Current Events > how often should i be doing strength exercises

(+) Yeah! (+)

Don't get in over your head. A lot of people are giving you advice that is way too advanced for you. Don't think about taking that advice until you've built consistent habits of working out over many months.

Basically, just have a day off between strength training days. Three times a week is what you should aim for.

When people go in too hard on a workout regimen then that only increases the chances that you'll bail on it. Just be gradual with it. Don't get too eager for results. Just keep building good habits so that the changes you're making don't seem too dramatic.

There is a sweet spot in soreness you should wish to achieve. Don't want to be too sore where you can barely move, but you still want to feel it a bit. That will let you know if you are challenging your body enough or too much.

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Blow your shoulders out, it's good for building character.

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I lift six times a week.

Lower body
Chest
Lower body
Back
Rest
Lower body
Chest/Back/Arms

YellowMustard69 posted...

Rest

My favourite lift for sure
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krazychao5 posted...

All the complexities in working out and dieting are so complicated that I end up doing nothing

This is why you shouldn't START OFF worrying so much about that stuff. Just be consistent and show up to the gym. Track your exercises and make sure you're improving gradually. Just make little improvements to your diet here and there. Cutting out soda/beer/desserts is a pretty easy improvement for most people.

No one should really be worrying too much about the more complicated stuff until they've been working out for many months. It will just overwhelm you.

Way too many people just dive in way too deep and then they quit. Play the long game. Don't focus as much on the results of how your body is changing, but on keeping consistent habits. Eventually you'll reach a point where getting more complex with your diet and workout is no longer overwhelming and just a simple transition.

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TommyG663513 posted...

This is why you shouldn't START OFF worrying so much about that stuff. Just be consistent and show up to the gym. Track your exercises and make sure you're improving gradually. Just make little improvements to your diet here and there. Cutting out soda/beer/desserts is a pretty easy improvement for most people.

No one should really be worrying too much about the more complicated stuff until they've been working out for many months. It will just overwhelm you.

Way too many people just dive in way too deep and then they quit. Play the long game. Don't focus as much on the results of how your body is changing, but on keeping consistent habits. Eventually you'll reach a point where getting more complex with your diet and workout is no longer overwhelming and just a simple transition.

That's precisely what I said in my first post and a follow-up post soon after.

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philsov posted...

https://www.eatthismuch.com/

Type in 1250 calories over 4 meals

You'll hit ~100g protein.

Hit refresh a few times to see the bank of items to make it a little more modular.

Wow is that website useful, I've never heard of it but I have so many bitchy little friends who go I don't know how to eat well or I need someone to tell me exactly what to eat. This is perfect to shut them up, and a useful tool for me.
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today i woke up at 7am, with my last meal at 8pm last night. i ran 2 miles and then did a short beginner arm workout with my kettle bell.

then i ate at 12pm. 500ish calories. my next meal will be tonight at 7pm and then again a small snack at 8pm. then no eating until tomorrow at 12pm. total calories is 1250. protein should be about 150 since i have a lot of chicken i need to finish lol.

I HOPE THIS WORKS

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It will work just be consistent, no cheat foods, watch the carbs, eat your proteins and healthyfats, eat some salads and leafy greens. That habit will fall into place easily. Then you can start worrying about strength training, supplements, etc.

ALSO make sure you drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, 2-3 liters of water per day, maybe some black coffee or green tea, try not to have any sugar-free drinks. Lemon water with a pinch of salt and some apple cider vinegar is great for quenching thirst, replacing minerals and detoxing the liver.

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Yeah make sure you are drinking lots of water every day. And make sure you are lifting after you've eaten.

I hit a plateau some time ago and I found out it was because I was lifting on an empty stomach in the mornings and not staying hydrated enough.

6 day workout split works wonders

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Rainbow_Dashing posted...

Wow is that website useful, I've never heard of it but I have so many bitchy little friends who go I don't know how to eat well or I need someone to tell me exactly what to eat. This is perfect to shut them up, and a useful tool for me.

It's pretty nice! And you can hover over things and it gives a basic ingredient list and directions.

I took a more "organic" approach and got a kitchen scale and figured out the calories in all the things I ate on the regular, but if a $20 purchase and 15 minutes of taking notes prior/during cooking a dish for the first time only is "too hard" for some people, well, this is something to spoon feed 'em.
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whatever you do, look up exercises to keep your shoulders healthy and which excersises to avoid so you don't suffer from impingement or other shoulder related problems.

It's so easy to fuck those over time doing strength exercises and shoulder problems are a pain in the ass that will take forever to get rid of.


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ALIEN_WORK2HOP posted...

whatever you do, look up exercises to keep your shoulders healthy and which excersises to avoid so you don't suffer from impingement or other shoulder related problems.

It's so easy to fuck those over time doing strength exercises and shoulder problems are a pain in the ass that will take forever to get rid of.

This this this!

I fucked up my rotator cuff doing an exercise improperly and my shoulders have never been the same. I had to do lots of high rep, low weight exercised specifically to build up my rotator cuff. It's been almost a year now and probably 75% of what it used be currently, and I mainly just did dumbell and cable exercises for my rotator cuff.

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3 days a week if you do it right. That's directly from the leading expert on barbell strength training, Mark Rippetoe. He's been studying the shit since at least the 70's and his beginner's program has been reputed as the best for about that long. If you go to the forums at bodybuilding.com and ask what you should do, most members will recommend his Starting Strength program.

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How big must one get to escape the "he must be starving himself intentionally" range?

krazychao5 posted...

And 1900 calories is really little food.

fuck yes it's alot of food when limiting yourself to healthy sources and reaching macro ratios. Least it feels like it is

Uh, just watch what you eat and do full body maybe 3x a week to get in the habit of exercising regularly. Then, you can do 6x a week working specific muscle groups on each day like many gym goers if you want. I still stick to 3-4x per week full body as it's ideal for me. I'm not some fitness expert but I've been doing this for a while and I've made good progress. If I can deadlift over 330 lbs while only weighing 128 lbs, then you can probably handle a lot more weight once you started seeing progress and making gains. Good luck, TC. We're all going to make it.

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TommyG663513 posted...

This is why you shouldn't START OFF worrying so much about that stuff. Just be consistent and show up to the gym. Track your exercises and make sure you're improving gradually. Just make little improvements to your diet here and there. Cutting out soda/beer/desserts is a pretty easy improvement for most people.

No one should really be worrying too much about the more complicated stuff until they've been working out for many months. It will just overwhelm you.

Way too many people just dive in way too deep and then they quit. Play the long game. Don't focus as much on the results of how your body is changing, but on keeping consistent habits. Eventually you'll reach a point where getting more complex with your diet and workout is no longer overwhelming and just a simple transition.

Gym I can understand. You want to create habits and master form(!!!! lest you come out like me)

But shouldn't dieting begin immediately? Can't imagine seeing any results of worth over several months without some big initial changes.

@_BIueMonk how is your progress coming along so far? Curious to see what changes you are making and what you've learned and done so far.

MelzezDoor posted...

Gym I can understand. You want to create habits and master form(!!!! lest you come out like me)

But shouldn't dieting begin immediately? Can't imagine seeing any results of worth over several months without some big initial changes.

Yes, dieting will be where 80% of the weight loss comes into play. Exercise and other healthy habits like regular sleep and lowering stress will be the how the other 20% goes.

What you also have to consider is changing your outlook on weight loss. People think that losing weight is what makes you healthy, but your weight is a symptom of your health. So if you change your lifestyle to become healthier, your weight will change as a result. Get healthy to lose weight, not the other way around.

Making better choices and staying consistent is what will ultimately lead to your success. If you have to choose between a sandwich or a salad, go with the salad. If you have to choose the dressing for the salad, choose the one with healthy fats and low carbs and sugar, even if it means having caesar dressing every day. Keeping the carbs low, while having the protein and fat moderate to high, is going to gradually fix your body, unlock your fat reserves, clean up toxins and garbage, and undo all the damage done over years from hormone imbalances, inflammation, sub-clinical nutrient deficiencies and more.

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At least you're doing Cardio bluemonk, i walk a lot at work and use that as an excuse not to do real cardio(20k+ steps 3 days a week. Inadequate) but at least i'm doing some dumbbell stuff. Just to make my chest look okay.

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LookANinja posted...

At least you're doing Cardio bluemonk, i walk a lot at work and use that as an excuse not to do real cardio(20k+ steps 3 days a week. Inadequate) but at least i'm doing some dumbbell stuff. Just to make my chest look okay.

Yeah I recently bought a smartwatch to help with steps/exercise, and it's very handy. I'm easily getting over 10k steps at work on my rest days, and over 20k on my cardio days. Super handy for playing Pokemon GO too, I'm able to hatch eggs and do battling easily with all that distance.

It's better to start out with resistance machines imo, it's less invasive than free weights and helps you learn proper form and rhythm. So focus on key exercises like bench press, overhead press, rows, pec flys, rear delts, lat pulldown, chin-ups, push-ups, bicep curls, squats, leg press, triceps press, etc.

Why it's also important to start out doing full-body, learn the basics and get your body used to feeling tired and rested. Then split workouts into upper/lower, push/pull/legs, 4/5 day split, etc.

As well as rotator cuff exercises. Those are very important too. Side cable flys, face pulls, side dumbell curls.

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