[Mukade]

So, due to being skinny, my brother has decided to take me to the gym. And as the friendliest internet community around, what kind of bro tips have you all collected over the years? Are there any things that really helped you get started? Any advice is appreciated!

[Stallion]

ok heres a list:-
-eat well
-wait 30 minutes between food and work out
-never have indian before IT WILL END BADLY
-take drink bottle
-always do your best fight thru the pain (good pain)
-if it hurts in a bad way stop (bad pain)
Can't think of anything else as everything is automatic to me now :/

Quick Comments

	FLuX:	indian comment ewwwwwwww :P
	Antel0pe:	why? do you shit fire if you have indian?

[FaDePressureTest]

Make sure you work ALL muscle groups EVENLY. These include:

Chest
Back
Shoulders
Legs
Biceps
Triceps

Dont just work the muscles that make you look "big".

When you do the weights, make sure you do all movements in a controlled fashion, especially the downward phase of the lift. You actually get more benefits from the downward phase than the upward, which not many people know. (look up "Sliding Filament Theory" which how muscles work if you want to understand it). And it also prevents injury if you do it in a controlled manner.

I could do a whole wall of text but I kept it basic and short.

Quick Comments

	DUCKVILLELOL:	Do a wall please
	RVLiveR:	feeling the pressure to keep everyone interested yeah?

[FLuX]

When in the locker rooms, do not stare.

Quick Comments

Demosthenes:

fcking lol

[nGenLight]

- Make sure you spend more time looking at your reflection in the mirror then actually working out during your sessions.

- Tell the world about it via Social Media.

- After going for a mere one week, starting show your friends your gym membership and the "progress" in your arms.

Quick Comments

	eCKo`Tazerenix:	U MIRIN BRAH?
	Baldie:	Hahaha!
	ROOT`iaguz:	this sounds like me playing ladder
	ToRDolo:	And if anyone tries to tell you you're doing something wrong or give you advice at the gym ask 'Do you even lift bro?'
	Dox:	beat me to it hahaha
	NOM:	100% agree

[eCKo`Tazerenix]

The gym is a place to get fit, not to be fit. Never feel intimidated.

Eating well is SUUUUUPER important. Gaining muscle is 80% diet, but that means nothing without the 20% exercise.

Make sure you are doing exercises with the correct form. Doing them the wrong way can cause serious injury or completely negate the results you are looking for.

If you want big arms work your triceps. There are three (tri) and only two biceps. Don't be a curls bro.

Quick Comments

mGGMueX:

"There are three (tri) and only two biceps" lololololol

[Stallion]

Originally Posted by iM Light

- Make sure you spend more time looking at your reflection in the mirror then actually working out during your sessions.

- Tell the world about it via Social Media.

- After going for a mere one week, starting show your friends your gym membership and the "progress" in your arms.

If you do this i don't care who you are or what you do but i will go all Liam neeson on your arse

[TheGentleman]

When I started doing gym I chose to get personal training to learn the equipment (so I didn't injure myself) and also ensure that I was exercising all my muscle groups so the results weren't...

+ [...this...] +

+ [...this...] +

+ [or this.] +

So if you don't know how to use equipment or how to get a good average work out which exercises all your muscle groups getting your gym junky friend or a PT to assist you is a great way to go imo.

And use a towel and wipe down your equipment once you're done... no one likes to exercise on sweaty gym equipment .

[ikki]

When I started gym was I a bean pole 60kg 190cm, I worked out everyday, different muscle groups of course and had 3 shakes a day of this stuff http://www.a1supplements.com.au/Prod...12lbs-180.aspx and hit 80kg.
Some tips, Remember to do cardio as well not just weights, getting big doesnt mean your fit.
Also what light said lol.

[eCKo`Tazerenix]

Also:

Squats and Oatz brah

Quick Comments

eCKo`Switch:

Can confirm squatz and oatz will turn you into zyzz

[DotAKinG]

make sure you work on your core and have good posture as this is required when you're sitting in front of the computer playing sc2. also upper limb and hand exercises are handy at the gym. this can be done using grip strength equipment. when i'm not playing sc2 i am a full-time physiotherapist by profession, so having this background knowledge is very handy.

[TABjornbrandr]

Be humble and prepared to learn - if you haven't been to a gym before or worked out seriously, there will be a lot that you have absolutely no clue about.

Do you best to briefly read up on muscle groups and how they're stimulated through exercise - you can manipulate exercises to focus on different groups that way (things like incline/decline/flat bench press).

In my personal approach, I very much focus on compound exercises. Compound being hitting multiple muscle groups vs Isolation workout hitting particular groups.
Deadlifts, Squats and Bench Press are the three major compound lifts that are extremely important when you want to get stronger. You can sit there doing preacher curls all day, but if you don't work the major muscle groups, especially legs and back, you won't see much beneficial development (and as an added bonus, people will take the piss out of you for being 'the arm curl guy').
However, don't forget to do more specific exercises as well - just because compounds are very important it doesn't mean you neglect isolation lifts (though preferably do them with free-weights instead of on a machine).

Finally, and most importantly, learn how to do each lift properly. If you aren't using solid form, deadlifts will absolutely rape your back and you won't be getting decent range of motion when you lift (essentially means you aren't actually doing much for your muscle development).

Have fun, don't be intimidated by people and just do what you can. During school I was about 62-63kg and now about a year later I'm 76-77kg. I'm not an expert so don't take anything I've written as gospel - it's general advice from my experiences.

EDIT: As people have said above, eat well; it's super ******* important. Don't just buy a tub of protein and have that as the sole component to your diet. It won't work. Supplements are only to supplement your diet if you want to increase your protein (and other compounds, depending on the product) and to be completely honest, it's probably a waste of money if you're just starting out.

[Zakattack]

target core muscle groups more than individual muscle training.

rowing machines are a good all body work out

[CHoBo(kice)]

To be honest just like starcraft it's all about mindset. You need to focus on your goal and believe in yourself to achieve.

Many have the mindset of "going on a diet" or "going to the gym". If it seems to be a chore then obviously your not gonna have a positive attitude about it for a long period of time. If you want it to sink in you need to change your mindset about it. This should be a "lifestyle change" where you decide to eat clean and exercise as your normal life routine. This is the only way to remain consistent compared to those who I see at the gym who has spurs of few months where they go and then they idle for most of the year. I think the same principle applies when taking supplements.. "fat burners", "test boosters". These are just like taking a shortcut, they may have small effect but again should focus on making it fit into your lifestyle, taking shortcuts just leaves you susceptible losing motivation. The only thing I take is ISO 100 protein sometimes and multi-vitamin. I strive to get protein from diet rather than using supplement in most cases.

As it has already been mentioned its primarily about diet, food intake! There are many apps for mobile phones / computer that can help you count your calories/intake based on goal and what breakdown of foods you should have. Personally I do half an hour gym sessions which are 4-6 reps, 3 sets of heavy weights. Generally you will find for building muscle heavy weight is better, but make sure you practice and get technique correct first. As soon as you get close to lifting 6 you go up in weight and aim for a least 4reps!

TL;DR
Make a lifestyle change, set goals, eat clean, lift heavy!

[TABjornbrandr]

Originally Posted by CHoBo(kice)

Personally I do half an hour gym sessions which are 4-6 reps, 3 sets of heavy weights. Generally you will find for building muscle heavy weight is better, but make sure you practice and get technique correct first. As soon as you get close to lifting 6 you go up in weight and aim for a least 4reps!

This is going to be an area of contention, but assuming that the OP hasn't lifted before, starting out with low rep high weight sets could be counter-productive. Personally, I'd recommend starting out doing the stock-standard 3 sets of 10 reps and not bothering about anything like pyramid sets or drop sets or even low rep sets.
Until form has been ingrained into the OP's mind, lifting big could result in injury and even tearing in certain muscle groups like hamstring and forearm.

In the end OP, it's up to you to decide how you wish to start, but until you have a solid base in how to lift properly, I'd very much recommend you start with lower weights and really focus on solid form. Lifting small weights to get started is nothing to be ashamed of - people who go to the gym would rather see someone under-lifting at first instead of piling on the weight and arching their back because they can't lift it.

[Mukade]

Thanks guys, awesome advice, haha

[CHoBo(kice)]

I did say to get technique and form correct first and yes starting lighter would be the way to go.

[AssyrianKing]

Bring a towel to wipe down your sweat once your finished using the equipment

[Meatex]

Originally Posted by TABjornbrandr

EDIT: As people have said above, eat well; it's super ******* important. Don't just buy a tub of protein and have that as the sole component to your diet. It won't work. Supplements are only to supplement your diet if you want to increase your protein (and other compounds, depending on the product) and to be completely honest, it's probably a waste of money if you're just starting out.

For this reason and the fact that many supplements cut corners to make it seem like they are working better (ie including huge amounts of estrogen) I would advise NOT to touch any of those things with a over 9000 foot pole
You can get protein from real and delicious foods easily enough

The hardest thing about the starting at the gym is the mental aspect, getting a good routine as well as being able to push yourself. The way I do it is just set a small goal like 200 meters on treadmill then when I get there I go that was easy I will go 200 more. Rather than saying i'm going to do 3k

[syfCabracan]

I'm going to dump a wall of text for you, I'll probably edit in some more stuff later but this is what immediately comes to mind.

Nutrition

Eating right, as you pointed out in chatbox, is really important. However I don't think it is beneficial to get bogged down in counting calories, following precise meal plans and sorting through supplements when you are just starting out. The goal is to eat 3 or 4 good meals a day while thinking of making them big but healthy. As a skinny guy (refered to as an ectomorph on the blagosphere) you will want to make sure you are eating a lot of carbs (rice, pasta bread). Also try to get protein into your diet at atleast two seperate times, meat and eggs are probably the easiest source of protein. Getting enough fat into your diet shouldn't require doing anything different from what ordinary people do. If you are wanting to bulk fast then you will want to do more by the way of eatng, I haven't put on much weight at all like this but I have been happy with what I've got done.

I wouldn't worry about cutting anything out of your diet at this stage. Fastfood, fizzy drinks and all that won't help you at all, but they won't do significant harm either. It's important to eat well before your workout so you have the energy to complete it. Try to have eaten around an hour before hand so it has had time to digest and don't use crap food (fastfood etc.) to "fuel your session".

Alcohol deserves a special mention. I don't really know you or how old your are so I don't know how much you drink. But drinking is the devil when it comes to the gym. I would suggest not drinking after a workout and would remind you that hangovers will ruin any attempts you make at the gym as well. Not saying you can't or shouldn't drink, but make sure the two endeavours don't clash.

At the Gym

For your first time you will want to there with someone experienced (hopefully your brother fills this role). Also I would suggest always having the gym partner, there are loads of advantages for this if you are both committed to what you are doing. Three people in a group can work (not as good as just 2 people) but if there are four of you split into 2 groups and work separately.

I've found people who "just go along and do things" don't get a lot done. Have a plan and stick to it. I'll detail my suggested excercises later but I'll discuss some of the principles here. The goal is always to do move the biggest weight you can over the biggest distance. Whole body excercises are much better than individual muscle excercises(i.e. Chin ups > bicep curls). Machines should be avoided, less stablisation is required so they are easier to get correct form but lose that whole body effect.

When doing each excercise, most people suggest doing 8-12 reps and 3 sets to begin with. You should be failing on the last set, if you can only do 6 reps on your last set that is the weight you should be working on. Make sure you spot properly and use clips on bars everytime you use them, this way you don't need to worry about working to failure as much. When you start of proper form is the most important thing, you want to make sure you won't hurt yourself and you are doing the full range of motion. Controlling the weight at all times is key, on average you should take two seconds to lower the weight and then 1 second to do the working part. Also don't lock the joint you are moving at the end of the rep, it puts stress on parts of the body that should be stressed and let's your muscles rest when they shouldnt be.

Excercises

This is your choice and I'm sure your brother will already have an idea of what he wants you to do. I think one excercise per muscle group is fine for starting off. At this stage try to keep it simple and consistant. The excercises in particular I would suggest are.

Squats and Deadlifts, these are the kings of excercises. They work the biggest muscle groups, they help your posture, they do just about everything ever.

Benchpress and Row. Benchpress is a favourite for most people, it mainly works your chest muscles along with some impact on your triceps. It can be done with a bar or with dumbells, both are fine. The row type excercises do your central back area and are just as important.

Shoulder Press and Lat Pull down. Shoulder press can be done with dumbbells or with bars. I would suggest sitting while doing them to start with but I don't know if it's better to be seated or to be standing. The Lat Pull down is a great excercise, chin ups or assisted chinups do the same motion. If you have you hands closer together and under that puts more emphysis on the biceps or further apart and over for a Lat focus.

Other excercises you might want to add in would be for biceps and triceps, calves and dedicated core/ab work. Cardio is good but if you are going for muscle gains you don't want to go over the top. You don't want it to cut into your energy for lifting so I would suggest doing after or seperate from your weights. 3 to 4 20-30 minute sessions a week is probably optimal.