How do I start strength training?

How do I start strength training? I've been wanting to for a while, but I'm really overwhelmed by all the information out there, and I noticed that I get intimidated by this sort of thing easily. I don't have much space for equipment or money right now, but I found a 5 lb dumbell and some resistance bands. I run sometimes, but I struggle with motivation and some pain that I think comes from lack of strength.
My friend who's really healthy and fit says he comes here for adivce and motivation, so I wanted to give it a shot.

Tldr: I'm a beginner who knows jackshit and I want to start small to build better habits. Any advice is welcome

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  1. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    read the sticky, go to a gym and don't frick around with dumbells at home

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      Oh gosh, I feel silly now. Thanks for pointing that out, I'll read up. I'll still check in to see if anyone drops more pearls of wisdom though haha

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        Everyone's going to give you a ton of advice about specifically what programs/exercises/food/etc.etc. you should do. More general tips I can think of are:

        1. Have a goal in mind. This goal may change for you over time but having one allows you to focus your efforts.
        2. Proper form is more important than making the numbers go up. If you practice proper form throughout your exercise the numbers will go up.
        3. Exercise, Diet, and Rest are all equally important. Don't shirk on any of them. If you're making the effort to work out, then make the effort to get 8 hours of quality sleep. It'll help you reach your goal, trust me!
        4. Everyone has to start somewhere. I couldn't curl a barbell when I first made up my mind to get fit. When I bench pressed my dominant arm would push harder than my other one. This period will not last long so don't get discouraged. Beginners see the most rapid gains.

        • 12 months ago
          Anonymous

          There is a lot of bullshit floating around like complicated programs, perfect diets, whether you should jerk off etc. Ignore it until you are confident in doing all your exercises with perfect form. You should be able to do all compound lifts and other basic exercises that focus on particular groups. Just focus on exercising until exhaustion; lifting until failure; being sore the next day.

          Get good sleep, stay hydrated and consume a lot of protein. This, combined with your exercises is all you need to get started.

          What anon said here are also good tips. You really need to get it into your head that you WILL lift, you WILL get stronger and you WILL get fit - and don't lose sight of what you really want. Browse this site every day for continued motivation.

        • 12 months ago
          Anonymous

          >This period will not last long so don't get discouraged. Beginners see the most rapid gains.
          This was really encouraging, thank you! And your tips are really appreciated

          There is a lot of bullshit floating around like complicated programs, perfect diets, whether you should jerk off etc. Ignore it until you are confident in doing all your exercises with perfect form. You should be able to do all compound lifts and other basic exercises that focus on particular groups. Just focus on exercising until exhaustion; lifting until failure; being sore the next day.

          Get good sleep, stay hydrated and consume a lot of protein. This, combined with your exercises is all you need to get started.

          What anon said here are also good tips. You really need to get it into your head that you WILL lift, you WILL get stronger and you WILL get fit - and don't lose sight of what you really want. Browse this site every day for continued motivation.

          >Ignore it until you are confident in doing all your exercises with perfect form. You should be able to do all compound lifts and other basic exercises that focus on particular groups. Just focus on exercising until exhaustion; lifting until failure; being sore the next day.
          This feels like a good actionable goal for me in this beginner phase, I think. Thanks so much for real for real :'D
          >Browse this site every day for continued motivation.
          I definitely will. I've been browsing a bit today, and I think it's helping me stay focused and learning.

          • 12 months ago
            Anonymous

            Glad I could help. It is more important than anything to stay consistent and continue to lift even when you don't want to or don't think you can. Once you get in a habit, lifting becomes like brushing teeth before bed - it feels wrong to skip it.

            That's stuff like push ups and squats, right?

            Yes, however, depending on what your goals are, you should be lifting weights and learning the exercises regardless. Doing bodyweight/weights in tandem can yield some pretty good results. And would suck being a hulking giant who can't do a pullup

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        Starting strength made me stronger than 95% of people within a few montha

  2. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Well, first off, go to a gym. Even a planet fitness, if you have to. What you have just ain't enough, sorry. the 5lbs dumbbell is useless, the resistance bands probably are too.

  3. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Ignore the gymcels, bodyweight exercises are all you need.

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      That's stuff like push ups and squats, right?

  4. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Kettlebells

  5. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    The artist should have their hands broken.

  6. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    >how do I start SS
    Day A
    Squat 5x3
    Bench 5x3
    Deadlift 5X1
    Day B
    Squat 5x3
    OHP 5x3
    Deadlift 5x1
    Every other day

    Its literally that easy how the frick can you be overwhelmed? You won't look good, but it will be a solid base. Read the sticky.

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      Thanks for this! I think my problem is mostly a mix of getting intimidated because of my starting point as well as getting overwhelmed by just how much info is out there. As soon as I think I have a good plan, I see someone online or irl say I'm actually doing everything wrong.

      But I've been reading the sticky and I think I'm getting a better idea of how to proceed. Question though, what do the numbers you wrote mean? Is it sets and repetitions? I'm sort of confused about that, honestly. As I understand it, reps are how many times you do an action, and sets are groups of reps, right? What's the purpose of grouping them into sets instead of just saying "do 15 of these"?

  7. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    >My friend who's really healthy and fit says he comes here for adivce and motivation
    0/10

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      Huh? XD

      Starting strength made me stronger than 95% of people within a few montha

      Holy shit, that's awesome :O

      Kettlebells

      Might end up getting one since they look like they don't take much room. What weight should I get if I'm literally not strong at all?

      The artist should have their hands broken.

      Idk, I think the drawing is kinda cute. It doesn't look like the athlete in the photo though haha

  8. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Buy and read the books "Starting Strength" and "Practical Programming for Strength Training." Do the novice LP, do the advanced novice phase as well. Get training (a real trainer, not your local gym's underpaid trainer that exists to coach 50-year old undermotivated women). Congrats, you're now an intermediate. You may have more specific goals at this point.

    If you want to learn about bodyweight strength training, read "Overcoming Gravity." If you read these books, you will understand everything you currently want to ask.

    In the meantime, the steps are easy. Get the mobility to squat deep if you have bad mobility. Goblet squats and elevating your heels and dynamic ankle stretching can help depending on your stiffness. Just start with the basic Starting Strength first phase, get to a gym, do your best and take notes. It's a learning process, don't overthink the first steps. Just start with the barbell.

    Last tip, Exrx is a very useful resource.

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      Thanks for the recommendations! I'll try to get my hands on these books for sure. Hopefully I can get a trainer for a decent price, money is really tight for me right now.

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        Apologies anon, it seems my keyboard swallowed the second half of one of my sentences. What I meant for the third sentence was:
        >Get training (a real trainer, not your local gym's underpaid trainer that exists to coach 50-year old undermotivated women) if you feel you need the help.

        I wouldn't recommend training off the gun for you if money is tight. A good strength coach will be able to help you if you're stuck for some reason (your form, programming, etc.) and you need expertise that your resources can't get you. You can go far by using your best good-faith attempts at benching, overhead pressing, squatting, deadlifting with the form outlined in "Starting Strength," and using the relevant novice programming, so, do not worry, save your money. If you really want to get started quickly, skim the books and focus more on what you need to know as a novice. You will find yourself coming back to the books as you have questions and make realizations, anyways. The Novice chapter of "Practical Programming for Strength Training" will give you all you need to know for what your training should look like during the first 3-8 months. The other chapters on strength training theory will give you a sense of why things are the way they are.

        Something I will say; if money is tight, there are some economical options you can take for something like cheap in-person expertise. I would take a look at the local powerlifting/olympic weightlifting/dedicated strength gyms in your area. Sometimes they have small classes where they teach the form for these movements for 3 days for $150. Sometimes they even offer dedicated in-house coaching during select hours if you pay the gym membership. These are good opportunities to get your uncertainties answered if you're feeling too stuck on your own. Another option are seminars, which if reputable, can help you get in-person feedback on your form (e.g. Barbell Medicine).

        Best of luck anon! I can see that you're open to learning.

        • 12 months ago
          Anonymous

          Thanks again so much for the book recommendations, I can tell this is gonna be super helpful to me for a long while. 😀

          I feel so silly for admitting this, but I didn't know gyms offered classes like that. Looking at some in my area, they're definitely more within my price range than I thought! Thank you so much anon, you're the best :'D

          • 12 months ago
            Anonymous

            Yes yes, of course! Some additional shorter-reading articles that might help you get a sense of what you're getting into:
            https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/top-10-mistakes-people-following-starting-strength-make/
            https://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/general-q-and-a/34317-noobs-training.html
            https://startingstrength.com/article/incremental_increases

            This is a bonus one: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/the-beauty-of-the-bell-curve/

            Haha, it is definitely not an obvious thing to come to mind. Those specialty gyms can be very valuable. Your local chain gym is great for providing a cheap space to lift a barbell, but the actual trainers are unfortunately likely to not cut it. Glad to help.

            • 12 months ago
              Anonymous

              I'm actually excited for this now haha
              Got lots of reading to do, but I feel like I've got a clearer starting point and some starting goals.
              I can't really get everything right away, but I'm trying to put together a regime of some light exercises to get the habit forming. First chance I get though, I'll try to get my butt in a class. Thank you for the help anon!

  9. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Shit drawing. The girl is attractive because she has skinny legs. The drawing just Black personfied it.

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      Lol that's something I hope to achieve as I get more into fitness. I'd kill for skinnier legs, especially my thighs. Hips and butt too. Nowhere else on me really clings to fat like the no no square

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        Good goal. Don't fall for the Black person shit.

        • 12 months ago
          Anonymous

          It's definitely gonna be a tough one to achieve. Even when I was at my lowest weight (about 117 lbs I think) that area was disproportionate to the rest of me, and I'm not even black.

  10. 12 months ago
    Anonymous
    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      That was really pretty to listen to. Thanks for showing me.

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