Starting to work out...

[shizzler6]

That moment when you look in the mirror and realize you could use a little muscle....

For all you folks out there who work out, how did you start out, in terms a newbie would understand.

What workouts did you start with? How did you find motivation?

[blaaaahblah]

Well.....

1st: you need to LOVE the body you're in. Don't look at the flaws, look at the advantages. Most people who hate their body never lose the weight. Seriously.

2nd: Set a date on your calendar for your goal weight or for your "muscle size".

3rd: it takes well over a week to get into a routine so try and stick with it for 2 weeks and it will be a breeze.

4th: eat smaller proportions. Try and have 50% of your meals be raw. So more *uncooked* fruits and veggies(: also, cut back on soda and the sweets. Chew sugar free gum!

5th: cardio! Take a walk around your neighborhood while listening to some tunes!:D

6th: get a gym membership or get some weights and just do different exercises.

Good luck! And the Key component in losing weight and gaining muscle is your mind! Put positive energy into the universe and you shall receive positive effects. :)

[LGCALI]

That moment when you look in the mirror and realize you could use a little muscle....

For all you folks out there who work out, how did you start out, in terms a newbie would understand.

What workouts did you start with? How did you find motivation?

Some of the answer to "how to start" depends on whether you're working out at home with free weights, or at a gym where you'll have access to a variety of machines AND free weights.

A P.E. teacher should be able to give some good guidance on how to get started. There are also books and websites with training programs for all levels from beginner to bodybuilder.

As for motivation, I found, and many other people who work out, have told me that after they started and were working out on a regular basis, the progress they made really motivated them. I also find that the feeling of well being I get from working out (men produce more testosterone when we work out, it gives me a good feeing)...anyway, if I skip too many days, my body starts to miss that feeling. It's kind of hard to explain, but ask others who work out.

Speaking of others, having someone to lift with is one of the best motivators out there.

As for specific exercises: first and foremost DO NOT just throw a bunch of iron on a bar, or machine, and start trying to lift it.

Most guys will tell you that the large muscle groups are the ones they want to work on first.... Arms, shoulders, biceps and triceps; chest, pecs; abs OF COURSE; legs, quads, calves.; back. Look up excercises for those muscle groups.

Choose a weight that you can lift about ten times before your muscle just won't lift it again. The individual lifts of the weight are called 'reps'. The total number of lifts is called a set.

Rest at least a full minute or more. Then do another 'set' of ten 'reps.'. Three sets of ten reps for each exercise, is plenty to begin with. If you get serious, you'll work on different muscle groups on different days, and maybe even throw in days where you do mostly 'cardio' : running, stair master, bike, etc.

DON'T TRY TO BECOME "HE-MAN' ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE STILL IN PUBERTY, AND THUS, STILL GROWING. YOU COULD INJURE YOURSELF.

Good luck.

[Wakesetter03]

A lot of people dont have the commitment to properly work out. Try and make it enjoyable and keep at it, once it's a part of your routine it will be easy. Here's a copy of my routine:

Well first of all - cardio. Fitness is key. Run, swim etc. Lots.
Two: Execises:
Crunches
Sit Ups (Up Down, Side to Side)
Push Ups (Cause abs with skinny arms looks funny)

Then a medicine ball with the right excercises done on it will help a lot too.
You need to be dedicated, and it will take a long time.

I have been working on getting my abs back after I regained my swimmers build last season.
I try to work out 4-5 times a week.
My workouts consist of:
Jogging 5 km (Every second work out)
Sit Ups-50
Crunches-50
Side to side sit ups: 50
Push ups: 50
Then I do at least another five sets of 30 of the medicine ball.
Afterwards most of my muscles feel on fire, and all of my abdominals have been worked.
The nday after the work out for the first few weeks is a shocker, but I've been doing it for 3 weeks now and see results.
Along with these, I do other physical activity, such as bike riding, and playing sports.

Hope I helped.

[zelda98]

no o don't work out but i probable should to gain some muscle

[Gogeta]

I love how i look now and the only reson i started working out is cos i was bored one day and got ahold of my dad weights
and now i cant help myself i am always going for runs and lifting weights
now that i am obsessed with it, it just gives me time to think

[mac42]

Running is a great way to start. Work your way up and do not go all out at first, you'll be amazed at how much you'll improve. At the end do push up and crunches. I do 50 push ups and 200 crunches each day. (again, i had to work my way up.)

A good way to get into a routine is to do a TV workout. Then on rainy days, you dont have excuse to skip. Do some research on a program that suits you!

[shizzler6]

Thanks to all!!! Very helpful!

[GabAngel06]

Every person has his own uniqueness and creativity in almost everything he does.

Well, I started working out with a few push-ups - more like ten (10), a few sit-ups - more like ten to twenty (10-20) then, I started watching instructional fitness exercise videos on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com). Sometimes, I try using gym equipment to help me in my work out but, often, I just do the normal "push-ups-and-sit-ups" routine to help me maintain my body definition.