How To Get Fit (19 Yr-old)
- Thread starter jockstrapattack
- Start date
You read it wrong.
I wasn't offering any advice.
I was trying to get information to assess more accurately your starting point and how hard you're willing to work.
And, if you think that posting a question online is anything close to the time and effort needed to get the body you want, you are sorely mistaken. Lol.
Good luck to you.... You're going to need it
I have to agree with @socalfreak , @jockstrapattack . You are not an adolescent who can look at a plate of food and automatically gain 10 pounds of muscle and grow 2 inches. If you were still an adolescent, you could do half-arsed workouts and see incredible results. Sorry, but that ship has already sailed. You can still put on muscle, but it must be with EFFORT. Your very first response at the top of the thread to the first advice given was, "If I was being really ambitious..." , which to me indicates that you really aren't that ambitious.
Looking fit and being fit are two different things. You might get away with looking fit at age 19 without actually being fit, but as you get into your 20s, that will go away. Being fit is being athletic. Athletes train with seriousness. In order for you body to change at all, you have to work hard at it, eat right, and get proper rest. Once you get to the level you desire, you can cut back to maintenance. But you have to work out with intensity to get to ANY level of change.
I totally identify with being short and skinny as a rail, being totally afraid if a big guy even looks at me. Years of being bullied does that to a guy. I understand the defence mechanism of taking offence when someone questions whether or not I am serious about wanting to change my body. Probably the most crushing types of comments are the ones where guys or chicks will say something like, "Wait, you work out?" But you have to move past that and say that you are serious.
Send me a DM if you'd like, and I can give you advice on how to mentally prepare and adjust yourself for the sea-change that happens as your body changes. I admit that I'm still pretty thin, but I'm actually about 40 pounds heavier than I used to be.
Looking fit and being fit are two different things. You might get away with looking fit at age 19 without actually being fit, but as you get into your 20s, that will go away. Being fit is being athletic. Athletes train with seriousness. In order for you body to change at all, you have to work hard at it, eat right, and get proper rest. Once you get to the level you desire, you can cut back to maintenance. But you have to work out with intensity to get to ANY level of change.
I totally identify with being short and skinny as a rail, being totally afraid if a big guy even looks at me. Years of being bullied does that to a guy. I understand the defence mechanism of taking offence when someone questions whether or not I am serious about wanting to change my body. Probably the most crushing types of comments are the ones where guys or chicks will say something like, "Wait, you work out?" But you have to move past that and say that you are serious.
Send me a DM if you'd like, and I can give you advice on how to mentally prepare and adjust yourself for the sea-change that happens as your body changes. I admit that I'm still pretty thin, but I'm actually about 40 pounds heavier than I used to be.
WTF? I guess you'll never get there.
I agree.
He sounds very young/immature/inexperienced.
i asked for advice and im getting motivational speeches 
honestly dont even bother entering the thread x
honestly dont even bother entering the thread x
I still say, WTF. The thread is health, fitness and bodybuilding, not how to look fit without putting in the work. To look fit you have to be fit. To be fit you have to train like an athlete. Unless you accept that, you will will live a long life thinking that you peaked at age 19.
the title of this thread is literally "how to get fit" - that's what im trying to do. you seem confused.
Why is everyone coming for you? Lol. Just ignore all the speeches.i asked for advice and im getting motivational speeches
honestly dont even bother entering the thread x
With all the gym closures, focus on eating enough protein as I mentioned earlier. And try to figure out a consistent home workout routine. Those should be your top two priorities.
when the gyms re-open, id suggest hiring a good personal trainer who can guide you with a routine.
For now look at @briandecosta he posts some good home routines
dont let the haters get you down
Ok. The title of the category is Heath, Fitness, and Bodybuilding.
So, to answer your initial question, "How to get fit", the answer is to train (work out) like an athlete. Period. End point. I don't mean to come across as a smarty pants, which sometimes seems the case in written forums, but the bottom line is that there is no magic potion or solution. Genetics play a roll in your early life when you do nothing, but even genetics won't cover up the results of being lazy for very long. The vast majority of people have shitty bodies because the vast majority of people don't work out. I still think you have great potential, but you do have to work for it.
So, to answer your initial question, "How to get fit", the answer is to train (work out) like an athlete. Period. End point. I don't mean to come across as a smarty pants, which sometimes seems the case in written forums, but the bottom line is that there is no magic potion or solution. Genetics play a roll in your early life when you do nothing, but even genetics won't cover up the results of being lazy for very long. The vast majority of people have shitty bodies because the vast majority of people don't work out. I still think you have great potential, but you do have to work for it.
Jordan Morello, Jacob Manning, Fraser Wilson.
Follow them on IG. Good Bodyweight and Home workouts.
Myfitnesspal on Apps is a good
way to start tracking nutrition, do it for
three to four months and be amazed at the changes that become second nature.
Keep focused on long term benefits, short
term goals are great to move to the next level.
You got this!
Follow them on IG. Good Bodyweight and Home workouts.
Myfitnesspal on Apps is a good
way to start tracking nutrition, do it for
three to four months and be amazed at the changes that become second nature.
Keep focused on long term benefits, short
term goals are great to move to the next level.
You got this!
Im someone who has always been underweight, then slender, now fairly athletic...What has never changed is my devotion to physical activity. That's what prevents you from getting skinny fat. Now at 19 you're a bit behind my curve; from 7-18 I was taking dance and gymnastic classes, with little spurts of taekwondo and soccer interspersed within. Combined with a lightning metabolism it meant I was the skinniest kid for most of my scholastic career no matter how much or healthy I ate..but with unrivaled 10 pack abs because of the repetitious sit ups and core strengthening that were a part of all my extracurriculars. My muscles were defined, proportionally stronger than they appeared, but small.. i tried weightlifting in my early 20s which gained me some mass and strength but by that time I was 6"1 and proportionally remained skinny. My now wife, then gf by 25 told me, that I might just have to wait until my "man body" set in...even to the point that she would brag to romantic rivals that she was snatching me up then because she could only imagine how hot Id be by 40...and like clockwork with my 36th birthday days away, I know have the body I wished I had senior yr of high school...
All this is to say, puberty is weird and officially doesn't even stop until about age 24 for us guys, so that in of itself may prevent your body from making the wanted changes no matter what you do (outside of unhealthy or unsafe decisions) for another 5 yrs, and it can be yet another 10yrs before your metabolism settles into a pattern with promotes healthy gain with concerted actions...
So eat healthy and often, adopt a comprehensive but reasonable daily calisthenic work out routine that focuses on core strength and balance, supplement that with an active extracurricular like a sport, or martial art, or dance that strengthens and tones without it being approached like a workout, and round it all out with semi regular yoga to stretch and strengthen.
You'll see visible results within weeks of starting, definitely as far as tone, but dont get too hung up on the gains because you might see little to none for awhile.
All this is to say, puberty is weird and officially doesn't even stop until about age 24 for us guys, so that in of itself may prevent your body from making the wanted changes no matter what you do (outside of unhealthy or unsafe decisions) for another 5 yrs, and it can be yet another 10yrs before your metabolism settles into a pattern with promotes healthy gain with concerted actions...
So eat healthy and often, adopt a comprehensive but reasonable daily calisthenic work out routine that focuses on core strength and balance, supplement that with an active extracurricular like a sport, or martial art, or dance that strengthens and tones without it being approached like a workout, and round it all out with semi regular yoga to stretch and strengthen.
You'll see visible results within weeks of starting, definitely as far as tone, but dont get too hung up on the gains because you might see little to none for awhile.
I'm a 19-year-old twink, about 5 ft 6 and 52kg/114lb - quite skinny but not emaciated lol
I really want to start getting fit but I've never been to the gym and honestly don't know where the fuck to start
With gyms being closed in the UK for the foreseeable future, I want some tips and pointers as to how I can start my journey at home
Also any advice on how I can progress when gyms eventually open again
Thanks
It is best to start with body weight exercises, yoga and calisthenics: push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, dips, squats (weightless) etc, think about the basic exercises you did in school. If you feel you're out of practice, start with doing as many repetitions as you can until your muscles give out and do that about 3 times in a workout. You'll know you're working out the right amount when you really feel awful the next day from soreness. That soreness is normal for the first couple months or when working out any new muscle/muscle group. One you start getting an idea of how many in a row you can do after a few weeks, then start setting goals of higher numbers, I may have neglected to mention, but counting how many you can do in a row is VERY important, take notes or get a small whiteboard or phone app.
When doing your exercises go as slow as you need, and focus on going as low/high as you can. The goal isn't huge numbers in a row, rather to get as high a quality a workout as possible, and often going fast works fewer muscles. If an exercise is impossible for you at the time, look up an easier way to do it. Lots of people struggle to do pull-ups for instance, so instead jump up and just simply hold your head above the bar and slightly come down, effectively doing half the normal exercise or standing on a stool to get a bit of an easier time. Feel free to cheat some exercises.. just don't cheat for more than a few weeks, build up your muscles and confidence, only you will know whether its really too hard for you.
Stretching and yoga is very important. I'm sure you know all the usual stuff: helps prevent injuries, warms you up for a long workout, promotes blood flow. However little known fact: it helps improve muscle definition. If you're looking for a defined build, trust me people like that are often very flexible.
P.S. - Once you get tired of the basics and want a more varied workout with some weights or exercise equipment, here is what I have at home: dumbbells, resistance band, pull-up bar, gymnast rings, jump rope and a barbell.
ikr omg, idk why everyone is sending weird responses lol, and thanks xx
Do you recommend the same to me if I am 21 years old, 5ft5 and 132lb (60kg)
- clav,
I'd say you're lucky in a way, since being quite skinny means the muscle gains should show quicker than if you had to get toned and lose weight - whay I mean is, if you have a little belly fay (which is normal btw, and nothing wrong with it) you can still do crunches and planks 3x a day but you won't see the six pack.
Body weight exercise is a good way to gain tone and not risk stressing the body too much, especially when new to exercise. I'd say have a look on YouTube for Joe Wicks kinda videos, look for short (15-30-60 mins) HIIT stuff and make sure you start with beginners ones. Yoga and Pilates are also very good, especially if you're looking for a toned but not bulky figure which perhaps fits your phisiology and natural body shape better. There are literally YouTube stars with great back catalogues of videos like the Bodyweight Warrior, yoga with Adriene or Kassandra, the aforementioned Joe Wicks and I'm sure there's plenty more.
Also, when beginning ALWAYS remember, when doing movement or drills, that good form is FAR more important than amounts of reps or how far into the move you can get. For example no need to touch your heels with your butt when squatting if that means your knees collapsing inwards and your shoulders not stacking above your hips and feet, just go as far as you can and sure enough you will gain range and flexibility in time. That's why filming yourself or having a fairly big mirror can help (and of course, in a non Covid world, doing classes with qualified instructors!).
And as some mentioned, if you work more with your body, it does need feeding a bit more, just choose well and make sure that the extra you eat is not hollow calories. Plant stuff is generally better than meat as long as you have some protein but if it's just a bit of every other day exercise without a goal to bulk you won't need a massive protein+carb shake afterwards, just have a banana and a glass of milk (dairy or soy/nut based is all good and protein rich).
Hope that makes sense! Also remember, when you exercise in a new way for the first time you will get through the reps but might ache and burn a day or two later - this is completely normal and won't be like that every time from then on!
Body weight exercise is a good way to gain tone and not risk stressing the body too much, especially when new to exercise. I'd say have a look on YouTube for Joe Wicks kinda videos, look for short (15-30-60 mins) HIIT stuff and make sure you start with beginners ones. Yoga and Pilates are also very good, especially if you're looking for a toned but not bulky figure which perhaps fits your phisiology and natural body shape better. There are literally YouTube stars with great back catalogues of videos like the Bodyweight Warrior, yoga with Adriene or Kassandra, the aforementioned Joe Wicks and I'm sure there's plenty more.
Also, when beginning ALWAYS remember, when doing movement or drills, that good form is FAR more important than amounts of reps or how far into the move you can get. For example no need to touch your heels with your butt when squatting if that means your knees collapsing inwards and your shoulders not stacking above your hips and feet, just go as far as you can and sure enough you will gain range and flexibility in time. That's why filming yourself or having a fairly big mirror can help (and of course, in a non Covid world, doing classes with qualified instructors!).
And as some mentioned, if you work more with your body, it does need feeding a bit more, just choose well and make sure that the extra you eat is not hollow calories. Plant stuff is generally better than meat as long as you have some protein but if it's just a bit of every other day exercise without a goal to bulk you won't need a massive protein+carb shake afterwards, just have a banana and a glass of milk (dairy or soy/nut based is all good and protein rich).
Hope that makes sense! Also remember, when you exercise in a new way for the first time you will get through the reps but might ache and burn a day or two later - this is completely normal and won't be like that every time from then on!
Similar threads
