<p>So I've pretty much done zero to little exercise since I've gotten to college and I want to change that. (Besides I have early morning classes so I'm thinking that some exercise might wake me up before class).</p>
<p>So my two questions are:</p>
<ol>
<li>How do I start running? Do I just run until I'm tired or is there a plan I can follow to get me into shape?</li>
<li>I'm thinking about starting to lift weights since I'm literally skinny as a twig haha. What would be a good way to start with weights as well? My roommate has a set of 25 pound weights so how many reps a day should I do with them?</li>
</ol>
<p>The best thing to do for cardio is HIIT. Look it up but basically it has you going all out and then slow in intervals. For weight training it depends what you want to work on but again just look it up.</p>
<p>For running, I really suggest the C25K method [couch to 5K]. It gets people from running in short intervals, like 1 minute of running for 2 minutes of walking, to running a 5K in about eight or nine weeks.</p>
<p>For weight lifting, if you want to make muscle gains, there are so many different exercises you can do, the more you can do the better (for overall look), but starting simple is good. Here’s what I’ve been doing (for a not-too-hardcore entry to putting on more muscle):</p>
<p>To begin with, start off with some relatively light weights, where you can do 20-30 reps in a set. This is mostly if you’re not used to weight lifting much at all, just to get a feel for it so you don’t hurt yourself or anything.</p>
<p>When you’re ready for a little more intense workouts, find the most weight you can possibly handle to manage about 8-10 reps per set (so you can barely make it all the way through an entire 8-9th rep). Once you figure this out, try to do 5 sets of 8 reps for each exercise each workout, about 1-1.5 minutes between sets.</p>
<p>Basically what experts say about this is if you can do more than 10-12 reps per set, you’ll be building endurance rather than muscle mass and strength. I think if you can’t do 4-5, it’s not very beneficial either.</p>
<p>One thing though is to make sure you rest at least a day between heavy workouts (even if they don’t hurt), otherwise your muscles won’t have enough time to heal, and gain mass.</p>
<p>I’m no expert on this, but this is generally what I’ve heard, and it’s worked well for me.</p>
<p>I recommend the couch to 5k program for running as well. I have severe exercise induced asthma to the point of it being disabling-- which does not help with heart health, and I’ve been making a ton of progress with that program.</p>
<p>I’m not a physical fitness expert, but I’ve been weightlifting for some time now and I think I can give you some good advice. If you want to actually get bigger and stronger, you’re going to need to forget about the 25lb dumbbells and head to the gym. A well-rounded weightlifting routine includes squats, deadlifts, bench presses and pull-ups. Speaking of routines, a great program for beginners is WS4SB, which you can find on this site, free of charge. [DeFranco’s</a> Training …:: The Ultimate Way To Become A Better Athlete ::…](<a href=“http://www.defrancostraining.com/index.php]DeFranco’s”>Official Website of Joe DeFranco & DeFranco’s Gym!)
The most important thing is to make sure you’re doing the lifts right. Unfortunately, it can take a lot of practice to get them right. The book “Starting Strength” by Mark Rippetoe is a great manual, teaches you just about everything you need to know. You can find it on Amazon. </p>
<p>You’re also going to need to eat more. A lot more. But make sure you’re eating clean–keep junk food as limited as possible. Also, try to get a friend to come with you to the gym. You will need a spotter at some point. </p>
<p>My last bit of advice: learn as much as you can. The website T-Nation is a great place to go to, it has an awesome forum of lifters who will tell you what you need to know (read the nutrition section!). Keep in mind that you don’t need any of the products advertised on the site. But they can be useful. </p>
<p>Of course, if you just want to fool around with the dumbbells, by all means. Just keep in mind you’re not going to become stronger in any meaningful sense of the word. If you want to know more, PM me. It’s your call.</p>
<p>sorry to but in but I have a quick question: I plan to workout 3 times a week. Is it better to combine everything (chest work, arm work, shoulder work, endurance) each day or to spread it out (day 1 I work on chest/endurance, day 2 I work on arm work/endurance, day 3 I work on shoulder/endurance)?</p>
<p>You do not run until you are tired. You set a challenging goal then meet it. If you run until you are tired, you will get nowhere in respects to cardio health, since everyone gets “tired” running easily. In order to improve your ability to run you should try to use the stair master or run up hills, I got into shape that way really fast, but I would exert myself until the point where after I was finished my legs would give out. It will make you much faster sprinter and running miles will feel easy. I can run a mile in 5:30 minutes easily. Btw do not spend too much time doing low intensity running for long periods of time, you will lose muscle mass doing that. You need to do sprinting or running to the point you are out of breath type of running.</p>
<p>First things first: if you want to “get bigger” because you look “skinny as a twig,” gaining mass is COMPLETELY dependent on how much you EAT. You can lift weights until you die from exhaustion, and will probably LOSE weight (if you eat the same but lose more calories from exercising so hard). So, if you want to gain weight, eat a LOT more. </p>
<p>If you want to get SERIOUS gains in the weight room, you need to start a legit program. I recommend Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength program. It’s a barbell program for beginners focusing on the main compound lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press, press, clean/rows). Look it up on bodybuilding.com (an invaluable resource if you’re serious about getting muscle gains).</p>
<p>There’s so much more that can be said about this subject, but I won’t keep going until I know more about your goals.</p>
<p>If you are fine with your body and just want to be more awake in the morning for classes, yeah go for a short run in the morning.</p>
<p>I don’t anything about what you look like or your fitness level, but judging by your post I’m guessing you are a rank beginner like the OP (nothing wrong with that). My first issue with the two plans you’ve laid out is that I don’t see any leg or back work. This is a problem. </p>
<p>Second issue: It looks like you want to do a traditional body part split, which is what most bodybuilders do. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that (though I think it’s a bad idea for beginners), but if you’re going to do that, you’re going to have to lift a lot more than you realize and I don’t think you’re quite ready for the amount of work it will take, nor do I think you’re ready to start writing your own programs. I also have no idea what you mean by “endurance” work. Do you mean running? Lifting for endurance? </p>
<p>Instead of what you described, I’d recommend doing an upper/lower body split routine, such as WS4SB or a similar program. I think an upper/lower body split works much better for beginners and you’ll find it much easier to follow. After at least six months on a program like that, you can decide if you want to continue or move to a body part split routine.</p>
<p>Anyone got advise for someone who wants to start running but not to build muscle. I actually want to slim down my legs a bit. I am completely out of shape. It’s sad because I was alright when still had PE in high school. Anyways, I lack endurance badly. Is there a certain distance I should start off with then start moving up?</p>
<p>^Yeah sure. I would say start with something short like a half mile to a mile and try to run it all without stopping to walk. That may mean you have to go really slow, but that’s ok. When you think you’re ready to go further, increase each run by small intervals like a quarter mile to a half mile. Then maybe when you’ve gotten to about 3 miles after doing that, try running faster. The key is to try and not stop and walk. If you do have to walk, walk quickly and try to start running again as soon as you can. What I always see new runners do is go out running way too fast and get tired and stop completely. Just remember that it’s ok to run slow. You want to find the pace that lets you continue running the entire distance you set out on. Also remember, the hardest part about running is getting off your butt and doing it. :)</p>
<p>^ For many people, targeting half a mile is way too ambitious to start with. You may get very discouraged if you try this. Starting off too aggressively is the main reason most people quit exercising.</p>
<p>The C25K program that many have suggested above is much more reasonable … they start by alternating 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking for the first week, then move up to 90 seconds of running, etc.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind me asking, mixedup, is there are a particular reason why you don’t want to gain muscle? People tend to look better with a higher muscle to bodyfat ratio. That being said, if you are dead set at limiting muscle gain, I’d avoid any sprinting and stick to long-distance running.</p>
<p>^Gaining a bit of muscle is fine but I want to slim down my lower body. I feel that if I gain too much muscle, my calves will end up bulking up which is the opposite of my goal.</p>
<p>You would be surprised how hard it is to bulk up your calves. But again, it’s up to you to decide how you want to look and what you’re prepared to do to accomplish it.</p>
<p>If you are skinny, starting living in the cafeteria and get calories in you.</p>
<p>The standard rule to gain muscle is to take at least 1 gram of Protein per pound of body weight.</p>
<p>In the gym, go hard or go home. Don’t try and compete or do weight you can’t do, but you’ve got to get push yourself. Try 5 sets of 5, heavy weights, about 80% of your max out weight. So if you can do 100 lbs, you need to be hitting 80 lbs in your low reps.</p>
<p>If you want to gain weight, don’t do much or any intensive cardio. Just get your heart rate up a few times a week for health purposes.</p>
<p>The simplest thing to do is just to take up running, which will get you in shape and make you look better (you do have to put in the effort though, whether it’s working HIIT sprints or training for a marathon). Weight training is a big plus if you want to be an all-around athlete, but just working on your mile time or the like persistently will get you most of the general fitness results with less new stuff to learn.</p>
<p>Edit: And eat healthy, regular meals throughout the day, your appetite will tell you how much to eat.</p>