Starting out from a noob's perspective

[Flounderbout]

There is a lot of solid advice on here from people who have been doing this for years. I'm not one of them. But I thought it might be useful to others who are new here to put down my thoughts on what it is like from a noob's perspective. You get a pretty different view from the bottom of the pond. Here's mine.

1. I started out about 3 short months ago. The first thing I wanted to know was what workout to use. This is obviously the most important thing right? Wrong - as I eventually discovered. The most important thing is to sort out your diet. What you think you know about diet is wrong. Read the diet stickies, and especially this one http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981. I did this. I found them all absolutely incomprehensible. Seriously, I could not understand a fecking word. Keep at it though. Eventually it will start to make sense. For me it is still a bit overcomplicated, but the important bits are a) work out your maintenance calories, and b) work out an appropriate amount of protein/carbs and fat. It is not as hard as it looks. You can always fine tune later, but if you get this nearly right it will probably already look hugely different from what you are doing at the moment.

2. This is all very well. However since you do not have the faintest idea what calories you are eating, let alone how much protein is in your chicken sandwich at lunchtime, it is also completely pointless. For this reason, you will probably decide to add protein powder if you are trying to bulk up, or skip a meal if you are trying to lose weight, and just generally wing it . DO NOT DO THIS! Counting calories is really not hard. Go to myfitnesspal.com (there are others, but I use this one) and there you will find most foods listed under a quick search. There is also a free iPhone app. If you get into the habit of putting EVERYTHING in, then you will be astonished at the difference in what you are eating compared to what you thought you were eating. I thought I was a "hard gainer". Turns out I ate about 7 calories a week. Go figure. As for home made food, wise posters will tell you to buy a food scale and measure your portions. This obviously makes good sense, and can only improve your calorie counting (confession - I do not do this. This is probably why I struggle to keep the scale moving consistently in the right direction rather than like an epileptic yoyo. Do as I say, not as I do... )

3. OK, OK, but what about my workout? Stop it! Sort out your diet. Seriously. If you do this, good things will happen. If you don't, your work-out will be about as worthwhile as having an argument with your wife. Trust me on this. No really, don't argue with my wife.

4. OK diet done, now what about my workout? Well, on bb.com there are precisely 8,735,367 different possible variations of exercise, reps, sets. How many of them work? Well all of them I reckon. if you lift lots of heavy weights, and you sorted out 1 - 3 above, then you are going to improve. But which one you choose dictates how fast. I do not begin to profess the experience to tell you which is best. I started off with a raft of different exercises in a complicated 4 day split. Every session took well over 1 1/2 hours, a lot of which was faffing about with different weights and trying to remember what the hell came next, and whether it was meant to be a 7-5-3 drop set with a double twist or not. Now? Well about 4 weeks in I discovered the SL5x5 program. It is so simple (by which I mean not complicated, as opposed to easy to do) that you will think it cannot possibly work. It has also been around years and years and years. Guess why? Ever heard the expression "withstood the test of time". There are others. Allpro is one, Madcow is another. You will find links to them easily on here, because they have been recommended time and again by people who know about this stuff. I am not going to say "this works for me", because that is the sort of useless anecdotal crap that you should beware of as discerning readers. But it seems to be working for me, and it has worked for lots and lots of other people (OK I admit from a strictly scientific point of view that is useless anecdotal crap too, but you have to start somewhere right? ).

5. Err, yes but all these programs are full of squats and scary crap, and I just want a big chest and arms and a six pack. Yep, this was my reaction too. If you are like me you played in the gym when you were younger, and you never once trained your legs (except for maybe one time trying to max out the leg press). But if you want to do this properly, you have to train legs. And squats work pretty much your whole body. And since you are just starting out aged over 35, you need to start training your whole body. Squats aren't the only away, but it seems to be pretty common ground that they are if not the way, at least one of the best ways. Unless of course you just want "6 pack abs in 12 minutes a day" as advertised, well, everywhere. To achieve this, read Men's Health until you fall asleep. Then have sweet dreams, because they are the only place you are going to magic into a six pack in 12 minutes per day.

6. How often do I train? If you follow one of the above programs, it will be 3 times a week, maybe 4. If like me you go at new projects like a bull at a gate, then this will seem like not enough. However bear in mind that when the weights get heavy you will need decent recovery. Plus you are in this for the long haul, so don't burn yourself out and then give up in 6 weeks. If you are not in this for the long haul, then stop reading. See "6 pack abs in 12 minutes a day" above.

7. What supplements shall I take? Ah yes, magic beans. If like me you started out in here looking at all the bb.com articles, you will see that it is necessary to eat hundreds of pills from pretty bottles in order to get fantastically ripped in just 8 weeks. This is exactly as realistic as thinking that if you buy Lynx deodorant hundreds of astonishingly beautiful women will immediately start tearing your clothes off. Buy some protein powder if you think you are low on protein once you look at your diet and you literally can't face any more chicken. Otherwise, don't worry about all that stuff. When you are seeking for a tiny extra edge way down the line it may start becoming worthwhile. Others may disagree. Beware the ones who say "it worked for me" .

8. Equipment and gyms. One major thing I have forgotten here. Where and when do I work out? This question may sound a bit trite. But it is fundamental. Finding a suitable place to work out was central to me actually getting off my butt and getting started. Basically for me there were three choices of location.
Option a) at home.
Pro - I could work out at home, whenever I wanted, using whatever equipment I wanted.
Con - This equipment that I wanted - I didn't have it. Nor did I have a gym. Or a room to put a gym in.

Option b) near work (I commute)
Pro - I could work out at lunchtime.
Con - central London gyms costs about $100 per month.
- central London gyms are full of machines and treadmills. They have one barbell, and a grand total of 12 kg of weights, all of which are in use 100% of the time by the same oily looking lecher who spends 18 hours a day checking out the ladies whilst curling. Also, accountants. There are hundreds of them. I have nothing against accountants. Some of the best ones grapple with my tax returns. But I don't want to go to the gym with them.
- I like having lunch at lunchtime.

Option c) a gym near home.
Pro - there is a half decent gym not too far away
Pro - training in a gym means spotters and motivation, if you need that sort of thing (I don't mind training on my own. After all, if you need more motivation than the soundtrack to Rocky II and IV, then you might as well give up anyway)
Con - I leave early for work, and get back late. Getting in the car to go to a gym before or after means very early starts and late finishes. Before I knew it I would have stopped going. When my gym is right at home, I have no excuse. Out of bed, coffee, in the gym. Done.

So option a) it was. If you go for that option like me, you need five things. First, some space. This can be almost anywhere. I train in an open carport full of hay and assorted animal feed. It gets down to -10 degrees C in the winter. I have no idea how hot it will get in the summer. But it has a roof. To be honest, you probably don't really need the roof. Come on, man up, princess. Secondly, a bench and ideally a squat rack. If you are like me, you will have already bought yourself a bench press bench, since all good workouts are based on the bench press. Right? Right? If you are more like me it will have been a pile of crap, and you will have replaced it with a much better bench which cost a bit more. If you are just like me you will finally have realised that what you needed most was a squat rack, and that your new better bench won't fit inside your squat rack. When you eventually get round to getting rid of your first two benches, you will get a decent simple bench that fits in your squat rack. Thirdly some weights. Buy an olympic bar. I didn't. I bought a 6'6" spinlock beefy bar rated up to 150kg (330lb). I haven't maxed it out yet (125kg is my DL 5RM). But I am just starting out. When I do max it out (even if that takes a year), I am going to have to replace all my weights. That is going to be a very expensive waste of time. So just buy an olympic bar, and a good one at that. The weights I mostly bought on eBay. There are a lot out there, and they are much cheaper than buying new. If you have based your workout on the advice above, then all you need is a barbell and a decent selection of weights. With your squat rack and your bench, you are all good to go (especially if your squat rack has dip bars and pull up bars). You don't even need dumbbells. You can always add them later. I reckon you can probably get this lot second hand for about $600 - the price of 6 months expensive gym membership. Even new it won't set you back too much. Fourthly, you are going to need a chest-buster 4000 and an ab-blaster 9500. Oh wait, you're not. Seriously, avoid buying gadgets and toys. If you think you still need them a year in, get them then. You probably won't. Fifthly, buy the Rocky IV soundtrack. You are going to need it when it is -10 degrees C, so you can picture yourself in the Urals carrying logs and preparing to face Drago.

9. And that is it. Oh, take loads of photos. Take some now, even if you look horrible. I didn't take any at the start (I have to rely on a few holiday snaps), but I wish I had. If you can take them in the same place where you will take the others in due course, then you will have a great record of your progress. And you will be amazed how much progress you make.

So there it is. Like I said, not meant to be an expert discussion of what noobs should do. Just something I wish I had had to hand when I started out. I take no credit for any of the sensible things in it by the way - they are all pearls of wisdom sown by the knowledgeable people in here. Meanwhile those bits which are crap and for which I get slated are all mine...

[Get-n-fit]

Good Job Flounderbout, now if only noobs would read this before posting, still...very good observations!

[michail71]

Another consideration is just give it time and plan for a lifetime. I have to tell myself this as I struggle to put on 1 lbs per month. It can often feel as if I'm getting nowhere.

Normal day to day weight fluctuations are way bigger than what is possible body composition wise.

[Amstat]

Truth.

[-=FLEX=-]

I think the problem is that most people that decide they are going to start lifting don't do enough research. They either think they know it all, or want someone to tell them everything.

And if you do ALL your research on an internet forum, you will be chasing your tail, because sooner or later you'll get conflicting advice.

When I first started lifting, nearly 30 years ago () I went to a bookstore, and bought a book on the subject, and read it cover to cover. I also talked to guys that had good builds at my gym and learned form them.

Unfortunately I also read a lot of bodybuilding magazines, which was almost as bad as doing research on these forums.

[Smelly bull]

Unfortunately I also read a lot of bodybuilding magazines, which was almost as bad as doing research on these forums.

Lol, you hit the nail in the head.

[FitnessFan76]

Great post, OP - I also thought I was a 'hard gainer' - but when I started tracking calories I discovered why. Now I'm putting on around 0.5lb a week.

This is exactly as realistic as thinking that if you buy Lynx deodorant hundreds of astonishingly beautiful women will immediately start tearing your clothes off.

Yeah - I read somewhere that some guy actually tried to sue Lynx because it didn't work... ahahahahahahahahaha!

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk...ailing-1040700

[Jtbny]

Nice read OP.

[Get-n-fit]

Another consideration is just give it time and plan for a lifetime.

x2....time is very important, there are several guys who can't figure out what they are doing wrong and change from one work out, to another, to another. Stick with a work out and be patient, bodybuilding is a very patient sport and takes lots of time to see results.

[Flounderbout]

I think the problem is that most people that decide they are going to start lifting don't do enough research. They either think they know it all, or want someone to tell them everything.

And if you do ALL your research on an internet forum, you will be chasing your tail, because sooner or later you'll get conflicting advice.

This was my massive problem - I really tried to learn what was what, but there is just so much conflicting advice. Unfortunately I found this particularly to be the case in the main articles on this site. It is understandable I suppose that they need to have lots of "new" stuff published - after all printing the same squats and milk article every week isn't exactly going to appeal to new readers. But god I wasted time faffing around with stuff that didn't matter.
It is miles better in the O35 than elsewhere in the site, but it still takes time to learn who knows their stuff and who is just spouting garbage... Thanks to the wise ones anyway!

[ironwill2008]

Good post, OP. Should be required reading for every beginner before they start a thread.

[Medtreker]

thoughts on what it is like from a noob's perspective.

Excellent thoughts, very well said.

[My2BoysDad]

Great post. I to am a beginner (started August 2012) and have made all the mistakes as mentioned and unfortunately still make some of them.
One thing you could add to the newb list of head scratchers proper equipment selection so you are not buying twice (like me), all gung-ho buying the first thing on the local used market, at inflated prices, just to get started.

[catkitt]

Well said Flounder, you string a sentence together like one of them smart guys. I wish I had this info 3 months ago also. I hereby nominate you for Noob of the Year.

[Flounderbout]

Great post. I to am a beginner (started August 2012) and have made all the mistakes as mentioned and unfortunately still make some of them.
One thing you could add to the newb list of head scratchers proper equipment selection so you are not buying twice (like me), all gung-ho buying the first thing on the local used market, at inflated prices, just to get started.

Ah yes that - definitely guilty as charged on that front! Will edit!

[Highlander2012]

Excellent post!
As a newbie, I completely agree on the comments made, It can be a minefield, at which point your unsure newbie gives up!
As has been mentioned, reading this at first would save a lot of wasted time, I wasted about 6 months going nowhere fast before I got my head around what i was doing wrong especially diet, but still learning as I go along.

[SleeperService]

Great post!

I think nearly everyone initially heads to the gym with not the slightest idea what they're doing, let alone what they need to eat (or not eat if you're cutting), and wastes a considerable amount of time doing things that don't add any real value (I didn't squat until I was over 40. True story.)

Fortunately the advent of teh intarwebs enabled people like me to actually find stuff that worked although one obviously has to be selective about it. Forums like this are useful as well - you're right that what works for one person may not work for another but you soon spot the people who know what they're doing and read what they have to say.

The good news is that people are getting more opportunities. We now have a couple of S&C coaches at our rugby club who provide strength programs for the players. You will not be surprised to learn that they are very much based around the same time tested compound movements you're doing in SL 5x5.

Repped.

[Fiale]

For me as a newb it's just a case of DO IT !

I spent a few weeks umming and ahhing, looking at diets, the plans, nutrients, weights, programmes and it can seem really daunting (especially if after reading them a couple of times they still have you scratching your head). In the end I just thought damn it just go for it, and chose one of the work out trainers on the home page (find a plan) - I went with Lee Labrada's plan watched the videos, that kept things simple and went to the gym -

The Gym - my gym was £22 pm includes a pool, sauna, jacuzzi.

The first thing is to put the fear of looking a fool behind you, walking past the treadmills, mats, rowing machines and weight machines where most people are and going to the place where a few muscled people, lifting huge weights, grunting encouraging each other - this is your new hangout - smile, and remember these guys started out as newbies to at some point. Just do your thing....... only in my 2nd day the people there already nod at me/say hi - so you quickly fit in.

Diet -follow the thirds rule, look at your plans nutrient chart which list the category and put something together - you can fine tune all this in the future, measuring your food, counting your calorie intakes etc but don't let all information put you off starting today, in fact it will probably become easier to understand as you progress. I am only 2 days into the cardio/weights but almost 4 weeks into the diet and went from 243 to 235 in that time, with the workouts as well, I hope to keep this up or maybe even increase it by a lb a week.


SO again, just don't be afraid, or put things off - it's not as bad or complex to start as your mind makes it seem, and the more you do, the more you engage the more interested you become, the more you learn and the better you will get.


btw - introducing myself.





Hi there,

Thought i'd pop my head in and say hello. I have just started Lee Labrada's 12-Week Lean Body - I am 42 and so unfit and overweight that I really needed to do something (sat at a desk all day, sat in the car for commute, and coach TV/Computer in the evening) so I bit the bullet.

I am 235 lbs (was 243 lbs which I got down by a little dieting before starting this programme). My aim is to get to 200 lbs for August and then re-evaluate what regime to do.

My first day in the gym today was a little scary - I need to use free weights, but that's where all the huge guys, lounging around, grunting are - timidly walked over, after a while politely asked one of the guys sat on a bench just chatting if I could use it - then rather pathetically managed 10kg curls, and only 10kg barbell curls, and zero underhand pull ups... yep, not one, so used the machine to try and build the strength to do them in the future - but hey, have to start somewhere.

Need to take my measurements, but after going to 5 places today (including fitness stores, general pharmacy etc none sell tape measures !! so had to order one from Amazon :-) ).

Anyway...... have a good day

Fiale

[StressMonkey]

For me as a newb it's just a case of DO IT !

...

The first thing is to put the fear of looking a fool behind you, walking past the treadmills, mats, rowing machines and weight machines where most people are and going to the place where a few muscled people, lifting huge weights, grunting encouraging each other - this is your new hangout - smile, and remember these guys started out as newbies to at some point. Just do your thing....... only in my 2nd day the people there already nod at me/say hi - so you quickly fit in.

I like this advice a lot.

SO again, just don't be afraid, or put things off - it's not as bad or complex to start as your mind makes it seem, and the more you do, the more you engage the more interested you become, the more you learn and the better you will get.

I was intimidated and did put things off. I twisted things in my head as to what it would be really like. I regret doing so but there's nothing you can do about the past. I'm glad I got my act together and decided to go for it anyway.

[davidolson22]

2. This is all very well. However since you do not have the faintest idea what calories you are eating, let alone how much protein is in your chicken sandwich at lunchtime, it is also completely pointless. For this reason, you will probably decide to add protein powder if you are trying to bulk up, or skip a meal if you are trying to lose weight, and just generally wing it . DO NOT DO THIS! Counting calories is really not hard. Go to myfitnesspal.com (there are others, but I use this one) and there you will find most foods listed under a quick search. There is also a free iPhone app. If you get into the habit of putting EVERYTHING in, then you will be astonished at the difference in what you are eating compared to what you thought you were eating. I thought I was a "hard gainer". Turns out I ate about 7 calories a week. Go figure. As for home made food, wise posters will tell you to buy a food scale and measure your portions. This obviously makes good sense, and can only improve your calorie counting (confession - I do not do this. This is probably why I struggle to keep the scale moving consistently in the right direction rather than like an epileptic yo-yo. Do as I say, not as I do... )

You can also add together all the calories and macros of your food as you are putting it together, then divide it into fractions which are equal to whatever calories you need.

[Fiale]

I like this advice a lot.



I was intimidated and did put things off. I twisted things in my head as to what it would be really like. I regret doing so but there's nothing you can do about the past. I'm glad I got my act together and decided to go for it anyway.

Same as me, I guess it's a really common fear we have of new things and things we do not understand - but as you said, the important thing is to take that step.......