First time going to gym as an extremely skinny guy

[mamajobrooks]

@mphsmom Dude I ain’t being rude but you need to eat more protein or fat something more carbs gain some weight you are 6’0 and 119 that is unhealthy BMI you should be like at least 130-140 focus on nutrition then getting gains need the proper fuel to burn I have a similar issue being that I have a super fast metabolism I’m 5’9 and 130 but dropped down to 112 when I wasn’t eating enough nutrient dense foods I was feeling bad until I started eating more fats like beef and avocado lots of eggs, no junk foods or sugar substitute the junk when you get a craving with a shot of like natural maple syrup or a spoon of raw honey. Will also help you keep weight

 

[dch]

@mphsmom Hello fellow skinny guy that started going to the gym in his early 20s. Your firsts days will probably be spent just exploring the place and trying out some of the equipment.

The social rules are mostly the same at every gym. The biggest rule to follow is to not bother other people and the second most important rule is to put whatever equipment you used back where it belongs.

Some rules that can differ. In some gyms one is expected to bring a towel and use that to sit or lean on when using equipment. I have never seen this in my country. Here we just wipe the equipment down with spray bottle and paper towels or not att all.

Some fitness youtube channels I can recommend is Buff Dudes, Alan Thrall, Jeff Nippard, Back Guy, Renaissance Periodization and many more

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_UAXxDwtUkE6hs-0_ApdDa-53mFvjFfj&si=3f-MtVb_0o-FiXXn this video series by Buff Dudes is educational in a fun way.

this video by Alan Thrall is very educational, with some humor thrown in.

https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/ this is a great program for a beginner. Also available on the free app Boostcamp.

 

[mphsmom]

@dch Thank u so much!!! Do u have any idea abt how i could make a workout program to follow since it’s better to follow a schedule than to just go not knowing what u will work on

 

[dch]

@mphsmom Get Boostcamp, there are tons of great program on there for free. The programs are also quite popular so you can find plenty of videos about them. I would recommend the beginner program from the wiki

 

[mphsmom]

@dch Where can i find this beginner program please? Thanks so much btw

 

[danny4mission]

@mphsmom https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/

but either way use boostcamp or Hevy to track your workouts. tracking is 100% essential to make sure you’re actually making progress and not just winging it at the gym

 

[mphsmom]

@danny4mission Ill make sure i do that, thank youu

 

[dawn16]

@mphsmom Stay consistent

 

[alive131]

@mphsmom My advice: separate your workouts into push muscle day, pull day then leg day. You workout your whole body for each group 2 times a week. Have one day of rest after your first cycle of week exercise. Push muscles are chest, shoulders, and triceps. Pull muscles are biceps, forearms and back. Leg are obvious and don’t neglect your calves. Sundayush Mondayull Tuesday: leg Wednesday:rest Thursday: push Fridayull Saturday:leg.

 

[jab511]

@mphsmom First, it takes about 8 weeks to SEE a difference. You will however, feel a difference in about 2-3 weeks. My advice-1. use the machines for the first month, you’ll thank me later. 2. Go in, put your ear buds in, you’re not there to make friends, do the work, get a burger. Give yourself at least 3 days of rest each week. Don’t worry about calories, but try to eat better. At your age, if you don’t give up, you’ll see dramatic results. By July you’ll want to take your shirt off in public. DON’T SKIP LEGS!!

 

[brennenburg]

@mphsmom Don’t give up after 2 weeks! If u don’t see results after u really try, then that just means what u did needs more time or it didn’t work and u gotta try something different! good luck

 

[dawn16]

@mphsmom Hey bro, what helped me was that I used this app called 'Caliber' it's completely free and it builds a workout for you. It also gives you bite size info and tips for working out and has videos for all the exercises.

I recommend using this app, it helped me learn a lot and made going to the gym super fun. After about a few months I felt more confident then to look into other workouts people were suggesting online as I had built up some basic knowledge

 

[wiseguy1992]

@mphsmom I was super skinny pre military. The hardest thing for me was eating. My metabolism was so high I had to eat stupid amounts of food. I didn’t eat super healthy or anything. Just kept hitting the gym and working out hard. Usually trying to keep the rep range around 8-10 with 3 sets usually. It took awhile but I started seeing an increase in strength and then I started seeing some size increase.

The biggest thing is getting out of your own head, at least for me it was. I felt like everyone was judging me for being little. These big dudes were throwing around serious weight while I’m standing here with my 15’s. I used to joke about me having bird bones to lighten the mood. Soon after going for a few months one of the bigger guys took me under his wing and showed me different workouts etc. that really helped and made me feel like I had a little “gym cred” I started seeing good results.

I never got huge but I was average size and ripped. Nothing like freak show impressive but I was in decent shape. The mental thing was the biggest hurdle for me. You have to start somewhere.

 

[3penntony]

@mphsmom Ok bro firstly cut the junkfood.

Eat real food chicken rice red meat vegetables eggs

Start doing pushups daily can't do 1 well do them on the wall or a table.

Start small bro I'm 70kg so I'm lean

You need to get into a habit of eating real food.

start small but cut junk instead chips roast potatos

instead of soda drink milk or juice. or water

Small changes bro

 

[robert17]

@mphsmom A lot of Anytime Fitness gyms have a trainer who might be able to direct you and show you what exercise might be great. Your nutrition is vital though. You should aim for at least 25% protein and 55-60% Carbs. You got this, stay disciplined!

 

[reasonpri]

@mphsmom +1 to all of the comments about eating being way harder than lifting.

But a small suggestion: start working on pull-ups. Just add them to whatever you are already doing. The bars that attach to your doorframe work just fine for me, and they are pretty cheap, or you can get some rings. When you walk past your door, just hang from the bar for a bit. Or do some negative pull-ups: jump up and slowly lower yourself. Or do scapular pull-ups, where you don't bend your elbows and just move that few inches to engage your shoulders. Work in some inverted bodyweight rows. Or decrease the resistance at first with bands or with your foot on a chair/bench.

Don't go to failure. Don't even do a "hard" number of reps. Just practice the movements consistently and occasionally see if you can do a full pull-up, until you finally can.

Why? Dude, you will feel like a BEAST when you can finally do one. So if you are looking for that dopamine rush, this a good place for it. Also, just an anecdote here, but I started doing this when I was severely underweight. It wasn't long before people started noticing my progress, even if I didn't think I was making many gains.

Startbodyweight.com has some great bodyweight exercise progressions, for all experience levels, including for pull-ups. It's all free and they have full routines if you find yourself liking it.