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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.
We’ll be digging into the following:
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.
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 strength train 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]
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.
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]
When you start strength training, you really are helping your muscles communicate better together.[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:
#3) KETTLEBELL TRAINING
A kettlebell is essentially a cannonball with a handle on it. They come in any weight imaginable, they 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 at 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):
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!).
If not, you definitely will need to join a gym.
WHICH RESISTANCE TRAINING PATH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
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!
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!
Start with bodyweight training.[5]
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!
As we explain in our “How Many Sets and Reps” guide:
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!
“Staci, which workout plan is best for me?”
It depends on your goals!
If your main goal is general fitness and fat loss, doing a circuit training workout will likely help you reach your goals (make sure you see our section below for “strength training for weight loss”).[11]
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:
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 safety, and even help plan out your nutrition too.
“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 moving directly to the next exercise:
Want to stick with bodyweight training? When you’re ready to level up, check out our advanced bodyweight training circuit.[13]
Otherwise, you can move onto 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”:
I knew you’d ask, so here is Goblet Squat video explanation (from Nerd Fitness Prime):
And here is our video on how to do dumbbell rows:
#2B) BEGINNER NERD FITNESS KETTLEBELL WORKOUT
Our Beginner Kettlebell Routine is a workout you do anywhere you have room to swing a kettlebell.
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:
#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.
NF BEGINNER BARBELL STRENGTH WORKOUT: DAY A
Do 3 rounds of:
NF BEGINNER BARBELL STRENGTH WORKOUT: DAY B
Do 3 rounds of:
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 that 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.
We have a FULL resource on how to determine your starting weight for lifting, but I’ll give you the gist here.
The simple to learn but tough to implement answer: lift enough so that you can get through the set, but not too much that you have NO fuel left in the tank at the end.
And then, try to lift sliiiightly more than last time.
Here are two common questions on strength training:
#1) How much weight should I start with?
#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]
So go SLOW. Even slower than the NSCA recommends if needed.
Team NF’s Steve even bought little half-pound weights and increases many of his lifts by just 1 pound per week. It’s a big part of how he transformed (jokingly) from Steve Rogers to Captain America.
And if you are looking for this content in easily digestible form, make sure you download our free Strength 101 Guide when you join the Rebellion below:
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!):
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…
Always start out with just your body’s weight and make sure your movement is correct!
When it comes to movements like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, bench press, 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.
Things will start to improve.[19]
How do you know if your movement is correct?
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]
So you’re looking to lose weight, and tired of hours of cardio (me too).
And you’re wondering if strength training for weight loss – by following one of the workouts in this guide is a viable solution.
Or, gasp – will strength training make you too bulky? (SPOILER: it won’t)
Yes, Strength training will help you lose weight IF you do two key things for effective weight loss:
As we point out in our “Cardio vs Intervals vs Weight Training” article, strength training is the MOST efficient method for weight loss.
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:
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:
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.
In other words…
Pick up something heavy, and eat a vegetable.
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:
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:
B) IF YOU ARE TRAINING IN A GYM: Amazing! I love gyms.
Read our “How to train in a gym” guide and go from Level 1 to Level 6 over the next month. Gym closed? Here’s how to build a home gym.
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.
Learn ONE new movement this week.
Pick one of the exercises below and try it out!
Here are 42 bodyweight exercises you can do too.
STEP #3) HIRE A YODA: If you are somebody that just wants to be told exactly what to, how to train for your goals, and are good at following direction, 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:
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:
photo source: LEGO bench pres, tonobalaguer © 123RF.com, Stormtroopers lifting, Chris Christian:Strongman, W_Minshull: Stormtroopers in Gym, Lego Lifting, Rainstorm, Kristina Alexanderson: Teddy Love,
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Today we’re diving into an “Ask Me Anything” episode, where Robins answers your most asked questions from Instagram..
The questions Robin answers today are the ones that she thinks will have the most impact, and hopefully help as many people as possible.
Some are informative and specific to Pilates and exercising, and some are more personal as Robin reveals how she balances being a mom of 4, a wife, while running a business. You’ll also get a look at the new and exciting things that are coming to The Balanced Life this year!
Show highlights: what you can look forward to in this episode!
Links in this episode:
Share this podcast episode!
The post Q&A: how I de-stress, the weekly task I don’t enjoy, and tips to stay active appeared first on The Balanced Life.
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It’s time to start training like a Jedi!
We love Star Wars around these parts (our site is literally called “Nerd Fitness”), so you’re in the perfect place to begin your training, my young Padawan.
We specialize in creating nerdy themed workouts and today one of our coaches will walk you through an exercise routine that would make even Mace Windu proud.
Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide:
Grab your lightsaber and let’s punch it!
Workout Summary: This workout includes a number of explosive movements meant to fire up your nervous system, build explosive-muscles, and get your body to start thinking “power!”.
It also includes some static holds, whole-body movements, and even grip strength moves.
THE STAR WARS WORKOUT:
Time: 30-45 minutes
Equipment needed:
If you’re having trouble finding any of the above items, we walk you through some clever replacements in How to Build a Home Gym (When Everything is Sold Out).
ALWAYS: Start with a warm-up and end with a cool-down stretch.
Here’s another warm-up sequence you can run through:
Here’s another cool-down routine you can try:
Here’s the first part of your Jedi Workout:
If you’re gonna do Jedi training, someone is going to make you do a handstand:
Here are some variations to consider:
For Padawans, your knee planks will look something like this:
Shoulder taps are like so:
A wall-walk, would look something like this:
If you can do one-arm handstands like Luke, go ahead and do those here. Then use your Force-telepathy to tell us how it goes.
If you want to become a handstand master, we have a full course found in Nerd Fitness Prime that would make Yoda stoked.
Here’s the second act of your Jedi Workout:
Young Obi-Wan needed to use his Jedi high jump skills to return to the proper level to meet up with Qui-Gonn Jinn and Darth Maul.
We want you to do the same.
Here are your Jedi jump variations:
You could do squats or assisted squats:
All too easy? Go for jump squats!
True Jedi Masters will be doing tuck jumps or box jumps:
Rest: 1-2 minutes in between sets. Keep things safe – rest during the 30 second work period as needed.
For the third installment of the Jedi Workout, you’ll be doing:
Is there anything more satisfying than watching Leia take out Jabba the Hutt? I know I let out a cheer when I first saw the scene:
Leia is strong, and you need to be strong too.
Work on your pull-muscles by completing one of these “end Jabba” variations:
You can do rows from a doorway:
You can do towel doorway rows or band-assisted chin-ups:
You’re training is complete when you can do normal chin-ups or pull-ups:
Rest: 1-2 minutes in between sets. Keep things safe – rest during the 30 second work period, as needed.
The Jedi Workout for episode IV will be:
Chewy is strong. Freakishly strong. He has no problem carrying robots, people, ripping people’s arms off, and more:
We want you to channel your inner Chewbacca by working on carrying heavier weight! Feel free to try any of the variations:
Farmer’s walks can be done with dumbbells or some impromptu weights:
Walk or stand for 60 total seconds with weights at your side.
Rack carry:
Walk or stand for 60 total seconds with weights at shoulder height.
The Jedi Master Variation: Rack carry with some lunges – 2 x 60 seconds –
Walk or stand for 60 total seconds with weights at shoulder height. Master-level if you’re able to knock out 10 total lunges (5/side) during that time).
The goal with Chewbacca Carries is to pick up the heaviest weight (or luggage) you can manage and then carry it around your house for the set amount of time. This builds up bone density, tendon strength, and muscular strength, and fires up your body’s central nervous system.
Rest: Again, slow down 1-2 minutes in between sets. Keep things safe.
I love Han.
He shoots first (literally) and asks questions later.
He also runs into situations where he might not have the upper hand.
This round of your Jedi Workout looks like:
A Tabata Timer might be helpful in setting your intervals here.
We’re having you mostly run in place because you’re probably trapped inside your house (or escape pod). If you have a big backyard, feel free to use it.
For our Padawans out there, you’ll march in place:
When you reach Knight status, do some high-knees:
For the Jedi Masters out there? You’ll mix in some burpees with your high-knees:
For this last variation, do alternating sets of high knees and burpees for 3 minutes of intervals:
Email me if you make the run under 12 parsecs.[1]
Part 6 of your Jedi Workout looks like:
This is probably my favorite Jedi move. Channel the Force, and use it to violently PUSH things away? Awesome. Where do I sign up?
Now, although we can’t actually Force Push in real life…yet, it doesn’t mean we can’t build up our explosive Force push muscles.
For our Padawans, you’ll do elevated or knee-push-ups:
Our Jedi Knights will do normal push-ups or divebomber push-ups:
Are you now the master? Then you’re doing pike or handstand push-ups:
Again, this can get sketchy if you start doing these last push-up variations while tired. Go ahead and rest whenever you need to.
The last section of the Jedi Workout looks like:
Sometimes, Jedi find themselves dealing with a creature that wants to digest them for 1,000 years.
That’s where your hanging skills will come in use!
Our Padawans will start with some simple doorway leans:
You’ll hold onto the edge of a doorway and lean back for 60 seconds of hang time – should feel harder on the grip than doorway rows
If you’re following our “Knight variations,” you’re going to be doing bar hangs:
Not enough? Then train to hang from one arm:
This skill will become useful if you ever lose an upper appendage in a lightsaber duel (it happens to the best of us).
Note: this can be challenging on your joints if you’re not used to hanging, so progress slowly on this one! Start with just a few seconds and work your way up!
Here’s a recap!
Complete this workout with regularity, and work your way up to the Jedi Master levels for each.
As I discuss in our guide, How to Build Your Own Workout Routine, I generally recommend newbies complete a full-body workout two to three times a week.
Our Star Wars Workout would be considered “full-body” since we hit every major muscle group. You could also alternate it with a more conventional strength training practice.
On your “rest days,” you can look into doing some active recovery, yoga, or fun movement.
If you can only get yourself to work out once a week, that’s okay! Let that become normal, then we can brainstorm ways to squeeze in an extra day.
Building the habit of working out is our goal today. We can worry about maximizing “gainz” down the road.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about maximizing gainz.
Now the only thing left to do is start!
Here are some options for next steps with Nerd Fitness:
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 box below:
Option #2) If you want an exact blueprint for working out at home (while doing nerdy-themed 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:
Option #3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion (the real name).
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out from home” guides.
Alright, I want to hear from you and your experience:
Did you try the Star Wars Workout?
What level are you on?
Any exercises that we missed that would be perfect for a Jedi?
Let me know in the comments!
May the Force be with you.
-Steve
PS: If you’re looking for more nerdy-themed workouts that can be done at anywhere, check out The 8 Best At-Home Workout Routines.
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photo source: Leg0fenris: Dagobah, JD Hancock: Yoda Jump, JD Hancock: Han Solo vs Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett & the Sarlacc Pit, Teymur Madjderey, Darth Vader Force, JD Hancock: Han Solo, Pedro Vezini: Chewbacca, metaphorge: Jabba, Leg0fenris: Darth and Leia, Pedro Vezini: Yoda and Luke
gif source: walk in place,
The post The Star Wars Workout: Begin Your Jedi Training! first appeared on Nerd Fitness.
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You know when you find something that feels like a total game-changer and you want to tell everyone you know?
Well, over the past year, I’ve found several hormone-health-friendly products that have made a huge difference in my life that I want to share with you. They’ve helped me tackle stress, get better sleep, and improve my skin — all areas of my health that affect how I feel on a daily basis.
And while I’m by no means perfect, I do feel so much better as a result of making small changes to my daily routine and adding in these products.
Here are just a few that I’m loving lately…
This post includes affiliate links, which means The Balanced Life may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through the link!
Favorite Products
Routines + Habits
Nourishing meals + snacks
While swapping out products isn’t a cure-all, simple changes to our products and routines can have a direct impact on our health and the way we feel each day, so I hope you find these helpful and are able to make small steps towards your healthiest self!
xo,
PS – These products and recommendations should not be considered medical advice. I encourage you to talk to your doctor so you can care for your hormones in a way that works best for you!
The post My favorite products + tips for hormone health appeared first on The Balanced Life.
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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?”
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.
By the way, if you don’t have a gym membership, here’s how to find the right gym, and 6 things to know before joining a gym.
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:
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:
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!
NOTE: if you’re questioning whether you should go to the gym during the pandemic, you can follow along with our Beginner Bodyweight Training program at HOME until you feel safe going.
Sign up in the box below and I’ll send you this workout free (along with some other goodies):
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:
“Steve, just tell me how often I should go to the gym!”
Fine! Try to work up to going to the gym 3 times per week.
I like Monday-Wednesday-Friday workout plans.
Start and end the week with good wins!
Oh, what’s that? You want to exercise on your off days too? Cool. Here’s what you should be doing on your non-training days.
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!
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.*
*Don’t have enough mobility to pat yourself on the back? We’ll help you with that too.
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:
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).
Not sure what to do for warm-up movements? That’s okay!
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.
A dynamic warm-up is the appetizer to ANY main course of strength training.
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.
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!
If you’re up for MORE or ready to level up consider going to the next level, become a cardio cadet!
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!!
Not only that, but walking is an AMAZING form of exercise. Walking is how Tim, the NF Prime member, lost 50 lbs through walking and nutritional changes. Don’t underestimate walking!
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)
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.
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.
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!
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:
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!
HOW TO DO A PROPER PUSH-UP:
HOW TO DO A SQUAT:
These are two key movements in our Beginner Bodyweight Workout Routine, and the foundation of any strength training routine!
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!
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.
We have tons of 1-on-1 coaching clients who have gotten in GREAT shape without ever picking up a weight. It all comes down to constantly increasing the challenge and making progress each week.
It’s time to wander into the place that strikes fear in the heart of most gym goers:
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.
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:
That’s it! Just one dumbbell exercise! Boom! You are now weight training like a boss.
Here’s your new Level 4 Gym Workout Circuit: Dumbbell Division A
Do this circuit once, and then repeat two more times if you’re feeling good.
To recap, or if you skipped Steps 1-3 (I’m only slightly offended), here’s how to properly do:
A BODYWEIGHT SQUAT:
A PROPER PUSH-UP:
Congrats! You’ve used dumbbells!
Remember, everybody started somewhere, and we’re just working on getting you comfortable being in the free weight section.
Want to continue adding dumbbells movements into your workout? Let’s add them to the squats.
Use the same dumbbell to do “goblet squats.”
They’re named as such because it looks like you’re holding a goblet that you don’t want to spill.
Here’s a video of Staci and Jim demonstrating the Goblet Squat pulled from Nerd Fitness Prime:
So your Level 4 Gym Workout: Dumbbell Division B is 3 circuits of the following:
If you go to the gym 3x a week, work your way up to the following routine:
This will put you ahead of 95% of the gym going population. You’ll be on a great path to building a healthy, antifragile, resilient body.
Add a little more weight here and there- making the minimal possible jumps each time (going from 10 lb to 12.5 lb dumbbells, for example).
Make your push-up variation a little harder over time.
You can stick with the above for MONTHS.
Ready for another upgrade?
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:
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.
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:
Picking up a barbell, and learning how to squat and learning how to deadlift.
There’s something powerful about old-school strength training with exercises like the back squat and the deadlift.
Show me somebody that’s strong at both of these movements, and I’ll show you somebody that’s in better shape than most of the human population.
But wait!
Even an empty barbell can be heavy, so before we jump into the deep end, you need to be able to complete our circuit with the following weights:
Level 4 Gym Workout: Dumbbell Division C:
Can’t do those movements at that weight, or not sure what they are? Go back to the Level 4 Gym Workout.
WHEN YOU ARE READY, please read the following:
Strength Training 101: The Squat
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:
(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!)…
YOUR NEXT LEVEL 5 MISSION:
Read: Strength Training 101: The Deadlift
And watch the video demonstration here:
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).
Level 5 Gym Workout: Barbell Battalion:
Day A Circuit – 3 rounds of:
Day B Circuit – 3 rounds of:
Not sure what a bodyweight row is? It’s an AMAZING exercise that you’ll need to master if you’re going to get your first pull-up or chin-up one day!
Read our article on bodyweight rows, and also watch our quick video demonstration here of Staci doing them:
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!
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…
The pull-up or chin-up!
If you can’t do a pull-up or chin-up yet, you can read our full guide on how to get your first pull-up or chin-up.
We also have a full article on doing a perfect pull-up or chin-up with proper form, but I would watch this video too for some quick ways to scale the movement to fit your experience level:
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:
LEVEL 6 DAY B CIRCUIT – 3 rounds of:
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!
Want to start training with gymnastic rings? Go for it!
Want to learn how to do handstands? Try practicing for 5 minutes at the start of each workout!
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!
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.
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 regards 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 don’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!
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.
And that means you need to BUILD the habit correctly for going to the gym.
It comes down to a few key things:
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.
You see, motivation sucks, and will fail you when you need it most.
So, instead of using motivation, cultivate discipline and accountability.
Make it almost impossible for you to skip the gym:
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:
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!
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:
PPS: Don’t forget to read our awesome Strength 101 Series either!
###
Photo Sources:Hardcore Stormies Hit The Gym, Iron Lego, stormtrooper out of line, Venting Off, Scenes from an empty lot in Brooklyn, vol 1., siraphol © 123RF.com, tonobalaguer © 123RF.com, Edvard Nalbantjan © 123RF.com, Oops this doesn’t seem to be London 24th March 2017, power rack,
The post 6 Beginner Gym Workouts: How to Work Out in a Gym The Right Way! first appeared on Nerd Fitness.
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I get multiple emails and messages per day asking:
“Steve, what should I do for a workout?”
Well, partner, today is your lucky day.
I’m gonna help build you a custom workout program, step-by-step!
After all, a workout should be developed around a person’s age, goals, nutritional strategy, free time, etc.
Not only that, but it’s easy to overcomplicate this process – there are an infinite number of exercises, sets, reps, and programs to choose from.
Now, if you’re somebody that wants to skip all of that, and JUST want to be told what exactly to do:
We build customized workouts for our Online Coaching Clients and would love to have you. We get to know your story and struggles, your goals, and your lifestyle, and develop a workout plan that fits your schedule.
Now, if you’re more of a “figure this stuff out on my own” kind of person – we’re going to dig into how to build your own workout plan today!
We’ve also created a free resource for folks who want to build their own workout but would love some more specific direction and instruction.
You can download our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, which covers all of this stuff in a single guide:
OKAY! Are you ready to start building your own routine and want to know how it’s done?
Great! Let’s do this:
As Coach Staci lays out in the video above, we need to answer a few key questions when designing a workout:
QUESTION 1: What are your goals?
Whatever your goals are, it’s good to write them down and be aware of what you’re trying to accomplish.
These goals will shape HOW you build your workout.
An effective way to create goals is by using the SMART method, which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.[1]
A SMART goal is a good goal.
QUESTION 2: How much time can you devote to exercise?
If you can do an hour a day, that’s fantastic.
But maybe you have a wife or husband, three kids, a dog, two jobs, and no robot butler…then maybe you only have thirty minutes, twice a week.
That’s fine too!
Also, break up your workout! According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), if you accumulate three 10-minute bouts of exercise throughout the day to total 30-minutes of exercise, then that is as effective as someone who does one 30-minute bout of exercise.[2]
Now, no matter how much time you have, developing the most efficient workout is crucial.
Why spend two hours in a gym when you can get just as much accomplished in 30 minutes, right?
Here’s the good news: weight training is the fat-burning prize fight victor, and efficiency rules all.
So whether you are building muscle or looking to lose weight, a strength training workout will get you the results you’re after (when combined with the right eating strategy!)
While we’re talking about time, let me quickly mention something important:
Proper expectations!
As we cover “How Fast Can I Get the Body I Want,” make sure you are thinking about your journey with a realistic timeline:
As we mention in that guide, here are some realistic timeframes for weight loss or muscle gain:[3]
QUESTION 3: WHERE do you want to work out?
Where you work out will largely determine if you are going to train with your body’s weight, or if you can start doing gym strength training.
If you’re paying attention here, you may notice I’m setting you up to work out no matter what your current situation is.
Why?
Because according to ACSM, the #1 reason people don’t exercise is:[4]
They don’t have time for it.
All of us, all the time.
BUT, with the information I’m hitting you with, technically you should have no excuse for not exercising unless (you’re injured or sick).
After all, your workout:
Cool?
Cool.
RECAP OF QUESTIONS – At this point, we should have:
We can now start to build your workout routine, your daily workout plan, and your monthly workout schedule!
Let’s do it.
I like to follow the motto of “Keep it simple, stupid.”
(Note: I am not calling you stupid. You’re reading Nerd Fitness, which means you’re intelligent, good-looking, really funny, and most of all, modest.)
The best workout is the one that you actually stick with, and people make things FAR too complicated and try to target a bazillion different individual muscles with six types of exercises for each body part.
It’s exhausting, unnecessary, inefficient, and intimidating.
So keep it simple!
We’re going to pick 5 exercises, and get really strong with those movements.
This is the ENTIRE philosophy behind our Strength 101 series.
Unless you’ve been strength training for years and know what you’re doing, we recommend that you pick a full-body routine that you can do 2-3 times a week.
You want a workout routine that has at least one exercise for your:
I have a trick for you: by targeting compound movements that recruit multiple muscles at the same time, you can build a full-body routine that uses only four or five exercises.
How’s THAT for efficiency!
A compound exercise would be the yin to the yang of the isolation exercise.
Think a push-up (compound):
Compared to bicep curls through a machine (isolation):
Compound exercises have been found to result in improvements in aerobic endurance, muscular fitness, and flexibility, since you’re recruiting all sorts of muscle groups at once.[5]
Where an isolation exercise would be a single-joint movement involving only one single muscle group, like the biceps, in our example above.
I will say, there is a time and place for implementing compound and isolation exercises.
We cover all this in our The 12 Best Compound Exercises For Beginners (How To Train Efficiently) guide.
Here is a quick breakdown of which compound exercises will work for each of those muscle groups:
Not sure how to do any of these movements? Want more examples?
Check out:
The 42 Best Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere!
Pick one exercise from each category above for your workout, and you’ll work almost every single muscle in your body.
Get stronger with each movement each week, and you have yourself a recipe for a great physique.
Here is an example of a great, effective simple gym workout:
You don’t need to make things more complicated than this!
(Not that we humans have a tendency to overcomplicate things to the point of paralysis and inaction…)
Ahem.
If you’re not sure how to do any of the movements above, click on their links for thorough write-ups and video demonstrations.
Pick one exercise from EACH category above, specifically ones that scare you the least, and that will be your workout every other day for the next week.
The great news: the above workout routine will work whether you’re looking to bulk up and build muscle OR if you’re trying to lose weight.
You simply adjust your calories consumed – which is 80% of the equation – and that’s how you’ll start to change your physique.[5]
Oh, and you’ll also need to think about macronutrient breakdowns (carbs, fats, proteins), like in our Nerd Fitness Healthy Plate:
But you can check out our Guide to Healthy Eating for more info on that.
STEVE’S BIG PIECE OF ADVICE: GET STRONG.
Get really good at these basic movements and focus on getting stronger each week (I’ll cover how below).
If you get really strong at squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and push-ups, you will build an incredible physique to be proud of.
Plus, building strength with these exercises will also help in other areas such as improving your performance in sports, decreasing your risk of chronic diseases (e.g., CVD) and premature mortality (an early death).[6]
*mic drop*
**picks up mic**
Then, once you get confident in those movements, feel free to add some variety.
Why?
If you do the same exact routine, three days a week, for months and months, you might get bored, and start slacking…
Or you might hit a workout plateau.[7]
So if you find yourself getting bored, feel free to stick with the above ‘formula,’ but change the ingredients:
If you hit a plateau or find yourself getting bored, pick a different exercise to improve so you’ll stay challenged, and you’ll actually DO the workout!
Then, focus on getting stronger![8] (You are writing down your workouts, right?).
I know it’s really easy to overcomplicate this process as there’s an infinite number of exercises, sets, reps, and programs to choose from.
And yes, we have a solution for people that JUST want to be told what exactly to do: our uber-popular 1-on-1 coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and develop a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life:
SIMPLE ANSWER: Not including a warm-up set or two, I recommend:
LONGER ANSWER – watch this video:
As we cover in our “How Many Sets and Reps?” guide, a “set” is a series of repetitions that you complete without stopping.
For example, if you drop down and do 10 push-ups right now, you just did 1 SET of 10 REPETITIONS (or REPS) of push-ups.
Got it? Cool.
Some general rules on repetitions you can follow as you’re starting to build your workout plan:
There are some other generally accepted ‘rules’ – as pointed out in Starting Strength – about how to determine how many reps you should target per set, based on your goals:
A 2015 study [10] called into question the best rep strategy for building muscle or size:
“It appears that high-intensity resistance (sets of 3-5 reps) training stimulates greater improvements in some measures of strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men during a short-term training period [compared to sets of 8-10 reps].”
What this means: Do not freak yourself out by worrying if you should do 4 sets or 5 sets of 8 reps or 10 reps.
Our advice would be to START with lighter weight and more reps as you learn the movement, and then decide if you want to stay at higher reps and lower weight or vice versa.
You do you, because either way will get you results!
The only thing you need to worry about: get stronger the next time you do that movement.
Either pick up a heavier weight, or do 1 more repetition than last time.
“JUST GIVE ME THE ANSWER!”
Keep your TOTAL (all exercises combined) workout number of sets for all exercises in the 15-25 set range, with 8-10 reps per set:
5 exercises total, each with 4 “work sets” is a good start.
Remember, the most important part is to get started – you’ll learn how your body responds and you can adapt as you go.
What you DON’T need to do: multiple exercises for each body part with 10 sets.
This will result in significant fatigue during your workout increasing your risk for sustaining an injury. It can also result in overtraining, in which you will experience a decrease in performance and plateauing (will not see muscular improvements).[11]
So calm down you eager beaver.
A BIG CAVEAT: How you eat will determine if you get bigger or stronger. Nutrition is 80-90% of the equation. So pick a range that feels good, and then focus on nutrition.
And if you don’t want to figure any of this out and just want to be told exactly how what exercises, sets, and reps to do, our online coaches can take care of that for you.
Keep it simple, you “smart, good looking, funny, modest person” you.
Below is a basic formula for you to determine how long you should wait between sets, but this can be adjusted based on your level of health.
The goal is to wait the least amount of time you need, but still rest enough that you can perform all reps of the next set safely and properly!
Here’s why that’s important:[12]
Adequate rest in-between sets will allow your body to regenerate energy, so you can execute the next set of reps with good form and technique, therefore, decreasing your risk of injury.
I’ll provide some guidelines for how long to rest based on how heavy you’re lifting (not rules set in stone!):
If you need more or less rest than the above recommendations, that’s fine.[13]
Do the best you can, record how long it takes you to rest between sets, and try to rest for shorter periods in the future.
Your body will adjust as you get stronger and healthier!
If you want more information on how much you should lift, how many reps, and when to scale certain movements or adjust your workout, check out our Strength 101: Everything You Need to Know.
It’s free when you join the Rebellion with your email in the box below:
We have a FULL resource on how to determine your starting weight for lifting, but I’ll give you the gist here.
The simple to learn but tough to implement answer:
“Lift enough so that you can get through the set, but not too much that you have NO fuel left in the tank at the end.”
How do you determine how much that is?
Trial and error.
ALWAYS err on the side of “too light” versus “too heavy” when starting out.
It’s better to say “I bet I could have done more!” instead of “that was too much, and now I need to go to the hospital!”
Plus, when you start working out, you’re actually programming your neuromuscular systems to do the movement correctly.[14] You can’t rush this, so it’s best not to start off too heavy.[15]
When is it time to move up in resistance?
The NSCA has a 2-for-2 rule that recommends:[16]
If a person can do two reps (or more) over their set goal, then they should increase the load.
How much should you increase weight by?
I will say, if you’re doing exercises with just your body weight, you need to make each exercise more difficult as you get in shape – once you get past 20 reps for a particular exercise and you’re not gassed, it’s time to mix things up.
That’s the key to “Progressive Overload,” as Coach Jim explains in this video:
Can you do 20 push-ups no problem? It’s time to start mixing them up to be more challenging. Pick a variation from this article and make yourself work for it!
20 bodyweight squats too easy? Hold some weights high above your head as you do the next set. Eventually, you can scale up to do exercises like the pistol squat:
Looking for more bodyweight exercises? Check out the list of our favorite 42 bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere.
And if you’re not sure how to scale bodyweight movements, or you are interested in mixing things up and want guidance…
Easy answer: 45 minutes to an hour.
Longer answer: If you’re doing 15-25 sets of total exercise (3-5 sets for your 5 exercises), you should be able to get everything done within that 45-minute block.[17]
Now, factor in a five or ten-minute warm-up, and then some stretching afterward, and the workout can go a little bit longer.[18]
If you can go for over an hour and you’re not completely worn out, try increasing the intensity.
Less time, more intensity, better results.
What if you don’t have 45 minutes?
Do the best you can![19]
What’s that? You want to build some cardio into your weight training.
That’s where this next section comes in.
Strength training in a circuit training workout is the most efficient way to burn fat when exercising:[20]
If you’re familiar with CrossFit, many of the workouts are built on circuit principles.
This is also the most effective way to make you involuntarily swear at inanimate objects because you’re so tired and beat up.
We’re going to cover TWO things here:
The NSCA defines it as:[21]
A superset is performing two exercises in a row on two different muscle groups.
For example, you perform a set of squats, wait one minute, then do a set of dumbbell presses, wait one minute, then do your next set of squats, and so on.
Because you’re exercising two completely different muscle groups, you can exercise one while the other is “resting.”
You’re now getting the same workout done in half the time.
Also, because you’re resting less, your body has to work harder so your heart is getting a workout too. Jackpot.
Let’s see how this would play out in a sample workout:
#2) CIRCUIT TRAINING
A circuit requires you to do one set for EVERY exercise, one after the other, without stopping.
After you’ve done one set of each exercise in succession, you then repeat the process two, or three, or four more times.[22]
I’ve written about multiple bodyweight circuits here on the site:
You can download our Beginner Bodyweight Worksheet too to help you get started:
We have also 15 FREE circuits you can follow in our big Circuit Training roundup guide!
And lastly, we love building circuit training routines for our Coaching Clients – and we’d love to build them for you too:
We get this question quite a bit, usually from overeager beavers who decide they are going to go from “sitting on the couch watching The Office on repeat” to “exercising 7 days per week.”
I would advise something different.
I mean you can still watch The Office…
…but you don’t need to be training 7 days a week!
We don’t want you burning out quickly and falling back to square one, a concern we mention in our guide “How Often Should I Work Out?“
Instead, focus on building proper habits and set a goal of 2-3 full-body workouts per week.[23]
For starters, your muscles don’t get built in the gym.
They actually get broken down in the gym, and then get rebuilt stronger while you’re resting…watching The Office.[24]
By giving your muscles 48 hours to recover between workouts, especially when training heavy, you’ll stay injury-free and get stronger.[25]
A Monday-Wednesday-Friday workout routine works well to ensure enough time to recover, especially when you are just getting started.
If you want to do Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, or Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday, great.
Personally, I stuck with a Monday-Wednesday-Friday full day routine for nearly 10 years and just focused on getting stronger with each movement.
These days, I train on Monday-Wednesday-Thursday-Saturday (my workouts on Wednesday and Thursday don’t work the same muscles!)
“But Steve, what if I WANT to exercise on my off days?” That’s fine!
Just pick “exercise” that’s fun for you, that won’t exhaust your muscles.[26][[26]]However, don’t forget that recovery is key to preventing injuries and allowing the body to rebuild itself after the stress of exercise. If you are looking to exercise on your off days we suggest that you cross-train. Cross-training involves engaging in a training routine or exercises that are different from what you normally would do. For example, if you always run for cardio, we would suggest that you change things up and go on the elliptical or bike. This allows you to stay active on your off days while also allowing the muscles that are always stressed from running to rest and recuperate. (Haff G, Triplett NT. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).[[25]]
Also, here’s a lifehack: Program your workouts INTO your Google calendar (or Outlook).
You’re much more likely to do a workout that has been planned for in your work week!
Alternatively, you can hire a coach to program your workouts for you, so every day you know exactly what you need to do!
Last but not least, keep a workout journal!
As they say, that which gets measured gets improved.
You should be getting stronger, faster, or more fit with each day of exercise.
Around these parts, we say “Level up your life, every single day.”
So track and measure your progress!
Things to record for your workout:
If you see your numbers improving (more weight, faster times, etc.), then you’re getting stronger and gaining more lean muscle mass![27]
Woot.
Personally, I track all of my workouts in Evernote.
I note the sets, reps, weight, and date.
I have over 1,000 workouts in my folder, which makes it super simple to see what I did last month, or even last year, and to make sure I’m improving!
You can use an actual notebook, a bullet journal, an Excel spreadsheet, a workout app, or a Word document.
Don’t overcomplicate it:
Do this with a workout you’ve built, and you WILL get results. I promise.[28]
Here’s how to properly track your progress and set a new personal best every time you train.
If you’re looking for sample workouts to build off of, take one of the 6 Workouts in our “Gym 101” guide.
Or if you want a plan to follow, pick one of our 15 Circuit Training Routines!
If you want to build from scratch, great! Let’s break it down into easy chunks with this recap:
More often than not, when I email people back and tell them how to build their own workout, they generally respond with:
“Steve, can’t you just TELL me what to do? I’m afraid of building a crappy workout.”
Why we built THREE options for people like that:
1) If you are somebody that wants to know they are following a program that is tailor-made for their life and situation and goals, check out our Online Coaching Program.
You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself 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). Plus, NF Journey will build a workout for you!
Try your free trial right here:
3) Join the Rebellion (our free community) and I’ll send you free guides, workouts, and worksheets that you can read at your leisure.
We need good people like you!
I certainly encourage you to try and build your own workout routine.
It can really help you develop a sense of excitement and pride when you start to get in shape based on your workout!
If you have more questions, or have a workout program you’re really proud of, share it in the comments below!
-Steve
PS: Check out the rest of our beginner content. I promise, it kicks ass 🙂
###
Photo Sources: mdwombat, joshtasman: Question Finger 6, black.zack00: Yeaaaah…. Surprise ladies!!, Sterling College: Sterling Gym, ako_law: Stopwatch, black.zack00: Boxing a gentleman’s sport, Photographing Travis: Kettlebells. ahockley: DDC Stuff Sheath and EEEK Field Notes, Ivan Kruk © 123RF.com
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So you want to lose weight and get in shape, but don’t want to leave your house?
Well, as your fitness Yoda, I will teach you a great bodyweight workout routine that you can do ANYWHERE: In your living room, at a park, or in a galaxy far, far away…
These are the types of workouts we build for our busy Online Coaching Clients, and I’m pumped to share it with you today!
Let’s dig into the different parts of this workout and get to the action:
Make sure you also download the Beginner Bodyweight Workout PDF so you can track your progress and level up at home.
I’ll send it on over when you join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion in the box below:
Let’s jump right in!
You want to know:
Can you build muscle mass with bodyweight exercises?
Yep, bodyweight exercises can build muscle mass, as long as continuously challenge your muscles by:
Just ask our friend Jimmy here, who got in great shape using bodyweight exercises in his apartment:
You just need to make sure you have the right program to follow.
Enter the Beginner Bodyweight Workout.
I’m going to take you through a basic home workout today that can be completed anywhere – in your house, apartment, out at a park, in your basement, on the moon, wherever.
This is the Beginner Bodyweight Workout (3 Circuits):
We turned this bodyweight workout into a fun infographic, because that’s how we roll around here:
Jump to the “Best Bodyweight Exercises” section for a full breakdown of each movement.
In a circuit routine, you’ll do each exercise in succession without a break in between (if you’re able).
Because all of these exercises come one after another, you’re bound to get tired – and that’s okay!
It’s better to stop and take a break than to do an exercise incorrectly.
Before you start, don’t forget to do a Dynamic Warm-Up – Make sure to get your heart rate pumping and get your muscles warmed or you’re just asking for injury.
You can run in place, jump rope, do a few push-ups, pedal on a stationary bike, do some punches and kicks, jog up and down your stairs, and/or twist and swing your arms and legs to get them moving!
Here’s a beginner warm-up you can try:
After you’ve completed your workout at home, feel free to cool down and stretch.
“HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO THE BEGINNER BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT?”
Do this routine 2-3 times a week, but never on consecutive days.
You don’t build muscle when you’re exercising, you build muscle when you’re resting, so try not to do a strength training routine (of the same muscle groups) two days in a row.
I like to follow a training pattern of:
Alternatively, pick one of these fun exercises to do on your off days instead!
In addition to checking out our Online Coaching Program, make sure you download the worksheet for this workout by joining the Rebellion (our free online community)!
I’ll send it to you right away when you sign up in the box below:
As laid out above in our Beginner Bodyweight Workout video, there are some key movements you can work on to help you get started strength training!
Here’s how to do every bodyweight exercise covered today:
We have a whole article on how to do a proper push-up, but we also cover it extensively in this 5-minute video:
Use this variation if you can’t do regular bodyweight squats yet.
If you want even more instruction, here’s how to do a proper bodyweight squat:
Here’s how to properly perform lunges.
Use a milk jug, suitcase, or actual dumbbell.
Use this variation if you can’t do jumping jacks yet.
If you are looking for even MORE bodyweight exercises you can use in your workouts, make sure to check out our mega-resource:
“The 42 Best Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere.“
Note: We have helped hundreds of 1-on-1 Coaching clients get started with strength training and other awesomeness – but EVERYBODY starts with bodyweight training like these movements and this workout!
The question of the day is:
Is bodyweight training effective for weight loss?
Yep! Bodyweight training can be great for weight loss, as long as you have your nutrition dialed in.
If you don’t…then no, it won’t be your magic bullet.
That’s because a good workout and a crappy diet won’t help you lose weight.
After all, one of the Rules of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork” and you can’t out-train a bad diet!
This means if you don’t ALSO fix your relationship with food, then all the exercise you do won’t help you get in shape.
It’ll just make you frustrated…
So if you are trying to lose weight, then you need to fix your nutrition first and foremost.
Remember, when it comes to fitness, eating healthy is key!
You have two options here to dial in your nutrition:
We’ve actually developed our own 10-level nutrition system and mindset blueprint in Nerd Fitness Prime, but let me break this down into some basics:
You can download a Free 10 Level Diet Guide too when you join the Rebellion and sign up in the box below:
The raw honest truth: how you eat will be responsible for at least 80% of your success or failure.
If you’re doing bodyweight workouts because you’re interested in losing weight, know that training is only 10-20% of the puzzle!
If you need help figuring this all out, or you just want your own Yoda to tell you what to do, you’re in the right place!
We’ve been helping busy people like you train at home and make better food decisions without hating life! It’s our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and it might be a great fit for you.
Schedule a call with us to learn more by clicking on the image below:
Do this Beginner Bodyweight Workout for the next 4-6 weeks and focus on getting better.
If doing just one circuit of the workout was really challenging, no big deal!
Write down how you did, and try to do just 1 more rep or exercise next time through.
The whole point is “do a bit more than last time.”
I also have MULTIPLE options for you to take for your next step too. Pick the option below that best aligns with your goals and timeline:
1) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to lose weight, eat better, and get stronger, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:
2) If you want a daily prompt for doing workouts 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! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get the Beginner Bodyweight Workout sheet so you can print out the sheet and train at home!
I’d love to hear how this workout went for you, and how else we can help!
This is what we’ve dedicated our lives to, and you’re now part of a killer community.
Welcome to the Nerd Fitness Rebellion!
You can do this, we got your back!
-Steve
PS: If you’re looking for more workout routines to follow, I got you covered:
PPS: As a reminder, today’s bodyweight workout looks like so:
Click on it to pull up your own PDF of the infographic!
###
PHOTO SOURCES: Four Bricks Tall: “Follow or follow not. There is no follow for follow.” and “Morning run with the Fitbit“, Ekaterina Minaeva © 123RF.com, parilovv © 123RF.com.
INFOGRAPHIC SOURCES: superhero costume, male graphic, female graphic, various graphics, icon, milk jug, robot, comic background.
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So you want to start working out, but you don’t want to leave the house?
No problem!
Our online coaches specialize in helping people get fit from home.
If you’re in a hurry, sign-up for our free weekly newsletter and we’ll send you PDFs of our “Work Out at Home” guides!
Let’s go over the 8 Best At-Home Workouts so you can start training today: no gym or equipment required!
Let’s jump right in!
No matter which at-home workout 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:
If you’re curious, here’s my personal (advanced) warm-up:
Advanced Warm-up Routine:
Our goal isn’t to tire you out, instead we want to warm you up.
That’s step one.
Completing your chosen at-home workout would be step two.
Below, you’ll find 8 sequences you can follow along with!
This at-home routine, as we lay out in our Beginner Bodyweight Workout article, is as follows:
We also turned it into a fun infographic with superheroes, because that’s how we roll:
The above is what we call “circuit training,” with the objective being to run through the workout sequence once, then again, then again.
Note: Not a milk drinker?
If you don’t have milk in the house for the rows, find something of roughly the same weight with a good handle.
Also, if you want to download this Beginner Bodyweight Workout as a worksheet, you can do so when you sign up in the box below:
It’ll help you track your progress as you begin your training.
If the beginner at-home workout above is too easy for you, move on to our Advanced Bodyweight Workout.
Not familiar with these moves? Check out the 21 Best Advanced Bodyweight Exercises for a full breakdown.
I warn you, the above sequence will hurt… in a good way. You should be proud if you can get through this three times.
Do you want to get as strong as possible so this workout ain’t no thang?
Sign up in the box below to grab our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’ll teach you all of these advanced bodyweight exercises!
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 20-min workout you can do in the room itself! Utilize the furniture to its full potential.
Set the alarm clock to 15 minutes from now and see how many circuits you can do!
Check out our full post on hotel circuits if you want Level 3!
We have a LOT of business travelers throughout the Rebellion! Learn how they stay fit on the road with the Nerd Fitness Starter Kit!
You don’t have to head to the gym to do High-Intensity Interval Training. You can do a complete routine right in your own home!
HIIT is just following a specific regimen where you vary your speeds and intensity throughout a shorter run, swim, bike, or row.
Unless you have a giant backyard, running at home might be tough.
But you know what doesn’t require a lot of room?
Burpees!
To complete a burpee:
Check out our full guide on How to Start Interval Training for some more ideas on HIIT workouts.
You can also check out our post “The 20-Min HIIT Workout for Home” for another living-room-friendly interval routine!
The Angry Birds Workout is designed to be done when you have 5 or 10 minutes to kill.
Sort of like playing Angry Birds…
Here’s how The Angry Birds Workout Plan works: it’s deceptively simple – only four major movements.
If you don’t have time to run through the whole sequence, no problem!
Depending on how much time you have during the day, you can do your whole workout at once, or break up your training into four different sessions throughout the day (with each session being ONE of the exercises).
Here’s a sample day for your No-Equipment Workout:
You could even split it up over two days if needed, but the goal would be to do it the whole sequence at once.
The main Angry Birds Workout article describes in detail Levels 1-6, but here’s Level 3 for you:
Once you’ve done the complete routine, you have my permission to whip out your phone and play the actual game!
We love the Caped Crusader here at Nerd Fitness, so naturally we have The Batman Bodyweight Workout for you to try!
Bonus points if you somehow do this no-equipment workout in a cave, as that’s how Bruce Wayne would roll.[1]
This workout is separated into two days for you.
Here’s a video for the first day:
Batman No-Equipment Workout Day 1:
Here’s a video for the second day:
Batman No-Equipment Workout Day 2:
This is a relatively advanced workout already, but if you want to progress to the next level, check out the main Batman Bodyweight Workout for tips on how to do just that.
The PLP is a progressive program in which you complete one additional rep of three exercises – Pull-Ups, Lunges, and Push-Ups – every day, for two months.
NOTE: This is NOT a beginner program, and should not be attempted unless you have been training consistently and can do multiple repetitions of pull-ups and push-ups with great form.
Like this perfect push-up:
And this perfect pull-up:
Here’s how the PLP Progression works:
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
How long do you keep doing this?
As originally envisioned by Chad Waterbury, the PLP Workout lasts 60 days.[3]
Yeah…by the end of it you’ll be doing more than 50 pull-ups.
There are two versions:
Complete your required reps each day in as many sets as you need, whenever you need to. The goal is to do it in as few sets as possible, but enough so that you can complete each rep with proper form.
Want to learn more? Check out my results on the PLP Workout.
Do you have access to a hallway that you can commandeer for a bit?
Then you can do our Star Wars Workout!
It’s designed to be done in a very small space, like your home’s hallway…or an escape pod.
The “Padawan” Level of this workout is:
If you want to advance to the Jedi Knight or Master Levels, check out The Star Wars Workout, which will also offer you a full description of each move.
Do you have a nearby playground? Why not work out there! If you have kids, you can do it together. Or let them ignore you.
I’ll give you a Level One workout, and a Level Two. Check out The 20-Minute Playground Workout for some Level Three exercises.
After you’ve gone through a complete set three times, go down the slide!
Throughout our Online Coaching Program, we get two common questions for those wanting to train at home:
The answer to both of these: yep!
Let’s tackle them one by one.
#1) Can working out at home help me build muscle?
You can 100% build muscle mass at home.
Just ask out friend Jimmy here:
Read more on how Jimmy turned into Spider-Man from home!
The trick is to follow a progressive overload strategy, as Coach Jim outlines in this video:
With progressive overload, we want to make our workouts more and more challenging, thus putting additional strain on our muscles.
So to build muscle with home workouts, focus on:
That will help you build strength and muscle from your casa.
Next up:
#2) Can working out at home help me lose weight?
You can totally train at home for a successful weight loss strategy.
Again, we have a great example with one of our Online Coaching Clients, Sarah the Supermom:
The trick here is to couple your home workouts with adjustments to your nutrition.
We’re big believers that you can’t outrun your fork, so any successful weight loss plan will include a focus on building a healthy plate.
That will look something like this:
If you want some help on adjusting your nutrition, I’ve got two great resources for you:
We just went over 8 workouts you can do at home (plus a workout you can do in a park).
You don’t have to stick to these though!
I have two resources to help you design your own no-equipment workout:
That should get you going on building a workout you can do in the comfort of your own home.
Want more? Alright, eager beaver, I got you.
We built THREE options for people just like you:
1) If you want step-by-step guidance, a custom workout program that levels up as you get stronger, and a coach to keep you accountable, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:
2) If you want a daily prompt for doing workouts 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! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’ll help you start incorporating these bodyweight moves into your training.
Alright, your turn: I’d love to hear how your home training is going!
Which workout above did you try? Did you make one of your own?
Leave a comment below with your results or any questions you have on working out at home.
For the Rebellion!
-Steve
PS: If you were going to buy one piece of equipment to utilize in your home, a kettlebell would offer you a lot of versatility:
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Photo Sources: Home Sweet Home 2, good dog, The minifigures of this series are really beautiful, it’s a rap, my friend:), Ekaterina Minaeva © 123RF.com, Hotel Room, af8images © 123RF.com, Tithi Luadthong © 123RF.com, Vintage House Bicycle,
The post The 8 Best At-Home Workout Routines: The Ultimate Guide for Training Without a Gym first appeared on Nerd Fitness.
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There’s an argument in the fitness world that you can either choose to lose fat OR gain muscle.
That they just can’t be done simultaneously.
To this, I say, “Hogwash!”
We have tons of success stories from our online coaching clients who have been able to do both simultaneously:
And that’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide!
We’ll do so by discussing:
Plus, I have tons of sweet LEGO photos and silly gifs on their way, which is always a good time.
As Coach Matt mentions in the video above, gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously is called “body recomposition.”
So yes, the process is indeed possible, as long as you follow the right plan.
…but you don’t have to take my word for it.
Just ask our friend Aksel here (who achieved an impressive body recomp with the help of a NF Coach):
Read more about his incredible story!
However, as I mentioned in the intro, you’ll often hear that losing fat while gaining muscle is impossible. The argument goes that you should just focus on one or the other, because doing both at once is destined to fail.
Let’s explore this claim.
To understand why losing fat while gaining muscle can be problematic, we need to explore both processes.
Let’s consider the following points:
To lose fat, your body needs to be in a caloric deficit. This deficit forces your body to use pre-existing fat stores for fuel.
To gain muscle, your body needs to be in a caloric surplus. This surplus provides the energy your body requires to repair and build bigger muscles.
Given this, losing fat (caloric deficit) at the same time one is gaining muscle (caloric surplus) seems impossible.
However, if we go a few steps deeper into the science, it IS possible!
To appreciate the nuance here, let’s get into some specifics on losing fat and gaining muscle separately, and then we’ll combine them.
There is a simple answer and a slightly less simple answer when it comes to losing body fat.
The simple answer: “consume fewer calories than you expend or burn.”[1]
Eight words, and one or two of those could probably be thrown out.
When your body needs more calories than the amount you are eating, you are in a “caloric deficit.” Your body doesn’t have the calories it needs as fuel, so it’ll start breaking down parts of itself for its energy requirements.
(If you’re curious, you can calculate your daily caloric needs here).
The hope is that your body will mostly pull from fat stores, though depending on how you are training it will also break down muscle too.[2]
Said again: when you are eating a caloric deficit, your body will pull from both its fat stores AND existing muscle for energy.
Troubling indeed.
From a physique and health standpoint, obviously we’d prefer that your body doesn’t break down muscle when in a caloric deficit, and instead really focuses on using fat stores instead.[3]
I make this point for a reason: your goal in fitness shouldn’t only be “weight loss,” despite the common vernacular used.
Who cares what the scale says, right?
The goal instead is to reduce body fat while also keeping the muscle you have (or even building more muscle).
That leads to a better physique and a healthier body.
This is why there is a big market for devices that supposedly assess your body fat percentage.
By reducing your total fat on your body, OR increasing muscle mass, you’ll end up with a lower body fat percentage (it’s just a simple ratio of fat to everything else).
And lower body fat percentages are where “toned arms” and “6-pack abs” hang out.
We’ll discuss tips on keeping and growing your muscle while in a calorie deficit later in this guide. For now, remember you need fewer calories “in” compared to calories “out” for weight loss to occur, from either fat stores or muscle.
You may be asking, “Steve, what’s easier to do? Burn more calories or consume less?”
Good question.
Numbers will help tell the story: though this is a gross oversimplification – let’s use the ‘widely accepted’ starting point of “3,500 calories equals roughly one pound of fat.”[4]
If you want to lose one pound – or half a kilogram – of body fat in a week (a worthy, sustainable goal for some), you need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day.
Your options to create this caloric deficit include:
Which is easier?
Here are both halves of that equation. 500 calories equals:
Yep.
When it comes to maintaining a caloric deficit, it really comes down to diet.
It’s significantly more effective and time-efficient to consume 500 fewer calories than it is to burn 500 additional calories.
As Time magazine controversially pointed out – with tons of cited studies – “exercise alone won’t make you thin.” It’s too easy to add more calories in, and requires too much work to effectively influence “calories out.”
We dig into this in our guide to The CICO Diet.
This brings us to our slightly less simple answer on getting in shape:
To lose body fat, you need to watch what you eat, and do so in a sustainable way.
Here at Nerd Fitness, we are firm believers that 80-90% of the fat-loss equation comes down to diet (check out Rule # 4).
Here’s another idea we focus on: EAT MOSTLY UNPROCESSED FOOD.[5]
Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts are all great examples.
These foods are very nutrient-dense and often low in calories compared to their processed counterparts. Which means you get filled up without overeating.
Win-win-win.
Have you ever seen the difference between 200 calories of broccoli and 200 calories of a bagel? WiseGEEK does a great job of displaying this, so we’ll borrow a couple of their photos.
200 calories of broccoli:
200 calories of a bagel:
That’s why REAL food is the answer to creating a sustainable caloric deficit.
Most people can eat an entire bagel, no problem. Plates of broccoli, with all of the fiber, are much tougher to overeat.
We lay it all out in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating. It’ll provide tips on how to gradually create habits that get you to a “REAL food” way of eating, including proper portion sizes, tips on batch cooking, and a cameo from Winnie the Pooh.
With all of this, we advise you to take it slow, so new habits of healthy eating become permanent.
Something you can do for the rest of your life.
It’s a strategy we work closely with our coaching clients on: small nutritional adjustments they feel comfortable making. It’s how some of them have been able to lose 50-100 pounds!
Let me explain again: what you eat will be 80%-90% of the equation for losing body fat.
The other 10-20%? Exercise.
Of course it’s exercise.
That’s a pretty good segue into…
If you want to build muscle, you’ll have to lift heavy things and ensure that your body has enough calories and protein to adapt by building more muscle.
In our Beginner’s Guide to Building Muscle and Strength, I summarize it as follows:
Let’s chat about each one quickly.
I will always be on Team Strength Training. If you’re looking to build muscle, you’re gonna need to lift heavy things.
When you lift an object (or your own bodyweight) enough times, your muscles reach the point of failure. This causes your muscles to tear and breakdown.
When your muscle rebuilds itself following the workout, it’ll be bigger and stronger than before. Then you do it again.
And again.
And again.
As long as you are eating enough to rebuild your muscle, you’ll get stronger!
Not sure where to start on a Strength Training practice? No problem! You can download our free guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know when you join the Rebellion (our free community) below:
Because your muscle needs to be rebuilt after exercise, the calories are gonna need to come from somewhere. I’ll talk a lot about proper diet in the next section (with a Harry Potter analogy), so I won’t spend too much time on it here.
Just know that eating the right quantity of foods will be a big part of gaining muscle.
Your body rebuilds itself while you sleep, so make sure you get plenty of rest each night. I’m talking 7-8+ hours. This will help ensure your body has the time it needs to grow stronger.
If you’re strength training and only getting 6 hours of sleep a night or less, you’re really doing yourself a disservice. Go to bed!
That’s the short gist of how to build strength: challenge your muscles, eat well, and get some rest.
Let’s narrow in on our second point, “Eat a diet based on your goals.” It’ll become very important when balancing both losing body fat and gaining muscle.
To do that properly, grab your owl, and let’s chat about Hogwarts.
To answer the question of losing body fat and gaining muscle at the same time, I’d like to introduce an analogy from the world of Harry Potter.
Recall the “Sorting Hat:” The Sorting Hat’s job was to determine which of the four houses kids will call their home.
It’s almost like a traffic director: “Harry, you will go to Gryffindor! Draco, you will go to Slytherin!”
Your body operates on a VERY similar operation: every day it receives new calories (when you eat), and it needs to decide what to do with them!
For example:
You eat a chicken parm sub with fries and a 20-ounce soda. Your body then has to know where to route all those calories.
To keep things simple, it has three choices. It’ll sort those calories into one of three houses:[6]
A. Burn for Fuel.
B. Rebuild Muscle.
C. Store as Fat.
Right now, when you eat food, your body sorts most of those calories into “Burn for Fuel.”
There’s a number of calories your body needs each day just existing: to keep your liver functioning, your heart pumping, your brain operating, to regulate your body temperature, and so on – it burns a good chunk of calories just keeping the lights on.
This is your “Basal Metabolic Rate” which you can calculate for yourself in our TDEE calculator.
There’s also “B. Rebuild as Muscle” and “C. Store as Fat,” which I devoted entire sections to above.
This is where the problems arise: When you overeat calories and your body doesn’t need anymore to fuel itself, it takes those extra calories and stores them as fat.
However, our goal is the OPPOSITE of this.
We want to keep the muscle we have (or grow it) while getting rid of the fat!
So let’s imagine a scenario where we pull all this together by strength training heavy AND reducing our caloric intake:
Does your body just shut down?
NOPE!
Your body has been preparing for this, by storing any excess calories over the years in the “Store as Fat” house.
This means your body can pull from “Store as Fat” to make sure all the work still gets done, including your daily functions as a human and rebuilding the muscle you tore apart.
Said another way:
If you have fat stores (and we all do), you do not need to be in a “caloric surplus” to rebuild muscle. The calories stored in your fat cells act as this required energy.
There is also evidence that muscle can even be grown while in a caloric deficit.[7]
Meaning bigger muscles with a lower belt size.[8]
However, if you want to skip all the experimentation and trial and error, you can have a Nerd Fitness Coach do all the heavy lifting for you (not really, you’ll still need to work out).
Let’s bring this all together and create some actionable steps to losing body fat and building muscle at the same time.
You need your body to burn more calories than you consume, and also provide your body with enough protein to rebuild its muscle.
You can only lose fat if you’re in a calorie deficit.
Remember the Sorting Hat analogy:
If you’re eating too much, your excess calories are being sent to the “Store as Fat” house.
We want to pull from this house instead. So eat less than you burn consistently.
To help here, I have 3 resources for you:
You don’t have to follow some predetermined blueprint like “low-carb.” You can create your own diet (which is what I do). Learn all about it right here.
If you could sell a pill that could be prescribed to every single person on Earth to make them healthier, it would look something like a strength training routine in a bottle.
It is one of the best things you can do for your body.[9]
And really, if you want to build muscle, you’re gonna need to lift something! Either weights or your own bodyweight.
You need to challenge your muscles in order for them to get stronger. Now, as we discuss in our article on the correct number of reps and sets, there are multiple ways to do so.
To build muscle:
Lift lighter weights for lots of reps.
Lift really heavy with fewer reps.
The important thing: pick a strategy and get started.
Here are 3 paths forward:
To recap: if you train heavy and eat a caloric deficit, your body will pull from its fat stores to both fuel itself and potentially also build muscle. This is a double whammy of AWESOME.
Outside of being in a caloric deficit and lifting weights (or yourself), eating enough protein is one of the key components of both losing body fat and building muscle.
Protein is the number one nutrient for creating new tissue.[10]
So when you cut out calories to create a caloric deficit, don’t cut them from protein sources.
Studies have shown that participants can gain muscle, even while in a caloric deficit, as long as they eat enough protein.[11]
It’s important enough that I’ll say it again:
If you don’t want your body cannibalizing its muscles while you are in a caloric deficit, you need to eat plenty of protein.[12]
How much protein?
As we point out in our Guide to Protein, roughly 1 gram for every pound of your weight, with an upper limit of 250 grams.[13] Or two grams for every kilogram if you are on the metric system. This means:
The gist: don’t skip out on protein. It should be on your plate for every meal (we’ll show you exactly how much in the next section).
If these generalized recommendations stress you out, and you want to know exactly what to do, we can help!
I’ll remind you of Nerd Fitness Coaching, where we help clients lose body fat, gain muscle, and level up their lives. We provide tailored and specific recommendations based on your body and lifestyle, plus accountability and mindset changes to help ensure your new habits stick.
Remember, your eating strategy needs to include two points to lose fat while gaining muscle:
You may be thinking, “That’s all well and good Steve, but what’s that actually look like?”
It looks like this!
Taken from our Guide to Start Eating Healthy, which I really want you to read.
The plate is composed of the following:
By sticking to our Healthy Plate strategy above, you’ll focus on “REAL food,” which will help you maintain a caloric deficit over time.
Let’s hone in on protein for a moment, because it’s the critical piece for “building muscle.”
Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
Not a meat-eater? Read our massive plant-based guide!
A serving of protein is about the size and thickness of your palm.
*The 4 oz serving is for an uncooked piece of meat. Cooking reduces about 25% of the weight, bringing it down to about 3 oz.
If you’re curious, here’s how much protein is in a serving of food:
While all of the Healthy Plate above is important, I want you to pay extra attention to your protein intake since we are trying to build muscle.
If you’re having trouble making your protein intake goals, check out our Guide on Protein Supplements for some tips and tricks to up your intake, including some awesome smoothie recipes.
This is the exact strategy I followed to lose 22 pounds and get to single-digit bodyfat percentage WHILE building muscle:
If you are NOT losing weight, it means you are still eating too many calories. Keep your protein intake high, and reduce your fat and carbohydrate intake.
I cover this in greater detail in our “why can’t I lose weight?” guide.
Eventually, you’ll reach a status where there just isn’t enough fat on you to help with “Rebuild Muscle.” At this stage, you can no longer stay with a caloric deficit. You’ll need to flip to a slight “caloric surplus” to build more muscle.
Which means you’ll have to eat more.
It’s debatable when this will actually occur, and we are all different. Reaching 8% body fat for men and 16% body fat for women is a good place to start.
I talk about this extensively in our guide “How to Build Muscle.”
It covers ways to increase your calories for muscle gain, from eating plentiful amounts of Paleo foods to drinking enough milk to make Santa Clause jealous.
Go check it out if you’ve been having trouble putting on muscle.
I want to stress that if you are lifting heavy, and not gaining muscle, diet is likely the culprit.
It was my problem for years, and I’ve seen it amongst countless readers of Nerd Fitness who have trouble gaining muscle.
If you want an expert who will tell you exactly when to eat more or less, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.
If you’re trying to improve something, it’s important to track it. This also holds true of body composition.
Most people do this by jumping on the scale. This can be “okay,” but it’s only going to tell part of the story.
If you’re building muscle while losing fat, the scale might not go down. You might even weigh more!
Despite weighing more, you could potentially have a better physique.
That’s why in addition to jumping on the scale, I would also encourage you to take progress photos.
Take front and side photos in your mirror, wearing underwear or a bathing suit. Each week, take new photos, and record the number on the scale under the same scenario. Two forms of tracking here allow us to get the full picture.
The scale sometimes lies!
If you eat for a caloric deficit, strength train, and prioritize protein, see what happens.
You may find yourself losing some fat and gaining muscle.
If not, track each category:
Data can help tell the story.
…I was thinking of detailed notes.
But an android would be helpful too.
Oftentimes if you’re not seeing desired results, notes and record-keeping can help point us in the direction to make adjustments.
Test your assumptions if things don’t appear to be on track. Here’s our Guide on Tracking Fitness Progress for you to learn more.
The tips outlined above will get you started losing fat while building muscle, but if you’re looking to go a bit further…
#1) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to lose weight, eat better, and get stronger, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:
#2) If you want an exact blueprint for getting in shape, 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) Enlist in the Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, 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:
Alright, I think that about does it for this guide.
Did I miss anything? Do you have any tips and tricks when it comes to shedding body fat and building muscle?
Share it with us!
-Steve,
PS: Make sure you read the rest of the articles in our “How to Lose Weight 101” Series!
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All photo sources are right here: Venting Off, Ekaterina Minaeva © 123RF.com, czgur © 123RF.com, morethanl8ve © 123RF.com, Константин Колосов © 123RF.com, Maxim Maksutov © 123RF.com, Julianna Funk © 123RF.com, jump
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