Guides
Getting started
with free weights
Free weights have an image problem. From the outside, a rack of barbells looks like it belongs to somebody else — someone stronger, more experienced, more certain of what they're doing. Spend ten minutes in the free weights area at Amazon Gym and you'll find something rather different. Farm workers, nurses coming off a shift, retired members keeping their hips and shoulders working properly, teenagers in their first summer of training, and a lot of people who simply want to feel more capable than they did last year. Almost none of them arrived knowing what they were doing.
Living out this way, options are limited. Shropham sits in a stretch of Norfolk where a proper free weights setup has traditionally meant a drive to Norwich or Thetford — and a membership you use twice before it becomes a direct debit you keep meaning to cancel. Being ten minutes from Watton and Attleborough matters more than people expect. The single biggest predictor of whether someone sticks with strength training isn't motivation or equipment; it's how easy the gym is to get to on a wet Tuesday evening in February.
A first session with free weights is also far less dramatic than most people picture. You won't be loading a barbell to your bodyweight, and nobody is watching. You'll spend most of it moving light, working out where things live, and getting a feel for a handful of basic movements. Our dumbbells start at 2kg and rise in 2kg steps, the Smith machine runs an 8kg bar, and there's a lightweight barbell on the bench press specifically so people can learn the movement before they load it. The equipment is set up to let you start where you actually are.
That's the part worth holding on to. Free weight training isn't a thing you graduate into once you're fit enough — it's one of the most effective ways of getting there in the first place. Lifting builds bone density, protects joints, keeps you steady on your feet as you get older, and does more for everyday strength than any machine circuit will. It works whether you're 17 or 70.
Where to begin if you've never lifted
Start with movements, not muscles. Almost everything worth doing in a free weights area falls into five patterns: squatting, hinging at the hips, pushing, pulling, and carrying something heavy from A to B. Learn one exercise from each and you have a complete programme. That's genuinely all it takes to begin.
Then start lighter than feels necessary. The most common mistake we see isn't bad form — it's loading a bar before the movement is comfortable. Two or three sessions spent working with an empty bar or a pair of 4kg dumbbells will get you further than a month of struggling under weight you're not ready for. The weight will go up on its own; it always does.
Two or three sessions a week is plenty to make real progress. A full-body session covering those five patterns, done twice weekly with a rest day between, will change how you feel within a couple of months. There's no need to train six days a week, and no need to split things into "chest day" and "leg day" until you've been going a while — if ever.
And ask. There's always a member of staff on the gym floor, and helping someone set the safety catches on the squat rack or adjust a bench is a normal part of the job, not an interruption. Nobody here expects you to work it out alone.
- —Trainers with a flat, firm sole. Running shoes are fine to start with, but they're built for cushioning rather than stability under load.
- —Comfortable clothes you can move in. Nothing specialist, nothing expensive.
- —Book a free induction before your first proper session — call 01953 498444, email info@amazongym.co.uk, or just ask at reception.
"GREAT GYM WITH HELPFUL, CHEERFUL, ENTHUSIASTIC AND FRIENDLY TRAINERS"
Building a first programme
Once you've had your induction and a few sessions under your belt, the next question is usually what to actually do each week. Plenty of members work this out themselves, and there's nothing wrong with that — a simple full-body routine, repeated consistently and nudged slightly heavier each fortnight, will take most people a very long way.
Others would rather have it written down by someone who knows what they're looking at. Every one of our membership options come with a free, personalised program built specifically for you by one of our expertly qualified trainers.
This is going to help you hit your targets and make a great start to your gym journey. Additionally, all programs have the option to be reviewed at any point, so your program can grow with you throughout your journey!
