I need help

[Elf]

This isn't in the help section because it's about physical fitness alright

So I have worked out maybe 2x in the last 4 years (severe depression made me bed bound hell yea). I am really thin and have just about no muscle mass, and my lack of exercise is really starting to make itself known in my life and I know I need to change it but I have absolutely no idea how to start. Anyone have advice for me here on what I should do? It would be extremely appreciated

[Cybun]

You need to build up muscle gal! It's all about diet, what do you usually eat during the week?

[Suicune]

I would start off at home with:

Push ups
Sit ups
Squats
ect

Do 5 of all x3 reps for starters and build it up,

after you feel better maybe take up running, early or at night to avoid people.

you'll need lots of protein in your diet so; Eggs, Chicken, meat, veg ect

try to stay away from junk food

[ohfyk1]

On facebook follow Bodyrocktv It's a fitness channel mostly geared towards women and they will spam your wall with lots of useful information. The best place to start is increase what you eat, thats how you are going to stop being a twig. The subreddit /fit is also a good place to ask for help

[Sci_Girl]

Go with dumbells. No need to over exert yourself, if you are weak and you push yourself into something that does not want to happen like 20 pushup when you cannot do 1 you can really damage your muscles. So dumbells will help prevent that since you can do simple movements with little resistence. 5lbs or less is fine to start.

I use this workout routine since I need simple, quick, and nothing overly physical. You are not in pain for days after with this routine.


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[Suicune]

I couldn't walk right for a week after doing a session of Insanity x.x

[potatoespotate]

I would definitely recommend doing weights or exercises that make use of your own body weight such as those Serais has mentioned. Try to look at the mirror to make sure you have the posture/movement right to prevent injury. For push ups, you can start with girly push ups to build strength. When you're strong enough then progress to the normal push ups.

If strictly physical kind of work outs aren't your thing, you could try yoga/pilates? those help with building some muscles too especially when you work on poses that build strength. Maybe it'll help you relax and feel better, not a cure for depression by any means, but I hear exercise in general helps because your body releases endorphins.

[Bexxie]

I couldn't walk right for a week after doing a session of Insanity x.x

I felt like I was dying after my first time with Insanity! I like Focus T25 better. It's not as extreme but still a good workout.

[Elf]

You need to build up muscle gal! It's all about diet, what do you usually eat during the week?

High fruit + carb usually while monitoring that I get at least 50g of protein. Can't build muscle when I don't do anything u__u

[Cybun]

High fruit + carb usually while monitoring that I get at least 50g of protein. Can't build muscle when I don't do anything u__u

Mhm, but diet and exercise walk hand-in-hand in this case. :D
Maybe you should start off with a goooood and complete breakfast that includes eggs, butter, milk, cheese, yogurt (I suggest greek) etc! Avoid eating too much bread and avoid anything with too much sugar, consume fruits in moderation since they also have sugar and all. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day I'm sure you've heard it!
Then for lunch and dinner you can have red meat, fish (salmon god tier), chicken (breast is better), pork and if you want to snack and like sunflower seeds and peanuts go all out because these foods are all high protein. :)
Also drink lots of water.

For exercises you could start with push-ups, jogging, cardio in general, there also many others that you can look up on the internet because I forgot their names. :rolleyes:

[Birdtail]

You can look into using creatine before your workouts, it helps build muscle mass. I have used it and so has my partner, who is 100lbs soaking wet and very thinly framed, we both felt it worked as intended.

I think it'll be less cardio that you need, and more so strength training. The video that Sci_Girl posted is awesome and a great start!

You're going to have to get that heart pumping and that body moving to gain any muscle, so find something you love that also happens to give you a workout. Horseback riding, rock/wall climbing, bicycling, hiking, tennis/hardball, etc. Find out what excites and motivates you (and gets you moving!), the muscle gain will come along with it!

[Saitama]

I second starting with dumbbells and body weight exercises. It's a good place to start and to help build the muscle you need to tackle the advanced workouts. Definitely start with a 5lb weight if you can handle it. Focus on doing slow, meaningful reps. You want quality over quantity. You can do it! You've already completed the first step of wanting to make a change. :panda:

[Cub]

ok tbh you can keep it really simple. eat at a caloric surplus (which should be easy since you are pretty much sedentary, if you have any underlying issues w/ food then understandably you cant do that). Try to focus on protein dense foods. Im not gonna say avoid carbs, but fat and protein are your friends.

Do body weight exercises first, you will make newbie gains which will help you get a lot of your previous muscle back.
good examples are: squats, push ups, lunges, plank, wall sit etc.
If you feel comfortable going to a gym, start out doing really simple lifts like sumo squats while holding a dumbell and tricep presses and bicep curls as well (even just using machines will help, and they are super simple to use and usually have instructions on them). usually just doing 3 sets of 10 is pretty basic and you do make gains from that. Youtube and insta are your best friends, tbh thats where i started out first and then i transitioned to powerlifting, but everybody has to start somewhere.

if you have any more questions or like more depth questions about muscles/food intake etc you can message me anytime. I tried to keep it simple just because a lot of information can be overwhelming at first.

good luck!


*personally i do a lot of compound movements (squats, deadlifts and bench) which grows muscle extremely quickly. I would recommend working towards learning that over time just because they work a ton of muscles at once and are known to be very beneficial for overall strength and conditioning.

[Witchy1]

This isn't in the help section because it's about physical fitness alright

So I have worked out maybe 2x in the last 4 years (severe depression made me bed bound hell yea). I am really thin and have just about no muscle mass, and my lack of exercise is really starting to make itself known in my life and I know I need to change it but I have absolutely no idea how to start. Anyone have advice for me here on what I should do? It would be extremely appreciated

First of all I would like to say, there is a lot of great advice here. Sci_girl and birdtail gave some great advice. As a nurse, I have to advise getting a complete physical before starting any exercise or diet regimen. You say you are/were depressed, you are very thin and can't gain weight/muscle mass. You may have a health problem such as hyperthyroidism. There are different causes for hyperthyroidism and it is very easily detected through a simple blood test. If it is determined that you do have hyperthyroidism, they will determine the cause and treatment. A CBC or complete blood count, will determine if you are anemic, diabetic, or have any other issues that could be affecting your health. Otherwise, if your healthcare practitioner says it's ok to begin a regimen, remember, women do not bulk up as quickly as or the same way as men do. Men have larger muscle fibers than women do (Gender differences in strength and muscle fiber characteristics, Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1993;66(3):254-62.) and bulk up quicker and easier. You can still tone your muscles, you don't have to be a body builder. Unless you want to. You can do that too. I would start by eating lean proteins like peanut butter (has a lot of fat, but it is healthy, mono-unsaturated fat) non-fat or low fat yogurt, non-fat or low-fat milk, lean meat, chicken, fish, nuts, low fat cheese, whole grain breads, fruits, vegetables. Don't forget, good fat is also essential to good health. Stay away from saturated fats such as fried, greasy foods, and increase poly and mono unsaturated fats such as olives and olive oil, nuts, and vegetable oil. As far as exercise goes, what are you trying to achieve? Physical fitness, muscle toning, muscle building? Depending on the results you want to achieve, you will want to work out differently and on a different schedule.