all sorts of options...
So like Cleda said...Wait!
First don't underestimate yourself on how much you think you will be able to lift. You will pleasently surprise yourself if you start doing the Pure Strength series on a regular basis. If you stay consistant using Cathes strength tapes you will continue to get strong and quickly out grow a 25-35 lb bar. Not to say that isn't a good weight to start with, but you will end up like the rest of us and start collecting them
.
Some options for bars to grow with. If you are frugal, check out the good buys at your local Walmart/Target stores for a good starter set. Or one of those Replay Sports stores, if you have them. You can also get one of those EZ curl bars that are shorter than a regular bar and buy the plates by themselves..and buy only the weight you need and add on later. You can get a barbell pad for the EZ curl bar to make it more comfortable for the squats...it is also a very nice bar for bicurls(sort of what is was intended for
).
IMHO, if you go for the body bar..it would be fine for the lower weight endurance stuff in the new express series but, I honestly feel, you will out grow it in Pure Strength stuff if you wanted to progress and have a new rotation to play with.
Now if you want to be not so frugal
. There is a great bar that is offered by the Firm and also through one of the people in Cathes buyers guide. I forget the name of the company, but it's under barbells(of course
) and, I think they refer to it as an aerobic bar....it is the exact replica of the Firm bar and it has rubber plated weights. I have the Firm bar and love it. The only draw back is the thinkness of the padding makes the grip for deadlift a little wide. But like Cleda..I have several, so I load my EZ curl for deadlifts.
And of course there is that new bar that Cathe uses in the Express series that looks mighty nice too
.
Don'f feel intimidated at all with your barbell...or the weights you load on it. Women are designed not to get huge muscles and even though Cathes Pure Strength series lifts heavier than most strength tapes out there, the reps that she uses are kept in the higher end towards endurance more than the low/heavy bulking reps...so you will lean right out using the most weight you can safely use with the amount of reps Cathe does.
Happy Lifting!
nancy:O)
I was thinking of purchasing a SoftStick for starters coz I'm just new to barbells. It only goes up to 24 lbs. I don't know if I can ever lift 40 to 50 lbs of weight as most people here do. Don't laugh, but I can hardly lift 10 lb weights for a 30 min arm workout!
