You’ve probably heard of the regular barbell row. You pick up a barbell, bend over at the waist (keeping your back straight), and pull the weight up towards your chest.
It looks something like this:
This can be a great exercise, but improper form could cause complications or you might not have access to a barbell and plates.
Luckily, the bodyweight row (or inverted row) takes care of all of that.
By the way, I’ll be using “bodyweight row” and “inverted row” interchangeably in this article.[1]
When doing this movement, you only need a bar to lean back from and your body weight. There’s also no extra stress on your back, like with a traditional barbell row.
As an added bonus, you get a decent core workout too.
I know, that’s worth celebrating…
Think of it like this: “bench press” is to “pushing” as “inverted row” is to “pulling.”
Balance FTW!
Why the inverted bodyweight row is so great:
I’m a huge fan of compound exercises (like the squat and deadlift, pull-ups and push-ups), and I’m also a huge fan of exercises that don’t require expensive machines or lots of extra bells and whistles.
Set the bar (or your rings) around waist height. The lower the bar, the more difficult the movement becomes.
Position yourself under the bar lying face up. Lie on the floor underneath the bar (which should be set just above where you can reach from the ground).
Grab the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width (palms facing AWAY from you).
Contract your abs and butt, and keep your body in a completely straight line. Your ears, shoulders, hips legs, and feet should all be in a straight line (like you’re doing a plank).
Pull yourself up to the bar until your chest touches the bar.
Lower yourself back down with proper form.
If this movement is TOO difficult, nbd, we just need to back up a few steps.
Set the bar higher so that when you lean back, your body isn’t down on the ground; maybe it’s only at a 45-degree angle.
We’ll walk you through a row progression right here.
Here’s Staci again demonstrating it at a higher angle:
By setting the bar higher, it takes more of your body’s weight out of the equation.
As you get stronger (and/or lose weight), you’ll be able to drop the bar until you’re parallel when pulling yourself up.
I grabbed a video of Senior Coach Staci from Team NF demonstrating a bodyweight row with gymnastic rings, but the instruction you’ll get in the video will really be helpful too.
How to do a bodyweight row (with video explanation):
To keep proper form when doing an inverted bodyweight row:
Don’t let your butt sag (squeeze your buttcheeks, flex your stomach, and keep your body rigid from head to toe).
Don’t flail your elbows. Grab the bar with your hands a little closer than you would if you were doing a bench press, and keep your elbows at that angle from your body.
Pull the bar towards the middle of your chest. Don’t pull the bar up towards your throat, or down towards your belly button. Right in the middle!
Keep your abs tight. Keep your abs tight throughout the whole routine. Your body should be a straight line the whole time, and the only thing moving is your arms.
Pull your shoulder blades down and back towards each other through the movement. Don’t shrug your shoulders. Imagine you’re trying to pinch a pencil between your shoulder blades to keep it from falling!
GO all the way. Don’t half-ass it. Lower yourself until your arms are completely extended, and raise yourself until your chest touches the bar.
How to Progress with Inverted Bodyweight Rows (6 Variations)
Let’s provide a blueprint on how you can level up your inverted bodyweight rows.
#1) Doorway Rows
At first, just start doing some rows in your doorway:
This will help you start training your “pull” muscles.
#2) Towel Rows
Still utilizing your doorway, you can use a towel to lean back even further to increase the challenge here:
Coach Jim walks you through setting up your towel row in this video, “No chin-up bar?? No problem!“
Next, try doing an inverted row, but set the bar high so it’s easier to perform:
#4) Inverted Row (Low)
Once your inverted rows become easy, lower the bar to increase the challenge:
#5) Elevated Inverted Row
If you place your feet in the air, you’ll make this exercise even tougher:
#6) Inverted Row (Weighted)
If you really want to up the difficulty of your inverted rows, try doing it with a little bit of weight attached to you:
When Should I Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows?
If you are building your own workout plan, you can mix in bodyweight rows wherever you normally do your pull exercises (pull-ups, pull-downs, rows, etc.).
Both days work my full body, I can do a full routine in less than 40 minutes, and I’m building strength.
If you can’t do dips on Day 1, you can do push-ups.
If you can’t do pull-ups on day 2, you can substitute assisted pull-ups.
On the rows, aim for 3 sets of 10. We cover this in our “sets and reps” article, but you can never go wrong with 3 sets of 10!
If you can’t do that, do 3 sets to however many reps you can do, and build your way up to 3 sets of 10.
Once you can do that, put your feet up on a chair, throw some weights in a backpack, put it on reverse (so the bag is hanging in front of you), and then do the rows.
Are you doing your moves correctly? Should you be lifting more weight or less? What do you eat to reach your goals?
We created the Nerd Fitness Coaching program to tackle these questions directly. Your own coach will get to know you, build a program based on your experience and goals, and check your form on each movement (via video):
How to Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows at Home
Just because you don’t have access to a gym doesn’t mean you can’t work out your back, you just need to get VERY creative.
Here’s how you can do Inverted Bodyweight Rows at Home:
PATH ONE: Use your kitchen table. Or your desk. Be very careful with this one.
Lie underneath your table so your head and shoulder are sticking out above it.
Grab the table edge with an overhand grip, and pull yourself up (just like it’s explained above).
Warning, don’t pull the table over with you, and make sure you don’t break the thing!
PATH TWO: Get a really thick wooden dowel or pipe, something strong enough to support your weight. Lie it across two of your kitchen chairs, and then lie down underneath it.
Make sure it’s sturdy, and the bar isn’t going to break/move on ya, and pull yourself up.
Don’t forget, you want to stay in balance.
If you don’t have a pull-up bar and gymnastic rings, find a way to do some bodyweight rows whether it’s between two chairs or under a table.
Any more questions about the inverted bodyweight row?
Leave em below!
-Steve
PS: Our new app Nerd Fitness Journey will walk you through doing simple rows, all the way up to a full pull-up! Instead of worrying about what to do next, simply follow the workouts built into the app!
PPS: Be sure to check out the rest of the Strength Training 101 series:
Want to get strong like these LEGO lifters but don’t how to start?
In this Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training (part of our Strength 101 series), you’ll have both the confidence to start getting strong with resistance training AND a plan to follow.
These are the exact strategies we use with our Online Coaching Clients to help them start strength training, and I’m excited to cover everything you need.
By the way, we’ve combined this article along with the rest of our strength articles into a “Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know” guide.
Grab it free when you join the Rebellion by putting your email in the box below.
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH 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 Do I Start Strength Training?
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.
You’ll look back years from now and thank “Past You” for starting strength training today.
And I promise, you WILL start strength training today.
After all, strength training or resistance training doesn’t need to be scary or overcomplicated!
Strength training really comes down to two things:
#1) Movement of any weight against “resistance”(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: doing slightly more than last time (lift heavier weight or do 1 more rep) consistently. Your muscles will constantly have to adapt and rebuild themselves. These microscopic tears (that don’t hurt) force your muscles to go through hypertrophy, meaning they grow bigger and stronger so they can meet the demands of the exercise.[1]
Coach Jim explains the ins and outs of progressive overload in this video:
That’s all there is to it:do some resistance training and attempt to make it more and more challenging, and you’ll grow stronger.[2]
This means if you drop down and do ONE knee push-up right now, technically you’ve done a strength training workout.
It also means if you then do TWO knee push-ups tomorrow, then you are officially following a strength training routine.
In other words…
Now, there are many different “strength training” and “resistance training” paths.
Like a “skill tree” in a video game (with branching paths and progressions), you can progress up one path, and mix and match movements from others depending on the situation.
These paths depend on your goals and what equipment you have available to you.
What Are Some Examples of Strength Training?
Let’s chat about a few different types of strength training.
#1) BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
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? Two big reasons:
A) 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:
B) 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.
Now, it’s SCIENCE TIME!
While learning the movements with bodyweight exercises, you are allowing for proper communication to develop between your neuromuscular systems.
More efficient communication between your neuromuscular systems will result in something known as “proper motor unit recruitment.”
You may be asking yourself: what is a motor unit?
That’s okay because I was asking myself this same question.
A motor unit is a single motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates.
You can think of two different types of motor units:[3]
We all have small motor units, meaning that a single motor neuron innervates relatively few muscle fibers, and these smaller motor units are good for precise and detailed movements (e.g., moving your fingers).
We all also have large motor units, meaning that a single motor neuron innervates hundreds of muscle fibers, and these larger motor units are good for generating a lot of force (e.g., getting larger muscle groups like the quads to generate a lot of force to help in sprinting).
When you start strength training, you really are helping your muscles communicate bettertogether.[4] This is why we recommend starting with bodyweight exercises, to help start this process.
However, 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 handstand push-ups.
You just have to know HOW and WHEN to scale up (we can help there too).
#2) DUMBBELL TRAINING
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,[4] and will point out muscle imbalances pretty easily (“oh my right arm is stronger than my left arm.”).
Dumbbells allow for single-arm and single-leg exercises to be performed. This can allow you to strengthen any muscle imbalances and can come in handy especially after an injury.
You can scale easily. Once the 10-pound weights become too easy, pick up the 15-pound ones!
#3) KETTLEBELL TRAINING
A kettlebell is essentially a cannonball with a handle on it. They come in any weight imaginable, don’t take up a lot of room, and can be used in dozens of ways for a great compact workout.
Our 20-minute kettlebell workout has 8 simple exercises you can do with just one weight.
Although there are “adjustable kettlebells,” you’ll most likely be working with a single kettlebell, and then adjusting your movements for “progressive overload” (making the workout slightly more difficult each time).
If you are a member of a gym, they’ll probably have multiple kettlebells that you can use to level up.
#4) BARBELL TRAINING
Regardless of sex or gender age, if your goal is to get strong quickly, use 20 seconds of courage and get comfortable training with a barbell (I’ll help you, I promise):
“Progressive overload” is easy – you simply add weights to either side of the bar, allowing you to progressively lift more and more weight each week.
It’s much easier to go heavy safely – especially for lower body movements like the squat and the deadlift.
The biggest downside to barbell training is that in order to train at home, you need to have purchased a squat rack, a barbell, a bench, and enough weights for your house or garage (which can be an expensive investment, especially when starting out!).
Not sure which path to pick? You’re not alone – this stuff can be overwhelming. Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. We get to know you and your goals, will check your form via video, and make adjustments based on your progress!
Which Strength Training Program is Right for Me?
So, what’s the best workout program to start as a beginner?
Realistically, it’s the one that you will ACTUALLY do.
Barbell training might be optimal in terms of building pure strength quickly, but if you don’t see yourself getting to the gym regularly – or you’re too self-conscious to enter the free weight section (for now) – no problem!
Conversely, bodyweight training might seem convenient and easy to start now, but if you can’t motivate yourself to work out at home, you might be better off joining a gym.[6]
So let’s get you a workout program!
As we cover in our “How to Find the Perfect Workout Plan (for you)”: MOST beginners will be best served by following a “full-body” or “total body” routine, 2 to 3 times per week, with a day of rest in between each workout.[7]
This full-body workout will have 4-5 big compound movements.
A compound movement is an exercise that recruits LOTS of muscles simultaneously and forces your body to work in unison. These compound exercises are considered multi-joint exercises meaning that they involve more than a single muscle group.[8]
An example would be the barbell squat, which recruits every muscle in your core, butt, and legs to work together to lift the weight.
This is WAY more efficient – and effective at building pure strength – than doing 5 different isolated leg exercises.[9]
Why do 5 exercises when 1 exercise will get you better results in 20% of the time?
To answer your next question, let me tell you about how many sets and reps you should do as a beginner!
Reps in the 1-5 range build super dense muscle and strength.
Reps in the 6-12 range build equal amounts of muscular power, strength, and size.
Reps in the 12+ range primarily build muscular endurance and size and also cardiovascular health.[10]
If you want more, Coach Jim breaks down different set and rep ranges in this video:
Many beginner strength programs will encourage you to keep things simple, doing just 5 sets of 5 reps for each exercise.
Personally, I encourage people to aim for a weight that they can lift for 8-10 reps. This gives you a chance to really work on your form and lift safely!
The max lifts will come later, my friend. You gotta learn to walk before you can run!
If your main goal is to get stronger and/or put on muscle, following a more traditional, pure-strength-style gym workout is going to get you there faster.
TRUTH BOMB: ANY strength training workout will help you reach nearly any goal provided you do two things:
Increase the difficulty of your workouts. This is that “progressive overload” stuff we were talking about earlier. Doing 1 more bodyweight squat, lifting 5 more pounds, or completing your circuit 10 seconds faster than the last workout. By forcing your body to constantly adapt, your muscles will never get complacent and have to keep burning extra calories and rebuilding themselves stronger.
Depending on your current situation, and how quickly you’re looking to cut through the “trial and error” and get expert guidance, I might have an interesting solution for you.
We have a pretty killer 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program here at Nerd Fitness. You’ll work with a coach that will build a workout program for your body type and goals, check your form to make sure you’re doing them safely, and even help plan out your nutrition too.
The 5 Best Beginner Strength Training Programs
“Alright Staci, are there any ‘out of the box’ beginner workout programs I can start following now?”
Yup! Let me share with you some of our suggestions:
Here are 5 resistance training workouts you can follow TODAY. Pick the level that you feel most comfortable with, and then level up when you feel ready:
#1) BEGINNER BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT:
Our Beginner Bodyweight Workout has a variety of rep ranges to promote endurance, strength, and cardiovascular health.
Complete one set of each exercise and then move directly to the next exercise:
Otherwise, you can move on to weight training when you feel comfortable!
#2A) BEGINNER NERD FITNESS DUMBBELL WORKOUT
If you are just getting started with dumbbells and you’re looking for a beginner workout program to follow, this is our Level 3 Gym Workout, “Dumbbell Division”:
10 goblet squats
10 push-ups
10 dumbbell rows per side
I knew you’d ask, so here is a Goblet Squat video explanation (from Nerd Fitness Prime):
So, probably not in a phone booth or a closet or a bathroom stall. But other than that, pretty much anywhere else.
Complete 3 Kettlebell Workout Circuits:
8 Halos (each side)
10 Goblet Squats
8 Overhead Presses (each side)
15 Kettlebell Swings
8 Bent Over Rows (each side)
6 Front Rack Reverse Lunge (per side)
#3) BARBELL TRAINING: 2-DAY WORKOUT SPLIT
As we cover in our “How to Train in a Gym” guide (where we take you from “lost sheep” to “barbell badass”), this routine is a much more focused weight training, strength-building workout that gets your feet wet with barbell training. Click on ANY exercise to learn how to do it properly.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER POPULAR STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAMS?
#1) “Starting Strength” is considered the gold standard beginner barbell weight training program by many. We highly recommend you pick up the actual book if you are serious about barbell training – it’s one of the most important training books you can ever read.
#2) Strong Lifts 5X5:A solid workout program that starts you out very slow, with just the barbell, and helps you master form before you get too heavy. It also keeps things VERY easy with “do 5×5.” Strong Lifts has been around for a long time and is a solid program.
#3) Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1: This program allows you a little more freedom to do exercises that you enjoy, or work on personal weaknesses, because you choose some of the assistance work.
Note: You can modify any of the barbell training programs to be done with dumbbells, if that’s what you have at home!
Lastly, you can always write your own workout plan! I wrote my own workouts for a decade and it taught me a LOT about training and health.
We do have our own 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program where you’ll work with a coach who will build a strength training workout program for your body type and goals, check your form on each exercise via video, and even help you plan out your nutrition too.
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.
Here are two common questions on strength training:
#1) 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 (By the way, a standard barbell weighs 45 pounds).
#2) 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!
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends a similar approach:[14]
For less trained people (i.e., beginners), it is recommended that for upper body exercises you increase the load by 2 – 5 pounds and by 5 – 10 pounds for lower body exercises.
For more trained people (i.e., advanced), it is recommended that for upper body exercises you increase the load by 5 – 10 pounds or more and by 10 – 15 pounds or more for lower body exercises.
So go SLOW. Even slower than the NSCA recommends if needed.
Team NF’s Steve even bought little half-pound weights and increased 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 easily digestible form, make sure you download our free Strength 101 Guide when you join the Rebellion below:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH 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.
The 9 Best Strength Training Exercises to Learn
If you’re new to all this “strength training” stuff, hopping into a program and going from zero to sixty might be a recipe for failure.
Instead, be patient, and take the time to learn these movements first.
I’m going to share with you the 9 best strength training exercises that every beginner should master (scroll down for full video and explanations!):
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 the chest.
All of the exercises listed above are considered functional (closed-chain) exercises. That means they relate to our everyday movements and can be used to predict our success in sports, recreational and occupational activities, and activities of daily living.[15]
When attempting all of these above-listed exercises, aim to master the movement and perform the exercise through its entire range of motion (ROM).
Why?
Because it will decrease your risk for injury, activate all of the appropriate muscle groups, and result in greater muscle hypertrophy.[16]
Let’s go over these now.
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: it is 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: your 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 press it back up towards the sky. Repeat! And get strong.
NOTE: All exercises were explained according to the guidelines that have been established by the NSCA.[17]
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…
How to Know You’re Doing a Strength Training Movement Properly (Form Checks)
Always start out with just your body’s weight and make sure your movement is correct!
If it’s a barbell movement, use a broomstick (or PVC Pipe).
If it’s a dumbbell movement, use two sections of PVC or something else that is light and small to simulate a dumbbell.
When it comes to movements like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, bench presses, your form is crucial. Develop good habits with lightweight and you will save yourself months of frustration later and will protect you from injury.[18]
If you’re struggling with certain elements of a movement, don’t get frustrated! Remember, proper communication between your neuromuscular systems needs to develop.
Do regular video form checks! Record yourself and watch the video.
Alternatively, an expert reviewing your specific movement can be invaluable.
If you’re looking for someone who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on your progress, you can check out our 1-on-1 Online Personal Training!
I’ve had an online coach for 4 years and it’s changed my life.
You could also get expert guidance in person: Look around at your local strength and conditioning gyms and see if you could hire a coach (here’s how to find a good personal trainer) for one or two sessions just to go over the basic movements.
If you can’t do either of those two options, no big deal! Videotape yourself and compare it to the videos here in the articles. You can also post your video to the form check section of the Nerd Fitness Forums.
When I started, I really liked practicing all of the movements at home because I could watch a video online at the same time as I was watching myself do it in a mirror. Studies have found this can actually help![20]
Not only that, but you can find study after study after study that shows you the benefits of strength training for weight management when combined with “calorie restriction.”[22]
As we cover in our “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” article, here’s why eating a caloric deficit and strength training is SO magical when combined:
When you strength train – by picking up something heavy – your muscles are “broken down” during the exercise itself, and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the next 24-48 hours.
Guess what happens during those 24-48 hours?
Your body will divert as many calories consumed as necessary to “Rebuild Muscle!”[23]
It also diverts additional calories to “Burn as Fuel” to handle this increased “muscle rebuilding” activity.
This means two amazing things:
Your metabolism is revved up for this time period, burning more calories than normal.
Rebuilding muscle is a calorie-taxing activity!
Not only that, but when you eat a caloric deficit, your body doesn’t have enough calories to fuel all the day’s activities. In these instances, your body will pull from your stored fat to make sure all the work still gets done.
This is the trifecta of physical transformation victory:
You get stronger and keep the muscle you have.
You burn through the fat you’re trying to get rid of.
You’re decreasing your body fat percent and keeping your muscle = look good naked.
In other words, strength training + eating right is the BEST path for weight loss out there! And yes, in certain situations, you can actually lose weight AND build muscle at the same time.
Coach Matt explains how to gain muscle WHILE losing fat in this video:
So how do you put this into practice? Pick one of the strength workouts in this article. Calculate your daily caloric needs. Learn about healthy eating. And start.
These are the types of things we work on with our 1-on-1 Coaching Clients: helping them lift weights confidently and eat correctly for their goals! Let us help you:
“Just Tell Me What Strength Training Program to Follow!”
Okay! Unless you are collecting underpants, you should now have a workout program you want to try out!
“Staci, this is a lot, can you just TELL me what to do?”
Okay fine.
Here are the steps again for you:
STEP #1: PICK YOUR WORKOUT PATH:
A) If YOU ARE TRAINING AT HOME. Pick one of these 3 based on what equipment you have:
STEP #2: TRY A NEW EXERCISE: In addition to following a workout program, I’m gonna push outside of your comfort zone – that’s where real growth happens.
STEP #3) HIRE A YODA: If you are somebody who just wants to be told exactly what to, how to train for your goals, and are good at following directions, consider hiring a coach.
I’ve been working with an online coach since 2014 and it has changed my life – and I do this stuff for a living!
STEP #4) JOIN THE REBELLION! If you like how we do things around here at Nerd Fitness, we’d love to have you in our community of misfits, mutants, and rebels!
Sign up in the box below and I’ll send you our free Strength 101 guide:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH 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.
No matter what you do today:
Don’t be afraid of doing anything wrong – truth be told, the majority of the people in the gym don’t have any idea what they are doing, and are just as nervous as you are!
Muster up your 20 seconds of courage if you need to, and let me know in the comments how it goes!
What questions do you have about getting started?
So, what’s the biggest thing holding you back from starting strength training?
-Staci
PS – Check out the rest of the articles in our STRENGTH TRAINING 101 series:
Powers SK, Howley ET. (2011). Exercise physiology: Theory and application to fitness and performance. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
in order to achieve your training goals or to see improvements, your training must gradually and constantly increase. (Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.)
When you first start strength training, your motor units don’t fire as quickly and smaller motor units that don’t generate a lot of force are recruited. This results in poor technique, you not being able to lift a lot of weight, and an increased risk for injury. However, as you continue working out and become more trained, your motor units fire more rapidly and your brain recruits larger motor units that results in improved technique, greater force generation allowing you to lift heavier weights, and a decreased risk for injury.
This study found that when the chest press exercise required higher stability requirements (dumbbells), it resulted in similar pectoralis major and anterior deltoid activation, lower triceps brachii activation, and higher biceps brachii muscle activity. These findings show that different modes of strength training will result in different patterns of muscle activation, with free weight modes (barbell and dumbbells) having more muscle activation than machine (Smith machine)
As you may recall, this will initially allow you to learn the movements and also allow for proper communication to develop between your neuromuscular systems.
Or maybe grab a friend. Research has shown that exercising with a partner has the potential to increase exercise motivation, adherence, intensity, and/or duration.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) simply recommends that a strength training program should be performed a minimum of two non-consecutive days each week, with 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for healthy adults or 10 to 15 repetitions for older and frail individuals. Eight to 10 exercises should be performed that target the major muscle groups.
Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
To be fair, both compound (closed-kinetic chain) and isolation (open-kinetic chain) exercises all have their time and place. Isolation exercises are better served to target muscle imbalances and to reverse the effects of muscle atrophy after sustaining an injury or having a surgical procedure.
For reference, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends 6-12 reps for 3-6 sets for muscle hypertrophy and more than 12 reps for 2-3 sets for muscular endurance.
Circuit training results in a higher excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) resulting in great caloric expenditure when compared to traditional strength training with longer rest intervals in-between sets and exercises.
As we touch on in other articles, the two main drivers of muscle protein synthesis (i.e., muscle hypertrophy) are strength training and ingestion of protein.
We also recommend trying to minimize the rest interval in between each exercise as much as possible. Why? As mentioned earlier in this article, circuit training results in a higher excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) resulting in great caloric expenditure (decrease fat mass and increase fat-free mass) when compared to traditional strength training with longer rest intervals in between sets and exercise.
Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Performing an exercise through its full ROM relates to the length-tension relationship, which states that muscles should be stretched to 100-130% of its resting length. The importance of stretching a muscle to 100-130% of its resting length is to ensure maximal cross-bridge interaction between actin and myosin. When one has maximal cross-bridge interaction that will result in more force being produced by the muscle and eventually greater improvements in muscle hypertrophy. Some examples of stretching muscles to 100-130% of its resting length include when the barbell touches the chest during the bench press exercise or when your thighs are parallel to the floor during the descent phase of the squat. Additionally, it is also recommended to perform the appropriate sequence of exercises to decrease your risk for injury (e.g., large before small muscle group exercises, multiple-joint exercises before single-joint exercises, and higher-intensity before lower-intensity exercises). Performing exercises in this sequence will ensure that the higher-intensity exercises will be performed with minimal muscle fatigue.
Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Both research investigations and clinical experiences have indicated that strength training is safe for healthy adults and older adults, frail older adults, and individuals with disorders and/or diseases. Cases of injuries associated with strength training have been found to be related to heavy and repetitive workload, unfavorable positioning or incorrect technique, and exercise selection.
Also keep in mind how you are practicing and learning the exercise. You can learn exercises by utilizing the whole method of practice, in which the whole technique is practiced intact. Or you can utilize the part method (AKA the whole-part-whole method). With this method, you practice the exercise in parts, and then recombine the parts back into the whole technique. The whole method is best used for simple movements (e.g., biceps curl), while the part method is best used for more complex lifts (e.g., power clean).
Observing the performance of another who is successful at performing a certain exercise is known as a vicarious experience. It has been found that vicarious experiences can enhance self-efficacy (i.e., belief in your own abilities) when observing successful performances.
More specifically, you want to seek a calorie deficit (hypocaloric diet) and this can best be established by subtracting 250-500 less kcal/day from what you normally consume. Additionally, you want to make sure you are still consuming adequate amounts of protein (1.2-1.6 g/kg bodyweight spread evenly throughout the day) to be protective of lean mass loss. Finally, carbohydrates and fat may be reduced from your normal intake to satisfy the needed caloric deficit at the expense of protein. However, make sure you are still consuming enough carbohydrates to maintain exercise performance and not cause a hypoglycemic response.
Like this study and this study and this one. Another research investigation found that during a 40% calorie deficit diet, consumption of a diet containing 2.4 g/kg/day of protein was more effective than consumption of a diet containing 1.2 g/kg/day of protein in promoting increases in muscle mass and losses of fat mass when combined with a high volume of resistance and anaerobic exercise (exercise 6 times per week [2 sessions of resistance training, 1 session of plyometric training, and 3 sessions of HIIT cycling]).
ATP is needed to power the synthesis of proteins that are used for muscle hypertrophy and a higher amount of oxygen is needed post-exercise to produce ATP. This results in two things: muscle hypertrophy happening and additional caloric expenditure. Additionally, without sufficient oxygen, our bodies have the potential to activate proteins that increase muscle fiber degradation and limit hypertrophy.
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.
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)
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 hand towels 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 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 them against your door.
For more ideas on how to train with stuff you may have around the house, check out How to Build a Home Gym.
The 6 Best Pull-up Alternatives (How to Get Your First Pull-Up)
Bodyweight rows are the PERFECT precursor to pull-ups – they work the same muscles, and have you lifting your own body weight, 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.
Here’s a video on How to Tie the Resistance Band for Your Pull-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!
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.”
Grab onto the bar with an overhand grip
Jump so your chest is touching
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 toward 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.
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 guideSTRENGTH 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:
Alright, brace yourself to get flipped-turned upside down.
Are Handstands Good for You? (3 Reasons Why Handstands Rule)
At Nerd Fitness we LOVE handstands like Eleven loves waffles.
Here are 3 reasons why handstands rule:
#1) Like other bodyweight training, there’s no excuse. If you have room to stand up, you have room to practice handstands.
#2) It recruits DOZENS of muscles in your body.
From arm strength to wrist mobility to core strength to shoulder mobility and muscular endurance, handstands do it all.
When you are trying to balance, it makes your body work as one complete unit.
#3) It scares you – yes, that’s a positive. We grow outside our comfort zone and for many people, just the thought of a handstand is enough to make their palms sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomi…
…nevermind.
The point is that the handstand is just as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one.
How scared do you think this guy gets on a regular basis?
That’s Coach Jim!
Master of the NF Fitness Universe, and our lead trainer for our Handstands Course and Nerd Fitness Coaching. You’ll be seeing a lot of him in today’s article because Jim can do handstands in his sleep.[1]
The Secret to Performing a Handstand
Sure, we need to build strength to support ourselves upside-down, but even that hurdle is overblown.
A proper handstand actually starts to feel easy.
That’s because once you’re balanced and aligned, it becomes uber-efficient. Just as you don’t exert yourself much if you stand straight with good posture, a good efficient handstand is the same way… it will soon start to feel effortless.
Actually, the biggest hurdle to overcome – especially at the beginning – is mental fear.
The voice/feeling in the back of your head that says “You could get hurt doing this!” SCARY!
And I won’t sugar-coat things, you CAN hurt yourself working on these skills… but it’s no different than if you walked into the gym first day, slapped 315 lbs on the bench press, and gave it a go.
Or went out and tried to run 13 miles without training.
The exercise itself isn’t dangerous, unless you attempt TOO much, too quickly.
If you wouldn’t load up a bar to deadlift 500 lbs on your first day in the gym, why do so many people just kick and fling themselves up into a handstand, failing repeatedly, hoping one day they’ll “get” it?
So…
There’s a smarter way!
How do we overcome this fear and keep ourselves safe? Just like learning any other fitness skill: slow, easy, successful steps!
These small victories accumulate over time to bring us to our goals safely while having a lot of fun.
Are you ready to learn?
Sweet, we’ve got you covered. Read on for ways to safely progress to handstand mastery!
Handstand Progression Warm-Up Routine
For any handstand exercise, there is going to be a significant amount of stress on the hands and wrists. So, it’s important you stretch and warm things up.
Here is a video from our NF Handstands course going over some of our favorite wrist stretches to prepare to get upside-down. Go through each stretch about 10 times.
Let’s spotlight a few of these Handstand Warm-Up exercises:
#1) Forward and Back Wrist Stretch:
#2) Lifted Palms Wrist Stretch:
#3) Reverse Palm Stretch:
#4) Backhand Palm Stretch:
#5) Upside Down Wrist Stretch:
The trick with wrist stretches is to move in as many different ways as feels comfortable. Feel free to make the warm-up your own!
The shoulders are another stressed area in the handstand. There are several ways we can prepare them for work
A few rounds of jumping jacks:
Or arm circles
That will get the blood moving and the area ready.
From here, we’ll begin our journey leveling up your Handstand Progression.
We’ll start by having you work with some balance drills and some positional drills.
Nothing too crazy, and in fact some of these might seem TOO EASY. That’s fine! That’s what we want, remember?
We’re using small victories to motivate us. Landing on your head is not a great way to motivate anyone.
Ouch.
Want someone to build you a custom-made progression plan for doing your handstand? Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program will do just that, plus your coach can review your movements through our app so you’ll know your training correctly and safely.
Level 1 Handstand Progression: Quadruped Rocking
You may be thinking that feeling the balance of a handstand is going to be brutally difficult.
Not so!
We can start quite easily on our hands and knees in the quadruped position.
From here, we will simply rock forwards and backwards on our hands.
Seem familiar?
If you did the wrist mobility we described above, it’s the same motion!
As you are rocking back and forth, feel where the weight rests in your hands.
When you rock back, it sits more in the heel of your hands.
When you rock forward, you’ll feel it in your knuckles and fingertips.
Where do we want it on the handstand?
Right around the knuckles.
This is a balanced spot – similar to the balance you find when standing. You don’t sit all your weight on your heels, and you don’t lean all your weight forward, gripping your toes hard into the ground, do you?
Find and feel that balance when you rock.
When should you move on to Level 2 Handstand Progression?
Now would work!
Level 2 Handstand Progression: Hollow Body
The hollow body is one of the best ways to engage the midsection and stabilize the body. It will help to give your handstand a good shape.
Do you need to master the hollow body to master the handstand?
Not necessarily, as there are plenty of handstands out there that are a bit banana-shaped.
But the hollow body will help you create a more efficient position.
Here’s how to hold a hollow body for handstand practice:
#1) Start by laying down a yoga or exercise mat on the ground and laying on the ground face up.
#2) Think about pressing your lower back down into the ground and engaging your midsection like you’re coughing. You should still be able to breath!
#3) Once the midsection is set, tuck your knees to your chest and hold your shins like you’re getting ready for a wicked cannonball.
#4) Holding the shins will help you maintain that lower back and midsection position.
Still feeling good?
Then try rocking!
Rock your body forward and back slightly from the upper back to the lower back, like a rocking chair.
Head and feet stay off the ground.
If you are stable then you should move as one unit.
If you need more of a challenge, reach your arms by your ears, keep the knees tucked, and rock some more.
Without the hands holding the shins, the midsection really has to keep engaged in order to give you a smooth rock.
With any of these positions, work to rock for a full 15 seconds under control.
Once you can do so with arms extended, progress up to Level 3.
Level 3 Handstand Progression: Crow Pose
To enter Crow Pose, move forward from the Quadruped Rock position so that your knees are on the outside of your arms. You can even bend the elbows a little and rest your legs on them.
Rock forward in the same manner as before, putting a little more weight on the hands and a little less weight on the feet.
Important: this isn’t Assassin’s Creed… We are not making a leap of faith here!
Don’t jump!!!
We are simply looking for less and less weight on the feet.
Take things slow and easy – rising up on the toes when you can. When you are ready to pick the feet up and hold yourself off the ground on just your hands, it should come naturally.
Be sure to grab into the ground hard to hold and control yourself, and feel free to put down a pile of pillows or mats in front of you if you should fall!
Once you’re able to get both feet off the ground comfortably and safely, it’s time for Level 4 Handstand Progression.
If you find yourself stuck at the crow position or any other level, we are here to help!
Our coaches can review your progression and form to help you advance to the next level!
Level 4 Handstand Progression: Wall Walk
In this level, we’ll get started working toward something that actually looks like a handstand!
All we’re trying to do with this exercise is support our body weight on our straightened arms (just like the front plank or push-up).
So, the first level of this exercise is to simply get yourself up to the top of a push-up and hold. If that’s too hard, put your hands up on an elevated surface and/or rest on your knees and hands instead.
Once this is mastered, level up by simply lifting your hips in the air into a down dog position!
From here, it’ll be a matter of getting your feet onto a higher and higher surface.
Note: putting your feet up something even a few inches off the floor counts – small steps!
You can use something as simple as bumper plates:
As you progress, add more bumper plates (or whatever you’re using) so your feet are higher and higher.
Once you are supporting yourself with your feet on a high box, try walking your feet up the wall. (Think of it like a really tall box!)
Be careful at this step: Be sure you have enough energy to walk back down safely and second, that you don’t walk too close to the wall and risk flipping onto your back!
With each of these variations, we’re looking to build up to a solid 15 seconds under control before moving forward.
Once you’re at the point of lying vertically against the wall, you’re on your way to leveling up to a full handstand!
But first, we need to talk about how to bail safely.
Level 5 Handstand Progression: How to Bail out of a Handstand
As you start to get better with Wall Walks, and you practice getting closer and closer to completely vertical while upside down, there’s going to be instances where you start to “tip over.”
In order to safely return your feet to the ground, you’re going to want to do what we call a pirouette:
How to bail out of a handstand:
Get into a wall handstand.
Shift your weight to one arm (the planted arm), allowing the other arm to move.
Drive one leg into the wall (the one that’s on the same side as the planted arm), and lean the opposite leg forward.
Gravity pulls you around, and lets you lower your feet to the floor safely.
This is one of the most important skills you can learn as you develop your handstand practice, as it will allow you to safely exit any handstand without any risk of injury as you develop your balance!
Once you feel comfortable bailing out of a handstand, my dear rebel, it is time for Level 6!
Level 6 Handstand Progression: How to Do a Handstand
We are now ready for you to try a handstand!
It’s going to come down to you slowly but surely leaving the safety of the wall.
First, just try to take one leg off the wall during your wall walk:
When you’re comfortable taking one leg off, try switching them!
The objective is now is to switch your legs in a slow, smooth manner – one lifts off the wall while the other simultaneously moves back to the wall.
Once you get comfortable with this, it’s time to take both legs off the wall!
BOOM! Your first handstand!
Are you doing it right?
A good way to tell would be to record your handstand practice and review it against the videos here to check your form.
Want to have an expert review your form? Check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! Our spiffy mobile app lets you send a video of your handstand directly to your coach, who will provide feedback so you can perfect your technique.
They’ll also build a workout program that’s custom to your situation, which will have you doing handstands like Luke Skywalker in no time!
4 Tips and Tricks for Doing Handstands
Nothing beats patience and hard work, but there are a few tips and tricks we can provide that will allow you the best chance for success.
#1) Make sure you go through a proper warm-up: We’ve given you several options for the wrists and shoulders. Not only will a warm-up help prevent injury, but it will get the muscles and joints properly prepared to get the most out of your training.
#2) Prioritize Your Handstand: You can work the skill on its own time, and it won’t interfere or be interfered by anything else, but what if you’re doing other exercises during your workout?
When do you do your handstand? When you’re training in a swamp?
The best time to work the balancing drills (like your wall walk) is at the beginning of your workout, after you’ve warmed up.
These skills require concentration and a fresh focus to really benefit and progress with them.
Trying to balance after you’ve exhausted yourself with a tough cardio session is an exercise in futility (pun intended).
The best time to work the positional drills (like your quadruped rock) would be sometime during your strength session, and before your cardio.
These drills are not as dependent on completely fresh muscles, but we still don’t want to try and hold ourselves upside-down after a grueling workout.
#3) Don’t do too much, too soon.
We’ve mentioned this a million times because it’s so important. Taking on too much too soon is a way to develop bad habits and possibly injure yourself.
Ouch again.
Take your time! Enjoy and really master each step!
#4) Take it Easy: In the same vein, we want to look for success.
What do I usually see when people practice handstands: Someone kicking up 100 times and kinda getting a handstand once or twice.
How much sense does that make?
While we might not be batting 1,000 with all our attempts, but we should be looking to successfully complete around 8 out of 10 attempts. If we’re not? Then we might have taken on too much, too soon!
Let’s wrap up this guide and give you some next steps for your handstand practice.
The 5-Minute Rule: Practice Handstands Every Day and Be Amazed at What Happens
Commit to 5 minutes a day. That’s it. But do it every day.
I’ll see a lot of people go all-in for a single handstand session, and then not touch the skill for a week or more.
Dan Gable once said”
“If it’s important, do it every day.”
Now, this is a simplification, but with handstands, this is ESPECIALLY important.
When you first start out, your arms and shoulders may only be able to do 5 minutes before they are DONE.
Doing them for a short time each day is the best strategy to improve strength, endurance, and balance.
Want help progressing with handstands from here?I’ve got 3 great options for you!
#1) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to complete handstands, get stronger, and even eat better, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:
#2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Have questions you need answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!
Nerd Fitness Prime contains at-home exercise routines, live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, and group challenges.
Plus, you’ll gain access to all our online courses, including Nerd Fitness: Handstands, which will help you become a master at flipping upside down!
#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get strong, get healthy, and have fun doing so.
I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:
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, your turn:
Have you ever tried to kick up into a handstand?
What’s the one thing holding you back?
What questions can I answer?
-Steve
PS: One day I’ll be able to type articles like this while doing a handstand.
If you’ve ever asked yourself “Am I doing too little or too many reps and sets?” then this guide is for you.
This article is part of our Strength 101 series, and we’ll show you exactly how to determine the number of repetitions and sets for specific exercises, so you can build your own workout routine.
It sounds easy, but depending on your goals, the answer to “How many reps and sets should I do?” can vary greatly.
We work hand-in-hand with our Online Coaching Clients to create the correct workout program that suits their goals, needs, and available equipment
In today’s guide on workout programming, we’ll cover (click each to get right to that answer):
As Coach Jim mentions above, “Rep” stands for “repetition” and defines one complete motion of an exercise.
And one “set” is a consecutive number of reps without stopping.
And one “smorgasbord” is a buffet of food.
(This has nothing to do with this article, but it’s a fun word to say.)
As we mentioned throughout our Strength Training 101 series, how many reps and sets you should do is really going to be dependent on your goals.
For example, is your goal to improve:
Muscular endurance
Muscular hypertrophy
Muscular strength
Muscular power
Depending on what your goal is, the sets, reps, and rest intervals will change.
Oh, you’re just starting your strength training journey?
Well, make sure you grab our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. I’ll send it to you for free when you join the Rebellion (that’s us!).
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH 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 break down reps and sets for you, because I can see you still have questions.
How Many Reps Should I Do?
Remember, “Rep” stands for “repetition” and is more or less one complete exercise.
The scientific term here is “sarcoplasmic hypertrophy,” as it focuses on increasing the amount of sarcoplasm, the non-contractile fluid found in your muscle.
Up to 30% of your muscle’s size is attributed to the sarcoplasm, so focusing on this type of hypertrophy helps build overall size (i.e., increased cross-sectional area of the muscle).
If you’re training for specific sports and just want to get stronger with more power – but not necessarily get bigger, this is the strategy for you.
This type of training focuses on strengthening the myofibril, the contractile part of the muscle, hence the name “myofibril hypertrophy.”
For this, target reps in the 1-5 range. And yep, that means you’re going to be picking up heavy weights, focusing all that concentrated effort into just one or a few reps.[4]
Something to note when lifting for strength and power: not only are you shocking your muscles, but you’re also putting a lot of pressure on your body’s central nervous system (CNS).
So what does this mean?
In a way, it means your body’s ability to communicate with its muscles has grown fatigued, and performance may suffer.
That’s why you may want to rest between 2-5 minutes in this range.
Oh, and your CNS will adapt and become stronger, which will be critical for building strength and power.[5]
Since powerlifting really taxes the central nervous system, you may be waiting 3-5 minutes between sets when training in this fashion.
TO RECAP, these are the rep ranges you should be considering:
Reps in the 1-5 range build super dense muscle and strength.
Reps in the 6-12 range build equal amounts of muscular power, strength, and size.
Reps in the 12+ range primarily build muscular endurance and size and also cardiovascular health.
I realize this is a lot to figure out, so if you are somebody – like me – who just wants to be told what to do and outsource all the worry of “Am I doing the right workout for my goals?” I got you covered!
I’d love to learn your story, and then build a custom program that fits your goals. We’ll help you with your nutrition, your workouts, and even check in regularly to keep you accountable!
How Many Sets Should I Do?
As explained above, a “set” describes a group of repetitions performed for an exercise without stopping.
For example, if you do 10 squats right now, you just did 1 SET of 10 reps of squats.
So let’s talk about the “correct” number of sets per exercise.
The simple answer: “Do 3-5 work sets of a given exercise.”[6]
Just make sure you’re not compromising your form.
At least he’s trying!
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) will break this down, suggesting the following set ranges:[7]
2-3 will help build muscular endurance (12 to 20+ reps)
3-6 build muscular hypertrophy (6 to 12 reps)
3-5 build muscular power (3 to 5 reps)
2-6 build muscular strength (less than 6 reps)
“STEVE, JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO.”
FINE! Pick a weight that feels light to you, and then do 3 sets of 10 reps.
If you’re not sure if “3 sets of 10” or “5 sets of 5” is right for you, we got you covered.
We’ll build a program that fits your goals, and then adjust it each month based on your progress. Never guess or wonder what you should be doing again.
How to Build a Workout Routine!
Now that you have “edumacated” yourself on how your specific goals influence the number of reps per set, and what sets actually are, you can build your workout program around this info.
TO RECAP, aim for 3-5 sets in the following rep rangers per exercise based on your goals:
Endurance: 12+ reps per set.
Hypertrophy (bigger muscles): 6-12 reps per set.
Strength (dense, powerful muscle): 1-5 reps per set.
Two points worth mentioning:
A recent study showed that heavier weight for low reps created more muscle mass than a higher volume (lower weight for more reps).[8]
Studies show that bodyweight training exercises can build muscle, but require a LARGE number of sets per rep, and pushing oneself to absolute failure.[9]
What this means: studies suggest targeting heavier weight with fewer reps for big lifts like squats and deadlifts to build muscle, while targeting high reps to absolute failure with bodyweight exercises for muscle building.
Just remember to rest enough between sets so you don’t fatigue your central nervous system too bad.[10]
One last point: Nutrition is still 90% of the equation!
Your rep range doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think, so don’t overthunk it!
It doesn’t matter if you train like a bodybuilder, you ALSO need to eat enough food to provide your muscles with enough calories to rebuild themselves bigger and stronger! This is the biggest mistake I see skinny people make when trying to bulk.
This brings me to my final point: because nutrition is 90% of the equation, your sets and reps don’t matter nearly as much as you think they do!
All that matters? Doing MORE this workout than the last workout.
Remember, how you build muscle and strength and burn fat: “progressive overload.”
One more rep than last time.
Doing one more set than last time.
Picking up a weight that’s 5 lbs. heavier than last week.
So get out of your own head, and START TODAY:
1) GET HELP: If you want expert guidance and accountability so you don’t have to figure out all of this stuff on your own, I got you.
Click the red button below to get the details about our amazing online coaching program:
2) FIGURING IT OUT OUT ON YOUR OWN!
Download our free Strength Training 101 Guide! You get it free when you join our Rebellion (the name of our awesome free online community). Sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH 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.
BRAND new to any training? Start with this bodyweight routine, and aim for 3 sets of 10. Work on your form!
Remember: the goal should be to get stronger each workout.
Write down what you did last time, and then do MORE this time.
By continually challenging your muscles to do more, they’ll have to adapt by getting bigger, stronger, burning more calories, etc.
There are a lot of different truths and fallacies on plateaus and how your muscles can get “used” to working out and stop growing.
If that’s something you’re battling, here’s a way to continue making progress:
Spend a week in a different rep range with different amounts of weight.
This will introduce a little chaos into the system, which could be a good thing…unless you’re Batman.
What we’re talking about is muscle confusion theory, which is a preplanned period of variation.[13] Not, you know, wandering into the gym with no plan and just doing something different every time (whatever you feel like doing at that moment).
That won’t help.
But spend a week deliberating mixing it up. Then go back to your regularly scheduled routine and you’ll be right back on track.
Make sure you know what you want, and then design a plan to get there.
-Steve
PS: If you want a nice shiny app to tell you EXACTLY how many sets and reps to do, our shiny new app will do just that!
You can sign up for a free 7-day trial to Nerd Fitness Journey, which will build a workout around your experience level!
More specifically, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends executing more than 12 reps and having a rest interval in-between sets of 30-seconds or less for muscular endurance. Additionally, you want to focus on a load of 67% or less of your one-rep max (1RM). For example, if you squat 225 pounds for 1 rep, then 67% of that is ~150 pounds. (Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics)
In one of the earliest studies examining the effects of concurrent strength and endurance training, Hickson and colleagues demonstrated that moderately trained runners and cyclists had improvements in treadmill running (13% improvement) and ergometer biking (11% improvement) to exhaustion at maximal work rates. In a more recent investigation by Aagaard and colleagues, highly trained national team cyclists improved their average power output and total distance covered in a 45-minute cycling test (8% improvement). Strength training has been reported to increase musculotendinous unit stiffness his results in an enhanced ability to store elastic energy during eccentric muscle actions (i.e., muscle lengthening), which in turn increases concentric muscle force (i.e., muscle shortening). This is thought to be one of the reasons why improvements in running economy, cycling economy, and cross-country skiing economy have been observed after a period of combined strength and endurance training.
More specifically, the NSCA recommends executing 6-12 reps and having a rest interval in between sets of 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes for muscular hypertrophy. Additionally, you want to focus on a load of 67-85% of your one-rep max or 1RM. (Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
Again, we can provide some specifics from the NSCA. They recommend executing 6 or fewer reps and having a rest interval in between sets of 2-5 minutes for muscular strength. Additionally, you want to focus on a load of 85% or more of your one-rep max (1RM). The NSCA also recommends executing 3-5 reps and having a rest interval in between sets of 2-5 minutes for muscular power (multiple-effort event). Additionally, you want to focus on a load of 75-85% of your one-rep max (1RM).
If you’re interested, check out this article from Science Daily on the role the central nervous system plays in strength training.
A work set just means a set where you’re training with your heaviest weight. This doesn’t include any warm-up sets.
Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
The effect of training volume and intensity on improvements in muscular strength and size in resistance-trained men: study
Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men: analysis
Other ways to mitigate wearing down your CNS include prioritizing the most important exercises by placing them first in a workout, use moderate-to-heavy loads, since these involve performing fewer total reps to achieve the hypertrophic stimulus, and be aware that adding extra volume of work (e.g., adding extra exercises, sets, and/or reps) to a workout may not necessarily produce superior effects, and dividing a single workout into more frequent workouts over the week may sometimes lead to better results.
To gain muscle mass it is recommended that you seek a calorie surplus (i.e., hypercaloric diet). This can be achieved by consuming an additional 250-500 kcal/day or 10-20% above your typical diet. You may also need to increase your protein intake to 1.6-2.2 g/kg of bodyweight spread evenly throughout the day. And finally, carbohydrates should be the focus of the remaining calorie surplus demands when considering fat intake levels should remain at 20-35% of kcals. This will result in a realistic gain in lean muscle mass of about 0.5 pounds per week.
If you’re trying to lose weight it is recommended that you seek a calorie deficit by consuming 250-500 less kcal/day or 10-20% below your typical calorie intake. Your protein intake should be 1.2-1.6 g/kg of bodyweight spread evenly throughout the day. And finally, carbohydrates and fat should be reduced from baseline to satisfy the needed caloric deficit at the expense of protein. However, enough carbohydrate should still be consumed to maintain performance because carbohydrates (muscle and liver glycogen) are the primary energy sources for higher-intensity exercise. This will result in a realistic weight loss goal of 1-2 pounds per week.
Numerous studies published in various exercise science, sports conditioning, and physiology journals have found that the pre-planned variation of acute program variables (changes in exercises, sets, reps, rest intervals, percent 1RM) is more effective at producing strength and lean body mass improvements than non-periodized programs.
As Coach Lauren mentions above, the “circuit” in circuit training comes from the fact that you do a sequence of exercises back to back to back, and then you repeat the sequence.
And then again.
You cycle through the planned sequence of exercises, or circuit, multiple times.
That’s circuit training.
Generally, you hit each major muscle group during one full circuit. You may do a lower body for one exercise. Then the upper body the next.
You’ll find all sorts of different circuit training sequences. Here are some things most will have in common:
Several different exercises. A normal circuit will have five to ten different movements per circuit. You’ll often hear these referred to as “stations.” Overhead press station, squat station, etc.
Little to no rest in between.The goal of circuit training is to keep your heart rate up. Ideally, if you’re physically able, you go from one exercise to another without stopping. Maybe you rest after the whole circuit. Maybe.
Rinse and repeat.Generally, you’ll run through your circuit a few times. Three rounds are common.
Make sense?
The point here is to work different parts of your body with different exercises, and then while those parts are recovering, you’re working on your other movements! This helps build cardiovascular health, while also improving muscular endurance and strength.
More importantly, for somebody with limited time, doing a strength training circuit is more effective at building strength and burning fat than an equivalent amount of cardio.
In other words, if you are trying to lose weight, you should be doing circuit training.
Our Beginner Bodyweight Circuitwould be a great place to begin, and you can download a worksheet to help you get started right here:
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
Why Should I do circuit training?
Generally, you’ll hear exercise divided into strength training or aerobic exercise (cardio).
What’s the difference, you wonder?
Strength training. Strength training is also referred to as anaerobic exercise, which would be a short burst of energy for movement. Think of a push-up or pull-up. These exercises help build and tone muscle.
Aerobic Exercise.“Aerobic” means “needs oxygen.” Your heart rate increases to get oxygen where your body needs it, thus the word “cardio.” Running, biking, or jumping jacks would be examples of aerobic exercise.
The thing about a circuit is, you actually do both categories. Presses and lunges fall into strength training. Jumping jacks are cardio.
And since you aren’t stopping much in between stations, you’ll need more oxygen, and voila. Even more cardio.
With circuit training, you build muscle and burn fat WHILE building stamina.
As Michael Scott would say, “that’s a win, win, win.”
There’s some debate on what kind of exercise is better for weight loss: aerobic or anaerobic.
My thoughts?
If you’re limited on time and only can pick one, I would pick strength training: when you strength train, you break your muscles down, and your body needs to work extra hard over the next 24-48 hours to rebuild those muscles (with increased calories burned).
We work with our 1-on-1 Coaching Clients to create programs that combine both strength and cardio in a fun way – it really comes down to a program that you actually WANT to do.
Before and after your circuit training: Warm up and stretch
No matter which circuit you pick, I want you to start with one important thing:
Warm-up!
I cover why you should always warm up in an article found right here. It doesn’t have to be much though, give it about five minutes to get your muscles active and your heart rate up.
This will help you do exercises properly and help prevent injury. You can run in place, do air punches and kicks, or some jumping jacks.
Here is NF Senior Coach Staci (you might know her incredible story) showing you many beginner options you can use to warm up as well:
Did I just tell you to prepare for circuit training, with a circuit?!
Yes, yes I did.
If you’re curious, here’s my personal (advanced) warm-up:
THE NERD FITNESS ADVANCED WARM-UP:
Jump rope: 2-3 minutes
Jumping jacks: 25 reps
Bodyweight squats: 20 reps
Lunges: 5 reps each leg.
Hip extensions: 10 reps each side
Hip rotations: 5 each leg
Forward leg swings: 10 each leg
Side leg swings: 10 each leg
Push-ups: 10-20 reps
Spider-man steps: 10 reps
Our goal isn’t to tire you out. Instead, we want to warm you up.
That’s step one.
Completing your chosen circuit training routine would be step two.
Below, you’ll find 15 workouts you can follow along with! And if you like our style of workouts, you might like our new app, Nerd Fitness Journey!
Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Right now, you can try it for free for a full week (no credit card required). Jump in below:
Once you’ve done the above three times, go ahead and put your kettlebell away for your final step: stretches.
If you want a kettlebell worksheet for this workout, grab one by signing up in the box below:
Grab Your Beginner Kettlebell Routine Worksheet!
Complete this workout at home or gym with 1 kettlebell.
Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing kettlebell exercises.
Build strength, burn fat, level up your life!
We also have a fun new adventure in our app that will allow you to train with your kettlebell right alongside Hack Morris (this will make sense more sense when start).
Jump in right now for your free trial:
Beginner Gym Circuit Training
If you have access to a gym, you have a lot of circuit options.
If it’s your first time stepping foot in a fitness facility, check out our Beginner’s Guide to the Gym. The gym can be a scary place, but we’ll give you a strategy to get comfy.
We’ll also walk you through each movement for both Days A and B below. I would recommend picking one of our 5 Beginner Gym Workouts, going through the leveled progressions, and working your way up to the circuits below:
Alternate your circuits on different days. Rest in between. “Day A” could be Monday. Rest Tuesday. Wednesday could be “Day B.”
We LOVE helping people get started in the gym, as we’re huge fans of barbell training and helping beginners build confidence with weight training! If that sounds like you…
Plus, you can download our full Strength 101 guide too, which has this routine along with other circuits to help you start building strength today:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH 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.
The Hotel Workout Circuit: For Travelers that Train
Sometimes, you just plain find yourself stuck in a hotel room. Maybe you can find the hotel gym, but I bet it’s terrible! It probably has 2 machines, a broken treadmill, and no free weights.
Ugh.
Instead, how about a workout circuit you can do in the room itself?! Utilize the furniture to its full potential.
Gimli “Shall I get you a box?” jumps: 7 box jumps – REALLY explode
Helm’s Deep-Squats: 9 bodyweight squats – get your ass to the ground
Tower of Orthanc Holds: 1 minute (Kick up against a wall and hold a handstand for as long as you can until 1 minute is complete, in as few as sets as possible. Check out our Guide to Handstands.)
“Army of Dead”lifts: 9 lightweight reps, barbell or dumbbell
Samwise Gamgee Carries: 1 minute (Demonstrated here by AKLulu carrying me at a NF meetup) A heavy sandbag over the shoulder works too. No sandbag? Just carry two dumbbells around the gym for a minute.
If you can get through a superset three times, consider yourself an honorary Ranger. Nothing found in Mordor can faze you.
Barbell Deadlift / Dumbbell RDL / Banded Good Morning / Regular Good Morning: 10 reps
Medicine Ball Slam / Quick Downwards Bodyweight Squat: 10 reps
Push-up to Renegade row (push-up, row left, push-up, row right, repeat): 5 Rows per side
Transverse Lunge and Chop: 5 reps each side
How many times do you do this circuit? AMRAP, or, As Many Rounds As Possible. I suggest setting a 12-minute timer and getting to work. Be careful though, because only Wolverine can heal automatically.
You’ll need actual rest.
Boom!
There are your nerdy circuits. Feel free to rock the soundtrack of the referenced movies during your workout. If you own a cape, now’s the time.
Complete List of Circuit Training Exercises
You can do any of the workouts in this article and get a great workout, but if you want to build your own workout, you can totally do that too!
Here is a list of exercises you can use to create your workout.
Simply pick a few, and do one after the other in as many circuits as you want!
Do 3 circuits with 10 reps of each exercise, one after the other!
Have fun and keep things interesting. And if you don’t want to build your own workout, that’s cool too! We have 15 free workouts in this article, and we can also do all the heavy lifting for you.
(Well, not literally DO the heavy lifting, but you know what I mean.)
We create custom workout solutions for busy people just like you in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. Let us create a workout and help you make better food choices.
It’s like having a Yoda in your pocket (again, not literally).
How to Stretch After Circuit Training
Once you finish your workout, the final step (three) would be stretching and cooling down. No matter what circuit you go through, stretch after a workout. It can help a lot with muscle recovery.
Scope this video for an awesome stretching sequence to follow:
You could also do some yoga poses. For stretching, find what feels good and take your time. Let your heart rate come down while you stretch.
You could even do some foam rolling too if you’re a glutton for punishment!
YOUR MISSION: Complete one of the above circuit training workouts! If you don’t know which one to pick, start with the Beginner Bodyweight Circuit. It’ll get you used to the idea of hustling from one exercise to the next.
And you can do it in your living room!
If you’re looking for more hands-on instruction and customized guidance, check out our 1-on-1 Coaching program. You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who get to know you better than you know yourself, and then build a workout program that is specific to your exact goals.
Simply put, we tell you exactly what to do every day, and how to eat. And then, we check in with you regularly to make sure you’re doing it!
If you got this far in the article, I really want you to try one of these workouts. Right NOW. I always mention the most important step in a fitness journey is starting it. Today, start circuit training.
Once completed, I’d love for you to share your story with the community in the comments:
How’d it go?
Did you get through three full circuits?
Which routine did you pick?
Find a circuit you’re comfortable with, and do it.
Today, you’re gonna learn the importance of warming up, and how to warm up with specific video routines…because I’m a nice person.
This is so critical for training safely that whenever we design a workout for our coaching clients, it always starts with a proper warm-up. So I’m excited to share these warm-up tips and tricks with you too.
In this guide, we’ll cover the following (click to go to that section):
This stuff is so important because getting injured sucks.
And every single day I watch people wander into the gym, immediately lie down on a bench, and start cranking out their workout with a heavyweight within seconds.
This makes me weep for humanity.
These people are just WAITING to get injured. They’re essentially playing with dynamite (also not recommended).
So you’re reading the right article.
Also, if you’re interested in a program that tells you exactly how to warm up and work out, you may like our new app!
Nerd Fitness Journey will set you on an adventure that will tell you exactly when to workout, when to warm up, and when you should rest. No guesswork needed.
You can sign-up for a free trial right here:
Should I Stretch Before A Workout? No. Warm-Up Instead
Above all else, the most important thing you can do when working out is to warm up properly.
Now, you might be saying to yourself, “Come on. Surely it’s not the MOST important thing…”
To which I’d reply: “First, don’t call me Shirley. Secondly, if you don’t have enough time to warm up, then you don’t have enough time to work out.”
Boom!
So WHY is it so important?
Think of your muscles like rubber bands.
If you spend all day sitting at a desk, hunched over a keyboard, those rubber bands have gone almost completely unused.
Then, if you go to a gym and immediately start lifting heavy weights or sprinting really fast, those cold, unstretched rubber bands get pulled apart very quickly and can get snapped or pulled out of shape.
#Fail.
So, what about just regular, static stretching before working out?
However, dynamic warm-ups – what you’ll learn in this article and what we focus on with our 1-on-1 coaching clients – are AWESOME for prepping you to get ready to strength train:
Think of it like a pregaming for your muscles – except replace “alcohol” with “awesome.” By jumping around and getting your muscles loose, active, warm, and ready for action, you are putting your muscles through their full range of motion and getting them ready to start handling heavier loads (strength training).
As pointed out in this study, “warming up” can also help reduce soreness after a workout.
On top of that, doing a dynamic warm-up can help activate your central nervous system, priming your muscles for a great workout that produces your best effort.
Add “improved blood circulation” to the list of benefits of warming up, which will help you perform well in each exercise.
Need another reason? When your body is properly warmed up, your muscles and joints are ready for maximum flexibility, which means you can perform each exercise with PROPER form (like deep barbell squats, for example) that maximizes results and minimizes the risk of injury.
So, whether you are running or strength training…a proper warm-up is probably the most important 5-10 minutes of your day.
Still with me?
Great. If you have been injured in the past, and you’re learning to warm up so you can stop stalling out on your progress, let us help!
We create custom workout solutions with nutritional guidance for busy people like you.
In other words, we help you get strong and eat better, every step of the way.
Don’t overthink this: Your goal is to elevate your heart rate, put your muscles and joints through their range of motion to warm them up and make sure everything is functioning properly, and preparing your body to strength train!
If you read the above paragraph and thought: “Yes I am doing strength training, please tell me more Steve! More!”
Firstly, thanks for saying please – your mom taught you well.
Next: let us help get you strong, safely! We help busy people go from strength-training-newbie to strength training badasses.
Whether you’re doing bodyweight or new to weight training, we create a workout program and provide food guidance that’s specific to YOUR life.
3 Advanced Dynamic Warm-Ups And Videos
#1) Here is an Advanced Warm-up Circuit you can do anywhere:
Jump rope: 2-3 minutes (optional)
Jumping jacks: 50 reps(pull your shoulder blades back, extend arms and really focus on the movement)
Bodyweight Squats: 20 reps
Lunges: 5 reps each leg
Hip extensions: 10 reps
Hip rotations: 10 reps each leg (like you’re stepping over a fence)
Forward leg swings: 10 reps each leg.
Side leg swings: 10 reps each leg
Push-ups: 10-20 reps
Spider-man steps: 5 each leg
This particular warm-up might be more difficult than your actual workout, especially if you’re following something like The Beginner Bodyweight Workout.
Yes, there is a lot of work put on your hips, butt, legs, and core. As nerds/desk jockeys, these tend to be the muscles that are the tighest and least active, and thus most susceptible to an injury.
If your arms and chest are particularly tight or sore, you can throw two more movements as well:
Arm swings (holding your arms straight out to the side, and then swing them and cross them in front of your chest)
Shoulder rotations (holding your arms straight out to the side, and move your arms in a circular motion, making bigger circles each time)
Are you a runner?
#2) Check out our warm-up routine specifically designed for runners:
#3) Here’s another advanced dynamic warm-up for an endurance workout:
When it comes time for your workout, if you are doing heavy strength training (with barbells or dumbbells), make sure you do some warm-up sets before jumping into the weight you’ll be training with for EACH EXERCISE.
Always start with a set using just the bar to work on your form and get your body used to the movement.
Then, do a few sets of just a few reps with increasing weight (but won’t tire you out) and THEN start your workout.
It’s something we bring up before every workout in Nerd Fitness Journey, our new habit-building app! If you want, you can test drive it right now for free!
15 Best Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises To Prevent Injury
These are our favorite quick warm-up exercises that can help you prevent an injury during your workout!
Marching in place while swinging your arms.
Jumping jacks
Walking jacks
Arm circles and shoulder shrugs.
Mountain Climbers
Swinging toe touches.
Leg swings (forward)
Leg swings (side to side).
Hip rotations (like stepping over a fence)
Hip circles (like you’re hula hooping)
Bodyweight squats.
Push-ups.
Lunges.
Hip extensions.
Get into the habit of doing these exercises before doing any workout. They’ll help keep you mobile and limber and injury free. If you’re not sure how to do any of these movements, watch the videos for them below.
Oh, what’s that? You’re new to strength training and not sure what you’re doing? No problem!
We help people exactly like you.
Well, not exactly. You’re a unique snowflake, your mom loves you, etc.
What I mean is we help people like you to start strength training.
We do form checks, create custom workouts based on your equipment and time commitment, and more.
To Answer Your First Few Questions…
“Steve, I can’t do jumping jacks/I live on the second floor.”
That’s okay – the reason I love jumping jacks is that they work out all four of your limbs at once and get you bouncing around.
Instead, channel your inner Chuck Norris and do punches and kicks with each leg. I don’t care if you can’t kick higher than your shins and your punch wouldn’t kill a fly…just get those limbs flailing and warmed up!
You could also just do “Walking Jacks.”
“Um, your warm-up is tougher than my actual workout!”
The dynamic warm-up above is designed for people who are doing serious training.
If you are doing heavy deadlifts and squats and overhead presses, a proper warm-up could keep you out of a career-ending injury.
However, if you are just getting started with exercise and you’re only doing bodyweight exercises, obviously 20 real push-ups during your workout isn’t possible…
THAT’S OKAY. Think of the above as the warm-up you aspire to complete. In the meantime, do the best you can. Let’s say…
With enough consistency and persistency (not a word, but rhymed better and sounded way better than persistence), you’ll be busting out the full warm-up routine before kicking ass at your actual workout!
Don’t have a program to follow? Or tired of following a random plan online that’s not getting you results?
Check out our Online Coaching Program – we’ll take care of all the heavy lifting (except the actual “heavy lifting,” that’s your job).
Warm-Up Properly and Avoid Injury!
Hopefully, this is a post you bookmark, as it’s probably one of the most important ones I’ve ever written.
If you want to stay injury-free, put your body through a dynamic warm-up before you start your exercise.
If you are somebody who wants to follow a program that is tailor-made for their life and situation and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 Coaching program.
You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, answer any and all fitness questions you have, and program your workouts and nutrition for you.
What other questions can I answer for you about warming up properly?
I’m here to help!
-Steve
PS: Still here, but not sure what to do after your warm-up? Why not let our app tell you exactly what to do!
PPS: The companion post to this guide is “How to Stretch After a Workout.” Give it a read if you’re wondering about what post-workout routines you should try.
How I Bulked up After Years of Struggling as a Skinny Guy
Growing up, I was always the scrawny, skinny weak kid.
There was a reason I dressed up like Superman every other day for the first six years of my life:
Superman was strong, big, and powerful…and I wasn’t.
To this day, it’s still a big challenge for me to gain weight or build muscle.
When people tell me “must be nice to have been skinny growing up,” I explain that a killer flat top, my height (5’2″ until I was 16), four years of braces, and two Accutane treatments made sure I still got the full adolescent experience 🙂
When I was cut from the high school basketball team (which I thought was the end of the world), I signed up for a gym membership to get big and strong.
Within five minutes I had almost killed myself when loading up way too much weight for a set of bench presses.
Fortunately, I survived, and thus began my love affair with strength training.
I spent the next six years training in a gym, reading every muscle and fitness magazine I could find, drinking protein shakes religiously…and had about 3 pounds of muscle gain to show for it.
I just assumed “I’m one of those people who can’t gain weight.”
It turns out, I was doing it all wrong.
After graduating college, I moved to California, signed up for a gym membership, and received a few free personal trainer sessions.
Although I thought I had known it all (I had been training for 6 years in a gym! I read the muscle mags! I was in good shape already!), I still took the free sessions for the hell of it.
I’m so glad I did!
The trainer drastically simplified my workout and DOUBLED the amount of food I was eating.
I thought he was crazy at first, but I stuck with it.
In 30 days, I had put on 18 pounds (pictured below), increased the strength in ALL of my lifts, and felt more confident than I ever had before in my life.
That’s when the lightbulb when off in my head: there’s a better way.
And thus began a radical redefinition of how I thought the human body worked, how muscle was built, and where I needed to put my priorities.
Since then, I’ve spent seven years learning everything I can about how muscle is built.
A few years back, I took an epic 35,000-mile trip around the world, and despite not having access to a gym for 6 months, I managed to once again pack on even more muscle and get myself in great shape without once picking up a weight (pictured below):
Again, my world was turned upside down.
I learned that gyms are not a requirement to build muscle and get stronger, though a great gym workout can certainly speed up the process.
And after a few more years of up and down challenges, I had finally – jokingly – changed from Steve Rogers to Captain America (there’s a story behind this):
I’m still not the biggest guy in the world, nor will I ever be. I’m okay with that!
I’ve learned that anyone can pack on muscle, even skinny nerds like me.
If you’re skinny and want to get bigger, you’ll be fighting genetics the whole way, but do not let that deter you.
Anything is possible.
Today’s article outlines everything I’ve learned over the past 13 years of mistakes, successes, failures, and adventures.
The Most Important Thing for Putting on Muscle: Eat More Food.
As they say, muscle isn’t made in the gym, but in the kitchen:
If you want to bulk up, you’d be better off working out twice a week for 30 minutes and eating right, than working out 6 days a week and not eating properly.
I learned this the hard way.
I spent four years of college working out five days a week for 90 minutes a day trying to get bigger.
I drank protein shakes like I thought I was supposed to. I got a little stronger, but never bigger.
Why?
BECAUSE I DIDN’T EAT ENOUGH CALORIES.
When I get emails from people who lament the fact that they can’t gain weight, I always first ask about the person’s diet.
More often than not, that person thinks they are eating enough, but are definitely not.
Here’s the truth:
If you are not getting bigger, you are not eating enough.
Your body can burn 2000+ calories every day just existing (and then factor in exercise and, gulp, cardio – I’ll get to that in a minute), and you need to overload your system with calories in order for it to have enough fuel for the muscle building process.
Want to know how many calories you burn every day just existing?
Note: we have used The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation to create this calculator! [1]
For every person, the number of required calories for bulking up daily is different, especially when you factor in how much you move, fidget, and how much weight you need to gain:
For some people, it might be 2,500 calories a day.
For others, it might be 3,500 calories a day.
For others, it might be 5,000 calories a day.
I don’t love calorie counting (I prefer a “Balanced Plate” approach), but I think for a newbie starting out, tracking calories for a few days is a great place to begin.
So, track your calories using something like MyFitnessPal over a few days and get an average.
I bet you’ll discover you’re eating significantly less than you thought you were.
LEARN HOW MANY CALORIES YOU NEED TO EAT FIRST.
And then eat MORE!
Spend the next two weeks eating an additional 300-500 calories per day above your TDEE (which you calculated above) and see how your weight adjusts (and how you look in progress photos!).
If you are not getting bigger, add an additional 300-500 calories per day and repeat the process.
Everybody’s results will vary, and thoughts are mixed on how quickly we can build muscle:
Under optimal conditions, some say you can expect to gain 1 pound (.5 kg) of muscle per week,
My results have shown that 2 lbs (1kg) per month is more realistic.
A 2016 study[2]revealed that strength training produced a 2.2 lb increase (1kg) increase in lean mass in 8 weeks.
Regardless of how fast you bulk up, it might be helpful for you to gain weight by putting on some fat with your muscle!
Here are things to consider if you overeat WHILE strength training: extra glycogen, some fat, and water stored in your body can be a good thing for your confidence and get you headed down the right path.
So, don’t listen to the sites or programs that say “gain 40 pounds of muscle in two months!”
Unless you’re on the juice (‘roids, not Hawaiian Punch), it’s going to be a slow, long process.
My advice: Rather than massive weight gain over a month, you’d be much better off gaining .5-1.5 lbs. (.25-.75 kg) a week, every week, for six months…and keeping the weight on!
Now, I know this stuff isn’t easy.
There’s nothing worse than spending 6+ months in a gym and doing what you think you SHOULD be doing, only to step on the scale and realize that you haven’t made any progress!
If you’re somebody who’s worried about wasting time, or you want to have an expert guide your nutrition based on your current situation, consider checking out our Online Training Program!
What Food Should I Eat to Bulk Up?
Let’s go through how you should be prioritizing your nutrition, nutrient by nutrient:
Protein: rebuilds muscle after you break it down.
Carbohydrates: provides your muscle with fuel and body weight with energy
Fat: helps your bodily functions and can also be burned as fuel in the absence of carbs.
Let’s look at each of these individually:
PRIORITY #1: PROTEIN
Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
After protein, in order for you to get bigger, you need to eat enough calories, and those calories should come from sources composed of carbs and/or fats.
Here are foods full of carbohydrates you can prioritize for bulking up:
Rice
Quinoa
Oats
Legumes and lentils
Sweet potatoes
Yams
Regular potatoes
Whole grain pasta
Whole grain bread
To help you get better at eyeballing serving sizes:
1 serving of a starchy carbohydrate is 1 cupped hand (uncooked), or your two hands forming a cup (cooked).
Here are some images to help you learn proper portion sizes (thanks to SafeFood):
In addition to consuming carbohydrates from these sources, it’s okay to consume plenty of fruit while trying to bulk up!
Fat is a macronutrient that you can eat that can help you reach your goals in the right quantity, as fat can be higher calorie and you can eat lots of it without feeling full.
Healthy fat can be found in foods like:
Avocado
Almonds
Walnuts
Macadamia nuts
Olive oil
Almond butter
Peanut butter
Science has recently come around on saturated fat too [4]. Once completely vilified, but now considered okay for moderate consumption.
Saturated fats can come from things like:
Whole milk
Full-fat dairy
Coconut oil
Grass-fed butter
Fatty cuts of meat
Lard
To help you gauge: a serving size of fat is roughly the size of your thumb!
For reference, this is a single serving of almonds (162 calories):
THIS is a serving of olive oil (119 calories):
As you can see, you can eat an extra 500 calories of “healthy fats” by eating lots of “heart-healthy” fats like nuts or adding more olive oil to your meals.
PRIORITY #4: VEGETABLES!
Last but not least, you need vegetables in your diet.
If you start to eat a lot more food, your “indoor plumbing” is going to really benefit from eating some high-fiber veggies with each meal:
A serving of veggies is about the size of your fist.
Here’s a quick, non-complete list of veggies that can fill your plate:
Broccoli
Broccolini
Cauliflower
Spinach
Kale
Spaghetti squash
Brussels sprouts
Zucchini
Cucumber
Carrots
Onion
Asparagus
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER:
This plate and serving size stuff above is just to help you get started thinking about healthy food differently and in proper portion sizes.
Consume 1-1.5g per pound (2.2-3.3g per kg) of body weight in protein every day.
Consume the rest of your calories from foods composed of carbs and fats.
Always eat vegetables so that your body can actually PROCESS all this extra food.
If you are not gaining weight, add more carbs and/or fats to your meal.
It really does come down to the following:
If you are not gaining weight fast enough, you’re not eating enough. Increase your portions of carbs and fats!
Whenever we work with coaching clients who struggle to bulk up, this is the area we target: adding more carbs and fats to each meal.
What are the Best Popular Bulk-Up Eating Strategies?
If you read the previous section, you know that we have some pretty specific “best practices” on how to bulk up.
However, there are multiple strategies that can also work, and I’d like to cover each of those here too.
Depending on your budget, your taste in food, and your goals, these strategies will work better for some than others.
#1) The “Healthy” Bulk
I have followed this method to great success multiple times (including right now).
Ultimately, I follow the “real food” principles whenever possible (good sources of quality meat, tons of vegetables, minimal amounts of gluten and processed carbs), but I mix in some specific items that are calorie/carbohydrate dense to reach my calorie goals for the day.
This is the exact strategy we laid out in the previous section of this article.
Speaking of quality calories – how I recommend doing this – receive your Get Bigger Shopping List and Bulk Up Cheat Sheet by putting your email in the box below:
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The Nerd Fitness “Get Bigger” Shopping List
Bulk like the Hulk with our rules for getting bigger
But for me at the time, it worked (and got me interested in diet research).
If you are super skinny and on a tight budget, this might be your only option, and that’s okay!
Foods that are high in calories include:
Whole milk
Cottage cheese
Cereal
Pasta
Rice
Potatoes
Ice cream
Juice
Peanut butter sandwiches
Meatball subs from Subway
Pizza
Burgers
Etc.
Whatever gets you to your caloric intake goal for the day.
When I put on my 18 lbs, I used to drink 3 CytoGainer shakes a day, because it was the easiest way for me to stay on target.
If you are training properly, a majority of these calories will go towards building muscle instead of putting on a lot of fat.
Steve’s thoughts: I’m not a big fan of this method much, as I’ve come to learn the quality of food is as important (if not more so) than quantity when it comes to your overall health, and we’re aiming for bigger AND healthier.
#3) GOMAD
Drink a gallon of whole milk every day along with your meals.
Sounds crazy, yup, but it works.
A gallon of whole milk is full of enough sugar, carbs, fats, and protein that when all said and done, results in 2400 calories consumed in liquid form.
Mix in vegetables and meat for healthy meals and you got yourself a simple-to-follow diet.
I’ve attempted this diet back in my younger days, and although my stomach hated me, I certainly had success with it, mostly because it was simple to follow and easy to understand.
Yes, it’s possible to bulk while following either of these diets:
If you are eating Paleo, you’ll want to eat LOTS of carbs and fats from calorie-dense foods like fruit, sweet potatoes, and nuts.
If you are going Keto, you’ll want to eat LOTS of fat from cheeses, nuts, oils, and so on.
If you have the budget and want to try it, go for it. You’ll be eating truckloads of nuts, avocados, and meat.
“WHICH STRATEGY IS BEST FOR ME?”
In our opinion, we’ve had the most success with Coaching Clients who adopt a “healthy bulk” strategy, #1 above.
It’s a focus on real food, a sustainable increase in calorie intake, and can be adjusted easily by adding or reducing total portions of carbs and fats.
But hey, you do you, boo.
What Supplements Should I take to Bulk up? How to eat more calories.
If you are struggling to consume enough whole foods every day, then here are some tips to help you reach your caloric goals to bulk up:
“WHAT SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD I TAKE TO BULK UP FAST?”
Most supplements are garbage
Plus, you should ALWAYS prioritize consuming real food over shakes and powders.
HOWEVER, if you are interested in bulking quickly, there are two I would recommend:
Protein Powder. A great solution for getting extra protein and calories in your diet and building muscle.[5] As we point out in our article on protein and protein shakes, mix and match your own ingredients and see how many calories you can get into a smoothie without breaking your blender.
Creatine supplement. It helps your muscles retain more water [6], and has been shown to increase the hormone IGF-1, which is needed for muscle growth[7]. It’s one of the only two supplements (along with protein) that I take regularly.
Outside of these two supplements, you really don’t need to prioritize supplementation, despite what the muscle magazines tell you! Hell, many of these muscle mags are OWNED BY SUPPLEMENT COMPANIES.
I’ll leave you with two more big suggestions on how to bulk up in this section:
#1) Liquid calories are your friend. Liquid calories can give us lots of calories without ‘filling us up,’ which is an easier way to consume enough calories every day without feeling overly full.
I personally get a huge chunk of my calories every day from making my own ‘Powerbomb Shake – from our Protein Guide
I put all of this into a Vitamix Blender – yep, it was expensive, but worth the investment. This blender has been used twice a day for 8 years without a single issue.
If you need even more calories consider adding whole milk, coconut milk, or almond milk instead of water.
You can also add a shot of olive oil to add calories/fats to a shake in the quest for MOAR MUSCLE!
#2) Train your Body to Eat More: If you are cooking rice, each week try adding in an extra quarter cup when you cook it.
And yeah, you have to FORCE your stomach to accept more food, even when you’re not hungry.
This is not enjoyable, as you often feel like you’re going to explode.
However, just like it’s necessary to force your muscles outside of your comfort zone to get bigger, you need to force your stomach outside of its comfort zone until it adapts to accepting more calories.
So, start by adding a little bit more food each day and soon enough your stomach will expand.
How to Grow Bigger Muscles: Get Stronger
When you strength train, your muscles are broken down and then get rebuilt stronger to adapt to the stress you have applied to it.
So every time you pick up a slightly heavier weight, you are increasing the challenge and forcing your muscles to adapt and get more resilient.
Follow a progressive overload strategy and eat enough calories, and you will get bigger.
You have two approaches to consider while bulking up:
PATH A: BODYBUILDER BULK. Follow a bodybuilder-type routine that focuses on isolation exercises that chops your body into different segments and works each of them out once a week.
You may have seen something like this:
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Shoulders
Thursday: Back
Friday: Arms and Abs
I think these routines are fine, and you might even enjoy them.
However, they do require a fairly large time commitment at the gym, and you’ll be training 5-6 days per week.
PATH B: STRENGTH AND MUSCLE. Focus on full-body routines that contain compound exercises like squats and deadlifts that give us the most bang for our buck.
Every time you train, most of the muscles in your body are getting worked out.
Specifically, this path has you focusing on getting really strong at these movements:
If you can focus on getting really strong with the above exercises, and eat enough calories, you will also get bigger in all of the right places.
Path B is something we’re bigger fans of compared to Path A, and it’s what we recommend to our Coaching Clients.
Specially, we find it to be safer and also more time-efficient: you’ll be training just 2-3 days per week on this path (instead of 5-6 days per week with Path A).
Mark Rippetoe (author of Starting Strength, a must-read for anybody interested in the above exercises) lives for old-school barbell training (path B):
Why?
Because it works.
Just. Keep. Eating. And. Lifting.
Skinny Guy Workout Plans for Bulking Up
As we cover in our “How to build muscle” article, here’s a sample routine you can follow NOW to start bulking up.
After you do your dynamic warm-up, do the following workout:
Get stronger and the rest will take care of itself.
NERD FITNESS RECOMMENDATION: Feel free to pick WHATEVER workout program you want from wherever. If you don’t want to follow the workout above, consider these sources:
Now, don’t worry too much about which path is best.
Nutrition plays the most important role in bulking up, and any strength training plan will help you get bigger.
There are 3 studies I want to point out:
A recent study showed that a higher intensity workout (heavier weight for low reps) created more muscle mass than a higher volume (lower weight for more reps).[8]
Getting more volume (more sets of exercises) per week resulted in more mass compared to less volume (fewer sets of exercises), in this study[9].
Studies show that weight training creates superior “bulk up” results compared to bodyweight training,[10] but that doesn’t mean bodyweight training isn’t beneficial. Studies show that bodyweight training exercises can build muscle, but require a LARGE number of sets per rep, and pushing oneself to absolute failure.[11]
What this means: Don’t overthunk it.
Pick up heavy stuff for 3-4 sets of 5 reps. Pick up a weight that is heavy enough that you can only complete your specified number of reps.
Challenge yourself on bodyweight exercises, either by making them more difficult, adding weight, or doing high reps to failure.
And then do more next time.
What’s important is that you pick a plan and follow through with it while focusing on eating enough.
After a few months, you can reevaluate and then adjust based on how your body has changed.
On any of these days, feel free mix in bicep curls or tricep extensions or calf raises at the END of your workouts.
Focus on the big lifts first and get stronger with them.
How much weight should you lift? For every one of the barbell movements above, I start with just the bar, and then add weight in 5lb increments each week.
It’s important to get form right and get your body used to the movement for when you start to lift heavy weight.
How long should you wait between sets? Again, don’t overthink it. Waiting 2-3 minutes allows you lift heavier weight, and thus makes you stronger.
Waiting 60-90 seconds puts more of an emphasis on muscular size and endurance (as you’re resting for a shorter period)…but don’t overthink it. Do the next set when you’re ready.
A piece of advice from 8-time Mr. Olympia, Lee Haney: “stimulate, don’t annihilate.”
Don’t destroy yourself for the sake of destroying yourself; stopping one or two reps short of maximum effort can save you from overtraining and potential injury – remember that muscles are built in the kitchen!
If you’re already overwhelmed and just want somebody to tell you what to do, you’re not alone.
I’ve had a coach since 2014 and it’s the best investment I make in myself every month.
Can Bodyweight Training Help Me Bulk Up?
Yes, you can get bigger and stronger by doing exclusively bodyweight exercises.
Take a look at any Olympic gymnast: he is jacked, with giant muscles, all built with bodyweight exercises:
HOWEVER, it requires a very specific type of training regiment to see those results.
Studies show that weight training creates superior “bulk up” results compared to bodyweight training,[12] but that doesn’t mean bodyweight training isn’t beneficial.
Studies show that bodyweight training exercises can build muscle, but require a LARGE number of sets per rep. In other words, you’ll need to push yourself to absolute failure.[13]
So, here’s where the challenges arise:
Like with weight training above, you need to increase the difficulty in order for your muscles to adapt.
Because it’s often more challenging to add a few pounds to a bodyweight exercise to make it tougher – compared to putting a weight on a bar, you need to increase the difficulty of the bodyweight movement itself.
If you are trying to build size, you can also do sets where your rep ranges are in the 25-35 reps per set, and you are pushing your muscles to failure (woof):
If you can do 4 sets of 15 push-ups, consider making them harder to progress. Do 4 sets of 15 push-ups with your feet on a bench.
Bodyweight squats too easy? Work your way up to pistol squats (one-legged squats). 4 sets of 12 pull-ups not a challenge anymore? Great. Make them tougher. Go for a wider grip, an uneven grip, or weighted pull-ups.
I highly recommend beginners start to take a serious look at strength training with free weights; it’s much easier to record one’s progress, easy to add more difficulty (just add more weight!), and very structured.
In fact, I personally believe the best routine mixes both weights and bodyweight training. I have been working with my online coach for 4 years, and I’ve packed on size by following abarbell + bodyweight training routine.
Weight training for my lower body, advanced bodyweight movements for my upper body.
What it really comes down to is this:no matter what you have access to (a gym, barbell, dumbbells, or just a pull-up bar) you can find a way to build strength and muscle if you follow a plan and eat enough calories.
If you’re trying to bulk with just bodyweight, it might be worth enlisting the help of a coach to help you scale your bodyweight exercises correctly and in the proper sequence!
I am Skinny Fat: Should I gain or lose weight first?
If you are skinny fat (you have skinny arms and legs but have a gut), there are three paths available to you:
Get yourself down to roughly 12% body fat (~20% for women), and then start to increase the size.
By slimming down first, while building muscle, you don’t have to worry about buying BIGGER clothes first, only to then need smaller clothes once you start cutting the fat.
Then, once you decide to eat more and get bigger, if you notice your body fat percentage start to creep up, you can simply adjust until your body fat gets back in the acceptable range. Then keep building!
To recap, here’s what to do if you are skinny-fat:
Eat a caloric deficit while heavy strength training to build muscle while leaning out.
Once you reach a certain body fat percentage you’re happy with (probably 10-12%), then you can increase your caloric intake to build more muscle without putting on too much fat.
Proper Sleep and Rest for Putting on Muscle
Last but not least, the other important piece to this Triforce of muscle building:
Strength training, eating enough, and RECOVERY.
Your body builds and rebuilds its muscles during RECOVERY.
Our muscles generally need 48 hours or so to recover from their previous workout, so I do not recommend you do any serious strength training of the same muscle group on back-to-back days.
A word about cardio: if you are serious about getting bigger and stronger, lots of long-distance cardio will work against you.
It’s something Coach Jim brings up in the video “7 things I learned adding on 50 lbs of muscle”:
Your body has to burn so many calories for your runs that it doesn’t get to use any of these calories in the muscle-building process.
If you love to run/bike, that’s cool, as long as you know it’s slowing (or halting) your progress.
So, cut back on the running or cut it out completely.
Try mixing in sprints and interval training if you want to keep the cardio up without having to do all of the crazy distances. You can always add it back in once you accomplish your weight gain goals.
A few words on SLEEP: You need more of it when you are building muscle.
It’s that simple.
Don’t be surprised if after a heavy deadlift day you find yourself wanting to sleep for 10 hours.
It might mean less TV or less video games.
Again, if you are serious about getting bigger and stronger, don’t neglect sleep.
FAQ for Skinny Guys Trying to Bulk Up
QUESTION #1: “But I just want to get toned, I don’t want to get too bulky.”
That’s not a question, but I hear it all the time. Do NOT worry about getting too bulky. I’ve been trying to get “too bulky” my entire life – it takes years of concerted effort to pull that off.
I’m gonna guess you have 30+ pounds to gain before you’d ever even be considered “bulky.”
That means that if you struggle with weight gain, getting to the point where you are TOO bulky would actually be a good problem to solve.
As you start to put on weight if you ever find yourself getting a tiny bit too chubby, simply eat less at that point!
So, when in doubt, always err on the side of too many calories than not enough. If you’re not sure if you should eat or not, etc.
QUESTION #2: “But I don’t want to do that stuff, so I’m gonna do _____ instead.”
Again not a question. But hey, go for it. Give it a month, and see how your body reacts. If you’re getting bigger, stronger, and healthier, keep doing it.
If not, come back to this article and apply the lessons here!
Either plan will get you there. It’s 90% diet anyways.
What’s important is that you pick a plan, you progress, you keep track of your results, and you consistently progressively increase the load that you are moving (be it your body’s weight or an actual weight).
QUESTION #5: “I want to get bigger and faster and have more endurance and flexibility ALL at the same time, can I do that?”
I hate to say it, but building endurance and getting bigger simultaneously is brutally difficult.
As I point out in “How to build any physique,” compare a marathon runner’s body with that of a sprinter or gymnast. Put the running on hold for a while, and focus on getting bigger: you’ll get there faster.
When you decide to mix running back in, keep your calorie consumption high, and don’t forget to keep strength training!
You can still go for walks, and still get a good cardio workout by lifting quickly with minimal breaks between sets.
QUESTION #6: “Do I need to eat every three hours?”
Nope, you don’t have to:
The TOTAL number of calories you consume over the course of a day is more important than the timing of the meals.[14]
The same is true with protein intake: studies show it doesn’t matter WHEN you eat your protein. HOW MUCH you consume in a day is more important.[15]
In fact, there are actually some scientific benefits that can result from not eating all day and instead condensing it into a smaller window.
But eating more frequently might help…
If you struggle to get enough calories in your system, spacing out your meals might help you feel less full, or give you more opportunities to reach your calorie goal for the day.
I eat all of my calories between 12pm and 8pm, and still get bigger despite only eating 2 MASSIVE meals each day.
Don’t overwhelm yourself. Keep it simple. Get stronger, eat more food, sleep. Break this down into simple steps and goals that aren’t scary, and get started.
The best advice I can give you is to start and make adjustments along the way.
You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and program your workouts and nutrition for you.
2) If you want a roadmap for home workouts, 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) Download our free Bulk Up Guide, which you can get when you sign up in the box below:
Download our free skinny guy’s guide to putting on muscle!
Enter your email below to download now
The Nerd Fitness “Get Bigger” Shopping List
Bulk like the Hulk with our rules for getting bigger
Lastly, I’d love to hear from you!
PLEASE leave your questions, eating or strength or otherwise below so we can answer them and become best friends and practice karate kicks in the garage:
How can I help you get bigger and stronger?
What part of this journey are you still struggling the most with?
What are your favorite bulking-up foods!?
Share with your friends in the comments so we can all go buy it in bulk at Costco.
-Steve
PS: Make sure you check out the rest of our Bulk Up guides:
Welcome to the Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to the Gym!
As part of our Strength 101 series, this guide will dive deep into everything you need to know about working out properly in a gym.
By the time you finish reading, you’ll never have to wonder “What should I do in the gym?”
Plus, I bet I also make you laugh once or twice with bad jokes and perfect gifs.
We’ve helped thousands of Online Coaching Clients build confidence and start strength training in the gym, so I worked with our coaches to create today’s Ultimate Beginner Gym Guide!
Okay, time to start working out. Let’s hit the gym and explore the following:
Regardless of your physique, if you are 400 pounds or 100 pounds, going to a regular commercial gym for the first time can be intimidating as hell.
And that’s only if you can get yourself to use 20 Seconds of Courage to walk in the door!
I explain exactly what I mean by it in this video:
I know many people who say “gyms are not for me,” or “gyms are dumb” and never even go into one, simply because gyms can be scary/not welcoming/not cool.
Now, if you CAN work up the courage to walk through the door, you’ll be faced with the following:
#1) People with pained looks on their faces dutifully using machines that somewhat resemble medieval torture devices.
#2) Others on cardio machines, treadmills, and ellipticals, and you can already picture yourself wiping out and ending up in a YouTube fail montage.
#3) Really strong jacked people picking up heavy free weights so effortlessly that you can’t help but instantly compare yourself to them…and get intimidated.
If you struggle with self-confidence, or you don’t love how you look, you might assume that everybody around you will be judging you the whole time and don’t want to subject yourself to this torture.
In fact, you might think that somehow you need to get in shape FIRST, and THEN you can go to the gym…
Wrong!
You go to the gym TO get in shape. And I will get you there.
If you are going to start using a gym, here are some truths you need to know:
Everybody around you is just as self-conscious as you are. Yes, that super jacked dude. Or that thin (or jacked) fit woman on the elliptical. They aren’t focused on you, because they’re too busy living inside their own head wondering if everybody is thinking about them.
Everybody starts somewhere. You don’t look good so that you can then go to the gym. You go to the gym to get stronger, more confident, and then look good.
MOST will applaud you for trying. When I see somebody who is severely overweight at the gym, it makes me happy – they’re trying to better themselves! That’s freaking AWESOME. This is the mentality 90%+ of the people will have.
MANY will be too self-focused to even notice you. These are the dudes lifting up their shirt in the mirror to check their abs, doing bicep curls in the squat rack, and/or making sure they take photos to post on Facebook to prove they did in fact go to the gym. #Fitspo #Instagram #OtherNonsensicalHashtags
A RARE few will judge. Though, they’re not just judging you, I promise. They’re judging EVERYBODY around you, because they can’t help but compare themselves to others and they’re terrible people. This is no different than in real life. Screw these people, haters gonna hate, slaters gonna slate.
Sure, you can say “people are mean, the gym is scary, I just won’t show up.” But then, the terrorists win. And so do those people. So f*** that!.
Instead, this is going to be your gym mentality:
Accept that some people suck (like anywhere in life), and most people are indifferent or focused on being self-conscious themselves. Everybody else will applaud you for trying and being there.
Make an epic Spotify playlist that makes you feel heroic.
Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in.
Keep your headphones on, zone out everybody, and go about your business. Imagine you’re the only one there.
These are tips Coach Matt brings up in his video How to Overcome Gym Anxiety:
We work with all of our Online Coaching clients who are worried about looking foolish in the gym. We know this is a huge challenge, so we create small levels and missions for our clients to get them comfortable in the gym.
We’ve helped people just like you go from sheepish beginner to barbell-wielding badass. Let us help you!
How Often Should I go to the Gym?
Many people think they need to hit the gym 6 days per week, dutifully alternating weight training with cardio and bootcamps to get that jacked/toned body they’re after.
That sounds exhausting and miserable to me…
…and I LOVE the gym!
So here’s what you need to know about gym frequency:
Go as much as you can, or as little as you want.
All of the workouts in this guide are “full-body workouts” which means they work out all of the muscles in your body.
And as we lay out in “Strength 101: Beginner Strength Workouts,” your muscles get broken down in the gym and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the next 48 hours.
For that reason, we recommend you hit the gym 2-3 times per week, with a day off or more in between each session.
This advice comes with a few caveats:
If you’re a single mom or working two jobs or just busy living your life and you can only go to the gym once, great! Once a week is better than zero times a week!
If you have specific athletic or cardiovascular goals you’re training for, then hitting the gym more frequently might get you faster results.
We craft our workout routines for our coaching clients around their schedules – some people hit the gym 5 days per week, while others only go once a week. We’re all unique snowflakes!
Okay! Now that we got THAT out of the way, are we ready!?
Great! Let’s level up in the gym!
Level One Gym Workout: First Day At the Gym
The toughest part about going to a gym for the first time is just walking through the door.
If you do that, you’ve already gone farther than 74% of the population (a totally made-up statistic that I’m using to prove my point), so give yourself a pat on the back.*
So on your first day in the gym, just GOING to the gym is a big step in the right direction. And I’m proud of you.
Note: You might need to also change into gym clothes if you’re coming from work. I know walking out onto the floor in gym clothes might be intimidating too (another chance to use 20 Seconds of Courage).
But now you’re wondering, “Steve you half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder, what do I DO on my first day at the gym?”
If you haven’t already done so, ask somebody at the front desk the following:
“Hey I’m new here, could I get a tour of the gym?”
“Excuse me, today’s my first day, can you point me in the direction of a place I can stretch?”
“Can you help me work the treadmill?”
Go full YOLO and try to figure these things out on your own.
If you’re able to get a personal tour, great! Ask the treadmill question when you get to them. If they can’t walk you through, just do a lap yourself and see where things are and who is doing what.
Pro tip (also works outside of the gym): pretend you’re confident – even if you’re dying inside – walk with purpose, and nobody will question why you’re doing what you’re doing.
So, when you’re ready, walk over towards the stretching area, and do a few basic mobility/warm-up stretches while continuing to get the lay of the land and see what people are doing (don’t stare excessively, cool? cool).
Roll your head in half-circles slowly, from shoulder to shoulder. 5 circles in each direction
Slowly roll your shoulders forwards and backwards. 10 each way.
Keep your legs stationary, and twist your torso, left and right. 10 twists on each side.
Quad stretch: Hold each stretch for 5 seconds. Do 3 on each side:
Cross one arm in front of your chest, then the other, as demonstrated here by lead coach Jim: Hold each stretch for 5 seconds. Do 3 on each side:
These movements have the awesome side-effect of you being able to look around the gym and get the “flow” of things, while still looking busy. Jim STILL uses this “trick” when checking out new gyms.
Really, just get your body moving. We don’t have to make you a gym warrior on Day 1. Some stretches and sightseeing will be good enough.
LEVEL 1 MISSION:
Take a lap around the gym and do your stretches.
If you walked out right now after doing these things, it’s still a win for Day 1 in a gym. Seriously – I don’t care what you do on Day 1 – as long as it leaves you feeling good enough to come back for a Day 2!
GYM LEVEL 1 RECAP:
Walking through the door makes you a winner.
Ask for a tour if you need to know where things are!
Change into workout clothes.
Stand in one spot, do a few stretches, get the lay of the land.
If you’re up for MORE or ready to level up consider going to the next level, become a cardio cadet!
Level 2 Gym Workout: Join the Cardio Cadets
Get on the treadmill and start it up, based on the staff’s instructions.
If you weren’t able to get instructions, many treadmills have a “quick start” button that will start things up.
Why start with just walking?
It gets you moving and out of your head! I know you’re smart – you’re reading NERD Fitness. But you also probably deal with “paralysis by analysis” a lot by overanalyzing everything, so we need to get OUT of our heads and get moving!!
So, for your first 10-15 minutes, just walk. Set the treadmill at 3mph or 3.5 or whatever speed is comfortable but not too strenuous.
A speed that gets you moving and gives you a chance to decide what you’ll do next while you look around the gym. (Aka, it gives you a chance to get out of your head and stop thinking everyone is looking at you. They’re not)
LEVEL 2 MISSION:
Do your Level 1 stretches, then spend 15 minutes walking, and then you are free to go home.
Repeat this as many days in a row that you need to until this starts to feel comfortable and you stop feeling self-conscious.
Scientists, Benedictine monks, and German scholars refer to such a thing as a “routine.”
As you get more comfortable, you can increase your walking speed or length of walking (20 minutes, 60 minutes, whatever)
If I’m gonna walk, I like to crush podcasts while doing so (My favorites: Watch out for Fireballs, Pardon My Take, and Bill Burr). Maybe you listen to Harry Potter on Audible.
Whatever floats your boat.
GYM LEVEL 2 RECAP:
What you do in the gym doesn’t matter – build the habit of going regularly.
Develop confidence at the treadmill with just walking.
Start to realize you have just as much of a right to be there as anybody else.
Give yourself a high five for being you.
This routine of walking and stretching might only be one day in the gym for you, or it might be two months of this before you finally feel like you don’t want to jump out of your own skin while in the gym.
Going to the gym is the habit I want you to build, so this is a great start. Remember, you should be thinking in terms of “days and years,” not “weeks and months”:
We have many coaching clients who spend MONTHS just walking and working up the courage to move beyond the treadmill. That’s cool. We’re all on our own journey, at our own pace, so go at the pace that fits YOUR schedule.
Level 3 Workout: Join the Bodyweight Brigade!
After getting comfortable with the stretching/treadmill routine, you may want to hop on a weight lifting machine at this point like the leg press or chest press machine.
Is this progress? Sure!
Can you do this? Absolutely!
But, but, but… we are going to recommend you try some bodyweight exercises instead as your next step.
Controlling your body through space (not outer space) is going to be more beneficial in the long run than strapping into a machine and moving through a set path.
If you can do bodyweight exercises proficiently, then stepping into a machine is “easy.”
The reverse is not always the case.
So, if we’ve convinced you to try some bodyweight exercises, then next thing is to identify a place in the gym you can do bodyweight exercises where you’re not in the way. This oftentimes might double as the place that some people are doing stretches, where you’ve already been before!
If you don’t know, ask the front desk or find a trainer! That’s what they’re there for!
LEVEL 3 MISSION:
After your 5 minutes of warm-up (Level 1) and 10 minutes on the treadmill (Level 2), your next step is to go to a place you can do the Level 3 Gym Workout:
10 bodyweight squats
10 push-ups
10 bodyweight squats
10 push-ups
10 bodyweight squats
10 push-ups
Can’t get through it all? No worries, do what you can.
This style of alternating one exercise with another is called a circuit workout, by the way!
If you don’t know how to do those movements well, watch coaches Jim, Staci, and myself show you how!
If you just did the above mini-workout for a month, you’d be off to a great start! If you’re feeling frisky and starting to find some confidence in the gym, it’s time to branch out more!
GYM LEVEL 3 RECAP:
Warm up on the treadmill with a 10-minute walk
Find a place where you can do bodyweight movements out of the way
Complete 3 circuits of 10 push-ups and 10 bodyweight squats each at a pace that works for you
Stay at this stage as long as you need, until you can move on!
Note: If you enjoy the bodyweight brigade, or you’re not quite ready to start doing weight training yet, that’s cool too.
Plus, if you want a FREE worksheet on how to level up your resistance training, without needing ANY weights whatsoever, you can grab yours right here:
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
Level 4 Gym Workout: Join the Dumbbell Division
It’s time to wander into the place that strikes fear in the heart of most gymgoers:
The free weight section.
Gulp.
DO NOT FORGET THIS:If you are a 400-pound woman, or 85 years old, or a 100-pound man, you have just as much of a right to be in the free weight section as anybody else.
It might take yet another 20 Seconds of Courage to wander in there, so I’m challenging you to try it.
LEVEL 4 MISSION:
After you do 10 minutes of walking on the treadmill, go to the dumbbell section, grab a single 10 lb (4.5kg) dumbbell, and find a flat bench like this:
Stand next to that bench, and make sure nobody is using it. If somebody is at a bench nearby, ask them “is anybody using this bench?” If they say no, put your towel on the bench, your 10 lb dumbbell on it, and stand next to it.
We’re going to add a 1-arm dumbbell row to our circuit above:
The last dumbbell exercise to learn is the dumbbell Romanian deadlift (RDL). This is like a cousin of the bodyweight squat where we move through the hips more than the knees.
Grab a pair of dumbbells now, push your hips back and bow forward like you’re being polite. Or, you’re like one of those novelty “drinking birds.”
Bring the dumbbells down to about your knees, not to the ground, then stand back up.
You can see the exercise right here:
Every other workout, swap out the goblet squat for the dumbbell Romanian deadlift.
So our circuit is now alternating with each gym workout.
Do 3 circuits of each if you can! If the weight is too light, use heavier dumbbells the next time you train.
Level 4 Gym Workout: Dumbbell Division C:
10 goblet squats OR 10 dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
10 push-ups
10 dumbbell rows per arm.
GYM LEVEL 4 RECAP:
Remember you have just as much a right as everybody else to use the free weights.
Take a deep breath, go into free weights section, and get a 10 lb. dumbbell.
Learn to do a bent-over row and goblet squats.
Learn to do dumbbell Romanian deadlifts.
High-five yourself for weight training.
Training with dumbbells opens up infinite possibilities.
Okay, probably not INFINITE possibilities, but close enough.
If you are somebody that wants to learn how to train with dumbbells even more seriously, or you’re looking for ways to put that dumbbell set you have in your garage to proper use, let us help!
If you have a great program to follow, you can get in incredible shape with just a set of dumbbells.
Level 5: Enlist in the Barbell Battalion
The two final pieces of the puzzle are things I want for you so badly, I can taste it. These two exercises have changed my life, our lead coach Jim’s life, Staci’s life, and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion:
And here is a quick video demonstration of the Squat, but I would REALLY read our full article!
And then I want you to find a squat rack:
THIS IS ONE TYPE OF SQUAT RACK (the barbell is NOT connected to the apparatus). USE THESE:
THIS IS A SMITH MACHINE (bar is attached to apparatus). THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM A “SQUAT RACK”:
Note: if you are training in a hotel gym, an apartment gym, or at some locations like Planet Fitness, they might NOT have a squat rack!
This can be for a variety of issues (liability, lack of space, most people just want to use a Smith Machine, etc.). They might even tell you, “A Smith Machine is the same thing.” It is not, in fact, the same thing. You hopefully can find a gym that has an ACTUAL squat rack with a free barbell.
If your gym doesn’t have a squat rack, and you want to start barbell training, I would consider finding a new gym or just hanging out in the Level 4: Dumbbell Division!
If using a squat rack scares the crap out of you: wait to attempt your FIRST trip to the squat rack when the gym is nearly empty, or recruit a buddy who knows what they’re doing. If there’s a special day you can go VERY early to the gym, or VERY late, or during the workday, do it then.
Watch this video from The Nerd Fitness Prime about how to set the ‘pins’ in the squat rack to put the bar at the proper height!
YOUR NEXT LEVEL 5 MISSION:
Attempt 1 set of a 5 barbell squats with JUST the bar (first ask the staff or a trainer how much the bar weighs: most standard barbells weigh 45 lbs (20Kg) but your gym might not have standard barbells).
You can then complete our tried and true circuit – replacing goblet squats with barbell squats.
So our circuit is now 3 circuits.
Level 5 Gym Workout: Barbell Battalion A:
10 barbell squats or 10 dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
10 push-ups
10 dumbbell rows/side
(See Level 4 for explanations on the Dumbbell deadlifts and rows)
Congrats! You’re using barbells! If you haven’t already read NF’s Senior Coach Staci’s transformation story of how she went from barely being able to lift a 10 lb dumbbell to now deadlifting 425 lbs, it’s a really inspiring story!
Speaking of Staci, let’s move on to her favorite exercise (and mine!)…
The deadlift movements starts with the weight on the ground, and ends with it back on the ground.
If you’ve got regular, large weights (usually 45 lbs/20 kgs) on each side then the bar sits the proper height off the ground.
Some facilities have lighter plates at that same large diameter. Use them.
If you are lifting less weight (or just using the bar to start off) then DON’T do the deadlift from the ground. The bar will be too low to the ground and mess up proper technique.
Instead, do the following to start your deadlifts at proper height:
1) Use blocks to adjust the barbell starting height:
2) Use the safety bars in a squat rack to set the height of the bar correctly!
3) Do the Romanian deadlift instead! (Whew, glad we learned that!). It’s the exact same movement as the dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, you’re just using a barbell instead.
START WITH A LIGHT WEIGHT – JUST the bar. As we cover in our “How much weight should I lift?”, you should ALWAYS start with just the bar.
And work on technique.
Only then should you start adding more weight, and add it slowly – you’ll be picking up heavy weights in no time, so don’t rush it.
Here’s Staci demonstrating a proper barbell Romanian deadlift from Nerd Fitness Prime:
Once you’ve started doing these two movements in your routine, your two alternating gym days will look like this. Simply alternate every time you go to the gym (with a day off in between sessions).
Focus on proper form, and slowly start to add weight to the bar.
You are now a gym “regular” and I salute you!
Now, I know the barbell squat and barbell deadlift are two complex, potentially scary exercises. It’s important to get your form correctly now when you are just lifting the bar, so that you don’t hurt yourself once you start adding weight!
If you want a professional to check your form, tell you when to add weight to the bar, and teach you other barbell movements, check out our online coaching program!
Level 6 Gym Workout: Gym Class Hero
Did I tell you that I’m proud of you yet? I really am, I promise. Your mom is proud too. So is your dad, but he just doesn’t know how to express it.
So now you’re thinking: “Steve, I did a barbell squat. It was terrifying but I did it. I tried deadlifts too and those are kind of fun.
What’s next? Give me MOAR!!”
It’s like you’ve finally learned to cook, and now you’re asking for more spices.
So, here in Level 6, we’re going to turn you into a full Gym Class Hero. And it requires you to learn a super standard, incredibly challenging exercise that also happens to be amazing for you…
Alternate inverted bodyweight rows with pull-ups or an easier pull-up variation every other workout.
So our circuit will be alternating these movements on your A and B Days:
LEVEL 6 DAY A CIRCUIT – 3 rounds of:
10 barbell squats
10 push-ups
10 pull-ups or pull-up alternatives!
LEVEL 6 DAY B CIRCUIT – 3 rounds of:
10 barbell Romanian deadlifts/regular deadlifts
10 push-ups
10 inverted bodyweight rows
Spice it up further! If you’ve read up to this point, and put the work in, we hope you feel like a Gym Class Hero, and you can start to build your own workout!
Coach Staci explains exactly how to design an exercise routine in this video:
SO what can you do to add some variety? Throw in or replace another exercise!
Want to do some planks? Put them in the circuit after your other movements!
Lunges to replace the squats or deadlifts one day? Sounds good!
There are a ton of different options for what to do and where to go.
If we’ve gotten you more comfortable in the gym, we’ve done our job!
WANT MORE HANDS-ON INSTRUCTION? If you’re looking to get out of the generic workout programs and follow along with a routine that fits your goals and lifestyle, consider checking out our 1-on-1 Coaching Program!
Sure, we help beginners get started with strength training. But we also help seasoned gym-goers take their training more seriously, and even help some folks start competing in powerlifting competitions.
I personally hired an online coach in 2014, and I’ve been with him ever since. It’s the best money I spend every month, and the best investment I make in myself.
We’ve worked with men and women like Leslie here, a single mom that lost 100 + pounds thanks to following Coach Jim’s program.
She now works on things like gymnastic training and handstands and deadlifts and squats!
Interested in having expert guidance in your pocket? Click on the image below to book a free call with our team!
Gym Etiquette: Tips and Tricks
I asked the entire 15-person staff in our Online Coaching Program – most of whom have trained clients in a gym for 5+ years – what information they would share with new gym-goers:
#1) Take your time. The above 6-level workout plan might take you 12+ months to move through, and that’s okay! I would rather you slowly wade into the water instead of terrifying yourself with the thought of cannonballing into the deep end and never even starting a gym routine.
Stick with what you know, and then bit by bit, one movement at a time, branch out and try new things.
Remember: “days and years,” not “weeks and months.”
#2) Do what makes you happy. You might have noticed above I didn’t mention things like bicep curls, bench press, cardio classes, spin class, etc.
If those things make you happy, start adding them to the mix. However, if you are only doing those things because you think you are supposed to, don’t!
The above 6-Stage strategy combined with a healthy nutritional strategy will get you 95% of the way to where you want to go.
I promise. Nerd’s honor.
#3) Write down everything you’re doing and track your progress. Keep a simple note on your phone, write in a notebook, use Evernote, whatever. Write down what you do so that you know what to do next time.
When you get stronger and things feel too easy, you know to move up in weight slowly (and record that too!).
Keeping track of everything is one of the easiest and most important ways to make progress. Staci, Jim, and I ALL still record every workout and never stop trying to get a teeny, tiny bit stronger with each session.
#4) It’s better to lift a TOO LIGHT weight than try one that’s TOO HEAVY. You want to finish the workout saying “hey I could do more, this is encouraging” rather than “that was too much, I hurt myself/failed/and I’m demoralized.”
#5) If you don’t know, ask somebody who works there. If you’re worried that you’re using a machine incorrectly, and you’re sheepish and self-conscious about it, ask somebody who works in the gym.
Usually, there will be trainers that work there walking around the floor – ask them! That’s what they’re there for.
They can help you set the safety bars and pins on the squat rack if you’re not sure how. They can tell you how to adjust the seat on a machine, or how the treadmill works. That is what they are there for!
#6) If you want to hire a trainer for a few sessions, it might be a great investment! Good trainers are hard to come by, but if you happen to like our style of doing things here at Nerd Fitness, we have our own 1-on-1 Coaching Program that will program your workouts and help you fix your diet:
#7) Work out with what you can work with.
If you are a member at a Planet Fitness or similar gym: Your gym might not allow you to do barbell deadlifts, might not have a squat rack, or ONLY have a Smith Machine. If this is true of your gym, this is okay!
Do the best you can with what you have. Like MacGyver.
You can still get quite strong with the dumbbell workouts and bodyweight movements in Stage 4! And you’ll be that much more prepared when you do start working with barbells if you eventually join a different gym.
#8) Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. Just going to the gym takes courage.
Trying a machine for the first time takes courage.
Picking up a dumbbell takes courage.
Using the squat rack takes a lot of courage.
Don’t worry about perfect, or having perfect form or the perfect routine after you finish this article, just START! It’s how we all learn: like scientists trying new experiments and subtly tweaking the variables.
These are our favorite tips and tricks with regard to the gym. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention something equally important:
Gym etiquette!
We’ve created another article in this gym series called “29 Unwritten Rules to the Gym,” to make sure you won’t be an accidental ass in the gym.
This list includes some obvious things like wiping down the bench after you use it, or not monopolizing a squat rack, but then some other more subtle things that will keep you in everybody’s good graces!
How to Build the Routine of Going to the Gym.
If you read this far, 6000 words later, I have to imagine it means you’re really interested in getting started with strength training!
The first time going to a gym can be nerve-wracking and exciting, but it’s the 100th, 500th, 1000th trip to the gym where results get made.
1) Accountability! If you’re new to going to the gym, it’s really easy to fall off the wagon once life gets busy. For that reason, I encourage you to be accountable to somebody other than yourself.
2) Focus on hacking into the Matrix and setting up your system! Put your workout time and place into your Google Calendar so that you always know when your next workout is. Focus on creating an environment where you are more likely than not gonna DO THE THING you want to do (go to the gym). We call this “Building your Batcave.”
3) Cultivate a love of constant improvement. Imagine this: you’re no longer going to the gym just to lose weight or look good. Those things are a happy consequence of what you’re really there for:
Because you ACTUALLY like to work out!
I cannot tell you how many NF Coaching Clients I’ve seen message me and say “Holy crap Steve, I don’t know how it happened, but I actually LIKE working out now!”
Every week, you’re excited to hit the gym because:
You’re adding more weight to your squats.
You are attempting a new personal best for the deadlift.
You get to see your gym friend and hear how his day went.
You LOVE how you feel after the gym.
Getting there takes time and energy, but that’s really when life changes and sh** gets magical with regards to your health and fitness.
These are the tools we’ve created to help you turn the gym into something you look forward to:
1) Our popular 1-on-1 coaching program. No more guesswork, no wondering if you’re doing the right program, no shame or guilt. Just results that don’t suck, and a plan that doesn’t make you miserable.
We keep you accountable to make sure you actually do your workout, we answer any questions you have, and we cheer you on every step of the way:
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 guideSTRENGTH 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.
PHEW!
Okay, by now you should have all of the tools you need to get started in the gym, but maybe you have more questions. If you do, I have answers!
Simply leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer it soon!
I’d love to hear from you too if you found this article helpful. Which gym workout are you following?
Have you made it all the way to Level 6 yet!?
-Steve
PS: Make sure you read the other 3 articles in our gym series:
If you can already do a pull-up (woot!), you might want to check out our article on proper pull-up form, although we’ll cover a lot of the same material here.
Let’s do this thang.
Tips on How to Start Doing Pull-Ups
In the video above, Coach Jim walks you through the exact progression system we use with our coaching clients who want to get their first pull-up (or chin-up).
Before we get into exercises to progress into a pull-up, let’s chat about some general strategies.
Consider the following three points when attempting to get your first chin-up or pull-up:
#1) This should hopefully be obvious, but the more you weigh, the more you have to lift in order to complete a pull-up.
If you’re truly serious about completing a pull-up, start by getting your diet under control.
Here are some resources to help you with weight loss:
Tried to lose weight in the past without success? I hear you, weight loss is super tough. Learn why in our article “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” for a deep dive into the subject. We also have the 5 Rules of Weight Loss to help you get going.
Not sure what a proper diet looks like? Check out our Guide on Healthy Eatingfor a full lesson on nutrition.
In the above guides, you’ll find me stating that losing weight comes down to eating fewer calories than you burn. Not sure how many calories you need? Check out our guide on calculating your daily caloric requirements.
#2) MAKE YOUR “PULL” EXERCISES A PRIORITY. A lot of people do every other exercise before doing any back-related exercises, if they do any at all.
After warming up properly, your first exercise should always be the stuff that you want to work on the most – in this case, it’ll be your back muscles.
Until you get your first pull-up done, focus on the back exercises detailed in the levels and workouts in this guide.
#3) The progression we outline is a path that works for most people, but does NOT need to be followed to a T.
We give sample sets and reps and when to move up, but if you feel like you can progress sooner or want to try doing full pull-ups sooner than we recommend, that’s OKAY.
This is the slower progression method, where some people will want to do fewer reps and progress to the next levels sooner – that’s okay.
We recommend moving up to the next level when you can do 3 sets of 8 reps of a particular exercise. If you want the accelerated path, move on up as faster as you can do 3 sets of 5 reps. You do you boo.
Want someone to build you a custom-made progression plan for doing your first pull-up? Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program will do just that, plus your coach can review your movements through our app so you’ll know your training correctly and safely.
Level 1 Pull-up Workout: Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
We’re going to start with bent-over dumbbell rows, the most basic of back exercises, in case you’re starting from ABSOLUTELY square one.
Level 1 Pull-up Workout:
Bent-over dumbbell rows: 8 reps for each arm (or as many as you can do)
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.
Make sure you give yourself at least 48 hours until you do the Level 1 Dumbbell Rows again, so you can include these dumbbell rows for your workouts on:
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
As soon as you can do 3 sets of 8 reps, it’s time to move up to a heavier dumbbell.
Once you can lift a 25-pound (10kg) dumbbell or heavier, consider moving up to the next level.
If you are a little bit bigger than the average bear, you might want to stick with this step until you lose a little bit more weight and get stronger – maybe go to 35 or 40-pound (18kg) dumbbells.
Want help designing your own workout routine? I’ve got two options for you.
The first is to head over to “Build Your Own Workout Routine” and get your hands dirty. Our guide will walk you through building a full-body exercise program in 10 simple steps.
The second is to have a Nerd Fitness Coach do all the heavy lifting for you (not really, you still have to lift stuff), by having them build you a tailor-made workout routine:
Level 2 Pull-Up Workout: 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.
For this level, we’ll provide you with two options: You can also make adjustments.
OPTION A: IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A GYM OR WANT TO JOIN A GYM:
You can follow the rest of this workout as part of our 6-Level Gym workout guide, which will help you go from total gym newbie to pull-up progressing badass!
At your gym, find your Smith Machine and set the bar at about chest height.
A higher bar makes the exercise easier to start:
And as you get stronger, you can set the bar lower:
4) Move up to Level 3 and progress with caution there.
If you are struggling with rows, you’re not sure you’re doing them correctly, or you’re not sure how to progress to the next level, check out our 1-on-1 coaching program.
It’s the type of program that helped single mom Leslie lose 100+ pounds and start training with gymnastic rings and handstands!
Level 3 Pull-Up Workout: Assisted Pull-Ups
Okay! It’s time to get to ACTUAL pull-ups here! Personally, I don’t like using the assisted pull-up machine in a gym as it doesn’t give you the full feeling of a pull-up, but it’s certainly better than nothing.
Instead, I recommend doing one of these alternatives:
#1) Assisted Pull-ups with a 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.
You can also use a box or similar-sized object for the same result:
#2)Assisted Pull-ups with 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.
Here’s a video on How to Tie the Resistance Band for Your Pull-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.
HERE’S HOW TO DO AN ASSISTED PULL-UP:
Clench your butt and keep your abs tight throughout the exercise – try not to swing like crazy.
Keep your shoulder blades pinched behind you throughout the movement and focus on PULLING the bar down with your arms.
Use the least amount of assistance that you can handle – as soon as you can do multiple pull-ups with both feet on the chair, switch to just one foot.
If you’re using an exercise band, try to get a few bands of varying tension so you can decrease the resistance as you get stronger.
As soon as you can do 3 sets of 8 with assistance, it’s time to move on to Level 4.
For another reference, Coach Jim and Staci show you how to do a variation of assisted chin-up right here:
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!
Finally, a workout that includes Level 3 pull-up exercises
Alright, so we’ve started off great! We’re working those pulling muscles and assisted variations – but an actual chin-up might feel miles (or kilometers) away. Heck, just holding onto the bar may be a challenge without some assistance.
What should we do now?
How about we work on holding onto the bar!?!
Before we work on doing full range, unassisted chin-ups or pull-ups, it’s really helpful to be strong and confident in holding unassisted parts of the movement. This is where Top Holds and Bar Hangs come in! #1) A Top Hold is exactly what it sounds like – we hold the top position of the chin-up or pull-up for several seconds (5 to 10). You’ll likely find holding the top of the chin-up (palms facing you) easier than the pull-up.
This is definitely something that you want to first do assisted. We’ll then work to transfer more weight – bit by bit over several workouts – off our feet and onto our arms until we’re holding ourselves unassisted at the top.
Using a band is a good option for assisted chin-ups, but using a box, bench, or another sturdy object will be a better option here.
It will allow you to shift that weight onto your arms a little easier.
That said, if all you have is a band for this exercise then that’s ok! Look to use thinner and thinner bands, while lifting the feet and knees up a bit to further reduce assistance (as the band won’t be stretched as far).
#2) On the other side of the movement, we have the Bar Hang…which is pretty much what it sounds like too!
To perform a bar hang:
Grab the bar with palms facing towards you or away from you. You’ll likely find hanging with palms facing away from you to be a bit more comfortable. Either direction will help strengthen up your grip.
Just like with the top hold, you’ll want to start assisted then work to shift your weight from your feet onto your arms until you’re hanging unassisted.
To further supercharge this exercise: once you are hanging unassisted, work on retracting your shoulders down away from your ears.
Like so:
And so:
This small movement is TOUGH (and you can even practice it assisted) but getting strong here will set your shoulders in an even better position for your first chin-up/pull-up.
We’ll look to hang from the bar (assisted or unassisted) for a total time of 30 seconds to 1 minute. At first this time may be broken up into several sets (e.g., 10 seconds, 10 seconds, 10 seconds), but you should eventually work up to one full set.
So how should we integrate either of these into our training?
#1) For the Top Holds, do this at the start of your workout (after your warm-up) for 3 sets of 5 seconds. Make sure you give it your all! Really squeeze the muscles tight and put as much weight on the arms as possible!
With all that effort, you’ll want to give yourself 30 seconds to a minute rest in-between. I know that sounds like a lot for just 5 seconds of work – but if you were working hard enough, you’ll need it!
#2) For the Bar Hang, do this at the end of your workout for 30 seconds to a minute. Again, look to complete this in as few sets as possible, while making the exercise as challenging as possible. Move from assisted to unassisted, with the shoulders retracted downwards.
If you have to take a break during the bar hang time, then take enough rest so that the next hold is productive.
Here Are the Exercises You Can Include for Your Level 4 Workout Routine:
Monday:
Top Hold (Assisted or Unassisted) – 4 sets of 5 seconds
Assisted Pull-ups – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Bar Hang (Assisted or Unassisted) – 30 seconds total time
Wednesday:
Top hold (Assisted or Unassisted) – 4 sets of 5-10 seconds
Bodyweight Rows – 3 sets of 8 reps
Bar Hang (Assisted or Unassisted) – 30 to 60 seconds total time
Friday –
Top Hold (Assisted or Unassisted) – 4 sets of 5 seconds
Assisted Chin-ups – 3 sets of 8 reps
Bar Hang (Assisted or Unassisted) – 30 seconds total time
When you’re able to perform the Top Holds and Bar Hangs unassisted, then it’s time to move to the next level!!!
LEVEL 4.5 PULL-UP WORKOUT: (THE HIDDEN LEVEL)
What’s this??? Secret hidden exercises?
I just wanted to bring your attention to a great addition to any of these workouts – especially as things really ramp up.
Ready for it?
It’s . . . the front plank!
The front plank (or any of your favorite midsection stabilization exercises) is a great exercise to do, should holding a Top Hold or a Bar Hang prove tough.
If you haven’t already felt it during the previous pull-up workouts – your middle needs to be involved too!
During a pull-up or chin-up, if we squeeze through the midsection and glutes, the nearby muscles are able to contract stronger through a phenomenon known as muscle irradiation.
Besides sounding like something the Fantastic Four encountered in space, this cool “trick” can help engaged nearby muscles in the midsection, including those big back muscles that pull us up!
You can see muscle irradiation for yourself if you’ve ever been asked to flex your biceps for someone. You’ll instinctually squeeze your hand tight, because it helps the biceps engage stronger!
If needed, throw in some front planks work near the end of your workout.
You can even start on your knees:
Look to hold 30 seconds to one minute of total time.
Alright, back to our regular scheduled programming!
Level 5 Pull-Up Workout: Negative Pull-Ups
Okay! We are now DANGEROUSLY close to getting our first pull-up!
The big step at this level is doing a negative pull-up:
Grab onto the bar with an overhand grip
Jump so your chest is touching
Slowly lower yourself under control until you’re at the bottom of the movement.
WARNING: This can be very dangerous if you’re very overweight, which is why I’d recommend moving slowly through steps 1-3 first.
However, once you have a decent amount of back strength (which you got from Levels 1, 2, and 3), doing negatives is a great way to build arm and back strength.
You have two options for negative pull-ups:
Hop up on a chair to get above the bar and then lower yourself back down. The name of the game is “in control.”
Jump above the pull-up bar, and then begin to lower yourself back down IN CONTROL.
You don’t need to lower yourself so slowly that one repetition destroys you…lower yourself at a controlled speed – Counting to “three Mississippi” during the movement is a good tempo.
Here are the exercises you can include for your Level 5 Workout Routine:
Alternatively, we can do all of the heavy lifting for you (well, not ALL the heavy lifting) – we’ll create a specific workout so all you have to do is log into your NF Coaching App each morning and do the workout your coach prescribed!
Level 6 – Doing Your First Pull-up or Chin-up
OH BOY! My dear Rebel, it’s time for a…
At this point you have two options:
A chin-up is when you grab the bar with an underhand grip with your palms facing towards you.
Many find chin-ups slightly easier than…
A pull-up is when you grab the bar with your palms facing away from you. Seeing as this is a pull-up guide…
HOW TO DO A PULL-UP, STEP-BY-STEP:
Grab the bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width, with your hands facing away from you.
Start from a dead hang.
Engage your shoulders, pull them down and back towards each other (like you are pinching a pencil between your shoulder blades!)
Flex your stomach, pull your body until your chest touches the bar.
Slight pause, yell out “I’m a champion!”
Lower yourself all the way back down to a dead hang.
We cover all of this and more in our post “How to Do a Proper Pull-Up,” but the above will get you started
Depending on your weight, your level of fitness and strength, and how far along you are in these progressions, you might be able to start with even more than one pull-up.
At this point, you can be a full Gym Class Hero by following a Gym Workout with these movements in there for your “pull” exercises:
Level 6 routine weekly schedule:
Monday:
Pull-ups – 4 sets of 1-2 reps (move onto the next exercise if you can’t perform a rep)
Assisted Pull-ups – 3 sets of 8 reps
Bar Hang (Unassisted) – 60 seconds total time
Wednesday:
Negative Chin-ups – 4 sets of 1 rep
Bodyweight Rows – 3 sets of 8 reps
Bar Hang (Unassisted) – 60 seconds total time
Friday:
Chin-ups – 4 sets of 1-2 reps (move on to the next exercise if you can’t perform a rep)
Assisted Chin-ups – 3 sets of 8 reps
Bar Hang (Unassisted) – 60 seconds total time
Congratulations! You’re now doing pull-ups. Make sure you watch the video above to make sure you’re doing pull-ups with proper form. Nearly everybody does them incorrectly, with bad form.
Want to make sure you have proper form with your pull-ups? Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching program! Our spiffy mobile app lets you send video of your pull-ups directly to your coach, who will provide feedback so you can perfect your technique.
They’ll also build a workout program that’s custom to your situation, which will have you doing sets of 10 pull-ups in NO time!
Level 7 – Advanced Pull-up Moves
Once you’re able to do 3 sets of 10 pull-ups or chin-ups, you have a few options:
OPTION #A: Continue to get better at doing more reps – 3 sets of 12, 3 sets of 15, 4 sets of 20, etc.
OPTION #B: Start doing other types of pull-ups.
Here are some advanced pull-ups you can try:
#1) WIDE GRIP PULL-UPS (grab the bar WAY out with both hands):
OPTION #C) Add weight with a weight belt and do weighted pull-ups or weighted chin-ups:
Personally, my favorite thing to do in a gym is weighted pull-ups; if you’re at this level and interested in doing so, here’s what you need to do:
Get a weight belt. I bought this one on Amazon and it’s worked out incredibly well for me. I’ve tried doing the whole “put weights in a backpack” and it certainly works, but the angle of the weights hanging off your back is weird. With a weight belt, the weight hangs down between your legs (not a euphemism) so it feels more natural.
Add small amounts at a time. Most gyms will have 2.5 lb (roughly 1kg) weights; you might feel stupid putting on a big weight belt and only hanging a tiny weight off it, but you need to start somewhere.
Consistently add more weight. I’ll warm up with two sets of 5 pull-ups with no extra weight, and then do 3 sets of 5 weighted pull-ups. If I can complete all 3 sets of 5 reps (with my chin over the bar for every rep), I’ll make a note to add 2.5 or 5lbs (1 or 2kg) to my weight belt for the next time.
Here’s how to incorporate these Level 6 exercises into your gym workout routine:
Friday – Wide Grip Pull-ups – 3 sets of maximum repetition
(The following week, I’d alternate by doing the chin-ups without weight, and then doing weighted pull-ups
Where do you go from here? How about working towards one of the most impressive exercises of all time? The MUSCLE UP (warning: uber advanced)!
Our new app, Nerd Fitness Journey, not only has an adventure to get you your first pull-up, but we’ll also show you exactly how to do cool bodyweight tricks like the muscle-up too. No guesswork needed here, just jump into the app and follow the missions and workouts for the day.
You can try your free trial TODAY, right here:
Lift Yourself Up (A Life With Pull-Ups)
No matter your starting point, you CAN do pull-ups.
And you WILL do pull-ups with this guide.
You don’t need to follow the progression above exactly – it’s merely one path that you can take in order to reach the promised land…where the pull-ups flow like wine and the women instinctively flock like the Salmon of Capistrano.
Or Bronwyn, who lost 50+ lbs and now does chin-ups with her daughter on her back!
For people looking for the next step, we’ve built 3 options that might float your boat:
1) If you are somebody who wants to get results like the women above and follow a tailor-made pull-up strength program designed around their life and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.
You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and program your workouts and nutrition for you.
#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). We even have an awesome adventure to help you get your first pull-up!
Try your free trial right here:
3) Join our free community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, and we’ll send you our free Strength 101 Guide, which you can get when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH 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.
Follow the path that works for your schedule, your experience, and your level of comfort with this movement – there’s no shame in going slowly and progressing safely.
And if you’re gung ho about pull-ups, ready for negatives and trying to squirm for that first rep, feel free to go for it. Just be safe.
When you DO finally do a pull-up, I want to be the first to know – email me at steve@nerdfitness.com and tell me about it!
For the Rebellion,
-Steve
PS: Check out our other three articles on pull-ups:
If you have access to a gym, you have a lot of circuit options.
Growing up, I was always the scrawny, skinny weak kid.
