Kuro
Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
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If you've just got a basic dumbbell set you can go for quite a while with them, an adjustable bench or chair can also help hit specific angles.Currently 320.3, thinking about getting some free weights to supplement my walking. Any recommendations for free weight routines to a newbie?
Pick One from each category (can switch between them within category to mix things up)
-Seated or Standing Overhead Dumbbell Press (Can also do Incline if you have a bench or chair you can lean 30-45 degrees back in)
-Curls (There's about a million variations, I like Hammer Curls)
-Tricep Extensions (Usually done with a barbell or EZBar, but two dumbbells work as well, may take a while to get your arms steady)
-Bent Over Rows (At Home these will usually be with one arm at a time, with the opposite knee on a chair or bench to support body weight, what's important is the arm pulling the weight up with the elbow going up)
-Dumbbell Bench Press (At Home this'll generally involve laying on the ground, so your arms won't get full range of motion but it'll also be very safe since you'll have support)
-Lateral Raises
-Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift
-Bodyweight Squats
-Farmers Walks (Start with carrying dumbbells and just walking around the yard/house for as long as you can dead carry the weight, you'll probably move on from the dumbbells to paint cans or something similar)
For these exercises you can start at One "Set" of 6-15, and it's fine to start with the lightest dumbbells you had, since the beginning is just getting used to the motions and building those neural pathways. If you hit 15 reps of the exercise reliably on the first set of it each day of the week, it's time to move up to the next dumbbell for next week. If you make it through a week of doing the one set three or four days and don't feel fatigued, increase it to two sets and try that. Keep increasing sets until you feel fatigued on your off days, then dial back; this usually happens around 3-5 sets. I'd start out doing the exercises 2-3 times per week, then increase as you get stronger, the arm muscles recover pretty quickly since they're small, so they can be worked out pretty much as much as you feel like. Since you've been a big guy, your legs are probably already decently strong. You can also break these up into seperate days for convenience as the set numbers get higher/more time consuming.
Push Ups/Pull Ups/Sit Ups are also great, but from my own experience as a Large Lad, significantly harder mechanically than free weights thanks to the gut. Jumping rope makes you feel like an idiot and other people fear an earthquake, but is pretty solid cardio you can do regardless of weather and cheaply.
The repetition range is also flexible, and for dumbbell exercises can go as high as 30 if you're trying to milk out every bit of usefulness from the purchase.
Other fellow fat guy tip, pay attention to your feet and where you're putting your weight when you position yourself, a lot of larger guys curve their feet and put their weight on the outside edges, you want to try to make sure your feet are planted more firmly with the bodyweight pushing down on the heel and foot pad.
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