Get fit 2: Resolution 2K:19!

[Saint Jimmy]

Getting started can be tough because general fitness doesn't lend itself to picking a program. Usually programs are aimed at a particular goal or use a particular method, and the general fitness comes with filling in the gaps you find in it as you train.

My advice in general would be to pick a hobby you enjoy that requires fitness and let that guide your training. Like if you want to canoe you need a lot of back, arm and chest endurance but distance running not so much.

So I actually do Historical European Martial Arts, which to the best of my knowledge uses most parts of the body (swinging the sword, keeping stable and balanced, etc.) That, and just general fitness are why I was trying to do total body stuff. It sounds like maybe I should replace my core workout with another upper body one, as that is what is getting used the most, and do core at the end of one or two of them like Comrade said.

For weight lifting something like Starting Strength or Push-Pull-Lift tends to be pretty good

Are those specifically Darebee programs, or are they something else?

What do you mean by 'functional upper/lower body stuff'?

Yeah, I wasn’t sure my terminology was right. I mean that it’s (I may or may not be right about this) less weight, more reps, with more calisthenics, as opposed to the low reps, heavier weight stuff that increases size and strength. My understanding is that the goal of what in doing is more to build endurance, with less of a focus on strength and size. I’m not 100% sure, though. (Example, instead of doing four sets of five barbell squats, I do three sets of 10 squats, lunges, and step-ups, holding a kettlebell and increasing the reps by two each set.)

I think that was good for getting into exercise, but now that I’m trying to build up my strength, I don’t know if I should continue doing that or not.

In terms of weight-lifting, I'd suggest against cramming all your lifts into one day of the week. There's a million different perspectives out there on how to allocate workouts to different days of the week; what's worked best for me has been hitting chest/triceps two days of the week, back/biceps two days of the week, legs one day, and shoulders one day. I do a few abs/core exercises after my main workout each day-- you really don't need an entire day dedicated to working abs/core, 15 minutes after each workout will do it.

Ok. I’ll have to think about how to best schedule a plan. I think right now, I’m thinking about doing total-body Monday and Wednesday, upper body Friday, lower body Saturday. Does that sound reasonable?

I'm happy to answer any questions yoy have :

If you've got any questions about specific lifts/workouts I'd be happy to help however I can!

thanks!