zipa78 Member

Let them ache, it doesn't matter. Once you start exercising, the soreness will most likely go away for a while.

You'll need to do both, since one will lead to the other.

Yes, I have the occasional cheat day. And no, it does not imply that I'm doing anything wrong, it's just a friggin' term that everyone "in the trade" understands. There are no rules for cheat days, you'll have to figure them out by yourself. What works for me will probably not work for you, but here are my "rules": - Must…

Get a book on bodyweight training, or be cheap and use google and youtube.

No better place to start than the basic lifts. Google "stronglifts 5x5" or "starting strength", read up, get a gym membership (or some other place where you can lift) and get going.

This should be right up your alley: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Well, actually stretching won't help one iota towards preventing DOMS. It is beneficial in many ways, but that it not one of them.

Walking is a great form of exercise, but what the heck is this?

Just squat as planned in your program. DOMS doesn't really have any effect on that. Just make sure that you warm up well, bodyweight squats are good for that. Some light dynamic stretches will help too.

Only when in bed... Don't do it when lifting, especially not as a beginner doing free weights. The chances that you'll hurt yourself will skyrocket if you try squatting with legs that feel like you had just "gone until you can go no mo" and wobble all over the place. Even if you decide to go all out, you should always…

Micro-plates would probably be a good choice for your bench press as well. I mean, I bench with about three times the weight that you use, and I use 5 lbs increments when adding weight. It is no wonder that the same 5 lbs increment feels incredibly heavy for you. I mean, heck, it is almost a 10 % increase, when you should…

Just keep going. Any reasonable beginners program will start out light enough to account for the fact that you'll be pretty beat up from the DOMS for the first week or so.

No. Machines can be really bad for your joints, since they force you to a fixed range of motion, which could be totally wrong with regards to how your joints actually can and want to move.

Use dumbbells for OHP. Start with the smallest ones, focus on the form and work your way up from there. Dumbbells will require you to stabilize the motion much more, so they will activate and develop all the smaller muscles really well, too.

The tracker would not know about your rigging. A wrist-worn device will not understand your leg motions.

No, you'll want heavy weights and 3-6 sets of 3-6 reps. Sets of 15 is borderline cardio.

Beef jerky, cottage cheese, canned tuna, chicken, chicken, chicken.

Way to go! Most people can't do them even unweighted, so that alone puts you miles ahead of the pack.

This would be my suggestion as well. One option (it requires a bit of practice, though) is to do front squats and just clean the weight up on your shoulders. It will be harder, but dammit, it will make you strong! As for deadlifts and rows, you can do them from a hang while working up to the larger plates if you can't find…

Start with standing pushups against a wall or incline pushups against a high bench or table and do them as assistance after your overhead presses. Or after every pressing exercise if you feel that you are up for it. When you can dish those out by the dozens, move to regular pushups. I really, really would not recommend…

Yes, my words came out a bit wrong, I guess. I meant that it goes on for 24-48 hours after exercise, so it is equally important to eat well even on your days off.

Two great choices there, congrats! And remember: start slow and don't try to rush things. The heavy weights aren't going anywhere, they'll be there waiting for you when you are ready.

Are you actually hitting a plateau or just asking in general? Basically, at 19 and being a guy, there's nothing more to it than eating like a horse (or a lion, since we don't want to be just munching carrots all day long) and lifting like a beast. Your body is still producing testosterone and growth hormones like there's…

This could be an issue, since women need to stay at around 20 % body fat (give or take a few percent) in order to keep their hormonal balance the right way up. If you get too lean, you'll start messing up that balance and then it will become really, really hard to make any gains what so ever. TL;DR: Eat more, lift more.

Of course, that's more of a mobility workout than just a stretch, so if you are looking for something to at the gym after your lifts, then just look up some basic stretches for what jimmmmer suggested. exrx.net has a good list of exercises and stretches.

Just to clarify, the bootcamp on Sunday and KB training on Tuesday were the first ones for you? If so, then it's pretty certainly just soreness from the sudden change of pace. Go for a nice and slow walk, do a few (5-10 reps) bodyweight squats every now and then to keep blood flowing through your muscles. The soreness from…

I'd keep them the same, with the exception of a possible allowance for an extra post workout recovery/protein shake. Pick a goal, there are lots of guidelines, such as one gram per pound of lean body mass. It isn't really all that important, as long as you are getting "enough"... :smile: Anything over 100-120 grams should…

I have yet to find a piece of fitness equipment that didn't lie through its teeth when it comes to estimating calories burnt. Here's something that I found on spinning.com

You need to allow yourself enough time to recover. Are you tight, have you been stretching properly?

Any heavy cardio, calisthenics, circuit training. Doesn't matter, it'll all be just one big wild guess anyway.