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!
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.