So since the last 2 days, I’ve been building the courage up to start doing exercises. I’m starting with weights that were just collecting dust so thought “hell why not, never too late to start getting fit”
Now I’m being realistic knowing that starting off you’re not gonna be shredded like a wrestler but I’m just tryna get leaner and fitter body wise.
Is it reasonable for absolute novices to never go to the gym for their exercise and fitness journey? I feel like would be saving some dosh even though I could be missing on some equipment they use there.
A penny for your thoughts?
For me, the effort of going somewhere to exercise is a big impediment, and I’m self-conscious exercising in front of people. The low barrier to start a daily workout wins, hands down.
Others find camaraderie just having other people involved in the same process, or really enjoy the variety of machines and options of a well-equipped facility.
You have to figure out which type of person you are. The most important thing is just to do something. (Unless you have specific, Jason Momoa-type goals in mind)
For me, the effort of going somewhere to exercise is a big impediment,
For most of my adult life I was the exact opposite: I needed somewhere to go as part of my routine. Now that my car’s been on loan to my mom and dad for a year, and I’m pretty sure I’m never getting it back, I had to get home equipment and adapt by necessity. Luckily I enjoy lifting, so it’s been less difficult to stay consistent than I expected.
21 days to form a habit.
2 days to unform it.Stick with what you’re doing for 6 weeks, then ask yourself this question again.
There’s no wrong answer. They key is to keep doing it.I could have a habit for 6 years and then not do it for like 3 days and never remember again.
During covid I built a home gym (power rack, barbell and plates) never having touched any of it before in my life, and built a wrestler’s physique. It is absolutely possible to go this route. The amount of information available online now is incredible, and in some ways you would be better off teaching yourself versus going to a personal trainer in the gym. They tend to baffle you with BS, and “manage” your program for you with all kinds of wacky exercises.
The recipe is deceptively simple. You don’t need a gym full of machines, a barbell at home can get you yoked. If you are interested in going this route let me know I can point you in the right direction
The best form of exercise for you is the form that you actually do consistently week after week. If this means working out at home, then that’s fine. Given that you’re not trying to break any records, this might just be fine for you.
I’ve done many different forms of working throughout the years, one of which was to work out at home/local outdoor gym. I did this because there were no gyms at what I considered to be a reasonable distance from home, and I considered that to be too much of an impediment to actually get the work done consistently.
I did get stronger from it, and used it as a part of losing weight, which I wanted on account of being overweight at that time.
I’ve since stopped doing that routine and moved to lifting weights at a gym, which I considered attainable since I moved to a place with gyms very close by. I did this because working out at home had basically reached a plateau as far as strength was concerned - lifting weights at a gym will get you stronger at a faster pace.
I think checking out the stuff that Hybrid Calisthenics does could be worthwhile for you. Do some stuff at home for now if that feels better for you, and then evaluate later on if it keeps working for you.
When it comes to exercise the struggle isn’t doing it, it’s finding a routine that works for you. That’s the key, figuring out something you can do and make a habit of it so it becomes routine, like brushing your teeth.
I bought a collapsible bench and hand weights in late 2024 so I could cut the gym membership from my budget, and I’ve been able to maintain my usual habit of lifting 3-4 times a week. The added benefit is that it’s nice not to have to deal with other people or wait for equipment. You can learn better ways to work out from professionals for free on Youtube, and you can add equipment to your home gym over time.
It’s definitely reasonable to be new and never go to a gym.
Very reasonable approach to start at home. You can get absolutely shredded doing just a small handful of body-weight resistance exercises: pushups, pull ups, squats, lunges, and maybe sprawls. That’s literally all you need. Add in some yoga or pilates routines occasionally to strengthen your core further, a ton of material for that on YouTube. Congrats on the big step of starting your fitness journey!
Go for it dude. I’ve been working out ny whole life and have never paid for a gym membership (I used the gym at college, then at my various apartments, and then when I got a house I set up a home gym). You can get an awesome workout in with nothing more than some free weights, a bench and a little creativity. You mention being a “total novice,” but I feel like most people that go to a gym are working out on their own anyways so unless you’re thinking of getting a personal trainer there’s really not much difference. If you have any questions about form just take a look on YouTube.
The other factor is, what will motivate you to exercise more? For me, it’s the convenience of knowing i can just walk into a room in my house and work out. Whereas I know some people that are more motivated by group exercise classes. So you’ll have to figure that out yourself.
Personally the home workout route never worked for me. I’m sure there are a ton of people that it has worked for but I need a routine. Having a set time to go to the gym without distraction is really what broke through.
It your looking for apps to track progress check out fitnotes for exercise tracking and OmNom Notes for diet tracking. Took me a while to find good non sleazy apps
https://www.bowflex.com/product/1090-adjustable-dumbbells/710000.html?adID=DOFG2BFEED1&gad_source=1
I have a set of these (I didn’t pay retail, got them cheap off Craigslist). Adjustable from 10 to 90 lbs and a bench press. With these 2 things, I can do most exercises from the comfort of my home. I have no gym membership, but stay in decent shape. At the end of the day, it’s all about your discipline and sticking to it. Imo it’s much easier and more convenient for me to just go to my garage to work out vs driving 15 mins to/ from. It’s not for everyone tho. Some people like the social aspects of a gym.
I got some of my equipment just by putting out an ask on my local Buy Nothing group. There are a lot of people out there with big dreams who buy stuff they never use are are happy to gift it if you’ll keep it out of a landfill.
Very true. Also, a lot of people went ape on home gym setups in 2020 with all the gyms closed. Some of those people are offloading the equipment now as they want more space for other things in the house, and you can get stuff significantly discounted.
I started with yoga and did it for over a year before I started going to the gym again. Fully doable
Honestly it makes me sound like a shill but the Apple Watch / fitness+ stuff has been incredibly helpful and motivating. I went from not doing anything to getting at least 30 mins a day after about 6 months. I work from home and am the primary caretaker of a toddler so getting to the gym hasn’t really been in the cards.
The real trick is sticking to it. But I promise it’s worth it for you and everyone in your circle. You can do it!!
Kettlebells! Kettlebells are a great tool to have for home workouts. You might want to start with a lighter one–even if you’ve worked out some, you can still wear yourself out with even a 35 lb. kettlebell.
Can someone reply to this comment with pointers or guides on high-protein vegan/vegetarian diets for reducing body fat?
Well, vegan foods with lots of proteins include: Beans, lentils, peas, nuts, peanuts, tofu, soy.
Personal favorites are red lentils (cook pretty quickly and don’t need to be soaked before) and pre-cooked white beans (I just have a jar of those in the fridge and will scoop a spoonful into all kinds of meals).Proteins are cool, because they stick around in your stomach for a while, but they’re bad at filling you up. For that, salads and veggies are the best. Sometimes, I’ll eat an entire bowl of salad, which is not a lot of calories, but still fills me up.
I would also recommend slowly changing your diet over. Your gut microbiota need time to adjust to a different diet. If you don’t give them that time, they can kill your will pretty effectively.
CaloriesIn - CaloriesOut = WeightChange
Fat forms using spare calories. Any diet that involves eating fewer calories than what you burn will reduce your body fat.
As long as you have that part right, you are free to add any other requirements on your diet you wish.
Realistically, people aren’t going to attain their goals trying to do a Twinkie CICO diet though, even though it might be theoretically possible.
I wish people would just move on from posting about CICO already, it’s long since outlived its usefulness as a concept
it’s long since outlived its usefulness as a concept
It is the critical basis on why all diets work. One can eat as healthy as they want, but if they eat more calories than they expend, they will gain weight. Tossing aside such a fundamental concept is fraught. Instead, build upon it.
OP wants to design a diet that has the following requirements: reduce body fat, vegan, high-protein. Vegan limits it to plants, and high-protein further limits it to things like beans and tofu. Now, OP needs to figure out how much beans and tofu he can eat to achieve his goal, and this is where calories in - calories out becomes critical. Eat the right amount and the diet works.
So my biggest tip, if you want to start out exercising make sure you have a clear goal. For me the goal is to feel good in my limbs and body, so I don’t have pains and aches and have more energy. For others it is looks or muscles or mental health or whatever.
If you know why you are doing something it is a lot easier to do. I think focus often ends up on the visible aspects like looking better or losing a little weigth but these goals will take a lot more commitment than just feeling good by exercising, so make sure you know what the goal is and that you are realistic about it.
For doing at home, you could start with easy yoga and some weights and a RUBBER BAND. Rubber bands are fucking awesome for at home exercise. Put it under your foot, around a doorknob… Whatever. Short jogs are underrated. Five minutes around the block is a good warmup.
Jog five minutes, do a yoga set 20-30 minutes (find on youtube for example, eventually design your own), then rubber band exercises for ten or so and done. That is a good exercise you can do at home in many different ways.
Yeah it’s definitely realistic. Look up some calisthenics workouts and they have harder variations when you get stronger. Also, don’t neglect your cardio. You might have to use your furniture for some workouts.
