Am I too old to work out?

Hi Marc,

I’ve been living a sedentary lifestyle since I was a child, and that explains my thin body. Aside from the thin limbs that I have, I’ve got a pot belly (after drinking too much alcohol). I actually look like a tadpole (if you know what I mean.) 

Next month, I’ll be turning 24, and I would like to change my lifestyle, and my whole outlook on life. I rarely do sports and exercise, though I am a frustrated athlete. I am a teacher by the way, and my career has been eating too much of my time (or so I think).

I heard you had a thin body before you started working out, and this news inspires me to do the same (I hope it’s not too late). I’ve been planning to go to the gym this year, but the problem is I’m overcome with shyness, plus the fact that I feel very insecure. If there was a book like weightlifting for dummies, I would try to read it... you see I don’t know anything even the basics of weightlifting (or whatever term you use to call a person who works out).

 Here are my questions:

1) What was your routine when you were starting to lift weights? Would it be OK if I use that for starters too? (By the way, I weigh around 139 lbs, and stand 5’7").

 2) Would you recommend supplements such as creatine for me? Or are there any alternatives?

 3) Do you diet? (I’ve been eating too much in the last few years and right now I’m trying to cut back on food. One setback is that I noticed that I’ve been eating more frequently than before. I crave for a lot of food, and I am hungry all the time.)

 4) In choosing a gym, what basic factors should I consider?

 5) What would be good to wear and the basic essentials to bring to the gym?

 6) What weightlifting terms do I need to know?

Dexter

Glad to hear that you’re inspired to hit the gym, but it’s a shame that you’ve been putting it off for a while as well. Don’t worry; the gym is not as fearsome a place as you might think. I know that looking at all of those bizarre pieces of equipment make the place look like a torture dungeon of a B-grade movie set (and some of the other members can appear pretty scary too), but once you get over your fears you’ll find that it’s not nearly as bad as all that, and those big scary looking bodybuilders could end up giving you tips on your technique before long.

However, as a first-timer, I can imagine how you want to go in there with a little bit of knowledge about the whole process, so here’s hoping I can shed some light on your questions:

1) When I started, my routine was basically to gain mass, and then worry about trimming it down later. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m an ectomorph, which means naturally skinny. Thankfully, this also means I don’t have to stress out too much about putting on fat that I can’t lose when I try to bulk up. So as a starter, I used to chow down on a lot of protein and a fair amount of carbs as well. On top of this, I’d lift very heavy weights with lower reps so as to dramatically increase my muscle size without worrying about definition till later. Once I had achieved the general size I wanted, then I would start watching my diet and adjusting my exercise to trim any excess fat. This could work for you too, although you also need to worry about getting rid of that alcohol-induced pot belly.

2) Creatine is a wonderful invention that really helped me a lot, especially in the mass-building phase. If you want to pump up your skinny limbs, then I would definitely advise trying it. Sometimes, when I’ve been really hectic with work or sick for some reason (which is thankfully quite rare) I tend to lose weight. The fastest way for me to put that muscle back on is to go on a temporary creatine cycle. The other supplement I use together with this and highly recommend is protein. There are a lot of brands on the market, but I usually use Celltech for my creatine and Designer Protein’s Glycerlean for my protein. I find the best and most dependable place to get it is Health Express (ask about their 20 percent discount card).

3) I don’t so much diet as watch what I eat. As I said, I’m naturally skinny so I don’t have to worry about it as much as others, but that doesn’t mean I constantly pig out on junk food! Eating more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day is actually better than having three big ones. The trick there is to eat the right food and don’t make the mistake of having the same big meals five times a day. Eat smaller amounts of foods with less carbs and more protein. Also try drinking a big glass of water before you eat. A lot of the time you think you’re hungry but your body just craves liquids and you mistakenly fill it with food instead. By eating smaller meals, you’ll contract your stomach so that it won’t require a larger amount to fill it next time. Make sure you avoid fatty foods and cut back on your alcohol dramatically if you think that’s giving you the belly.

4) When choosing a gym, it’s important to look first at the facilities. Make sure the equipment looks safe and well maintained. Also think of the equipment you’re likely to use and see if it’s there. Then see how busy it gets around the time of day that you are likely to work out. All gyms are busier after working hours, so you just need to see if it gets too crowded (some are just too packed). You also need to take note of its location, as people generally get lazy to go to the gym if it’s further than 15 minutes away from their home or office. Another extremely important factor to consider, especially as a beginner is whether they have qualified trainers. These are the men and women who will guide you through the gym jungle and explain the equipment and exercises to you. I personally work out at Golds Gym and am thoroughly satisfied with everything.

5) Basic gym wear consists of comfortable baggy pants or shorts (nothing that needs a belt or is restricting), a loose cotton shirt or sando (natural fibers like cotton lets your skin breathe while you sweat), cotton socks and rubber shoes. You may also want to invest in a pair of weightlifting gloves (check out a store like Chris Sports for a good pair). If your gym doesn’t supply you with a towel, then you should bring one of those as well to keep your sweat off the equipment (gym etiquette like that is very important). Also bring a bottle of water and a change of clothes and toiletries for your shower afterwards (unless you like going out to dinner all wet and stinky afterwards…).

6) The most common weightlifting terms you are likely to hear are "reps" and "sets". Reps refer to the amount of repetitions that you do of each exercise (for instance, if you did 10 push-ups, that would be 10 reps). Sets means the number of different groups of reps you plan to do of a specific exercise. If you did 10 push-ups, then rested for a bit before doing another 10, then you would have done 2 sets of 10 reps. Most people do 3-4 sets of an exercise, usually adjusting the weight for each consecutive set. If people ask how many sets you have left, it’s usually because they want to know how soon you’ll be done with the equipment so that they can use it. Don’t be embarrassed if you’re still on your first set, as it just means they’ll probably use something else until you’re done. Another term commonly used is "spotting". This refers to someone helping you when you are lifting something fairly heavy, or trying to push out those extra few reps. They’re there to give you a bit of a hand in case it’s more than you can manage. Spotters are extremely helpful as you can push yourself a little bit further and it’s also a very important safety factor to have one around unless you’re doing very light weights.

Well, that’s about it, I hope this has cleared up some of the mysteries about going to the gym and getting in shape for you. I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you working out and taking good care of yourself soon! Who knows? You may end up being an inspiration for your students!

Marc

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