A friend called tonight who is interested in working out with me after having read lately about the importance of weight training in fitness. She is my age and has been a moderate endurance exerciser but never lifted before, only steady but extremely light dumbbell work.

I'm a bit concerned that I don't immediately take her to a routine like my own or anything too intense to start with. Her goals are to increase her metabolism and get rid of some of the aches and pains from her outdoor work (similar rural acreage lifestyle to my own and it does work for that goal). She is sold that bulking is necessary. She has a very clean diet just lacking some protein and timing. She is interested in incorporating lifting in weight management but she doesn't have a weight issue. She already does light core training.

I was wondering if a repeated full body type routine as rtestes mentioned in the "muscle grouping" thread today would be a better approach to get someone started who's never lifted before. I do a routine similar to the bulking sticky, more of a split. I assume she will need to lift lower weight higher rep initially but should the routine be repeated multiple times a week or would a split be better. She wants to start with three times a week.

Thanks

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I was wondering if a repeated full body type routine as rtestes mentioned in the "muscle grouping" thread today would be a better approach to get someone started who's never lifted before.
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I'll apologize for this laziness. I was just reading the women's forum and realized there must be several journals out there which cover a female version (if there even is such a thing) of my own starting out and transformation where weight loss is not the primary goal but rather learning to lift. I just need to do some studying I think!

I'll apologize for this laziness. I was just reading the women's forum and realized there must be several journals out there which cover a female version (if there even is such a thing) of my own starting out and transformation where weight loss is not the primary goal but rather learning to lift. I just need to do some studying I think!It's okay; the female journals can be really hard to find. And half of them aren't talking immediately about nutrition and lifting.

I gave some advice in this thread:
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=596852&posted=1#post596852

I think the goals and preferred training methods for women vary even more than the goals and preferred training methods for men. It's much harder to suggest something for a friend to do than to design your own program.

"How does it feel when you can't do one more rep?"

If she feels weak, defeated, depressed, etc, then she'll do better on a less demanding schedule that will build her strength more gradually.

But if she's pumped, spent, and determined to lift heavier and harder next time, then train her with those goals in mind.

I'd suggest this (http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583332944/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207926274&sr=8-1) book as maybe a good start. The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. It's by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Cassandra Forsyth, all well respected. I haven't read this one more than flipping through it, but the men's version is a good beginner/indermediate book. It's got a lot of the same philosophy of training discussed here covered (compounds, lifting over long LISS cardio, etc).

I'd suggest this (http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583332944/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207926274&sr=8-1) book as maybe a good start. The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. It's by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Cassandra Forsyth, all well respected. I haven't read this one more than flipping through it, but the men's version is a good beginner/indermediate book. It's got a lot of the same philosophy of training discussed here covered (compounds, lifting over long LISS cardio, etc).

I'll check out the books, sounds extremely promising. I ended up with two women's exercise books given to me by a friend to examine the use of the swiss ball and core exercises. Both books tend toward really light exercise for the rest of the body so I wasn't hopeful in the book area. The contrast to the rest of my growing library is just too much to represent the difference in physiology between genders! Yet, frankly the way my favorite book is written, would and probably should be offensive to women. Some of the "male" jokes clobber what is otherwise a fantastic collection of information and exceptional photography on form.

It's okay; the female journals can be really hard to find. And half of them aren't talking immediately about nutrition and lifting.

I gave some advice in this thread:
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?p=596852&posted=1#post596852



Thanks Guava, just read and incorporated your answer from Woodan's thread on the female forum. I'll check this link out too.

Sorry I shouldn't have posted this until I checked the women's forum.

Some of the "male" jokes clobber what is otherwise a fantastic collection of information and exceptional photography on form.

Kinda like www.t-nation.com . Although they now have a women's side of the site that you might look around through.

I'd suggest this (http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583332944/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207926274&sr=8-1) book as maybe a good start. The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. It's by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Cassandra Forsyth, all well respected. I haven't read this one more than flipping through it, but the men's version is a good beginner/indermediate book. It's got a lot of the same philosophy of training discussed here covered (compounds, lifting over long LISS cardio, etc).

That book looks quite promising. Nice link.

Kinda like www.t-nation.com . Although they now have a women's side of the site that you might look around through.

I'll check it out. I did manage to call and find out that B&N stocks the book you mentioned so I'm picking up a copy tomorrow.

I'll check it out. I did manage to call and find out that B&N stocks the book you mentioned so I'm picking up a copy tomorrow.

Here (http://www.musclewithattitude.com/) is the female side. I keep it subscribed in my RSS reader because they have quality articles that apply to men as well as women on that side, too.