Do you even lift bruh!?

[tommej]

Don't overdo the squats!

 

It is arguably the best as it targets more muscle groups and you can lift heavy. But as you're not training to be a bodybuilder, stop squatting when you can lift your bodyweight. Going above will give you tree trunk legs and the rest of your body will lose out without the right calories.

 

I stopped squatting as i couldn't find any decent jeans that fit. You don't want to walk around work wearing sweat pants do you?!

 

If I could get away with replacing my entire wardrobe with sweatpants I would.

[Joanne]

I'm finding it easier to find jeans that fit now. It's easier now with all the stretchy denim that's available. I wear skinny though, because I'm a girl and can

[GrumbleDook]

If you don't want to work on strength with regards to press-ups then work on stamina.

 

Find 2 decently heavy tins of food and lay on your back, and start doing bench presses. Focus on quality of movement and quantity of reps rather than sheer weight. You will find that this adds tone and definition early on, making it easier to move up weight loads and reducing the risk of injuries through bad habits.

 

You will be amazed what you can find round your house to help you get fit.

 

Unfortunately ... I haven't been able to find the TARDIS which will give me more time in each day to actually so stuff!

[Joanne]

Unfortunately ... I haven't been able to find the TARDIS which will give me more time in each day to actually so stuff!

 

OMG so many times this.

[unixman_again]

If you want to DIY your own equipment, homemade exercise equipment is IMO a pretty good site. I've made some of the resistance bands described in the strands section. Another good site is The Art of Manliness - not just for fitness hints, but general advice too.

[abillybob]

Cheers Guys will read all of these later! Sorry I haven't had chance today with my new job to say or comment on anything... All looks like good advice though so thankyou

[Greenbeast]

Why is no one showing the love for the deadlift!?

Hit's the most muscles and can be done without rack or bench, just a bar and weights.

 

I did 110kg on saturday and will be doing 120kg next saturday or the week after maybe

[Joanne]

I mentioned deadlifts. I did 100kg a few weeks back. Probably back down to 90kg if I tried now.

[win]

I switched from squats to deadlifts. It doesn't hit the legs as much but enough to maintain so you don't get chicken legs.

 

What you don't want to do is end up like others in the gym walking around like 'lightbulbs' (top heavy with thin legs). Deadlifts will help retain leg muscle and build your back and shoulders.

 

Aim to go above your bodyweight on this one!

[Badzeye]

I can throw in some love for squats, deadlift and bench press and pull ups. That is about all you need if you're strapped for time. Just hit 180KG for reps on my deadlift after struggling with a few groin and wrist injury's.

[tom_newton]

If you are lucky enough to have a small gym nearby, ffs use it. Small ones are the est, IME, as they are most often staffed (And patronised by) knowledgeable, helpful, friendly people.

 

I stopped training a few years back due to the usual lazy excuses, but the real reason was, the gym I used to go to motivated me. I knew the guys, I knew if i missed a day i'd get some light-hearted sh1t for it the next time, I took advice from a 16 year old kid, and a 90 year old, and all points in between. Still good friends with some people I met there.

 

If you're new, you will get so much more out of the help and advice more experienced people can give you. Also ignore [most of] what you read on the internet - here's probably a good place for advice because it is largely not full of "I ams" and "keyboard warriors", but many dedicated fitness forums are. Nowt like talking it through with an expert who you know is an expert, IYSWIM

[tommej]

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training: Amazon.co.uk: Mark Rippetoe, Jason Kelly: Books

 

All you need.

[Joanne]

OMG.... also KETTLE BELLS!! yay.

[tommej]

OMG.... also KETTLE BELLS!! yay.

 

OMG! These are great for home use. I can personally recommend Kettlebell - Simple & Sinister eBook: Pavel Tsatsouline: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store !

 

Pavel also has some amusing youtube videos if hairy chested Russians are your thing.

[Joanne]

You can do deadlifts and squats with kettlebells tooooooo!!!!!!!

[Greenbeast]

You can do deadlifts and squats with kettlebells tooooooo!!!!!!!

 

although not very heavy ones?

And also they're not incremental unless you buy a lot of them. An olympic bar and weights is the way forward....

 

Although a power cage/rack would be the only safe way to do squats/bench press,etc...

[Tall_Paul]

I've been 'pumping iron' for about 25 years now and have pretty much made all the mistakes there are to make (trapped under a bar whilst doing bench press - tick, ripping various muscles - tick, etc, etc)

 

Some good advice on this thread but if I were starting again I would pay for a few sessions with a qualified instructor to design a bespoke program for me. They should also be able to advise you on nutrition.

 

My personal biggest tip would be to start light and concentrate on using the correct form for all your exercises (which a good instructor can show you).

 

Once you've got the correct form (which will take time) you can then start gradually increasing the weight etc. I see many people at my gym with terrible form and there's a good chance of injuring yourself if you're piling the weights on and not doing it properly.

[Greenbeast]

Deffo get form down early, otherwise you'll come unstuck later on...