Ask HN: Advice from people who strength train from home

What are your goals?

1. I see reddit's bodyweightfitness routine [1] recommended frequently (though I personally lift weights so don't have experience with callisthenics)

2. Keep in mind that most influencers, actors, athletes, and trainers have gained their physique through genetic luck, drugs, unhealthy eating, camera tricks, lack of balance in life, and extremely hard work guided by one-on-one coaching. It might take you 12 months to look muscular if you're a normal person doing a normal routine. Good strength routines will have you making regular small increases in resistance, so you will see constant small progress in strength on a daily/weekly/round basis from the beginning!

3. Spend a week tracking what you eat in an app like Cronometer. Those results will guide you on how best to modify your diet: the default macro/micronutrient targets in the app aren't a bad place to start. It's often recommended to increase protein and calorie intake above those targets if you're trying to put on lots of muscle.

Finally the sibling comment about goals is a great one. I'd suggest your #1 goal should be to not get injured, as injury will prevent you from achieving your other goals (and is very common when starting new sports/activities!)

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/routines/bwf...

Number 1 thing to remember is training is better than not training, as long as you aren't injuring yourself. Don't overthink it, and if it hurts, stop.

I use kettlebells at home and have been repeating this workout playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPUU1z33ILva...

Kettlebell is great because you can do a full workout with a single piece of equipment.

If you dread working out, then just make it easier. 2 kg is better than 0 kg, 5 minutes is better than 0 minutes.

Don't try to get everything figured out before you start. You will need to figure out what works for you, and good habits build upon each other.

I'll answer 1)

i really like www.startbodyweight.com

pretty detailed and simple for someone like me - who's gone to the gym, but not gained from it, because of not sticking to a programme, and importantly, managing progression.

Startbodyweight is awesome because it starts from absolute couch potato.

One negative though - is 2 things required to setup:

a)somewhere to do chin ups b)somewhere solid to use thick nylon rope (for pulling exercise)

Start with the actual program, and work on the diet as you go. But look into balanced diets - eat eggs, nuts, chicken, (red meat ocassionally), fish, lots of leafy greens, cold pressed natural oils.

Avoid sugar.

Make time for this stuff - if you're new to it - it will start by being a drag, eventually you will crave it.

I started HATING exercise, and hating early rising.

I start my morning with a top shelf scandinavian light roast (high in caffeine) - then my training session, shower, and big breakfast.

Cant think of a better way to start my morning! Gets me feeling focused and ready to attack the day.

> 1. What is the bare minimum balanced routine I can start with?

A combination of vertical and horizontal push and pull compound lifts will give you the biggest bang for your buck while maintaining a balanced physique.

Vertical push - Squat & Overhead Press

Vertical pull - Deadlift & Pull-ups

Horizontal push - Pushup or Bench Press

Horizontal pull - Bent over Rows or Bodyweight Rows

For what it’s worth, I’ll mention what works for me. I have no interest in any companies or products mentioned below other than using them and finding them useful.

I’ve weight-trained for decades and switched up my routine during the pandemic. I have only a small room available at home for this, which I also use as an office and music studio. So, not a lot of space.

I bought a pair of Bowflex SelectTech 552s (https://www.bowflex.com/selecttech/552/100131.html), a stand for them, a bench, a stability ball, and mini loop bands. Then I started using the Fitbod app (https://fitbod.me) to take the guesswork out of my routine.

This has been great. Fitbod will gradually ramp up resistance, vary your workouts, target different muscles based on recovery, and adjust your weight levels based on your performance. Then you can use the 552s to select the right weight it recommends.

Anyway, your mileage may vary, but I’ve been very happy with this setup for years.

I just wanted to mention that I have been a big fan of TRX bands from https://www.trxtraining.com. (They seem to have a bunch of different products on there, but when I bought mine many years ago, they only made one thing. They all seem the same to me.) It's just a single, small piece of equipment you can bring anywhere and is extremely versatile. It also allows for a scale of difficulty for various exercises to match your fitness level. I have not trained for extensive periods of time exclusively with TRX bands, but I've used them for many years alongside traditional weight training and when I don't have access to the gym.

There are many online resources for TRX exercises and workouts, so I won't expand on that here unless otherwise requested. That plus a backpack you can load up with heavy things can take you pretty far.

I second the other comments that have mentioned to avoid sugar. Different people may react differently, but I find my general wellbeing and discipline to have had a strong inverse correlation with my sugar consumption.

Regarding pushing to failure or not: I personally have found success pushing to failure (depending on the workout, on the last set at least), and, in general, I would recommend this approach. Likelihood of injury will increase as you push closer to failure, so remember to stretch, warm up, and focus on form. For some people, there may be a mental benefit to pushing to failure as well.

3. Make sure you get enough protein and calories overall. Strength training also puts a lot of stress on bones and causes increases in density, so make sure you're getting calcium too. Protein shakes make getting enough protein a bit easier. There's a lot of talk about supplements but 99% don't do enough to be worth it. If you want to go that route, use creatine. It's the most well researched lifting supplement there is. It gives you a modest boost in endurance and strength. Good food and good sleep is honestly 50% of it.

(Secondhand) Total Gym XLS & 4x 20lb 5gal bucket concrete weights on 1.25" fittings, Basketball filled with sand, occasional Yoga, lately very occasional Inline Skating up and down a hill with wrist guards and a MIPS helmet with a visor

(Soccer, then former middle of the pack Distance Running; then also weight training resistance training in a Weider cage with an 45lb bar and adjustable spotter bars, high pulley, low pulley, leg extension; then Bowflex; and now TotalGym and I prefer it. Lol, you watch the infomercial and you see the testimonials and you think "nobody's that happy with their without ever" and still I really do enjoy this equipment. (I have never been paid to endorse any fitness product or book.))

Calisthenics says that "time under tension" is more relevant than number of reps.

The TotalGym is a decent to good partner stretcher. "Don't slam the stack, and don't waste an opportunity to let it stretch you out"

Dance music has a higher tempo. Various apps will generate workout playlists with AFAIU a BPM ladder

The "high protein foods" part of Keto.

My understanding of Keto: if you eat too much sugar (including starchy carbs) without protein, the body learns to preferentially burn sugar and wastes the protein; so eat protein all day. We do need carbs to efficiently process protein. (And we do need fat for our brains: there is a reference DV daily value for fat for a reason. Ranch, Whole Milk, and Peanut Butter have fat.)

Omega-3s and Omega-6s would be listed under "Polyunsaturated Fats" if it were allowed to list them on the standard Nutrition Facts label instead of elsewhere on the packaging.

Omega 6:3 balance apparently affects endocannabinoid levels. Endocannabinoids help regulate diet and inflammation.

Antioxidants: Vitamins A, C, E,

Electrolytes: Water + Salt + Potassium (H20 + NaCl + K)

There are many lists of foods to eat for inflammation and inflammatory conditions.

Foods rich in anthocyanins tend to be high in nutrients; for example, blueberries, chard, and other dark leafy vegetables and fruits. Blueberry smoothie; premixed, frozen, fresh and washed with sprayed water+vinegar in a clip-on colander.

Pressure cooking is a relatively healthy way to prepare protein.

You can make a dozen hard-boiled or soft-boiled eggs with one instant pot pressure cooker in ~20 minutes and with less water than conventional boiling.

50g/day of Protein is 100% of the DV for a 2000 calorie diet, when you're not trying to gain muscle mass. Bodybuilders consume at least 100g or 150g of protein a day.

Tired of e.g. tuna, eggs, beef; I learned of "The No Meat Athlete Cookbook: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts—and the Rest of Your Life", which has a bunch of ideas for vegan and vegetarian protein and nutrionally-balanced meals.

FWIU, vegan and vegetarian diets tend to have some common issues like e.g. magnesium deficiency.

I can't be mad at the lion for being omnivorous; but frustrated at the lion for being greedy and selfish in regards to ecology and smell. /? S tool reading infographic

Protein bars (20g: Huel, Aldi), Protein bread (10g/slice), Muscle Milk Pro (50g), Huel, Filtered water: Wide-mouth water bottles, Fish Oil (Omega-3s DHA & EPA), Olive Oil (<~380°F), spray Avocado Oil (Aldi), Peanut Butter, Whole Milk, Multigrain Cheerios over Total (in the 100% DV cereals category),

Supergrains: flax, chia, shelled hemp seed. Super grains mixed into peanut butter = $25 health food store peanut butter.

Healthy Eating Plate: Water, Fruits, Grains, Veggies, Protein. USDA Myplate: people need* Milk/Dairy (which is indeed basically impossible to create a synthetic analogue of, in terms of formula or)

Some greens have little more nutritional content than water and fiber. AFAIU, Chard is as nutritious as Spinach, which has iron (which is what Popeye eats to hopefully eventually woo Olive Oil)

Ice water dimin...