Reddit mentions: The best ab workout books

Hey there, hi there, ho there! Get ready: paragraphs ahead!

Texas, huh? This situation's tough, and despite some elbow grease, Google hasn't got anything guaranteed to offer. Regardless, I've found a few possible locations that offer Kyudo lessons in Texas.

Before all else though: to the best of my ((very) limited) knowledge, yabusame is largely a ceremonial (rather than recreational) practice in current days, and as such, isn't so widely taught and practiced-- I don't think it's even something tested for in the examination to achieve "renshi" (teacher) rank with the International Kyudo Federation. You should not expect any given teacher or Kyudo practitioner outside of Japan to have a thorough knowledge of the process... much less be in a position to teach. I hope I'm wrong on this front, though. If I am, then your best bet for the nearest yabusame practitioner on-the-grid may very well be one of the highest ranking individuals in the four biggest states for Kyudo: California, Indiana, North Carolina (not "big" in so many words, but the two people who literally wrote the English book on Kyudo are a part of this renmei), or South Carolina. A long drive, to say the least! For now, I'd act optimistically but plan for the worst-case scenario.

There are three possible places where you might be able to learn Kyudo in Texas, as far as I can find.

There's the Texas Kyudo Renmei, associated with the American Kyudo Renmei (the nationwide organization that plays nice with the All Nippon (Japan) Kyudo Renmei and the International Kyudo Federation). I'm finding conflicting information on this group, however. On one hand, my 2013 edition copy of Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery puts the group in De Soto, Texas with Michael Mason as president (email listed as masonmg@worldnet.att.net). The American Kyudo Renmei website (quite possibly out of date) shows the Texas Renmei as being situated in Dallas, though-- with a man by the name of Mark Wegmann running the show. I get the impression this Dallas group at least has folded-- the IKYF's site doesn't list Texas in their 2010 list of American Renmei, and the comment from one Liz here suggests Mark of Dallas has been unreachable for some time. Meanwhile, De Soto's quite the drive for you, huh... .__.;; You're free to try your luck with either of these options-- they might be able to tell you about any closer grassroots groups that don't have an internet presence, at least.

The remaining two places are the most likely to have something to your immediate advantage.

Austin, Texas has a place called the Austin Shambala Meditation Center. The meditation center advertises some form of Kyudo seminar, held twice a month with a $15 cost. I expect this is a get-your-feet-wet kind of program, rather than a group that meets regularly, and that might not be what you're looking for.

Second, an alternative Kyudo group named Zenko International that I'm honestly 100% unfamiliar with shows on their website two practicing groups in Texas-- one in Austin, one in San Antonio(!)-- with a name, email address, and phone number for each group. These two will be your best bet in my book.

Something to remember with places that aren't affiliated with the International Kyudo Federation, though, is that the teachers in such places will be operating outside the renmei system of ranks (dan) used to show progress and mastery of Kyudo principles and practices on the international stage. You should talk with the people who run these groups-- get to know them, where they learned the sport, what drives their interest in it, and if the style of Kyudo they have to teach (because there are different styles, hoo boy) is in line with the style that Zen in the Art of Archery prepared you for. So long as everything checks out by your eye-- that their answer to where they learned the sport is not "Well, I read this one book once..." and that the style is in line with what you're looking to learn-- you shouldn't worry about teachers outside the still pretty nascent American Renmei. The only advantages to learning with one of the IKYF affiliated renmei are if learning specifically the federation's style is a priority for you, if you hope to take and pass dan ranking exams, or participate in competitions or the renmei organization-- and the absence of these won't stop you from being able to learn Kyudo as a different style of archery. \^\^

In the event you can't find any yabusame teachers in Texas, you should email someone with the American Kyudo Renmei (contact info here) to ask about the state of yabusame in the United States, and what your options in that regard are. If you get any word back, positive or negative, let us know! That's the kind of info there ought to be available online what isn't, and it's always great to get updates from fellow kyudoka!

Setting aside the question of yabusame for a moment-- in the event you can't find any Kyudo teachers in Texas, you can still get your feet wet with Kyudo through the use of books and practice material. There's two books that have the greatest sway in English:

The first is Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery, which is regarded as the most clear and detailed walk-through of general Kyudo practices, from firing from a standing, kneeling, and etc. stances with pictures and comments how holding the bow, common mistakes and how to recognize them (and fix them), and the principles taught with the mentality aspect of Kyudo. It's written originally in English by two high-ranking kyudoka who learned directly from one of the greatest Kyudo masters of the last century, rather than being a translation of Japanese material.

There's also the translation of volume one of the All Nippon Kyudo Federation's original Kyudo manual (unavailable for purchase online near as far as I can tell). This is a wordy translation of the thorough manual used for practice and teaching in Japan-- it's through my Japanese high school Kyudo club adviser that I got my copy, in fact. Only the first volume of this manual ever got an English translation though, and I can can confirm that the first volume doesn't go into yabusame. The only way to get a copy of this is to talk to the All Nippon Kyudo Federation directly and arrange for a money order and shipping. The manual's been made available online freely though on this site, though the legality of uploading the manual seems like dubious ground to me (I doubt the ANKF, the copyright holders, did the uploading..). Reading the material there isn't illegal though, and you can certainly use it to determine if the manual's an investment you'd like to make. The back of my book says it cost 3,060 yen-- so the cost for you would-- or should-- be something like ~$30 + shipping.

I'm sorry I don't have anything guaranteed to share, especially about yabusame! Kyudo's still a massively new sport stateside, with no real foothold or tried-and-true infrastructure to go to to get definitive answers online for questions like these. If there's any further questions you've got, me or any other kyudoka on r/Kyudo here are sure to have an answer of some kind for you, even if just contact info on who to be asking.

They aren't really uechi-ryu books, but here is a list of my favorite martial arts books:


[Karate-do My Way of Life] (http://www.amazon.com/Karate-Do-Way-Life-Gichin-Funakoshi/dp/1568364989/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368043735&sr=1-1&keywords=Karate-do+my+way+of+life) by Gichin Funakoshi - definitely my favorite martial arts book. This is the autobiography of Gichin Funakoshi. He talks alot about the history and culture of Okinawa and karate in general. His life is clearly a prime example of the spirit of karate-do.


[Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Twenty-Guiding-Principles-Karate/dp/4770027966/ref=pd_sim_b_2) by Gichin Funakoshi.


Basically anything by Gichin Funakoshi


[Beyond The Known] (http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Known-Ultimate-Martial-Classics/dp/0804834652) - More abstract. Presents some wonderful philosophical ideas about the unity of martial arts, the unity of spirit, and the higher purpose of the martial arts. Perhaps a better read for later in your training.


[Zen in the Martial Arts] (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Martial-Arts-Joe-Hyams/dp/0553275593/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368043973&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+in+the+martial+arts) - Everyone should read this once. It presents basic, but very important spiritual ideas relevant to the martial arts.


[Way of The Peaceful Warrior] (http://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp/1932073205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368044020&sr=1-1&keywords=Way+of+the+peaceful+warrior) - Absolutely fantastic (and entertaining) spiritual, development novel about a college age student seeking a higher meaning in life. Not exactly about martial arts, but the mindset and spiritual lessons are the same. I highly recommend this book.


[The Weaponless Warriors] (http://www.amazon.com/Way-Peaceful-Warrior-Changes-Lives/dp/1932073205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368044020&sr=1-1&keywords=Way+of+the+peaceful+warrior) - More of the mythical/legend type stories about many of the famous okinawan karate practitioners. None-the-less an exciting and entertaining read about the many legends of karate.


My top recommendations is "karate-do my way of life" by Gichin Funakoshi. My second recommendation would be "way of the peaceful warrior". Most of the books I recommended are not technique books. Honestly, I don't find technique books very useful. They have their places, but I think the spiritual lessons are better learned from books, and the motivation that can be derived is beneficial as well.

Also sober 3 years. I'm pretty sure 98% of recovering alcoholics are all or nothing people...we struggle with moderation in so many things.

I hate counting calories. Its just another goddamn thing to frustrate me. A few months ago I decided I'd focus on getting stronger rather than lighter. I spent the first month lifting weights 3 times a week but not eating healthy. Fuck it, pizza? Sounds good. Burgers? Yep!

I followed a plan called StrongLifts 5X5. You start off low weight and add 5lbs per workout. Before I knew it, I had some muscle under my flab. Then I started realizing I wanted to SEE those muscles. At that point I started taking my diet more seriously. I learned a lot about how to train and use my food to support that training. I'm not all the way there, but I like the results so far.

I have gotten numerous compliments from coworkers, women have started flirting with me a little, my girlfriend has been VERY happy with the changes AND I have a ton of energy to play with my kids. I also dropped 25lbs and got some definition in my arms and legs. For me, Lifting weights>losing weight

I also incorporate at least one hot yoga class into my routine. The yoga is great for mindfulness (which has been mentioned in other comments). You are stuck in a hot room, sweating your ass off, standing in strange positions and its hard for anything else to invade your thoughts. Even an hour of clear thought is super beneficial. My girlfriend does 2-3 a week, she loves it.

I know a lot of women think that weight training will make you bulky, but its all about choosing what you want. You can hit the weights and keep a slim female figure. I have read some really great things about [Strong Curves] (https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Curves-Womans-Building-Better/dp/1936608642) and Lift like a Man Look Like a Goddess ( Book Link).

If counting calories doesn't make you happy just try something new. Find a healthy thing that makes you feel good and do THAT thing, then do that and try add another healthy thing. See what sticks and focus on that.

You got this!

Sorry for the wall of text! Sobriety and exercise are 2 VERY important things in my life and I love talking about them.

Here is most of my library, broken down, with links and some thoughts on each.

Karate Specific

• The Bubishi by Patrick McCarty (Amazon) - I think this book needs to be in every library.
  
• Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate by Patrick McCarthy (Amazon) - One of the first books I purchased by McCarthy. Details older version of classic kata found in a lot of traditional styles.
  
• Karatedo by My Way of Life - Gichin Funakoshi (Amazon) - Great read! I really nice view at the life of Funakoshi.
  
• The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate by Gichin Funakoshi (Amazon) - Another great read. While I'm no longer a practitioner of Shotokan, I believe the teachings of Funakoshi should be tought to every karateka.
  
• Okinawan Karate : Teachers, styles and secret techniques by Mark Bishop (Amazon) - Great amount of historical content, and helped link a few things together for me.
  
• The Study of China Hand Techniques by Morinobu Itoman (Lulu.com) - The only known publication by Itoman, this book detains original Okinawan Te, how it was taught, practiced, and some history. This was one of my best finds.
  
• The Essence of Okinawan Karate-do by Shoshin Nagamine (Amazon) - Great details on Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu kata, and some nice historical content.
  
• The Way of Kata by Lawrence Kane & Kris Wilder (Amazon) - Fantastic book on diving deeper into kata to find the application of the techniques.
  
• Classic Kata of Shorinji Ryu: Okinawan Karate Forms of Richard 'Biggie' Kim by Leroy Rodrigues (Amazon) - Not quite accurate as to the title, this book details the versions of shorinji-ryu kata as if they were taught by a Japanese school. Still able to use, as long as you understand what stances and techniques have changed between Okinawa and Japan.
  
• Black Belt Karate by Jordan Roth (Amazon) - This was a gift from a friend. I have a First Edition hard cover. Shotokan specific, and has some nice details on the kata.
  
• Karate-do Kyohan: The Master Text by Gichin Funakoshi (Amazon) - Love this book, especially for the historical content.
  
• Kempo Karate-do by Tsuyoshi Chitose (Shindokanbooks.com) - The only known book from Chitose, highlights his history, his thoughts and ideas for practicing karate-do as a way of life, and contains steps for practicing Henshu-Ho. Chitose is the creator of the style I study. I have this book for obvious reasons. Your mileage may vary.
  
  Kobujutsu Specific
  
  
• Okinawan Weaponry: Hidden methods, ancient myths of Kobudo & Te by Mark Bishop (Amazon) - Really great detail into the history of some of the weapons and the people who taught them from Okinawa.
  
• Okinawan Kobudo Vol 1 & 2 (Lulu.com) - Fantastic books detailing the kihon and kata of Okinawan Kobudo. Anyone who takes Ryukyu Kobujutsu, and doesn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on the original texts by Motokatsu Inoue, this is the next best thing.
  
• Bo: Karate Weapon of Self-Defense by Fumio Demura (Amazon) - Purchased it for the historical content. Doesn't actually apply to anything in Ryukyu Kobujutsu, but still a decent read. I also have his Nunchaku and Tonfa books.
  
  Other Martial Arts
  
  
• Applied Tai Chi Chuan by Nigel Sutton (Amazon) - A great introduction to Cheng Style Tai Chi, detailing some of the fundamentals and philosophy behind the teachings.
  
• Tai Chi Handbook by Herman Kauz (Amazon) - More Cheng Style Tai Chi, but this one has more emphasis on teaching the shortened form (37 steps).
  
• Tai Chi Chuan: Classical Yang Style: The Complete Long Form and Qigong by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming (Amazon) - Just received this for Chirstmas, and looking forward to diving in. Includes some history of Tai Chi Chuan, Yang style Tai Chi, philosophy, and has instruction on the complete long form (108 steps)
  
• The Text-book of Ju-Jutsu as Practiced in Japan by Sadakazu Uyenishi (Amazon) - I have a very old version of this book (1930ish). Picked it up for the historical content, but still a great read.
  
• Tao of Jeet Kun Do by Bruce Lee (Amazon) - Notes on technique, form, and philosophy from Bruce Lee. Another must read for every martial artist, regardless of discipline.
  
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide to Dominating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Combat by Alexandrew Paiva (Amazon) - Excellent step by step illustrations on performing the basic techniques in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Easy to understand and follow. Contains several tips on what to watch out for with each technique as well.
  
  Health and Anatomy
  
  
• The Anatomy of Martial Arts by Dr. Norman Link and Lily Chou (Amazon) - Decent book on the muscle groups used to perform specific techniques in martial arts. On it's own, not totally useful (but not useless), but with the next book, becomes gold!
  
• Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy by Bret Contraris (Amazon) - Brilliant book that details what muscles are use for what type of action, and gives examples on body weight exercises that pin-point those specific muscle groups. My best purchase of 2014, especially when paired with the previous book.
  
• Martial Mechanics by Phillip Starr (Amazon) - Slightly Chinese Martial Arts specific, but contains great material on how to strengthen stances and fine-tune technique for striking arts.
  
  EDIT: I can't believe I forgot this one...
  
  
• The Little Black Book of Violence by Lawrence Kane & Kris Wilder (Amazon) - Fantastic book about situational awareness, what happens during fights, and the aftermath. LOVED this book.
  

Skinny-fat is a term for people who are naturally thin so they don't really focus on working out. They aren't overweight, but they have no muscle tone and not much endurance. It's hard because skinny fat people have basically been giving a "pass" from having to watch what they eat or exercise all the time because they don't have physical looks as a motivator. While health and overall enjoyment of life can be a great motivator, they are more abstract and long term benefits rather than the tangible "I lost 5 pounds" goals, so it is difficult to get skinny fat people to start working out.

/u/bungsana, my only advice would be to start complimenting her when she works out, tell her how sexy she looks when she's all sweaty, when she puts on workout clothes tell her how hot she looks in them, etc. Just be positive and supportive and let her know how psyched you are that you guys get to share this together.

Maybe see if there is a female trainer she could go to for a bit. A lot of women can be intimidated by weightlifting, and in the intro to New Rules of Lifting for Women it talks about how women tend to be more focused on proper technique while men are willing to just jump into it. I know I am like that and don't feel comfortable trying a move until I feel like I know exactly how to. Getting her a trainer for a bit might get her comfortable. And sometimes its nice for that person to be a stranger and not your husband who is correcting you.

Find some physical activities that you both like, but also let her explore her own relationship to working out and getting physically fit. She may be more inclined towards classes and things that have a social nature. She may feel like weight lifting will get her "bulky". Start her off on other things and just work on her getting into the mindset that being active and exercising is a necessary part of her schedule. Once that habit is formed, then possibly focus on what type of exercise is best.


good luck! I am a skinny fat myself and it's hard. My increased health and energy definitely help me keep going, but sometimes it's hard when I know I could stop all exercise and still fit into all my clothes no problem.

First of all, I would like to say, This is a fantastic idea for a contest! I love that you are using the opportunity to help others reach personal goals!

I'm making this change... I am going to learn Yoga via this book that I already own. It is a daily plan so I will track it by what day I am on and maybe some pictures. I am so out of touch with the physical aspect of my body, I am over weight and way out of shape. I know it will be hard to learn yoga as an obese and un-flexible person, but that will change once I get into it. I would love /u/BunnyLebowski1 to be my first cheerleader as she has already helped me out with helping me improve my health :) And /u/ButteredToast and /u/ReisaD I think would also make some great cheerleaders :)

If I win the prize, the Kindle Paperwhite would be nice so I can spend more time outdoors and more time reading at the same time :)

As for the MP3, I just started a wishlist for that and don't have much on it yet so I don't really have any songs on there yet for this circumstance.

Thanks for the contest, I am happy to accept the challenge even if I don't win the prize!

I agree with incster. I recommend Brad Hudson's Run Faster book. It might work for you as someone who likes to set his own training regimen... but within limits.


I'm 37, 6'3" and 185lbs, run ~6 days and 40mpw, and started this year with a 21:54 5k. I run one fast 5k, 3-4 aerobic (not super easy but not threshold) 7.x milers, and one 10-13mi long run per week. Once a month or so I'll add a 1mi fitness test to see if I'm making any speed progress.

January 1st I ran 21:54 in a 5k and my 1mi best was about 6:36. I set a new mile PR a couple weeks ago at 5:47, a 10k PR last week at 44:20, and a 5k PR today at 20:00. What has made absolutely the most difference for me over the past two months is 1) actively differentiating between easy/recovery runs and runs where I was trying to make some active progress, and 2) heart rate training. I wear a Garmin and run by heart rate effort almost all the time. It has helped me keep my pace in a reasonable range on my easy days, which themselves make my faster days faster. I think this would suit you pretty well. :)

Looks like you've already gotten some good advice, but I have a little more to add on a few of your items.

Sugar Scrub recipes? / How to remove dry skin? / How to eliminate the Red Bump Syndrome after shaving? Just get a Salux cloth and exfoliate with that (plus a little body wash) in the shower. It is MAGIC for exfoliation! I used to get the red bumps pretty bad but now I just exfoliate before shaving and I have no problems. Also, replace the blades in your razor when they start to get dull.

Ways to cure acne? This varies from person to person, but /r/SkincareAddiction is AMAZING. I wash with Cerave foaming cleanser, use their PM moisturizer (plus sunscreen during the day), make sure to wash my face AFTER brushing my teeth, and avoid touching my face much. This prevents a lot of zits for me. The ones I do get are poked with a clean lancet after washing my face and then covered with a hydrocolloid bandage.

How to whiten my smile? / bleach my hair? I saw you mention you have issues with pool chlorine--as a chemist, I feel I should inform you that commercial teeth whitening strips contain carbamate peroxide as the whitening agent and not chlorine bleach (NaClO). Similarly, bleach meant for hair is also peroxide-based. Big difference! Might want to see if they work for you, since they don't contain the chemical that was causing you problems.

Nail Care Tips THESE VITAMINS ARE MAGIC. My nails get pretty long without breaking now, and I'm really rough on my hands. They taste like candy, too. Should also be good for hair and skin!

Exercise routines...? Go learn how to lift heavy things properly. Seriously. New Rules of Lifting for Women is not a bad starting point for a total beginner. Heavy lifting has given me loads of confidence, kickass thighs, an awesome butt, and even visible abs at one point. Lifting will build muscle, which provides a nice frame even if you have extra bodyfat...how much bodyfat you carry also depends on your diet, which /r/xxfitness can help you figure out. Once you figure out what works for you, sustainably, diet and activity-wise, you actually have a great deal of control over how your body looks. (It turns out I like chocolate more than I like seeing my abs most of the time, but if I miss them and I want them visible for a while, I now know that about 1800-2000 cal/day with a high training volume will do that.) Endless cardio is not necessary if you are like me and you hate running...I only do naked cardio :D Do find an activity you love and will stick with, and make sure you get enough sleep. Don't cut calories to 1200/day and run yourself to death, it will screw up your metabolism for years and make it way harder to lean out.

Good ways to stop Cramps, or at least help make them lighter and less painful. If they're debilitating, see your gynecologist--a medical condition could be the problem. As an endometriosis sufferer, I'm on a Pill that's designed to give only four periods a year, but I take it continuously, so I don't have periods at all. That's not for everyone, but it does help a lot to start taking ibuprofen a week before your period and continue taking it (at the recommended interval, something like every 6 hours I think) until the cramping stops. Also, invest in a good heating pad. They work very, very well.

I agree with the premise that 13 year olds should focus on sprinting regularly and improving mechanics. I’d like to address a few of the ideas that you expressed past that point.

> I’d be in the top 10 sprinters of all time if I used the most expensive training philosophies

With all due respect, I think this underestimates the significant role of genetics in sprinting performance. Following the methods you described will likely prove difficult for a 13 year old due to financial barriers.

Because I’m not fully familiar with Adarian Barr, Chong Xie, or David Weck, I won’t criticize their philosophies on running. It’s worth noting that none of them have trained or had a significant role in training sub 9.8 sprinters, despite having (at least in Adarian Barr’s case) decades to do so. All three of the mentioned philosophies are linked to businesses that promote to individual athletes the idea that great athleticism stems from learning to move properly. Those who want to learn more will find that the bulk of the information is only accessible through clinics ($100+ not including travel costs), expensive books ($99 in one case), and subscriptions. For comparison, Ralph Mann’s The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling, a full discussion of USATF biomechanist Ralph Mann’s philosophy on sprinting, is available for $25. It’s rather dense and it isn’t free of its own controversy, but the book is full of well accepted conclusions that are solidly grounded in the kinematics of sprinting. The main conclusions are affordable and easily accessible, and athletes can fill their gaps in knowledge (perhaps from the sources you mentioned) or learn to implement (link for example) the ideas for free on the internet.

At the rarefied peak of sprint performance, genetics are extremely important. Of the 10 men (including those thrown off of IAAF record books for doping) to run under 9.8 seconds in the 100 meters, all 10 descend from people brought to the Americas from Africa as slaves, and half are of Jamaican descent. That’s not meant to deny the possibility of people from other parts of the world running sub 9.8 times—I’m confident we will see it this century—but rather to highlight the most plainly seen evidence that certain genetic traits (long legs, for example) that may concentrate in a given population confer a higher likelihood of sprinting success. For a more detailed look at the role of genetic traits in sports performance, check out David Epstein’s The Sports Gene.

While we agree that sprinting performance can be improved far more than many expect, the final ability of any given athlete is severely limited by genetics. Research indicates that the fastest sprinters at adulthood were also the fastest in childhood, and that the recalled times of NCAA sprinters (the highest level of US adult sub elite competition) in their early teens were far faster than those of their peers. Improving biomechanics is a great way to improve speed. However, in light of the evidence, it can’t be concluded that they will form a route for ordinary athletes to run 100 meter times that only a few will ever run.

• How did it go, how did you improve, and what were your ending results?
  
  PHAT was the most intense program I've ever done. Loads of volume, x5 a week training, it was just intense and the results were proper. I started ripping shirts, jeans, boxers... it was an unstoppable shredding mania. I didn't increase my lifts that much, but it was marvelous for bodybuilding.
  
  
• Why did you choose PHAT program over others?
  
  I was a regular at Layne Norton's simply shredded forum and the talk about x2 per week mix of strength and hypertrophy made lots of sense.
  
  
• What would you suggest to someone just starting out and looking at at this program?
  
  Don't do it if you are a newb (read the "The New Rules of Lifting: 6 basic rules for Maximum Muscle" first.)
  
  It's a very dedicated program, so tell yourself you're going to do it for a certain amount of time and go through with it.
  
  Respect the meso cycles.
  
  Eat and sleep well, the gains will be unreal.
  
  
• What are the pros and cons of PHAT?
  
  Cons: The time it takes, the volume of exercising, and the lack of gains towards your plateau.
  
  Pros: It's super dynamic, you go through everything. You see results really quick aesthetically and in terms of strength -- I was doing 40kg weighted dips weighing 90kg (6'2). You can alternate accessories all you want so it adds any component you want.
  
  
• Did you add/subtract anything to the program or run it in conjunction with other training? How did that go?
  
  I did PHD531, thinking of it... I'm not sure if the meso cycles are mentioned in PHAT. 531 talks about the progression to the strength part of your workout:
  
  Week 1: 5
  
  Week 2: 3
  
  Week 3: 1
  
  Week 4: Deload
  
  And the concept comes from Wendler's 531 strength routine (which is also great).
  
  
• How did you manage fatigue and recovery while on the program?
  
  Ate around 3000 cal/day, 30% Fat, 30% Protein, 40%, Carbs.
  
  Really respected micronutrient intake, water intake, and sleep.
  
  Also didn't drink alcohol for a whopping 6 months.
  
  Sleeping was key. You could really tell when it was lacking during a workout... shit, you could tell if you had sex too recent to the workout too now that I remember.
  
  Overall, PHAT (or PHD531) was by far the best time I ever had at the gym.

I know how you feel. I pinched a nerve and tore a lower back muscle in 9th grade after trying impress some seniors in the weight room. Even after physical therapy, if I laid down I could feel dull pains in my lower back, and it gav eme issues on long road trips, too.

Most rolled shoulders come from bad posture, over developed chests, weak upper back muscles, and/or tight muscles. The easiest way to fix it would be to start a well-balanced resistance training program. Check out some stretches to get you going here -> http://www.primallyinspired.com/tuesday-training-exercises-to-combat-poor-posture-and-rounded-shoulders/

A 5x5 Strong lifts program (http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/) which is simple and straight forward, utilizes full body movements and builds a lot of core strength which could help your posture. This program stresses form over weight so you build amazing balance and core strength! This is assuming you have access to weights, and three open days a week to do the exercises. Make sure to stretch out and warm-up!

Another option would be one of my faves, Yoga! This pretty much fixed my lower back pangs when I would stretch out or lay down. Yoga utilizes stretching and body position, while also stressing form which helps to build posture and core strength. If you have a local gym/club or maybe are going to college, feel free to join them and follow the instructor. Three times a week is good. I also completed this book -> http://www.amazon.com/dp/0553277480
Which was everyday and pretty amazing. This was maybe my second time doing Yoga, and I could hardly do anything at first. Just make sure to follow exactly what it says and you should be able to complete the movements in a short time!

Following that theme, if you don't have access to a gym (I know I don't) or are too poor to afford any outside source resistance training like dumbbells, you can go for my absolute favorite option which is body resistance training! I've been following this program -> http://bodyweightfitness.routinemorning.com/
coupled with Yoga and Judo twice a week for about 2 1/2 months now and have been seeing great results! You can find the exercises online very easily. All you need is like 45 mins, a floor and your body (And some music playing for enjoyment). I do my pull-ups separately at a nearby park when I go out for runs. You can do negatives of most of these exercises to build up to actually being able to do them, so it's great for beginners. It's totally free! **Also if you need a form check or advice http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness

Last, I would suggest making a note of your posture. Sit-up straight! Stand up straight! Place a sticky note on your monitor that says to do both, in bold letters. Place it on your fridge or bathroom mirror. Soon enough it becomes like muscle memory.

Good luck!

Sorry not a coach just some average dude that likes running. More people with more experience would see your questions if you posted them in the daily Q&A thread but from what I gather:

• Aerobic runs should be at least 45 min
  
• You'll get a lot of benefit from having a run up to 2 hours, with longer runs you get a higher risk of injury and only makes sense if your training for a longer race (example marathons) but I'd guess that 2 hours would be excessive if your focused on the mile?
  
• I'd do intervals that are 2-5min long with recovery periods being 75% the interval time. You could also do cruise intervals which are slower but have shorter recoveries.
  
• I'd keep 80% mileage at an easy comfortable pace with the rest being tempos, intervals, etc. The mile is mostly aerobic so having a lot of easy aerobic miles would be hugely beneficial.
  
• From what I've read drills and strength training do help improve running economy so you're right to pay attention to it but sorry off the top of my head don't know that much. Matt Fitzgerald goes over both in Brain Training for Runners I could maybe get back to you on this but in all seriousness I'm tried and getting ready to pass out.
  
• I'm not really qualified to answer but I think you could hit a 4:30 but I bet it would be hard and would take a lot of training miles
  .
  If you haven't seen it:
  https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/
  is a great tool for determining training paces.
  
  Good luck and enjoy your training!

For me, having an exercise buddy helped me transition to strength training. For the longest time I always thought that working out meant getting my heart rate up and sweating a lot. I was really naive to the benefits of weightlifting and found it to be dreadfully boring. Then my senior year of college a friend wanted to start weightlifting to get stronger and asked me to be her gym buddy. We were total beginners and weren't really following any real programming. We did spend a lot of time on the machines, but we did barbell squats as well as a few other free weight type of exercises. Then college graduation came and I moved to a new town where I knew nobody. I reverted back to my cardio only ways for years. Loved spinning classes as cross training. Started running half marathons.

When I was 28 I created an MFP account to actually track calories and lose weight. Even though I ran a lot, I was still really heavy. I started reading and learning so much more about weightlifting and all of it's benefits. I have been on the quest to get a good balance of cardio and weightlifting workouts ever since. My short weightlifting experience in college made it much easier to start weightlifting versus how it would be for an absolute beginner. This quest has been twice interrupted by pregnancy, so here I am, starting over again.

My current routine looks like this:

Sunday: Long run day (currently 60-90 minutes)
Monday: Active recovery, possibly yoga (more of the restorative stretching kind)
Tuesday: Weightlifting
Wednesday: Short run (30 minutes)
Thursday: Weightlifting
Friday: Short run (30 minutes)
Saturday: weightlifting, which I skip all the time - weekends get crazy! But active rest at best (playing with kids).

The weightlifting I am doing is the program from the book Strong. The routines are ~1 hour. The first couple stages are structured as follows:

• 10-15 minute dynamic warm up
  
• ab/core exercise (about 5-10 minutes)
  
• 4 strength exercises to be done as 2 super sets (set 1 of exercise A (typically lower body), rest 1 minute, set 1 of exercise B (typically upper body), rest 1 minute, set 2 of exercise A, rest 1 minute, set 2 of exercise B, etc)
  
• 10-20 minutes of cardio intervals (the intervals are longer in the first couple stages, but eventually get capped at 10 minutes)

Thank's for the kind words man. The short answer is I've been following this book. A second book I recommend is Starting Strength which discusses in depth proper form for the key weightlifting workouts (bench press, standing military press, barbell squat, and deadlifts).

Bigger Leaner Stronger taught me everything from managing calories, what to eat, how to manage macros, good vs bad protein powder, supplements, vitamins, work out routines, etc. It is basically my gym bible. But, if you aren't interested in taking the time to read these books (which I HIGHLY recommend), then I'll give you a brief rundown of my workout routine.

Workouts "phases" are broken up into 9 weeks. A typical 9-week phase looks like this:

Weeks 1-3: Regular week lifting at 5 days per week (mon-fri)

Week 4: Strength Week. Only lift mon, wed, and fri, but focus on key workouts (Barbell squat, deadlift, bench press, military press)

Week 5-7: Same as week 1-3

Week 8: Strength week

Week 9: Deload or off week. I either don't work out this week or I do three days at 50% of my working weight (so essentially a light week)

A typical 5 day week looks likes this:

Monday: Chest and Abs. Incline bench press. Incline dumbell bench press. Flat barbell bench press. Face Pull. Three abdominal circuits where one circuit consists of Cable crunch (10 to 12 reps), captains chair leg raise to fail, bicycle crunch to fail

Tuesday: Back and Calves. Deadlift. Bent over barbell Rows. Pull ups. Standing calf raises. Seated calf raises.

Wednesday: Shoulder and Abs. Standing Military Press. Side lateral Raise. Bent over rear delt raise. 3 ab circuits.

Thursday: Legs. Barbell squat. Romanian deadlift. Leg press. Standing calf raise. Seated calf raise.

Friday: Upper body & Abs. Incline bench press. Barbell curl. Close-grip bench press. Alternating dumbell curl. Chest dips. 3 ab circuits.

A typical activity includes 4 warm up sets and three working sets like this:

12 x 50% of my working weight (rest 1 min);
10 x 50% of my working weight (rest 1 min);
4 x 70% of my working weight (rest 1 min);
1 x 90% of my working weight (rest 3 min)

After this warm up is complete, I do 3 working sets. 4-6 reps of my working weight (if i hit 6 reps, I add 10 lbs to a barbell or 5 lbs to a dumbell) Rest 3-4 min. Repeat this 2 more times. A huge key to building strength is progressive overload. If you hit those 6 reps, add more weight. If you hit 6 reps and add more weight but can only do 3 reps with the new weight, drop it back to where you were before. But next week, start with the higher weight.

As far as diet is concerned. Yes. This is the biggest thing. I eat clean. I eat very clean. I don't eat processed foods. I only drink milk and water. I eat vegetables and chicken. Good fats, good protein, and good carbs. I weigh everything I eat to make sure i'm hitting my calories and macros. I track everything in my fitness pal.

A typical meal day for me is protein bar before workout. Protein shake and banana after work out. 2 hardboiled eggs and 175 grams of plain nonfat greek yogurt for breakfast. 4 oz tuna and some triscuit crackers + a carrot for snack. Chicken breast and veges for lunch. Non-sorbate prunes and another banana for a late day snack. Protein shake for dinner. Maybe some more protein and veges.

TLDR

Read bigger leaner stronger. If you don't want to do that then the key items are eat clean and within your calorie limits (you can lose weight by eating in a caloric deficit without even needing to workout). The most important weightlifting exercises are barbell squats, deadlifts, standing military press, and bench press.

As my post title states, I only do cardio 0 to 1 times per week which is hardly anything. It's not necessary for fat loss, but it will help accelerate fat loss and increase cardiovascular health which is important and which is also why I'm going to start adding more cardio.

Best of luck man. That book changed my life. I highly recommend it.

Yes!! I've been lifting for a few years and it all started with the book the New Rules of Lifting for Women: http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/1583333398

SUCH A GREAT RESOURCE, comes with programs for 6+ months of efficient and effective training that varies depending on your goals. I recommend everyone start with that, or at least have it in their library as a good resource. Once you have a hold of the basics and good form, then it's a lot of fun cruising around bodybuilding.com's complete (and free!) programs and simplyshredded.com's female interviews, which include the interviewee's favorite programs. I would definitely start with the New Rules of Lifting, though, since it will create a solid strength base which will give you the confidence and good form to be able to play around with your programming later.

Also, Mark Rippetoe's book "Starting Strength" (pretty popular, you can probably find at the library) is dense but very very clear as to the proper mechanics of every basic lift and has a good beginner's program outlined towards the end.

FINALLY, while you don't need to look at those programs, you do need A program and to write down what you do every time you go in. This will prevent you from overworking/underworking certain muscle groups, help you keep track of strength progress, and also allow you in a few weeks/months/years to remember what worked for your body and what did not.
Good luck!!

Okay, I wouldn't say "Pro-tips" but what has worked for me (5'8", 49yo, now 146, down from 157 some months ago.) I am still going for another 10 down.

I couldn't do it without:

LoseIt.com Counts calories, nutritional intake (carbs, fat, protein), and does other stuff. The forums there can be good, and the friend you make there are great!

Exercise: I make sure I exercised vigorously (cardio and weights) at least 45 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week. The New Rules of Lifting for Women (one for men, there’s another for women-YAY) was essential to me, as was walking on an incline on the treadmill, biking inside and out, and circuit training. I found after exercise my appetite is balanced and diminished. It also definitely toned my bod!

Scale and Tape Measure. I weigh in about 2ce weekly and do measurements 1ce a month. Sometimes inches have been lost even though the scale hasn't budged.

Definitely very helpful:

Heart rate monitor: The most accurate way to measure calories burned is with one of these. I often up my workout based on my heart rate, otherwise I could settle into sloggin along. Lots of different types available at different prices.

Eating 3 meals and 3 snacks in between so I never get ravenous (usually).

High volume, low calorie foods: romain lettuce, shredded carrots, jicima, etc.

Most likely helpful but can't say for sure:

Fish oil supplements.

B-vitamins

Caffeine in moderate amounts

Cinnamon

What hasn't worked: Trying fad diets that revolve around high protein, primal, high fat, etc. I eat percentages about 20-60-20 (fat-carbs-protein). I think the high protein diets may be good for obese or overweight, but not for me already in a healthy weight range. It just makes me irritable.

Best!

Most people start off with Starting Strength or Strong Lifts for gaining pure strength. Note that these programs are designed to gain strength, not work on aesthetics. They will definitely help you look better, but that's not their focus. New Rules of Lifting for Women and Strong Curves are more aesthetics-oriented, but they will get you stronger as well, just more slowly.

Personally, I started with Starting Strength, moved into 5/3/1 and am about to start Strong Curves since I would like to focus on aesthetics for a while. I did Erin Stern's program on bodybuilding.com for a couple months, and made some really good progress, both strength-wise and aesthetically, but I couldn't maintain that schedule once classes started up again.

As a beginner to strength training, you should look for a full-body routine since that will take advantage of your "noob gains."

Really great for you for wanting to get into the gym! I'd suggest starting with mobility and stretching exercises for your shoulders--carefully. Especially since you say on is less flexible. Please do be careful and take it slowly. GMB Fitness has a shoulder "causes and solutions for shoulder pain deep dive here that you could maybe use to educate yourself about how your shoulder works (or in your case, doesn't).

While you're working on easing into shoulder work, there are lots of other exercises and ways you can do resistance training. A trainer might be able to help you, but be very careful, as not all know good form. One site that is super useful (but can be hard to find your way around in) is exrx.net. It shows how to do each exercise, as well as what exercise works what muscle. They have a great beginner's page.

Personally, I find it key to have a progressive program or plan, as otherwise I do too much of one thing, or get bored. I started with this book and it was awesome. I like it better than the new edition.

Good luck--we're all rooting for you!

Strong Curves by Bret Contreras. He has an amazing program that is adaptable for any goal, including muscle gain and he breaks down how to calculate your calories for your goals. Or the book 'The new rules of weightlifting for women.' I love both and have linked them on Amazon for you here: Strong Curves: A Woman's Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936608642/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_o5Dszb8RJXVTA
The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583333398/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_I6DszbVY1A4RJ

New rules of lifting might be more of what you're looking for and it has a great section on optimal protien intake for muscle growth but the strong curves workout is great for the glutes:) good luck!

Oh, that's too bad... In that case, if you can get a hold of the book Kyudo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery, I think it would be a good primer before you go. It was written by Dan and Jackie DeProspero, two kyudo practitioners who live on the Eastern Seaboard of the US. From what I understand, Mr. DeProspero is one of the few western practitioners actually went to Japan and became a "live-in-apprentice" to one of the last generation's kyudo masters. His book is an easy read and gives a very good intro to Kyudo today.

In terms for advice on how to find a Dojo in Japan, I would refer you to Rick Beal Sensei of the Nanka Kyudo Kai, in Southern Calilfornia. More than any other sensei that I've met, he seemed more interested about "spreading the gospel" to anyone who might be interested about learning Kyudo. He is a very friendly and knowledgeable man who has gone to Japan many times and I'm sure that he may be able to refer you to a Dojo.

>Finally I am considering getting a bow as a souvenir, as I said I shoot traditional in the UK so I am used to shooting English longbows and other wooden bows but from what I've read during my research a bamboo yumi would be too delicate for regular outdoors shooting, especially in the british weather but I have seen that you can get fiber glass yumi and carbon fiber yumi, would either of these be suitable enough for regular outdoor use?
I understand that Kyudo is about more than just the bow but the yumi is such a stunning design I can't help but want one for myself.

I didn't actually see this part last night - Sorry for not addressing this. With one exception, I would highly discourage you from getting a bamboo bow (even though they are very beautiful. This is because of the construction...

Depending on your height, the length of the yumi (bow) that you would purchase can range from 212- 245 cm. The width and thickness usually do not range more than about 2.5 to 3 cm. Most bamboo bows are lamellated with an inner core consisting of several long and thin strips of hardwood. Because of this, the bows are actually rather delicate and if you draw the bow incorrectly (ie. A significant amount of tension in your hands which would cause torque at the distal tips of the bow), you can really cause the innards of your bow to splinter.

The exception would be if you bought a bow from Don Symanski sensei. He is another western kyudo practitioner who lives in Colorado, USA. Somewhat like DeProspero-sensei, he apprenticed himself to a bowmaker in Japan for a number of years. To my knowledge, he is really the only competent yumi-artisan in the USA at present. He does have a stylistic difference than bowmakers in Japan in that he will make Yumi with solid cores for beginner use. Usually, these are purchased by the Kyu-dojo to be used as a "general class bow". These are much more sturdy, but don't draw nearly as smoothly as the laminated bows.

Unless you really start practicing kyudo, I'd recommend that you go with a carbon-fiber or fiberglass bow (if you just want a bow to shoot for fun). The bamboo bows do require specialized care, especially the first several months after you buy it. The shape and curves of the bow are very prone to warp during the "break-in" period if you don't know what you're doing (and since you live rather far away from London, there may not be an experienced kyudo practitioner who can help fix the warping without damaging your bow). The damp weather probably won't help much either.

Anyway, I hope that helps you.

Perhaps you've already gotten him a book by now, but here are my recommendations for him and anyone else who reads this thread. I'm a martial arts researcher and a former martial arts teacher. I even wrote my Master's Thesis on martial arts. I've read literally hundreds of books on the subject. There are a lot of terrible books out there on the martial arts but you can't go wrong with any of these.

If he studies Shotokan, the best place to start is with the guy who invented it.
Karate-Do: My Way of Life is written by the founding master of Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi.
http://www.amazon.com/Karate-Do-Way-Life-Gichin-Funakoshi/dp/1568364989/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411959258&sr=1-10&keywords=shotokan


My number one recommendation is When Buddhists Attack by Jeffery Mann - This is an very well researched book on the history of the relationship between Zen and the Martial arts. It is a fantastic book that will help him deepen his understanding of martial arts instead of intentionally mystifying it more to try to sell more books like most martial arts books do.
http://www.amazon.com/When-Buddhists-Attack-Curious-Relationship/dp/4805312300/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411958781&sr=1-1&keywords=when+buddhists+attack



If he's more into stories, I'd recommend Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. It's a novelization of one of the most famous samurai to ever live. It's an exaggeration of his life but very entertaining.
http://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X


If he'd rather learn about the real person I'd recommend The Lone Samurai by William Scott Wilson. Wilson is a famous translator and historian, his work is very well researched and enjoyable to read.
http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Samurai-Life-Miyamoto-Musashi/dp/1590309871/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411958941&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lone+samurai


I'll end with a list of books NOT to buy. These are books are really popular but are full of misinformation, outright fabrications, or worse.


Joe Hyams - Zen in the Martial arts
Eugen Herrigel - Zen in the Art of Archery
Inazo - Nitobe - Bushido

Hope this helps! If not, you have gift ideas for next year!

Starting Strength is fine, but she could also try NROLFW for a female-focused strength / aesthetics program. There's also Strong Curves if her main goal is to improve the look of her butt.

She should stick to whatever program she picks and not mess around with various squat variations. Women's bodies aren't different enough to merit entirely different programming, she just won't see the huge strength gains that a man would see. If she's not trying to break any weightlifting records, biomechanics won't be a game changer - and if she decides at a later date that she is trying to break some weightlifting records, she should get a good coach who can help her figure out what works best for her body.

edit: she / you could also check out the FAQ on /r/xxfitness

I recently read this book and it was a good place to start for info. He discusses routines, supplements, diet and a few other things. The writing style is a little bro-y, but overall it’s mostly good info.

Before I started the routine described in this book, I did 3 months of lifting with the help of the StrongLifts 5x5 app. It’s great for beginners.

I also utilize Scott Herman’s YouTube channel for help with form and to even find out what an exercise is.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938895304/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ktK9AbM55JX16

Sorry- that day got quite out of hand. (Not) incidentally, I have moderate-severe ADHD, with all the attendant issues with focus and follow-up. Though I don't have A.S., my husband does, so I've got a multi-faceted perspective on this issue.

I am learning to overcome the ADHD with a system I've designed for myself, from a few different things:

1. The Pomodoro technique. Basically, you set a timer for 25 minutes, and begin executing a task / objective. When the time goes off, you stop- even if you're not done- and re-set the timer for 5 minutes. You take a 5-minute break. When the timer goes off again, you resume your task, or take stock to make sure that's what you should really be doing. Here's the website, or download a cheat sheet.
   
   
   
2. Getting Things Done technique; I use the inbox / task flow / ToDo List methods. Combined with the Pomodoro Technique, it's a fail-proof system for ensuring I execute tasks in the order of highest priority, whether I want to do them or not. This system ensures I'm never wasting valuable time on inessential tasks, while elegantly preventing procrastination.
   
   
3. I keep a journal of what I'm doing whenever the Pomodoro timer goes off, below by daily ToDo list. It helps me see when I'm getting off track. The most valuable skill I've learned over the few months I've been doing this is the habit of thinking, "what am I doing right now, and how does it help me achieve my objectives?"
   
   
4. Also, an "Energy management journal:" I track my intake of food, sleep, water, and exercise. Though I don't do anything like graph the data, the act of writing it down holds me accountable, and increases the likelihood that I'll make wise choices. If I'm having an unproductive day/week, I can usually trace it to a preceding disturbance in one of the above habits, so I've learned to take care of myself, if I want to perform well.
   
   
   I recommend looking into whether any of the above could help with the challenges you're facing. My husband now swears by the Pomodoro technique; it helps him get started on larger projects, and also stops him every 25 minutes, so he's never hyperfocusing so long that he forgets to eat/sleep, etc.
   
   
   Speaking of body maintenance, the most important thing you can do for your overall well-being is exercise. Strength training is preferable, supplemented by cardio, but no matter what you're thinking right now, check out this book. Sticking to a regular weightlifting routine has improved my productivity far more than anything else ever did (even my Adderall prescription). When you feel physically better, far more things are possible. For further reference, check out these books, too.
   
   
   Tl,dr; Learn to manage your time & energy; you'll be better equipped to improve your own focus and follow-up. Meanwhile, your former therapist has no excuse.

Ones I have read and recommend:

Jack Daniels
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0X7U2S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Pfitz
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Marathoning-2nd-Pete-Pfitzinger/dp/0736074600/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544635&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=Pfitinger

Yessis
https://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Running-Science-Kinesiology-Performance/dp/0809298996/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544911&sr=1-1&keywords=explosive+running

Noakes
https://www.amazon.com/Lore-Running-4th-Timothy-Noakes/dp/0873229592/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3QK52ZDHZVX4K6QW383Q

Fitzgerald (one of several)
https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Training-Runners-Revolutionary-Endurance-ebook/dp/B000VMHHBW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544985&sr=1-1&keywords=brain+training+for+runners

Ones I have not read but have heard good things about:

Hansons
https://www.amazon.com/Hansons-Marathon-Method-Your-Fastest-ebook/dp/B01C6FBGHW/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544663&sr=1-3&keywords=hansons+running&dpID=51L6b5-M7OL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


Bill Squires
https://www.amazon.com/Speed-Endurance-Bill-Squires/dp/0977250504

Peter Coe
https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Running-Successful-Racing-Training/dp/1852239972/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544703&sr=1-1&keywords=peter+coe&dpID=51lmDYFDyLL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

There is also an out of print (I think) book by Arthur Lydiard that is really good. And for that matter, I am not sure I linked the correct Bill Squires book. One is really good, while the other is an awful, watered-down version.

I have a pretty similar background. I ran in high school, then DIII in college, quit running for many years, got back to it as a pre-masters/masters runner. People kept asking me questions, so I started coaching for free. Then on a spare weekend, I got certified as a USATF level 1 coach, which is really fun. I really recommend it, since you're a T&F fan.

I wasn't careful enough during my first two pregnancies and didn't even learn about diastasis recti until I realized I had a mild case after baby 2.

The book "Diastasis Recti: The Whole Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation" by Katy Bowman has a lot of great information and exercises to treat and/or prevent diastasis recti and specifically states that everything recommended is safe and beneficial for pregnancy.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/098965396X?fp=1&pc_redir=T1


I haven't read the whole book yet because I haven't worked on it enough to progress but the transverse abdominus/deep core muscles are the focus as well as stretching to ensure your arms and legs can move freely while your core remains stable (for example - while on your back, bringing your hands over your head without your rib cage moving up). I really think this book has information that will benefit everyone and hopefully it will help my diastasis not to worsen during my current pregnancy.

XX here, Stumptuous has been the absolute best site for me. Krista, who runs the site, has many great things to say and blogs on everything from squats to "feminine problems" to realistic body image and is generally awesome the entire time!

If your girlfriend like to follow books, the new rules of lifting for women isn't bad. I read through it and it mostly tells you that compound exercises are awesome and diet is important. Plus, there are photos of a woman doing all the lifts so your gf can see proper form.

As for myself, I'll say that the 6 weeks I've spent back in the gym after a long hiatus have really made a positive impact on my attitude and body. I've lost noticeable amounts of body fat, gotten stronger and have more energy. Squatting your own body weight is such a trip and being able to bench it... well maybe that'll happen sometime! (hoping to lose a bit more weight along the way so it's a lower number :P)

Good luck!

Let's see...for Tu/Th/Sat you're saying kettlebells and Tabata? (intervals of 20sec/10 secs?) If it's a real Tabata workout where you're doing all out for each 20 secs, you should only do that once a week. Kettlebell training counts as weight training. To fully comment, I'd want to know your whole routine, but I'd maybe do one day for KB as a full body workout (I'd say NOT your tabata day) add in your strength sessions from there. Does that make sense? I love this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Maximum/dp/158333338X for great tips on what exercises you should use. I recently rented the eBook version from my library :) Let me know if you have any other questions. It's hard to do a complete program without doing a consult and all, but I'm happy to give you some quick tips to get you off on the right foot :)

Hey, first off, good on you for wanting to help!

I recently started lifting. One thing I found reassuring was having a program to follow. I'm doing Stronglifts 5x5 and here's a more female friendly summary without all the bro-grunting. And here is the /r/xxfitness FAQ on alternative lifts to ease into whatever she ends up doing. Goblet squats and dumbbell benching are less intimidating than that biiiiiiiiiig metal bar!

If she likes reading Starting Strength is an amazing book that explains precisely how to lift. Another good one is New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Knowledge can make people feel powerful. Even if it's just going to the gym and her watching while you explain what you're doing, or youtube videos on form, it may help.

Also as someone else suggested, she may feel uncomfortable doing new things in front of strangers. Practice lifts at home with a broom handle to get the hang of it first, I did. =)

Good luck to both of you!

this book has been a god-send for me. my friend and i jokingly refer to it as "the bible." it gives a great starting plan for lifting and also provides a suggested diet plan. i can't go by the diet plan because i'm vegetarian, but i've learned so much about how weightlifting and proper nutrition go hand in hand. i've been lifting since the beginning of the year. (started with really low weights and have been doing more strength training for the past few months). i've seen way better and way faster progress as soon as i started lifting heavier. now i just need to figure out how to get more protein in my diet. i have a hard time with that because i'm (1) too poor to afford protein rich veg foods and (2) i love carbs, so i'm working on balancing all that out.

Seconding the recommendation to check out the FAQs at /r/fitness! Especially check out the "Fixing your diet" section.

For calorie tracking, I'm a big fan of My Fitness Pal and there are a bunch of us xxfitness ladies who would love to be your friend there! (My user name is the same as this one!)

For a fitness plan, check out Starting Strength, The New Rules of Lifting for Women, or Strong Lifts. I use the last one because it's free online, but both of the other books are excellent.

Great job getting started and good luck with your goals!

I don't thin this will help in your case, but its a funny story anyway =) My Mom had a yoga book from the 70ies. (found it here http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Hittlemans-Yoga-Exercise-Plan/dp/0553277480) I was 14 and found an exercise in it called "Chest expansion" So.... being naive and 14 I did that lots hoping it would expand my 'chest'. Flipping through the pages I found lots of fun things to do like plough and cobra.

When I was 16 I was diagnosed with a lung disease. I was an avid runner, did very well at track & field and suddenly my doctor told me I couldn't run anymore. I was devastated. I explored non-aerobic forms of exercise and rediscovered yoga. I was much more dedicated to it after my diagnosis and continued until I was 28 when I decided I should be a yoga teacher. Been teaching ever since.

As for help for you... I'd go to a few classes, find a teacher you like. It can be nerve wracking to try something new in public, but the nature of yoga is to be focused intently on yourself. No one will be looking at you except for the teacher. If you are still worried, maybe try http://www.doyogawithme.com/

>The Best Time To Do Cardio

>When you do your cardio in relation to your weightlifting matters.

>Researchers from RMIT University worked with well-trained athletes in 2009 and found that “combining resistance exercise and cardio in the same session may disrupt genes for anabolism.” In laymen’s terms, they found that combining endurance and resistance training sends “mixed signals” to the muscles. Cardio before the resistance training suppressed anabolic hormones such as IGF-1 and MGF, and cardio after resistance training increased muscle tissue breakdown.

>Several other studies, such as those conducted by researchers from the Children’s National Medical Center, the Waikato Institute of Technology, and the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, came to the same conclusions: training for both endurance and strength simultaneously impairs your gains on both fronts. Training purely for strength or purely for endurance in a workout is far superior.

>Cardio before weightlifting also saps your energy and makes it much harder to train heavy, which in turn inhibits your muscle growth.

>Therefore, I recommend that you separate your weightlifting and cardio sessions by at least a few hours if at all possible. Personally, I lift early in the morning and do my cardio after work, before dinner.

>If there’s no way that you can split up your cardio and weightlifting, do your weight training first, as cardio first will drain energy that you’ll want for your lifting. While this arrangement isn’t ideal, it’s not a huge problem. You can still do well on the program.

>If you can, I recommend having a protein shake after your weightlifting and before your cardio as this will help mitigate the muscle breakdown.

>How Often You Should Do Cardio?

>In terms of frequency, here’s how I do it:

> When I’m bulking, I do two 25-minute HIIT sessions per week.

> When I’m cutting, I do three to five 25-minute HIIT sessions per week.

> When I’m maintaining, I do two to three 25-minute HIIT sessions per week.

> I never do more than five cardio sessions per week, as I’ve found my strength begins to drop off in the gym if I do.

>Many people are shocked to learn that I do no more than 1.5 to 2 hours of cardio per week while cutting but am able to get to the 6 to 7 percent body fat range with ease. Well, the idea that you have to do a ton of cardio to get shredded is a complete myth. It’s not only unnecessary but unhealthy as well.

>You don’t have to do cardio to lose fat, but if you want to get down to the 10 percent range or below, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll have to do at least two to three sessions per week.

>If you’d like to stick with steady-state cardio or include it in your routine, stick with the frequency recommendations given above. You can mix and match modalities (HIIT vs low-intensity steady-state, or LISS) but I still wouldn’t do more than five sessions per week.

Matthews, Michael (2014-01-05). Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body (The Build Muscle, Get Lean, and Stay Healthy Series Book 1) (pp. 161-162). Oculus Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I'm going to apply this week or next week (after I get my references sorted out and study up for the CFAT) and was wondering if I could have some advice.

I'm a 19 year old who hasn't done too much with his life aiming for nothing but NCM Regular Infantry and want know what my chances might be at getting in for next year's January BMQ course since I really doubt I'd make it for September this year. I figured if I hand in my application before the very end of this month I should be able to make it for January selection at least. Looking on the army.ca forums I saw that a few people who have applied earlier this year have gotten the September BMQ course for Infantry, so I'm thinking my application should have enough time if things goes well on their end. I've lived in Canada all my life and my parents have resided here for a long time, so I think I should have no problems. The references I'm going to use are my supervisor from work, a supervisor from my old job as a writer for articles on the Internet, a senior from my old job (both old job references are from America, but I read that references from different countries are okay), and a best friend/tutor that has helped me in highschool with graphic design work. I feel like I'll be ready for the interview since I'm always reading about military stuff everyday.

I'm currently following the workout guides from The Complete Guide To Navy SEAL Fitness to get in shape and I'm also taking Adult 1 swimming classes. I'm not too good with the water yet, but I hope to be able to swim decently at least by the time the lessons are over so I'm prepared for basic's swimming portion. As for preparing for the CFAT, I'm using Khan Academy to help me brush up on some much needed mathematical skills.

I pretty much just want to know if I'm on the right path towards preparing and getting everything done for the application and the Canadian Forces. I think about joining the military everyday and want to make sure I don't screw up anything.

I'm not at post-pregnancy state yet, but honestly, start lifting weights. I picked up the New Rules of Lifting for Women and it totally changed my body composition. ( http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/1583333398 )

If you stick to eating a mostly clean diet (Try researching Paleo and attempting to stick to it 80% of the time), do cardio and also strength training, you should see a huge difference in within a few months.

Yoga is also great as it works out your core muscles. If you have access to a gym, use the elliptical instead of the treadmill as it helps to focus on your core as well.

First: you rock. 200 pounds is INSANE, nice work!

I've been really confused about this "starvation mode" myself. Let me give you all the info that I've found:

• Some people have given anecdotes that they found that weight loss slowed down and then increased again after adding calories. (Note: anecdote, and there no control for other factors)
  
• Some people have stuck through plateaus and the weight did eventually come off (again anecdotes)
  
  What I haven't seen is a scientific study that shows that not enough calories causes your body to somehow lose less weight. What I do know is that many people like the idea that they have to eat a certain number of calories (because they get to eat more!), therefore they are more likely to buy into the "starvation mode" stuff because they want it to be true.
  
  So take all that starvation mode stuff with a grain of salt. The best I've been able to find is that it's all anecdotal EITHER way. Whew.
  
  ---
  
  At this point, the reason you might be slowing down is because your body is getting used to things. Now this I have seen research on, AND I can confirm with my own anecdotes: Changing things up leads to faster weight loss:
  
  
• Zig-Zag your calories (e.g. do 4 days of high cals, and 3 days of low calories but have the total for the week equal what you're eating now in a week).
  
• Add exercise and eat back most of the calories (since you're already at the minimum caloric rate). So you asked the right thing by coming here.
  
• Add weight training: You can do this with your bad knees! Muscle requires more calories than fat so you will burn more energy even when you're idle if you have more muscle.
  
  Best of luck! My suggestion? Buy some free weights and read up on weight lifting. This is supposed to be a good book (I just started reading it myself).
  
  Add some cardio, even if it's just some walking. You'll get there. Find a cardio that you enjoy at least a little bit. As others have said, ellipticals are easy on the knee! Test them out first at a local store, you can get decent ones for around $400.

Sure! I create my own custom training plans, based on research and mostly the book: Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon: How to Be Your Own Best Coach

The 12 week plan I followed had three main workouts per week. 1 long run, 1 run with high intensity work, 1 run with more threshold / race pace type stuff. Each of these had vert/mileage implemented as necessary to hit my weekly goals. Any other runs were EASY, but could also include vertical gain. I was lucky enough to get all my runs in on singletrack trail this time, but usually I have to hit the treadmill due to life circumstances. When that happens I do my best to make sure the three main workouts per week are not on the treadmill though. Weeks 5-7 are going to be the toughest, 9-11 are going to be working towards more vertical volume, and not too much very fast stuff. I added long mountain climbs on weeks 7-10 which were similar to what I would be doing in the race.

All that said, 12 weeks is not enough time, unless you are coming in with a solid base and your mileage is already near your target peak levels.

Totally reasonable goals and it helps when you're already have a good base built. For me, and I think for most people, it's mostly about managing expectations because the improvements come so fast at first that it is easy to expect to continue to see gains from using the same methods, but that's not how it works generally. We all been in a rut before. What made the biggest difference for me was reading Brad Hudson's Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon, which preaches adaptive training and a lot of diversity in the runs you do and plan. I've certainly thought I was at a peak before and then found new levels after pushing a little harder when it felt right. The next week, my cruising pace is magically a few seconds faster. The secret is doing a little bit of everything and knowing when to really go for it and when to not and just get your miles in for the day.

So, the reason I ask about the 5k time is because it is a reliable predictor for times moving up distances. Try putting in some times into the McMillan Running Calculator and you'll see what I'm talking about. It certainly doesn't take into account drive, desire and heart, but it makes it slightly easier to visualize.

I'm pretty familiar with fitness, and I agree with what you said. p90x worked for me initially because I like when I don't have to think about what I'm going to do when I workout. I don't think I'm "beast" but it is pretty cool that I can do pullups now. I managed to find a lifting buddy at my gym who is actually beast and she agreed to teach me how to lift properly, so I imagine we will work on a SS-type workout.

I saw on xxfitness the book the new rules of lifting for women, are you familiar with it? I was thinking about buying to to get more informed. I'm not interested in bulking, I feel I put on muscle easily enough without pushing it, my main interest is in just getting as strong as I can.

Are you on T? If you aren’t it probably won’t have as much as a dramatic affect, but weight lifting will help build a more masculine shape. Bigger Leaner Stronger is a great beginners guide to weight lifting and building muscle. Planet Fitness is a good gym, they’re cheap and open 24/7. Good luck!

27M here (3:00 target for Boston 2020):

• I've run two marathons. The first one, I was targeting 3:05 but ran low mileage, blew up, and finished in 3:22. My second marathon was 1 year later and I hit 2:53:54.
  
• The biggest thing that I did was run more milage. My first cycle, I peaked at 45 MPW. For my second marathon, I started training at 50 MPW and peaked at 85 MPW. Granted, I could not have hit that mileage my first year without injuring myself, so remember that it takes time to build up to higher mileage.
  
• I read Run Faster by Brad Hudson and planned my own training for the second marathon. This, coupled with advice from the many experience marathoners in my running club proved to be better than any boilerplate training plan.
  
• Remember that you will have to make adjustments day-to-day and week-to-week to accommodate little injuries that pop up, life events, work, illness, etc. Being able to make informed adjustments is key to having a successful training cycle.
  
• No single workout will make/break your training, but there are some that are great confidence boosters. I did a 17 mile run with 14 miles at Goal Marathon Pace and felt so strong. It was good confirmation that I was on track to have a successful marathon.

How are you training? If you're not stressing your muscles properly, they won't grow. The fittit circlejerkers won't agree with me, but this book and this book helped both me and my brother gain large amounts of strength and muscle with a lot less time spent in the gym.

What kind of supplements are you taking? You should be taking creatine at the very least. Maybe some vitamins designed to increase testosterone production as well such as ZMA.

You may also have to just accept that fact that you won't get that big. Take a look at this chart. If you're in or around the "advanced" category for strength and you're not that big yet, you're just not going to get that much bigger.

I'm 5'8" 124 pounds, 37 years old.

Over the last 2 years, I lost 50 pounds and was down to 115 (too skinny!) and ended up looking "skinnyfat" with my extra loose skin. Trying to gain muscle. Not sure how high I will go but willing to keep going until I think I'm looking the way I like, then I can cut.

I feel like I eat a ton and I have gained 9 pounds in the last year, which I guess is good? I've found it more difficult to find resources that help women understand how much we should be trying to gain in a determined amount of time.
I started with the New Rules of Lifting for Women, then moved on to SL 5x5 and now I am doing The Muscle Building Workout Routine - which I am enjoying so far.

There's a hard limit on human reaction speed which doesn't have anything to do with overcoming the inertia of your arm's mass. It's about 50 milliseconds. Still enough time to throw more than 3 punches in a second, but I can see how that might overall be the high end limit. Who am I to argue with Bruce Lee's instructor?

I recommend the book The Sports Gene by David Epstein if you're interested in the topic. Some of the more interesting bits of the book involve exploring the hard limits of world class athletes. For instance, the fastest reaction time among boxers was Muhammad Ali, who was very, very close to this theoretical 50 millisecond reaction time....something like 56 or so. If there are people with faster reflexes, they have never been tested.

Another interesting fun fact: the physical characteristic that professional baseball players have isn't reaction time. It's eyesight. The theoretical limit on that is something like 20/8 vision, which is found in about 1 in 10,000 normal people, but about 1 in 20 professional baseball players.

/u/phrakture is a bit harsh, but he's right. At perfect conditions a male can gain 1-2lbs of muscle mass per month. You gained more than that, and you're a female — considering females don't gain as much muscle mass as males, you simply got a lot fatter. It's a sad truth, but it's the truth.

What you could do is:

1. Eat less. You don't need to eat 1000cals per day, just lower your amount of calories by 100-200 for a couple of weeks. You still gain weight? Drop more, like 200cals. Maintain weight? Drop a bit, like 100cals. You're losing weight? Well done. Now keep at it.
   
   
2. Switch to a solid routine. This is not beneficial to losing weight, losing weight is mostly (90%) a diet change. But it will help you in the long run. Take a look at this book.
   
   Have fun!

I am a few weeks into The New Rules of Lifting for Women and i LOVE IT. I've tried a few other programs, but as a (sort of) beginner, this has worked the best for me. I also read Starting Strength prior to starting/watched a ton of videos to understand how to do the movements. Good luck!!

Is she pear shaped because that will seriously help? As far as I know (seriously working out for about 6 months so take all of this with a grain of salt), us chicas can do the same workouts as y'all fellas (we can both do StrongLifts 5x5, that's what I do). So you can show her your work out and then just work on lower body (squats and deadlifts and stuff, but I'm sure you already knew this. Squats are a bootyful girl's best friend!). She's not gonna get swole the way you do. She might want to do an abs circuit or something in addition to the DLs and Squats. Ask her what she wants to work on. Flat stomach? Abs/Squats/DLs, Bingo wings? Upper body. Posture, upper body and core, etc.

Get more details as to what she envisions herself like and target those areas, which you will totally know how to do, you athletic bf, you.

Wait also, here is a book you might enjoy: The New Rules of Lifting for Women I haven't read it but it was in the /r/bodyweightfitness sidebar. :)

Proper form cannot be practiced from reading a book alone - please hire a ppowerlifting coach with years of experience to learn from or watch videos on [Exrx.net] (http://www.exrx.net) - it is an excellent resource!

Also, lifting and macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) are essential to your progress! Please read [The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess] (https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398) - the best book on this topic that will help you understand both accepts!

WEIGHT TRAIN. And dude, you'll love it cuz you'll feel soooo powerful and kick-assy.

I follow a routine found in book called "New Rules of Lifting." It's my and my co-workers bible. There's also "New Rules of Lifting for Women," which is okay, but you know, I like the feeling of following a program designed for dudes, who gain muscle a lot quicker than us womens....Almost like I'm fighting the patriarchy one rep at a time.

Have fun! And congrats on losing all dat weight.

I'd recommend looking up a good trainer in your area, and either paying for a series of sessions (since you're new) if you have the money, or paying for just one session ($50-$100) and getting them to write you up a diet and exercise plan to follow, based on where you currently stand. The best programs are generally ones custom made for you. You can then schedule follow-up sessions once a month, or every few months, to keep you motivated, give you milestones to hit, and allow the trainer to adjust your plan when it's necessary. If you flat out cannot afford a trainer (as I couldn't back when I started my own weight loss), this book is an excellent starting point: http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Hard-Body-Plan/dp/1579542298/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265392807&sr=1-9

Feel free to follow up with me if you need more info.

This article has 8 weeks of intervals designed to peak you for a 10k race. They are a mix of longer, 1 mile, and shorter, 400m, intervals.

4 sessions of intervals a week is probably going to burn you out rather than build you up. Consider your Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday schedule, you'll have 2 interval workouts bracketing a long run. Depending on your fitness, all 3 of these sessions are going to be taxing and probably require an easy day to recover from.

If you're interested in the physiology of running and training from that perspective there are two books that I would recommend. Daniel's Running Formula explains how mixing intervals, tempo runs, long runs will improve your racing. The second book, Matt Fitzgerald's Brain Training for Runners, has a slightly different point of view. Instead of focusing on the physiologically limiting factors, V02max, lactic threshold, etc., he starts with the premise that it is actually your brain interpreting signals from different systems that limits your running performance and sets of his training accordingly. The main difference in practice is that in the brain training approach all of your intervals are done a realistic race paces instead of paces based off of physiological paces (ie, VO2max).

Are you more focused on the 10k or the marathon? I think a good approach during the 10 training would be to have 3 key workout days a week, 1) long run of 1:45-2hours, 2) VO2max intervals (at 5k or 10k race pace with appropriate rest), 3) Speed workout, alternating short 100m hills, 200m intervals and 400m intervals. On the other days run as many easy miles as you can to recovery from the workouts.

Bigger, Stronger, Leaner has a good chunk of information about diet and nutrition before it goes into strength training. Overall a great read if you want to have a goal of being healthy and looking good.

Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938895274/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_OGcHwbWPS7024

Yeah, a great place to start is the book Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews. As a physician myself, I always try to stick to evidence based approaches. And while the field of exercise physiology is comparatively young, Matthews does an excellent survey of the available literature and synthesizes it into a cogent story with practical advice. I don't necessarily agree with every last thing in the book, but it's the best I've ever seen.

If you don't want to buy a book, his blog is http://muscleforlife.com/ and it's a good place to start as well. But the book is totally worth it.

You won't be running anywhere near that in basic. But you'll get a good workout with dive motivators. If I were you depending on how much time you have till you ship out, I would recommend pickingTHIS up and going through the program. Great program and will get you in the shape you need to succeed in Coronado. Best of luck.

Don't be! Now's the perfect time to subscribe to /r/xxfitness and check out some information. Get the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift like a Man, Look like a Goddess" - it introduces you to weightlifting with a great step-by-step guide and inclines your progress as you increase your lifting ability. It also has some tasty recipes and nutritional information.

I used to be extremely skinny. I gained weight, but it wasn't easy. I was eating double my caloric intake in order to maintain weight.

Certainly there are options. I could have done less cardio but no amount of weight lifting would have turned all of my calories into muscle. I would have had to get a bit chubby first and then turn that fat into muscle.

Read any book that talks about the different regimes for skinny men to gain weight and it's not easy. That's all I was saying.

It can be achieved, but it's not easy.

EDIT: For anyone interested - check out the book 'Scrawny to Brawny'. This book is pretty great when it comes to explaining different body types that require different diets and regimes.

The best I ever felt was when I was lifting 3x a week. Now that my schedule has improved I'm going to go back to it. For anyone looking to get started, I highly recommend The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler. He also has a new one called Strong that's supposed to be good as well.

ETA: Just in case anyone is thinking you need a gym membership to lift, if you have a little space and a little cash you can often find used weights cheap on Craigslist.

Have you ever tried distance running, like a 5k? I like those kinds of races - when you start out, you are humbled and have to accept that you are probably not going to get to be fast enough to win, or even be in the first 10 or 25. Once you accept that, the next step is to get your own baseline, which can also be humbling - oh man it took me an hour to run 3 miles, that sucks. Then you say, I KNOW I can do better, you keep moving, and then you are at the stage where your only competition is YOU - you want to beat the personal record, you want to shave a couple minutes off. You forget everything else, it's just about beating your own mental and physical limitations. There's actually a great book I was reading when I first started out Brain Training For Runners it actually breaks down the science of mental limitations and teaches you how to overcome them, I really do recommend it even for non-runners.

Okay, go early, I mean EARLY. If you can, be there when it opens as college gyms tend to get annoying and distracting as the day progresses

SL 5x5 is okay, but I found it narrow in scope and overpriced to expand. However, it tracks progress better than the other apps I've tried. Currently using Perfect Body, but you can't track well in it and you can't modify, just doing it to give a fair finish review.

Admittedly, I have not tried Strong Curves.

My sister swears by this book: https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398

She is standard fit/athletic, I'm more of a draft animal.

It's generally best to go in with a set plan, and there are a lot of programs out there geared specifically towards beginners. This will give you a sense of purpose in the gym and also a way to track your progress.

Here are links to three of the more popular beginner's programs on this sub: Starting Strength, Strong Lifts, and The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

If money is a factor, and you don't want to buy a book, Strong Lifts is a free program available online.

Actually, lifting heavy won't make girls bulky. Build as much muscle as possible and your arms will still look no where near as built as Cameron Diaz! (unless you're like 5% body fat) Just start out slow and build your way up. This is a great resource, though it's pretty much just an eating plan (which I found useless) and exercises you can find online. But it also explains the science behind girl vs guys and heavy lifting, how our hormones don't really equip us to build huge muscle. Good luck!

I just read The Sports Gene, which summarizes the research (and gives a lot of interesting anecdotal stories in support) about genetic factors contributing to 3 different areas:

1. Where an untrained individual is.
   
2. How well an individual responds to training.
   
3. How much drive/dedication/hustle an individual has for training.
   
   He mentions that the ultra-elite in any sport tend to have all three. There are specific examples of each (limb length, muscle size, above-average vision, etc.), which tend to contribute to both #1 and #2.
   
   Non-genetic factors are discussed as well, such as how much culture plays into whether an individual decides to pick up a sport in the first place (and which sports the individual is likely to choose), and the resources/support and incentives at the individual's disposal. These also contribute heavily to how much #3 actually matters.
   
   But what does that mean for the casual athlete? I'd say not much. We're not trying to break world records here. Perhaps 75% of men have the genetic potential to break the 1000 lb. club, but perhaps only 5% of men can actually do it. I think I'm in that 75% who can achieve it, genetically, but I'm most certainly not (yet) in the elite group that can do it now. Think about what that means if my admittedly made-up numbers are correct — people in the bottom half, with the worse-than-average genes, can actually find themselves in the elite, top 5%. But while I just made those numbers up on the spot, I actually believe they're in the correct ballpark, because the vast majority of people underutilize their strength potential, by a wide margin.
   
   So if anyone needs me, I'll be in the gym.

It really depends on your goals. Are you looking to bulk up, slim down, get ripped, or just overall fitness?

Also, what kind of equipment do you have access to? Do you have access to a barbell, a squat rack, etc. or just a set of dumbbells?

I did one round of P90X and got in the best shape of my life. It has weights, cardio, yoga, etc. and it really is great for overall fitness without much equipment (dumbbells and a pull-up bar are all you need). While it won't bulk you up, it will rip you to shreds.

I'm currently trying a few different routines to try to pack on some muscle. I feel like I'm having great results with this book called Scrawny to Brawny. I don't have access to all that fancy equipment so I modify where I need to, but I still enjoy the results it gave.

Keep in mind though you're supposed to switch up your routine every 3-6 weeks so you don't plateau, so there isn't a single best routine.

I'm not sure how much money you are willing to spend on the information (books, programs), but keep in mind this is the internet. :cough:

Lastly, if you know what exercises work what body part you can create your own routine. Here is an Exercise & Muscle Directory that will tell you just that.

Losing weight, in a way, is easier, because even if you do nothing your body is going to burn 1500-2000 calories all on its own. (Depending on your lean mass quantity / weight.) So if you control the input and do jack shit... you'll still lose weight.

Gaining muscle, on the other hand, means you have to

1. Eat enough to be in a caloric surplus
   
   
2. Get 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, maybe a bit more.
   
   
3. Get to the gym often and lift heavy weights.
   
   So... there's the three things you have to do. I highly recommend this book for a scientifically backed approach to this:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate/dp/1938895304
   
   As far as "small lifestyle change" to get stronger.... body weight exercises like push ups and pull ups... but even there, once you can do 10 or so of those, you build endurance more than size.
   
   Try this: one hour at the gym lifting weights three times a week, and don't waste any time doing cardio while there. Check your video game stats, I'm sure you can find three hours a week. After a year that will be over 150 hours of working out and I can assure you you'll be stronger! 💪

I am a huge fan of free weights to machines. Gimmicky lady-gyms (if I'm thinking of the right one) suck and give women the COMPLETELY wrong idea about weight lifting.

GO TO THE OTHER GYM. Let your trainer teach you what's what and don't worry about the bodybuilders. Literally, they don't care you're new and aren't ripped. I've never met a serious bodybuilder who doesn't LOVE talking the ear off someone just starting out. They are probably the most supportive people in that gym, I promise.

I try not to bother other people when I'm at the gym because I think it probably comes across as condescending. But if I could hug and high five every woman that came in and ignored the treadmill and went to the dumbbells, I absolutely would. (I do high five strangers at the gym, I'm not going to lie).

Weightlifting cures what ails you. I'm only doing keto because I really think it'll help me improve in the gym, too.

This is a FANTASTIC book if you really want to get into lifting:
http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/1583333398

I started out with the plan detailed in Bigger Leaner Stronger by Mike Matthews. He will lay out everything you need to know about diet and exercise as a beginner. In my opinion, this program is better than stronglifts.

buy the book

or you can usually find it with a pdf search.

This book helped me gain 20lbs of muscle in my first half year.

Good Luck!

Great job. Congrats
Strength training with provide some serious results. Starting Strength and this book are recommended fairly universally by r/fitness.
Note: I can't speak to it's effectiveness of the latter, I am a guy but SS has been great.

Oh wow! Awesome links. I'm going to have to look into some of these ideas. I'm starting New Rules of Lifting For Women. The food plans are what I need to tackle next. Thanks for the motivation!

This book has been great for me
I was ready, but really needed a little bit of guidance, what you're saying sounds familiar. It's absolutely worth the $15 bucks with 2 day shipping. Took me 2 days to read it, easy to get through and funny.

Now I can walk into a gym and have a plan.

This or This is a great book that covers all the basics very well. I would suggest giving it a read.

Also, ask one of the trainers at your gym for form advice if you ever feel like you need help on something specific.

People have already said it, but to lose that kind of weight you are going to have to overhaul your diet more than anything.

That said, I would suggest picking up a weightlifting routine. If you are completely new to it I would suggest picking up The New Rules of Lifting for Women! My roommate and I started with this book, and its a really great place to start! The reason why weightlifting might be the way to go, is that the more muscle you have, the more your body burns at rest. So essentially you are able to raise your metabolism. Plus it makes you feel like a badass.

I used to be on the anti Crossfit train, however I went with my cousin once, and I was sold. I am not obsessed with it, but I do really like the motivation of having an organized challenging workout. I get really lazy when I work out by myself, so its been great for me. However, I would suggest learning proper form, and getting a years worth of lifting experience before trying it out. People get injured because they have poor form, and push themselves too hard.

Fiancè and I joke about Crossfit though and call it Fight Club, because I'm not allowed to talk about it!

Its based off of when i read so much. Take a look at the book, Scrawny to Brawny. They outline exactly why you need that much. I used that book many years ago and had fantastic results. The meals are quite plain, but i'm sure if youre creative you can find ways to make the food more interesting

https://www.amazon.com/Scrawny-Brawny-Complete-Building-Natural/dp/1594860882

>My lifts are with a 40 pound bar, started only able to do 6 reps, now I can do 20. The lifts are from [This Men's Health Book[(http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Hard-Body-Plan/dp/1579542298). Also do 1 hour of cardio each day, and usually a 30 minute walk in the evening.

Your "lifts"? ALL of them are just the 40 lb bar? (I'm not checking out the book)
so you do "weight lifting", 3x a week and somehow you are "maxing out" doing only 40 lb lifts 3 times a week? I guess you did count walking as exercise so that all that logic kind of fits together.

>So it looks like I've been maxing out for 7 months... sounds like I'm doing the weight training right, then. And I'm probably about to slow down.

But you are not doing what a bodybuilder does, and wont get where you've convinced yourself you can by doing a fraction of what hard working bodybuilders do. Hopefully you just failed to mention how much weight you're putting on the bars, 40 lbs is a huge joke, especially if you've been doing the same weight for 7 months, that isn't the same as someone being stuck at 300 on bench.

Well, I guess since you bought a book you know better than anyone!

NROLW. Eat big, lift big, feel fantastic.

Also gonna second what m092 said, and then disagree a little bit. In the end, do whichever will make you healthy and happy:
>include someone in your life about what is going on.

If you're the type of person who is going to obsess about diet, that's ok, just make it a good diet. If you can redirect that energy towards a more wholesome end, hopefully you can start behaving as if every time you vomit, you're vomiting all your gains.

I see what you did there... Seriously speaking, though, I got the exercice from a book from Glenn Morris; Path notes of an american ninja master. Its title might imply ninjutsu, but (and?) it's mostly meditation stuff. A hugely inspirational book, it has been. It's also not one of those "woo, ninjas are cool and mysterious!" books, so it has that going for it. :)

It sounds like you don't do any strength training at all, so I'd say the easiest way to improve your physique is to eat more protein and lift heavy weights. Go to a real gym and do weighted compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, pullups, and bench presses--or if you don't have access to a gym, you could at least start doing pushups and squats at home.

This will help increase your metabolism and therefore decrease your body fat, and it'll also make your waist look narrower in comparison to your shapely ass and shoulders. :)

It's hard to get enough protein as a vegetarian, but try to add more low-fat dairy, tofu, tempeh, and other non-meat protein sources to your diet, and try to reduce your consumption of grains to compensate.

This book really helped set me on a good path toward my fitness goals: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398

Read a lot. Learn all you can. Learn to use the free weights and how to do exercises correctly.

Here's a great starter for 12 bucks. Alwyn Cosgrove is legit. http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Maximum-Muscle/dp/158333338X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330998969&sr=8-1

Best of luck in reaching your goals! There is a lot to learn, but a ton of resources to help you.

You can actually buy a number of books written by Arthur Jones and his associates. The general technique is "high intensity training" or "HIT". I used and followed the recent book by Ellington Darden and was getting quite a bit of muscle gain very quickly earlier this year before an unrelated injury took me out of the gym. I'm healthy now and will be returning to HIT techniques later this month once my body is used to working out again. That book covers everything from the history and controversy of the techniques to the implementation of workouts over the full spectrum of beginner to advanced body-building.

Don't expect to turn into a muscle man over such a short schedule. The author of this blog post, Arthur Jones, and all others that advocate HIT acknowledge that genetics and pre-existing musculature have a major impact on your results.

Finally, don't try this stuff unless you are already fairly fit and familiar with strength training and the tools involved. The techniques are very intense and high strain. If you're not already familiar with proper form, you will be injured.

So, be careful. But this training technique does work for building muscle mass in my experience.

go to the library and get the book Scrawny to Brawny. This book is a great guide to bulking up. I read it, followed the eating and exercise guidelines and put on 25 lbs of mostly muscle in the first couple of months. It really comes down to eating a ton (which it seems you have already figured out), I used to feel sick eating as much as the book said, but I eventually got used to it.

One trick, try to eat as much for breakfast as you can. I used to eat two moderate sized meals before leaving the house each morning. It is much easier to get the calories you need when you start your day ahead of the game......good luck it is hard but well worth the effort.

I definitely agree. I look at it more as a base fitness/mobility/injury prevention type of thing. I have a separate cardio program that I base off the book Run Faster which I highly recommend.

Ive also been doing this routine from the "hotshot fitness" website as a little experiment, but it also seems a little lacking so far.

All in all the best thing to do is all of the things.

Recommendations for strength training programs?

I am doing a 5k Warrior Challenge on September 1st and I really need to do something about my noodle arms. I was going to do the program outlined in The New Rules of Lifting For Women, but the author seems pretty adamant that one should not train for a marathon while doing the program. I want to just go for it but I don't want to negatively impact my running performance because of it.

Running-wise I am slowly increasing my mileage and hoping to complete my first half marathon sometime in the fall. I do some light speed training once a week, a hilly run once a week, three easyish runs and a long run (9 miles this week) for a total of about 18 mpw.

OK. Thank you. But the conclusions summarized in the piece you link to are extreme, phrased in sensationalistic terms and presented without a shred of evidence.

Etiquette would seem to require that you in some way summarize the data for your readers. As it is, you present us with the choice of accepting all those too-awful-to-be-true assertions at face value or getting the book and reading it for ourselves.

Begging the Colonel's pardon, but that's not usually how these things are done.

So, like, how many people were in the good Dr.'s sample? How were the test subjects chosen? Over how many years was the research conducted?

This one star review of the book from Amazon sums up my personal suspicions about Dr. Gordon's work:

"It gets at least one star for sheer wacky entertainment value. I've read all his books and they are simply too bizarre and wacky for the author to expect a rational person to believe. Add to that various things that are bogus and u cant expect a favorable review. For example the author claimed a black belt in Chi Kung (or Qi Gong) yet there is no such thing. In another book he claims he and his mentors fight aliens telepathically... Enough said OK."

Link to book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Path-Notes-American-Ninja-Master/dp/1556431570/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

There's a book on this nature vs. nurture debate when it comes to athletic performance: The Sports Gene.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AEDDQKE

Here's an interview with the author:
https://www.npr.org/2013/08/05/209160709/talent-or-skill-honing-in-on-the-elusive-sports-gene

Relevant excerpt from the interview:
"...what genetics is teaching us is the more important kind of talent is actually your biological setup to respond well to training, your ability to get more benefit from your one hour of training than your training partner's one hour of training, and that is emerging as the real talent."

I've heard good things about the stuff Nia Shanks puts out.

Also, NROLFW is pretty popular, too.

I recommend you check out /r/xxfitness as they'll probably have more recommendations.

For girls: you won't get huge. Follow this: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398 or any other program and you'll start looking like someone in /r/hardbodies, not /r/fbb.

edit not that there is anything wrong with looking like someone in /r/fbb. Plenty of people find that extremely attractive, and regardless of whether anyone does or not, they choose to look like that and I admire the dedication. Girls assume they'll look like an FBB if they pick up a dumbbell, and it's not the case!

You might want to check out Brad Hudson's book. It is pretty straightforward, with 3 main types of training: aerobic, strength, and race-specific. It has pre-made training plans, but it focuses on how to put together your own customized training plan, and how to alter it as you go in order to address your specific needs as they arise.

I thought it was really useful, especially in understanding how to create interval progressions to target specific performance goals.

I do lots of short slow distance "off" days. It's worked pretty well despite running daily, even during a training program. I've even done sprint-walk and run-walk intervals to take some load off my legs (and stress off my mind if it's a miserable summer day for a run). The feeling is definitely mutual, though, on running everyday. If you decide to cross-train but keep running in mind without having to go to the gym, the dynamic stretches and proprioceptive training cues I found on Brain Training for Runners won me over.

1. When you meet with an OSO mention this, but NROTC/MO is certainly not your only option. The OSO will explain PLC, FAP/TAP to you as additional options. You certainly won't need to transfer to a new school.
   
2. You're definitely not too small. There was a female Lt in my TBS platoon that was maybe 5'0" and she did fine. Your pack at OCS will be manageable but you'll struggle with the packs at TBS that are regularly over 100#, but others before you have done it, so you can too.
   
3. If you want a straightforward "do these exact things," I'd recommend Stew Smith's 12 Weeks to BUD/S program. Obviously you aren't going to BUD/S but the fundamentals of his programming translate well to USMC OCS. If you want to make your own routine, look into "Run Less, Run Faster" or any reputable 5k training program, do upper body pyramids until you puke, get in the gym to do squats, deadlifts, and back work, and spend the time to adequately recover with stretching and/or a foam roller.
   
4. Talk to your OSO about whatever specific medication you are taking. This could likely be a waiver but he/she will know.

Not an article, but The New Rules of Lifting for Women is a pretty fantastic book on the subject, including diet advice and workouts.

A couple people have asked about my routine. I started off doing Stronglifts 5x5 for a few months. After I felt comfortable with the basic compound lifts lifts, I started Michael Matthews's Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, which I fully endorse and would recommend to anyone. The book is excellent, and everyone should read it, but you can take a look at the routines here. I had to take about 3 months off last fall for surgery after developing a hernia, so I lost some progress there.

David Epstein's book, The Sports Gene, which they mention, has even more of this. (I actually listened to it on audiobook during my long runs, haha). It basically delves into the nature/nurture riddle on what accounts for different aspects of running/athletic success. Fascinating and very well-researched. (It's also especially interesting because Epstein includes stories about his own experience as a DI collegiate runner, comparing himself to others who appeared to be more naturally gifted than him).

Well with lighter weights you'd get more reps in (obviously) so failure would be at a higher number (maybe 20? I don't know). The goal is to increase the intensity of the workout by using heavier weights in each set with perfect form (or as close as you can get since you probably won't know if your form is perfect if you don't have someone to workout with) so that you hit that failure somewhere at 8-12 reps (I prefer 10).
While it might seem to make more sense to use lighter weights for a longer workout, it won't give you the same results. Quicker, more intense full body workouts, that change (my workouts consist of 10-12 different routines and last around 35 minutes total with the only resting time being however long it takes me to unload and load weights) and have longer recovery in between as opposed to doing the same thing for an hour or more everyday (with legs and upper alternating) will keep your muscles from "adapting" or "getting used to" the workout you're doing and with a more intense workout, you'll get quicker results.
Here's a link to the book I used: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1594860009 (Sorry for the long link, or if the link doesn't work. I'm on Alien Blue and I'm not sure how to work it completely yet)

This is all strictly either opinion, or what I read in the book. I'm not an expert, I'm just someone who found a workout he loved and that gave quick results. Hell, I didn't even follow the book all the way. I skipped the getting lean step since I'm already on the lighter side (5' 6", 130 lbs when I started, 137 lbs now), and I didn't realize the book had a sort of "schedule" to follow for what routines to do in each 2 week set, and just did the sample one in the back of the book. I'm sure if you actually followed the routine correctly you'd get more results than what I did.

I bought The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess for my GF a while ago. I think it's pretty good for a beginner.

Actually, no. Take a look at the book The Sports Gene - in sports other than dance/gymnastics/figure skating where people hit their prime at 16-24, the most advantageous background for elite athletes tends to be a generalized fitness/sports routine until they're about 12-16, at which point they start 'their sport'. This gives them the body conditioning they need from a young age, but they're able to learn and incorporate sport-specific technique at an age where they can actually understand it, without a decade of bad habits and burnout.

Seriously, though, read that book if you get the chance. One of the most interesting and well written sports books I've read in a long time.

Strength training anatomy for learning how exercises strengthen certain parts, Bigger, Leaner, Stronger for basics on training for aesthetics and strength, and Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle for good diet advice.

When I use Creatine, I just fill up a gallon jug with water, a cup of sugar, and a heaping spoonful of creatine monohydrate. Sip it throughout the day. You need lots of water for training, and in order for the creatine to be absorbed into your body. I got this recipe from Ellington Dardens book http://www.amazon.com/The-High-Intensity-Training-Muscle-Building/dp/1594860009

Try it out for a couple of weeks, if you don't notice results feel free to tell me to go fuck myself haha good luck

My suggestion for you are these two books: Scrawny to Brawny and Starting Strength Both books will help you gain strength you never knew you had....

Actually MLB players have a genetic predisposition similar to height in the NBA, eyesight.

An anecdote: in the early 90s or thereabouts, the Dodgers' team optometrist began to notice how extraordinarily good the players' vision was and had a bet of sorts with a more traditionally minded person in their organization (I forget all the details). Anyway, the opto went through their minor league roster and chose two players for future success based solely on evaluating their vision. He picked Eric Karros (6th round pick) and Mike Piazza (62nd round pick), both of whom went on to have great careers

I mentioned this in another comment but if you're at all interested in this sort of stuff then I can't recommend The Sports Gene highly enough

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Performance/dp/1591845114

This is maybe the second question on Advanced Fitness I've felt qualified to answer...

1. Eat less. Get down to your racing weight. Target sub-12% BF. To lose the body fat while keeping (most) your muscle mass, check out leangains. It's been working for me. Requires 1.5 - 2 hrs in the gym per week and the ability/desire to bear down HARD for a couple of sets. (Based on your current strength levels, that doesn't seem to be a challenge...)
   
   
2. Train your brain. Consume Brain Training for Runners. AWESOME read that got me my first 90 minute half-marathon three years ago. "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional..."
   
   
3. Train fasted. IF is the bomb. And don't shy away from carbs on your heavy-training days. You're putting in a lot of volume. Bananas and chocolate milk are your friends.
   
   Qualifications: I finished an IM last year, have completed 5+ marathons and natty deadlifted 357.5 lbs (x5) this morning.

Recommend getting a book New Rules On Lifting and Mens Health Big Book Of Exercises.

NROL has a pretty solid program made by Alwyn Cosgrove. The big book is a good reference for movements.

Hi there! This is my response to a previous post about this:

Perinatal personal trainer here, specializing is DR repair.

As mentioned, coning is an indicator. Also an outtie belly button can be an indicator, though not always. In certain clothes, you may even be able to see the linea Alba widening. Avoid the crunch test for now, as it's better for post partum. Basically. There's not much point in stressing about it now. You are either going to get or not, but focus on the following to minimize impact and severity:

Deep diaphragmatic breathing where you hug the baby with your abs on the exhale.

Pelvic tilts, standing or on the ball (my fave)..make sure you feel the core pulling the pelvis on the forward tilt

Avoid bending over to pick things up: SQUAT!!! Putting load on the low back and belly makes it worse

Make sure your posture is as good as can be and avoid shifting from hip to hip (like when carrying a toddler on one hip)

Foam Roll your hips and stretch the hips and psoas as much as you can. These muscles can tighten and possibly pull the gap wider.

If you can still do some side plank lifts without your belly coming or pushing out, do it. Dont do them if you cant control your core anymore.

Minimize twisting as much as possible . (Russian twists are a big no no)

No forward planking, crunching or pullups now - gentle core work only for the time being esp in 3rd trimester.

There are a ton of books on the subject. Here is one of my faves:

Diastasis Recti: The Whole Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation https://www.amazon.com/dp/098965396X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hZv0Ab2WG2BWT

If you get it - it CAN be repaired! This pasr fall I worked with a woman with a 3 finger gap. Shes now doing full on circuit training and really challenging core work. It is not the end and very few need surgery. Reach out post partum to me and I'll be happy to give some further advice!

My wife had similar thoughts at first mention. I had her pick up this book from the library: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320934295&sr=1-1

The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Lift like a man, look like a goddess.

It says toning doesn't exist and women can lift weights with all the benefits just like a man. She's much more receptive to it after reading.

New Rules of Lifting has been a HUGE boon in helping me understand the science behind what I'm doing. I've read both this one and the NROL for women as well. Highly recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Maximum/dp/158333338X

this book gets some good reviews. I bought it for my wife when she was looking for something similar, the stuff I read out of it seemed pretty good.

Going sub-40 requires interval training and solid weekly mileage. There are no shortcuts or secrets. It will take time. You first have to get sub-44, then sub-43, then sub-42, and so on. Pick up one of the major training guides like Pfitzinger ,
Daniels, or Hudson. You can get any of these used for a few dollars, or new for not much more. While there are endless debates about which plan is best, you're just trying to get under 40:00, not qualify for the Olympics, an any of these will help you do that.

http://www.amazon.com/Scrawny-Brawny-Complete-Building-Natural/dp/1594860882

Nuff said. tells you everything you need to know. Follow it as closely as possible and you should see some pretty amazing results.

I was 6'3" 180 when I started and got up to 215 in three months just from working out and eating well…unfortunately then I hurt my shoulder and recently tore my meniscus so I haven't been able to get back into it for a bit but yeah - that program was amazing for me personally. My deadlift alone went from like…165 starting to 325.

Several of your lifts have gone up. You've made progress! If you're not getting the results you're wanting, try switching programs. I've seen some great results using programs out of The New Rules of Lifting . Keep at it, self-improvement is never a waste of money.

The ultimate guide to Navy Seal fitness

This worked great to get me in shape for Rugby, because after i did the 12 week program i layered his stuff into my weight based workouts. definitely worth the price

Starting lifting:

> The biggest secret? Almost everything you need to know fits into two or three sentences, and a few pages for the implementation. I’'ll have most of it down before this article is over.

• https://medium.com/message/1049400ede28
  
• http://stronglifts.com
  
• /r/fitness
  
• New Rules of Lifting:
  
  > http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2498453&R=2498453
  > http://www.amazon.ca//dp/158333338X
  
  A lot of people suggest running: not (entirely) necessary. Long-term lifting is better, but if you add a 30-60 minute walk almost daily, that's most of moving that you'll need. Add bicycling to work and you're done. Start lifting first, and add running later if you wish. I got better results in 3 months of lifting than 3 months of running (getting to 5K).
  
  For lifting, you may need a trainer for the first little while to make sure your form is okay and get into good habits, but after 2-3 months you can stop using them (or only 1-2 times per month for touch-ups/spot checks). Stronglifts (5x5) or NROL is all you need.
  
  For this:
  
  > I'm not destitute, but I had major job issues that really fucked up my finances for the medium-term.
  
  See /r/PersonalFinanceCanada/
  

I would ask your physical therapist. They assessed your musculature, so they know which exercises will work best. Tell them you understand too many exercises would be overwhelming, so ask them to only give you 2-3.

If that doesn't work out this book is verbose, but excellent

https://www.amazon.com/Core-Program-Fifteen-Minutes-Change/dp/0553380842/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=core+for+women&qid=1572474735&s=books&sr=1-1

Look for this book in your local library or independent bookstore; these are some great exercises for every able-bodied person.

Diet is important to consider; I wasn't looking to lose weight but when I cut out sugars and bread products, I ended up not only feeling better mentally and physically and getting rid of some respiratory allergies for awhile, but I lost a lot of fat. It makes sense, if you're trying to be more healthy, to check your eating habits and start eating more of the food that makes you feel healthy and less of the food that makes you feel bad afterward.

Please remember to check with your healthcare practitioner to make sure your diet and exercise plans fit your body.

I highly recommend you read Bigger Leaner Stronger, and get your T levels tested. Maximize T with proper diet/sleep/exercise/supplements.
 

• Stop masturbating (Seriously)
  
• Compound lifts (Stronglifts 5x5 is a great place to start)
  
• Get lots of protein
  
• Lift 3 times a week with at least 1 recovery day after lifting
  
• Keep researching and optimizing for best results
  
• Do all of this for 3+ years
   
  
  To summarize, you get big from tearing your muscles with short/heavy sets of explosive lifts. Protein + rest will repair the tears and make you bigger. Strength comes naturally, but size requires constant repair. This is why you can be small and strong, typically these guys are concentrating on long exhaustion sets and haven't optimized their macros.

I hurt my shoulder a couple of week ago actually so none at the moment =( But I was doing the bodybuilding routines out of this book. I can't find another similar program on the internet to link unfortunately, but it involves switching up rep ranges every workout. It keeps it interesting if nothing else. At some point in the future I'll try out 5/3/1 and RPT, they both look awesome.

For lifting I like the New Rules of Lifting for Women, especially because the routine is very clearly laid out.

For "cardio" (Running) I like Couch to 5K or the Zombies, Run! 5K app.

Can you get to a gym? That opens up your options somewhat.

I recommend you buy the book, Bigger, Leaner, Stronger. It goes into a lot of detail about bulking and cutting and lays out a pretty good workout program.

I had this problem when I first started lifting too. My advice would be to read up on some different exercises just to get an idea of what you can do at the gym. bodybuilding.com has a good list of exercises, and I've also used some books such as Men's Health Hard Body Plan.

After becoming familiar with some exercises, it becomes a lot easier to design a workout plan that suits your needs.

If you don't want to design your own plan, some of the routines others have suggested here are good for beginners too.

Here’s two great programs you could check out. They are both books but you could probably buy used or get at library.


New Rules of Lifting for Women
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583333398/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_HqX1Bb5M5JZVQ

Strong Curves
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936608642/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_fpX1BbGS3YMP3

I'd highly recommend this one

http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1568364989

The dude who brought Karate to Tokyo and was instrumental in bringing it to the world shares stories and thoughts about karate. I honestly couldn't put it down.

Check out /r/xxfitness

I also recomend the book New Rules of Lifting for Women or Strong Curves.

I did NROLFW, and really enjoyed it, and at some point in the future I look forward to trying out Strong Curves.

That's actually a pretty low intake for a lot of physical activity. When I was lifting heavy regularly 3x a week I was getting 1900 calories on rest days and 2200 on workout days, and I'm only about an inch taller and 7lbs heavier. It does sound like you'd enjoy the aesthetic of more muscle (from what you said about your body composition changing), so I'd look into doing New Rules of Lifting for Women or a similar program.

I would advise that you keep doing your bodyweight squats. To make them fun, you can take a big exercise ball from your gym and hold it against the wall with your back, so that you kind of roll it down the wall as you squat down. You can also work on step ups - just take a sturdy box or step and go up down up down. You should also think about adding in push ups - you can start doing these with your knees down on the floor to assist, or if that's a bit too difficult, you can start off leaning against a wall and pushing up and away from the wall.

When you feel like you're ready, I would recommend that you pick up a copy of New Rules of Lifting for Women. I'm not recommending it because it's the end all be all of lifting programs, but because the content will help you learn more about the science behind lifting, why lifting is beneficial for women, how to feed your body during a lifting program, and why you shouldn't be afraid of weights or bulking or any of that. It will last you about 6 months, so you will definitely get your money's worth. For support, there are forums for this over at jpfitness dot com.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/1583333398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382360144&sr=8-1&keywords=new+rules+of+lifting+for+women

That will cover your basics and get you started. I would also strongly recommend that you read Starting Strength. I've done the traditional New Rules of Lifting program as well, in addition to the one "for women" (hint - any decent lifting program can work for you once you learn proper form - it doesn't have to be something that says "for women" - you're not limited) and enjoyed it.

That said, I don't know how much you weigh now, just that you want to lose a lot. If you have musculoskeletal issues or pain, I can't emphasize proper form enough. It might be worth it to book some time with a trainer who's well practiced in the basic Olympic lifts (careful, I've seen some crap trainers out there...). If something hurts sharply while you're doing it, then please stop and slow your roll. It's normal to be sore after a good lifting workout, and you might even feel like some of your muscles are really achey and sluggish, but nothing should feel like it's in sharp pain or popping or snapping. I guess I'm trying to say that pain isn't necessarily a bad sign, but that you need to monitor yourself for red flag type pain.

Excellent. I'll pick it up some time soon. Is this book suitable for women too? Or should I get something specifically written for women like this book? - for my girlfriend, I'm male.

I have sciatica, and I had to stop lifting for 6 months because of it. One thing that has helped me was to work on my abs. There was also a stretching routine that I did from this book. I know it looks ridiculous and old, but it was what saved me. I was going to the doctor and PT for over a year and still experienced constant pain. Even now, when I sit too long or sit incorrectly, the pain comes back. I am now able to lift comfortably, and this is proof. It's one of my YT videos where I'm squatting. Sciatica is not something that goes away, but it is definitely manageable. When I even feel a slight twinge, I'll go to the stretching routine immediately before it gets worse. I am hoping to film the stretching routine tomorrow, and I'll PM you the link if you do not want to purchase and read the book. I lost my copy, but I remember what I do to help my pain. Best of luck!

It's an old but great book - I initially learned Yoga using Richard Hittleman's Yoga in 28 Days book.

Check this out on AMZN: Richard Hittleman's Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan http://amzn.com/0553277480

Ah I might suggest looking and progressing into the New Rules of Lifting series

http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398

or strong from the same author

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1583335757/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1583335757&linkCode=as2&tag=louschulercom-20&linkId=FZL7J77SPOMQMBPO

or girls gone strong

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/strength-training/

I found the New Rules of Lifting For Women to be really approachable. The writing's engaging with lots of references to studies and science and the exercises are all well explained (with pictures!).

It's been around long enough that you can find videos of each workout online, as well as excel spreadsheets to track your workouts/calories etc in.

(Caveat - I mostly ignored the nutrition chunk of the book so I can't say much about that part.)

If only someone would write a book! One that gives you just a few basic lifts to work on! :D
(really just a gentle ribbing, yes, you may have to resort to a real paper book, instead of a handful of articles.)

I would highly recommend the book Strong by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove. They are the guys who wrote NROLFW and wrote this book as a more developed approach to starting with the compound lifts and building up your core strength to lift without injury. All the exercises are explained with modifications to make them easier or more difficult. By the end of the program you are doing back squats, deadlifts, etc.

Brad Hudson's book is pretty good too:

http://www.amazon.com/Run-Faster-5K-Marathon-Coach/dp/0767928229

I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to study Kyudo. It was the book I was given by my instructor and it really helped me improve my technique.

Have her read the book listed in the sidebar: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398

It's a great read for anybody who is a little sensitive or clueless about diet. I honestly bought it more for the lifting stuff, and I hate the voice used in the narrative of this book, but I think it will give her the resources she needs to both understand it AND feel confident about it herself.

Definitely PT. I also found this book useful for the theory of doing more than just simple PT exercises!

If you want to lift, I recommend The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I'm currently finishing up phase 4 and it has really improved my muscle tone. If you're not sure how to do an exercise (although the book has diagrams), ask someone who works at the gym to show you.

Your questions make it obvious that a brief comment is not going to clue you in on what you're missing and put you on the path to success. You really need to do some reading on the basics of bodybuilding: diet, bulking, cutting, proper training program. I highly recommend downloading Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews.

It's the #1 natural bodybuilding book on the market and would provide you everything from A-Z on what you need to start this journey. Even has a supplemental cookbook for bulking and cutting.

Been planning to read these books, just haven't gotten round to it. They look really promising though!

The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance - David Epstein

Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?: Fitness Myths, Training Truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise - Alex Hutchinson


Not fitness related, but books that changed my outlook on life are Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl) and Down and Out... (George Orwell).

There's a book called Diastasis Recti by Katy Bowman that is super valuable- I found Katy when I was looking at pelvic floor issues, and she really helped me see it was about my whole body. The link to the book is below, but she also has podcasts and articles on her website. She has a lot of moves which help even out the pressures in your abdominal wall, to shrink the gap. https://www.amazon.com/Diastasis-Recti-Solution-Abdominal-Separation/dp/098965396X/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=241902617958&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1014573&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=826856802788893565&hvtargid=kwd-93644857290&keywords=katy+bowman+diastasis+recti&qid=1556058032&s=gateway&sr=8-1

If you want to get her a book, I suggest this:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398

New Rules of Lifting for Women

It's got a lot of good information in there about differences between men and women. It also goes pretty well into how women can train and not "bulk up" like a man unless we work really REALLY hard at it.

SS is not the only system for beginners despite what /r/fitness will tell you.

It's one possibility for a beginner but if you can't follow the program for whatever reason it's going to be better to follow whatever program you can.

Other programs that would be ok to start on:

• Wendler 5/3/1 (you can add in whatever you want after the main lift so this might be preferable for people that get bored easy)
  
  
• The New Rules of Lifting
  
  
• Stronglifts 5x5

A weight-lifting book I've heard good things about. This one is specifically for women, but they also have a general one, and one for abs.

Biggest Loser Cookbook

A pedometer (and maybe a strap for it, since that one seems to be on sale too?)

A food scale! I love mine.

And I just saw elsewhere you are joinging a gym - they usually include a free personal trainer session where you could ask for some pointers on weight lifting if you are new to it. There are also plenty of books The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women and probably a lot of youtube videos as well.

I'm currently working my way through the workout plan in The New Rules of Lifting for Women. So far it's been working great and I can see visible changes!

If you really really want something geared towards women instead of Women's Health magazine, get this:
http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324343087&sr=8-1
Is not terrible except for most of the diet advice. It has squats and deadlifts and HIIT and other stuff. It was too scattered for me and SS is much more focused and I'm making way better strength gains with that. But if one is at the level where just getting up and walking can be considered exercise, that's sad, but I suppose you have to start somewhere

I lean more towards the exercise science/journalism type reads in regard to health and fitness. Born to run was really good IMO. I also really enjoyed..

• Spark
  
• The Sports Gene

Yup. :) Talk to the people at the front desk. Most gyms will even have a "free introductory session" to set you up for one of those programs. It can be a little expensive though. Alternatively, there's a ton of listings on craigslist.

When I first started going to the gym, I found it really useful to get a book. That's just the one I used, there are plenty of others, but it helped me.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Navy-Fitness-Third/dp/1578262666

How long until you ship out? Dropping weight may be the best bet for you.

The best book about how to lift in my opinion.

The New Rules

You may be able to borrow it from the library.

We are more than glad to help you, 'for free' to the extent that our knowledge allows us, but there is so much you can learn 'for free.'

You could ask the book for Christmas. And maybe this one too.

Might check this out. Sounds similar to what you are looking for and I had great results with it.
https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Workout-Programs-Metabolism-Strength/dp/0399573437

John Berardi's book Scrawny to Brawny would be a great book. He & his team coach hundreds of people with this program. The site has a lot of additional/supplemental info.

Pick up the book Bigger Leaner Stronger (its like $13 on Amazon ) by Mike Matthews. He’s really into the science of building strength and size. Also checkout his 1 year challenge. It’s a tough workout, but that’s what you want 😉

Progressive overload aka get stronger.

This books breaks down the nutrition and training, and includes a training program

Sorry if that's an unhelpful reply, but this book was extremely helpful for me.

I can't recommend the book Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body enough. I have a couple of friends that compete in body building/physique competitions and started with advice from them. They all stand by the information in this book. Unfortunately, if you're a beginner, the internet is full of bro science and nonsense about expensive supplements that do nothing and ridiculous workouts. It's truly the only topic I've ever found difficult to research online. There's simply too much money to be made misleading people that the commercial interests have fully buried the simple facts.

I read through this book in about three days and went from 185 skinny-fat to 165 11% body-fat and actually looking/feeling great, in about four months. Didn't spend a dime on supplements beyond whey protein and a small bottle of creatine that lasts for 4-5 months per bottle. I have no association with the author and that isn't some type of referral link. It just worked really well for me and answered every question I had about diet and exercise with cited research. I hate woo-woo online advice about 'toxins', 'muscle confusion', or any of the abundant obvious pseudo-science blog posts and supplement forums. Check out the book.

If you're a female: there's a female version, too.

You should read this book, it is really really good when it comes to working out. I read this book will taking a nutritional science class and this book was spot on with what my professor was saying
https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate/dp/1938895304/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=QAHVEV20HNYQ&keywords=bigger+faster+stronger&qid=1563381126&s=gateway&sprefix=faster+stronger%2Caps%2C306&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Maybe you should start with what wikipedia has to offer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate. Further, there are some good books, Funakoshi - My Way, and there are tons of material across the internet.

I had the honor to attend a 6th and 7th dan examination that was quite thorough in terms of letting the senseis explain the art to other attendees - as in where it comes from, how it came about. So while I can relate to your wish to learn from someone who does it, I'd think you should do some due diligence instead of expecting us to type all that out ;-) If you have some more specific questions than those broad general ones... shoot.

Also, may I suggest studying the art by practicing it? it's one thing to read and talk about it, but really another to dive into it.

This book helped me get a good idea of what I was doing with my diet. He doesn't advocate any fad diets or tell you to buy a ton of supplements. He gives you a plan to calculate your macros for protein, carbs, and fat. From there you get your final calories. Just stay within those each day and meet your macros and you'll do well. He backs up a lot of his claims with actual studies so it's not anecdotal advice.

It's not the absolute best way to continue moving forward with yoga once you're doing it regularly, but this is a fantastic way to get started. Plus, if you follow this plan day by day, I noticed am immediate improvement in my balance and stretching the first week.

Amazon

The "book" i was referencing was just a confusino I had in the link. http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398. It was right next to starting strength, (book title here). Thought it was one phrase.

this is a really good resource for women to begin lifting

I own a copy of The New Rules of Lifting for Women, which has a large chapter just on nutrition, recipes and meal plans. However, I have yet to find an entire cookbook dedicated to it.

If you are indeed a Miss, I recommend checking out The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I got it from the library and spent a few days flipping through it, learning what different types of weights and techniques were called, and within a week or two I could walk into the weight room of my gym with total confidence. It's a really helpful book.

Also, all of our butts are sweaty. No worries.