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Over 50 and fitness

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By *uitednbooted2 OP   Man  over a year ago

Berkshire

I’ve always kept myself fit, I play sport, I cycle I like to walk so that’s all good, but I am being told that at my age I should start to do more more weight bearing exercise. I don’t know where to start really ! Don’t want to injure myself by going too full on too soon.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"I’ve always kept myself fit, I play sport, I cycle I like to walk so that’s all good, but I am being told that at my age I should start to do more more weight bearing exercise. I don’t know where to start really ! Don’t want to injure myself by going too full on too soon. "

Start doing bodyweight exercises, you don't even need a gym or equipment to build muscle and tone up and you can apply the load for each workout by manipulating your body in different ways.

I follow athlean-x for my workouts and it also teaches you the mechanics behind muscle use, so you dont cause injuries by moving in the wrong ways. Athlean-x xero is the program to build muscle and tone through bodyweight exercises.

Jeff cavaliere who does youtube videos gives you all the info you need and demonstrates how to do each workout. Definitely worth a try

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"I’ve always kept myself fit, I play sport, I cycle I like to walk so that’s all good, but I am being told that at my age I should start to do more more weight bearing exercise. I don’t know where to start really ! Don’t want to injure myself by going too full on too soon. "

I'm sure others with more experience will also comment but my suggestions are a) learn to leave your ego at the door. Go lighter and slower than you think. Ignore the meat head swinging away and dropping weights. And b) get a PT to form check. Once you know how something feels you can do it without help. But it's not easy to tell that you aren't cheating.

Also say to start with do basic multi joint exercises. Squats, dealdlifts, bench press, pull ups and shoulder presses go a long way.

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By *otMe66Man  over a year ago

Terra Firma

Do you have Personal trainers in your area? They would probably be best placed to help and stop you from having that dreaded injury

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"I’ve always kept myself fit, I play sport, I cycle I like to walk so that’s all good, but I am being told that at my age I should start to do more more weight bearing exercise. I don’t know where to start really ! Don’t want to injure myself by going too full on too soon. "

A good coach/Trainer at a gym is a real bonus. I waited far to long to start exercising, and my coach has spent the last year building a sustainable, achievable, and most importantly, a safe program of progressive work. You don’t need a trainer for a long time, long enough to grasp the basics of form and tempo, etc.

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By *lairekTV/TS  over a year ago

Manchester

AthleanX is good

But, there are lots of options on YouTube, take your time, browse through, and find a channel you can relate to

I follow a husband/wife on YT.

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By *uitednbooted2 OP   Man  over a year ago

Berkshire


"Do you have Personal trainers in your area? They would probably be best placed to help and stop you from having that dreaded injury "

Yes I had thought about going down that route. It’s quite expensive though

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"AthleanX is good

But, there are lots of options on YouTube, take your time, browse through, and find a channel you can relate to

I follow a husband/wife on YT."

Would that be jeff nippard?

Though the OP does need to be cautious about who he follows, im not saying most PTs on youtube are bad but some of them may not give the best advice. That especially goes for who he chooses for a PT to help him train out in the real world cos a lot of them do it for the lifestyle choice and dont have the best knowledge, just passable knowledge to qualify as one.

Id stay away from any PT who wants me to do planks

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"I’ve always kept myself fit, I play sport, I cycle I like to walk so that’s all good, but I am being told that at my age I should start to do more more weight bearing exercise. I don’t know where to start really ! Don’t want to injure myself by going too full on too soon.

Start doing bodyweight exercises, you don't even need a gym or equipment to build muscle and tone up and you can apply the load for each workout by manipulating your body in different ways.

I follow athlean-x for my workouts and it also teaches you the mechanics behind muscle use, so you dont cause injuries by moving in the wrong ways. Athlean-x xero is the program to build muscle and tone through bodyweight exercises.

Jeff cavaliere who does youtube videos gives you all the info you need and demonstrates how to do each workout. Definitely worth a try"

I'm familiar with his vids. I mostly watch gravity transformation vids though

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"I'm familiar with his vids. I mostly watch gravity transformation vids though "

Definitely worth checking him out some more hes trained a shit ton of pro athletes from various sports

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By *lairekTV/TS  over a year ago

Manchester


"AthleanX is good

But, there are lots of options on YouTube, take your time, browse through, and find a channel you can relate to

I follow a husband/wife on YT.

Would that be jeff nippard?

Though the OP does need to be cautious about who he follows, im not saying most PTs on youtube are bad but some of them may not give the best advice. That especially goes for who he chooses for a PT to help him train out in the real world cos a lot of them do it for the lifestyle choice and dont have the best knowledge, just passable knowledge to qualify as one.

Id stay away from any PT who wants me to do planks"

No, for me it's a couple called Hasfit.

It's just light weight based cardio, even lighter given that I'm easing back after COVID.

I'm not saying to use X or Y.

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By *agertha73Couple  over a year ago

Cardiff

Starting Strength. Tells you what to do, and how to do it.

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By *annaBeStrongMan  over a year ago

wokingham

There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those

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By *uitednbooted2 OP   Man  over a year ago

Berkshire

Thanks mate that’s really useful

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

To add to thicc, do some research into muscle groups. Machines can be a bit too specific and so you can become inbalanced and that causes injuries. Eg men who focus on just the mirror muscles !

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By *annaBeStrongMan  over a year ago

wokingham


"To add to thicc, do some research into muscle groups. Machines can be a bit too specific and so you can become inbalanced and that causes injuries. Eg men who focus on just the mirror muscles !"

Exactly this, to make it easy try to do this

All the machines that do you legs, coz legs are important

1x machine where you push away from you (like a push up)

1x machine where you pull towards you

1x machine where you push something above your head

1x machine where you pull something from above (Like a pull-up)

A few arm machines

That hits everything equally. The typical ratio you want is every time you push something away from you, you want to pull something towards you too.

Pushing away = chest, shoulders, triceps

Pulling towards you = back (lats, traps) and biceps

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those "

Only issue i have with this is rep counting. It can be demoralising for beginners to start counting reps and not be able to meet those numbers, even if they drop the weight down.

For ppl wanting hypertrophy and to build their strength its best to do each workout until failure, meaning that last rep needs to be the heardest and most difficult one. If they dont have "ugly face" when they do that last rep they aint pushing themselves hard enough to make those gains.

Also when doing a set, if they do XX number of reps no problem they dont need to up the weight. Instead of counting reps, make each rep count. If you can bash out 30 press ups in 45 seconds, then you wont get the same benefit than if you did 15 timed reps in 60 seconds. Plus if a beginner is focusing on counting those reps then theyre not focusing on their form as they perform them.

And to add on top of that, to really make some gains the OP can do staggered workouts on a timer without rests and let muscle fatigue do the work. For example, bench sit squats, followed by normal squats, followed by jump squats, then jump onto upper body sets. He wouldnt even need to count reps.

At the end of the day training isnt about tracking how many reps you can do or the heaviest weights you can lift, its reworking that neuromuscular activity, training the muscle fibers and understanding how to manipulate your body through space to get the most out of your workout

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By *annaBeStrongMan  over a year ago

wokingham


"There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those

Only issue i have with this is rep counting. It can be demoralising for beginners to start counting reps and not be able to meet those numbers, even if they drop the weight down.

For ppl wanting hypertrophy and to build their strength its best to do each workout until failure, meaning that last rep needs to be the heardest and most difficult one. If they dont have "ugly face" when they do that last rep they aint pushing themselves hard enough to make those gains.

Also when doing a set, if they do XX number of reps no problem they dont need to up the weight. Instead of counting reps, make each rep count. If you can bash out 30 press ups in 45 seconds, then you wont get the same benefit than if you did 15 timed reps in 60 seconds. Plus if a beginner is focusing on counting those reps then theyre not focusing on their form as they perform them.

And to add on top of that, to really make some gains the OP can do staggered workouts on a timer without rests and let muscle fatigue do the work. For example, bench sit squats, followed by normal squats, followed by jump squats, then jump onto upper body sets. He wouldnt even need to count reps.

At the end of the day training isnt about tracking how many reps you can do or the heaviest weights you can lift, its reworking that neuromuscular activity, training the muscle fibers and understanding how to manipulate your body through space to get the most out of your workout"

Sadly the science doesn’t support your “every set to failure” theory

Sets the failure only increase hypertrophy slightly but they increase overall fatigue massively.

The accepted advice is to take 1 set to slightly before failure.

Plus, asking a beginner to take most sets to “face crunching failure” is just silly. It’s asking for an injury because they don’t know how to regulate effort while maintaining form

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By *annaBeStrongMan  over a year ago

wokingham


"There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those

Only issue i have with this is rep counting. It can be demoralising for beginners to start counting reps and not be able to meet those numbers, even if they drop the weight down.

For ppl wanting hypertrophy and to build their strength its best to do each workout until failure, meaning that last rep needs to be the heardest and most difficult one. If they dont have "ugly face" when they do that last rep they aint pushing themselves hard enough to make those gains.

Also when doing a set, if they do XX number of reps no problem they dont need to up the weight. Instead of counting reps, make each rep count. If you can bash out 30 press ups in 45 seconds, then you wont get the same benefit than if you did 15 timed reps in 60 seconds. Plus if a beginner is focusing on counting those reps then theyre not focusing on their form as they perform them.

And to add on top of that, to really make some gains the OP can do staggered workouts on a timer without rests and let muscle fatigue do the work. For example, bench sit squats, followed by normal squats, followed by jump squats, then jump onto upper body sets. He wouldnt even need to count reps.

At the end of the day training isnt about tracking how many reps you can do or the heaviest weights you can lift, its reworking that neuromuscular activity, training the muscle fibers and understanding how to manipulate your body through space to get the most out of your workout"

Overall I think the rest of your advice is sound, but read the room

He’s a beginner. Let’s not make it too complicated. A simple volume dependant intensity progression is ideal because it’s simple to follow

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

Like a lot of people I’d recommend Athlean, also get a good gym that won’t just look after your training but one that will also help with your nutrition.

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By *etcplCouple  over a year ago

Gapping Fanny

]I like The Bioneer’s content on youtube.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

I would also recommend Jeff Cavaliere (Athlean X). There's others I enjoy and learn from, but as you're in the beginner stages, Jeff's mechanical explanations of the movements will almost guarantee no injuries

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By *opsy RogersWoman  over a year ago

London

How about calisthenics? No need for a gym subscription and equipment.

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By *opsy RogersWoman  over a year ago

London


"There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those

Only issue i have with this is rep counting. It can be demoralising for beginners to start counting reps and not be able to meet those numbers, even if they drop the weight down.

For ppl wanting hypertrophy and to build their strength its best to do each workout until failure, meaning that last rep needs to be the heardest and most difficult one. If they dont have "ugly face" when they do that last rep they aint pushing themselves hard enough to make those gains.

Also when doing a set, if they do XX number of reps no problem they dont need to up the weight. Instead of counting reps, make each rep count. If you can bash out 30 press ups in 45 seconds, then you wont get the same benefit than if you did 15 timed reps in 60 seconds. Plus if a beginner is focusing on counting those reps then theyre not focusing on their form as they perform them.

And to add on top of that, to really make some gains the OP can do staggered workouts on a timer without rests and let muscle fatigue do the work. For example, bench sit squats, followed by normal squats, followed by jump squats, then jump onto upper body sets. He wouldnt even need to count reps.

At the end of the day training isnt about tracking how many reps you can do or the heaviest weights you can lift, its reworking that neuromuscular activity, training the muscle fibers and understanding how to manipulate your body through space to get the most out of your workout

Overall I think the rest of your advice is sound, but read the room

He’s a beginner. Let’s not make it too complicated. A simple volume dependant intensity progression is ideal because it’s simple to follow "

All that complicated formulae is exactly the reason I don't do any of it and will never enter a gym again.

OP, it doesn't need to be any more complicated than doing things that keep your body moving and your muscles strong.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those

Only issue i have with this is rep counting. It can be demoralising for beginners to start counting reps and not be able to meet those numbers, even if they drop the weight down.

For ppl wanting hypertrophy and to build their strength its best to do each workout until failure, meaning that last rep needs to be the heardest and most difficult one. If they dont have "ugly face" when they do that last rep they aint pushing themselves hard enough to make those gains.

Also when doing a set, if they do XX number of reps no problem they dont need to up the weight. Instead of counting reps, make each rep count. If you can bash out 30 press ups in 45 seconds, then you wont get the same benefit than if you did 15 timed reps in 60 seconds. Plus if a beginner is focusing on counting those reps then theyre not focusing on their form as they perform them.

And to add on top of that, to really make some gains the OP can do staggered workouts on a timer without rests and let muscle fatigue do the work. For example, bench sit squats, followed by normal squats, followed by jump squats, then jump onto upper body sets. He wouldnt even need to count reps.

At the end of the day training isnt about tracking how many reps you can do or the heaviest weights you can lift, its reworking that neuromuscular activity, training the muscle fibers and understanding how to manipulate your body through space to get the most out of your workout

Overall I think the rest of your advice is sound, but read the room

He’s a beginner. Let’s not make it too complicated. A simple volume dependant intensity progression is ideal because it’s simple to follow "

Read the room? Sorry but im also including my own experiences with fitness training as i was a beginner too, along with what ive learned from lessons given by PTs who they themselves say that muscle fatigue is a necessary part of muscle growth.

I made more gains without injury by applying the methods i described, more than i did before when i was just working out without doing the research first. (Granted there were other factors that limited my gains like nutrition and proper rest cycles)

Im not saying rep counting is totally wrong but it shouldnt be a target or basis for a workout, even for beginners. As i said, I was a beginner too and made more gains taking eat set to failure than when i was simply counting reps.

Theres plenty documentation out there and many PTs who say that to properly build muscle, you need to train those muscles to fatigue. Otherwise the progress a beginner will make will be too slow for them to build that momentum and discipline, and its well known that when beginners start out, often lose the drive to keep going if they dont see that progress being made, especially if they start to plateau in the muscle growth

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By *opsy RogersWoman  over a year ago

London


"There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those

Only issue i have with this is rep counting. It can be demoralising for beginners to start counting reps and not be able to meet those numbers, even if they drop the weight down.

For ppl wanting hypertrophy and to build their strength its best to do each workout until failure, meaning that last rep needs to be the heardest and most difficult one. If they dont have "ugly face" when they do that last rep they aint pushing themselves hard enough to make those gains.

Also when doing a set, if they do XX number of reps no problem they dont need to up the weight. Instead of counting reps, make each rep count. If you can bash out 30 press ups in 45 seconds, then you wont get the same benefit than if you did 15 timed reps in 60 seconds. Plus if a beginner is focusing on counting those reps then theyre not focusing on their form as they perform them.

And to add on top of that, to really make some gains the OP can do staggered workouts on a timer without rests and let muscle fatigue do the work. For example, bench sit squats, followed by normal squats, followed by jump squats, then jump onto upper body sets. He wouldnt even need to count reps.

At the end of the day training isnt about tracking how many reps you can do or the heaviest weights you can lift, its reworking that neuromuscular activity, training the muscle fibers and understanding how to manipulate your body through space to get the most out of your workout

Overall I think the rest of your advice is sound, but read the room

He’s a beginner. Let’s not make it too complicated. A simple volume dependant intensity progression is ideal because it’s simple to follow

Read the room? Sorry but im also including my own experiences with fitness training as i was a beginner too, along with what ive learned from lessons given by PTs who they themselves say that muscle fatigue is a necessary part of muscle growth.

I made more gains without injury by applying the methods i described, more than i did before when i was just working out without doing the research first. (Granted there were other factors that limited my gains like nutrition and proper rest cycles)

Im not saying rep counting is totally wrong but it shouldnt be a target or basis for a workout, even for beginners. As i said, I was a beginner too and made more gains taking eat set to failure than when i was simply counting reps.

Theres plenty documentation out there and many PTs who say that to properly build muscle, you need to train those muscles to fatigue. Otherwise the progress a beginner will make will be too slow for them to build that momentum and discipline, and its well known that when beginners start out, often lose the drive to keep going if they dont see that progress being made, especially if they start to plateau in the muscle growth"

He said weight bearing, not weight lifting or gaining muscle.

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By *annaBeStrongMan  over a year ago

wokingham


"There’s nothing wrong as a beginner going to the gym and just doing all the weight machines. They should all have instructions on them with how to use them and if not an instructor will be around to show you.

Just do all of them. As a beginner there’s no need to be picky.

Pick a weight and do the following

4 sets of 12 reps. So 12 reps, rest 90-120 seconds, another 12, repeat until you’ve done 4 sets

On the 5th set do as many reps as you can with good form, controlled reps. If you get over 15 reps, add weight next time, if you get 10-12 reps, stay where you are. And if on any sets you get less then 10 reps the weight is too heavy, drop back down.

Resistance exercise is extremely important ad you age, arguably more than cardio, as by developing strength you reduce the chance of you falling, and resistance training increases bone density, which means it you do fall your far less likely to seriously hurt yourself

You’d be surprised how many older people fall because they weren’t strong enough to catch themselves, then break a leg or hip because their bones were weak. Resistance training can prevent both of those

Only issue i have with this is rep counting. It can be demoralising for beginners to start counting reps and not be able to meet those numbers, even if they drop the weight down.

For ppl wanting hypertrophy and to build their strength its best to do each workout until failure, meaning that last rep needs to be the heardest and most difficult one. If they dont have "ugly face" when they do that last rep they aint pushing themselves hard enough to make those gains.

Also when doing a set, if they do XX number of reps no problem they dont need to up the weight. Instead of counting reps, make each rep count. If you can bash out 30 press ups in 45 seconds, then you wont get the same benefit than if you did 15 timed reps in 60 seconds. Plus if a beginner is focusing on counting those reps then theyre not focusing on their form as they perform them.

And to add on top of that, to really make some gains the OP can do staggered workouts on a timer without rests and let muscle fatigue do the work. For example, bench sit squats, followed by normal squats, followed by jump squats, then jump onto upper body sets. He wouldnt even need to count reps.

At the end of the day training isnt about tracking how many reps you can do or the heaviest weights you can lift, its reworking that neuromuscular activity, training the muscle fibers and understanding how to manipulate your body through space to get the most out of your workout

Overall I think the rest of your advice is sound, but read the room

He’s a beginner. Let’s not make it too complicated. A simple volume dependant intensity progression is ideal because it’s simple to follow

All that complicated formulae is exactly the reason I don't do any of it and will never enter a gym again.

OP, it doesn't need to be any more complicated than doing things that keep your body moving and your muscles strong."

I think “I dunno what to do” is the biggest many don’t go to the gym. People want to make the perfect the enemy of the good

Are there fancy training ideas and complicated systems that will give you better results? Sure

Will you actually turn up if you don’t understand them? Probably not

That’s why I suggest an “over X reps? Add weight” method. It’s easy to follow, simple to track, and it’s very understandable.

I could get fancy and tell you we’re going to do a “volume dependant intensity progression based routine”

Or I could say “if you get over 15 reps add weight”

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By *uitednbooted2 OP   Man  over a year ago

Berkshire

Tbh I need something simple and straight forward to start with

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

I have noticed that some very important things you need to consider havent been mentioned yet.

Nutrition

And rest

Both of those are extremely important components to becoming fitter and stronger

Follow a specific nutrition plan, eating the right foods can aid in muscle growth and allow your body to function more efficiently during and between workouts. You need to understand your body type to get an idea where to start with your nutrition. Theres a guide you can follow to determine if youre ectomorphic, endomorphic, or mesomorphic. Those three body types will help you understand which category you fall into and how your metabolism works, so you can start to build a nutritional plan for yourself. Try stick to it but dont let yourself get tired of it, sometimes the odd cheat meal can help keep yor motivation up.

Rest is also vital as itll allow your body to properly repair itself after workouts. Sleep deprivation can seriously impact the progress you make and leave you too fatigued for your following workout.

Its does sound daunting at first with all this information thrown at you but thats part and parcel of the whole experience as a beginner, and believe me weve all been there. For the most part focus on building up each aspect bit by bit as you go. Dont try to to master everything on the get go, it takes time and discipline to work everything into your routine

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By *annaBeStrongMan  over a year ago

wokingham


"Tbh I need something simple and straight forward to start with "

Full body 3x a week

Go in and hit every machine in there following the 4 sets of 12, 1 set all out, if your get 15+ add weight next time.

If this takes too long do less sets or maybe skip a few machines you don’t like. Just make sure you hit all the basic movements

Use your legs to push something away (squat)

Push something away from your chest

Pull something towards your chest

Push something over head

Pull something overhead down towards you

And some arms coz girls like arms

If you fancy it, make it a mission to slowly try new exercises using the dumbbells/barbells and basically just copy machines

The machine where you push something above you?

Grab a few dumbbells, sit down and press them over head. That’s a “seated dumbbell over head press (OHP)”

Do these at your own pace, as you feel confident, and don’t be afraid to either

Ask advice from a trainer

Look online for advice

Ask someone at the gym that’s doing an exercise you want to learn

Overall stay safe, keep it simple and remember, your not trying to win MR Olympia. Your just trying to stay in shape

Good luck bro

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"Tbh I need something simple and straight forward to start with "

If you really need to start simple, and i mean really simple, designate the best time of day for your workout, ideally part way through the day, wait at least an hour before and after eating.

Press ups (you can do these starting out on your knees to make it easier)

Simple squats (you dont need to go too far down, just far enough for your hips to be in line with your knees)

Those are the 2 most basic workouts you can do without the need for a gym or equipment. Then you can start adding more variations to train different parts of your body once you become more confident, and when you feel ready to hit the gym

But even when youre starting basic, remember to eat right and get plenty rest, those are more important than any workout

Good luck anyway, you can do it

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

One thing I started at the beginning of lockdown is, I have a backpack full of bottles of water, weighs about 2 stone. I put it in and walk about 3 miles most days, works the whole body and is good gif stamina as well. Otherwise press ups are as good as they are said to be in my experience

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By *uitednbooted2 OP   Man  over a year ago

Berkshire


"Tbh I need something simple and straight forward to start with

Full body 3x a week

Go in and hit every machine in there following the 4 sets of 12, 1 set all out, if your get 15+ add weight next time.

If this takes too long do less sets or maybe skip a few machines you don’t like. Just make sure you hit all the basic movements

Use your legs to push something away (squat)

Push something away from your chest

Pull something towards your chest

Push something over head

Pull something overhead down towards you

And some arms coz girls like arms

If you fancy it, make it a mission to slowly try new exercises using the dumbbells/barbells and basically just copy machines

The machine where you push something above you?

Grab a few dumbbells, sit down and press them over head. That’s a “seated dumbbell over head press (OHP)”

Do these at your own pace, as you feel confident, and don’t be afraid to either

Ask advice from a trainer

Look online for advice

Ask someone at the gym that’s doing an exercise you want to learn

Overall stay safe, keep it simple and remember, your not trying to win MR Olympia. Your just trying to stay in shape

Good luck bro "

How long should my session be at the start?

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By *annaBeStrongMan  over a year ago

wokingham


"Tbh I need something simple and straight forward to start with

Full body 3x a week

Go in and hit every machine in there following the 4 sets of 12, 1 set all out, if your get 15+ add weight next time.

If this takes too long do less sets or maybe skip a few machines you don’t like. Just make sure you hit all the basic movements

Use your legs to push something away (squat)

Push something away from your chest

Pull something towards your chest

Push something over head

Pull something overhead down towards you

And some arms coz girls like arms

If you fancy it, make it a mission to slowly try new exercises using the dumbbells/barbells and basically just copy machines

The machine where you push something above you?

Grab a few dumbbells, sit down and press them over head. That’s a “seated dumbbell over head press (OHP)”

Do these at your own pace, as you feel confident, and don’t be afraid to either

Ask advice from a trainer

Look online for advice

Ask someone at the gym that’s doing an exercise you want to learn

Overall stay safe, keep it simple and remember, your not trying to win MR Olympia. Your just trying to stay in shape

Good luck bro

How long should my session be at the start?"

As long as you want it to be. Typically your looking at about an hour, but as long as your not taking 2 hours your fine. And even if you do take 2 hours, as long as your feeling ok and your happy with taking 2 hours, go for it.

Typically though. 60-90 minutes is a good place to be

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