Scrawny Nerd looking to improve Strength Health and Sex Appeal

[MagicYak]

Howdy everyone,

My name is Nick (a.k.a. MagicYak). I've been a scrawny nerd my whole life. When I was younger I was very competitive, and I did not like losing. I was also not very good at sports. One day, I decided to give up on sports, and pursue competition in other ways. Luckily for me, because of eating habits, metabolism, or something, I have never been over weight, but I've never been fit or healthy either. Now I am 22 years old, 6 feet tall, and 142 lb.
I don't have any specific goals. I do not know how much I want to weigh, or how much I want to be able to run or lift. I just have these general goals:

 

• Increase stamina so that I can run faster and farther. I went on a hike the other day, and I wanted to run (I just felt like running) after a couple minutes my heart was pounding and I was gasping for breath. I want to change that.
• Increase strength. I mostly want this just for those little everyday things that are easier when you are stronger. Things like carrying groceries, moving couches,  impromptu wrestling matches...I'm beginning to think that my everyday life is a little weird... Oh, one other thing, I work at a youth group where push ups are a form of punishment e.g. if say something rude, you have to do ten push ups. Well...I can't do more than four push ups in a row...and that's embarrassing.
• Increase health. My dad was skinny like me when he was my age. Now he has a beer belly, and heart problems. I want to nip all those health problems in the bud.
• Increase sex appeal. It's hard to find clothes that fit me. Everything is way too baggy. Especially my shirts. I'm hoping to have abs for the first time in my life. I'm hoping to have respectable chest and arm muscles for the first time. 

 

 My plans, just like with my goals, are still a bit vague. Any thoughts, or suggestions would be appreciated. 

• First, I plan to eat more. I read somewhere on this website that I should aim to increase the number of carbs in my diet by adding foods like oils, nuts, milk, and the like. To that end, I am going to eat a hearty breakfast of oatmeal, peanut butter, and blueberries every morning. And I'm going to try to increase the amount of whole milk I drink every day. 
• Second, I'm going to do a strength training routine every Monday Wednesday and Friday. I don't really have the money for a gym membership, so I'm just going to do body weight strength training for now. 
• Third, I'm going to get out of the house more. The nature where I live is great, so I'm going to find some trails, run as much as I can, and walk the rest

 

Well, that's all I have for now...

I've been on this site all day now, and I still feel like I have no idea what I am doing. So, if you have any advice or thoughts, they'd be helpful. 

 

Good luck on your goals,

Nick

[Sloth the Enduring]

Welcome Nick. Your plan sounds good so far. As you work through it you'll figure out is and isn't working for you. Good luck.

[Guzzi]

Hey @MagicYak!  

 

Don't sweat the fact that you don't have any specific fitness goals, wanting to just be in better shape/health is is a legitimate reason in itself.  Your plan sounds good, and doable (which is important) so go with that.  As Sloth said, you will find out what you enjoy and what you really don't enjoy by doing it, then you will probably start to set targets for yourself in relation to those.  You might decide that you want to be able to run for X minutes without stopping, or you might find that you want to increase your sprinting speed, or you might decide that you want to improve your distance.  You won't know until you start doing and enjoying it.

 

Have you had a chance to look around yet?  I always point newcomers to the 4 Week Challenges as it's how most people use the forum.  Here's a link explaining all about them, the rules and guidlines, the dates for this year's challenges and there's even some suggestions for what to do if you can't come up with your own challenge goals.  The challenges are very useful because it gives you a set format to follow and you feel like you've achieved something at the end of it, rather that working on something for months without a way of measuring your success and feeling like you're getting nowhere.  It's also a great way of getting to know other members and making friends.  Just remember though that your challenge goals aren't "on top" of your other goals, the plan you have above would be perfect for a challenge.  The next challenge starts on Feb 12th if you would like to join in.

[DyDy]

Welcome to the rebellion! I'm come from a different place, but I also want those abs! Just like @Guzzi said: find something you love. Exercise is much more fun that way.

[MagicYak]

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome.

Thanks Guzzi for pointing me in the right direction. This website is huge; it's easy to get overwhelmed. 

[Guzzi]

On 31/01/2017 at 8:31 PM, MagicYak said:

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome.

Thanks Guzzi for pointing me in the right direction. This website is huge; it's easy to get overwhelmed. 

 

No probs, if you need any help or advice then just give me a shout.