Gym - Want Advice for a Healthier Lifestyle

[Dumivid]

Howdy.

I have a lot of questions about how to begin a gym routine. I know that the wast majority of them are „internal/body awareness stuff” but I want a solid map before I go into the field.

Next week I am going to join the gym and I want some advice.

My main goals and flaws:

• After I lost 30kg (around 65 pounds) I have some extra skin on my body, and this is especially obvious on my belly (the best way to improve this is to grow the abs muscles, I don't want any surgery on my body).
• My arms and back muscles are quite weak. I cannot do even 1 proper pull up and I am sick of it.
• My knees from siting the most part of my life have become „soft”. Doing 20 squats seems harder than 20 pushups. Funny enough I don't have problems with my knees while I run.
   

Now, my overwhelming list of questions. I understand, I have to find the proper training for myself but I want some general knowledge (both new one and some reinforcement of old one):

1. I did enough cardio till to this point – shall I focus more on weight lifting and forget about cardio or its better to do both?
    
2. If I still do cardio, can I do it 5 days a week (mon-fry) and do exercises 3 days (Mon, Wed, Fry)? Also, shall I have 48 hours brakes on the weekend? From what I felt, only after I don't do exercises for 48h I feel fully rested and I see some muscle/strength grow (or maybe I am just delusional).
    
3. Till now I had enough rest from only 6 hours of sleep, but when I start training will it be enough or I shall extend for at least 7 hours a day?
    
4. About food. I don't want to take any supplements. Overall I eat clean, but I want to understand what will be the best choice to grow as EFFICIENT as possible. From what I read: white meat, beans, whole grains, nuts and some dairyes (cottage chese, kefir, pure yougurt) are my best friends in gaining mass (also combined with a lot of fruits/veggies/berries). Is the formula 1-2g of protein per 1kg of body weight + clean food enough of a diet? Also, food like fish (we dont have much acces to quality fresh fish, more friged/farm fish), hearth, the liver will be beneficial for muscle/strength grow? Maybe there is some kind of “superfood” I am not aware of (aren’t wall-nut and hearths considered super food?)
    
5. Hunger is also an “issue”. I have started 5-6 weeks ago to train at home and I have noticed that my appetite grows. It was expected, but eating 60-70% vegies/fruits/beans does not help very much, shall I move on a daily basis to more “whole grains stuff” like rice, buckwheat, and oatmeal?
    
6. Is it crucial to eat 1-2h before the gym? And is it really necessary to hydrate me during the workout? I have poor logistic related to gym, that’s why I will attend it at the noon (basically 6h after my breakfast). Also, I don’t tend to crave water during a session, only after I finish.
    
7. On training – This part confuses me the most. I have no idea how a good workout YouTube channel looks like. If you guys are researching for a while this field, maybe you can recommend a “hidden gem” or just a legit dude. Also, I have downloaded the Fitvate app, It haves good reviews and overall seems nice, but are there better apps (or all of them recycle exactly the same content?).

 

To summarize
I want to get muscle mass on my abs and muscle strength on the rest of the body. What is the most optimal way to start (exercises, numbers of gym sessions per week, food and sleep routines)? I know it’s a lot of stuff but I want to be prepared. I personally struggle the most with a proper training schedule, everything else I already have some general ideas. Thx in advance for any advice.

Have a great day!

[Knock]

@Dumivid I would not worry about any of the above questions, as they will only distract you. Trust me, I've seen it a thousand times (prove me wrong )

Talking about gym without going to the gym first is putting the cart before the horse, it only gets in your way.

In terms of cardio or weights, do what feels best for you.

Just get to the gym. Make it a habit. This is 90% of it. Nutrition, eating times, specific exercises - all a distraction, for now. 

Just get to the gym. Don't miss a workout for 4 weeks, then get back to me / forums.

Edited August 11, 2019 by Knock

[Dumivid]

@Knock I do get your position. I see 2 "problems" with my general approach:
1)Paralysis by analysis - aka mental masturbation (i have an area in my life where I study "how-to" for more than 1 year, yet I took almost zero action till the recent 1-2 months or so).
2) People suck at building habits.

Well, the first one - I already have committed to go to the gym, it's not like "I need to watch 100 videos before I attempt" as I usually do.

Second, I am good at building habits/routines. For me it will not be an issue to stick to a schedule, BUT! I need a stable/sustainable schedule. I don't know how many times per week I shall do some sets of exercises and how many other sets.

Plus there is a chance that I will get injuries if I do exercises in a wrong way. I will learn from that, no doubt, but I would prefer to minimize unnecessary damage.

[Natasha]

@Dumivid I go to the gym 3 times a week. My routine is very simple - cardio --> stretches --> muscle toning --> dry sauna --> shower

I follow this order every time, but rotate the cardio and muscle toning equipment to give my body a more rounded workout.

I would also join a group exercise or yoga class when I feel like it. I try to make it fun and don't push myself too much, just enough to feel the burn. 

My goal is really to just condition my body and maintain good health, not body build, though. I also eat healthy, which is important for general wellbeing. Too much vigorous exercise can actually be counter-productive if you want a well balanced life-style. 

 

[Dumivid]

I wish I could understand what "fun" self-improving looks like, I usually prefer and go with the "pain" of growth and achievement, no fun allowed here!
@Natasha3 times a week seems like the right number for me too, especially because I know that if I decide to go 6 times a week I will find both energy and stubbornness to continue even if this somehow will hurt me.

Stretches -> Cardio -> Compound Push /Compound Pull /Compound Legs exercises days -> Shower      seems like the best plan for the first month I have so far.

Group exercises sound like a great idea, but I don't know if I can afford them/if the gym I chose have those on the time I go, but at least I will give it a try (especially because socializing is a "subtle" extra reason why I want to join).

My diet is healthy as well, but I want to add more "muscle grow" food, that's it.

Thx for reply.

[Forestluv]

@Dumivid It’s really hard to gain muscle mass while doing a lot of cardio. You might want to consider going light on cardio - not much cardio is needed to for baseline cardi-vascular health. Perhaps 20min. 3X weekly. . . . Lifting weights of course is great to build muscle mass. I would recommend considering yoga. It’s great for muscle strength and toning as well as overall balance, posture flexibility and injury prevention. There are tons of free videos online, many are only 20-30min. long.

[AlldayLoop]

I highly recommend watching Athlean-X if you’re serious about learning the ins and outs of not only strength training, but also the science and biomechanics

[Dumivid]

@SerotoninluvThx for advice. 15-25 minutes of cardio + 30-45 minutes of workout seems like the right amount.
By Yoga you mean to join classes/find gurus (both is very hard where I live) or just online courses/videos? I am not so sure if I can learn proper Yoga on my own, but if I will feel confident with my gym routine after a while, I might add some home Kriya for "balance".

@AlldayLoopThx for the recommendation. The guy seems legit. From my experience, is hard to find quality teaching. Usually, I have to filter 90% of the content I watch. For now, I will stick with Athelan and will see where it goes.

[Michael569]

Every gym these days employs bunch of personal trainers. Get a couple sessions with one to show you how to train all body parts and after that patience and discipline will show first results. As a new lifter you may see first decent results in 3 months after 4 workouts per week. 

You need to eat in excess so that your body has spare "building blocks" to grow muscle as that is one of the lowest priorities for it. Getting 1.6 up to 2g per kg of bodyweight of protein will ensure a positive nitrogen balance.

Get decent 8 hours of sleep if you can. During sleep, your pituitary gland releases its largest pulse of growth hormone. 

Don't neglect the big lifts: squads, dead lifts, bench press, bend over rows and shoulder press will be your greatest contributors, these exercises work majority of body muscles so absolutely make sure they are implemented once you get a bit accustomed to lifting. 

 

[Rigel]

An important thing is to be mindful. Better to do 10 conscious rep than 20 unconscious ones! By that I mean put your awareness on the muscle that you are working on and go very slowly. Feel the muscle fibers contracting and releasing with your awareness.

I personally prefer to do body weight exercises but I guess it's just taste  

Just make sure your diet is on point!

[Dumivid]

Thx for sharing guys
@Michael569 4 times per week seems like overkill, especially for the first month but ill try to keep an open mind about that. Also, is it even possible/healthy to consume 140g of protein per day without supplements? Also ill google later more about "whole-body training", seems like the best place to start my deep research after I accommodate myself with the habit.

@Rigel I did that mistake in the past when I thought 100-150 common push-ups are a sign of growing (in a way they were) but only after I started to do more mindful exercises 2 months ago I understood how wrong I was. Fuck, I even remember times when 20 knees push-ups seemed like a lot for me. It took me only 2.5 years to get "serious" about the workout, what a lesson to learn. And yeah, sleep, diet, meditation, and only after workout! Lucky for me I already have the first 3 in place (more or less).

[AlldayLoop]

On 8/11/2019 at 4:59 AM, Dumivid said:

 I see 2 "problems" with my general approach:
1)Paralysis by analysis - aka mental masturbation (i have an area in my life where I study "how-to" for more than 1 year, yet I took almost zero action till the recent 1-2 months or so).
2) People suck at building habits.

 

2 hours ago, Rigel said:

An important thing is to be mindful. 

I highly recommend watching Leo’s episode on “Body Awareness - How To Relax Your Body”.

For some reason I missed out on this episode; I haven’t gotten around to it until today. This is a foundational episode, especially for people like you and I who overthink and have trouble taking consistent action.

Most importantly, work on the root cause of why and what causes you to be paralyzed by analysis. Otherwise you can keep getting excited with new habits, routines, concepts, etc. but they won’t penetrate deep into your entire being. You’ll end up doing these habits for a year, but then out of seemingly nowhere you quit. 

Awareness alone is curative

[Dumivid]

@AlldayLoop I don't remember any particular insight from this episode besides "relax your body when you feel tension". K, maybe I miss something.

[Waves]

20 hours ago, Dumivid said:

is it even possible/healthy to consume 140g of protein per day without supplements?

I was worried about this issue as well. I've been tracking what I eat on https://cronometer.com/ for the last month and I've seen I can reach 130-150g of protein with little effort, on a plant-based diet, no protein supplementation. I admit I eat a lot of food (around 3200 kcal equivalent daily, 71 kg of weight), but most of it contains a good amount of fiber and water. You just have to know which foods have a good amount of protein and include them in every meal you have. Some of my usual sources are: tofu, beans, lentils, oats, soy milk, whole wheat products.

As a general gym advice I want to stress the importance of mind-muscle connection, which is basically the ability to feel a specific muscle work and to recruit the highest amount of its fibers during an exercise. The stronger the connection, the more efficiently you can use and train your muscles. Another important factor is the intensity with which you train: what's going to give the stimulus to grow to the muscle is the intensity of the exercise and the effort you put in to perform it. 

Make sure you learn the perfect form of an exercise before you load the weight. Pay attention to your stability, posture and symmetry.

If you don't know where to start, it might be a wise choice to buy a 90-day program that fits your needs. (Athlean X's ones look solid), otherwise just start with what you've got, and continue to educate yourself and work on your training plans. There is so much to say about this topic, I've been trying to figure it out for 2 years now.

[Forestluv]

@Dumivid I do home videos - a mix of Hatha, Vinyassa and YIn yoga. I consider kriya as a meditation practice.

Yoga classes are not very accessible to me, they are too expensive and I don’t resonate with the group vibe at standard Yoga classes.

[Michael569]

On 12/08/2019 at 7:53 PM, Dumivid said:

@Michael569 4 times per week seems like overkill, especially for the first month but ill try to keep an open mind about that. Also, is it even possible/healthy to consume 140g of protein per day without supplements? Also ill google later more about "whole-body training", seems like the best place to start my deep research after I accommodate myself with the habit.

If your goal is the growth of muscle then consistency and frequency are the key. There needs to be a repetitive mechanical strain. If you are going to split such as chest+triceps, back+biceop, legs, delts + abs then each body part only gets trained once a week which is not massive but it will get you some result. Alternatively, you can squeeze legs and delts in the same day and add a day of cardio/bodyweight/stretching or just restar the whole circle. Being a beginner you will see initial gains pretty quickly but it will slow down after some time which is when repetition of stress will come in play. 

Do you eat a mixed diet or mostly plant-based? On a diet that includes animal products, it is possible and quite easy to get the protein. On plant-based, it is slightly harder and a good clean protein powder such as Vivo Life (personal preference) can help with that. Whatever your choice is, there are no limits and it can be absolutely done naturally. Protein is just a little bit of cheating we do 

Athlean X made a great video on a whole-body split. You should check it out. The guy also has some pretty amazing programs if you feel stuck and don't know where to start. 

 

Edited August 14, 2019 by Michael569

[Dumivid]

@Waves 3200 kcal... my usual norm was around 1700 before the gym. The app seems nice, is faster to check products with that than to search on the Internet.
Mindfulness might be something that I will struggle for a while. I feel anxious as a noobie in the gym, that's why I got stuck in my head when I don't do exercises (yet, doing them is exactly what get me unstuck from the mind). I'll keep an eye over my overall awareness, I am sure that I am not nearly are mindfull as I think. Thx.


@SerotoninluvK, yoga is not yet one of my priorities, but ill keep an eye on them. Thx.

@Michael569As I said, the first months are just me accommodating to the climate and building a habit. I'll find out later what set of exercises and in wich order better suits me.
I eat everything, that's why I have asked about fish, hearts, liver, wall-nut, cottage-cheese and whole grains.
I see a lot of guys recommend Athlean X, is he that good in comparison with other channels? Thx.

[AlldayLoop]

2 hours ago, Dumivid said:

I see a lot of guys recommend Athlean X, is he that good in comparison with other channels? Thx.

In terms of credibility and consistency I would say yes. Also if you are scientifically minded and analytical, he is for sure one of the best sources of information on there. 

[Michael569]

1 hour ago, AlldayLoop said:

In terms of credibility and consistency I would say yes. Also if you are scientifically minded and analytical, he is for sure one of the best sources of information on there. 

^^ agreed. I see lots of guys bashing on what Jeff delivers but the amount of free content he pumps out,...splits and tips that would cost you months of trial and error and hundreds in personal training to figure out. He brings in a lot of anathomy to back shit up. His humour is a bit dry but Jessie, his side-kick is kinda making sure that gets added in

[Waves]

@Dumivid  Unless you're a tiny person () 1700 kcal is really low. You can calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) here https://tdeecalculator.net/. It's basically the rough amount of calories you have to take in in order to maintain your weight. So if you want to put on mass you should add 10% (or 200-300 kcal) to that and try to eat that amount.

Just focus on what you want to do in the gym. Focus on executing the movements properly, on feeling the muscles work and on your conscious effort. Don't pay attention to the judgement of other people, they're just thinking about themselves. It will all develop with time, just be consistent