barbell

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ppederzo

Cathlete
Do I need to buy a barbell. I am new to cathe. HOw much is the max I will be using. I am a beginner and 5'3 and weight 130lb. What weight did most people start with and where is eveyone max. Does anyone have suggestions for where to buy. I have hardwood floors. So I want to be careful what I buy.

Paola
 
Welcome to the world of Cathe! I am your height and weight and have only had my barbell for a few months. I use anywhere from 20-40 lbs... A lot of folks here love the Troy lite barbell, to which I think there is a link through Cathe's equipment page. However, I found mine at Wal-Mart for only $20. It came with rubber-coated weights totaling 100+ lbs, and the bar weighs ~4 lbs. The set has been fine on my hardwoods. Good luck! :)
 
i have the troy light barbell and LOVE it! i ordered mine from fitness1st.com (there are a couple other sources too).

i workout in my garage.. but we have covered it with the "puzzle pieces".. perhaps you could get a package of those to put together on your floor to protect it when you workout.. plus it gives you some cushioning!

the troy light weights are vinyl covered.. so unless you dropped them and they dented the floor.. i don't think you have to worry about scratches!
 
You can start off with pairs of various weighted dumbbells. But eventually you'll want to get a barbell. The Troy Lite barbell set is great, especially if your workout space is small.

What weight people start with differs. The amount of weight your various muscle groups can handle also differs. You can use heavier weights for chest, back and legs since these are bigger muscle groups, and less weight for shoulders, biceps and triceps. Start with a weight that's challenging enough for you. I usually start with weights I can do for 8-10 reps per set. Once I can do 12, I move up. Hope this helps.

Pinky
 
The Troy lite set comes with 2 7.5-lb plates, 2 5-lb plates, and 4 2.5-lb plates. The bar weights 5 lbs (that's why they call it "lite"). So the total set goes up to 40 lbs., which is all you need to start with.

If you're just starting with Cathe, make sure you have enough dumbbells too. Usually 3,5,8,10 and 12 lbs. are fine for starting out.

You can start just with dumbbells and buy the barbell later.
 
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