This is the Way.

[Vita]

Hi all! I recently joined a gym to address mobility and pain issues. I am overweight, but I need to first focus on becoming stronger at an average fitness level before I can truly make weight loss goals. I cannot sit/lay on the floor, so that seems to take a lot of options away (though I want to work towards being able to do that.) 

 

My biggest frustration since joining the gym has been carving out a good strength routine to build from. In my search, I found NF, and I am hoping I'll be able to find my groove with exercises soon enough. I found the 4 week challenge forum, which greatly inspired me to write goals and a big picture plan for the year. I did join the challenge, and am starting with 4 goals! I also want to set goals with my character, I am still learning about that...

 

So anyways...hi from an old lady (I'm 38!)  If anyone has any advice about a beginner strength training routine, I would love to learn more about that - I need to focus on building lower body strength, and my core. But any exercises that don't require me to lie/sit on the floor, bend down a lot or use a lot of balance are welcomed! 

[Defining]

Hey! I just wrote an essay on basic programming, will poke around and find it for you. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ This is a great beginner workout - you can do the pushups and planks against a bench (hands elevated) to make it easier, and that way you won't be on the floor. Welcome to NF, see you around the boards! 

 

EDIT: Found it!

100% everything that @navis said  

 

I really like https://bretcontreras.com for information on programming - it's a great combination of no-nonsense 'what works' in addition to some of the physiological causes/effects.

 

When I first started programming, I found it useful to break stuff down a bit:

 

Strength Planes (with examples) - There are lots more, but this is a good start

Horizontal Pull (rows)

Horizontal Push (pushups, bench press)

Vertical Pull (pullups/chinups)

Vertical Push (military press, headstand press)

Hip Dominant (deadlift, hip thrust)

Knee Dominant (squat variations)

Core (RKC planks, deadbugs)

 

Obviously there are a bunch of accessory movements to consider, and some overlap between them all, but I generally try to include one of each of these for any given 'full body' workout I do. You can also split things as upper/lower workout, push/pull workout, etc. Starting Strength is great, but I'd recommend adding a horizontal pull to the lineup to maintain balance - lifters are, generalising for the whole group, typically quite unbalanced and deficient in their posterior (back) strength vs anterior. ie.not enough pulling.

 

Progressive overload is the name of the game, and that can come in several forms:

Intensity (heavier weights)

Density (shorter rests)

Volume (more reps and/or sets)

Frequency (more workouts)

As well as other markers of improvement, such as increasing range of motion, maintaining the same strength levels while dropping body fat, increasing speed or acceleration, etc.

 

Warm ups and mobility work are also things you'll have to consider. The 'in fashion' thing is to stretch and foam roll before/after hopping on the treadmill for 10min, and then starting your workout. There are so many different camps, with different ideas & biases, but I do something a bit different - detailed below. But do your own research! I also do a bit of mobility work (especially anything with joint distraction & voodoo floss) and some activation exercises (eg. bird dogs & face pulls) in my morning and evening routines because that works best for me.

 

Next, you have to consider what you want to accomplish. Bear in mind, you don't have to only choose one, everything is related - but you should figure out what you'd like to FOCUS on.

 

Goals (with typical training suggestions)

Power (plyometrics)

Strength (1-6rep/set)

Hypertrophy (6-12rep/set)

Endurance (shorter rest periods, higher volume)

 

Personally, endurance & power aren't main priorities for me, so I focus predominantly on strength & hypertrophy (for now). I don't do well with complex programming, and I train on my own so am very cautious about increasing weight too quickly, so here's what I do:

 

Warmup: 2-4 sets of sun salutation, warmup reps before each lift (eg. if I'm squatting 50lbs, start with 5x10lb, 5x20lb, 5x30lb, 5x40lb) - time consuming, but makes a big difference for me

 

Mobility: stretching the active muscle groups in between sets (eg. for squats: calf stretch, runners stretch with towel under knee, lunge stretch, lacrosse ball rolling on tight spots that day)

 

Cool down: typically 15min rowing and/or another few sets of sun salutation

 

Lifting:

-Choose one movement for each of the planes mentioned above. For myself: goblet squat, hip thrust, push up, lat pull down, inverted row, core varies. (I don't do vertical push movements at the moment, I don't have sufficient thoracic mobility to do them safely)

-Decide what - if any - accessory, activation, or mobility work I want to include (one goal at a time, you can't do everything at once)

-Pick a weight that I can comfortably lift for 3-4 reps

-Complete as many sets as necessary to hit a minimum of 25 reps (eg. 4-4-4-3-3-3-3-3), stopping just before technical failure

-Progression comes from increasing how many reps I can get into each set, until I can do 3 sets of 10 (6-6-6-5-3, 8-7-5-5, 8-8-8-7, 10-9-9, 10-10-10); core exercise progressions may be a simple increase in the length of time, consecutive reps, weight, etc.

-Increase the weight to your new 3-4 rep max, and then start all over again

 

I like this process for a number of reasons: I work through all rep ranges, the rep minimum guarantees that I'm still putting in at least the same amount of work, it takes a while to increase weight (again, I train alone at home), and it's very easy to track progress. I also use tempo cues to ensure that I'm not 'bouncing' the weights, and do focus quite a bit on the eccentric part of movements (hurts more, harder to recover from, but gives better/faster progress if done safely). Finally, stretching in between sets is a built-in rest period, but still feels productive (has other benefits, but whatever ).

 

Recovery is important - this includes non-exercise activity (eg. light swimming, walking, hiking, yoga, etc.), leaving enough time between workouts, diet (quality whole foods for the most part, keeping hydrated, 1g protein/ lb of bodyweight, getting enough kcal, & vit/minerals from vegetables), sleep quantity AND quality, keeping stress down, etc. Try to include a 'deload' every 6-8 weeks: 5-6 days of significantly lighter workouts, or non exercise physical activity.

 

Personally, I also try to keep my workout (excluding warmup & cool down) under 45min. Sometimes, depending on the rep/set scheme of any given movement, that means I can't get all my movements done in the same workout. Two options: 1) Keep track of what you missed last workout, and make sure you start the next one with those!  2) Do a second workout in the same day, at least 6hrs after the first, with the remaining lifts (this is what I do, but I'm fortunate in having the flexibility in my schedule to do so).

 

Plus the most effective way to lose fat is to combine lifting and higher intensity cardio - so you'll have to decide how that's going to look for you. For example:

Mon: Full body lifting

Tues: Sprint intervals

Wed: Full body lifting

Thurs: Jump rope intervals 

Fri: 60min of rock climbing (recovery) 

Sat: Full body lifting, followed by 30min of swimming laps

Sun: 60min walking, 60min yoga (recovery) 

 

Other cardio options could include: Loaded carries (AWESOME!), circuit work, burpees, kettlebell swings, rowing (one of my favourites), cycling, speed climbing stairs, etc.

 

As far as your personal goals go, there's nothing preventing you from prioritising lower body lifts & accessory work, so long as it's not detrimental to maintaining your upper body as well. This could be done by adding in a lower body day, subbing one in for a full body day, or splitting upper/lower days, and do more days focusing on lower. The gym is your oyster! 

 

One of the fun - and daunting - aspects of weight training is the sheer flexibility and potential for customising it to your personal physiology, needs, wants, and available time/equipment. Most of all, it's important for you to HAVE FUN! Because if this becomes a miserable experience for you, it's almost guaranteed that you won't stick with it.

 

I'm not a pro or expert, I just read too much. Be sure to do your own research, experiment to figure out what works for you, and be safe.

 

PS. I hope this wasn't too much information all at once!

[Vita]

Thank you so much! I have to admit, I don't know what half of those terms meant! But I was able to take away some good messages overall, and I will be sure to look over the materials in the link you provided. 

[Defining]

31 minutes ago, Vita said:

Thank you so much! I have to admit, I don't know what half of those terms meant! But I was able to take away some good messages overall, and I will be sure to look over the materials in the link you provided. 

Don't jump in the deep end!  Start with that bodyweight circuit, it's a great place to start for beginners. Then you can slowly learn things as you go!

[Vita]

On 2/28/2017 at 4:38 PM, Defining said:

Don't jump in the deep end!  Start with that bodyweight circuit, it's a great place to start for beginners. Then you can slowly learn things as you go!

 

I watched the Beginner Body Weight video, and honestly it helped me a ton! It at least gave me a template and starting point on some exercises I can do. Here's what I have settled on for a plan:

 

Arms/Upper Body:

Wall Push Ups - Aim for at least 20

Bicep Curls - Using at least 8 lb weight for each arm, 2-3 sets of 10 reps, each arm.

Dumbbell Rows (I got this idea from the video!) - Using 8 lb. weight for each arm, 2-3 sets of 10 reps, each arm.

Tricep Kickbacks, standing: With this one, I will lean forward keeping my back straight, and extend my arms out behind me, from the sides of my chest. Will use 5-8 lb weights, and start with 2 sets of 10 reps each arm

Arm Circles: I know this seems pretty simplistic, but it can give you a pretty good workout! I will aim for doing 1-2 minutes of this 

Chest Press Machine: I will use this at the gym...I don't have a set routine carved out so I will have to experiment with it next time. 

 

Legs/Lower Body: (as you may remember, lower body is the most challenging for me! So I will have to be sure to challenge myself a bit more in this area...)

Knee Lifts: This is more for a warm up than anything. I will aim for 20 knee lifts, each leg, to warm up for all lower body workouts. 

Squats: So hard for me! But I will aim for 3 sets of 7 squats. Sounds weird, but I want to go shorter reps/ more sets so I don't feel too overwhelmed. 

Lunges: This one is really hard for me to do properly! I am still trying to find the correct form and howto work the right muscles. I will continue to work on these diligently, and will aim to do 10 lunges, with each leg (so a total of 20.) 

Deadlifts: I will probably only use 8-10 pounds to start, but I will aim to begin by doing 10 of these, with each lower body workout. 

Rear Leg Raises: I have to do these standing for now, but I find it's one of the only exercises that REALLY works my glutes. Lunges don't seems to work them (I am probably not doing them 100% correctly...working on that...) so for now I am finding ways to do standing rear leg raises. I aim to do 10 each leg, of these.

 

Core: (core workouts are a priority for me, I need to really focus on consistently building strength there, but it is hard to find standing core exercise!)

Core circles: I'm not sure what the proper term is for these...but I found a video on it and I really like it. It truly does make you focus on using your core, and establish a mind-muscle connection there. Here's the video: 

 

Standing Ab Twists: Hold a 10 lb weight vertically in both hands, at the center of the chest. Focus on isolated torso twists from left to right, and stop to brielfy rest in the middle. I really like doing these, I can do a lot of them and I will feel it for a day or two afterwards. I aim to do 30 of these. 

 

That's what I've got, for now!