Working Out

[abandonedwolf]

This is a big factor of low self esteem sometimes (well for me) Can you guys just give me tips on how to start getting into exercise? I'm very skinny and weak so yeah.

 

[Badjedidude]

Start easy and slow. Your goal is into become a huge bodybuilder in a month, and a good amount of muscle-gain and strength improvement is going to take months of work and dedication. Keep this in mind while you're exercising. It's going to TAKE TIME. And you WILL feel like giving up, many times. The key is to just keep going and work THROUGH that feeling. So here are a simple things I started out with when I began to exercise:

1. Pushups. You don't need to start out big, just give it a go. Start with a goal of doing ten pushups, or maybe five if you can't get more. Do your pushups at least once daily (in the morning or before bed are good times). Just do a set of five pushups or so. It's that simple. As soon as you can master your current goal, set a higher amount to reach. Once you can do thirty, try for thirty-five. As soon as you get to forty, I'd recommend doing several sets of forty during the day. THIS WILL TAKE A WHILE, BUT IT WORKS.

2. Running. This is a good exercise for cardio and general life enjoyment. I find that when I run, I have time to sort my thoughts and simply experience the day and my body as it moves. You may need to start with walking, depending on what sort of shape you're in. The key here is to move quickly enough that you find it's hard to talk while walking/running. You WANT to be just out of breath enough that you won't be able to hold a conversation with anyone that would be beside you. Start by walking/running a couple of blocks, and when you find that you can reach your distance more easily, set a FARTHER distance.

3. Situps. Same as pushups, really. This is a good one for your core. Start slow and with low numbers and build from there, and then you can look up some more good core exercises when you're comofortable with this.

4. STRETCH! Always, always, always stretch before working out. A lot of people forget or neglect to do this, and they miss out of the benefits of it. Doing some simple stretches before an exercise or lift is SAFER, as it warms up your muscles and prepares them for action. It also helps to increase your flexibility, and acts as a cooldown AFTER exercises. Never hold a stretch for more than 10 seconds before exercising.

PATIENCE! Seriously, be patient. If you've never worked out seriously before, then you're going to feel like you're hitting a brick wall while starting this. You'll make a HUGE amount of progress in the first four weeks or so, and then you'll reach a plateau where you HATE working out and you subconsciously try to avoid it. Just focus your mind, write yourself reminders, do whatever you can to fight through this plateau. It's temporary. After a few weeks of this, you get to a point where you begin to look forward to and ENJOY working out, and it's this stage that you want to stay in.

 

[evanescencefan91]

working out is great, although it can be hard to get into,
try ridding a bike to work or school it's fun enviromentally friendy ( you don't have to pay for gas) and is great exc ersie,

I've never had any kind of specfic excerise program or anything,

I hadn't done any excersie for like over a month but I ended up going to the gym after work today and I ran a mile, and did a little on the bike machine, it was fun and it made me feel a lot better,

just try a little joggins atart off at a slow and comfortable pace, listen to some good music and see how far you can go, try going a little further when you get tired then take a break, and just keep at it

is there a gym nearby or any athletic clubs you can get into?

you just gotta go do it, but after you get started it's a whole lot easier to keep going

excerise also relases endorphins that make you feel good aka a runners high,

regular exercise has been found to be just as affective as antidepreseants


and also if I might add there are often hot chicks at the gyms,
it's awesome

 

[Brian]

Alright, you're going to need some things.


Go to Wal Mart, first.

You're going to buy two things:

1. A cheap pull up bar for your door frame.

2. Two sets of dumbells, one 'light' and one 'moderate' or 'heavy', or any combination of the three


Somewhere in your day, at the SAME time EVERY day, incorporate:

-Two sets of pushups
-Two sets of crunches or an abdominal exercise of your choice
-As many pullups as you can do
-Dumbell curls or hammer curls
-Shoulder flies


Start with this and go for a month to build a habit of exercise. DON'T YOU DARE DEVIATE FROM YOUR ROUTINE!

You will discover results, but you will also discover, if you are like me, that this is unbearably boring.

So I posit to you two things to continue your improvement, both of which are fun and effective. Do one, or do both.

1. Buy an actual mountain bike, go spend some real money on one made somewhere besides China, like Trek or Kona. Now talk to your local Forest Service office, or look online, and find the closest trails. Ride at least once or twice a week.

2. 'Acquire' Tony Horton's P90X workout program (not that I would suggest stealing it through, say, a bittorrent download as opposed to paying $200 for it, but that is always an option). You already have all the equipment you need to start doing it, since you bought some weights and a pullup bar. Just do as much of it as you can.

P90X has been criticized by weight lifting enthusiasts. But you know what? The facts stand on their own:

-The program has gotten countless people off their couch to SLIM DOWN and GET IN SHAPE.
-The program is FUN, it is ENTERTAINING, and there is a ton of variety in the program from classic lifting to yoga. I LOVE the Yoga. And it DOES produce results. Just search 'P90X Results' on Youtube.
-It will absolutely challenge you. You won't get gigantic, but you will add bulk and you will look good.

I highly suggest doing both. You will love it. If you do start P90X or any other workout routine, I recommend a whey protein powder supplement to help with the muscles.


Whatever you do, dude, there are three things that are key to success no matter what anybody else tries to tell you:

1. You have to enjoy doing it and be doing something that is fun to keep your attention.
2. You have to be CONSISTENT. Working out every other week or skipping your pushups for three days won't do anything for you.
3. You HAVE to eat right. Good food does not cost more, because it's an investment. You might spend 30% more for real produce and fresh foods and take some time to cook them, but you are far less likely to incur cancer or heart disease in your life. And, it's a great life skill with benefits of its own to be able to cook (it's sexy )

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do. But by all means, do something. In a world full of diseased, unhealthy people, you really do have the chance here to become a beacon example of fitness and health.

---

4. STRETCH! Always, always, always stretch before working out. A lot of people forget or neglect to do this, and they miss out of the benefits of it. Doing some simple stretches before an exercise or lift is SAFER, as it warms up your muscles and prepares them for action. It also helps to increase your flexibility, and acts as a cooldown AFTER exercises. Never hold a stretch for more than 10 seconds before exercising.

Oh ****, and THIS. So much emphasis on -this-.

Part of the nice thing about P90X actually is that it makes you stretch first. A buddy of mine neglected his stretching and actually hurt himself pretty good just doing pullups, knocked him out of his routine for about a month or so.

DON'T get hurt. ALWAYS stretch and take some good breaths, and NEVER overexert yourself whether in cardio or lifting. Regardless of age, you -can- damage muscles, joints, and other parts of the musculoskeletal system, and you can put your heart in to v-tach at any age (leading to a heart attack). Go for the gusto, but don't go past

(for a fella in his 20s, you dont want to exceed a heart rate of 160 really. Older you get, the lower that number goes.)

 

[Naleena]

While you are working out make sure you get enough protien. Your body need materials to build muscle. You can't build a house without nails...lol
Make sure you get enough rest to for your muscles to grow and recover.
Creatine is good and you can also buy supplements to help with your recovery time. Muscle grows when the body is at rest during recovery. But don't get ahead of yourself just yet by this. Make sure you get your protien along with your workouts.

 

[Brian]

One more thing.

If you follow no other rule of nutrition, follow this one. When purchasing bread or other grain items, base your selection on one question and one question only.

I've made a flowchart.

 

[Naleena]

One more thing.

If you follow no other rule of nutrition, follow this one. When purchasing bread or other grain items, base your selection on one question and one question only.

I've made a flowchart.

ROTFLMAO!!! Your so funny Brian.

 

[Unicles]

For optimal results and to avoid injury, don't forget to keep good form.

Like, for realz and stuff.

 

[Mary Mary]

One of the best things I did that motivates me to exercise on a regular basis is to join a hiking club. It started to help me associate exercise with more positive feelings. When I think of exercise, I think of the fun times with the people who eventually became my friends. At the center of my exercise routine is climbing 27 flights of stairs with a 30-pound backpack (I'm 96#). Of course, it's not my favorite thing to do; but while doing it, I think about the next backpacking trip and how much more fun it would be to do it if I'm in great shape.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Yeah, everyone who responded so far is correct.

Because you're skinny, you just need to eat A TON of protein, like tuna, eggs, red meat, chicken, lentils and stuff like that. Use carbs like brown rice and brown quinoa or couscous. Don't forget to eat your veggies.

Get an account on BodyBuilding.com, there is a nice network there of people who can help you.

But the 5 main exercises are squats, deadlifts, benchpress, powercleans, and military press, which are known as "the big lifts". Also, bicep curls and tricep dips are EXTREMELY important as well.

Since you're skinny, you need to QUIT RUNNING. Only run like ONCE a week. Get cardio from martial arts or burpees or swimming or something.

PM me if you have any further questions.

 

[tangerinedream]

One more thing.

If you follow no other rule of nutrition, follow this one. When purchasing bread or other grain items, base your selection on one question and one question only.

I've made a flowchart.

Great flow chart!


"The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead."

Yeah, yeah, it may be hokey, but rising numbers of obesity, insulin-resistant diabetes( and in children, ffs!), and heart disease don't lie.

The Standard American Diet is ****.

Also, I love yoga.

 

[abandonedwolf]

Thanks guys for the help! I've been working out for the past few weeks and i have noticed many differences physically and mentally

 

[Brian]

Way to be, brotha-man It is one thing to ask for advice and talk about improving ourselves...the real challenge is when we actually -do- it.

I stopped by the gym this morning (I like the mornings because I have it to myself) before going to teach my class and I had a great day, too.

What times do you work out during the day? I'm trying to move toward being a morning person, and hence working out in the morning. It feels like early in the day would be the easiest time slot to put exercise in, and I always feel great the whole day after.

Sadly, years of red-eyed late nights playing video games, watching anime and being depressed (subsequently followed by sleeping til noon) hamper the effort. I wish I could have both and just add hours to the day...

 

[Badjedidude]

I usually workout in the evenings. I try to do some general warmup stuff every morning, but it's never anything too hard. Mostly just something to get my blood moving and my body as loose as it can be for the day. The evening is when I push hardest; sleeping fairly soon afterward also gives my body time to rebuild for the next day's efforts.

*shrug*

To each their own.