beginner at working out and very confused

[dof7]

for the past few years ive been skinny and only focused on losing weight through a calorie deficit so it’s safe to say i haven’t exercised in a while and i am quite weak, but recently i decided that i want to be healthier and build muscle for strength but a particular goal of mine that i’m really struggling with is growing my glute muscles. ive researched quite a lot and the general consensus is that in order to grow the actual size of my glutes i need to focus on getting stronger in 8-12 reps of an exercise rather than lifting heavier and doing less reps. however i’ve found that even with weights as low as 0.5kg im not physically able to do the exercises. I instead tried easier non-weighted moves which I am able to perform but I cant find any information as to if I still need the recommended protein intake for muscle growth as i’m not actually using any weights or performing difficult exercises so would it even be possibly to build muscle from this and worth hitting my protein goal? I also tend to feel exercises that are meant to primarily target my glutes much more in my legs and i dont think its my form that is incorrect, am i doing something wrong or is it possibly that my body is too weak and needs to grow some form of quad/hamstring strength before being able to target my glutes? i would really appreciate any advice because i genuinely dont know what im doing lol

 

[michele9618]

@dof7 You'll learn mind muscle connection and your muscles will adapt to the new exercises and you'll be able to start doing them with weight. To answer your question, you can absolutely gain muscle by just body weight exercises if you are taking them to failure or close to failure. The weight doesn't matter right now. Just go hard and make sure you are actually pushing yourself. Eat enough protein and you'll see improvement.

 

[jazideezap]

@dof7 I would still try to hit your protein goals even if you're just doing body weight. You're still doing to your muscles what people lifting a ton are doing and your muscles need the protein to recover and rebuild afterwards.

I would do bodyweight glute bridges and hip thrusts until you get stronger. If you need slightly more of a challenge, single leg elevated bodyweight glute bridges would be a good exercise for you.

Have you tried RDLs? I would think you could do at least a little bit of weight there - start with a couple of lightweight dumbbells. RDLs will target glutes but also hamstrings, lower back, and calves. They're a great compound move to strengthen your entire posterior chain. I think you would benefit a lot from getting those down. Watch some youtube vids or search /r/strength_training to see proper form.

 

[adje]

@dof7 You should hit your protein no matter what. If you want to be able to use more weight, drop the rep range. If thats not your main goal stay consistent without weight. Dont be disappointed if progress takes a few month or even a year

 

[needtosurrender98]

@dof7 Hey man! Glad to see you are getting into fitness! And wanting to change your life! I’m a personal trainer / online coach former college football player as well! Feel free to send me a message and I can definitely help!