I’m a complete noob 2 weeks into a lifting routine.
I’ve started and stopped many times over the last decade and never reached the noob gains stage before.
Due to circumstance I have a few free months ahead of me, I’m semi-dedicating this time to health and physical development.
My goals are basically to build functional strength and size, with some focus on building up my cardio.
I’m limited to adjustable dumbbells and have a bench, I work out every 2nd day, and if I need to rest a muscle group on workout day I leave out those exercises and do what I can.
Front Squats - 4x10
RDL - 3x12
Rows - 4x10
Bench Press - 4x10
OH Press - 3x12
Curls - 3x15
Triceps - 3x15 (that behind/OH exercise)
I started by increasing each session towards max and have mostly got there now, if I fail before last set, I have a 1min break, drop the weight then finish the remaining set.
I want to run or swim on my off days, I prefer running but I hear that swimming helps recovery so I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet or how to incorporate cardio most efficiently.
I haven’t got there yet, I’m still building things into a routine and don’t want to overdo it.
For supplements I’ll drink a protein shake after a session and before bed, I use a pre workout too.
I have no idea if any of this is retarded, I feel like right now it doesn’t matter as long as I’m working and keeping technique in mind.
Is there anything here I should think about changing?
it's good. I would do 3 times a week that routine for maybe 2 months. Get the technique down to a tee; watch as many videos as you need (squat university, jeff nippard, and pana have some great material). It is important you get it right now since bad habits get stuck pretty quickly when you are new. Avoid deadlifts; try to use a high bar squat with plates on your heels (more quad activation); try to feel the muscle working when you do the exercise and know what muscle you are working with that exercise. I would also ditch the OHP for an
upright row, because you already have enough front delt activation with every other movement.
after 2 months I would try to split the exercises in 4 days, 1 upperbody, 1 lowerbody, and so on; and I would lower the sets to two per, and the reps, trying to go to 2 reps in reserve. You do that for a month, and then you do a week in which you take every movement you can fail (aka not the bench or squat) to failure, just to know how failure feels.
after that you keep going with the workout plan indefinitely, adding weight once you can't hit that 2 RIR in the given rep range, and every now and then going to failure to know what that feels like and see if you have to add weight.
so i want to get back to being hot and in shape, and find a faithful ok-looking girl and have kids, this is the plan and i don't have a lot of time, i'm getting up there in age
i'm 6'2", now overweight because of tragic brain/drugs accident that happened 6 years ago
what should i start with... i'm incredibly weak at the moment, 5 pushups is a struggle which i find fucking crazy, but it is what it is
i want to turn my life around, please help
sorry my english is garbage, i'm trying my best
count your calories
write down everything you eat in a week, look in the internet the calories in the food. Everything, even the mayo and salt, ideally you write the weight of the food you eat.
After that, buy yourself two weight scales, both for you and your food; learn to cook meals via youtube (tons of channels for that), and start cutting out the small things that make your food more calorie dense (like mayo, ranch, chips, whatever) and start buy light or sugar free versions of your food (like light coke zero, sugar-free yoghurt, or 1% fat milk); write down the calories and your weight each day and if it goes down after a few weeks, great, if it stays the same you need to cut even more calories or check if you are counting calories correctly.
Try cutting 100 calories a week, maybe less if you are feeling too hungry, slowly but surely is the best way to go about this thing. Hunger is gonna be your worst enemy. You need to control it as much as you can. Fiber is a great way to feel satiated, so try getting foods with tons of it (like popcorn! with no butter or sweets or nothing), or try supplementing it. Also drinking something like
mate throughout the day is also a good of tricking your stomach into feeling satiated. Protein is also pretty important for loosing weight, so try eating meat in plenty (ask your butcher for cheep cuts of pig like).
In terms of training, you should ride a bike in the gym or do any cardio that wont put pressure on your knees. If you are too overweight you are more likely to damage your cartilage and bones from stuff like running or squatting and stuff like that. Try to add more time doing cardio per week, don't go balls to the walls all at once. Go in increments of 5m per day until you reach 1h. If one day you can only do 30m, that's ok, we'll get them next time. Try to make it fit your normal routine. If you can only train 2 days a week, it's fine, the more the better obviously but try and be realistic
Once you hit an hour for cardio consistently, try and add weight lifting into the routine. Do machines at first, watch youtube videos on how to use them, ask the people in the gym to teach you. Even if you are fat, nobody minds since you are trying to change that, so don't sperg out.
