OK…
So I want to dedicate myself to weight lifting and excercise and eventually a powerful balanced physique.
Their is so much informtaion I have no idea how to start and how to keep this as simple as possible. I dont have a great memory or like science very much.
Diet: Read Dr. Berardi’s 7 habits of highly effective eating.
Weightlifting: I believe it was pro bodybuilder Kevein Levrone who said to pick one exercise for each muscle group and get strong at it. Thats what you should do.
Cardio: always good for the heart. Pick a form of cardio you enjoy and do it 1-3x a week. Fartlek intervals is usually the best (look it up).
Rule 1:
DO NOT fall victim to the abundance of information. This is almost guaranteed to overwhelm and intimidate newcomers. There is NOT a one-way-only solution.
Rule 2:
Get in the gym. Ask questions as they arise. Focus on the basics right now.
Rule 3:
Make a decision right now to make this a lifetime endeavor. This is the single most important thing you can possibly do.
Rule 4:
Invest in healthy food and good protein.
Rule 5:
Lurk these forums as often as possible. Post tons of threads, get involved in discussions.
Rule 6:
Have fun.
Welcome!
I just started myself. I wrote a post to help make things a bit easier for others through my stumbling around:
I would suggest buying a book: New Rules of Lifting by Cosgrove and Shuler, or Starting Strength.
These seem to be effective for most beginers.
Success won’t be simple. These books will be a great start, but it will be work sorting through all the information.
Right now I dont have a gym membership, however I intend to obtain one through volunteering my time at my local YMCA to play sports with youth and by doing so get acess to the gym and to the swimming pool.
My food intake right now consists of
Beans
Tuna
Sphagetti
and for the next couple of days chicken (thanks mom!)
Bagels with peanutbutter
Basicly as tough shit as it is… I eat to survive.
Yeah I know its kind of Orphan Annie but whatever… gotta eat what I can eat for now!
As for excercises I need to get myself on some kind of simple structure.
I have a hard time counting my pushups and sit ups while im doing them because the pain interferes, (im pretty out of shape right now)
im 5"11 and weigh 151 LBs. I have a physique that is an great template to start from but my goal is to bulk and beome bigger.
Give up. Seriously. You’re not cut out for this.
If you haven’t made something happen by now you aren’t going to. May I recommend, perhaps, golf? Or chess?
Starting Strength program. Hands down, this is for you.
Your profile says ~180 lbs. At 5’11 that is a respectable (albeit not huge) weight. If that is you in the avatar, 150 seems generous.
Just read and learn, ask questions as they arise.
[quote]njrusmc wrote:
Your profile says ~180 lbs. At 5’11 that is a respectable (albeit not huge) weight. If that is you in the avatar, 150 seems generous.
Just read and learn, ask questions as they arise.[/quote]
Weight means nothing unless you’re a competitive fighter or formula one driver.
Gain strength. Aesthetics will follow.
Yeah thats me… I weighed myself today at 151 LBs.
No im not going to give up.
Man I gotta get myself together here!
Slow but steady, feeling increased sense of energy and seem to be laughinag more! feel muscles tighening.
sweet!
I think beginners that have the most success are people that end up just going in there and killing it for a while and start to figure things out for themselves. It’s so easy to become overwhelmed. Don’t worry about the perfect set/rep range and the hot new supplements right away. When you are starting you just need weight in your hands and you will get results. Good luck dude, just stick with it and don’t expect the world right away and you will get there.
Getting big is simple. Here’s what you do (at least what I’ve been doing from 160lbs to 220lbs):
EAT A LOT. This is the most important aspect of weight gain. From the way you type is sounds like you’re young, so pound down the food. You need to get lean protein with every meal, preferably 5+ times a day, using protein shakes if you can’t get it all in with solid food. Staples of your diet should include beef, chicken, turkey, fish, potatoes (SWEET are amazing), rice, pasta, and whole milk. Eat till you are uncomfortable, and you will adapt and be able to eat more.
Learn to push yourself in the gym. If you can’t count pushups, maybe you are hopeless. But as many on this site say, the surest way to grow, in conjunction with #1, is to continue to add weight to your lifts performed mostly in the 6-10 rep range.
Those two things I think are the most important. Pick a solid program like Starting Strength or Joe Defranco’s Westside for Skinny Bastards and follow it.
AVOID reading too much training info once you get started. Once you find your program, BELIEVE IN IT and do it. Anything else is just going to throw you off. Lurk the forums and read stuff, but not too much at first.
Let us know how it goes. Let’s see you at 180 by May.