." & STILL significant mistakes are VERY prevalent. Even among regulars who are motivated to come take classes several days a week for years straight.
This poor form is so prevalent that there are some things I simply will NOT DO in a class b/c too large of a % of ppl do it totally wrong - such as the 'bicycle' for abs & cardio kickboxing. I have no tolerance for the way the majority of ladies throw punches uncontrollably!
Are ya comin' on Sat or no?? HUH?! It would be cool to have you there - but it's really not necessary if it's gonna stress you - would you come up Friday night?!
Yes, I'll be there. Not sure if I'll come up early Sat or Fri night - I'm covering a class Fri at 5:45. Let's not turn this into a chat lest we incur the wrath of a mod
Seriously, what do you think re: can an average unfit person do free weights safely based only on photos???
Plus... most ppl (sane people, so this totally excludes myself! ) don't push themseves enough. If they've NEVER worked with a trainer or workout partner doing weights, they probably don't even truely *understand* what it's about & how it FEELS to push to true fatigue. Perhaps one would be more successful after working with a partner & experiencing fatigue SAFELY (cuz then there are plenty who go beyond fatigue & do damage!)
Also...maybe turn her on to the Body-for-Life program..
it's pretty good for a newbie...cause it emphasizes strength training, cardio & diet as a complete program....
the the strength training is just upper body one day and lower the next...and then cardio and repeat....if i remember correctly...
and the EAS site has great animations to show you how the exercises should look...and has an interactive training page that will design a program for you based on gender, skill level, goals ect...
I agree it's a decent program for a newbie... but, I have the feeling it's pretty strict. I think he dictates that you MUST always have a carb & protein together, & the shakes/supplements are also an integral part of the program... as opposed to advocating real food always & supplements only for conveneince/ if necessary.
2 of my co-workers a few years ago were doing the program & after maybe 2 mos, they both TOTALLY dropped it & went back to their former lousy eating habits & sedentary lifestyles. Their primary reasons for dropping it were that they could not eat 6 meals a day & didn't want to do cardio 2X per day. Instead of eating 4 or 5 meals a day & cutting back cardio A BIT, they dropped the whole thing.
I've seen ppl do this with other areas of fitness.... "The aqua aerobics instructor I like doesn't teach anymore & I don't like the new girl who's teaching so I won't do ANY exercise AT ALL anymore." Sad, but true, I've seen it.
This is why I think ppl need to understand why we do the things we do - so they can understand what they can adapt & *how* to adapt to accomodate an eating & exercise program to their own lives.
just what we don't want or need!
HUH?! It would be cool to have you there - but it's really not necessary if it's gonna stress you - would you come up Friday night?!
) don't push themseves enough. If they've NEVER worked with a trainer or workout partner doing weights, they probably don't even truely *understand* what it's about & how it FEELS to push to true fatigue. Perhaps one would be more successful after working with a partner & experiencing fatigue SAFELY (cuz then there are plenty who go beyond fatigue & do damage!)
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