Draken50

Yeah, starting strength or stronglifts is a good way to go. I prefer starting strength, at the very least I'd recommend getting the book. It's a great resource.

If your gym has barbells, you can look at starting strength as well.

I used to be fairly cool with the "It's a persons own choice" mentality, but by this point, I've seen a fair bit too much that shows how manipulable those choices are. As someone who smoked regularly I was pretty offended by the anti-smoking bans put in place, completely unaware of how bothersome the smell and such could be to others. I also would have been bothered by raising the legal age of smoking to 21. Now, I actually wouldn't mind seeing it. Having an extra three years where maintaining a pack a day habit would have been harder would have been beneficial to my health, and not having to smell it and fight cravings in restaurants is convenient for someone quitting, as well as for those who've never started. Learning more about how companies work to get consumers addicted to their products, from cigarettes to food, (Did you know Phillip Morris bought Kraft foods?) leads me to believe that a fair number of for-profit companies understand addiction, and use it to make money. When it came to PEDs, I had a similar mindset, it's a persons choice, if it keeps them healthier ect. The thing is, I'm seeing far more evidence where use of PEDs degrade the persons long term health. The articles I read show a huge cost, and the thing to me is this, most participants aren't champions. You want to say, that getting a gold medal or a superbowl ring or a strongman title is worth the cost? Look at the number of kids who never made it, who never made it that far and never will. They're paying the cost without getting the reward. So yeah. You want to do PEDs? No skin off my nose, but I don't want to see an "untested" federation. I don't want to see the guys who might've stayed clean consider that the "honest federation." Are the tests easy to beat? Maybe, but that tells me that better testing is needed, not that there's no point.

Yeah, Starting Strength is a book, as well as a program from Mark Rippetoe. Basically on each day you lift you do three different compound lifts for 3 sets of 5 reps. It's simple, and effective for building all round strength, and really helps to avoid getting lost in the woods on strength training. Often folks who are expecting to feel like a pile of useless after any kind of exercise/training think its not enough, but I can assure you it does a lot. Early sessions don't take very long as you won't need to rest as much between sets, but the time does get longer as you need to rest more. The book also gives some good information on the differences between novice and intermediate lifters, as well as a number of assistance exercises that may be useful as the weight gets heavier/your body adapts to the stress. There's a lot of different perspectives on diet, and it often boils down to goals. Personally, I prefer simpler methdology of eating a boat load of vegetables, meat and fruit, and don't track anything. I could likely be more successfull with weight lose were I more accurate/dedicated to that aspect. Ultimately, for me, Lift weights+ eat clean +regular punching bag work = Weight loss. So I don't bother with calculators and the like. Really I've found cleaning up diet to be more important than calories overall. That's just me though, again there will be a lot of different methodologies and the like in that regard.

For most people, diet is the key to weightloss. Exercise helps a lot though, often in providing motivation and helping with improving how you feel, especially when making dietary changes. Two days a week is fine. I never personally recommend starting with more than 3. The beginner bodyweight workout is a good way to start. Once you can complete all three circuits it may be time to move on. My main recommendations for people just starting out tend to boil down to this. Start with no more than 3 days a week. Create or pick a SIMPLE Program. Follow that program. The simple programming part is very important. People will often try to do everything at once, and often end up with poor results. There is no need for anyone just starting out to mix Starting Strength with C25k and a routine off of bodybuilding.com and some HIIT hill sprints. You'll feel like your spinning your tires and getting nowhere. Additionally, the program needs to have a way that you can increase. Jogging for 15 minutes is nice, but if you don't ever try to go faster or longer, it's not going to help for very long. This also happens with weight training, with people creating programs with 30 different exercises across 3 days. I personally used and like Starting Strength. It's a barbell program that works well for novices. No you wont' get bulky, getting bulky requires work. Some folks like to run, or use High Intensity Interval Training(HIIT), others prefer bodyweight training, some train for size/hypertrophy. None of these are bad/wrong. Find a methodology you want to use and stick with it. Keep it simple.

Okay, so thing of it is, as untrained novice, you're ability to handle larger weights goes up very very fast. Additionally, the weights they have are very very low. So while I prefer Starting Strength as both a program and a resource. Stronglifts, another popular beginner "Novice Progression" program, starts with the most conservative methodology. Namely, starting the program using only the empty bar for weight. An empty Olympic bar in this case is assumed to be 45 lbs. So far, every person I've started on weightlifting, including 115 lb. girls are able to use the 45 lb. bar for 5 sets of 5, in every lift. A Novice progression, which is what you are, and what you should be doing, works off of adding weight to the bar every time you do the exercise. In either 5 or 10 lb increments, and often recommend lifting 3 times a week. Additionally, both of the programs mentioned will have you squatting every single day. This works out to 15 lbs. per week, if you are doing the program as outlined. Not doing such a program as outlined likely means you are wasting a lot of your time. So... starting at 45lbs. which is very conservative, and adding 5 lbs. per session, will mean you need to have more weight than that gym provides for squatting, after two weeks. These are not competitive powerlifter programs, and they aren't assuming a default level of fitness. These are novice programs, for untrained novices. They also have the added benefit of working. Quite well in fact. Strong is also relative. As a guy, squatting 135 lbs. is a ... start. It's not shameful, but it's only a month and a half of work, and even then, only if you are very conservative. The lowest I've had someone start at as a work weight was 95 lbs., at 5'2" 115lb., and she has not hurt her back or anything of the like.

What are your goals? If you want to get strong using barbell training, and their equivalent compound lifts. Squats, Deadlifts, presses ect. Then go to a gym that has the necessary equipment. Avoid messing around by doing a program known to work like Starting Strength and get going. Otherwise Strength Training-wise the equipment you have is limited. You can look at bodyweight stuff, and maybe add dumbells or the like. Ultimately there's a reason the most recommended strength programs are barbell programs and not dumbell programs. Please note that, heavy SQUATTING will also not be doable at that gym. You can find dumbell stuff to do, and its certainly better than doing nothing. If you're trying to see the best results in terms of strength, well you're probably going to want a better gym.

Starting Strength. Don't bother with cardio to start, it'll just divide your focus. Cleaning up diet helps most folks too.

Personally I feel option 2. Starting Strength provides more comprehensive instruction, and more information on the "Whys". So it tends to be my preference. Starting Strength or Stronglifts is probably one of the best places to begin.

Chin-ups, I've always found chin-ups to be a worthwhile assistance lift.

I also start with the empty bar for warmups on ever barbell exercise I do except deadlifts. As my shoulders bug me from time to time, I grab a couple 25# dumbells and a couple sets of 20 curls, into presses. I usually add in a few shrugs and rotate my shoulders, and a few lateral raises. It's really helped avoid shoulder discomfort while squatting lowbar. On days I start off with deadlifts I do 3-5 minutes on a rower before I start warming up the deadlifts. Also at 135# as I prefer the warmups to start at the normal height. Stretching I always save for post workout, and focus primarily on my back,hips, and neck.

If you are able to recover enough from your workouts that you are able to increase your lifts. Yes. If not, you'll be over-trained. Toned is a marketing word that means precisely nothing, and has only served to confuse people in an attempt to sell them things. Likely, you would like to build muscle and have a lower body fat %. Something to keep in mind is that if you build muscle without getting fatter, your body fat % will be lower as you will now have added mass you didn't have previously. If you want to get stronger, lift weights, and use full body compound lifts. Ideally a plan like starting strength. This coincidentally would help you build muscle.

Press, or as some call it shoulder press, or overhead press. You can use a barbell, dumbbells also work pretty well. Start with a weight that does not hurt to lift. 3 sets of 5. Increase weight when you succeed at that. Your goal is to use as much weight as you can without pain. If you ever do push ups make sure your hands are not laterally even with your shoulders. Making a T like that will potentially exacerbate your injury. Your hands should be lower,(relative to your head/shoulders)

Getting "large" is very difficult. I have definitely gotten more muscular, but the responses I've gotten have been "you look great!" more than "You're huge!." My recommendation is the Starting Strength barbell program. Book is cheap, majority of gyms have the necessary equipment, and if you do the program as written you'll find yourself moving very satisfying amounts of weight. Remember to track what you do, it can be fun to flip back to when weights you now consider light seemed sooo heavy.

Barbell Strength Training. Pros: Strength training is simple, and uses tools which make it very easy to control and maintain progression. The weight can be scaled to precisely the amount needed to drive adaptation, and match the skill level and physical capabilities of the practitioner. A person physical build has far less effect on the types of exercises that can be performed. Strength gains are very easy to track, and see improvement, and there are programs and resources a-plenty to help someone starting out. Additionally, if the programs are followed, especially started from an untrained state, you will get stronger. The ease of tracking makes it easy to set realistic goals and feel accomplished in regards to performance.An ass that won't quit. Cons: Barbell training requires equipment. Like a barbell. Most people end up needing a gym membership. There is a fair amount of misinformation in regards to barbell/weight training. Bad methodology exists all over the place, and in my opinion, some folks make it far more complicated than it needs to be. Public perception of barbell training is bad in some cases. My wife when talking about doing Olympic lifting is met by constant uninformed warnings by her family not to look like the hulk, and some insecure out of shape men deciding that it's not feminine. She also has a fair number of conversations with women who become interested in lifting themselves, and men who are either impressed or want to talk lifting themselves. Mostly the equipment thing. I leave body-weight to someone who has practiced it more. As to bulking and cutting and calories ect. I've never met anyone who needed to worry about that when starting. Most I've had to say is, "Here's a pint of chocolate milk. Drink one after you lift."

Lift weights. Sets of 5. If you want to look toned (firm without excess body fat) you need muscle. No one looks "toned" without it. a 5'1" guy who weights 120 and has no muscle doesn't look toned, he looks scrawny, and any fat looks more flabby. So yeah, lift weights, or do some kind of Full body Strength Training progression. Key things, it needs to get heavier/harder, can't just be the same thing over and over again, and high reps low weight is the opposite of what you're wanting.

1. Over-training will be evident because you will stall. Instead of getting more reps or heavier weight. You won't. The back has a lot of muscles and each exercise you are doing works them differently. I wouldn't stress it. 2. You'll adjust to your hiit workout. Ploy stuff is fine(ish) once you have a strength base. I've seen half a dozen people fail to make progress becuase they decided to to do poly(clapping) pushups before they had the proper shoulder strength for it. Don't bother program jumping/changing. Do something for a while, give it time to work. You'll see new concepts you'll want to try all the time. Don't. Consistency is more important to seeing change. 3. Hip joint below the knee is what you need for parallel. Don't go higher than paralell. Lower is fine, but parallel is fine too.

Yeah, it does get better generally speaking. Sounds like a pretty big case of overwork. First and foremost, the more you do the exercises the less sore you get assuming you aren't constantly overworking what your doing. Second. Higher repetitions tend to make people more sore, than more weight for lower repetitions. Someone who goes to do 100 bodyweight squats is going to be hurting a lot more than the guys who are putting 315 lbs. on their backs and doing a total of 15, 5 at a time. Third, some trainers run high rep exhausting routines because they either think it's what gets the best results, or very commonly, becuase the people that come to them are more likely to believe it will give results. Either way, you're young, and as long as you eat and sleep to recover. You'll probably adapt to whatever they're throwing at you. If your goals are more strength oriented. You might look at Starting Strength, and toss in an assistance exercise per day to get to chin ups, and then once you can do them.. do them.

I don't know what your range of motion is from standing. But keep working to make the range of motion larger, and it should. If your still touching the ground at the top of your chin up. Chin over the bar, then... that's not a chin up, of any kind. I doubt that's the case, but I just want to make sure I'm clear. the hardest part of a chinup is the bottom of the motion, and the top. Those are also the most important, so work to expand it. You might do your negative to full extension of the motion and then stand and do it again I guess.

Something that helped me was actually eating when I wasn't hungry. VERY SPECIFIC FOODS. Basically, I realized I ate worse when I was hungry or bored, so I started eating all the time, but broccoli and carrots and celery. Only veggies, fruit now and again. That was it outside of meals. Now, I prefer my veggies un-cooked so aside from having to buy them, this really didn't take much effort, and because it was broccoli and carrots and celery its not like I was dumping a ton of extra calories on my body. Eating an extra head of broccoli was certainly not going to slow down my weight loss, especially compared to cookies, or ice cream or whatever else. So I wasn't ever really hungry, and the habit could slowly be broken.

I personally consider doing less exercises with more weight to be a better methodology. You've got at least 5 different types of curl. I get the whole wanting biceps thing, but 5 exercises for 2 muscles seems uh... well maybe a bit more than necessary. I do chin-ups, also works back.. and grip to some extent. Different strokes ect. ect.

I can't comment on military standards, but I have seen the recommendation to drop heavy lifting by officers trying to get cadets PT scores up. Mostly because the current standards are better for smaller, lighter folks, rather than bigger and stronger. You're not over-training if your lifts are still going up. Bench does help with pushups, and press helps with shoulder health all around. If you can keep them, keep them. I dropped the rows for chins, mostly because I just don't like rows, and I wanted to push my chins more. For pullups and chinups, I basically just try to go for one rep over what I did last time. Preferably add to the start of the first set, but if I went from 4,3,2 to 4,3,3 that's a plus. If I hit 3,2 again I'll add another 1 on afterwards. If you can do it from standing position go ahead. Try to get the biggest ROM you can. Always try on either your first or second rep of the session to try to go from the hang. You can use the same bar, just let your feet go back so they aren't touching the floor.

Whether or not this is right for you depends on what you've done in the past. If you haven't done a novice progression, this is more complicated than you need. Just look at Starting Strength like you said, it'll work faster, and save you time in the gym to start. Muay Thai can give good endurance training, if you are sparring, or training endurance. Usually is considered a big part of the sport, but not knowing your gym or what shape you're already in, I can't say.

So, yes, aerobic exercise can cause a plateau of stimulus. While diet is certainly the primary methodology for weight loss, exercise can and indeed does help. Building muscle and the other adaptations that occur help consume calories and rebuild the body, which when overweight there is a surplus of. One way of breaking it could be by switched to a HIIT program, these programs are harder to recover from, but have been shown to help with weightloss as well as increases in cardiovascular health. Strength training is another way, and a method you might want to look at. If you do, look at Starting Strength from Mark Rippetoe. It will outline a full body routine using a 3x5 methodology that is 3 sets of 5 reps using consistent increases of weight. This is both easier and faster to start, shows fast improvement, and tends for a lot of people to be less boring than the high rep boatloads of isolation exercises recommended to the uninitiated. I would get bored as hell with most peoples recommend over-complicated lifting routines, so I understand that. Ultimately, as the weight gets heavy, and if you are following the program, the weight WILL get heavy. Mentally you will be focused throughout your entire set, which won't take much time. During rests, and you will need to rest longer as the weight gets heavier. You can do what you'd like. The reason people feel watched in gyms is often because most people don't bring something to do during rest times and end up staring into space or just looking around while they rest. They're not judging, so much as watching because it's something to do. If that sounds horribly boring, take heart, 5 minutes of rest goes by pretty quick when your recovering, and you can always bring a book. I'm currently reading a fairly large collection of essays by Emerson during my rests. It actually fits pretty well, because his writing is dense to the point that I prefer having breaks to kind of sit and digest what I'm reading. Depending on the gym you might even make friends with other regulars too, it's only as social as you'd like though. I have yet to really have any personality clashes and my gym gets very very busy. Good luck!

Cool! Also, just to make sure you don't worry too much about getting stronger: You can always look up Aneta Florczyk. She's held the title of Worlds Strongest Woman. That's the extreme of what a woman who trains for strength looks like, rather than bodybuilding/hypertrophy. So even if she looks bulkier than you'd like to be, she can also literally roll-up 5 frying pans with her bare hands in one minute. Bulk is something trained for, and is a different focus/process than strength, and personally I feel they look very very different.