For someone who has never
lifted weights before, the gym can be a scary place. I remember what it was like when
I first started weightlifting; I was so
nervous about everything. I had no idea what dumbbells to use or which exercises to do, and I felt like everyone was looking at me (they weren't). So if you want to start
Lifting weights more often but you don't know where to start, just know that I, and many other women, have been there before.
To help get you started, POPSUGAR spoke to Dee (Diksha) Gautham, NASM-certified personal
Trainer and NPC bikini competitor, who started out right where you are - and now she's a weightlifting pro. She runs
a fitness Instagram account through which she constantly provides women with useful
Tips about weightlifting. Here's what she has to say to all the beginners out there.
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The 2 Changes I Made That Helped Me Finally Shed Those Last Few Pounds
Ease Into It
"Start with dumbbells to get fundamental movements down before progressing to
using a larger barbell," Dee told POPSUGAR. "For example, if you've never used a squat rack before, you can
try pliأ© squats or
split squats with a dumbbell to nail down the movement before moving on to full barbell squats." In other words: don't feel like you have to copy everything you see on Instagram or even at your gym. Remember that all those superfit women who are
squatting and deadlifting huge weights have been doing this for a long time, and you don't have to try to match them.
Dee also recommends trying "some
moves on the Smith machine" before you use the squat rack for your workouts. You'll feel much more stable while you get acquainted with exercises like
squats and deadlifts. Before you know it, you'll be comfortable using a regular barbell.
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;" class="insta-preview-v1">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYQvr2wgBxg/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">CHECK YO'SELF before you WRECK YO'SELF! As someone who has suffered the consequences of shitty deadlift form in the past ً??©ً??© I really check my form on these to prevent injuries and get the most out of this SUPER duper full body exercise ً?ڈ?ً?ڈ½*â??ï¸ڈ. Here are 5 checkpoints that I like to use. â??ï¸ڈ (In this vid I'm doing Romanian deadlifts but these checkpoints apply to all styles): . 1ï¸ڈâ?£ HIPS ً??? This movement is driven by your hips hinging. So push em back to initiate the movement and forward to come up! 2ï¸ڈâ?£ BACK ً??? Do. not. round. your. back. You will get hurt and then hate
Lifting and be destined for a life of being a cardio bunny ً?گ°ً?گ°â?*ï¸ڈ. Record a video of yourself and check that your back is flat, not curved or arching. 3ï¸ڈâ?£ GLUTES ً??? You already know what I'm gonna say... squeeze those buns at the top! ً?چ? Also try not to swing or sway back. 4ï¸ڈâ?£ CHEST ً??? Think about keeping it up, with shoulders back. This will help prevent rounding your back. 5ï¸ڈâ?£ HEELS ً??? Drive through your heels + don't rock into your toes. TIP ً???ً?ڈ½Sometimes I do these with my toes elevated on a plate to elongate the hamstrings and emphasize that the drive is coming
From your heels. ً??*