help me help myself get muscle-y in Portland!
February 4, 2012 8:57 AM Subscribe
Where can I learn to lift weights in Portland?
I've lost 55 lbs over the past year. When I started my weightloss I told myself I would start going to the gym to do strength training when I hit 146 lbs. (I started at 184 and I'm a 5' 4" female.) As of this morning, I weigh 128 lbs so I'm a bit behind schedule! I think my diet is okay, basically I follow the Perfect Health Diet (paleo + dairy + rice.)
Everything I've read online and in books says that strength training is the way to reach my goals. My goals are basically to 1) not be sick/unhealthy when I'm an old person (I'm turning 43 next month) and 2) look as hot as I can for as long as I can!
I am wary of going to the gym on my own with a copy of Starting Strength or New Rules for Lifting and doing it on my own. I want to learn proper technique so I don't hurt myself!
Northeast Portland or Sellwood recommendations preferred but I'll take any Portland recommendations!
I've lost 55 lbs over the past year. When I started my weightloss I told myself I would start going to the gym to do strength training when I hit 146 lbs. (I started at 184 and I'm a 5' 4" female.) As of this morning, I weigh 128 lbs so I'm a bit behind schedule! I think my diet is okay, basically I follow the Perfect Health Diet (paleo + dairy + rice.)
Everything I've read online and in books says that strength training is the way to reach my goals. My goals are basically to 1) not be sick/unhealthy when I'm an old person (I'm turning 43 next month) and 2) look as hot as I can for as long as I can!
I am wary of going to the gym on my own with a copy of Starting Strength or New Rules for Lifting and doing it on my own. I want to learn proper technique so I don't hurt myself!
Northeast Portland or Sellwood recommendations preferred but I'll take any Portland recommendations!
Best answer: What you want is to find a powerlifting focused gym with a coach who is willing to do private training sessions with a beginner. Depending on your proprioception, mobility, etc, it might be as simple as doing one or two private sessions and then a session to check in maybe once per month. You definitely do not need to be working with a trainer all of the time in order to do Starting Strength (although if your money grows on trees, that's cool, go for it).
The reason I emphasize this especially is that you might find that the going rate for a legitimate lifting coach is much more than you would expect to pay a regular personal trainer at a gym. That's OK. A good lifting coach can teach you technique and set you up with a program that you can do on your own -- a personal trainer at the gym spends most of the time when you're interacting just babysitting.
That said, this page has a list of powerlifting focused gyms in Oregon (a few are in Portland). I would call around to each of them and explain your situation: you're a woman in your 40s, you want to do Starting Strength, you've never done barbell lifts before and you'd like to book a private session with a coach to learn the lifts so that you can do Starting Strength. Some gyms, especially if they're more competition focused and already have enough athletes, will just say no, but I suspect you'll find one person who says yes.
Please feel free to MeFiMail me if you have any other questions as you're doing this -- girl lifter here, started on my own with Starting Strength several years ago, happy to help.
posted by telegraph at 11:18 AM on February 4, 2012
The reason I emphasize this especially is that you might find that the going rate for a legitimate lifting coach is much more than you would expect to pay a regular personal trainer at a gym. That's OK. A good lifting coach can teach you technique and set you up with a program that you can do on your own -- a personal trainer at the gym spends most of the time when you're interacting just babysitting.
That said, this page has a list of powerlifting focused gyms in Oregon (a few are in Portland). I would call around to each of them and explain your situation: you're a woman in your 40s, you want to do Starting Strength, you've never done barbell lifts before and you'd like to book a private session with a coach to learn the lifts so that you can do Starting Strength. Some gyms, especially if they're more competition focused and already have enough athletes, will just say no, but I suspect you'll find one person who says yes.
Please feel free to MeFiMail me if you have any other questions as you're doing this -- girl lifter here, started on my own with Starting Strength several years ago, happy to help.
posted by telegraph at 11:18 AM on February 4, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
I'm not saying stop looking for a trainer, just that you shouldn't let this become the big obstacle that prevents you from getting into weightlifting.
posted by d. z. wang at 10:40 AM on February 4, 2012