Do you have to invest much money in this sport if you want to get into working out? How much do you have to know about the body, and how flexible should you be?
I've recently become interested in weightlifting after lurking Veeky Forums for a while, so i asked my neighbour who is an old physiotherapist what i should be aware of before going to the gym. He said that it's very important to know the anatomy and function of the body so that i have good form and prevent injury. He also said that it's important that i increase my mobility after asking me to stretch, because I'm apperently very stiff, or else i wont be able to have good form. He also advised me to get non-weight strength training books if i wanted to work out when not in a gym environment.
And according to him, i also had to have resistance bands if i wanted to train my back for pulling myself up in the air. He also said that i had to train my grip strength if i wanted to be able to hold the weights when they get heavier.
Lastly he recommended me some home training equipment for days i was not going to go to the gym and supplements for increasing muscle growth. cont...
cont.. Last night i ordered all of the books, equipment and supplements that he gave me a recommended list off, and it wasn't to cheap.
The reason I'm asking you guys is because he doesn't go to the gym himself, he only knows stuff in theory. Does he know what he is talking about or is learning all of this stuff unneccesary?
How many of these books do i have to read before going to the gym? Many of them are over 400 pages so won't that take a while? I go to university so i can't really study the human body full time.
What books should i start with, which ones are the most important?
I kinda wanted to start working out this week, but is there a high chance i will injure my self then before reading these books?
How long did you guys prepare before heading for the gym for the first time? Did you really learn many of the muscles/tendons/ligaments before the first visit? That seems kinda extreme, doesn't it? How much should i know?
What exercises should i do and how often?
Dumping the rest of the stuff i ordered so you guys maybe can give some feedback on what i should prioritize and what i should wait with.
1/7
Ayden Carter
You need to read all of those books and then some before you even THINK of going into a gym, if you don't you're getting a fast ticket to snap city.
Tyler Ortiz
3/7
Grayson Evans
Please tell me this is trolling.
Josiah Allen
4/7
Yea i know i don't have to read exactly every single one of them before starting, but which ones are the most important?
Josiah Martin
>because I'm apperently very stiff Please elaborate how did he end up with that conclusion. And dont skip any detail.
Ayden Hall
5/7
Chase Thompson
>mfw somebody walks into the gymnasium without getting a PhD in exercise beforehand
Lincoln Martin
honestly none of them and all of them. Depends on the kind of person you are I guess. If you need to be spoonfed needless information then they will do you well, if you are the kind of person who can just research things as they become relevant (i,e. noticing certain lifts are lagging), while lifting at the same time then you just wasted a lot of money.
Isaac Cooper
>what is the internet >what are unlimited and free resources >what are PDFs >WHAT IS COMMON SENSE
Good fucking Lord.
Brayden Thompson
Do you guys have some kind of hidden forum culture rule I've missed, or why are you not discussing the topic presented?
6/7
Joseph Martinez
6/7
Isaac Russell
Thank you for answering my questions, very appreciated. I understand what you are saying, but which one do you recommend that i should start with? Or should i just go to the gym and experiment with their equipment?
7/7
Connor Roberts
>The reason I'm asking you guys is because he doesn't go to the gym himself, he only knows stuff in theory. >Does he know what he is talking about or is learning all of this stuff unneccesary? Don't take lifting advice from people who don't lift. You need ONE book to begin training, Starting Strength (3rd edition). It contains everything you need to start your fitness journey. Its purpose is for you to not have to read 50 different books on the human body and anatomy.
Yes you need to stretch and gain mobility. You'll discover this once you start lifting and gaining experience. You'll learn 10 times more in the gym than reading 10 books, and you'll instinctively start researching more once you get into it.
Also isn't 7 pounds for a ball a ripoff? I'm sure a sporting store has them for cheaper.
Zachary Hernandez
it's going to take you at least 4 years before you're knowledgeable enough to step foot in a gym. i just finished up my biomechanics dissertation in december, once the review board approves it i'll finally be able to go work out.
Logan Peterson
>He said that it's very important to know the anatomy and function of the body so that i have good form and prevent injury. Watch YouTube videos about good form for each exercise and practise them low weight before you feel that you are using the type of muscle connected to the exercise.
>He also said that it's important that i increase my mobility after asking me to stretch, because I'm apperently very stiff, or else i wont be able to have good form. Search yoga stretching for certain type of muscles or basic stretching exercises. Remember that this is not even a must. Keeping good form and not racking to much weight will do everything.
> He also advised me to get non-weight strength training books if i wanted to work out when not in a gym environment. Also YouTube videos and pdf books from russian library sites. Also search some infographics on this site. Make a infographic thread and get more. Doing this will eventually give you a link to the real fit sticky with 5gb of pdfs about anything fitness related.
>And according to him, i also had to have resistance bands if i wanted to train my back for pulling myself up in the air. He also said that i had to train my grip strength if i wanted to be able to hold the weights when they get heavier. Gloves are all you need. You're not a competing powerlifter so don't act like one
>Lastly he recommended me some home training equipment for days i was not going to go to the gym Dumbells, done
>supplements for increasing muscle growth Oats, protein powder maybe some magnesium, zinc and Omega-3. And a good diet is key to building good mass. For protein powder I suggest finding a local company that is building itself. I've gotten amazing deals of those kind of companies.
Josiah Carter
Dude cancel ALL this shit (except the vitamin D) and save your money. You don't need half of it, and the other half is usually found at your gym for FREE. Why the fuck would you buy like 10 grip trainers
Ryder Bennett
STOP!!!!!!!! go read starting strenght (dont buy it) eat a caloric surplus of like 500 - 800 and go to the gym, better spend that money on roids tbf
Cooper Lee
I would start going to the gym and start reading the calisthenics book or a mobility one, as you go you'll learn your body and what you need
Brody Jenkins
Can't make this shit up folks
Nicholas Turner
The fitness industry is absolutely full of charlatans that will tell you that you're massively dysfunctional (Becuase of our modern world!) and you need to buy their book or product in order to fix it.
The body adapts. It adapts to exercise. Occasionally, you may need to do some corrective exercises, but you can really only identify what you need to do after you've been in the gym for quite some time and found limitations.
This is a scam industry. This makes a lot of sense: It's an industry based around stuff that's free to do.
Brody Rodriguez
Its expensive if you buy retarded unnecessary books full of information that can be had for free online. Also gym costs money but worth it in the long run
Liam Rodriguez
ignore your gay ass therapist like you ignored the sticky you dumb fuck, and go read the sticky
Isaiah Parker
if you are actually not a troll, then you don't need any of that shit at all. Literally just read the fucking sticky, find some basic exercises to start working out, go to the gym, and do them. Its really not that fucking hard.
Benjamin Rivera
Oh yeah I forgot to say that you wasted a lot of money on shit If I were you cancel everything, only not the magnesium and vitamin d3. If you don't care about spending money Start with 27kg captains of crush and work your way up and lastly the stretching bible.
>my neighbour who is an old physiotherapist These people only work with people who went to snap city (fucked up their form to the point they got injuries). It speaks for itself that he would put most of his advice and attention on safe training. However safe training is all about good form and not putting on weight you can't handle. A old powerlifter would tell you to start building start and work your way up to more specific training programs such as aesthetics, powerlifting
Chase Collins
Thank you so much for your answer.
>Watch YouTube videos about good form for each exercise and practise them low weight before you feel that you are using the type of muscle connected to the exercise. But all of these channels just make demos on youtube, and want you to pay for their programs on their website, do they not? Athleanx etc, are there any free ones out there?
>Remember that this is not even a must. Keeping good form and not racking to much weight will do everything. But i've gotten the impression that you get very stiff from adding muscle, like some dudes stop being able to put their shirt on? If that is not a must, how can he not be able to put a shirt on? I already have low back pain, wont it get worse if i don't stretch?
>Gloves are all you need. You're not a competing powerlifter so don't act like one. Ok, but how exactly will the gloves make me stronger? I mean muscle strength and hand strength is not the same thing?
Trying to cancell the amazon order, ebay orders can't be stopped though, damn i wish i didn't have done this.
Going to do this.
Got it, thanks guys.
Anthony Morales
To save money, I go to Home Depot and pick up bags of cement and other heavy objects. I take them to the check out counter and act like I don't have my credit card on me. I offer to put everything back for them.
It's more efficient than my last method, which was buying weights from WalMart and walking home with them. I do curls and lunges on ny journey home. I return them a day or two later, depending on how sore I am, and return them saying I don't like the color. Repeat with heavier weights.
Samuel Wood
>But all of these channels just make demos on youtube, and want you to pay for their programs on their website, do they not? yes but you need to get a program from the pic the person posted with all of these programs or a program from the sticky hes talking about watching videos for form instructions not for the programs the programs youtubers offer are stupid
Isaiah Price
u wont get stiff from adding muscle but if you have back pain then stretch do the mobility shit from the sticky
Leo Walker
>But all of these channels just make demos on youtube, and want you to pay for their programs on their website, do they not? Athleanx etc, are there any free ones out there? Hell yeah there are free ones out there. Let's take the benchpress exercise for example. >Search benchpress form on YouTube >Watch multiple videos >Practice in the gym at low weight Even if this doesn't work for you ask a random dude who is not wearing earbuds or doing an exercise if he can spot you and help you with the form.
>But i've gotten the impression that you get very stiff from adding muscle, like some dudes stop being able to put their shirt on? If that is not a must, how can he not be able to put a shirt on? I already have low back pain, wont it get worse if i don't stretch? Ofcourse stretching is important but the main thing is that you need to get your form right and find out what weight you are going to start with and get a good program. Becoming is stiff is something that happends to heavy lifters who never stretch. I myself stretch during my workouts because it decreases pain in my muscle. That's the only reason I stretch. Just do like 5min max of stretching at the end of your entire workout and you will be fine.
>Ok, but how exactly will the gloves make me stronger? I mean muscle strength and hand strength is not the same thing? Gloves will prevent your hands from hurting because I'm guessing your hands are not used to lifting heavy weight. Also it will prevent blisters forming on your hands, keeping your hands clean. Handstrength is not realy a must. It is a waste of time id say. Grip or hand training is just for your wrist to develop muscle so you won't end up with weak wrists wich will keep the weight of exercises where you use your wrists low, thereby losing potential mass.
pic related is how to place your hand when doing bench
Chase Thomas
ok thanks, I'm probobly going to do ICF 5x5 after reading the sticky, and watching youtube videos for form. But the mobility link in the sticky isn't working, do you have a working one?
>Do you have to invest much money in this sport if you want to get into working out?
All you need in the beginning is a gym membership which doesn't cost much. You buy stuff you feel you need as you progress. First thing you buy is shoes usually.
>How much do you have to know about the body, and how flexible should you be? >How long did you guys prepare before heading for the gym for the first time?
You shouldn't be plopping yourself at the gym and then starting to wonder what you should be doing and ending up getting spoonfed useless shit by incompetent trainers. Before you sign up for a gym, read a basic beginners guide to strength training, like the Starting Strength book. Think about what it is you want to achieve from training. Just get stronger? Just bigger muscles? Healthier? All-round fitness? Become able to do impressive movements? All of the above? Then research more if you need to learn how to train for your specific goal. If your goal is to get buff like most guys, then you'll be picking some beginner program.
Once you've picked your program you go the gym and figure out on your first where you'll be training and how stuff works there. On the first time you practice the technique you learned in theory and test what weight will be your starting point.
>Did you really learn many of the muscles/tendons/ligaments before the first visit? That seems kinda extreme, doesn't it? How much should i know?
No, I learned stuff as I went along mostly. The SS book does teach the most important basics on anatomy but it's really quite minimal. When I felt like I wanted to know something, I googled stuff and read things. Also, I do often browse fitness related stuff out of pure curiosity and learn stuff that I hadn't specifically set out to find.
