Answers To Every Beginner Thread Ever

[B8er]

Thanks for this. I was wondering, I've been incorporating 5x5 movement in my workout (shoulder, bench) and it will either be bicep & shoulder or tricep & back. I've been lifting for 3 months and haven't really been conisistent with protein for around 1 month.

I have gained a little bit of muscle but I just want to start cutting 1-3 meals a day and up my protein to lose fat and keep my muscle. I will maintain strength at the bar and volume. Does this sound like a right approach?

[avijitpalit94]

Sir. My weight is around 95 lbs, but I am confused what should be my deadlifting, squat and bench press weight lifting amount

[Rickb140]

tldr

lets be honest. People have made threads like this constantly but new lifters are still gonna ask the exact same questions.. 99.9% don't read the stickies and don't want to research for themselves.

Yes You are correct

[kochashviliJ]

hello guys, my name is jaba. im 15 yrs old and need tips. so im 'skinny fat' my fat is about 1sm on my belly. i want to lose fat and also gain some muscules too, im 168 sm and 59kg. so where to start? also i cant go to gym, there is not ant gyms near me

[Raymon1806]

When I squat my right hand goes numb and idk why i tried everything

[Watsonm5]

Great , great STICKY!!!

[ejohnson135]

First off, you're starting to lift. You need a good program, a basic beginner program is easily the best choice and will yield the best results (Two highly acclaimed examples would be Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength or ICF 5x5 by Jason Blaha.) Post videos of your main lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) and a member will help you correct your form. Lifting with bad form is practically the same as not lifting at all, it's useless.

Secondly, nutrition. It's not super important for someone at an early stage in lifting to necessarily track macros or what you're eating per se, but tracking calories could be extremely beneficial.
If you're aiming to gain weight, eat more, it's as simple as that (if tracking calories, eat 3500 calories over your weekly maintenance to gain 1 lb per week, so you put on weight while minimizing fat to an extent.)
If you're aiming to lose weight, eat less, it's as simple as that (if tracking calories, eat 1750-3500 calories less than your weekly to lose 1/2-1 lb per week, so you lose weight while minimizing muscle loss to an extent.)

Thirdly, supplements. No supplements are needed, some find an external protein source (such as whey) highly convenient and beneficial as one might not be getting enough protein through whole foods. But, aim to get most of your protein through your food. Don't focus on supplements for now, though.

Fourthly, sleep and rest. Sleep and rest are extremely important. Follow your program to the t, do not modify or change anything "because you feel like it," it is designed that way for a reason and, as a beginner, you lack the knowledge needed to make a decision like that. You're just hindering your progress, this also means resting on rest days. Get as much sleep as possible. Do not get 3 hours of sleep a night, you're again just hurting yourself in the long run.

Fifthly, pain vs soreness. If you're feeling pain, there is something wrong with either your form, the weight your using, etc. and you should post videos of what you feel pain on, and you may potentially need to consult a doctor. Soreness will likely be present in your first few weeks of lifting and may persist further, however there is a major difference between this and pain. You will know if you're experiencing pain.

Sixth, gyno. Odds are you do not have gynecomastia. Give it time and it is likely to go away. Most everyone experiences what you are at certain times in their lives, it's nothing to worry about and nobody else is paying attention to it, unless you bring it up and make a big deal of it.

Seventh, cardio/conditioning. Cardio/conditioning is extremely helpful, and will help you in more ways than you can think. Most, if-not-all, should be doing some form of cardio no matter what. This can be anything from running, riding a bike, or doing a clean circuit, any form is acceptable. I'd recommend doing this at least a few times a week, but as I said you can make it something enjoyable for you.

Eighth, eating before the gym. Yes, you can eat before going to the gym. Dependent on what you're eating, I'd recommend at least 45-90 minutes before going to the gym. If you're eating a large meal, I'd stray closer to 2 hours, while if you're eating rice cakes or something small you can decrease the time drastically. You don't want 2 pounds of food sitting in your stomach while your trying to squat, think realistically and logically. It's common sense that you won't perform at your best when your still sluggish and lethargic from your lunch.

Ninth, legs. No, you do not have "big legs for your body," they're fat. Do not, under 95% of circumstances, stick leg work. Suck it up, no one cares that you hate leg work, you'll end up looking like an idiot if you don't do it.

Tenth, body types. Get body types out of your heads, for your purposes they do not exist and are fake. Stop worrying about your body type effecting you in any way, shape or form.



If anyone has any questions that I did not touch on, I will be happy to answer them by later today.

Great string with great information, I affirm OP.

Ideally it assists somebody beginning and they really accept some of your recommendation.

[salmonation]

Great post

[rossj452]

Recently just joined this site and am impressed.i am 17 and 138 ibs 5ft10, I joined the gym nearly 3 months ago and really want someone to answer this for me, why do i never ache the day after or for a long period of time? I've been told I haven't been doing enough but on the excersize at the end of that excersize I physically can't do anymore and the muscle aches like mad but after 5-10 mins it seems to go back to normal with a bit of a weird feeling in it. I think my forms right because everything aches in the right places but just not for long. On the bodytrax machine it says I have gained muscle % and mass however this might not be very accurate as ive noticed hardly any change. It may not be important but not having that long lasting ache is really disheartening me on whether I'm actually achieving anything

[akxy]

Super dope you made this definitely helpful for all the newbies out thete

[chrishow98]

Good post!

[samcm5]

Been lifting for 3 months but I’m trying to lose body fat and get really lean for the summer, I estimate that I’m around 20% bodyfat or less, 160 pounds, 5’9 with a job as a waiter so I’d say I’m fairly active. I think I’ve figured out my macros but I’d like some feedback...160p, 250c, 60f, on 2100 calories, what do you think ?

[samcm5]

***imo idk why I’m profile says I’m 48 I’m 20

[MichaelFitG]

All month I'm doing sports three days a week. I do not eat after 6 p.m. But the weight has increased!
(I'm consuming less then 1300 kall a day)
What am I doing wrong?
121ibs 5'4"

[shemtm]

hello guys
i am 31, 180 cm and 61 kg, so really skinny and just started the gym. it seems that i must first try to gain weight and muscle. but the fact is that going to the gym is the most boring activity in the world for me. i also started swimming after years and i'm really enjoying it. it also makes me feel fresh when i run mornings.
but all of my friends discourage me from doing cardio and says it prevents me gaining weight or muscles. i know that it is true but i really do not want to be bulky (in long term of course), i really admire swimmers bodies or bruce lee-like bodies.
and most important, i want to plan long term, i can't see myself hitting the gym for years in the future, i like to have a more active life style, do running swimming and also try some push-ups moves at home. and i want to have a strong but light body when i reach (if i can) reach my 60s. now i'm lookin for some advice if i should do cardio or not, or i'm just at the beginning and should continue weight lifting. (sorry if don't have a fluent english)

[weiman145645]

ggg

[artikey]

Hello, i am new at the forum.
I have around 5 months training, but a problem apeared just weeks before. When i am training, i feel completely tired in the middle of my workout and start shaking and feel sore other muscles that i am not working at the moment, and that maked me stop adding weight and in some cases, decreasing it.
I have read for solutions in a lot of pages but i have no concise idea of what is causing it.
I am 15 years old and work full body 3 times at week for an hour.
I appreciate any kind of help and hope answers.
Pd. Sorry for my bad English.

[OoKaioO]

Hm quick question, should I start by cutting, bulking, or both at the same time? I heard that beginners are able to bulk and cut and the same time. 'lean bulk'?

[jackster20]

Nice read, just wanted to ask what foods should people avoid while trying to get big/workout? I'm trying to help do research for my site.

healthhorizon779253930.wordpress.com/2018/10/07/the-journey-begins/

[Strongman6000]

Hello guys. I know that it's hard at beginning to learn everything about bodybuilding, I had a lot of struggles too at beginning. Just be patient and keep it simple, don't complicate it. Maybe this blog will help you.(LINK IN DESCRIPTION) It's simple to understand, great for beginners. There is some good recommendation like app for tracking your progress, calculate calories and some transformation blueprint. Reply if I helped somebody.

[spartan345]

I am 17 years and i recently (2 weeks back)started training and my calves are 16.7" and my biceps are 13.5"untrained , my height is 183 cm and my ffmi is 21.6. Are these good stats?

[17mahmoods]

I am 17 years and i recently (2 weeks back)started training and my calves are 16.7" and my biceps are 13.5"untrained , my height is 183 cm and my ffmi is 21.6. Are these good stats?

good is very subjective. Aim to be better than you were yesterday.

[Bigshawn15]

So I have been working out for around 2 months but my mom is a fitness instructor so she has been teaching me all my form and workouts I have been progressing very quickly my bench is 250 my squat is 270 and my deadlift is 300 but I train every day for about 2 hours some times longer and sometimes 2 a day let's just say I'm addicted but as I keep researching I keep hearing about over training and I feel fine I feel better then I ever have I just turned 16 should I be worried about this

[AlexMetr0]

test

[ironmitchell348]

So I’ve lately been thinking about starting strong lifts 5x5. I started lifting 3-5 months ago in track but we would end up taking weeks off and stuff it wasn’t very consistent, I also went to the gym 3-4 times a week towards the end of school. I then took another break because I was out of town and all that until a couple of weeks ago when I started lifting again. I’ve been doing the tiger fitness core 4 program but want to switch to sls 5x5 to get my strength up (I never lost any btw). I want to do it but it talks about starting with the bar or 50% of 1rp but I want to do a little below my normal working set

5’9” 140 pounds average build have somewhat muscle I bench 125, power clean 135, and squat 160 (I last maxed on bench about 3 months ago and the other two lifts were when I started lifting) when I started lifting in track I was able to add up to 25 pounds on my bench in a little over a month my working set is 95 on bench and if I do sls 5x5 i would do 80 or 85 I would do 95 on squat and 135 on deadlift. Would I be able to do this and still make good progress? (Sorry if this was sloppy and long)

[mgil013]

First off, you're starting to lift. You need a good program, a basic beginner program is easily the best choice and will yield the best results (Two highly acclaimed examples would be Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength or ICF 5x5 by Jason Blaha.) Post videos of your main lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) and a member will help you correct your form. Lifting with bad form is practically the same as not lifting at all, it's useless.

Secondly, nutrition. It's not super important for someone at an early stage in lifting to necessarily track macros or what you're eating per se, but tracking calories could be extremely beneficial.
If you're aiming to gain weight, eat more, it's as simple as that (if tracking calories, eat 3500 calories over your weekly maintenance to gain 1 lb per week, so you put on weight while minimizing fat to an extent.)
If you're aiming to lose weight, eat less, it's as simple as that (if tracking calories, eat 1750-3500 calories less than your weekly to lose 1/2-1 lb per week, so you lose weight while minimizing muscle loss to an extent.)

Thirdly, supplements. No supplements are needed, some find an external protein source (such as whey) highly convenient and beneficial as one might not be getting enough protein through whole foods. But, aim to get most of your protein through your food. Don't focus on supplements for now, though.

Fourthly, sleep and rest. Sleep and rest are extremely important. Follow your program to the t, do not modify or change anything "because you feel like it," it is designed that way for a reason and, as a beginner, you lack the knowledge needed to make a decision like that. You're just hindering your progress, this also means resting on rest days. Get as much sleep as possible. Do not get 3 hours of sleep a night, you're again just hurting yourself in the long run.

Fifthly, pain vs soreness. If you're feeling pain, there is something wrong with either your form, the weight your using, etc. and you should post videos of what you feel pain on, and you may potentially need to consult a doctor. Soreness will likely be present in your first few weeks of lifting and may persist further, however there is a major difference between this and pain. You will know if you're experiencing pain.

Sixth, gyno. Odds are you do not have gynecomastia. Give it time and it is likely to go away. Most everyone experiences what you are at certain times in their lives, it's nothing to worry about and nobody else is paying attention to it, unless you bring it up and make a big deal of it.

Seventh, cardio/conditioning. Cardio/conditioning is extremely helpful, and will help you in more ways than you can think. Most, if-not-all, should be doing some form of cardio no matter what. This can be anything from running, riding a bike, or doing a clean circuit, any form is acceptable. I'd recommend doing this at least a few times a week, but as I said you can make it something enjoyable for you.

Eighth, eating before the gym. Yes, you can eat before going to the gym. Dependent on what you're eating, I'd recommend at least 45-90 minutes before going to the gym. If you're eating a large meal, I'd stray closer to 2 hours, while if you're eating rice cakes or something small you can decrease the time drastically. You don't want 2 pounds of food sitting in your stomach while your trying to squat, think realistically and logically. It's common sense that you won't perform at your best when your still sluggish and lethargic from your lunch.

Ninth, legs. No, you do not have "big legs for your body," they're fat. Do not, under 95% of circumstances, stick leg work. Suck it up, no one cares that you hate leg work, you'll end up looking like an idiot if you don't do it.

Tenth, body types. Get body types out of your heads, for your purposes they do not exist and are fake. Stop worrying about your body type effecting you in any way, shape or form.



If anyone has any questions that I did not touch on, I will be happy to answer them by later today.

yaaaa

[budybbbirab]

First off, you're starting to lift. You need a good program, a basic beginner program is easily the best choice and will yield the best results (Two highly acclaimed examples would be Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength or ICF 5x5 by Jason Blaha.) Post videos of your main lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) and a member will help you correct your form. Lifting with bad form is practically the same as not lifting at all, it's useless.

Secondly, nutrition. It's not super important for someone at an early stage in lifting to necessarily track macros or what you're eating per se, but tracking calories could be extremely beneficial.
If you're aiming to gain weight, eat more, it's as simple as that (if tracking calories, eat 3500 calories over your weekly maintenance to gain 1 lb per week, so you put on weight while minimizing fat to an extent.)
If you're aiming to lose weight, eat less, it's as simple as that (if tracking calories, eat 1750-3500 calories less than your weekly to lose 1/2-1 lb per week, so you lose weight while minimizing muscle loss to an extent.)

Thirdly, supplements. No supplements are needed, some find an external protein source (such as whey) highly convenient and beneficial as one might not be getting enough protein through whole foods. But, aim to get most of your protein through your food. Don't focus on supplements for now, though.

Fourthly, sleep and rest. Sleep and rest are extremely important. Follow your program to the t, do not modify or change anything "because you feel like it," it is designed that way for a reason and, as a beginner, you lack the knowledge needed to make a decision like that. You're just hindering your progress, this also means resting on rest days. Get as much sleep as possible. Do not get 3 hours of sleep a night, you're again just hurting yourself in the long run.

Fifthly, pain vs soreness. If you're feeling pain, there is something wrong with either your form, the weight your using, etc. and you should post videos of what you feel pain on, and you may potentially need to consult a doctor. Soreness will likely be present in your first few weeks of lifting and may persist further, however there is a major difference between this and pain. You will know if you're experiencing pain.

Sixth, gyno. Odds are you do not have gynecomastia. Give it time and it is likely to go away. Most everyone experiences what you are at certain times in their lives, it's nothing to worry about and nobody else is paying attention to it, unless you bring it up and make a big deal of it.

Seventh, cardio/conditioning. Cardio/conditioning is extremely helpful, and will help you in more ways than you can think. Most, if-not-all, should be doing some form of cardio no matter what. This can be anything from running, riding a bike, or doing a clean circuit, any form is acceptable. I'd recommend doing this at least a few times a week, but as I said you can make it something enjoyable for you.

Eighth, eating before the gym. Yes, you can eat before going to the gym. Dependent on what you're eating, I'd recommend at least 45-90 minutes before going to the gym. If you're eating a large meal, I'd stray closer to 2 hours, while if you're eating rice cakes or something small you can decrease the time drastically. You don't want 2 pounds of food sitting in your stomach while your trying to squat, think realistically and logically. It's common sense that you won't perform at your best when your still sluggish and lethargic from your lunch.

Ninth, legs. No, you do not have "big legs for your body," they're fat. Do not, under 95% of circumstances, stick leg work. Suck it up, no one cares that you hate leg work, you'll end up looking like an idiot if you don't do it.

Tenth, body types. Get body types out of your heads, for your purposes they do not exist and are fake. Stop worrying about your body type effecting you in any way, shape or form.



If anyone has any questions that I did not touch on, I will be happy to answer them by later today.

I have a lumbar disc.
Back pain.
Can I do bodybuilding?

[Zrecz]

I have a lumbar disc.
Back pain.
Can I do bodybuilding?

Yes you can try doing physical therapy for your back pain and avoid exercises that have a high risk for back injury like deadlifts.

[anna11ee]

hi) i like this post

[johnwriter]

Hi guys. What is the best training program to start for a beginner? Which training program is best for you? I will write an essay on the topic of sports. I want to do it. But I understand that my knowledge in writing an essay is not very much. I read reviews about this service Reviews are good. I hope they help me in time. can you hear something about this?
I understand the importance of nutrition! What should I pay attention to? What is the main thing during training?