misunderstood4
New member
Hey everyone, I know getting in shape can be daunting and you might've been putting it off for a while. Read this post and you won’t have an excuse about starting. These are the absolute basics you need. Forget everything else for now.
For those of you that are skinny fat, this post has got you covered too. If you think you might need some extra support with staying consistent with all this, check my comment below.
Step 1: Diet
Calorie target
Estimate your maintenance calories using an online TDEE calculator
https://tdeecalculator.net
If you’re skinny fat and just starting out, eat your maintenance calories daily. This will allow you to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. This is called body recomposition.
If you want to bulk eat :maintenance+250 calories
If you want to cut eat: maintenance-250 calories
Protein target
Aim for 0.7-1g per lb of your bodyweight
Eg: if you weigh 150lbs that’s 105-150g of protein
Eat this amount daily.
Nutrition tracker
Use apps like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to log your food.
This is like keeping a diary of all the food you eat. It helps you keep track of how much calories and protein you're eating.
Modify your existing meals or find brand new meals online that let you reach your calorie and protein target on a daily basis.
Step 2: Training
Pick a consistent number of days
Figure out how many days you can sustainably go to the gym every week in the long term. Make sure you can 100% commit to this frequency every single week.
Training plan to follow
Use this plan below to train 2, 3 or 4 times per week. Just ensure to spread your workout days apart and get at least one rest day between them.
For example, if you wanted to train 3 times per week:
Monday - Workout A, Wednesday - Workout B, Friday - Workout A
Workout A
Barbell squat (quads, glutes) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Seated leg curl (hamstrings)- 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Incline dumbbell bench press (chest) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Barbell row (back) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Dumbbell lateral raise (shoulders) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Barbell curl (biceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Overhead barbell tricep extension (triceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Workout B
Lat pulldowns (back) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Flat barbell bench press (chest) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Cable lateral raise (shoulders) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell curl (biceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Cable tricep pushdown (triceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell (quad focused) lunge (quads, glutes) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps (per leg)
Stiff legged deadlift (hamstrings, lower back) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Progressive overload
Gradually increasing the amount of work your muscles do every week.
Each exercise in a training session, must be more challenging than the previous week.
Step 3: Repeat
If you want to see a significant change, you NEED to be consistent. I promise you will see results if you do this consistently for at least a few months.
You don't have to start by doing everything perfectly, you just need to start somewhere and then slowly get better over time. For example, if you can't hit your protein target rn, you can start with 50% of your target, then slowly increase your protein over time.
Joining an online accountability group is one of the best ways to stay consistent with progress and figure out any roadblocks along the way.
For those of you that are skinny fat, this post has got you covered too. If you think you might need some extra support with staying consistent with all this, check my comment below.
Step 1: DietCalorie target
Estimate your maintenance calories using an online TDEE calculator
https://tdeecalculator.net
If you’re skinny fat and just starting out, eat your maintenance calories daily. This will allow you to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. This is called body recomposition.
If you want to bulk eat :maintenance+250 calories
If you want to cut eat: maintenance-250 calories
Protein target
Aim for 0.7-1g per lb of your bodyweight
Eg: if you weigh 150lbs that’s 105-150g of protein
Eat this amount daily.
Nutrition tracker
Use apps like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to log your food.
This is like keeping a diary of all the food you eat. It helps you keep track of how much calories and protein you're eating.
Modify your existing meals or find brand new meals online that let you reach your calorie and protein target on a daily basis.
Step 2: TrainingPick a consistent number of days
Figure out how many days you can sustainably go to the gym every week in the long term. Make sure you can 100% commit to this frequency every single week.
Training plan to follow
Use this plan below to train 2, 3 or 4 times per week. Just ensure to spread your workout days apart and get at least one rest day between them.
For example, if you wanted to train 3 times per week:
Monday - Workout A, Wednesday - Workout B, Friday - Workout A
Workout A
Barbell squat (quads, glutes) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Seated leg curl (hamstrings)- 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Incline dumbbell bench press (chest) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Barbell row (back) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Dumbbell lateral raise (shoulders) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Barbell curl (biceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Overhead barbell tricep extension (triceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Workout B
Lat pulldowns (back) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Flat barbell bench press (chest) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Cable lateral raise (shoulders) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell curl (biceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Cable tricep pushdown (triceps) - 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell (quad focused) lunge (quads, glutes) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps (per leg)
Stiff legged deadlift (hamstrings, lower back) - 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Progressive overload
Gradually increasing the amount of work your muscles do every week.
Each exercise in a training session, must be more challenging than the previous week.
- Increasing reps - Do more reps than you did last week
- Increasing weight - Do a higher weight than you did last week. Even small increments can significantly impact over time
- Improving technique - Improve your technique from last week
Step 3: RepeatIf you want to see a significant change, you NEED to be consistent. I promise you will see results if you do this consistently for at least a few months.
You don't have to start by doing everything perfectly, you just need to start somewhere and then slowly get better over time. For example, if you can't hit your protein target rn, you can start with 50% of your target, then slowly increase your protein over time.
Joining an online accountability group is one of the best ways to stay consistent with progress and figure out any roadblocks along the way.
