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.
You never need to go to a gym to get fit. It could help, for some people, but it is not a necessity by any means!
You don’t even need weights or equipment; calisthenics are valid.
First off - I’m excited for you!! Your future self will be so fucking grateful.
I absolutely think at home workouts are a fantastic starting point.
I get the gym can be intimidating and if that stops you from working out then do something else.
But major note is: what’s your goal?
- Lose weight?
- Gain muscle?
- Just be stronger?
- Something else?
If you are trying to lose weight, your biggest goal should just be more activity + calorie deficit. You can only do strength so often and while it will help you lose weight, it’s way better to do strength + walking (or other easy cardio).
I recently lost about 15 pounds in the last 6 ish months and I did it by getting around 10,000 steps per day and 1-2 strength training days per week, and being on a calorie deficit.
If your goal is to gain muscle, then you can absolutely do that with minimal weights or just bodyweight at the beginning.
Personally this got a little boring (if just a lot of reps and for me doesn’t feel as fun as some of the gym equipment I use now).
But above all: DON’T underestimate the dieting portion. Whether your goal is to gain muscle or lose weight, what you eat is half if not more of the equation.
Happy to share more details but didn’t want to type a book without knowing what you need :)
Good luck!!
Ideally I just wanna lose my gut, I’ve already started cut back on alcohol and ONLY take two sweet treats in my lunch for work.
Oh and skipping the elevator and rather go up two levels of stairs to my workplace, I find that more rewarding as I think that’ll contribute.
Muscle gain wise, I’m starting off with bicep curls and over head press, nothing crazy.
I think I plan to lose the gut and flatten it before I do any sit ups lol.
Thank you for your message.
I just wanna lose my gut
The most critical part of losing weight is counting the calories of what you eat, so you know exactly what you have to do to lose the weight. One pound of body fat is equivalent to 3500 calories, so if you can manage to eat at a 500-calories-per-day deficit you will lose one pound per week (most people lose scale weight at a faster rate than this when they first start dieting, but this is water weight loss and won’t be maintained in the long term).
Will drinking less alcohol and fewer sweet treats put you into a 500 calorie daily deficit? There’s no way to know unless you start recording the calories of everything you eat on a daily basis.
Totally feel that! Also one thing I learned is that a lot of my “gut” was actually bloat/gas built up. Like I noticed as soon as I started being more active I slimmed up faster than I should be able to, but I think my digestive system just did better.
Also something I forgot to note - get good sleep! I know it can be hard but getting at least 7+ hours of solid sleep every night does wonders for your body.
The only thing I think you might want to look into is doing compound movements (like squats, bench press, rows) instead of isolated movements like bicept curls. These activate a lot more muscle and overall help towards your goal of fat loss. You don’t need to work abs individually either - if you are doing squats and other compound movement with correct form, you’ll be hitting the too.
Of course not trying to tell you how to live your life! But this is what I’ve seen echoed from many different fitness resources and chatgpt. :)
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.
Look up calisthenics routines on youtube or reddit. The great thing about calisthenics is you almost only need your body weight. That means you can do it pretty much everywhere, even if you travel or move. If you can, I would join a group or maybe seek out a calisthenics class to start, mainly to give you tips & help with form. Long story short, it’s absolutely possible to workout at home, or outside of gym.
I started with just running outside and some workouts to follow along to on YouTube.
Growingananans channel has some great bodyweight exercises which you can add weights to, and some are with weights as well. There are a lot of others as well. Lots of channels also show modifications for beginners that make the exercises easier until the beginner develops the stamina/muscle to do the harder versions.
I spent a year and a half using weights and you tube exercise videos when I didn’t have access to a gym. My apartment complex has a gym included in rent now so I may add well get my money’s use out of it, but even then I still use YouTube exercises.
I also really like Paula B’s exercises even though they’re for older women and I’m not quite there yet. Still her constant movement still gets my heart rate up despite them being more moderate workouts. They’re also easy to modify to more heavy/high intensity by doubleing the speed you do them or adding weights, so she’s great to begin with and even grow with. Grow with Jo (Gro with Jo?) Is also also someone great to begin with and and intensity to when you are ready.
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.
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!
You can absolutely workout at home with almost no equipment. You will need something for pull ups and that’s pretty much it. Google “calisthenics” - that’s what bodyweight exercises are called. It’s a whole world of knowledge with books, blogs and YT channels covering the topic. Many would argue that this type of exercise is actually healthier than using gym equipment.
I started doing this 4 years ago and I can highly recommend it. I hate public places like gym and I don’t like wasting time for getting there and back so exercising at home is perfect for me.
I spend a grand on a nice adjustable dumbbell set and a bench and went from 165lbs to 210lbs over the last 18 months with a combination of weight training and eating better. It’s absolutely possible to work out at home with the resources that are out there these days. I do miss some of the equipment at the gym but the convenience of a home gym is just too good.
I would point out that getting lean/shredded is not a function of the gym, it’s a function of the kitchen. You cannot out exercise a bad or even mediocre diet. You can use a gym to build muscle, increase flexibility, or improve cardiovascular fitness, but there’s no avoiding making changes to your diet if you want to decrease body fat.
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.
while ago on a whim i bought the type of chin up bar that fits in a door frame. i’m a skinnyfat lazy bastard and am not motivated to exercise at all, but putting it up so it’s just there when you walk about the place makes it somehow more enticing than some equipment you have to specifically make time to use
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Air_Force_Exercise_Plans
There are other links online to all the exercises.
I started doing these when I was about 25. I’d never done any workouts before and I got great results pretty quickly.
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
