My guide to lifting (for people who eat)
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Date: 2026-09-04
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Comments and reviews: 20
LiefLayer
And if you, like me, hate lifting, there are many other exercise/sports that can be done.
Swimming is one of them and it's usually cheaper then the gym, but my favourite is running. It's really really cheap, it burn calories like crazy, it can be done anywhere (even at home, for any amount of time, at any pace (and if you cannot or hate running there is always walking.
And the running body for my taste is better, I like my body to be slender and feel light instead of feeling pumped up and massive, I really don't like my upper body to be like a balloon and I prefer flat stomach to six packs.
The only thing I think you should spend your money on when you are running is running shoes when you run more then 1 hour, since running with the wrong shoes can really hurt. I usually buy them for about 150 and they last 2-3 years if you use them for running a lot. And you don't need to get them if you run less then that.
And if you are not running for a marathon (or a long run that you need to do in one go) but just to burn calories you can split the run and burn the same amount of calories. I started with 5 minutes running at home 4 times each day, it was really easy and it burned the same amount of calories as one more difficult 20 minutes run.
Now I can run 6 hours without stopping if I want.
I also do some push ups and superman exercises just to balance a little bit (to still train all muscles even if just with light exercises) and because they do not require any equipment. but only if I don't go to the pool, since there I can exercise every muscle there just by swimming.
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And if you, like me, hate lifting, there are many other exercise/sports that can be done.
Swimming is one of them and it's usually cheaper then the gym, but my favourite is running. It's really really cheap, it burn calories like crazy, it can be done anywhere (even at home, for any amount of time, at any pace (and if you cannot or hate running there is always walking.
And the running body for my taste is better, I like my body to be slender and feel light instead of feeling pumped up and massive, I really don't like my upper body to be like a balloon and I prefer flat stomach to six packs.
The only thing I think you should spend your money on when you are running is running shoes when you run more then 1 hour, since running with the wrong shoes can really hurt. I usually buy them for about 150 and they last 2-3 years if you use them for running a lot. And you don't need to get them if you run less then that.
And if you are not running for a marathon (or a long run that you need to do in one go) but just to burn calories you can split the run and burn the same amount of calories. I started with 5 minutes running at home 4 times each day, it was really easy and it burned the same amount of calories as one more difficult 20 minutes run.
Now I can run 6 hours without stopping if I want.
I also do some push ups and superman exercises just to balance a little bit (to still train all muscles even if just with light exercises) and because they do not require any equipment. but only if I don't go to the pool, since there I can exercise every muscle there just by swimming.
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rob_i208
24: 20 This is why I hate the gym. Not simply people resting on machines, but as mentioned earlier in the video it's best to rotate between opposing exercises. Push in one direction and pull in the other direction. I kind of disagree when Adam says the order of exercises isn't that important. Scientifically, sure. However mentally I don't want any excuses piling up on why I may have not performed as well as I was targeting. Waiting for someone on their machine, or changing the order I've been doing (I scramble the order once a season) are annoyances that honestly pile up and can spoil your routine.
Also, in my experience unless there's a coach breathing down the necks of people to rack their weights in a correct order, they never get racked properly. It's endlessly infuriating and I can't understand how people can not rack their weights and be okay hunting for weights themselves. I've been practicing calisthenics for the past few years and have added resistance bands as well as a pullup bar and gymnast rings. Very cheap, practical training for balance and stability, nothing to derail my routine, and I swear I've gotten more progress in a shorter time with it than anytime I tried sticking with a gym routine.
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24: 20 This is why I hate the gym. Not simply people resting on machines, but as mentioned earlier in the video it's best to rotate between opposing exercises. Push in one direction and pull in the other direction. I kind of disagree when Adam says the order of exercises isn't that important. Scientifically, sure. However mentally I don't want any excuses piling up on why I may have not performed as well as I was targeting. Waiting for someone on their machine, or changing the order I've been doing (I scramble the order once a season) are annoyances that honestly pile up and can spoil your routine.
Also, in my experience unless there's a coach breathing down the necks of people to rack their weights in a correct order, they never get racked properly. It's endlessly infuriating and I can't understand how people can not rack their weights and be okay hunting for weights themselves. I've been practicing calisthenics for the past few years and have added resistance bands as well as a pullup bar and gymnast rings. Very cheap, practical training for balance and stability, nothing to derail my routine, and I swear I've gotten more progress in a shorter time with it than anytime I tried sticking with a gym routine.
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manspeej
You’re correct about the eccentric being important and that you shouldn’t just let the weight fling down, but there isn’t more muscle to be built with them
Active mechanical tension is only experienced during the concentric, and that’s the type of mechanical tension that causes myofibrillogenesis aka the type of muscle growth that adds myofibrils in parallel. It’s the type of muscle growth that makes your glutes stick out more and arms thicker
During the eccentric you experience passive mechanical tension which causes sarcomerogenesis, it’s adding more sarcomeres in series. An example of sarcomerogenesis is when your hamstrings get longer and you can bend down further to touch your toes without rounding your back
To put this into terms that make more sense visually, imagine a tenderloin with muscle fibers running end to end. Sarcomerogenesis would make these fibers longer, myofibrillogenesis would make them wider
Paul Carter has tons of good episodes on Spotify about all these muscle physiology topics titled The HyPaultrophy Podcast, highly recommended
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You’re correct about the eccentric being important and that you shouldn’t just let the weight fling down, but there isn’t more muscle to be built with them
Active mechanical tension is only experienced during the concentric, and that’s the type of mechanical tension that causes myofibrillogenesis aka the type of muscle growth that adds myofibrils in parallel. It’s the type of muscle growth that makes your glutes stick out more and arms thicker
During the eccentric you experience passive mechanical tension which causes sarcomerogenesis, it’s adding more sarcomeres in series. An example of sarcomerogenesis is when your hamstrings get longer and you can bend down further to touch your toes without rounding your back
To put this into terms that make more sense visually, imagine a tenderloin with muscle fibers running end to end. Sarcomerogenesis would make these fibers longer, myofibrillogenesis would make them wider
Paul Carter has tons of good episodes on Spotify about all these muscle physiology topics titled The HyPaultrophy Podcast, highly recommended
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calebevans3690
Comment from a powerlifter. Everything you said is pretty dang solid especially for beginners. A couple thoughts though.
1st, squat technique is good, but imagine pushing through your mid foot, not the heel. As that's the center of balance. (Trust me, I'm in the high 400's, pushing 500 for my squat)
2nd, TRACK YOUR WORKOUTS! you don't have to be extremely detailed, but not tracking is how you make zero progress.
3rd, One thing I'd caution is relying too heavily on the science as it's extremely hard to isolate variables as individuals are different and respond to different stimulus (stimuli) differently. A lot of studies also use untrained people as test subjects, which is good for most people that are going to watch this video, but as they go from novice to intermediate training requirements start to change if you want to keep making progress. I understand not everyone who sees this is concerned about that but if a dozen people who watch this want to really get serious about lifting, they'll hit a wall eventually
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Comment from a powerlifter. Everything you said is pretty dang solid especially for beginners. A couple thoughts though.
1st, squat technique is good, but imagine pushing through your mid foot, not the heel. As that's the center of balance. (Trust me, I'm in the high 400's, pushing 500 for my squat)
2nd, TRACK YOUR WORKOUTS! you don't have to be extremely detailed, but not tracking is how you make zero progress.
3rd, One thing I'd caution is relying too heavily on the science as it's extremely hard to isolate variables as individuals are different and respond to different stimulus (stimuli) differently. A lot of studies also use untrained people as test subjects, which is good for most people that are going to watch this video, but as they go from novice to intermediate training requirements start to change if you want to keep making progress. I understand not everyone who sees this is concerned about that but if a dozen people who watch this want to really get serious about lifting, they'll hit a wall eventually
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wildhearses
I was frustrated after I gained 30-40lbs ( working and going to college. I started strength training just over a year ago. My weight has basically stayed the same, but since I put on a noticable amount of muscle I look a lot leaner, and when I look in the mirror I'm proud of myself because it's something I built. In the past losing weight would be mostly about the number on the scale, but now even if that's the same it's most likely because I'm gaining a bit of muscle. I still track my food but prioritize getting enough protein- fuel for my body, rather than just seeing x amount of calories as a fail. I started running, and love the mindset that I can get leaner by being athletic rather than essentially just wasting away. I've seen Adams journey with his body imagine and I'm glad he seems to also have discovered the bulky build can sometimes be a better relationship with your body than just trying to be skinny.
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I was frustrated after I gained 30-40lbs ( working and going to college. I started strength training just over a year ago. My weight has basically stayed the same, but since I put on a noticable amount of muscle I look a lot leaner, and when I look in the mirror I'm proud of myself because it's something I built. In the past losing weight would be mostly about the number on the scale, but now even if that's the same it's most likely because I'm gaining a bit of muscle. I still track my food but prioritize getting enough protein- fuel for my body, rather than just seeing x amount of calories as a fail. I started running, and love the mindset that I can get leaner by being athletic rather than essentially just wasting away. I've seen Adams journey with his body imagine and I'm glad he seems to also have discovered the bulky build can sometimes be a better relationship with your body than just trying to be skinny.
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joeyhext1957
Been lifting for 15 years and eating for way longer than that and watched the whole video because, Adam. Great video overall but one note as a physiotherapist- you include several dire warnings for people to keep their backs straight when lifting or risk injury. From my perspective, this is a nocebic message since there isn’t any high quality longitudinal data linking neutral spines to lower injury risk.
My guidance would be more towards self organisation- ie start light for the first little while and just play around with technique until you find how you move most comfortably for you as an individual, this applies to spine position but also foot foot placement, elbow flare etc. listen to the body and feel for the exercise signal and move in that direction. Generally if it’s safe to move that way it’ll feel comfortable and you can load it up.
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Been lifting for 15 years and eating for way longer than that and watched the whole video because, Adam. Great video overall but one note as a physiotherapist- you include several dire warnings for people to keep their backs straight when lifting or risk injury. From my perspective, this is a nocebic message since there isn’t any high quality longitudinal data linking neutral spines to lower injury risk.
My guidance would be more towards self organisation- ie start light for the first little while and just play around with technique until you find how you move most comfortably for you as an individual, this applies to spine position but also foot foot placement, elbow flare etc. listen to the body and feel for the exercise signal and move in that direction. Generally if it’s safe to move that way it’ll feel comfortable and you can load it up.
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Oswanov
Videos like this really demystify the whole working out thing. It's so incredibly easy to get overwhelmed with all the content that exists, the terminology, false promises etc. and as someone that is a bit of a big lad and that has been trying to get into calisthenics over the past few weeks, it takes a bit of time to sort through all the crap.
Do SOMETHING. Spend at least a LITTLE BIT OF TIME. You don't have to go for a 1h workout every other day. Is it the most efficient Probably. Is it a completely and utterly useless benchmark, if it keeps you from doing SOMETHING Absolutely.
Spend some time every week on the most important muscles (and maybe do some stretching, flexibility is cool and has all kinds of benefits yada yada) and you'll progress, feel stronger and feel better.
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Videos like this really demystify the whole working out thing. It's so incredibly easy to get overwhelmed with all the content that exists, the terminology, false promises etc. and as someone that is a bit of a big lad and that has been trying to get into calisthenics over the past few weeks, it takes a bit of time to sort through all the crap.
Do SOMETHING. Spend at least a LITTLE BIT OF TIME. You don't have to go for a 1h workout every other day. Is it the most efficient Probably. Is it a completely and utterly useless benchmark, if it keeps you from doing SOMETHING Absolutely.
Spend some time every week on the most important muscles (and maybe do some stretching, flexibility is cool and has all kinds of benefits yada yada) and you'll progress, feel stronger and feel better.
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loweffortname9444
22: 28 it's not just muscle growth. I feel like it should be explicitly mentioned that this WILL reduce your injury risk. If you don't train in the stretch, your tendons won't adapt to the stress, so if you fail your rep or for some other reason your muscles are stretched on load more than they are used to, you can definitely rip your tendons.
It's also important to mention that your tendons adapt slower than muscles. So if you haven't trained much in the stretched part of a movement, better go safe than sorry and slowly build up the weights.
Also, this does pose a higher risk for injuries on people using growth hormones etc. As they build muscles a lot faster than their tendons can adapt.
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22: 28 it's not just muscle growth. I feel like it should be explicitly mentioned that this WILL reduce your injury risk. If you don't train in the stretch, your tendons won't adapt to the stress, so if you fail your rep or for some other reason your muscles are stretched on load more than they are used to, you can definitely rip your tendons.
It's also important to mention that your tendons adapt slower than muscles. So if you haven't trained much in the stretched part of a movement, better go safe than sorry and slowly build up the weights.
Also, this does pose a higher risk for injuries on people using growth hormones etc. As they build muscles a lot faster than their tendons can adapt.
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eichen97
I personally don't like to work a muscle until fail, given that i work out 6 days a week and i still need to be a functional human being the rest of the day. and after almost 10 years of working out 2 hours a day, i can say that yes, you still get some cumulative gains, and you will also not hate your routine, which makes it easier to mantain through time. also lower weights many repetitions gives you more granularity over how much you want to push yourself that speciffic day; and if you really feel extra, you can always have a day with extra weight. AND REMEMBER: anything is still better than nothing at all, dont try to be more catholic than the Pope, unless is about avoiding injuries.
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I personally don't like to work a muscle until fail, given that i work out 6 days a week and i still need to be a functional human being the rest of the day. and after almost 10 years of working out 2 hours a day, i can say that yes, you still get some cumulative gains, and you will also not hate your routine, which makes it easier to mantain through time. also lower weights many repetitions gives you more granularity over how much you want to push yourself that speciffic day; and if you really feel extra, you can always have a day with extra weight. AND REMEMBER: anything is still better than nothing at all, dont try to be more catholic than the Pope, unless is about avoiding injuries.
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luckiest_lobster
I am not aware of much scientific evidence linking more than pretty moderate strength training to health outcomes. The studies I could find showed that measurable benefits already stopped around 2 hrs of training per week and no improvement in outcomes from the middle to highest third performance on specific strength metrics, so even the beginner recommendations of three full body sessions a week is probably past the point of diminishing returns. In contrast, there seem to be much clearer correlations with aerobic performance metrics like vO2 max and long term health, and studies indicate measurable improvements in outcomes up to 5ish hours per week of aerobic training.
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I am not aware of much scientific evidence linking more than pretty moderate strength training to health outcomes. The studies I could find showed that measurable benefits already stopped around 2 hrs of training per week and no improvement in outcomes from the middle to highest third performance on specific strength metrics, so even the beginner recommendations of three full body sessions a week is probably past the point of diminishing returns. In contrast, there seem to be much clearer correlations with aerobic performance metrics like vO2 max and long term health, and studies indicate measurable improvements in outcomes up to 5ish hours per week of aerobic training.
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davewalter
If you’re interested in working out but intimidated about that first trip to the gym, see if your local YMCA has eGYM equipment. I just started going, and it makes working out a lot easier and more fun. To get started, you put in your info, a staff member walks you through everything, and you get a wristband that logs you into each eGYM machine. It instantly adjusts for your size, and periodic strength tests make sure you’re lifting the right weight as you progress. Each machine has a screen that guides you through the reps, much like a video game. The Y’s app integrates with it too, so you can gamify and track your progress. Definitely recommend it after 3 months!
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If you’re interested in working out but intimidated about that first trip to the gym, see if your local YMCA has eGYM equipment. I just started going, and it makes working out a lot easier and more fun. To get started, you put in your info, a staff member walks you through everything, and you get a wristband that logs you into each eGYM machine. It instantly adjusts for your size, and periodic strength tests make sure you’re lifting the right weight as you progress. Each machine has a screen that guides you through the reps, much like a video game. The Y’s app integrates with it too, so you can gamify and track your progress. Definitely recommend it after 3 months!
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loweffortname9444
the first set is a feel set to lubricate the joints you should be doing warm up sets anyway as they reduce short-term and long-term injury risk while also improving your working load. Just do 2 sets with around 40-50% of your training weight 10 reps in reserve i. e. if you can do 100kg, try 50kg. If you can do 50kg with 22 rep, do 50kg for 10-12 reps as warm up.
You don't need to do that for every exercise. But you should be doing this if this is the first time you train a muscle. I. e. on pull day, do a warm up set for pulldowns (hits upper back and arms) and deadlifts/hyperextensions (lower back) and you are good to go: )
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the first set is a feel set to lubricate the joints you should be doing warm up sets anyway as they reduce short-term and long-term injury risk while also improving your working load. Just do 2 sets with around 40-50% of your training weight 10 reps in reserve i. e. if you can do 100kg, try 50kg. If you can do 50kg with 22 rep, do 50kg for 10-12 reps as warm up.
You don't need to do that for every exercise. But you should be doing this if this is the first time you train a muscle. I. e. on pull day, do a warm up set for pulldowns (hits upper back and arms) and deadlifts/hyperextensions (lower back) and you are good to go: )
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aragusea
Would you say flip flops or even velcro sandals would be a faux pau in the gym I've always assumed they would be, but I've never actually had a gym membership. I'm considering joining a 24 hour gym (great as an insomniac) and trying to find the motivation/routine path that will work best with my mental makeup (having a specific place to go, mainly) I absolutely hate shoes and having my feet covered in general, so being in sandals would help me be much more comfortable. Maybe I just wouldn't use any machine that involves placing your feet on it I'm not sure how other people feel about exposed feet at a gym.
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Would you say flip flops or even velcro sandals would be a faux pau in the gym I've always assumed they would be, but I've never actually had a gym membership. I'm considering joining a 24 hour gym (great as an insomniac) and trying to find the motivation/routine path that will work best with my mental makeup (having a specific place to go, mainly) I absolutely hate shoes and having my feet covered in general, so being in sandals would help me be much more comfortable. Maybe I just wouldn't use any machine that involves placing your feet on it I'm not sure how other people feel about exposed feet at a gym.
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commondegenerate
Great to see a video on casual lifting, there aren't enough of those to remind people that it isn't all that complicated. When I started working out, I got into it for health and mental health, but at some point watching too much fitness influencers made me a little obsessed with building muscle and optimisation, I feel like I was on my way to forever stop liking my body along with ruining my health. Nowadays I just do what I like and I never felt better. Find exercises that you like, learn about your body overtime, eat good food to fuel yourself, and just have fun with it
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Great to see a video on casual lifting, there aren't enough of those to remind people that it isn't all that complicated. When I started working out, I got into it for health and mental health, but at some point watching too much fitness influencers made me a little obsessed with building muscle and optimisation, I feel like I was on my way to forever stop liking my body along with ruining my health. Nowadays I just do what I like and I never felt better. Find exercises that you like, learn about your body overtime, eat good food to fuel yourself, and just have fun with it
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manspeej
Overhead presses definitely do work the side delts A LOT, especially if your elbows are wide and flared out like you’re doing
That joint action you’re doing is called shoulder abduction which is the same function as doing lateral raises. I fell into the propaganda of people saying chest presses work the front delts so you only need to lateral raise and that held back both my side and front deltoids a lot, overhead presses have a lot more room to progressively overload compared to ONLY lateral raises. An overhead press should be a staple for everyone who can do them
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Overhead presses definitely do work the side delts A LOT, especially if your elbows are wide and flared out like you’re doing
That joint action you’re doing is called shoulder abduction which is the same function as doing lateral raises. I fell into the propaganda of people saying chest presses work the front delts so you only need to lateral raise and that held back both my side and front deltoids a lot, overhead presses have a lot more room to progressively overload compared to ONLY lateral raises. An overhead press should be a staple for everyone who can do them
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Thorusofer
I actually have an alternate exercise for those who can't do pull-ups yet, do pull-up negatives.
Basically you set a chair up so you can stand up fully, and then get into position on the bar like you just pulled yourself up. Only with this, youre just slowly lowering yourself down. Ive been able to better feel which muscles are being hit by doing this, and figure out how to hit and use the right muscles to do it properly, and theyre fairly easy to do. Exhausting still, but easier than a full pull-up when you can't even do one yet.
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I actually have an alternate exercise for those who can't do pull-ups yet, do pull-up negatives.
Basically you set a chair up so you can stand up fully, and then get into position on the bar like you just pulled yourself up. Only with this, youre just slowly lowering yourself down. Ive been able to better feel which muscles are being hit by doing this, and figure out how to hit and use the right muscles to do it properly, and theyre fairly easy to do. Exhausting still, but easier than a full pull-up when you can't even do one yet.
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shreeramhegde
loved the video Adam. as someone who started lifting only an year ago only thing I can suggest to new people interested in lifting is, consistency is the key. you will see big improvements in the first months of lifting all around your life and health but after that big changes will taper off and u don't see such big improvements day to day but don't loose interest. even if you don't see the results right away u will see it when you look back. changes will slowly add up to a big difference and quality of life and health
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loved the video Adam. as someone who started lifting only an year ago only thing I can suggest to new people interested in lifting is, consistency is the key. you will see big improvements in the first months of lifting all around your life and health but after that big changes will taper off and u don't see such big improvements day to day but don't loose interest. even if you don't see the results right away u will see it when you look back. changes will slowly add up to a big difference and quality of life and health
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jason_farns
I am an active person, I like to do activities outdoors in the wilderness (mountain biking, mostly) and have been hearing that I should add in some strength training especially as I am getting older. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this video (I love all of your cooking stuff) because I'm not really a gym person but you once again have boiled things down and provided realistic optimism that makes me feel more enthusiastic about just diving in and starting some basic strength training. Thank you for making this!
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I am an active person, I like to do activities outdoors in the wilderness (mountain biking, mostly) and have been hearing that I should add in some strength training especially as I am getting older. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this video (I love all of your cooking stuff) because I'm not really a gym person but you once again have boiled things down and provided realistic optimism that makes me feel more enthusiastic about just diving in and starting some basic strength training. Thank you for making this!
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tommyddurand
Been lifting for 26 years and i enjoyed watching the entire video. A lot of bad advice out there and a lot of confusion for new lifters. This video is helpful. Adam I think one of the most impressive things is how basic you've kept your gym equipment even though you lift frequently and have the means. Kind of cool. Though I'd definitely suggest a set of nuobells. Man my favorite gym purchase by far. I love them and i recommend them to everyone.
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Been lifting for 26 years and i enjoyed watching the entire video. A lot of bad advice out there and a lot of confusion for new lifters. This video is helpful. Adam I think one of the most impressive things is how basic you've kept your gym equipment even though you lift frequently and have the means. Kind of cool. Though I'd definitely suggest a set of nuobells. Man my favorite gym purchase by far. I love them and i recommend them to everyone.
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aaronbreault
On your first day (back or ever) I would advise to only do 1 set, even if you feel like you can do more. The muscle soreness you get from weight training can be like, orders of magnitude worse if you annihilate your muscles while they are in a completely untrained state.
I would imagine some folks would be just fine without precaution on the first day but once I did a monster pec workout after months off and my man-boobs were sore for a week.
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On your first day (back or ever) I would advise to only do 1 set, even if you feel like you can do more. The muscle soreness you get from weight training can be like, orders of magnitude worse if you annihilate your muscles while they are in a completely untrained state.
I would imagine some folks would be just fine without precaution on the first day but once I did a monster pec workout after months off and my man-boobs were sore for a week.
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