lifeunlocked
New member
I am making this post mostly because I wish I had read something like it when I first started. So, I assume there are lots of others like me: people who want to workout, specifically with a strength training program, but who find themselves in an endless loop of reading the sidebars/lurking in fitness subs, but never actually getting anywhere. As a warning, it’s a little long, but I do hope it can help someone.
I wanted to start strength training because I lost a lot of weight (about 115 pounds so far, although I have a little more to go before I’m a healthy BMI). I have worked hard on the weight-loss side, and wanted to work on the fitness-side. I had great success with learning how to lose weight by reading the sidebar of r/loseit carefully, and taking a few concrete steps (logging calories, using a food scale, etc.), but when it came time for me to start working on my fitness, those strategies weren’t working anymore.
There was just so much information: I browsed r/fitness, r/bodyweightfitness and this sub a lot. I tried to read their respective sidebars/FAQs. I lurked daily Q&A threads. I started to feel like I was learning a foreign language with how much much lingo I was constantly exposed to. After having been so successful with learning the basics of losing weight, learning the basics of fitness felt like moving from doing simple arithmetic (just counting the calories) to full-on multivariable calculus (find a program, out of all of the recommendations; balance this body part with that one; take enough rest days; and on and on and on). It was a lot. I wanted to start, but I never felt like I was getting close to understanding how to start. So, I broke it into steps.
Step 1: Just pick something.
I was done with analysis paralysis, because there is just so much information out there. I didn’t need it to be the most efficient or most-expertly-tailored-for-me program in existence. I just needed to start. I picked a program called “Pull, Push, Legs” (PPL). I had seen if referenced in the sidebars in these kinds of subs, and the basic idea behind it made sense to me: work on the body (in relative isolation) one part at a time. My goal is to strengthen my whole body, so this approach really appealed to me.
Step 2: Set up my technology to help me.
I searched through the App Store to find an app that could help me log the workouts. I found one app that had been developed specifically from the FAQ in r/fitness (and had all of the exercises pre loaded in it; the app is just called PPL). I eventually transitioned to another app, and I found the motherlode: it has basically ALL of the routines that fitness-Reddit recommends pre-loaded into it (Personal Training Coach ) so, if I found I didn’t like what I was trying, it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle to switch it out for something else.
With the app loaded, I could look at the overview of the workout plans, and start preparing my next step.
Step 3: Learn how to do the exercises.
This was a time-consuming step for me, and it took about two weeks of work. It might not take you as long, but I was in no hurry, and I wanted to learn how to do things right (or, at least learn as much as I could).
I hadn’t heard of many of the exercises programmed into the app (if you don’t know what a Romanian Deadlift is, you are absolutely not alone out there), and, the ones I had heard of— well, just knowing that “a bench press” is something people do at the gym sometimes does not count as preparation for trying to do one yourself.
I made a list of the exercises that were scheduled for each day of workouts (PPL has 6 different workouts), and avidly watched instructional videos on YouTube. I liked Alan Thrall’s videos for the clarity on the form, and Athlean-X’s videos for a bit more of the anatomy/physiology-type explanations.
I should mention that I also read Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength, and while that was helpful, I think the video instruction was more helpful. So, if your local library has that book, definitely check it out, but you can learn the basics on the internet.
Step 3a: If the program you picked uses the barbell, practice at home with a broom handle.
Yes. I did this. I unscrewed the broom from the handle, and created my very-own practice barbell that I was sure, no matter how insanely terrible I was, would not injure me in any way as I tried to do these movements for the very first time. I watched the instructional videos, pausing them often, and trying to get my body into the correct positions. I learned that when Athlean-X tells his generally athletic (I presume) viewing audience to “load the hamstrings” that I could ‘translate’ that into a language I was more familiar with speaking— something like “loading the hamstrings” = “imagine you’re at your highest weight, and are gingerly sitting down, one inch at a time, in some flimsy lawn chair you absolutely don’t trust.” I was starting to feel like I could do this.
Step 4: Go to the gym and start.
The starting weights in the PPL app seemed very high to me, so I started with where I was: a beginner. I started with an empty bar, and for exercises when even that was too heavy, I used dumbbells in each hand. Within a month, I was strong enough to do all the basic barbell movements with an empty bar (or more), which was pretty exciting.
The first time I overhead pressed an empty barbell (lifted an empty barbell above my head) I felt like Hercules. I may or may not have gained superpowers after completing a set of 5 reps.
Step 5: Reflecting on what I’ve learned, and appreciating the on-going process.
I knew strength training was a good idea, but now, after just picking something and starting with it, I feel like I understand the basics a little more, and I feel a little more confident every day.
So far, I’ve learned that there are 5 big barbell movements (Bench Press, Row, Deadlift, Squat, and Overhead Press). These work the largest muscles all over your body, and are the foundation for a strength training program. There appear to be, at this time of writing, approximately infinitely many exercises that target the smaller muscles (accessory muscles) in your body. Work on the big 5 lifts first (if your goal is to build strength), and then workout the accessories as you please (or, as your program prescribes).
This is just my first three-ish months (including all of my preparation time), and I look forward to continuing with my program. Even though PPL told me I should go 6 days a week, I am going at my own pace of 3 days a week. Maybe in the future, I will increase the amount of times per week I go. Maybe I will try switching to another program. But, no matter what, I know that I can workout with weights, and that it’s possible for even the most clueless of beginners (like me) to start to make progress on their fitness goals.
I know this was really long, but I hope this helped! Also, if you’ve been weightlifting a long time, and want to give me any advice, the comments section is wiiiiide open!
I wanted to start strength training because I lost a lot of weight (about 115 pounds so far, although I have a little more to go before I’m a healthy BMI). I have worked hard on the weight-loss side, and wanted to work on the fitness-side. I had great success with learning how to lose weight by reading the sidebar of r/loseit carefully, and taking a few concrete steps (logging calories, using a food scale, etc.), but when it came time for me to start working on my fitness, those strategies weren’t working anymore.
There was just so much information: I browsed r/fitness, r/bodyweightfitness and this sub a lot. I tried to read their respective sidebars/FAQs. I lurked daily Q&A threads. I started to feel like I was learning a foreign language with how much much lingo I was constantly exposed to. After having been so successful with learning the basics of losing weight, learning the basics of fitness felt like moving from doing simple arithmetic (just counting the calories) to full-on multivariable calculus (find a program, out of all of the recommendations; balance this body part with that one; take enough rest days; and on and on and on). It was a lot. I wanted to start, but I never felt like I was getting close to understanding how to start. So, I broke it into steps.
Step 1: Just pick something.
I was done with analysis paralysis, because there is just so much information out there. I didn’t need it to be the most efficient or most-expertly-tailored-for-me program in existence. I just needed to start. I picked a program called “Pull, Push, Legs” (PPL). I had seen if referenced in the sidebars in these kinds of subs, and the basic idea behind it made sense to me: work on the body (in relative isolation) one part at a time. My goal is to strengthen my whole body, so this approach really appealed to me.
Step 2: Set up my technology to help me.
I searched through the App Store to find an app that could help me log the workouts. I found one app that had been developed specifically from the FAQ in r/fitness (and had all of the exercises pre loaded in it; the app is just called PPL). I eventually transitioned to another app, and I found the motherlode: it has basically ALL of the routines that fitness-Reddit recommends pre-loaded into it (Personal Training Coach ) so, if I found I didn’t like what I was trying, it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle to switch it out for something else.
With the app loaded, I could look at the overview of the workout plans, and start preparing my next step.
Step 3: Learn how to do the exercises.
This was a time-consuming step for me, and it took about two weeks of work. It might not take you as long, but I was in no hurry, and I wanted to learn how to do things right (or, at least learn as much as I could).
I hadn’t heard of many of the exercises programmed into the app (if you don’t know what a Romanian Deadlift is, you are absolutely not alone out there), and, the ones I had heard of— well, just knowing that “a bench press” is something people do at the gym sometimes does not count as preparation for trying to do one yourself.
I made a list of the exercises that were scheduled for each day of workouts (PPL has 6 different workouts), and avidly watched instructional videos on YouTube. I liked Alan Thrall’s videos for the clarity on the form, and Athlean-X’s videos for a bit more of the anatomy/physiology-type explanations.
I should mention that I also read Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength, and while that was helpful, I think the video instruction was more helpful. So, if your local library has that book, definitely check it out, but you can learn the basics on the internet.
Step 3a: If the program you picked uses the barbell, practice at home with a broom handle.
Yes. I did this. I unscrewed the broom from the handle, and created my very-own practice barbell that I was sure, no matter how insanely terrible I was, would not injure me in any way as I tried to do these movements for the very first time. I watched the instructional videos, pausing them often, and trying to get my body into the correct positions. I learned that when Athlean-X tells his generally athletic (I presume) viewing audience to “load the hamstrings” that I could ‘translate’ that into a language I was more familiar with speaking— something like “loading the hamstrings” = “imagine you’re at your highest weight, and are gingerly sitting down, one inch at a time, in some flimsy lawn chair you absolutely don’t trust.” I was starting to feel like I could do this.
Step 4: Go to the gym and start.
The starting weights in the PPL app seemed very high to me, so I started with where I was: a beginner. I started with an empty bar, and for exercises when even that was too heavy, I used dumbbells in each hand. Within a month, I was strong enough to do all the basic barbell movements with an empty bar (or more), which was pretty exciting.
The first time I overhead pressed an empty barbell (lifted an empty barbell above my head) I felt like Hercules. I may or may not have gained superpowers after completing a set of 5 reps.
Step 5: Reflecting on what I’ve learned, and appreciating the on-going process.
I knew strength training was a good idea, but now, after just picking something and starting with it, I feel like I understand the basics a little more, and I feel a little more confident every day.
So far, I’ve learned that there are 5 big barbell movements (Bench Press, Row, Deadlift, Squat, and Overhead Press). These work the largest muscles all over your body, and are the foundation for a strength training program. There appear to be, at this time of writing, approximately infinitely many exercises that target the smaller muscles (accessory muscles) in your body. Work on the big 5 lifts first (if your goal is to build strength), and then workout the accessories as you please (or, as your program prescribes).
This is just my first three-ish months (including all of my preparation time), and I look forward to continuing with my program. Even though PPL told me I should go 6 days a week, I am going at my own pace of 3 days a week. Maybe in the future, I will increase the amount of times per week I go. Maybe I will try switching to another program. But, no matter what, I know that I can workout with weights, and that it’s possible for even the most clueless of beginners (like me) to start to make progress on their fitness goals.
I know this was really long, but I hope this helped! Also, if you’ve been weightlifting a long time, and want to give me any advice, the comments section is wiiiiide open!
