I'm only 5-10 lbs overweight, but my body composition is almost entirely fat. Even though I feel good about dropping from 204 lbs to 156 - my chest, arms, and back muscles are severely underdeveloped. Struggling with depression my whole life, it's hard for me to find motivation within myself (in regards to literally every aspect of my life, not just fitness). But I'm going to try a new strategy: tapping into the power of spite to will changes into my life.
Being healthy and fit is something I want for myself, however my mental hurdles often convince me that improving my situation isn't possible. But there's a wedding coming up at the end of August, and my ex will be there lmao. So I'm going to see if I can trick my brain a little. If I struggle with making things happen for myself, maybe I can use the desire to "show them" to get myself going. After I stick to the routine for a few weeks, maybe I'll be able to use that to show myself, "Look what you've accomplished! You can make things happen if you really want it."
So, I have a resistance bar with bands that allegedly goes up to 300 lbs of resistance. I want to follow this beginner's routine on Reddit:
Workout A
- 3×5+ Barbell Rows
- 3×5+ Bench Press
- 3×5+ Squats
Workout B
- 3×5+ Chinups (or equivalent)
- 3×5+ Overhead Press
- 3×5+ Deadlifts
I'll add one biceps and one triceps exercise to this routine as well. I just want to keep it simple so I don't get discouraged after 3 workouts.
I know nutrition is equally important to exercise, but I'm going to introduce that into my life gradually. I'll be mindful of what I eat, but if I jump right into counting calories and focusing on macros, I'll end up giving up.
So, what kind of changes could I expect after 3 months of work? I've read that initial gains on untrained muscles can become noticeable within that timeframe. I'm not expecting to look like Tom Holland, but I'd love it if my back muscles became strong enough to help my posture look better. If my arms looked a little bigger in a short-sleeved shirt. If my chest muscles were a little visible and not just flabby boobies. Are those reasonable expectations? And I'm open to any other advice or pointers you may want to throw my way. Thanks!
The rule I've always told friends starting out is that, with a consistent routine, others tend to notice a difference in two months and you'll notice a difference in 3. Take before and after pictures and do regular measurements so that you've got numbers to hold you over in the meantime.
I don't know you, so i can't say much to the workout you're looking at, but the trick really amounts to building a mindset of consistency. What it comes down to is not thinking about trying to get buff, you're trying to build healthy habits to become a healthier person. So build a personal routine around that, on days you're not lifting do a bit of cardio or stretching, get yourself used to the idea that a certain time of day is exercise time and then do your best to maintain it, even if it's just a walk around the block to check the day's box. The results will absolutely follow.
One of the things that attracted me to this routine is how simple it is. There aren't 3 different shoulder exercises, 3 different chest exercises, a whole day dedicated to hamstrings/quads, etc. It looks like it could reasonably be finished in 45 minutes or less. Simple and easy to stick to is what I'm trying to go with, while my dedication is shaky.
One thing I would suggest is to up the reps from 5 to 12-15. Starting out you don't really need have a low rep count. Like pick a weight that you can do 12 of but not 15.
Lower weight will mean less chance of hurting yourself, and more time to build good form.
Good luck comrade
I don’t know you, so i can’t say much to the workout you’re looking at, but the trick really amounts to building a mindset of consistency. What it comes down to is not thinking about trying to get buff, you’re trying to build healthy habits to become a healthier person. So build a personal routine around that, on days you’re not lifting do a bit of cardio or stretching, get yourself used to the idea that a certain time of day is exercise time and then do your best to maintain it, even if it’s just a walk around the block to check the day’s box. The results will absolutely follow.
This!
You dont have to count calories but please make sure you're consuming enough protein to build muscle, buy some protein powder and eat a scoop every day (even on rest days). If you're lifting consistently and eating protein you will see results, no matter what. Also drink caffeine for a preworkout, especially as a beginner, it will help on days you're lacking in motivation or tired. Don't buy the fancy crazy shit, just cold brew coffee works for me great.
That sounds like a great tip. I'll look into buying a couple pounds of whey when I get home from work tonight.
If you have issues with dairy look for "whey protein isolate" rather than "whey protein concentrate". Its the same thing, isolate just has way less lactose. I can suggest some brands if you need more help. :meow-bounce:
I was just thinking earlier today that I need to start limiting my dairy, I think lactose is starting to really mess with my stomach. What brands do you like?
:im-vegan: and I like Orgain’s protein powder a lot. Tasty in a smoothie or by itself. Also I get it at Costco and it’s pretty cheap. I don’t remember the exact math.
dymatize has a fruity pebbles flavor that i mix with oat milk, it almost tastes like leftover cereal milk which is pretty poggers. I think gold standard has some isolate only powders if you can find them. Its all pretty much the same stuff, so the golden rule is buy whatever you think tastes best at a price you can afford.
That sounds delicious af. Thanks for the suggestion!
I just want to say; "Preworkout" is regulated as a supplement, which means it's not regulated, and god knows what's in it or what it will do to you.
It's hard to gauge how 'healthy' you are starting out with without you hieght. If you are 5'10" you are probably underweight, but if you are smaller than that you are probably fine.
Well, number one, no one starts from zero muscle mass. You are probably just starting from 20% body fat, which is fine and normal if you haven't been doing strength training. After three months you will start to see some muscle growth, especially if you stick to the workouts and workout at least 4 times a week. That said, DO NOT SKIP LEG DAY, as legs are what stabilizes you and allows you to properly lift on your macros, unless you are using a smith machine. Same goes for abs and core.
However, you probably will not have enough to truely 'pop' unless you decide to dehydrate the hell out of yourself before the wedding. Like two days cardio, no fluids. Rough shit.
I'm 5'5", so my ideal weight would be between 135-150.
About leg day: would squats and deadlifts be enough starting out? After I commit to exercising 3-4 times a week for 3 months, I'd like to move beyond this routine and add more variety. But for now, while I'm trying to keep it simple, I want to try to stick to the compound exercises.
Yeah, you're good.
Deadlifts, squats and lunges, ideally. You don't have to do alot of reps or sets starting out, the important part is just to get the motions down. If you want to throw calf raises in there too, that works, but yeah, stick to compound when starting out.
Thanks for the input! I don't really have any elevated steps where I could do calf raises - but if I put the resistance bar across my shoulders while standing on the bands, would going up on my tip-toes and back down offer enough resistance and motion, you think?
I would try lunges, doing those without any weights to start with will be a workout enough. They will help with your flexibility for squats and deadlifts. Once you're comfrotable with lunges, you can hold handweights.
Np.
That should be fine, although there is the potential for hilarious consequences (the band snapping up and hitting you square in the junk). I would recommend getting a small step stool from a hardware store and then doing raises on that, not worrying about resistance, steadying yourself against the wall, so you don't roll your ankles, but that is totally up to you.
It might take a few months to "notice" the changes in your body, but honestly if you're starting from square one, you'll feel better and stronger much quicker than that. Especially if you're not used to lifting or otherwise exerting your muscles, just developing the neurological coordination to use muscles you're not used to using and developing them will rapidly increase your effective strength. That's why it's so easy to progressively increase how much you can lift at first.
This is a super late reply, but I've been away for the last week. Will the neural connections to the muscles come with time? When I do bench presses, bent-over rows, and squats, I'm not really feeling the flex in my pecs, lats, or glutes. I'm trying to manually flex them while I do the exercises, but it feels like the supporting muscles are doing most of the work.
(I just smoked and reread my question and I'm not sure if it made sense. But hopefully you get what I'm asking lol)
congrats on losing that weight already man. you'll absolutely be able to change your body composition in three months. beginner gains are real.
would just caution you on a mistake quite a lot of beginners make - lifting to gain muscle while also cutting calories and doing lots of cardio to lose fat. youre probably better off if you pick one at a time. they're pretty contradictory.
like one of the other answers says protein is important for muscle building, but it's way way behind just pure calories. you'll struggle to gain muscle while losing weight. allow yourself to eat to at very least maintenance calories and ideally a small surplus while you're weight training, it'll also make the workouts much happier.
good luck jefe
Thank you, comrade. I'm sorry for the late response, but those are good tips. My diet is chaotic and kind of a free-for-all. Some days I eat more than maintenance, some days I eat less. It's definitely something I know I need to get better at, but I need to focus on one healthy habit at a time, while staying mindful of the other things I need to work on. Bi-polar sucks ass lmao.
I know I should eat at least maintenance calories, preferably a surplus of 200-500 calories/day. Gaining too much fat while I'm trying to gain muscle is something I'm concerned about, but I had a question. Even though I'm only 10-ish pounds overweight, I look heavier than I actually am because it's majority body fat. If I put on some more weight while gaining muscle, could the addition of visible muscle tone give a leaner look, despite the addage of pounds? Either way, I feel like my overall health and appearance would benefit more from gaining muscle than losing more fat.
i probably wouldn't expect to be leaner, necessarily, but if there's a bit more fullness to your muscles you can definitely get away with carrying more chub, when fat sort of forms to the shape of the muscle underneath it it just looks more pleasing and less noticeable, especially in clothes.
you can definitely do both during the year also - like spending two months gaining muscle and then a month losing fat would make sense & give better results than trying to do both at the same time
Having visible abs requires a very low body fat percentage. It doesn't matter if you can crush walnuts with your belly-button, you won't get visible abs unless you get your body fat percentage below a certain point. Also, abs are overrated and having body fat means you can survive famine longer.
Reddit says to move to Greyskull after that beginner's routine, so they're not quite the same. Pretty close, though.
Diet IS going to be tough for me. Food is comforting to me when I'm depressed. But I'm hoping that by getting regular exercise 3-4 times a week, that will have a big impact on my mood. Which will in turn benefit my eating and my sleeping. (Anyway, I kinda want to keep most of my belly because I like the muscular with a belly look, and it's not that big anyway lol).
And thanks for the support and advice! I'm looking forward to those noob gains.
You can do chicken and fish and spice the hell out of them to make them taste good. Try different kinds of spice mixes from all over the world and switch it up a lot.
Hey this is a great idea - I would add to remember to add about 5 pounds to your lifts each day, or even better if you are having trouble, 2.5 pounds. You will be suprised what you can do when you slowly walk up to it, I think on my first run of stronglifts I got to almost double my weight on deadlift (for a set of 5) and 225 for squat with maybe failing twice on the way.
Also, I do recommend getting a belt. It isn't a crutch -it helps activate your abs during compound lifts by giving them something to push off of. You don't really need to use it until higher weights but it makes me more comfortable lifting heavy
Thanks for all the advice! I never thought I'd be so serious into weightlifting that I'd invest in a belt, but I've never heard that argument for them before. That's def something to keep in mind!
When I got a belt it easily added 30+ pounds to my squat and reached almost like 2.5x my weight on deadlift. It made a massive difference for me in terms of confidence
Do you have a room where you can install a cheap pullup bar? Pull-ups and chin-ups are great for shoulders and arms and with a bar in your room you won't have an excuse to say no.
