Is finding a professionally designed training program the only way I can see results or progress ?

note -
1/ my weight training experience is beginner to intermediate level
2/ i have very little idea on how all the muscles in our body work or interact
3/ i can't afford to buy an expensive online professional training program or hire a personal trainer at my gym (they charge way tooo much!!)
4/ my goal is to mainly INCREASE UPPER BODY STRENGTH, WEIGHT MAINTENANCE & get AWESOME LOOKING ABDOMEN (not necessarily 6 or 8 or 12 pack)
5/ can't manage to perform even a single bodyweight pull up!!!
6/ want to do away the little fat hanging in my lower, middle and side abdmonial even after shedding 75 lbs!!
7/ poor to average shoulder strength

No, of course not!

Lyle McDonald has a good series of articles for a beginner:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...ng-part-1.html

Read all the parts, even though he doesn't get to the actual routine until Part 4.

Or "basics of a routine" on Krista Scott Dixon's site, in the "starting weight training" section:
http://www.stumptuous.com/category/s...eight_training

Both have trained athletes and "regular" folks, men and women. Both offer great, well-researched, accurate information. And, neither charge anything for their knowledge, and they aren't trying to sell you some c**p overpriced supplements or programs or equipment that you don't need.

//b. strong,
Kim

Thank you for the recommendations. would you recommend new rules of lifting by lou schuler?

Absolutely, New Rules of Lifting for Women gets pretty high marks in this forum. New Rules of Lifting (originally written with men in mind) does too. After all, we have the same muscles. Check them both out from the library and see which one appeals to you the most. In the end you will probably wish to purchase one of the books. The binding in mine as broken from overuse. Maybe I should have it rebound as a spiral.

There really are a lot of wonderful resources available online and through the library. I think that one of the things that is important to remember is that it's not something you can absorb overnight. Acquiring the knowledge actually becomes a bit of a hobby as well as implementing it so don't fret about becoming overwhelmed as you begin to learn. I've been doing this for about five going onto six years and I still have about three books going at once. My friends shudder at the thought that I haven't completed a fiction book during most of this time.

Another place that I found helpful in the beginning was EXRX.net The link I have will direct you to the muscle/exercise directory but there is so much more available at this site if you begin at the Homepage.

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Happy reading. And very nice job with your weightloss!

Thank you for the reply, Lydia. I found it very informative. I will definitely have to buy NROL. Exrx is an excellent resource.

I started the NROL workout A program today

Workout A

1. Squat [sets 2 reps 15]


superset with full rest

2. static lunge [sets 2 reps 15]
3. two point dumbbell row with elbow out [sets 2 reps 15]

superset with full rest

4. push ups [sets 2 reps 15]
5. swiss-ball crunch [sets 2 reps 15]


The problem is that the author has recommended to do squat & static lunge with barbells, my gym doesn't have a squat rack. So What do I do?

remember that your desired abs are made in the kitchen!

Sorry I haven't replied sooner...I"m painting my basement and I'm losing all sense of time and space. Lets just say, I'm painting the ceiling a second time.

Anyhoo, NO SQUAT RACK?! For shame... Just kidding. Substitute dumb bells instead. Personally, I like to settle one on each shoulder and steady them by holding the front face of them in the palm of my hands instead of holding them down by my thighs. But that's just me. And that's only really possible if your dumb bells are hexagonal in shape.

Like these...

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CGMQ8wIwBQ#

There really is no problem in substituting dumb bells for the barbell and plates for back squats as well as for lunges or split squats when you get to that point too. Just go on in and use the same set/rep scheme outlined in the book. You'll do fine.

Sandbags and small children work well for squats, too. Both are rather slippery and uneven, which adds a degree of difficulty.

More seriously, pretty much any exercise that can be done with a barbell can be done with dumbells instead. I say "pretty much" because there are some fun exercises that you can do with a barbell in the corner. (That sounds odd, and like it's probably illegal in most states. Though, I guess it sounds slightly less like it should be illegal than doing exercises with a dumb bell[e] in a corner.)

Generally speaking, you will be able to lift more poundage with barbells than dumbbells on the same exercise. Assuming you are lifting for fitness instead of for bragging rights and/or a powerlifting contest, the difference only matters when it comes time to choose the weights for a set. As long as it's hard-in-a-good-way, the actual poundage doesn't matter.

//b. strong,
Kim

I also talked to the gym trainer about the lack of squat rack. He says I can lift the bar (with light weights only) from the floor and execute the barbell squat exercise. Do you think it's okay to do that?

I dont think my gym has hex dumbbells.

also they say that deadlift exercise is only for powerlifters and not recommended for people training for general fitness, do you agree with that? if that was the case i don't think the authors of NROL would have included that in the break-in program which is meant for beginners. I'm starting to doubt if my gym trainers really know anything about weight training at all!

My gut feeling is that we do deadlifts all day long, every time we pick up a laundry basket or a child, so we need to practice them to prevent injury. Some trainers feel like it's an injury waiting to happen. Who knows who is right?

For the record, my gym doesn't have a squat rack either, any rack at all really. And our barbell is shaped like a sawtooth, and the weights only go up to 50 pounds. I'm all ears for substitutions also!

I think deadlifts are pretty vital, especially for women. Women tend to train their quads with various exercises but rarely their hamstrings. The New Rules of Lifting for Women talks about this imbalance. This imbalance can also cause injury.

I'm not a power lifter and I do deadlifts. I love deadlifts.

Yes, but you're essentially cleaning the weight up (um, doing a hang clean) to the squat position. Most people can't clean as much as they squat, so as you move up in squat strength you'll have to find an alternative. See below.

No, and it strikes me as asinine, given the lack of a squat rack. It's more dangerous for beginning trainers to (a) clean or otherwise wrestle the weight up from floor to back for a squat and (b) squat without safety bars than it is to deadlift!

This comment, coupled with the skimpy equipment, would push me toward finding another gym. If one is handy and in your price range, of course: a mediocre gym is better than no gym at all.

//b. strong