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So you’re a woman who wants to start strength training? 

Well you’ve come to the right place! 

We help women just like you grow strong, and today we’ll get you started on your strength training journey.

Nerd Fitness Coaches help women become superheros! Learn more here.

Here’s what we’ll cover in our strength training guide for women:

• Should women lift weights? (Why you should start strength training)
• Is strength training different for women?
• Strength Training Level 1: Bodyweight Workouts
• Strength Training Level 2: Dumbbell Workouts
• Strength Training Level 3: The Wide World of Barbells
• How much weight should women lift?
• Can strength training help with weight loss?
• The best strength training exercises for women
• A meal plan for strength training (Healthy Eating 101)
• The top frequently asked strength training questions for women
• How to begin lifting weights as a woman (Next Steps)

After today’s guide, you’ll know exactly how to transform yourself into a superhero! 

What makes me so confident? How do I know so much about women growing strong? 

Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Staci Ardison.

This is me deadlifting 455 pounds:

I’m currently the Senior Coach here in the Nerd Fitness Coaching Program.

And no, I wasn’t born this strong (that would be strangely awesome). It’s only after discovering a love of strength training that I learned how to handle weight like this.

Obviously, we won’t start you out lifting that much at first. But we will set you up on a path that if you want to, one day you’ll be able to.

Before we get to it, if you’re in a hurry, I want you to know we’ve compiled all our strength training material into a friendly guide so you can read it at your leisure (I’m picturing you reading the guide poolside, sipping a lemonade).

Download Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know when you enlist in the Rebellion (that’s us!) below:

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

Alright, let’s do this!

Should Women Lift Weights? (Why You Should Start Strength Training)

Everyone should start strength training: people of every sex and gender, the young, the old…everyone.^[1] 

We discuss the benefits heavily in our introduction to strength training, but I’ll highlight some examples now.^[2]    

Here’s why every woman should strength train:

#1) When you’re stronger – life is easier. No need to call for help to get that 50lb bag of dog food off the top shelf, or carrying an air conditioner unit up a flight of stairs. LIFE is easier when you’re stronger. 

#2) Less injury risk – when you build strong muscles, you’re also building stronger bones, ligaments, and tendons, making you less prone to injury doing things you love (like playing in a quidditch league).^[3]

#3) Helps combat age-related muscle loss,^[4] allowing us to remain independent longer as we age:

#4) Muscle is harder to maintain, which means you need to eat more just to hold on to it.^[5]

#5) Reduce pain – having a strong body makes living easier on your joints, as well as allows you to hold a better posture and reduce back / hip pain.^[6]

#6) Appearance – this is a personal preference! Some women like to have a lot of muscle, and some don’t. While you can’t spot reduce fat, you can choose to build more muscle in specific areas, changing your body shape. Growing up, I was an extreme pear shape, but due to strength training, I now have more of an hourglass shape. 

#7) Live longer – want to spend more time on Earth? Strength training and growing muscle will help you do just that.^[7]

Boom!

Although strength training is one of the best things you can do for your health, it’s estimated that only about 20% of women do it, far below that of our male counterparts.^[8] 

That sucks. 

It’s part of my life’s work to reverse this trend and to do so, I’m going to need your help.

You in?

Perfect!

Follow a step-by-step plan to grow strong under the guidance of a Nerd Fitness Coach!

Is Strength Training Different for Women?

Here’s something that may shock you: there’s no reason everybody – of any gender or sex –  shouldn’t strength train the same way!

Yep, you don’t need 3-pound pink dumbbells, unless you like 3-pound pink dumbbells!  You can train with free weights and barbells just like everybody else at the gym.

Yes, there are biological differences between the sexes. For example when strength training, people with typical male anatomy will produce more type IIa fibers than people with typical female anatomy, who will in turn produce more type I fibers than men.^[9] 

Don’t worry about any of this though. 

We don’t need to get you lost in the weeds.^[10]

The American College of Sports Medicine doesn’t differentiate between sexes in their strength training recommendation.^[11] So neither shall we. 

So what exactly is strength training, you may be asking?

“Strength training” of any kind can be explained by two things:

#1) Movement of any weight (including your body weight) – Doing ANY exercise that pushes your muscles outside of their comfort zone, forcing them to rebuild stronger to prepare for the next challenge.

#2) Progressive overload: exerting slightly more effort than last time (lift a heavier weight or do 1 more rep) consistently. Your muscles will constantly have to adapt and will constantly be rebuilding themselves to get stronger.

Coach Jim walks you through different strategies for progressive overload in this video:

Before we get into the ins and outs of strength training, I need to address a question we get over and over from the women in our coaching clients:

Will I get bulky if I lift weights?

If you see a woman who is incredibly muscular and at an extremely low body fat percentage, I guarantee she has been working her butt off for a very long time with the very specific goal of building muscle and looking that way.

It’s not something that happens overnight, or by mistake.

We simply don’t have the same amount of testosterone as people with male anatomy to get there easily.^[12] It’s something we cover in great detail in our guide on How to Build Muscle as a Woman.

If you’d like to build muscle, but not as much as a professional bodybuilder – don’t worry, it’s not something that happens by accident. 

So strike “I don’t want to get bulky” from your vernacular. 

Alright, let’s talk about how to actually get started strength training. 

Strength Training Level 1: Bodyweight Workouts

If you’re just starting your strength training journey, our first stop will be a bodyweight workout.

Bodyweight training is simply doing an exercise in which your own body is the “weight” you are “lifting.”

Duh.

This is the BEST place for anybody – regardless of weight or age – to start their strength training journey.

Why is this the best place to start?

Here are two big reasons to do bodyweight training:

#1) You always have your body with you (unless you are a ghost, in which case, this is awkward). This means you can work out ANYWHERE with bodyweight training:

• Our Beginner Bodyweight Workout Routine in your living room.
• Our Hotel Workout in a hotel (obvi).
• Our Park Workout in a…well, you get the point.

#2) Using your body for resistance training is the most “human” thing ever! By learning to push and pull and hang and squat and lunge, you are doing what your body is literally designed to do.

By getting strong with bodyweight movements, you’re making yourself antifragile and less injury-prone.

Bodyweight training isn’t as easy to ‘scale’ the difficulty as some of the other strength training methods (“put more weight on barbell”), but you can get REALLY strong with just bodyweight training.

For example, you can start with knee push-ups:

Then go to regular push-ups: 

Then elevated push-ups: 

Then even up to things like handstands: 

And even handstand push-ups:

You just have to know HOW and WHEN to scale up (we can help there too).

Let us create a bodyweight training program for you!

Want a sample bodyweight workout you can try? You got it:

This is the Beginner Bodyweight Workout (3 Circuits): 

• 20 Bodyweight squats.
• 10 Push-ups.
• 10 Walking lunges (each leg).
• 10 Dumbbell rows (use a milk jug or other weight).
• 15 Second plank.
• 30 Jumping jacks.

Want some variety? Try 8 other “at-home workouts.”  

You can also create your own “no equipment workout” by reading the 42 Best Bodyweight Exercises.

Strength Training Level 2: Dumbbell Workouts

The next stop on our strength training journey includes lifting some actual weights!

Woot.

Dumbbells are a great first step into the world of weight training and strength training:

• Most gyms will have dumbbells, even if it’s a basic gym in your apartment complex.
• A set of dumbbells doesn’t take up a lot of room, which means you can have a pair at home without a large footprint.
• Dumbbells make it easy to add difficulty to a bodyweight movement: holding dumbbells while doing lunges, for example.
• Dumbbell exercises can be less intimidating than barbell training for some, and are a step towards barbell training.
• Dumbbells have an added stabilization challenge, and will point out muscle imbalances pretty easily (“oh my right arm is stronger than my left arm.”).
• You can scale easily. Once the 10 pound weights become too easy, pick up the 15 pound ones!

Here’s a beginner workout that you can, taken from our Level 4 Gym Workout, “Dumbbell Division”: 

• 10 goblet squats
• 10 push-ups
• 10 dumbbell rows per side

Here’s how to perform a goblet squat:

This is a push-up done in proper form (in case you skipped the last section^[13]): 

And here is how to do a dumbbell row:

If you’re following along at home, you just did your first full-body workout using weights!

Want a custom-built dumbbell workout? Something designed for the weights in your apartment’s gym?

Our Nerd Fitness Coaches can do just that! Plus they’ll scale your workouts as you grow stronger, turning you into a superhero!

A Nerd Fitness Coach can build you a dumbbell workout and guide your strength training!

Strength Training Level 3: The Wide World of Barbells

You made it! It’s now time to start training with barbells! 

This is going to help you become ultra-powerful and strong.

It’s how I transformed myself into the person I am today.

The reason barbell training is so important is that it allows you to pick up heavy weights and do movements that recruit every muscle in your body. This is great for building powerful, strong muscles in your core, legs, glutes, and so on. 

We’re talking about exercises like the Back squat:

And the Barbell Deadlift:

Show me somebody that’s strong at both of these movements, and I’ll show you somebody that’s in better shape than most of the human population.

But wait!

Even an empty barbell can be heavy (normally 45 pounds or 20Kg), so before we jump into the deep end, let’s make sure you are strong enough to proceed.

You’ll need to be able to complete a goblet squat with a 45 pound dumbbell (shown earlier) and the Romanian deadlift with 20 pound dumbbells.

Here’s how to perform the Romanian deadlift with dumbbells: 

Our test to see if you can handle barbell training will be the Level 4 Gym Workout: Dumbbell Division C (taken from our Beginner’s Guide to the Gym).

You’ll need to be able to go through the following before you start training with barbells: 

• 10 goblet squats – 45 lbs (20Kg dumbbell), 
• 10 Romanian deadlifts with 20 lbs dumbbells (9-10 Kg)
• 10 push-ups (on knees or regular)
• 10 dumbbell rows with each arm  – at least a 20 lb dumbbell

Can’t do those movements at that weight? Stick to the Level 4 Gym Workouts until you build up the strength to progress to barbells.

Once you CAN do the above, the real fun is going to start! 

We’re gonna replace the goblet squat with a back squat and the RDL with a barbell deadlift.

Here’s a video demonstration on how to perform the barbell back squat:

I would also encourage you to read How to Squat Properly for a full tutorial, especially if you’re just learning how to squat.

Here’s a step-by-step video on how to do the deadlift:

Again, make sure you read How to Deadlift Safely With Proper Form if you’re just starting your deadlifting journey. 

Once you get the handle of these two moves, it’s time for a full-body workout using barbells!

We’ll give you two different days to alternate between.

NF BEGINNER BARBELL STRENGTH WORKOUT: DAY A

Do 3 rounds of:

• 10 barbell squats
• 10 push-ups
• 10 bodyweight rows

NF BEGINNER BARBELL STRENGTH WORKOUT: DAY B

Do 3 rounds of:

• 5 barbell Romanian deadlifts
• 10 push-ups
• 10 dumbbell rows per arm

That’s it! Do each of these once a week and you’ll be rocking an awesome strength training practice.

Are you doing the workouts correctly?

A good way to tell would be to record yourself doing the movement and then match them against the gifs and videos in this guide. If they look close you’re doing great!

We also provide form checks in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. Through our snazzy app, a Nerd Fitness Coach (like me!) will review your movement to make sure you are training correctly and safely!

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach review your exercises and guide your training!

How Much Weight Should Women Lift?

We have a FULL resource on how to determine your starting weight for lifting, but I’ll give you the gist here.

The simple to learn but tough to implement answer: lift enough so that you can get through the set, but not too much that you have NO fuel left in the tank at the end.

And then, try to lift sliiiightly more than last time.

How much weight should I start with?

• If you are using dumbbells or a kettlebell, always err on the side of “too light” versus “too heavy.” You want to learn the movement correctly and build correct form.
• If you are training with a barbell, ALWAYS start with JUST the bar, no matter the exercise (as a reminder, a standard barbell weighs 45 pounds).

“How fast should I add weight to the bar?”

Here’s what we teach all of our coaching clients: add the minimum amount of weight each week you can, even if you THINK you can lift more. It’s better to finish a workout full of momentum and say “I can do more!” than defeated and saying “that was too much, crapola.”

Think of it this way, even if you are adding just 5 pounds per week to the bar, within a year you would be lifting 300+ pounds!

So go SLOW. Team NF’s Steve even bought little half-pound weights and increases many of his lifts by just 1 pound per week.

It’s a big part of how he transformed (jokingly) from Steve Rogers to Captain America.

And if you are looking for this content in an easily digestible form, make sure you download our free Strength 101 Guide when you join the Rebellion below:

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

Can Strength Training Help with Weight Loss?

We get questions relating to weight loss and strength training all the time, and it’s something we cover throughout our Strength Training 101 series. 

Let me quickly address it here:

Fat and muscle are two different things – one can’t transform into the other.

We all have plenty of muscle right now (otherwise we wouldn’t be able to move, walk, sit upright, etc.), the muscle is just hiding underneath a layer of body fat.

In order for us to lose weight and look better, we want to do two things:

• Build our muscles stronger and tighter.
• Reduce the fat covering those muscles!

And luckily, both of those things happen simultaneously through strength training!

Coach Matt explains exactly how in this video on losing fat while gaining muscle (also know as “getting toned”):

So NO, you don’t need to lose weight first before you start strength training.  

You will lose weight BY strength training (and keep the muscle you have).

You do NOT need to do hours of cardio for weight loss – weight loss is 90% a result of your nutrition. So honestly, you don’t need to ever set foot on a treadmill again (unless you WANT to).

Strength training will help you lose weight and look better IF you do two key things for effective weight loss:

• Calorie restriction: eat fewer calories than you burn every day.
• Strength train with progressive overload (picking up heavier stuff).

As we cover in our “Why can’t I lose weight” article (full of fun Harry Potter references), combining a caloric deficit and strength training is magic:

• You’re not consuming enough calories to carry out your body’s daily functions.
• Your body needs to use lots of calories to rebuild the muscle that was broken down during the strength training workout.
• Your body has no choice BUT to pull from fat stores to get stuff done!

Just by doing those two things (get strong, reduce calories), all sorts of wizardry and witchcraft takes place in your body:

• Get stronger and keep the muscle you have.
• Build tight dense muscle.
• A revved up metabolism while rebuilding muscle.
• Burning of body fat to get things done.

Yeah, you’re hearing me correctly.

Lose the body fat that sits on top of your muscles and you’ll make your muscles tighter and denser = look better without clothes on.

So how do you put this into practice?

1. Pick one of the strength workouts we covered earlier (start at the Beginner Bodyweight Workout if you feel unsure where to begin).
2. Calculate your daily caloric needs.
3. Learn which diet is best for you and make a small change.

Oh, what’s that? You just want somebody to tell you exactly how to train for your body, and how to eat for your goals?

Fine!

Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching Program – it’s helped hundreds of women lose weight through strength training – and proper nutrition. We work with you on habit building and lifestyle design to actually get stuff done!

Let us build a weight loss program for you that sticks! Learn more here.

The Best Strength Training Exercises for Women

Great news: 

The best strength training exercises are universal. No matter your size, shape, sex, gender, age, or whether you love Star Trek more than Star Wars, these are the best exercises to build a great physique. 

I’m going to share with you the exercises that every beginner should master (scroll down for full video and explanations!).

The 9 Best Strength Training Exercises for Woman are:

1. Push-up: uses every push muscle in your body (chest, shoulders, triceps)
2. Bodyweight squat: uses every muscle in the lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes, core)
3. Bodyweight row: works every “pull” muscle and helps prepare you for a pull-up!
4. Pull-up or chin-up: the best “pull” exercise in history! Everybody should have a goal to get their first pull-up.
5. Bodyweight dip: advanced “push” movement that targets your push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps) in a different way than push-ups.
6. Barbell squat: the best bang for your buck on muscle building. Recruits nearly every push muscle in your whole body, and a great core workout.
7. Barbell deadlift: the favorite exercise of every coach at Nerd Fitness. Uses every “pull,” leg, and core muscle in your body.
8. Barbell benchpress: as basic and powerful as they come. Uses every “push” movement in your upper body and can get you strong as heck!
9. Barbell press: press the bar above your head! Targets shoulders and triceps more than chest.

Click on any of these exercises to get a FULL explanation of the movement, step-by-step:

1) The Push-Up: The best exercise you could ever do for yourself when it comes to using your bodyweight for push muscles (your chest, shoulders, and triceps):

2) The Bodyweight Squat: This exercise serves a dual purpose as it’s the foundation for building strength AND helps build proper mobility. If you are going to ever do barbell squats, you need to work on hitting proper depth with a bodyweight squat first!

3) The Inverted Bodyweight Row: Until you can get your first pull-up or chin-up, these exercises are GREAT to start building your pull-muscle strength (back, biceps, and forearms).

4) The Pull-Up and Chin-Up: Once you can support your bodyweight above the bar, the world becomes your playground. No strength training routine should be without pull-up or chin-up work! (Click here if you can’t do a pull-up or chin-up yet?)

5) The Bodyweight Dip: As you start to get stronger with push-ups and need to find a way to increase the challenge, consider doing dips. Warning: these are very advanced, but incredible strength-building exercises.

And now we’re into the best weight training exercises:

6) The Barbell Squat: Probably the best exercise when it comes to building strength and muscle throughout your whole body. It also burns crazy calories and makes life better. This is a MUST:

7) The Barbell Deadlift: Maybe the best exercise of all time. Actually no, it IS the best exercise of all time. It’s certainly the most primal: “pick the weight up off the ground. Done.”

This is a very technical lift, so make sure you read our article on how to do it with proper form:

8) The Barbell Press: Press a barbell above your head. This recruits all of the muscles in your chest, shoulders, and arms in order for you to lift the weight over your head.

As a bonus, you need to really flex and brace your core, which gets those muscles working too.

9) The Barbell Bench Press. Lie on a bench, and lower a barbell until it almost touches your chest. Pause, and then press it back up towards the sky. Repeat! And get strong.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: commit to trying ONE of these movements in the next week. Use 20 seconds of courage, recruit a friend who has lifted or trained before, and try your best.

And if you want somebody to help you put these into a workout program, teach you HOW to do these movements properly, and have the confidence to know you’re training correctly for your goals…

Let us create a workout program that fits your busy life!

A Meal Plan for Strength Training (Healthy Eating 101)

So far, we’ve been more or less just talking about exercises when it comes to strength training.

This is logical, because this is in fact a guide on how to perform certain exercises to grow strong.

However, we constantly remind our coaching clients that 90% of their success or failure on their fitness journey will come down to what they eat.

“Success” in this context really comes down to your goals.

• Are you looking to bulk up? You’ll need to eat more calories than you burn.
• Are you looking to slim down? You’ll need to eat fewer calories than you burn.

At this point, you might be thinking “Staci, how many calories do I need?”

To answer that question, it’s time for the Nerd Fitness Calorie Calculator!

(Click here for our Metric calculator)

(Note: we have used The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation to create this calculator! ^[14]).

• If you want to bulk up and gain weight, take your TDEE and add 250 calories to it to get our daily goal. This should result in gaining half a pound per week.
• Want to lose weight? Take your TDEE and subtract 250 calories to receive your daily goal. This should result in losing about a half-pound a week.

The other piece of the equation outside of a caloric surplus/deficit is protein.

Since you will be strength training and building muscle, you’ll need to make sure you are eating protein at every meal. It’s the number one macronutrient for creating new muscle tissue.^[15]

Protein can come from any number of sources, including:

• Meat (steak, bison, pork).
• Fowl (chicken, turkey, duck).
• Eggs!^[16]
• Cheese and dairy.
• Fish and shellfish (salmon, tuna, shrimp).
• Legumes (black beans, chickpeas).
• Other vegetarian protein sources here.

As we cover in our “How much Protein do I need?”, claims for the amount of protein required for muscle growth vary wildly from source to source (and woman to woman).^[17]

Here is our recommendation:

• If you’re of healthy weight, active, and wish to build muscle, aim for 1 g per pound of bodyweight (2.2 g/kg).
• If you’re an experienced lifter on a bulk, intakes up to 1.50 g/lb (3.3 g/kg) may help you minimize fat gain.

Let me simplify it for you:

“To build muscle, target at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (2.2 grams per kg).”

If you’re curious, from our healthy eating article, this is what a portion of protein looks like:

Here’s how much protein is in a serving of food:

• 4 oz (113 g) of chicken has around 30 g of protein.
• 4 oz (113 g) of salmon has 23 g of protein
• 4 oz (113 g) of steak has 28 g of protein.

Want to get more protein? Consider protein shakes. Rebel Leader Steve and I both supplement with shakes daily to meet our protein goals.

Whatever you do, make sure you’re getting enough!

Whenever we speak with new Online Coaching Clients, protein is the macronutrient we begin every discussion with! It’s THAT important when it comes to either weight loss or building muscle. I’m not kidding when I say it should make up a portion of every meal you eat. 

A Nerd Fitness Coach can guide your nutrition and create custom workouts for strength training!

The Top Frequently Asked Strength Training Questions for Women

Here are some of the most common questions we receive from women beginning their strength training practice in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program.

#1) Will I get bulky lifting weights? I really don’t want to.

I have GREAT NEWS! 

Strength training will not make you bulky, UNLESS you want it to!

And if you want to bulk up? That’s AWESOME!

Here’s how to build muscle correctly.

You get to pick how you want to look, so you do you.

Just remember that women who compete as bodybuilders didn’t start looking like overnight:

• They have eaten, trained, and potentially taken supplements specifically so they can look like that! Which is great. Good for them.
• They’ve been working towards that goal for years, probably decades.

Here’s the truth: when you pick up heavy things (like barbell training), your muscles get STRONGER (but not necessarily bigger).

If you actively eat for the goal of building muscle and getting bigger, you CAN build muscle and size. 

Again, if you want bigger arms or stronger glutes, AWESOME. You do you.

Let’s talk about the reverse: If you pick up heavy things and eat a caloric deficit, your muscles will get stronger and denser; you will burn the fat on top of your muscle, and you will lose weight and get that “toned” look that many women are after.

Jump back to our healthy eating section for more on caloric deficits and surpluses. 

#2) Can I spot reduce fat with certain exercises?

Sir Mix-A-Lot was wrong. Don’t do side bends and sit-ups, because you’re wasting your time!

• Side bends don’t get rid of love handles. They will simply strengthen your side muscles without actually reducing any fat there, potentially making you bigger around the waist unless you change your diet as well.
• Sit-ups will not remove belly fat. They can also wreak havoc on your lower back, and are an incomplete exercise.

Your body cannot spot reduce fat in specific locations. If you have flabby arms or a big stomach, doing thousands of bicep curls and thousands of crunches won’t help.

Your body is genetically predisposed to storing fat in certain locations in a certain order.

When you start to lose weight, your body will lose the fat you currently have in a certain order as well – it might come off your arms first, then your legs, then your belly, then your chest, and THEN your butt.

Or in a different order, depending on your personal genetic makeup.

No amount of targeted exercise will change how that fat disappears.

Want to lose weight? Reduce your caloric intake in a way that doesn’t make you miserable:

• For some people, that’s counting calories.
• For others, it’s following a Paleo Diet.
• For a rare few, it’s doing a Ketogenic Diet.

We cover ALL the popular diets, and why they will ALL work…temporarily in our article on “which diet is right for you?” (Just don’t do the Military Diet!)

Here’s the truth: your diet – specifically how MUCH you eat – will be responsible for 80-90% of that fat-loss equation.

The other 10%-20% can come from strength training and fun exercises.

Big compound movements that recruit lots of muscle (and thus force your body to rebuild lots of muscle, which requires extra calories burned, even after the workout is done). Our section on the best strength training exercises for women would be good examples of compound movements. 

#3) How many days a week should a woman lift weights?

Unless you’ve been strength training for years and know what you’re doing, we recommend that you pick a full-body routine that you can do 2-3 times a week.

You build muscles while resting, not working out, so you generally want 48 hours before engaging the same muscle group again.

If you made it up to our “The Wide World of Barbells” section, you can do the DAY A workout on Monday and the DAY B workout on Thursday. That’ll give you plenty of time to recover. 

Want more? Maybe on the weekend, you sneak away for a short hike. 

Read “Exercise Without Realizing It” for more ideas on how to keep your body moving!

Don’t worry if this doesn’t seem like a lot at first. We are interested in building the habit of strength training initially. We can up the frequency once you’re rocking and rolling. 

Learning to meal prep would also be a good use of your time between training sessions. 

4) Can I do strength training at home?

You sure can!

Many of our coaching clients have gotten in great shape simply by doing bodyweight exercises at home. 

Here are a few resources to get you strength training in your living room:

• Beginner Bodyweight Workout: many a Rebel have started their fitness journey here, and you can do it right in your own living room (if your dog will let you). 
• Advanced Bodyweight Workout: crushed the Beginner Bodyweight Workout? Then try this advanced circuit on for size. 
• 42 Best Bodyweight Exercises: want to get your hands dirty? Use this guide to create your own bodyweight workout you can do anywhere!
• 20-Min Kettlebell Workout: own a kettlebell? Want one? With one single piece of equipment you can get in a great workout.

We can also build you a custom workout for your exact situation, whether you’re stuck at home or in an office, we can create a solution that fits your busy life!

Too busy to work out? Let us create you a tailor-made solution for your life!

How to Begin Lifting Weights as a Woman (Next Steps)

Since 2009, Team Nerd Fitness has learned a tremendous amount about how to best serve the ladies of this community.

I want to share with you my favorite success story.

Meet Leslie, a very sedentary single mom who works long hours that managed to lose 100+ lbs with the Nerd Fitness Coaching Program:

What spurred her epic transformation?

In two words: strength training.

Leslie learned to train the right way, picked up a barbell, fixed her diet, and now does crazy things like handstands and ring work!

So if you’re tired of the same ole same ole and you’re ready to start strength training, you’re in the right place!

Not sure what to do or how to get started?

1) Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching Program! Our philosophies help women like Leslie above and they can be the philosophies that help you become strong inside and out.

Click on the image below to schedule a call and see if we’re a good fit for each other!

2) If you want a daily prompt for doing workouts at the gym (or at home), check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

3) Join the Rebellion! Our free community numbers in the hundreds of thousands scattered throughout the globe, and we need good people like you!

You can join by signing up in the awesome yellow box below, and I’ll send you a bunch of free guides and printable workouts, including our Strength 101 guide!

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

4) Do a strength training workout this week! The most important step you can do is to actually start. 

• Training at home? Perfect. Try our Beginner Bodyweight Workout. 
• Heading to the gym? Great! Read our “How to Train in a Gym” and go from Level 1 to 6 in the next month.

You got this. You can do it. I know because we’ve seen it countless times here at Nerd Fitness.

Enough from me though, now it’s your turn:

Are you just starting your strength training journey?

Do you strength train at home or the gym?

Any weight lifting tips or tricks we missed?

Let us know in the comments!

-Staci

PS: Make sure you read the rest of the articles in our Strength Training 101 series:

• Strength Training 101: Finding the Right Gym
• Strength Training 101: Where do I start?
• Strength Training 101: How Much Weight Should I Be Lifting?
• How to Build Muscle as a Woman
• How to Hire a Personal Trainer

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Photo source: Women’s day 2015, Goodbye Batman, Scenes from an empty lot in Brooklyn, DSC_0254, tonobalaguer © 123RF.com, Pirate girl, The Breakfast of Jedi, Cecaelia has come, Lance Cpl. Tayler P. Schwamb.

GIF source: Thumbs up, Emma Stone Yes, Bird Delete, Lisa Simpson, Duh, Ninja Turtles, hiking. 

The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness.

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So you wanna start drinking protein shakes, but don’t know where to begin?

You’re in luck, because I’ve been drinking protein shakes for years and today I’m sharing with you all my secrets (ah…most of them).

With Part 2 of our Ultimate Guide to Protein, I’ll teach you:

• Are protein shakes good for you?
• How much protein do I need every day?
• What’s the best protein supplement to buy?
• How to use protein powder
• How to make protein shakes taste better
• Should I drink my protein before or after my workout?

Make sure you also check out Part 1: “How Much Protein Do I Need to Eat Every Day?“

With this knowledge and an awesome blender (which we talk about right here), you can make protein shakes part of your everyday routine.

Alright, let’s get ready to shake things up!

Protein 101: Are Protein Shakes Good For You?

Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps our body rebuild muscle and is an important part of daily nutrition (“duh, Steve,” you say).

You can get protein from any number of real food sources, and you should prioritize real food in your diet (also, “duh Steve”).

Here are some examples of protein-rich food:

• Chicken, duck, other poultry
• Fish
• Meat
• Legumes (beans)
• Eggs
• Quinoa
• Nuts
• Milk

However, there are PLENTY of instances where you might want to also supplement your food with a protein shake or protein powder (here we go):

• You struggle to consume the recommended amount of protein every day (I cover this below!).
• You are a skinny person that needs to bulk up and need more calories in your daily intake!
• You are trying to lose weight and want to replace one unhealthy meal with a meal-replacement protein shake.
• You crave the convenience of a protein shake in place of preparing yet another meal.

In these instances, protein supplements or protein shakes can be awesome!  

But don’t just take my word for it. A systematic review of studies revealed:^[1]

“Protein supplementation may enhance muscle mass and performance when the training stimulus is adequate.”

Another study showed that among endurance athletes:^[2]

“The addition of protein may help to offset muscle damage and promote recovery.”

What this means in regular people terms: If you are strength training correctly and eating the right way, consuming enough protein will help you build muscle and perform better!

He’ll get there.

“Enough protein” in this context can include protein supplements and protein powders.

Just remember that protein shakes are not a panacea for all of your ailments:

• They are NOT required for being healthy.
• But they MIGHT help you lose weight
• They should only SUPPLEMENT (zing!) a healthy diet, not be expected to do all the “heavy lifting.”

You still need to:

• Eat well.
• Follow a strength training routine.
• Getting enough sleep.

If you’re not sure HOW to strength train, don’t worry – I got you covered.

You can download our Strength Training 101 guide when you join the Rebellion (it’s free) and sign up in the box below:

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

How Much Protein Do I Need Every Day?

This section is taken from our guide “How Much Protein Do I Need to Eat Every Day?“

Despite what advertisements for protein supplements will tell you, you do not need to be eating 500 grams of protein every day.

They like to tell you this so that you use their supplement faster and need to buy more.

Here’s the real deal: claims for the amount of protein the human body needs vary wildly from source to source (and athlete to athlete, and nerd to nerd). You are a unique snowflake and your protein goals should be aligned with your goals.

You want specific numbers, right?

Don’t worry, I got you.

Although the current international Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.4g per pound of bodyweight (0.8 g per kg of body weight),^[3] this study^[4] shows that this number is too low and should be higher regardless of your body composition.

You just want me to tell you how much to eat, right? I figured.

Well, you’re in luck, because we have a protein calculator you can play with!

THE NERD FITNESS PROTEIN CALCULATOR

On the Metric System? Click here. 

Let’s explain some of this a little.

As Examine.com points out in their heavily researched summary on protein:^[5]

• If you’re overweight or obese, aim for 1.2–1.5 g/kg (0.54–0.68 g/lb). You do not need to try to figure out your ideal body weight or your lean mass (a.k.a. fat-free mass). Most studies on people with obesity report their findings based on total body weight.
• If you’re of healthy weight, active, and wish to lose fat, aim for 1.8–2.7 g/kg (0.82–1.23 g/lb), skewing toward the higher end of this range as you become leaner or if you increase your caloric deficit (by eating less or exercising more).
• If you’re of healthy weight, active, and wish to build muscle, aim for 1.4–2.4 g/kg (0.64–1.09 g/lb).
• If you’re an experienced lifter on a bulk, intakes up to 3.3 g/kg (1.50 g/lb) may help you minimize fat gain.

These are starter numbers that you can start to experiment around as you see your body transforms.

As Examine points out in its research on protein:^[6]

“Higher protein intakes seem to have no negative effects in healthy people.”

So feel free to aim for the higher end of the spectrum, depending on your goals, and adjust from there.

Long story short: Consuming protein is an important part of life for everybody, both the sedentary and the athlete:

• By consuming enough protein while bulking up, you can ensure muscle growth during a bulk with minimal fat gain.
• By consuming enough protein while eating a caloric deficit and strength training, you can maintain the muscle mass you have while losing body fat (you might even be able to build muscle while losing fat simultaneously).

I personally consumed a significant amount of protein (240g of protein at a bodyweight of 190 pounds) during a recent “lean out” phase, and it allowed me to cut body fat while getting stronger and without feeling hungry.

In summary, a major portion of your plate each day should be a source of protein.

If you are struggling to hit your target protein goal for the day through real food sources, then consider adding a protein supplement.

However, you still need to have:

1. The right systems.
2. The right nutritional strategy.
3. The right workout in place.

THEN a protein shake might help you reach your goals a bit faster.

To help busy people like you not waste their time in the gym, and help them actually get results, we created our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.

Your NF Coach will build you a custom workout program and provide nutritional guidance for your specific situation.

Find out if we’re a good fit for each other by below:

How much protein should you eat? Let us help you decide!

What’s the Best Protein Supplement to Buy?

When it comes to buying a protein powder or picking a protein shake, you’re going to encounter a few options:

1) Whey protein is the most popular, readily available, and cheapest protein supplementation out there. Whey contains all the essential amino acids, and is one of the byproducts of milk that has been curdled and strained. It comes in both “concentrate” and “isolate” forms. Whey is more quickly absorbed by the body compared to its counterpart casein(next), which makes it a great solution right before/after a strength training workout.^[7]

2) Casein protein is the other byproduct of milk and also contains all essential amino acids. Because it’s more slowly absorbed by the body than whey, many people consume casein before bed assuming it’ll result in improved muscle growth during sleep! However, this study^[8] shows that total consumption of protein during a day is more important than protein timing!

3) Egg protein powders are made from, you guessed it, the protein in eggs – which means they may be a great alternative if you can’t use whey or casein for whatever reason.

Quick recap: whey and casein proteins both come from milk, and both can help rebuild muscle. Whey is more readily absorbed by your body and is usually less expensive than casein, which makes it our preferred form of protein for cost and ease of consumption.

Personally, I prefer whey. I find casein protein less palatable, and it doesn’t mix as well.

Also, don’t worry about timing whey for post-workout and casein for sleep. In my opinion, you’re just overcomplicating things.

Pick the one you enjoy and focus on getting enough protein in a day – that will get you 99.% of the way there to building muscle in the right places!

IF YOU ARE PLANT BASED: these are our recommendations for plant protein powders (from our guide to eating a Plant-Based Diet):

• Pea protein. A solid choice for vegan protein powder comes from peas, specifically the high protein yellow split pea. A quarter cup (28 grams) will get you about 21 grams of protein, and run you about 100 calories. There’s some evidence it might be comparable to whey in building muscle.^[9] NAKED Nutrition offers a great 100% pea protein powder you can check out.
• Rice protein. A quarter cup of rice protein will contain 22 grams of protein and run 107 calories. Not too shabby. Plus, when you combine it with pea protein, you’ll end up with a complete amino acid profile needed for human growth.^[10] A good brand to look into would be Growing Naturals.
• Hemp protein. While it doesn’t have as much protein as pea or rice (one cup will have 12 grams of protein and 108 calories), what it lacks in this department it makes up for in its nutrient profile. Hemp protein is derived from the seeds of the cannabis plant, but it’s bred in such a way that it won’t have any THC. What it will provide you with though is a decent source of iron, zinc, and omega-3s, which are all things vegans tend to be deficient in. Nutivia sells a good hemp protein if you are interested.

What about Soy Protein? Soy is a complicated beast, though in our opinion the fears around soy are overblown.

As Examine points out in its review of soy protein supplementation:^[11]

“Whey protein was absorbed more quickly than soy protein, and stimulated muscle protein synthesis by roughly two times the amount that soy supplementation did. However, no differences in overall body composition was observed between the groups.”

In other words, you do you, boo. If you consume soy and are struggling to hit your protein goals, consuming a soy supplement can help. If you are unsure on soy, consider getting your protein supplementation from any of the other sources above!

Now, regardless of what protein you pick what you need to know about protein shakes based on the collective wisdom of the 15 full-time coaches on Team Nerd Fitness:

1. When buying protein powders, buy a product with minimal other ‘stuff.’ Aim for one that starts with “whey protein concentrate” or “whey protein isolate” on the ingredients label, followed by a small number of ingredients – one of which will probably be “artificial or natural flavorings.”
2. Pick a flavor that you like! Protein powders generally come in multiple a few flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, etc. I’m as plain as they come, so vanilla protein is my jam.
3. Make sure to look at the ingredients and find one from a reputable brand. Always do your research even if it is one of the most popular brands (such as Muscle Milk). Some of these have had metals such as arsenic found in them.^[12]
4. Many popular protein powders are just not great in terms of meeting their promises. Check out this lab rating’s review of “high quality” protein powders that meet this Reddit protein powder measurement results thread. There’s a lot of fraudulent stuff out there, so make sure you keep your Sherlock Holmes hat on when shopping!

Steve’s Protein Brand Recommendations

Over the past 15 years of training, I’ve tried dozens of protein powders, and I keep coming back to 2 brands that fit my style and budget:

1. Jay Robb’s Grassfed Whey Protein: my current favorite and absolutely delicious (I go with Vanilla)…but VERY expensive. This comes from grass-fed cows, and thus is much more difficult to come by. I find it to be the best mixing protein powder I’ve ever tried, and also the best tasting.
2. Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein: The whey I used for years (my former favorite). Optimum Nutrition is well known in the fitness space, and I used their product for close to a decade without issue. If you are on a tighter budget and can’t afford grass-fed whey protein, go with Optimum Nutrition.

How to Use Protein Powder (How Do You Make Protein Shakes Taste Better?)

The back of every protein powder jug will tell you “mixes great with 8 oz of water!”

For some protein powders, this is true.

For others, it’ll taste like you’re choking down recently mixed concrete.

Note: do not consume readily mixed concrete. You’re welcome.

So Step #1 with your newly purchased protein powder is to mix it with water and see how it tastes.

By mixing just the protein and water, you’re adding minimal calories to your daily intake while also increasing your protein intake for the day.

Win.

NOW, depending on your caloric goals or if you’re looking to make a meal replacement shake, you can start to experiment and make your own protein shakes by doing the following:

• Add fruit: bananas, strawberries, blueberries – look for the frozen berry medleys in your grocery store.
• Add a serving of veggies: blend in frozen spinach – you can’t even taste it!
• Try a different liquid: almond milk, reduced-calorie orange juice, skim milk or whole milk.
• Healthy calories: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter.
• Seeds like chia seeds or sunflower seeds.

Just pretend like you’re a scientist and you’re creating a different concoction each time. Write down your ingredients and amounts until you find the perfect blend (heyo) of macros and taste that fits your goal!

HUGE CAVEAT: your body still obeys the laws of thermodynamics. Just because you call it a “healthy smoothie” doesn’t mean the 1,000 calories in it don’t count!

If you can’t lose weight, you’re eating too many calories, which means you should be aware of how many calories are going into your quickly-consumed protein shake.

Now, if your goal is bulking up or building muscle – then creating your own high-calorie protein shake is a great way to get extra calories into your day.

I am currently bulking up, so here is my patented post-workout shake that I consume daily (okay it’s not really patented).

STEVE’S POWERBOMB SHAKE

• Ice cold water: 16 oz
• Quaker Oats: 3 servings (120g)
• Whey Protein: 2 servings (62 g)  
• Frozen Spinach: 1.5 servings (120g)
• Frozen Berries: .8 servings (120g)

And because we like to have fun around here, we turned the recipe into a fun graphic.

Here’s an infographic for the protein smoothie recipe:

The macronutrient and caloric breakdown of that shake: 795 calories, 68g of protein, 106g of carbs, 13g of fat:

SHOULD YOU BUY A BLENDER?

For over a decade, I simply used a cheap blender like this on Amazon!

Depending on your budget, you can also go to your local Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Sam’s Club, Stop & Shop, etc., and buy a blender for 20 bucks.

I will say that as I’ve gotten older and had more disposable income I have become a Vitamix fanboy. They are expensive, but you get what you pay for.

I’ve probably burned the motors out of 10+ cheap blenders, and since switching to a Vitamix it’s been crushing my powerbomb shake ingredients twice a day in seconds.

If you have the money, it’s worth the investment.

Your other option is to buy a cheap shaker bottle

Here’s the kind I use.

Personally, I’ve found that these things don’t mix nearly as well as a blender, but if you’re traveling with no blender option available, a shaker bottle can be really helpful.

Note: if you are using a shaker bottle, pour the water in first, THEN add the protein shake!

Here’s my “stay healthy while traveling” strategy for protein:

• Measure out 2 servings of protein powder and put them in a sealed plastic bag.
• Put your sealed plastic bag in an empty shaker bottle.
• When ready to consume, remove the plastic bag of protein, then add water to the bottle.
• THEN, add protein.

If you put the protein in first, I can guarantee no amount of shaking will get all of that protein mixed into the liquid!

Should I Drink My Protein Shake Before or After My Workout?

Conventional wisdom tells us that we need to be consuming our protein shake IMMEDIATELY after our workout for maximum gains.

It also tells us that we need to be consuming protein every few hours for maximum protein synthesis by our muscles too.

But what does the science actually say?

According to this abstract:^[13]

“In general, protein supplementation pre-AND post-workout increases physical performance, training session recovery, lean body mass, muscle hypertrophy, and strength. Specific gains, differ however based on protein type and amounts.”

And in this study:^[14]

“These results refute the commonly held belief that the timing of protein intake in and around a training session is critical to muscular adaptations and indicate that consuming adequate protein in combination with resistance exercise is the key factor for maximizing muscle protein accretion.”

WHAT THIS MEANS: The amount of protein you consume in a day is more important than the timing of your protein when it comes to muscle building. Consuming a protein shake before OR after a workout will result in increased physical performance and muscle hypertrophy – provided you’re training the right way!

If you need to train and then head to work and you can’t eat your protein until later in the day, do what works best for you!

Some people might hate training on an empty stomach, so consuming the protein shake before the workout is beneficial.

I personally train in a fasted state (which we cover in our Guide on Intermittent Fasting), so I don’t consume my protein shake until after my workout.

So, stop worrying about protein timing and instead put your focus on training, total calories, and getting enough protein in the day itself.

Not sure if you’re training right?

Consider working with a Nerd Fitness Coach who can build you a training program and help guide you on your nutrition!

A Nerd Fitness Coach can help you decide if you even need to supplement with protein!

Getting Started Drinking Protein Shakes

Let’s recap some of the key points of drinking protein shakes for you:

1. Protein supplements can SUPPLEMENT a healthy diet, but should not replace it.
2. My recommendation is to buy a tub of Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein online if you’re on a tighter budget, in whatever flavor you like.
3. If you have more money, consider the Jay Robb’s Grassfed Whey Protein (my favorite).
4. Consider mixing in a protein shake before or after your workout. Timing isn’t as important as total protein consumed over the course of a day when it comes to building muscle and recovery.
5. Think of a shake as a way to get good protein when you can’t afford/don’t have time to make a good meal.
6. A cheap blender will suffice if you don’t have other options, but if you have more of a budget I would recommend getting a Vitamix – you’ll have it for the next 30 years.

Hopefully, this should get you started! Feel free to try out different flavors and combinations of ingredients in your smoothies to make them something you actually look forward to!

Do you have any favorite protein shake recipes?

Any more questions about protein powders and supplements?

Share them with us in the comments!

-Steve

PS: Check out the rest of our protein series:

• The Nerd Fitness Protein Calculator
• How Much Protein Should I Eat?

PPS: Still overwhelmed? Still not sure you’re training right or eating correctly? Want to know which supplements are worth it and which ones are a waste of money?

I hear ya.

These questions and people like you are why we launched our 1-on-1 Coaching Program: to help busy people cut through the noise and just start building muscle, getting leaner, and feeling better.

Click below to schedule a call to learn more:

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All photo sources are right here^[15]

The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness.

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“Do you even lift?”

After today’s guide, not only will you be able to say “YUP,” but you’ll also know exactly how MUCH you should be lifting!

We’ll help you get big and strong so you can fight back against your older brother when he tackles you in the hallway.

As part of our Strength 101 series, we’re going to tell you exactly what you need to know about lifting weights and strength training:

• Step #1: Why you should lift your own bodyweight first.
• Step #2: How to start lifting with barbell training.
• How much does a barbell weigh?
• Step #3: Adding weight to a barbell.
• Step #4: When should you add even more weight?
• Step #5: How to determine your 1 rep max?
• Step #6: How much should YOU be lifting?
• Do you even lift?

If you find yourself with a billion other strength training questions as you build your own workout, or you’re overwhelmed at all of this and not sure how to get stronger…you’re in good company!

It can be scary enough to keep MOST people from starting, which is actually why we created our Coaching Program.

Your NF Coach will do an initial assessment to calculate exactly how much weight you should start lifting. They’ll then design a program that they’ll adjust regularly based on your progress and schedule.

Plus, with our app, your coach can do regular video form checks to make sure you safely make consistent progress. 

Let’s get you STRONG as hell. Learn more about our Online Coaching Program!

With that out of the way, let’s jump into the nitty-gritty of “How much weight should I lift?“

Step #1: Why You Should Lift Your Own Bodyweight First

Stop! (Wait a minute…)

Before trying to figure out how much weight you can lift, let’s make sure you know how to do the movement, as flawlessly as possible, without any weight at all.

Why?

Because if you can’t do a movement correctly without weight, how can you expect to do it right WITH weight?

Think about it – if you can’t walk up a flight of stairs normally, would you expect to be able to walk up the flight of stairs carrying a sack of hammers?

No – you would only hurt yourself.^[1]

Also, what are you even doing with a sack of hammers?

STEP ONE: learn each movement without any bars, dumbbells, or added weight.

Which might make you say:

“Staci, how on earth do I do a deadlift or an overhead press without any weight? And I know I can do a bodyweight squat, but isn’t it completely different doing a barbell back squat?”

Easy – grab either a broomstick (be careful for splinters!), mop handle, or PVC pipe (I use a 1.25” PVC cut in half) and pretend it’s a barbell.

If you’re trying to mimic a dumbbell movement, either grab a short dowel, PVC, or just hold your hands in a fist as if you were holding on to something.

While it’s not the exact same as holding actual weight, it will allow you to practice getting into the correct positions.

Practice the movements in your own home without other people around you (so you’ll be less nervous).

Also, you can videotape yourself pretty easily. I’ve use my computer’s webcam, or my phone camera and a little tripod, then completed the movement with a broomstick.

Now, I can deadlift 455 pounds and I’m a Senior Coach for our Online Coaching Program:

Want me to teach you how to deadlift? Learn more about our Online Coaching Program:

If you want a beginner strength training workout to follow:

• Go from zero to barbell with our 6 Beginner Gym Workouts.
• Pick one of our Beginner Strength Workouts.
• Build your own workout!

If you are interested in nerding out about proper form for each barbell movement, start here:

• How to do a proper barbell squat.
• How to do a proper deadlift.
• How to do a proper overhead press.
• How to do a proper bench press.

We also HIGHLY recommend you pick up Starting Strength, widely considered to be the Bible of barbell training.

Once you feel good about your form, you can see if you can “pass the bar.”

(Guaranteed to be the nicest lawyer joke you’ll ever read on Nerd Fitness, by the way).

Now, if want a full Bodyweight Workout Program that you can follow along with at home that will help get you prepped to start strength training?

You can download the worksheet to follow along here when you sign up in the box below:

Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!

• Complete this workout at home, no equipment required
• Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight exercises
• Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

Step #2: How to Start Barbell Training with Lifting the Bar

Once you’re comfortable with each movement with a broomstick or PVC, then you can move to the bar.

Your first gym workout shouldn’t go any heavier than “just” the bar, which means the bar without any added weight.

How much does a barbell weigh?

• A standard barbell weighs 45 lbs (20.4 kg).
• A “women’s barbell” weighs 35 lbs (15.8 kg).

Now, don’t be discouraged if this seems really heavy – especially on upper body movements.

When I started out, I could not bench press or overhead press an empty barbell.

If the bar seems too heavy to start:

1. See if the gym has a lighter barbell – some have a “women’s bar” or a “training bar” that usually weighs 30-35 lbs and 15 lbs, respectively. These are usually shorter, but that’s okay!
2. Start out with dumbbells – while the movement is not the exact same, it allows you to build up the strength:

   
   This will help you handle a barbell down the road.

3. Focus on bodyweight training (push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, squats) until you build the strength to handle the bar.

Now, on opposite ends of the spectrum, if the bar seems really light, I would STILL encourage you to complete your first workout with just the bar.

Why?

According to Mike Rebold from Hiram College, when you start lifting the barbell or dumbbells for the first time you will notice muscle deficiencies (i.e., one side that is weaker than the other). It can often come down to motor units, or the nuerons that help muscle fibers.^[2]

Rebold explains:

When you first start strength training and lifting the barbell or dumbbells, your motor units don’t fire as quickly and smaller motor units that don’t generate a lot of force are recruited. As you continue working out and become more trained, your motor units fire more rapidly and your brain recruits larger motor units that can generate more force allowing you to lift heavier weights. This is why the progressive overload principle is important.

That means focus on getting each rep correct, and worry about adding weight next time.

Check your ego at the door!

I would rather see somebody in the gym lifting the bar with proper form than watch somebody with awful form lift 400 lbs.

That makes me…

Note: If you finish your first workout with the bar and still aren’t comfortable with the movements, it’s never a bad thing to do your next workout with just the bar again.

If you’re not comfortable with the movement and you start adding weight, not only will you be more likely to injure yourself because your body isn’t ready, but you’ll be more likely to hurt yourself because you won’t be confident under the bar.

Confidence is something that is very important as you start lifting heavier and heavier.

Mike Rebold supports this idea:

Self-esteem is confidence in one’s own abilities. Research has shown that in order to improve one’s self-esteem, or one’s confidence to exercise and lift heavier weights, you must first incorporate and master simple exercises.^[3]

This is why we also recommend starting with the barbell or light dumbbells. Because as you master these simple exercises, that will result in your self-esteem being improved and then you will have more confidence to try new exercises and to lift heavier weights. 

Speaking of, if you’re planning on using dumbbells as your main lift (and not a barbell):

Start with 5-10 lb dumbbells to get a feel for things.

Whether you’re starting with dumbbells or ready to move onto a barbell, it’s important to do it properly!

We check the form of EVERY online coaching client on their workouts so they have the confidence that they’re doing these moves correctly!

Get your form checked by an expert, and never worry if you’re doing the movement right:

We’ve also created a specific sequence of workout routines you can follow along with for free in our guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know.

Grab yours free when you sign up in the box below:

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

Step #3: How To Start Adding Weight to the Barbell

If you’re looking to start on a beginner program, such as the workouts in our Beginner Strength Training Workouts or our 6 Beginner Gym Workouts, you need to start light!

A few common rep ranges for beginner programs are:^[4]

• 5 sets of 5 reps
• 3 sets of 8 reps
• 3 sets of 10 reps

Let’s do an example: your program has you doing 3 sets of 8 on a particular lift.

1) After a proper warm-up routine, start with the empty bar again, and complete the prescribed number of reps (for this, it would be 8).

“But I thought you said we could add weight this time?” you might be thinking.

You can – but no matter how heavy you are going, always start with just the bar to warm up for EACH exercise.

If you watch the best lifters in your gym, you will notice they all warm up with “just the bar” to start, often for multiple sets!

This helps get your body warm, primes your nervous systems and all of your muscles for that movement, and gets you ready to lift heavier weight.^[5]

As a beginner to strength training, this is especially important to ingrain proper technique.

2) Add a small amount of weight to the bar. Depending on how heavy the bar felt, start by adding:

• 2 – 5 pounds for upper body exercises.
• 5 – 10 pounds for lower body exercises.

When in doubt, add the lower amount.^[6] You can always add more! Do another set of 8-12 reps at this weight.

(Note: If you’re doing dumbbell training, instead of adding weight to the bar, increase the weight of the dumbbell. Start with 5 lb. dumbbells, then 10 lb. dumbbells, for example)

3) If you were able to complete those reps both without losing form and without the speed of the bar slowing, add more weight to the bar.

Base the amount of new weight off how it felt – if the last set felt really light, add 5’s, if it felt heavy, add 2.5’s’s.

Here’s a good guideline from NSCA :^[7]

If a person can do two or more reps than the goal in an exercise on two consecutive training sessions, then they should increase the load.

4) Continue to do this until your form starts to break down or the speed of the lift gets slower on any of your reps.^[8]

The weight you used right before your form started to break down is your starting weight on which you will base all future workouts!

5) If it is a lower number than you expect, that’s great actually!

Don’t try to be a hero your first workout, it is better to start out too light than too heavy.^[9]

Remember – we’re trying to get solid, productive sets in, not find our max, so we want all of the reps to be fast and with as perfect form as our body allows.

Since you’re testing out heavier weights for the first time, never be afraid to have a spotter, or to use pins to ensure your safety!

If you don’t want to figure ANY of this out on your own, and you just want somebody to tell you exactly how much to lift, how many sets, reps, etc., I hear you.

I’ve had a lifting coach for years and it’s the best investment I make each month!

No more guesswork. Let us build a custom program for you to follow in our Online Coaching App! Learn more:

Step #4: How Do I Know When to Add More Weight?

Once you’ve found your starting weight, you’ll want to start using something called “progressive overload.”

This sounds a lot fancier than it really is.

As Coach Jim explains above, progressive overload means gradually increasing the stress put on your body during training.^[10]

In other words, we need to increase something, regularly. Usually, this means the amount of weight we lift.

And for beginners, that can often happen after every workout.

During every workout, our muscles are torn and broken down. Then after every workout – for the next 24-48+ hours, our body repairs itself. If you’re getting proper sleep^[11]  and nutrition,^[12] it heals back stronger than it was before.

Conversely, if you do 5 sets of 5 squats at 100 lbs every single workout for months, are you getting stronger?

Most likely not.

Your body is actually just getting more efficient at lifting 5×5 at 100 lbs, burning fewer calories, and using less energy to make that movement happen.

So, how much weight do you add when you’re ready to increase your workouts?

That depends on how difficult the set was last time.

This is where great note-taking comes in (I’m a huge fan of a simple notebook, or Evernote docs on my phone).

Be sure to document each workout with:

• How much you lifted.
• How many sets and reps.
• How your lifts went.
• How you felt during the workout.

Did you go to failure on your last set?

Did your form break down on any of the reps?

You’ll end up in one of two positions:

PATH A: You failed to complete any of your reps or your form started to break down. Do the same weight again next workout, and focus on boosting your form and technique of each rep.

Remember, if you are doing the same workout as last time, but each rep is more solid and with better form than before, you’re still doing better than you were the last workout.

In other words, you’re still leveling up.

You don’t necessarily have to go up in weight every workout to see gains.

You could also focus on:

• Less rest between sets.
• More control and better form.
• More repetitions.

All of which means you are getting stronger.

PATH B: You were able to get through all of your sets with great form, and without the bar slowing down. Congrats! Consider adding more next week. It’s not unheard of for beginners to add 10-20lbs a week to some lifts (especially squats and deadlifts), though don’t get discouraged if you’re only adding 2.5 or 5!^[13]

The BEST THING YOU CAN DO: slowly add the smallest amount of weight possible, and progress consistently. This is much preferred to progressing quickly then hit a plateau.

Each week, as you add a little bit of weight, you are building strength, confidence, and momentum.

Note: For some lifts, especially the overhead press or bench press, adding just 5 lbs may be too much to go up per workout.

I personally have a set of 1.25lb plates that I bring with me to the gym so that I can still progress regularly.

Remember: You’re going to have shitty days at the gym. There will be days when you can’t add any weight, or you feel like you have to take a step backward.

So many things affect how your lifts are going to feel:

• A baby crying all night – causing sleep deprivation and resulting in systemic inflammation and decreased GH release = poor recovery
• Lots of stress at the office.
• To drinking too much at the big game – causing stomach discomfort and bloating.
• Just not eating enough for your goals – not consuming enough carbohydrates and fats to support energy demands or not consuming enough protein to facilitate muscle protein synthesis and recovery.^[14]

It’s important to listen to your body over listening to some number telling you what you should be lifting.

You want to make progress every time you walk into the gym, and that means having a specific plan to follow.

Don’t have a workout to follow? Tired of not getting results despite all the effort?

This is what we do for a living! Help people like you get out of ruts and finally get them the results they want.

After doing my own workout programming for 5 years, I hired a coach and it changed my life. Let us help you hit your goals too.

No more guesswork. Let us create an exact program for you to follow! We’ll be with you every step of the way. Learn more:

Step #5: How Do I Calculate My 1 Rep MAx?

It’s really fun to find the maximum amount of weight you can do for one repetition (one rep max) every once in a while.

However, as a beginner who is just starting strength training, it’s better that you start with getting the movement right and adding weight slowly before trying to find a one-rep max.

I would suggest you follow a program for at least six weeks before even attempting “a heavy single”.

Why?

Even if your form is as good as you can get it now, you will get far better, learning how to make tweaks and corrections as you go.

When you first start out, you’re still getting everything down, so your one-rep max won’t be a “true” one-rep max.

Plus, when you train, you’re training everything in your body.

Some things, like muscles and bones, get stronger, while others, like your nervous system, get more efficient.

The more you do something, the better you get at it. And in the beginning you’ll get better very quickly.

It’s unwise to attempt a 1 repetition maximum when you’re learning the movement.

This is one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is “never get involved in a land war in Asia.”

But only slightly less well-known is this: “Never attempt a 1-rep max as a beginner.”

Even if you can do it with proper form with lighter weights, as soon as the weight gets close to your 1 rep max your form will start to break down, and you are more likely to hurt yourself.

Some words of caution here from Mike Rebold, an expert in exercise physiology:

During 1RM testing, fatigue will happen! One-repetition maximum testing has been found to overload the neuromuscular system resulting in lower motor unit activation, less force production, and ultimately more fatigue. This level of fatigue experienced by the lifter can be enough to result in injury, especially if the lifter is a novice (i.e., beginner).

When your form starts to break down, you need to have the experience behind you to finish (or bail out of) the lift safely.

If you watch any weightlifting or powerlifting competition, sometimes the lifts are not the prettiest lifts you’ve ever seen.

However, the lifters are experienced enough to handle this, and know how to bail if something goes wrong.

As a beginner, you are not.

Team NF’s Steve worked with a coach for 4+ years to finally get his 420 lb. deadlift:

If you want to work with a coach that can help you perfect your form and train to hit 1-rep maxes too, we’re here for ya! We’re slightly biased, but having a coach in your corner is an absolute game-changer.

Want to lift more than you’ve ever lifted before? Work with our Online Coaching Program and start getting results! Learn more:

Step #6: what is a respectable amount to be lifting?

The simple answer? The weight that’s right for you.

You are not competing against the guy next to you; you’re competing against the YOU from last week (like racing your ghost in Mario Kart).

As far as what you can strive for, there’s no easy calculation or formula.

While some people have put out strength standards, it’s truly up to your body, your body type, your background as an athlete, your genetics, and many other factors.^[15]

You should be lifting the amount that’s right for you today. In your next workout, you should be trying to lift more (even if you can’t do more weight, try doing one more rep, or with less rest between sets) than you did last time.

That’s it.

As a part of this journey, I want you to completely forget about strength standards and forget about everyone around you.

I don’t care if the guy (or girl) next to you is squatting 500 lbs for sets of 10.

If you’re squatting 50 lbs, and that’s the weight that is challenging for you, then that’s the weight you should be lifting.

These are the BIG mistakes you need to avoid:

Never EVER try to outlift the person next to you.

Never EVER adjust the weight to impress someone.

No one’s judging you based on the weight on the bar, and if they are, they aren’t worth your time or energy.

To recap “How much should I lift?”:

1. The strongest lifters do a dynamic warm-up first.
2. The strongest lifters warm up with “just” the bar.
3. The strongest lifters focus on getting their reps in, and aren’t ashamed that they’re lifting less than the guy next to them.
4. The strongest lifters take time to get things right, even if that means lifting less weight than they know they “can” do.
5. The strongest lifters started off doing a beginners program just like you.

So remember – start slow, add weight slowly, and stay conservative.

It’s amazing how much even adding just 5 lbs (2kg) a week adds up to! It’s far better to play it safe in the beginning than to find yourself injured and frustrated before you have a chance to progress.

Our strength coaching program changes lives. Learn more:

Do You Even Lift?

Hopefully, this article EXCITED you about strength training, and you now know exactly how much to lift. 

For people looking for the next step, we’ve got 3 options you want to check out:

1) If you want to follow a strength training program that’s specific to your goals, check out our popular Online Coaching Program.

You’ll work with a certified NF instructor who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and create a workout strategy that will evolve alongside you.

Put a Yoda in your pocket with our Coaching App! Wake up knowing exactly what to do every day:

2) If you want a daily prompt for doing workouts at the gym (or at home), check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

3) Join the Rebellion! Join hundreds of thousands of people like you. It’s free to join, and we have a dozen free guides for you when you sign up in the yellow box below.

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

Let’s get these questions answered so you can get back to getting stronger!

What are your other big questions about lifting weight and how much you should be lifting?

-Staci

PS: Be sure to check out the rest of Strength Training 101 series:

• Strength Training 101: How to get Strong
• Strength Training 101: Where do I start?
• Strength Training 101: Finding the Right Gym
• How to Train in a Gym: 6 Beginner Gym Workouts
• Strength Training 101: Equipment
• Strength Training 101: Building Muscle & Muscle Training
• Strength Training 101: How to Squat Properly
• Strength Training 101: The Overhead Press
• Strength Training 101: The Deadlift
• Strength Training 101: Inverted Rows

###

photo source: Strongman, Four Bricks Tall: Scenes from an empty lot in Brooklyn, vol 1., hxdbzxy © 123RF.com, Lego Lifting.

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So you want to do a pull-up but don’t have a bar?

Or maybe you just don’t quite have the strength yet to hoist yourself up?

Either way, no problem!

We’ve been teaching people how to do pull-up alternatives in our Online Coaching Program, with “no-bar pull-ups.” Today, we’ll show you all these tried and trusted workarounds.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• How to do pull-ups without a bar (5 pull-up alternatives)
• The 6 best pull-up alternative exercises (How to get your first pull-up)
• What is the easiest type of pull-up? (Start with chin-ups)
• When should I do my pull-up alternatives? (Next steps)

By the way, all of these pull-up alternatives can be done in our sweet new app. Why not learn how to lift yourself up (even without any equipment) while you build your very own superhero?

You can test drive it for free (no credit card needed) right here:

Alright, let’s do this thang.

How to Do Pull-ups Without a Bar (5 Pull-up Alternatives)

The video above comes from our Chin-up Challenge (which you can do in our app). 

Coach Jim walks you through 5 different levels of pull-up alternatives, depending on your experience level and what items you may have lying around the house.

Pull-up Alternative #1: Doorway Rows

Our first alternative is to simply use your doorway for bodyweight rows. 

To perform a doorway row:

• Stand in front of your doorway and grab both sides.
• Place your feet a little closer to the doorway, so you’re leaning back.
• Sit back so you put weight on your arms.
• Pull yourself forward.

That’s it. The more you lean back, the tougher this will be.

To start, you can also just hang back to start building some “pull” strength.

Pull-up Alternative #2: Towel Doorway Rows

Our next alternative is to do doorway rows, but this time using a towel.

The towel might help you lean back even further, creating a more challenging exercise.

Take a towel, and fold it twice lengthwise. Then take your long, folded over towel, and tie it around the door on the handle opposite side of you.

Make sure the door opens AWAY from you. You don’t want the door accidentally opening, which could cause an unexpected tumble.

Once you have your towel secured around the doorknob, perform rows by using each side of the towel.

Pull-up Alternative #3: Inverted Rows with Chairs

For this pull-up alternative, you’re gonna need two sturdy chairs and a broomstick (or dowel).

We’ll be combining them together, Voltron style, to form our own row station:

The important thing here is the setup. Give your newly created station a few gentle pushes to check the integrity of the structure. Only when you feel confident should you start performing inverted bodyweight rows. 

Pull-up Alternative #4: Towel Pull-ups

Now, we’re gonna start doing some actual pull-ups…with towels.

You can either use a couple of sturdy handtowels or washcloths. 

Tie an overhand knot in the corner of both towels, which will be used as your anchor.

Then place these knots over a door and close it. Make sure the knots are secure before you start doing your pull-ups.

Again, you’ll also want to make sure the door opens AWAY from you.

Doing towel pull-ups is going to be a great way to improve your grip strength, although if you find them a little too tough, you can use a stool to support your feet as you lift. This will help as you build strength.

Pull-up Alternative #5: Strap Pull-ups

You may or may not have some Forearm Forklifts hanging around, but if you do, you’ll have the perfect equipment for a pull-up alternative.

Forearm Forklifts are made to help you and a friend lift heavy furniture or equipment, but Coach Jim has discovered they’re also pretty useful for doing pull-ups.

They have loops designed to hold your arms, which makes them easier to grip than a towel.

Tie a knot in them just like you would with a hand towel and use it to anchor against your door. 

For more ideas on how to train with items you may have around the house, check out How to Build a Home Gym (When All Equipment is Sold Out).

The 6 Best Pull-up Alternatives (How to Get Your First Pull-Up)

This section is taken from our guide “Get Your First Pull-up.”

If you can’t quite hoist yourself up yet, don’t fret!

We’re going to work on increasing your “pull” muscles through a series of pull-up alternatives.

First up…

Level 1 Pull-up Alternative: Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows

Bent-over dumbbell rows: 

• 8 reps each arm (or as many as you can do)
• Rest for a 2-minute break
• Do another set
• Repeat until you hit 3 sets

What weight should you start out with initially?

Whatever allows you to get to at least 5 reps a set.

Once you can do 3 sets of 8 reps (each arm), it’s time to pick up a heavier dumbbell.

This will allow you to get stronger and stronger. 

When you can lift a 25-pound (10kg) dumbbell or heavier, consider moving up to the next level.

Level 2 Pull-up Alternative: Inverted Bodyweight Rows

Bodyweight rows are the PERFECT precursor to pull-ups – they work the same muscles, and have you lifting your own bodyweight, just at a different angle.

Our goal here will be to work towards a lower and lower angle, increasing the difficulty of the movement.  

So at first, we’ll do rows with the bar higher up:

Then we’ll progress to getting the bar lower:

As soon as you’re doing bodyweight rows where your body is at a 45-degree angle or lower, you can progress to the next level. 

Level 3 Pull-up Alternative: Assisted Pull-ups

At this point, you are going to start actually doing pull-ups…with a little bit of assistance.

We’ve got a few options for you.

#1) Assisted Pull-ups with Chair

Either one foot or two on the chair, depending on your needs. Your feet are ONLY there for support, use your upper body as much as possible.

#2) Assisted Pull-ups with an Exercise Band

You can get different types of exercise bands with different levels of strength, or a variety pack for easy progression.

Put your foot in the exercise band and pull yourself up.

#3) Assisted Pull-ups with a Partner

Have a friend hold your feet behind you and help you complete each rep. Have them use the least amount of help possible to get you through your workouts.

Once you’re comfortable doing a form of assisted pull-ups, and can do about 10 repetitions, it’s time to advance to the next level.

This is probably the TOUGHEST level before getting your pull-ups. If you get stuck on “assisted pull-ups” and “assisted chin-ups”, you’re not alone. This is where most people get stuck.

We work hand-in-hand with people like you to get them their first pull-up in our Online Coaching Program. If you don’t know how to fit these movements into your workouts, or you just want somebody to give you the exact workout to follow every day, we got you!

No guesswork. No confusion. Just a workout program that’s customized for you.

Level 4 Pull-Up Workout: Negative Pull-Ups

Our next level on our path for a pull-up is what we call “negative pull-ups.”

1. Grab onto the bar with an overhand grip
2. Jump so your chest is touching
3. Slowly lower yourself under control until you’re at the bottom of the movement.

As you continue to lower yourself down, you’ll build strength, eventually creating enough muscle so you can pull yourself up.

If you want more specific instructions on any of these levels or movements, check out our guide “Get Your First Pull-up” for more. 

What Is the Easiest Type of Pull-Up? (Start With Chin-Ups)

The easiest pull-up variation for you to attempt will likely be the chin-up.

That’s why we have a Chin-up Challenge in our app, because we feel Rebels will have an easier time lifting themselves up with this variation, compared to a traditional pull-up.

For reference:

A CHIN-UP is when your hands are facing towards you:

A PULL-UP is when your hands are facing away from you:

Chin-ups are generally easier to perform than pull-ups, because the wider grip of a pull-up isolates your lats, which means you get less assistance from your biceps.  

Start with chin-ups. Once you get comfortable doing them, you can then work on more advanced variations. For ideas here, check out our guide How to Do a Pull-up.

When Should I Do My Pull-Up Alternatives? (Next Steps)

Generally, you want a 48 to 72 hour resting period before returning to train the same muscle group.

So take at least a day off before working on your “pull” muscles again.

This allows the area to heal properly so you can grow stronger.

When we designed a training routine for Nerd Fitness Prime members to get their first chin-up, we aimed for three workouts a week.

If you’re trying to get your first pull-up or chin-up, this would be a good goal. 

So for example, you could do:

• Monday: Bodyweight Rows
• Wednesday: Chin-up Negatives
• Friday: Dumbbell Rows

You could also do Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Even just working out Monday and Thursday – twice a week pull-up training – would allow you to see some great progress.

Feel free to do whatever works best for you.

If you want any more help with designing your workout, we got you.

Check out the option that best fits your goals:

Option #1) If you want a professional coach in your pocket, who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on the equipment you have available, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! 

For example, let’s say you find yourself stuck indoors during a pandemic, and you want somebody to custom-build you a workout program based on the equipment and furniture you have. That’s where an online coach is a game-changer! 

Personally, I’ve been working with the same online coach since 2015 and it’s changed my life. You can learn more by clicking on the image below: 

Option #2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Plus, it’ll teach you how to do pull-ups, even if you have zero experience (or any equipment). 

Try your free trial right here:

Option #3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Enlist below and we’ll send you our free Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know:

Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!

• Everything you need to know about getting strong.
• Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
• How to find the right gym and train properly in one.

Alright, now I want to hear from you!

Can you currently do a chin-up or pull-up?

What’s your favorite pull-up alternative?

Am I missing any tips or tricks for pull-ups without a bar?

Let me know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: If you want more pull-up goodness, make sure you check out:

• Get Your First Pull-Up (30 Day Progression Plan)
• How to Do a Proper Pull-up
• 5 Common Mistakes When Doing Pull-ups

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Photo source: Kermit and Pink Panther, Mouse Hanging, Scarlet Spider-man

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So you’re trying to lose weight fast, eh?

I hear ya. It’s what most people are after!

There’s just one problem. 

There’s an ABSURD amount of horrible advice out there for quick weight loss.

I’m looking at you “Weight Loss Tea” and “Fat Burner Cookies.”

Fortunately, us geeks at Nerd Fitness actually help people get healthy with things like “science” and “proven strategies that last.” 

We have thousands of success stories from our community and 1 million+ people tune in each month for our advice on getting in shape.

Below, we’ll share with you our 9 strategies for safe, sustainable weight loss. We use these as part of our Online Coaching Program and today you’ll learn them too. 

Want to lose weight quickly and safely? We can help!

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is the fastest way to lose weight? (4 common methods)
• How much weight can I expect to lose?
• How do you maintain your weight loss? (Real talk)
• 9 habits for weight loss (that we use with our clients)
• How to lose weight fast (next steps)

We have a lot to get through, so let’s jump right in!

What Is the Fastest Way to Lose Weight? (4 Common Methods)

At some point in this guide, I’m going to try and talk you out of trying to lose weight as fast as possible. 

But now is not that time. 

If you are trying to lose weight quickly, there are 4 common ways of going about it. Each will have some pros and cons, so let’s discuss.

#1) Very Low-Calorie Dieting

This is probably the most common way to quickly lose weight: don’t eat much.

A very low-calorie diet (VLCD) is defined as any diet ranging from 450-800 calories a day.^[1]

For reference, there are about 550 calories in a McDonald’s Big Mac.

So we’re talking about a hamburger and maybe an apple to eat for a day. That’s it.

Unsurprisingly, starving oneself by going on a VLCD will create fast weight loss.^[2]

However, these diets should only be done under medical supervision because you can run into some serious nutritional deficiencies and other health complications if you don’t know what you’re doing.^[3] Additionally, as you’ll soon learn: “temporary changes create temporary solutions.” So, following a VLCD to lose a few pounds will only work for as long as you eat in this fashion.

Not great!

Verdict: Talk to a doctor before trying this.

#2) Protein-Sparing Modified Fasts

A protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF) is much like a VLCD, but the calories you eat more or less come from protein sources.^[4] 

With a PSMF, you eat:

• About 0.68 grams of protein per pound you weigh (1.5g/kg). So if you weigh 250 pounds, you would target 170 grams of protein. 
• Typically that protein comes from 12-17 oz of lean meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, low-fat cheese, or tofu.
• Less than 20g of carbohydrates a day (about 2 servings of low-starch vegetables, with unlimited lettuce salad).
• No fats outside of those in protein sources (no butter, oils, nuts, or seeds).
• A multivitamin and some other electrolyte supplements. 

That’s about it. 

Why the focus on protein?

As we discuss in our Protein 101 guide, eating plenty of protein is critical when you’re losing weight, to ensure you’re losing the right kind of weight.

When you’re in a caloric deficit, your body needs to pull from current stores to function, which means it might pull from both body fat AND muscle. 

Obviously, from a health and physique standpoint, that’s not good.

This explains why a PSMF prioritizes protein: it can help maintain muscle during a drastic calorie deficit.

I already know your next question: is this safe?

• In the short term? Probably.
• In the long term? Ehhhh.

A two-week study found the PSMF to result in safe and effective weight loss.^[5] 

However, a three-month study found nutritional deficiencies were developing in those following a PSMF, even with the added multivitamin and supplements.^[6]

Verdict: In the short term (a week or two), this is fine. In the long term, I would check in with a doctor.

#3) Ketogenic Diets

Low-carb diets are all the rage these days.

Your co-worker, their spouse, and their dog walker’s nephew have all (probably) tried a low-carb diet recently. 

Out of all the low-carb variations out there, the Ketogenic or Keto Diet is one of the more strict versions, as you basically cut out all or most carbohydrates. 

While the exact prescription of a Keto Diet will vary depending on who you talk to, generally a Keto Diet has you:

• Keeping carbs to about less than 30-50 grams a day. For reference, a banana has about 27 grams of carbs.
• Consuming protein at about 0.6 grams for every pound you weigh (about 1.35g per kilogram).
• Eating the rest of your calories from fat.

If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend you check out our GIANT eBook, The Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Diet. Grab it for free when you sign up in the box below:

Download Our Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Diet

• 55-page Keto Diet guide: how to start today!
• Learn the benefits and pitfalls of going Keto.
• Keto recipes, snacks, resources, and more!

The short and gist of the Keto Diet:

• Low-carb diets are generally considered safe.^[7]
• Weight loss can occur on a low-carb diet (as long as you can stick with it), since you’re cutting out an entire macronutrient and most likely reducing total calories consumed.^[8]
• Your results may vary.

Verdict: If you want, go ahead and try the Keto Diet. Lots of people have had success with it. Just know that it’s pretty tough to stick with, which we’ll come back to later.

#4) Weight Loss from Dehydration

If an athlete needs to drop weight quickly for a match or competition, they’ll often do so by dropping water weight.

Think of someone in MMA or bodybuilders, who need to reach a certain weight temporarily to stay in or make a certain weight class. 

If today they’re 160 pounds, but in three days they need to be 150, they’ll often dehydrate themselves to get there.

Some tricks to lose water weight include:

• Jogging around in full sweatsuits.
• Sitting in hot saunas.
• Removing all salt from the diet (since it helps you hold water).
• Going super low-carb (carbs also help with retaining water).
• Not drinking any water the day of the weigh-in.

While these tips might help someone qualify for a competition, we’re not talking about fat loss here, so avoid playing with dehydration to get in shape. Plus, many of these strategies could potentially impact your health if you’re not careful.^[9]

Verdict: Don’t bother.

If you’re wondering if there’s a better strategy for fast weight loss than these 4 protocols, we can help! If you’re interested, we’ll set you up with your very own NF Coach who will create a weight loss plan that isn’t so drastic (or soul-crushing):

Dieting sucks. Let us help you fix your nutrition and lose weight without being miserable:

How Much Weight Can I Expect to Lose?

We’ve all seen advertisements that say:

• Lose 5 pounds in a week.
• Ditch the stubborn “belly fat.”
• Get that bikini body by the summer!

Walk down any magazine aisle and you’ll see:

Flat abs in 28 days? 10 pounds lost easily? Wha…

It’s no wonder that many think weight loss can be done quickly.

Here’s the truth: no one can tell you exactly how much weight you’ll lose in any given time period.

It’ll depend on your energy balance (“calories in” compared to “calories out”), metabolism, physical activity, and body composition.

However, we can talk about some realistic expectations as pointed out below by my friends at Precision Nutrition:

By “pace” here, we mean consistency:

• Extreme. You need to follow your program 100% of the time.
• Reasonable. This is about 70-80% consistent with the program.
• Comfortable. You’re consistent about 50-60% of the time.

More on this in our next section.

I should also say, your weight loss progress will not be linear.

You’ll lose fat faster when:

• You first begin your weight loss journey.
• You have more fat to lose.

Why?

Think of it this way: suppose you normally eat 3,000 calories per day and you maintain your current body weight.

Let’s imagine you bring this down to 2,000 calories, a deficit of 1,000 calories per day. With this new approach, you’ll start to lose weight.

But as you begin to lose weight, your calorie requirements will go down. 

Simply put, there is less of you that needs “fuel.”

Yep, the bigger you are, the more calories you need. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you need. 

Example: Beaker will now need fewer calories. 

In other words: your metabolism doesn’t have to work as hard to fuel all of your bodily functions, has less weight to carry, and thus it will burn fewer calories compared to when you were much bigger.

Here is the estimated daily resting calorie burn (“sit on your ass all day”) of a 35-year old male nerd at 3 very different weights – which you can learn from our Calorie Calculator:

• 300 lbs: 2,600 calories.
• 250 lbs: 2,300 calories.
• 200 lbs: 2,000 calories.  

WHAT THIS MEANS: Unless you adjust your calorie intake as your weight decreases…your previous calorie intake amount becomes less and less effective at losing weight, until you hit an equilibrium.

Another piece of the equation: your body will become more efficient at the exercise you do.^[9]

Here’s an example: if you burn 100 calories running a mile, if you continue to run this same distance at the same speed, eventually you’ll only burn 95 calories running that same mile. Then 90. And so on. 

None of this is meant to freak you out, but it is important to understand if you can’t seem to lose weight. 

Alright, I told you this was coming. 

At this point, we need to talk about ALL the problems with “losing weight as fast as possible.”

How Do You Maintain Your Weight Loss? (Real Talk)

I’m going to make an assumption about you:

This probably isn’t your first rodeo, nor is it the first time you’ve looked into fast weight loss. 

How’d that turn out the last time you tried it?

I’m not asking this to be a jerk, but rather to make a point:

I like you, your friends like you, and the world needs you to be the healthiest superhero version of yourself you can be.

The problem with the four strategies we talked about earlier (and the other diets that you’ve probably tried), is they generally aren’t sustainable.

Can you live off 500 calories for a few days?

Probably.

Can you do it for a whole year? 

Nope.

As we mention in The 5 Rules of Weight Loss, any benefit you get from a diet is only going to last as long as you do the diet. 

Said another way:

• Temporary changes create temporary results.
• Permanent changes create permanent results.

Sure, it’s great when people try the Keto Diet and lose 20 pounds. But as soon as they ditch low-carb, they generally regain the weight back.

We want sustainable changes and permanent weight loss. 

It doesn’t really matter how much weight you lose in your first week or first month, but rather how much weight you have lost after 1 year, and how you feel after that year. 

That’s why in our Online Coaching Program, we don’t focus on losing weight as fast as possible. We focus on slowly developing 9 skills that help our clients level up permanently.

Although we focus on long-term behavior change and permanent progress, many of our clients end up losing weight pretty quickly, like Sarah the supermom here, who lost 30 pounds in six months. 

This might seem counterintuitive, but after years of running Nerd Fitness, I’ve learned it to be true:

Small changes, consistently taken, create the fastest path to lose weight.

Think of the classic story of the Tortoise and the Hare. 

The fast-starting hare becomes bored and decides to take a quick nap, while the slow-but-consistent tortoise keeps its pace. When the hare wakes up, it’s too late. The race has been won by the tortoise.

The morale here: the race is not always won by the swiftest.

Make a small change. Once it becomes a normal part of your life, make another. Then another.

That’s how the tortoise would do it. 

This is a message I really strike home in the video on “How to Get in Shape,” which is right here for you:

Now, let’s talk about what small changes you can make. 

9 Habits for Successful Weight Loss

Here are 9 skills to help you achieve fast and sustainable weight loss:

#1) Plan and Take Action

If you’re going to embark on a weight loss journey, you’re gonna need to do some preparation.

You can’t just open your fridge and expect there to be healthy food ready to go.

That would be a magic fridge.

Which I assume would also talk to you. 

Our first step in helping someone get healthy, whether through our Coaching Program or in NF Prime, is by outlining a plan.

Then, we need to act on it. 

There are two ways we go about this:

• Make time on your calendar. This can be a reminder to buy food, prep dinner, or go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be a huge block of time, but we need to get you in the habit of making space for your goals. Otherwise, they won’t happen. So Step #1 here is to make time. 
• Have “Daily Wins” in the direction of your goal. What we do every day will end up defining us, so daily adherence is important. However, this can be a small action, even just 5-minutes. We call this our “Daily Win.” It could be to drink a glass of water or go do some jumping jacks. The point here is to be able to crush this goal, no matter what it is. It’ll help us build momentum.

When you start a weight loss journey, take some time to plan and prepare. Don’t just say “I’m gonna start tomorrow.” Think of when you’re going to make a change, what you’re going to change, and why. 

Then create a path where you can take a step in that direction every single day, no matter how small it may seem.

This will add up quickly, I promise.

#2) Develop Healthier Eating Behavior

So many people ask us “what” to eat.

But we rarely get people asking us “how” to eat.

Both are super important for losing weight. 

There are a few things we can work on to develop this “how” skill:

• Eat mindfully and slowly. Your body takes a while to recognize it’s full, so slowing down and concentrating on your meal can help with overeating. Some of our Daily Wins here could include using a meal timer, putting your fork down between bites, and eating without the TV or your phone around (no distractions). 
• Recognize hunger and fullness cues. Sometimes, we eat just to eat. Maybe we’re actually more bored than hungry. To help fight this, a Daily Win could be to keep a “Hunger and Fullness Journal.” Here, you rate your hunger from 1 to 10 before you eat anything. If it’s less than 6 or 7, maybe pause for 30 minutes or so and check back in later. It’s the same idea for our fullness. Pause during the meal, and ask yourself “how hungry am I still?” If your hunger has subsided, maybe save the rest of your food for later. The goal here is to eat (and continue eating) only when you’re hungry.
• Create a schedule for meals. Most people do best with eating on some type of routine. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at roughly the same time. Your body will pick up on this and naturally get hungry at the times you normally eat. Predictable meals can help with weight loss.

#3) Balance Energy Intake to Your Goals

You’ll hear us talk about “energy balance” throughout Nerd Fitness.

As we point out in The 5 Rules of Weight Loss, study^[10] after study^[11] after study^[12] shows that our bodies obey the laws of thermodynamics and that to lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly.

So it’s important to have a sense of how many calories you need to hit your goals.

Some actions we can take here:

• Calculate your calorie requirements. We don’t need you to be exact, but we need a rough ballpark on how many calories you need given your body composition, activity level, and goals.
• Determine the calories in the food you eat. Next, we need to figure out how many calories you’re actually eating. Apps can be helpful here, but you can also use the “Hand Portion” tool found in our ““How to Portion Control” Guide. 
• Track your progress. There’s a lot of educated guesswork in matching calories in to calories out, so the most important thing we can do is track the results. If you’re seeing progress, great! Keep going. Not seeing progress? No problem. We’ll take that information like a scientist would and adjust our experiment. 

This is one of the more difficult steps in our 9 Skills to Lose Weight, so if you want a Nerd Fitness Coach to give you a hand, we got you:

Your Nerd Fitness Coach can help create a sustainable plan for weight loss!

#4) Choose Higher-Quality Foods More Often

Throughout our Guide to Healthy Eating, we promote two ideas:

• You don’t have to completely give up the food you love like pizza, cheeseburgers, or ice cream. These can be eaten “SOMETIMES.”
• Foods of “higher quality” should be prioritized and eaten more often. We place these in our “YES” category. 

We find this “eat more of” and “eat less of” stance to be less overwhelming to our coaching clients than providing hard and stringent rules about food. 

Less overwhelming = more sustainable = win. 

We’re still trying to figure out how to offfer a flying dragin in our coaching program. 

I’m sure you now have some questions:

• What foods should be “SOMETIMES”?
• How often is this?
• What foods should be “YES”?

The answer: it’s actually up to you to help figure that out!

That’s not meant to be a cop-out, so let me explain:

Our goal here is to move you to “higher-quality food” over time.

We can get there by working on the following:

• Set criteria for “better” or “worse.” If we’re going to adjust our eating habits, we need to define our goals. For example, whole wheat bread will typically contain more nutrients than white bread, so it would be “better.” French fries often have more calories than a boiled potato, so it would be “worse.” I put these in quotes because if you want french fries right now, it’s “better,” even if it contains more calories. This goes back to our “SOMETIMES” discussion. 
• Eat more whole, minimally processed food. You know the drill here: we’re after fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fresh meats, raw nuts, etc. These foods will generally have more nutrients intact. Plus, we want you to eat a variety of them (berries and oranges instead of only eating apples) so you get more nutrients that way. These foods are often “better” than their processed counterparts. 
• Eat less processed foods. While you can totally eat pizza and drink beer and still be healthy (I do and am), we want these to be “SOMETIMES” meals instead of “ALL THE TIME” meals. If you eat pizza twice a week, maybe we get it down to once a week.

If you’re interested in losing weight fast, a key skill will be to eat higher quality food more often.

#5) Obtain Proper Nutrients

This one builds up from our last skill: choose higher-quality food more often.

That’s because higher-quality food will provide your body with more nutrients.

But we can get more specific than that.

Here are some actions to ensure you’re getting proper nutrients throughout your day.

• Eat lean protein at most meals. This would include lean cuts of beef or chicken, greek yogurt, or beans and lentils. Protein is one of the most critical macronutrients for your health, so it’s critical to prioritize it at every meal.
• Eat colorful fruits and vegetables. The color of produce generally signifies the nutrients it contains (green veggies will have vitamin K), so it’s important to eat the whole rainbow when it comes to your fruits and veggies.^[13] Try to include some colorful produce at most meals. 
• Choose high-fiber carbohydrates. Think fruits, tubers, legumes (beans/lentils), and whole grains. The fiber will help slow digestion and provide long-lasting energy. 
• Pick healthy fats. Foods like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. These will help you stay full and help regulate inflammation.^[14]
• Stay hydrated. You need to be properly hydrated for all the nutrients you consume to work well.^[15] Plus, drinking plenty of water can help you stay full between meals. 

#6) Move Your Body

Our bodies evolved to move regularly. Yet for those of us in industrialized countries, we often only move to get from our homes to our car, to an office where we sit all day, then back home.

That’s why we often need to plan regular movement.

While we’re big fans of strength training around these parts, it doesn’t have to be that intense to get started. At first, it can literally be anything that gets your body moving. Even just taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

You can even build your “workout” around movements that don’t feel like exercise, like playing with your kids.

The important thing: plan it! Schedule your movement, no matter how small, so that way it becomes habitual.

Yes, even if it’s just taking the stairs. It might seem small and insignificant, but if you do it regularly, it’ll start to add up quickly. 

#7) Get Good Rest and Sleep

The other thing people often neglect in industrialized countries: sleep.

As a whole, we’re getting less shuteye than we used to, with about 35% of folks reporting they get less than 7 hours of sleep per night.^[16]

But it’s not just good quality sleep we’re after, it’s also rest.

That means not only days off from the gym to let your muscles heal and recover, but also downtime to let your mind relax. 

Straight chillin. 

This matters for our discussion on weight loss:

• Sleep helps us regulate our metabolism, which partially explains the link between sleep deprivation and obesity.^[17]
• Stress, and the hormones that come with it, can influence weight gain.^[18]

If you want more help here, check out our 10 Tips for Improved Sleep. 

#8) Find a Supportive Environment

Our environment can include a lot of things:

• Our home and work.
• The town or city we live in.
• Our friends and family.

Some of our environment is in our control. Some of it (like the weather) is not.

When possible, we want to change our environment to support our weight loss efforts, so we’re set up for success.

For our physical surroundings, we often call this “Building our Batcave.”

We want the things around us to promote our fitness goals.

This could include healthy snacks in the fridge or weights in the basement for our home gym.

Coach Matt talks about some easy ways to level up a home gym right here:

However, it’s not just material things here, because we also need to look at the people we surround ourselves with or “our squad.” Having people who support your efforts, or are themselves working towards a similar goal, can be critical for weight loss.

So can having a coach in your corner who knows the path forward.

Any way that you can adapt your environment to match your weight loss goals, the better. 

#9) Balance Emotions without Food

It’s perfectly normal and okay to use food to match emotions.

• Celebrating a promotion? A dinner out can be the perfect reaction.
• Tough day at work? Maybe a glass of wine will help you relax.

As we point out in our Guide to Stress Eating, the problem arises when we are no longer in control of food because of our emotions. 

Coach Justin does a great job of explaining why here:

Food can be fine as a reward or as a relief, as long as it’s us controlling the behavior and not the food itself. Developing this skill will be important for sustainable weight loss.

If you find yourself “stress eating,” know that you are not alone here.

One of the top issues faced by clients in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program is emotional or stress eating. With the eruption of the pandemic, these episodes have only increased.

You’re not alone in this. Learn how a Nerd Fitness Coach can help.

How to Lose Weight Fast (Next Steps)

I’m going to be real with you: developing and mastering all 9 weight-loss skills is going to take a while.

And that’s okay!

This is the fastest way to lose weight permanently. 

Here’s the thing though: you don’t actually need to master all 9 skills to see progress.

As we discussed earlier, even if you just develop 4 or 5 of them, you’ll see results. 

It’s something I discuss with Coach Matt in our video from Nerd Fitness Prime, on thinking of fitness as a “Dial,” not a “Light Switch.” 

Because we’ve found that even if people are only consistent with their goals 50% of the time, it’s enough to make some progress and build momentum..

So here’s your new mission: work on ONE of these skills by taking ONE action.

That’s it. Don’t overwhelm yourself, but do take action today.

Which one should you pick? 

Start with the first one, “Plan and Take Action.” 

Make some time on your calendar for a 5-minute Daily Win tomorrow. Go for a walk, or prepare ONE healthy meal.

Make it something that doesn’t overwhelm you.

The win isn’t as important as following through, because that will help us build momentum in the right direction.

If you want some help getting going, I got you.

Here are three ways to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness. 

#1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

#2) If you want a roadmap for sustainable weight loss, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!

Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit

• The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
• Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
• Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.

Alright, I want to hear from you:

Any skills for weight loss that I’m missing?

What have you had success with?

What are you still having trouble doing?

You’re not the only one trying to lose weight, so share with us your journey in the comments so we can support each other!

-Steve

PS: If you’re just starting your weight loss journey, make sure you check out:

• The 5 Rules of Weight Loss
• How Many Calories Should I Eat?
• Why Can’t I Lose Weight?

PPS: Shoutout to Precision Nutrition for helping to outline the skills needed for weight loss.