Hi everyone, I started exercising in earnest in February. I swim, do cardio (bike, treadmill and eliptical) and some resistance work with bands and fitball. I have joined my local council gym (I live in England where things are a bit different!!) and the guy there showed me the weights very quickly and suggested I do some! He drew me up a programme but only showed me around half of it before his next (fit, young, male) client turned up.

Now the problem is this, I am still very heavy, especially around the middle, and feel like a bit of an idiot on some the weight equipment. The guy at the gym is lovely, but has no idea what to do with me - I think he must have missed the day on how to help fat women on his fitness leader course

Should I bite the bullet and ask for help, or just keep concentrating on the cardio until I am feeling lighter and more confident???

By all means ask for help - it is what the trainers are there for!

Bite the bullet ask for help. Can you not get another trainer at the same gym or change gyms?

I've got a committed membership so I can't change gyms. I can ask the guy for hlep, but I think the point of my question was more at this stage in my weight loss, can I afford to put off weights for a while longer until I am trimmer. The issue is that someone a bit more creative, could probably think around some of the exercises to make them more do-able. For example the machines he has me using are extremely difficult with my large middle. I am sure the same or similar exercises are possible a different way.

He is the only trainer there when I go, I haven't seen any others.......I just need someone with a bit of experience in helping larger women.

He might be the only one on at that time. The council will employ others, if not at your gymn, then at others in the area (is it Metropolitan Borough of Bury? or Lancashire?). And they could travel to your gymn or give your guy some ideas. Our council (Gwynedd) employs at least one trainer who works with people referred by their doctor and she goes to different gymns. While she doesn't seem brilliant, she does have more ideas for working round different things.

You could ring the council and ask if they have this kind of system. Or ask at the desk. Or both.

Another idea is to spell out the challenge to him and to ask how you can both work on it together. That way he won't lose face (fate worse than death for some young men) and you might be able to tap into his latent creativity. It must be there.

Very good luck!

Oh, and I'd say get going with the weights straightaway!

Don't hold off on the weight training when you build those muscles they burn fat and you will loose the fat faster... Go for it! If there's a will there IS a way!!

I was going to say that it's best to not hold off the strength training any longer, being more muscular really helps a lot. Also, I know that the machines can be uncomfortable at times (my own problem being, err, that I'm small and sometimes need to climb on something to catch the bar... >.<), so perhaps, for certain exercises, you could ask to try free weights? I wouldn't recommend to start with squats (they can be a real bother on the knees), but barbell bench press/standing shoulder press and the likes could be doable.

Alright, I admit, working on the machines is easier when you start weight lifting, but if you're uncomfortable on them, they can be a workaround. Just try to see this with the trainer, rather than alone, as it can be tricky and even dangerous if not knowing how to do the "right" moves; perhaps he'll also be less at unease by explaining free weights to you, rather than the machines?

You might investigate some of the sites listed here at LWL under Getting Started (
http://www.stumptuous.com/ Krista Smash! website - bodybuilding for women is a good one). You could print some exercises out and discuss them with the trainer. I agree if he's who you have to deal with then you want to find a way to help him work with you. The woman owner of my gym set me up with my first program, and it was nearly all machines - some of which I am too short to use properly. After awhile I just started reading and watching other people and was able to put together a better program for myself. It helps to change your routine every so often too.

Hey, just wanted to stop by and say welcome. I agree with everyone else that if you are unsure about what you're doing, definitely make an appointment with the trainer or do some research on your own (books, Krista's website, etc.) I use exrx.net to see basic descriptions and quick videos of lifting moves.

That said, if you just *feel* self-conscious because of your current size, try not to worry about it. I'm guessing that most of the other people in the gym aren't paying as much attention as you think they are, and besides you should feel good about doing something healthy for yourself no matter what size you are. I used to feel really self-conscious in the gym but I'm starting to learn that that's all in my head, and has very little to do with what other people really think. If I waited until I felt completely comfortable to do something, I'd die first!

Thanks for the advice, I'll go and have a chat to him on Sunday, when it is nice and quiet. And silverbirch, I am in Bury. I thought I would try the big gym in Bury if I don't get anywhere with cute but gormless gym guy!!! I have reciprical (can't spell) rights there, and they may be a bit more useful!

I'll let you all know how I get on in due course!!

I think a perfectly diplomatic way to get around this would be for you to tell him that you've heard free weights are really the way to go, so would he pretty please show you some of the corresponding exercises with free weights? That way you get around having to explain, and he saves face by just teaching you something completely *different*. I have recently made the switch from mostly machines to mostly free weights and the latter really are much better for so many reasons. I'm short, so many machines are just scaled wrong for me. Plus, you really work the stabilizing muscles more with free weights rather than just isolating one part of your muscles. AND, as I learned from our illustrious Mel, machines can make you all strength-lopsided because your stronger side compensates to lift more of the weight (say you're lifting 50 pounds... well, your limbs aren't lifting 25 and 25... it's more likely that your dominant limb will be picking up your other one's slack!).

Good luck!

p.s. Definitely don't delay on the strength training. I KNOW it's a big contributor to my losing over 75 pounds. Plus, it's really fun to be STRONG for the first time in my life!!!!!!

It is fun, isn't it? I grabbed a 25# bag of cat litter out of the truck the other day without even thinking twice about it.

So much fun! I love play wrestling with my husband and seeing him be genuinely surprised at how strong I am (especially my legs -- I have this one thing he calls the "death grip" that truly does incapacitate him momentarily!)