beginner

[ninjason57]

I’m (18F) a student w ofc not a lot of money I can afford going to the gym but it will take abt 70% my monthly income.

Should I workout at home or go for the gym?

My goals are to gain strength, lose extra fat and shred my body.

i weigh abt 48kg (108lbs) (my height is 158cm/5.18ft) but my body isn’t healthy at all that i have no fitness/strength whatsoever and i have extra fat on belly and thighs area.

Please any help/tips/advises would be appreciated!

 

[repenter]

@ninjason57 70% of monthly income?? Shiiiit I’d prob be getting myself some basic equipment and watch some YouTube fitness classes if i was in your shoes…but if you can still afford to eat and pay for whatever else you need and have a gym membership, go for it…

 

[ninjason57]

@repenter i live with my family so obv i don’t pay for food and basics, thanks anyway!

 

[repenter]

@ninjason57 Well then if you still have enough money to go out and funk around with your friends then go for that membership gurl

 

[hopefulandfree]

@ninjason57 Ive found kettle bells to be the most cost effective for me and you can find really good videos on youtube to follow. Since you’re just starting out it doesn’t really matter exactly what you do just do something.

 

[galacticcapybara]

@ninjason57 I’d look into virtual classes which had a huge boom over the Covid era. Surely there are some coaches still out there doing this besides me!

I have a full roster of 12 now but what we do is use high end Pull-up bands and an anchor + calisthenics for general health and wellness. It won’t bulk you up but it will keep you strong fit and healthy for any other physical endeavour like running, cycling, rowing etc.

Maybe search “Virtual Fitness Class or Coach” it’s the best of both worlds as there is a group to keep you accountable, it’s usually less expensive than a gym and if you vet he coach you get real expertise to help guide you as a beginner. Best part is on top of that it can be done from anywhere as long as you have a device with access to their tools. I use Google Meet

Apple Watch users can use Apple fitness and then there is peloton which in my opinion is over rated for the price but they really do focus in on the production quality so if you value that while sweating worth it I guess.

 

[mwallie]

@ninjason57 Get some basic gym equipments , maintain diet and stay regular at workout

 

[cfitz]

@ninjason57 You can first try at home to get et better and get a hime program. That will help useful on breaks and vacations. Try r/bodyweightfitness about/wiki page.

Also, I have a brother who got $20 exercise bands from Amazon and it came with exercise sheets or you can find on the internet.

After you get used to that if you want more, then join the gym.

 

[3penntony]

@ninjason57 What do you want to do remember there's so many workouts there's not.1 ideal workout not even a beginners one.

What is your goal in fitness

 

[matt123]

@ninjason57 I would get equipment a bit ät a time as you can. I've got a Reebok bench, fairly cheap. Dumbbell handles and some weights, not a whole big set. A few kettlebells. A fluidity bar I picked up cheap. A yoga mat and blocks. One rather expensive thing, a power tower that was about $300 which I'm pretty much using for pullups, not needed. I'm still working on pullups almost there. I use a smartwatch that can connect to calorie counting app and when I was trying to lose fat I was doing maybe a 200 calorie deficit most days. 1 yr 30 minute workout almost every day. Full body. Lost about 25 lbs and the handles. I can feel stronger muscles. Just a little bigger not much, more just a better physique. Much stronger core. I printed out a motivation thing, hangs on the wall. It says, "A 1 hour workout is 4% of your day, no excuses" My workouts are 30-45 mins and they work.

 

[matt123]

I would start with a bench, about $60 or so. Dumbbell set $50 if your patient and find a deal. Yoga mat, the best Manduka is a little spendy like $100 but there's cheaper too that work. You could probably get a pull-up bar for a door, a good one is not that much, don't go the cheapest. That's all you need for full body workout as far as equipment. Maybe some resistance bands.

 

[dawn16]

@matt123 Yeah all this is cheapish from amazon. The one I got was pretty light too so good for a young or small person.

 

[petronela]

@ninjason57 ? Planet fitness costs 15$ a month so maybe look at a different gym than the one you had in mind? By all means work out at home but I think a gym is a worthwhile investment. The fact I’m paying for it helps get me there

 

[darlingdar]

@ninjason57 If its too much of a financial burden to pay yourself, I would try to convince your parents to get the gym membership. I bought a gym membership at the age of 18 but only because I had a job with enough pay to cover it. It's really amazing to have a gym membership because I always feel like I'm making progress by going to the gym. But if you don't have a car or reliable means of transportation, having a gym membership isn't optimal

 

[teddy]

@ninjason57 I would personally not go for the gym. I started at 15 with no gym. Spoiler alert; it worked perfectly.

I'd say just to start a basic program of 30 or so minutes every other day. Or daily if you want.

From memory this is what I started out with:

1.light run for 10 minutes
2.Squats, pushups and pullups. 2 sets each.
3.5 minutes abs
4.5 minutes cooldown.

*But most impotantly, do what you want to do. I did that for a couple of months because I enjoyed it. Please don't get caught up in the fitness industry, (unless you want to).
As long as your exercising and being safe then you are winning in my opinion.

 

[dawn16]

@ninjason57 if a gym membership is going to burn 70% of your income I'd say your main focus should be on getting a better job.

you can always work-out at home (squats, jumping-jacks, burpees, etc) and be more mindful about your calories and you will lose weight.

 

[josscarter]

@ninjason57 Dude, just do body weight exercises and use old milk jugs as weights. Pretty much every single thi g you do in the gym can be done outside the gym with random heavy things you already have access to.