There are many different ways to strength train:

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CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, Power Lifting, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Parkour, Calisthenics, and Bodybuilding to name some of the more popular ones.

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Any of these can help you build and maintain a healthy, muscular physique.  If you already have a strength sport you love, then get to it!  If one of these intrigues you and you really want to try it, then go for it!

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I have my opinions regarding the efficacy of each of these strength sports.  However, I don't care what you do as long as you're doing some kind of strength training, and you are consistently working to gain strength and muscle mass.  Because, muscle mass is your friend!

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I assume many of you reading this may be overweight, out of shape, or have very little experience with strength training.

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For anyone looking to start strength training, I humbly offer up bodybuilding as the ideal strength sport for non-fit people.  It may sound silly at first, but there is sound logic behind my recommendation.

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Weightlifting and Bodybuilding probably seems redundant, but I see a distinction.  I consider Bodybuilding to be a subset of Weightlifting.  Bodybuilding is Weightlifting with a particular purpose.

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The two basic goals of bodybuilding are to maximize overall muscle development and minimize body fat.  Those two simple goals are two huge factors that can lead to a long and healthy life.

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I’m only talking about bodybuilding as a form of exercise.  I’m not advocating the use of illegal or dangerous muscle building substances.  I’m not advocating dieting to get to 3.5% body fat.  I’m not even advocating taking safe and legal supplements, although I take them myself and I think there are many helpful ones out there.  I’m also not saying you should want to look like a bodybuilder.  I do want to look like a bodybuilder, but that’s just me.

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I simply contend that bodybuilding is the best way to get fit and healthy for someone who is sedentary, out of shape, or overweight.  It is the safest, most effective means to develop and maintain an overall healthy and strong physique.

 

Bodybuilding is unique among strength sports because it focuses on gaining proportioned muscle mass over the whole body rather than just increasing performance or strength.  That may sound strange.  Who wouldn’t want more strength or better performance?  Well, we probably all want those things, but at what cost?

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Did you know that bodybuilding has a much lower injury rate than CrossFit, Olympic Weight Lifting, Power Lifting, Gymnastics, Parkour, Calisthenics, and pretty much every other strength sport?

And according to this study, it’s not even close.

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I’m not bashing other strength sports.  If you love the strength sport you’re doing and it inspires you to get off your ass and get strong, then I’m all for it.  But if you’re already exercising regularly and you’re already strong and fit, I'm not writing this for you.

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I’m talking to people who want to get in shape.  I believe bodybuilding is the safest, most efficacious form of exercise to get there.

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I believe the best place to work out is in a gym that has a mixture of free weights and machines. It's important to have access to weights and machines that can be adjusted for where you are.  If you are weak and fat, you shouldn’t be trying to do push ups or pull ups with your body weight.  Can you even do a pull up?  Or a push up? And you don’t need to be jumping on boxes or even doing squats and deadlifts yet.

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What you need is weights and machines that can meet you where you are.  You should do controlled movements that stress your muscles, while not causing excessive impact loading on your joints.  You need to gradually work your way to heavier and heavier loads, but the emphasis is on gradually.  Injuries should be feared and avoided at all costs!  All it takes is one injury to possibly derail or completely blowup your transformation dreams.  You have to treat your body like a limited resource.

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You should not go into strength training with guns blazing and a take-no-prisoners approach.  We are running a marathon.  We are fighting a months or years long war.  We have to pace ourselves.  We have to take the long view and be patient with our bodies and our progress.  Don’t get me wrong.  I believe in pushing yourself.  I love brutal workouts.  I believe in going to failure.  I love putting 20 plates on the leg press and totally obliterating my quads.  But those are things you work up to, not dive into.

 

Finding a gym

Finding a gym that is right for you can be difficult, especially if you are budget conscious (i.e. cheap) like me.  Visiting a commercial gym can be a very unpleasant experience, much like dealing with a used car salesman.  Most commercial gyms will try to sign you up to long term commitments with automatic payments. 

Every area is different, but you can often find good deals on gym memberships at community recreation centers.  You might have one in your area that is run by a local city or county.  Do an internet search for ‘recreation center’ or ‘community gym’ or ‘community fitness’ or other similar variations.

Another benefit of community gyms is that the clientele tend to be low key.  My gym has a nice cross section of people, from high school kids to senior citizens.  But we don’t get the screamers and weight droppers that you sometimes find in the hardcore gyms.   

If you want to try working out in a gym before you commit, one of the best deals ever is Snap Fitness.  Their regular monthly rates are too rich for me, but they offer a 30 day trial for $8.95.  All you have to do is signup online and they will mail the pass right to your house!  There is no commitment.  The pass simply expires after 30 days and it does not automatically renew.  If you have a Snap Fitness near you, it is definitely a good way to get your feet wet in the gym world.

The gym might be a scary idea to some of you.  I can relate to a degree.  I have been the new guy in dozens and dozens of gyms over the years, so I know what that feels like.  I also know what it’s like to go to the gym when you don’t feel good about your body.  I promise it most likely won’t be as bad as you think.  It will be worth whatever discomfort it causes you, because there just isn’t another environment as conducive to muscle growth for overweight people as a traditional gym with free weights and machines.

People who aren’t overweight have many more options available for strength training.  If you are 50 lbs or more overweight, you just aren’t a good candidate for parkour, calisthetics, rock climbing, etc...  Can you even do a push up?  Can you do a pull up?  Maybe not!  But you can push 50, 60, or 80 lbs on a chest press machine.  And you can pull down 50 lbs on a lat pulldown machine.  I promise the gym is where you need to be.  It is the best place to build muscle when you are fat and weak. 

The machines look complicated, but once you learn how to use them it really isn’t so bad.  Most gyms will have someone who is more than happy to show you around for free and demonstrate how the machines work.  Some gyms even offer a complimentary personal training session for new members. 

 

Maybe you are concerned how other gym members will treat you.  There are jerks everywhere you go, but the vast majority of people you will meet in the gym are very pleasant and kind.

 

 

But the truth is I am a gym rat at heart.  There are few places I am more comfortable than in a gym.  I feel at home there.  So, on another level I cannot relate to fears that would keep you from going to the gym.  I promise it most likely won’t be as bad as you think it might be.  There just isn’t another environment as conducive to muscle growth as a

If there is just no way for you to work out in a gym, then my first choice for working out at home would be resistance bands.

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