Beginner's Blues

I am 4 days into working out,I just started going to a gym and I really dont know what I’m doing.

I have only been on this site for 5 minutes and feel like this is the perfect place to ask my questions, so I’ll just list them.

I am 31,6 ft,175lb.

My knees and ankles pop when I’m doing any leg work,am I stressing my joints? I’m not doing anything with too much weight,only what I can do atleast 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

And what is a good amount of time to spend working out per session if I am able to go every morning before work? My main goal is to work towards 200lb. Any advice will be helpful,thanks

[quote]Jason G wrote:
I have only been on this site for 5 minutes…[/quote]

At minute 4, you should have seen this.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=817951

[quote]Jason G wrote:
I am 4 days into working out,I just started going to a gym and I really dont know what I’m doing.

I have only been on this site for 5 minutes and feel like this is the perfect place to ask my questions, so I’ll just list them.

I am 31,6 ft,175lb.

My knees and ankles pop when I’m doing any leg work,am I stressing my joints? I’m not doing anything with too much weight,only what I can do atleast 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

And what is a good amount of time to spend working out per session if I am able to go every morning before work? My main goal is to work towards 200lb. Any advice will be helpful,thanks [/quote]

Good job on getting started, now continue.

For the first month you should concentrate on lower weight and form. Make sure you have a method of counting during the movement. I like to count 2 seconds up, and 3-4 down. Make sure you find your rythem and don’t jerk the weights around. Slow and controlled

At 35, I can tell you that fish oil and Glucosamine should be a part of your daily supplementation. This will hel;p with the joint popping.

Also your tendons, joints and muscles will get used to lifting after a few months and this wont be AS much of an issue.

[quote]Jason G wrote:
I am 4 days into working out,I just started going to a gym and I really dont know what I’m doing.

I have only been on this site for 5 minutes and feel like this is the perfect place to ask my questions, so I’ll just list them.

I am 31,6 ft,175lb.

My knees and ankles pop when I’m doing any leg work,am I stressing my joints? I’m not doing anything with too much weight,only what I can do atleast 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

And what is a good amount of time to spend working out per session if I am able to go every morning before work? My main goal is to work towards 200lb. Any advice will be helpful,thanks [/quote]

as far as your knees and ankles…it doesn’t sound like there’s pain with the popping so my guess is that you just need to warm up a bit more…i start every workout with 8 minutes of walking steps, which is more than enough for me…but than again sometimes i do front squats as my warm-up instead, find something that works for you and gets your circulation going…same with your ankles too, flex them, stretch them, do circles with them before starting…

as far as time, i spend about 2 1/2 hours 6 days a week…i’m in no way saying that that’s what you should do, but that’s how much it takes me to do everything i need to do…

find a routine in this site that fits your goals, there’s many great writers here…and tons of routines, for those that can spend hours at a time as well as for those than only have 45 minutes…find something that you like and stick to it…welcome to the site!

Thanks for the advice. Not only am I new to working out, I’m pretty new to the world of computers,so thanks for the link.

When I was in my first year of college I was faced with the same dilema. I had taken a class called Physical Development or something and it was basically weight training and exercise for 1 credit. So where to begin? I could not bench or squat with the machines being occupied by football players and the like. So I started out with some cardio.

I got on the Stairmaster my first day and did a routine called “Blast Off”. I paid dearly the next day of course, haha! After that I just developed a circuit training type workout. Here is a general idea:

Monday-
Cardio and Stretching - Brisk walk for 60 min, stationary cycle, stairmaster.
(important to stretch and loosen up a bit before). Did abdominal work mostly, along with free weight curls, pull ups, push ups, lunges with dumbells, etc.

Wednesday-
Upper Body - tricep pushdown, seated rows, Preacher curls, lat pulldown, bench press etc. (include some crunches, flutter kicks somewhere for mid section)

Friday
Lower Body - leg extension, calf raises, leg press, leg curl, hip adductor/abductor (include some crunches, flutter kicks somewhere for mid section)

One thing that helped me out a lot was finding a friend in the gym. Someone to spot you and talk with during the time from one machine to the next. It provided me with motivation and a sense of competition as well (I wanted to outdo my gym friends).

Don’t be afraid to ask for help either, if you see something you would like to try and you see someone else doing it, dont be afraid. It’s the only way you will learn.
Good Luck!

you definetly came to the right place…if youre trying to gain weight i suggest finding articles on here written by dr John Berardi…he knows his stuff…i follow the bulk of his advice and it has helped me gain 25 lbs in 3-4 months while only going up a few points in body fat(just recently hit a plateau and cant gain shit…but im 17 so roids are not an option)…there are also plenty of experienced and knowledgable guys on the forums…

[quote]sugarfree wrote:
Jason G wrote:
I have only been on this site for 5 minutes…

At minute 4, you should have seen this.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=817951[/quote]

Minute 4. hahahah!!!

I agree with Rock Scar, I would also try to make my work outs fun. Keep your work out where you enjoy it and it will be a lot easier to do it next time. Good Luck