I’m hoping that this subreddit can give me some feedback on my beginner's strength training regime. I’ve been scouring the internet and reading articles/watching videos trying to put together a plan that works for me, because for reasons mentioned below I’m not able to go to the gym and have limited equipment at home. If anyone is willing to review my workout routine and meal plan to let me know what they think I would greatly appreciate it.
At some point during this quarantine I realized that I was starting to gain weight. I picked up running for the first time in my life and discovered that it made me feel fantastic – mentally and physically (I’ve been running consistently for the last three months, usually ranging from 3 – 8 miles). It also made me realize how many areas of my physical care I was neglecting. I’ve always tried not to go overboard with my eating – meaning reasonable moderation and avoiding chips and the like whenever possible, but I had never cared about it all that much. As I watched those five pounds melt away I realized how out of shape I was since I hadn’t done any sort consistent strength training since high school (when it was forced). I decided to take a deep dive and figure myself out while I still can. I’ve very recently learned that I have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus, so my running is coming to a grinding halt and the gym is off the table. I do have membership to a gym that I’ve rarely used, but for purposes of quarantine and some other timing factors I am trying to build a routine based around the equipment I have available to me at home (which is admittedly limited).
Goal: Build up strength while maintaining low body weight. Let’s be honest, I want to be able to see my abs, flex in the mirror and be proud of my body for once in my life (not that this is necessary in order to be proud of your body, but it’s what I’d like to achieve). Based on what I’ve been doing so far I’m already seeing improvements all around (weight loss, toned calves (from running), starting to see the glimmer of some ab definition, arms are getting a little more muscled, etc.).
Age: 27
Height: 6’0
Weight: 161.2
Neck (Inches): 15
Abdomen (Inches): 31
Biceps (Unflexed): 11
Lifestyle: Sedentary
Estimated Body Fat Percentage (based on Navy Calculator): 13%
Breakfast (7:30 am): Omelet (4 Whole Eggs, 1/8 Cup Sliced Tomato, 1/8 Cup Red Bell Pepper, 1/8 Cup Spinach, cooked with pinches of salt/pepper/red pepper flakes using avocado oil)
Calories: 350, Carbs: 5 g, Fat: 23.8 g, Protein: 25.5 g
Mid-Morning Snack (9:30 am): ¼ Cup Baby Carrots, Sliced Almonds
Calories: 55, Carbs: 8.5 g, Fat: 1.7 g, Protein: 2 g
Lunch (11:30 am): Turkey Sandwich (2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread, 2 Oz Sante Fe Style Deli Turkey Meat, 1 Small Avocado, 2 Slices Tomato, 3 Small Slices of Cheddar Cheese, 1/2 Cup Spinach, Hazy Pale Ale Honey Mustard)
Calories: 702, Carbs: 45.1 g, Fat: 45.7 g, Protein: 31.3 g
Dinner: (6:00 pm): ~5 Oz Baked Salmon (Cooked with some Avocado Oil and ½ Sliced Lemon), 1 ½ Cups Brussel Sprouts (Cooked with 1 Clove Chopped Garlic and Avocado Oil)
Calories: 433, Carbs: 53.6 g, Fat: 9.2 g, Protein: 35.8 g
Post-Workout Meal (9:00 PM): Smoothie (1 Banana, 1 Cup Blueberries, 1 Cup Plain Oat Milk, 1 Cup Spinach, 1 Scoop Whey Protein), Multivitamin
Calories: 405, Carbs: 61.9 g, Fat: 7.8 g, Protein: 29 g
Nutrition - Weekly Summary
The nutrition info here comes from the Samsung Health app, where I dumped all my meals in and let it tell me how it looked.
Total Calories: 1945
Total Carbs: 174.4 g (35%)
Total Fat: 87.8 g (40%)
Total Protein: 122.7 g (25%)
Additional Items:
Fiber: 41.7 / 38 g
Potassium: 4,697 / 4,700 mg
Vitamin A: 3,791 / 900 ug
Vitamin C: 309 / 90 mg
Calcium: 746 / 1000 mg
Iron: 23.3 / 8 mg
Saturated Fat: 21.4 / 20 g
Sodium: 2,277 / 1500 mg
I don’t have much – I inherited a “Marcy by Impex” workout machine (This one isn’t mine, but it’s the same as what I have: https://offerup.com/item/detail/581119396/) It’s got a few different attachments not shown in those images, but fundamentally it has:
Seated Press
Seated Lat Pull-down
Seated Leg Curl
Chest Fly (? – Your elbows are bent so I don’t know if there’s a more appropriate name for this one)
There’s two other hooks on this – one right at the head for pulling forward with the V shaped grip you see in the second/third pictures, and one at the feet that you can see in the third picture at the very bottom. I don’t know how to use either one of these – I currently use the lower foot one with a (provided) chain and single hand grip to substitute some arm curls.
I also just got one of those door-frame pull-up bars and got that set up. It’s brand new though, so not actually part of my routine.
I don’t have a bench, barbells, dumbbells, medicine ball, or really anything else besides what I already said. And considering how hard/expensive those things are right now I wasn’t planning on buying them any time soon. Part of me was playing around with following some YouTube guides and building some basic racks myself and buying a dumbbell and really improvising with it, but (A) I realize how dangerous that is to build something like that, especially since I live alone and don’t have a spotter and (B) I can’t leave the house for two weeks now.
I’ve summarized my current plan that I’ve been using mostly for about a week. The long runs are not time based and I’m far from a fast runner, though I do try and push myself a bit on the short runs. For my upper body workouts I mostly just go through say, 4x10 reps on a variety of exercises until I can’t do them anymore, then I lower the weights once and get good and tired then call it. This is unstructured and not a good long-term strategy, but as a beginner I feel like it helps me ease into the routine without overdoing it and is better than nothing.
Exercise Routine so Far: ~3 Months of consistent running, slowly adding in some ab training (~2 weeks ago), adding in some upper body training (~1 week ago), adding in some lower body and yoga training (a few days ago).
Sunday: 5 Mile “Long” Run (~50 minutes), Strength/Flexibility Focused Yoga (~30 minutes)
Monday: 3 Mile “Quick” Run (~30 minutes), Ab Training (~10 minutes using cheesy 90’s 8-minute-ab videos as suggested by a mainstream youtuber), Lower Body Training (~30 minutes)
Tuesday: Ab Training (~10 minutes), Upper Body Training (~30 minutes)
Wednesday: 3 Miles “Quick” Run (~30 minutes), Lower Body Training (~30 minutes), Yoga (~30 minutes)
Thursday: Ab Training (~10 minutes), Upper Body Training (~30 minutes)
Friday: 3 Mile “Quick” Run (~30 minutes), Ab Training (~10 minutes), Lower Body Training (~30 minutes)
Saturday: Ab Training (~10 minutes), Upper Body Training (~30 minutes)
If you made it to the end then I sincerely appreciate you taking your time to review my plan! Thank you.
Me
At some point during this quarantine I realized that I was starting to gain weight. I picked up running for the first time in my life and discovered that it made me feel fantastic – mentally and physically (I’ve been running consistently for the last three months, usually ranging from 3 – 8 miles). It also made me realize how many areas of my physical care I was neglecting. I’ve always tried not to go overboard with my eating – meaning reasonable moderation and avoiding chips and the like whenever possible, but I had never cared about it all that much. As I watched those five pounds melt away I realized how out of shape I was since I hadn’t done any sort consistent strength training since high school (when it was forced). I decided to take a deep dive and figure myself out while I still can. I’ve very recently learned that I have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus, so my running is coming to a grinding halt and the gym is off the table. I do have membership to a gym that I’ve rarely used, but for purposes of quarantine and some other timing factors I am trying to build a routine based around the equipment I have available to me at home (which is admittedly limited).
Goal: Build up strength while maintaining low body weight. Let’s be honest, I want to be able to see my abs, flex in the mirror and be proud of my body for once in my life (not that this is necessary in order to be proud of your body, but it’s what I’d like to achieve). Based on what I’ve been doing so far I’m already seeing improvements all around (weight loss, toned calves (from running), starting to see the glimmer of some ab definition, arms are getting a little more muscled, etc.).
Age: 27
Height: 6’0
Weight: 161.2
Neck (Inches): 15
Abdomen (Inches): 31
Biceps (Unflexed): 11
Lifestyle: Sedentary
Estimated Body Fat Percentage (based on Navy Calculator): 13%
Meal Plan
Breakfast (7:30 am): Omelet (4 Whole Eggs, 1/8 Cup Sliced Tomato, 1/8 Cup Red Bell Pepper, 1/8 Cup Spinach, cooked with pinches of salt/pepper/red pepper flakes using avocado oil)
Calories: 350, Carbs: 5 g, Fat: 23.8 g, Protein: 25.5 g
Mid-Morning Snack (9:30 am): ¼ Cup Baby Carrots, Sliced Almonds
Calories: 55, Carbs: 8.5 g, Fat: 1.7 g, Protein: 2 g
Lunch (11:30 am): Turkey Sandwich (2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread, 2 Oz Sante Fe Style Deli Turkey Meat, 1 Small Avocado, 2 Slices Tomato, 3 Small Slices of Cheddar Cheese, 1/2 Cup Spinach, Hazy Pale Ale Honey Mustard)
Calories: 702, Carbs: 45.1 g, Fat: 45.7 g, Protein: 31.3 g
Dinner: (6:00 pm): ~5 Oz Baked Salmon (Cooked with some Avocado Oil and ½ Sliced Lemon), 1 ½ Cups Brussel Sprouts (Cooked with 1 Clove Chopped Garlic and Avocado Oil)
Calories: 433, Carbs: 53.6 g, Fat: 9.2 g, Protein: 35.8 g
Post-Workout Meal (9:00 PM): Smoothie (1 Banana, 1 Cup Blueberries, 1 Cup Plain Oat Milk, 1 Cup Spinach, 1 Scoop Whey Protein), Multivitamin
Calories: 405, Carbs: 61.9 g, Fat: 7.8 g, Protein: 29 g
Nutrition - Weekly Summary
The nutrition info here comes from the Samsung Health app, where I dumped all my meals in and let it tell me how it looked.
Total Calories: 1945
Total Carbs: 174.4 g (35%)
Total Fat: 87.8 g (40%)
Total Protein: 122.7 g (25%)
Additional Items:
Fiber: 41.7 / 38 g
Potassium: 4,697 / 4,700 mg
Vitamin A: 3,791 / 900 ug
Vitamin C: 309 / 90 mg
Calcium: 746 / 1000 mg
Iron: 23.3 / 8 mg
Saturated Fat: 21.4 / 20 g
Sodium: 2,277 / 1500 mg
Equipment
I don’t have much – I inherited a “Marcy by Impex” workout machine (This one isn’t mine, but it’s the same as what I have: https://offerup.com/item/detail/581119396/) It’s got a few different attachments not shown in those images, but fundamentally it has:
Seated Press
Seated Lat Pull-down
Seated Leg Curl
Chest Fly (? – Your elbows are bent so I don’t know if there’s a more appropriate name for this one)
There’s two other hooks on this – one right at the head for pulling forward with the V shaped grip you see in the second/third pictures, and one at the feet that you can see in the third picture at the very bottom. I don’t know how to use either one of these – I currently use the lower foot one with a (provided) chain and single hand grip to substitute some arm curls.
I also just got one of those door-frame pull-up bars and got that set up. It’s brand new though, so not actually part of my routine.
I don’t have a bench, barbells, dumbbells, medicine ball, or really anything else besides what I already said. And considering how hard/expensive those things are right now I wasn’t planning on buying them any time soon. Part of me was playing around with following some YouTube guides and building some basic racks myself and buying a dumbbell and really improvising with it, but (A) I realize how dangerous that is to build something like that, especially since I live alone and don’t have a spotter and (B) I can’t leave the house for two weeks now.
Workouts
I’ve summarized my current plan that I’ve been using mostly for about a week. The long runs are not time based and I’m far from a fast runner, though I do try and push myself a bit on the short runs. For my upper body workouts I mostly just go through say, 4x10 reps on a variety of exercises until I can’t do them anymore, then I lower the weights once and get good and tired then call it. This is unstructured and not a good long-term strategy, but as a beginner I feel like it helps me ease into the routine without overdoing it and is better than nothing.
Exercise Routine so Far: ~3 Months of consistent running, slowly adding in some ab training (~2 weeks ago), adding in some upper body training (~1 week ago), adding in some lower body and yoga training (a few days ago).
Sunday: 5 Mile “Long” Run (~50 minutes), Strength/Flexibility Focused Yoga (~30 minutes)
Monday: 3 Mile “Quick” Run (~30 minutes), Ab Training (~10 minutes using cheesy 90’s 8-minute-ab videos as suggested by a mainstream youtuber), Lower Body Training (~30 minutes)
Tuesday: Ab Training (~10 minutes), Upper Body Training (~30 minutes)
Wednesday: 3 Miles “Quick” Run (~30 minutes), Lower Body Training (~30 minutes), Yoga (~30 minutes)
Thursday: Ab Training (~10 minutes), Upper Body Training (~30 minutes)
Friday: 3 Mile “Quick” Run (~30 minutes), Ab Training (~10 minutes), Lower Body Training (~30 minutes)
Saturday: Ab Training (~10 minutes), Upper Body Training (~30 minutes)
If you made it to the end then I sincerely appreciate you taking your time to review my plan! Thank you.