Starting the gym for the first time.. HELP!

L

liveeid

0
I am currently 17 years old and at college. i am very skinny with twig-like small arms lol, but thats because im quite lanky (tall) i suppose. im looking at starting going to the gym its something i have wanted to do for months to get bigger in general, arms,chest,sholders, abs, but im not sure were to start or what any of the gym machines do. I haven't had the balls to go to the gym with these skinny arms of mine but now i just think go for it. the major problem is i need a plan/personal programme, im aware of sets and reps i just need to know how many of each to do on the different kinds of muscles; bicep,tricep etc. if anyone could help me build up a weekly plan that would be great im sorry if some of you don't understand me im from the UK :) thanks
 
Hello,
If you are joining Gym first time then you need know some certain things like using supporters while doing workout and do not lift heavy weight in the beginning. Have proper diet and shakes in routine...
 
When you join the gym you should be give a tour of the premises and a basic orientation to the proper use of the equipment. If you can afford it take the time to schedule 4-6 sessions with a personal trainer and ask them to just teach you the proper form for squats, dead lifts, ham/glute raises, bench press, push ups, pull ups, military press and crunches... do the first 3 exercises one day the other 5 the next then take a day off... rotate this for 6 weeks then reassess. Your biggest problem I am sure will be your ability to eat enough food to increase your muscle mass. You need to at least eat 3 meals a day and consume at least 2 snacks thruout the day every day. Working out only stimulates the muscles to grow, nutrition supplies the building blocks for the muscles to repair from your workout thereby getting bigger and stronger...
 
Hi liveid, I am so sorry to say that age 17 can't be considered to start with heavy workouts. This is a period for the hormone growth and the workouts may affect you very badly. So please don't worry and you can starts workouts by the help of personal trainer in any fitness school like Velocity Sports. Please avoid heavy workouts and fix fitness as goal rather than body building. You could start your heavy workout by the age of 18.
 
kiwiinmn said:
Your biggest problem I am sure will be your ability to eat enough food to increase your muscle mass. You need to at least eat 3 meals a day and consume at least 2 snacks thruout the day every day. Working out only stimulates the muscles to grow, nutrition supplies the building blocks for the muscles to repair from your workout thereby getting bigger and stronger...
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This. Being tall means you have to eat. Us tall guys(I'm 6'5) have a very hard time bulking up. When a guy that's 5'10 can put on 10lbs of muscle and look great, us tall guys can put on 10lbs of muscle and you'll never notice. Guys trying to put on muscle have a problem eating enough to begin with. That's even worse with tall guys. When I'm bulking, there are days that by the time I get to dinner, I have no desire to eat, at all. I'm coming to the end of a bulk right now, and I woke up this morning not wanting to eat, but I can tell you from personal experience, being tall and not eating enough is a heart breaker if you're trying to make size gains.
 
Regarding the eating thing. I am lucky, being a desk jocky I sit with a tub of food and shovel throughout the day. Not 3 meals a day with snacks, more like one meal a day with breaks.
I often joke about wanting to be able to eat in my sleep but on occasions I have thought I would really need to.
Metabolism is a killer too. Mine is incredibly fast, an advantage in many ways but makes me very inefficient regarding food and muscle gain. Even more so when you consider that muscle is burning energy while you are sat around doing nothing. This is why protein is important to build muscle but energy foods carbs and fats are important to keep it fed and stop it being catabolised (aka canabalised). I am consuming over 4,000 calories a day and really don't look like 4,000 calories a day work of person, but my bodyfat is consistant and weight has evened out again at 13 stones so I evidently am.
 
CrazyOldMan said:
Regarding the eating thing. I am lucky, being a desk jocky I sit with a tub of food and shovel throughout the day. Not 3 meals a day with snacks, more like one meal a day with breaks.
I often joke about wanting to be able to eat in my sleep but on occasions I have thought I would really need to.
Metabolism is a killer too. Mine is incredibly fast, an advantage in many ways but makes me very inefficient regarding food and muscle gain. Even more so when you consider that muscle is burning energy while you are sat around doing nothing. This is why protein is important to build muscle but energy foods carbs and fats are important to keep it fed and stop it being catabolised (aka canabalised). I am consuming over 4,000 calories a day and really don't look like 4,000 calories a day work of person, but my bodyfat is consistant and weight has evened out again at 13 stones so I evidently am.
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I spend 95% of my day at a desk too, and I should have a shovel next to me as well. I love it. Today I had 2 turkey sandwiches on wheat for breakfast(6am), the same thing again at 10am, but with three cups of milk and just now for lunch 1:30pm, I had a half a rack of ribs with 6 potato perogies. Can't wait to get in to lift today!
 
jimmy14 said:
Most of the time when you're first time in gym there is always a gym instructor that will surely help you,you just need to ask for their help and what set you need to do.In Helsinki some people who are really determine to have a muscle are asking help for some personal trainer which for me a very good idea but then if you don't have money to pay for it just look for a gym instructor they are same but gym instructor is free.
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Maybe in Helsinki you have "gym staff" there to help new and existing members... not in America, for the most part a new member will get a "free" workout with a trainer... and not to really put a program together for the member but for the purpose of the trainer to "SELL" their services. Most gyms in America are not set up for the members but for the financial benefit of the establishment ... that is why we are seeing more and bigger rooms filled with useless cardio equipment... I just joined a new anytime fitness gym here in Mn and in a 3000sq' building there are is about 400sq' of actual weight lifting room, 1 power rack, 1 olympic bar, 2 cable machines, a leg press, 1 smith machine, 3 benches and a spattering of db's. There is approx 300sq' of changing room, managers office and the rest is full of cardio equip... thats better than 3/4 of the space taken up with proven non beneficial equipment. If either of the trainers are not working with anyone then do not expect to see them on the floor helping anyone out... not even a spot.
 
kiwiinmn

Not disimilar in a lot of the UK. Fitness has become a commodity, and assistance something to fear giving. One member of gym staff spotted me when not working and got told off for it, in case I sued the gym if it went wrong.
Weight lifters are apparently scary and gyms know that free weight areas are where most injuries occur so they are shrinking anywhere with a growing legal culture. I have my play area at home and love it, more weight than I currently need, power-rack, bench, some kettles and a few added bits for the sake of stupidity/ insanity. No spotters but I get by.
My wife got given the hard sell from a PT when she was seen doing an exercise in a slightly unorthodox manner. She was recovering from abdominal surgery and I had given her tips on how she could strengthen the area without isolation that could overstress it, something agreed with the surgeon. PT was advising that he knew better and pretty much told her to ignore the surgeon. He was less than impressed when my wife pointed out to him that the session had been organised between a surgeon and someone qualified enough to not only deal with her remedial training but teach and assess him in it too, he'd wound her up a bit by then.
CV kit is not proven non-beneficial, it has been shown that it only helps overall fitness as part of an overall program. It does challenge the heart and lungs as long as you vary the activities and programs used. Personally we have a rower at home that I use for warm up and cool down and for real cardio I get outside running or cycling, I'm a bit strange like that. Most prefer to get on a stepper and plod for a while, doing the same thing every week, and subsequently get good at just that thing.
 
stevecarve said:
When you are going to gym first time you should remember certain things like select an amount of weight at first that seems almost too light but still provides some resistance for each exercise,monitor your workouts and write the weights you use for each exercise.
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Ahh to be young again... this is a great time for you. I would recommend getting a trainer for a few sessions to help take a lot of the guess work out of your understanding of program development. No point in wasting time learning wrong techniques or incorrect form.

Good luck!
 
I'd recommend a trainer first time as well or even the first 3-4 times.

They'll give some basics to work with, afterwards you can search for exercises and new weights/challenges yourself. By the way, you mentioned you're afraid to go down with skinny arms...

Everyone either started out fat or skinny as a first timer in all the gyms. Don't forget that.

Welcome aboard!
 
Congrats for making the decision to make your body healthy and attractive! Anyway, if it is your first time to go to the gym, then just go inside an inquire from the staffs. Local gyms have some people to guide you with the process. There is a big difference between reading and applying.
 
Working out on a daily basis is a great way to keep your body fit and to look good as well. If you have started working out for the first time, then start with the extremely basic exercises. Focus on increasing your capacity on a gradually. Don't do too much of workout in a day.
 
Day 1: Chest+Biceps
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Back+Triceps
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Shoulders+Abs
Day 7: Rest
Increase your protein intake but don't get it a lot from red meat
 
Many health and fitness newbies are also fat. If you are body fat and perform out, you still need to eat. When you perform out for initially you might have so much inspiration that you want to do both aerobic and loads. Your objective for your new working out is to experience better than when you began. Do not experience forced to stay at the gym for two or three hours or perform as hard as you possibly can.
 
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thomascampell said:
Hi liveid, I am so sorry to say that age 17 can't be considered to start with heavy workouts. This is a period for the hormone growth and the workouts may affect you very badly. So please don't worry and you can starts workouts by the help of personal trainer in any fitness school like Velocity Sports. Please avoid heavy workouts and fix fitness as goal rather than body building. You could start your heavy workout by the age of 18.
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Not really sure what the difference between a 17 and an 18 year old is for you to make your claim. liveeid, you should work with a qualified personal trainer to help you set goals and teach you exercises that will help you meet those goals. Message back if you want an online consultation
 
The first time you phase feet into the gym can be very overwhelming. There are muscular men making odd grunting sounds, losing loads on the ground, and looking very extreme with their face expression.
 
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