OttoHart
Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2024
- Messages
- 372
I have five years of experience in weight training, three years of experience in professional powerlifting (nothing huge, I'm not famous, but I do have a couple podium finishes in National competitions for my category), and have helped train friends.
This is a comprehensive guide to getting into weight lifting, viewed through a Spiritual Satanic lens. This post will be quite long, as it's been a while in the making, so if you're not interested in reading the entire thing (I don't blame you) , scroll through the post and look for keywords in bold to search for things you want to know about. (Or just use the search function)
0. Before you enter the gym - preliminary information and disclaimers
Let's dispel some common lies first.
The current state of weight lifting is pure bullshit. I personally don't like the concept of bodybuilding, and I especially dislike the casual gym goer who trains like a wannabe bodybuilder. Bodybuilding, or the act of lifting weights for the goal of maximizing muscle gain more than is reasonable and ignoring everything else, is inherently unhealthy, and, ironically, bad even for muscle gain! Surprise surprise, the methods used by professional bodybuilders with 1 in a million genetics injecting the testosterone of 20 people into their ass don't work on you, the average Joe! Those people are getting paid to ruin their bodies for others' entertainment. You are doing it for free, and failing.
The goal of weight training is strength. Strength, when increased, grows muscle and will create beautiful, natural looking aesthetics.
So let's get our goals clear. Stepping foot in the gym for weight training, your goals should be to get stronger at natural movements and uniformly training your body for functional strength and development. You want healthier joints, a better ability to stretch, better control of your own bodyweight, and the strength that your body is naturally supposed to have. You also want to push your limits in a healthy way, train the nervous system, and keep your muscles active and developing, while trying not to fry or break a bone in the process.
When you enter your average commercial gym, you have to understand that about 90% or more of what is found in that gym is entirely useless for you, especially if you are new. Weight machines are a big culprit of this. The body is not designed to push weight in a predefined line that a machine offers. A huge part of the development of your body is using your stabilizer muscles to... well, stabilize weight. This will make sure you don't overwork your joints, don't put your bones in danger, and develop the right kind of strength that will protect you from injury. Think of using a machine as, say, only ever meditating on one half of a Chakra. You would never do that, that's stupid. And additionally, not using machines will just feel more fun and intuitive, especially after you get the hang of it, as that's what your body was designed to do.
Supplements: you don't need them. You likely don't have the knowledge to pick the right ones, and you are going from not lifting, to lifting. This is already enough to stimulate growth, no need to put random substances in your body for that sweet sweet extra 5% growth, when you haven't focused on the 95% yet.
Accessories: Don't buy them. If you are getting good at your lifts, you might eventually need a belt. If you are getting really good at deadlifting, you might need chalk. THAT'S IT. Gloves, shoulder pads, grip straps, and whatever new gym toy came out yesterday that I haven't heard of are either crutches for problems that will fix themselves in a week, or literally just a cash grab.
You want shoes that have a very thin sole, like Converse or Vans, or something similar (if you have the money to spare, lifting shoes aren't a bad idea). DO NOT PRACTICE WEIGHT LIFTING IN RUNNING SHOES. I've seen this before, people for some reason think those shoes are made for any kind of "working out", and it will lead to injury in the long run, or best case scenario, ruin the shoe.
Here are your three tasks to keep in mind as you are starting lifting:
- drink more water than you usually do, maybe adding in some electrolytes for extra hydration (if you don't want to buy the Sugar water marketed as sports drinks, or expensive electrolyte supplements, just add half a teaspoon of salt to your water bottle you take to the gym. It will hydrate you more, and you won't notice the taste if you are bringing a 1L bottle).
- add one portion of food that is rich in protein to your daily diet. Yes, literally just that. Gym bros act like you need 500 grams of protein a day the second you touch a barbell, but that is bullshit. In fact, switching your diet to a very high protein diet cold turkey will lead to you feeling like shit. Initially, literally all you have to do is eat as you normally would, and add one more portion (say, 30% of the calories you eat in a meal, or as a snack) of something rich in protein, like Tuna, chicken, and so on. Don't overcomplicate things.
- lift
...but Otto, what do we lift?
1. Studying, and making a program
If this is your first time going to a public gym, don't even worry about what you are doing . Just go in, and have fun. Walk around, check out the place, watch a couple videos on exercises you can do and attempt them, with low weight (the first rep should feel way too easy, the 10th rep should feel like you are feeling "something", I'd say 10 is a good amount of reps to stay safe as a beginner before you design a program). You have a week to do just that, show up to the gym for however many days you wish to (or can) workout per week (this guide has ideas for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days a week).
I would give you a week of doing this to accommodate, but if you're not an anxious person, you could start off on a program on Day 2, provided you gained some knowledge.
You should also take time during this period to study about the gym, and learn a thing or two, so you can design a program for yourself, or know that one you found is good.
A beginner program is complete bunk if 80% or more of your volume isn't in the Squat, Bench press, Deadlift and Row with a barbell. (dumbbells can be substituted where you have issues with flexibility and can't perform the movements, until this fixes itself)
This is the bread and butter of weightlifting. These four movements train the entire body evenly and teach you how to handle weight in the real world. These aren't the only good exercises, but they are the only thing you should focus on for literally months. You will see this.
Here are some good sources to study in order to get started on the right foot. These people and their works I highly trust, but there's obviously more out there. I'm sure that if you're passionate enough, these three sources will open the rabbit hole for you, and teach you about how to recognize complete idiots. I have no connection to these people, I praise them here purely for the value they provide.
Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe - The book by this name, specifically the third edition, is nothing short of the lifter's Holy Book. This man studied his ass off, worked his ass off, and created a no bullshit approach to lifting, going back to the basics of the human body, and avoiding New Age crap. The book is a very light read, despite being kinda long, as it has a lot of personality. Honestly, it could be the only book you'll read on lifting and you'll be relatively fine. Free PDFs should be online at this point.
Alan Thrall of Untamed Gym - A YouTube content creator that is multifaceted as far as exercise. He's done it all when it comes to weight lifting, owns a gym, coaches people, and has been making great progress with running. If you're looking for a damn near endless source of useful content, watch him.
Alexander Bromley - Content creator and coaching business owner. Very well read guy, perfect if you're a nerd like me and want to do a deep dive into the minutia of lifting, and there for when you get to a higher level. Some good info for beginners, a lot of good info for when you are more advanced and want to improve on the technical things.
So how do we build a program?
Here's what I can tell you:
- include the barbell squat, flat barbell bench press, barbell deadlift and barbell back row in your routine, preferably focusing on one each day, for four training days. If you only have 3 days to do things, you can do barbell bench and back rows on the same day, as they target antagonist (opposite) muscles and you won't experience the fatigue of one ruining the other. In fact, a lot of people have reported they perform better in the bench if they do rows first. If a day like that is making you too sore, combine the deadlift day and the row day, to mostly keep the soreness in your back, and not in two major areas. If you only have two days, work the upper body on one and squats on the other. If just one, obviously do all exercises in one day, you just won't be able to push as hard.
- if you can afford a 5th day in the gym, take that day to do calf raises (you are free to use a machine here), standing dumbbell presses (the shoulders can receive a lot of volume without burning out), and your usual stretches and light cardio. This might feel like a day of playing around in the gym, but it will benefit you mentally a lot, as your brain won't be as anxious about going to the gym when you have training days that aren't taxing.
- any rep range between 5 and 30 can be effective, but I've found 8 is the magic number here.
- don't worry about weight when you start, go very light, and add a little each day. Even if you might have the strength to, say, deadlift 200lbs on day one, you do not have the technique to do so, and while it might be safe for you to deadlift 200lbs in perfect form, it won't be safe for you to do it when you're shaking and can't stabilize your motion.
- perfect practice makes perfect. Don't stress about your lifting form to the point where the anxiety of "doing it wrong" prevents you from giving it a good effort, but also don't go into things with zero knowledge of how to do anything, as your instincts likely aren't trained for moving weight effectively (unless you have a history of manual labor, in which case you might find some movements more intuitive). Starting Strength is a perfect book to answer many of your questions about this.
- There is no magic number of sets. Once you get into a groove, you will get a better understanding of how your body feels, and when that happens, a good general rule is to stop when you are doing 2 less reps per set than the amount you started with. If you find yourself doing endless sets and the number of reps you're performing with the same perceived effort stays the same, up the weight. If you are losing a whole rep on your second set, lower the weight. If you have no feel for this yet, 4 sets of 8 is fine.
- if you are starting correctly, you will leave the gym with a feeling you could've done way more, unless you were VERY sedentary before starting out. This is a good thing. Yes, your day will literally consist of dynamic stretching, 4 sets of 8 reps, static stretching, and going home. No, this is not too little. No, don't up the volume. This will help you grease the groove.
Here's what I can't tell you:
- the exact amount of weight you should be using. Experiment. Start with just the bar (you can't really do that for the deadlift, but you likely won't need to) and add 10lbs until you feel like the 8th rep is relatively hard.
- the amount of weight you should add every session. If you are just starting out, you should be adding weight every session for a while, though, if you started correctly (low).
- how fast your progress is and when it will be visible, or felt. Just like with meditation, each person has their own rate of progress.
- when this basic program will stop giving you results, and what to add afterwards. There are methods to transition your program written in Starting Strength, and by the time this method isn't giving you progress (you aren't adding weight every session), you will hopefully have a good grip on which exercises are good for you simply based on how they feel. For the most part, still avoid machines.
2. How your spiritual development can help with lifting weights
Void Meditation - a skill you will have to learn over time when lifting is pushing through the feeling of wanting to stop, to reach technical failure. This is when you can not perform another rep in correct form. You will most likely first experience this blockade when you add weight to the bar one day, and the difficulty of the lift is harder. For a good while, maybe 5-10 sessions, you will add weight every new session and the effort will feel the same. When you encounter this blockade, it's time to start pushing. Focus and mindfulness help here.
Banish all thoughts when you touch the barbell. Enter a meditative state once you have officially started the set. It's just you, the bar, and gravity, the rest of existence has disappeared. Focus on the correct movement of the bar, and act like that's literally all you can do. You couldn't move the bar suboptimally if you tried. Flow with the motion, and stop once you can not perform another rep in perfect form. No, not when you feel like you want to stop, no, not when it starts causing discomfort, when another rep can not be performed. Not all your sets should be to failure, but you should include one set to failure (somewhere in the middle of your sets) after a while.
Cleaning - clean your aura and chakras before going to the gym. Obviously. The last thing you want is energy blockages.
Foundation Meditation - I found that foundation meditation during stretching before an exercise is very beneficial in making sure your energy circulation is optimal before the lifts.
Programming your Aura - There are many ways to do this, and if you are more experienced I don't see why you wouldn't use Runes if you have that knowledge and practice. But I choose something simpler instead, since I'd rather put my energy into more pressing matters. Before going into the gym, I breathe in energy, breathe it out into my aura, and affirm:
"I am performing today's exercises in the most efficient way for my body, improving my strength and coordination in a way that benefits me, permanently.", 5 times. Then, focusing on your aura in your mind before a set can be useful.
If you have any additional questions about lifting that I didn't get to in this massive post, I'll be answering any questions.
This is a comprehensive guide to getting into weight lifting, viewed through a Spiritual Satanic lens. This post will be quite long, as it's been a while in the making, so if you're not interested in reading the entire thing (I don't blame you) , scroll through the post and look for keywords in bold to search for things you want to know about. (Or just use the search function)
0. Before you enter the gym - preliminary information and disclaimers
Let's dispel some common lies first.
The current state of weight lifting is pure bullshit. I personally don't like the concept of bodybuilding, and I especially dislike the casual gym goer who trains like a wannabe bodybuilder. Bodybuilding, or the act of lifting weights for the goal of maximizing muscle gain more than is reasonable and ignoring everything else, is inherently unhealthy, and, ironically, bad even for muscle gain! Surprise surprise, the methods used by professional bodybuilders with 1 in a million genetics injecting the testosterone of 20 people into their ass don't work on you, the average Joe! Those people are getting paid to ruin their bodies for others' entertainment. You are doing it for free, and failing.
The goal of weight training is strength. Strength, when increased, grows muscle and will create beautiful, natural looking aesthetics.
So let's get our goals clear. Stepping foot in the gym for weight training, your goals should be to get stronger at natural movements and uniformly training your body for functional strength and development. You want healthier joints, a better ability to stretch, better control of your own bodyweight, and the strength that your body is naturally supposed to have. You also want to push your limits in a healthy way, train the nervous system, and keep your muscles active and developing, while trying not to fry or break a bone in the process.
When you enter your average commercial gym, you have to understand that about 90% or more of what is found in that gym is entirely useless for you, especially if you are new. Weight machines are a big culprit of this. The body is not designed to push weight in a predefined line that a machine offers. A huge part of the development of your body is using your stabilizer muscles to... well, stabilize weight. This will make sure you don't overwork your joints, don't put your bones in danger, and develop the right kind of strength that will protect you from injury. Think of using a machine as, say, only ever meditating on one half of a Chakra. You would never do that, that's stupid. And additionally, not using machines will just feel more fun and intuitive, especially after you get the hang of it, as that's what your body was designed to do.
Supplements: you don't need them. You likely don't have the knowledge to pick the right ones, and you are going from not lifting, to lifting. This is already enough to stimulate growth, no need to put random substances in your body for that sweet sweet extra 5% growth, when you haven't focused on the 95% yet.
Accessories: Don't buy them. If you are getting good at your lifts, you might eventually need a belt. If you are getting really good at deadlifting, you might need chalk. THAT'S IT. Gloves, shoulder pads, grip straps, and whatever new gym toy came out yesterday that I haven't heard of are either crutches for problems that will fix themselves in a week, or literally just a cash grab.
You want shoes that have a very thin sole, like Converse or Vans, or something similar (if you have the money to spare, lifting shoes aren't a bad idea). DO NOT PRACTICE WEIGHT LIFTING IN RUNNING SHOES. I've seen this before, people for some reason think those shoes are made for any kind of "working out", and it will lead to injury in the long run, or best case scenario, ruin the shoe.
Here are your three tasks to keep in mind as you are starting lifting:
- drink more water than you usually do, maybe adding in some electrolytes for extra hydration (if you don't want to buy the Sugar water marketed as sports drinks, or expensive electrolyte supplements, just add half a teaspoon of salt to your water bottle you take to the gym. It will hydrate you more, and you won't notice the taste if you are bringing a 1L bottle).
- add one portion of food that is rich in protein to your daily diet. Yes, literally just that. Gym bros act like you need 500 grams of protein a day the second you touch a barbell, but that is bullshit. In fact, switching your diet to a very high protein diet cold turkey will lead to you feeling like shit. Initially, literally all you have to do is eat as you normally would, and add one more portion (say, 30% of the calories you eat in a meal, or as a snack) of something rich in protein, like Tuna, chicken, and so on. Don't overcomplicate things.
- lift
...but Otto, what do we lift?
1. Studying, and making a program
If this is your first time going to a public gym, don't even worry about what you are doing . Just go in, and have fun. Walk around, check out the place, watch a couple videos on exercises you can do and attempt them, with low weight (the first rep should feel way too easy, the 10th rep should feel like you are feeling "something", I'd say 10 is a good amount of reps to stay safe as a beginner before you design a program). You have a week to do just that, show up to the gym for however many days you wish to (or can) workout per week (this guide has ideas for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days a week).
I would give you a week of doing this to accommodate, but if you're not an anxious person, you could start off on a program on Day 2, provided you gained some knowledge.
You should also take time during this period to study about the gym, and learn a thing or two, so you can design a program for yourself, or know that one you found is good.
A beginner program is complete bunk if 80% or more of your volume isn't in the Squat, Bench press, Deadlift and Row with a barbell. (dumbbells can be substituted where you have issues with flexibility and can't perform the movements, until this fixes itself)
This is the bread and butter of weightlifting. These four movements train the entire body evenly and teach you how to handle weight in the real world. These aren't the only good exercises, but they are the only thing you should focus on for literally months. You will see this.
Here are some good sources to study in order to get started on the right foot. These people and their works I highly trust, but there's obviously more out there. I'm sure that if you're passionate enough, these three sources will open the rabbit hole for you, and teach you about how to recognize complete idiots. I have no connection to these people, I praise them here purely for the value they provide.
Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe - The book by this name, specifically the third edition, is nothing short of the lifter's Holy Book. This man studied his ass off, worked his ass off, and created a no bullshit approach to lifting, going back to the basics of the human body, and avoiding New Age crap. The book is a very light read, despite being kinda long, as it has a lot of personality. Honestly, it could be the only book you'll read on lifting and you'll be relatively fine. Free PDFs should be online at this point.
Alan Thrall of Untamed Gym - A YouTube content creator that is multifaceted as far as exercise. He's done it all when it comes to weight lifting, owns a gym, coaches people, and has been making great progress with running. If you're looking for a damn near endless source of useful content, watch him.
Alexander Bromley - Content creator and coaching business owner. Very well read guy, perfect if you're a nerd like me and want to do a deep dive into the minutia of lifting, and there for when you get to a higher level. Some good info for beginners, a lot of good info for when you are more advanced and want to improve on the technical things.
So how do we build a program?
Here's what I can tell you:
- include the barbell squat, flat barbell bench press, barbell deadlift and barbell back row in your routine, preferably focusing on one each day, for four training days. If you only have 3 days to do things, you can do barbell bench and back rows on the same day, as they target antagonist (opposite) muscles and you won't experience the fatigue of one ruining the other. In fact, a lot of people have reported they perform better in the bench if they do rows first. If a day like that is making you too sore, combine the deadlift day and the row day, to mostly keep the soreness in your back, and not in two major areas. If you only have two days, work the upper body on one and squats on the other. If just one, obviously do all exercises in one day, you just won't be able to push as hard.
- if you can afford a 5th day in the gym, take that day to do calf raises (you are free to use a machine here), standing dumbbell presses (the shoulders can receive a lot of volume without burning out), and your usual stretches and light cardio. This might feel like a day of playing around in the gym, but it will benefit you mentally a lot, as your brain won't be as anxious about going to the gym when you have training days that aren't taxing.
- any rep range between 5 and 30 can be effective, but I've found 8 is the magic number here.
- don't worry about weight when you start, go very light, and add a little each day. Even if you might have the strength to, say, deadlift 200lbs on day one, you do not have the technique to do so, and while it might be safe for you to deadlift 200lbs in perfect form, it won't be safe for you to do it when you're shaking and can't stabilize your motion.
- perfect practice makes perfect. Don't stress about your lifting form to the point where the anxiety of "doing it wrong" prevents you from giving it a good effort, but also don't go into things with zero knowledge of how to do anything, as your instincts likely aren't trained for moving weight effectively (unless you have a history of manual labor, in which case you might find some movements more intuitive). Starting Strength is a perfect book to answer many of your questions about this.
- There is no magic number of sets. Once you get into a groove, you will get a better understanding of how your body feels, and when that happens, a good general rule is to stop when you are doing 2 less reps per set than the amount you started with. If you find yourself doing endless sets and the number of reps you're performing with the same perceived effort stays the same, up the weight. If you are losing a whole rep on your second set, lower the weight. If you have no feel for this yet, 4 sets of 8 is fine.
- if you are starting correctly, you will leave the gym with a feeling you could've done way more, unless you were VERY sedentary before starting out. This is a good thing. Yes, your day will literally consist of dynamic stretching, 4 sets of 8 reps, static stretching, and going home. No, this is not too little. No, don't up the volume. This will help you grease the groove.
Here's what I can't tell you:
- the exact amount of weight you should be using. Experiment. Start with just the bar (you can't really do that for the deadlift, but you likely won't need to) and add 10lbs until you feel like the 8th rep is relatively hard.
- the amount of weight you should add every session. If you are just starting out, you should be adding weight every session for a while, though, if you started correctly (low).
- how fast your progress is and when it will be visible, or felt. Just like with meditation, each person has their own rate of progress.
- when this basic program will stop giving you results, and what to add afterwards. There are methods to transition your program written in Starting Strength, and by the time this method isn't giving you progress (you aren't adding weight every session), you will hopefully have a good grip on which exercises are good for you simply based on how they feel. For the most part, still avoid machines.
2. How your spiritual development can help with lifting weights
Void Meditation - a skill you will have to learn over time when lifting is pushing through the feeling of wanting to stop, to reach technical failure. This is when you can not perform another rep in correct form. You will most likely first experience this blockade when you add weight to the bar one day, and the difficulty of the lift is harder. For a good while, maybe 5-10 sessions, you will add weight every new session and the effort will feel the same. When you encounter this blockade, it's time to start pushing. Focus and mindfulness help here.
Banish all thoughts when you touch the barbell. Enter a meditative state once you have officially started the set. It's just you, the bar, and gravity, the rest of existence has disappeared. Focus on the correct movement of the bar, and act like that's literally all you can do. You couldn't move the bar suboptimally if you tried. Flow with the motion, and stop once you can not perform another rep in perfect form. No, not when you feel like you want to stop, no, not when it starts causing discomfort, when another rep can not be performed. Not all your sets should be to failure, but you should include one set to failure (somewhere in the middle of your sets) after a while.
Cleaning - clean your aura and chakras before going to the gym. Obviously. The last thing you want is energy blockages.
Foundation Meditation - I found that foundation meditation during stretching before an exercise is very beneficial in making sure your energy circulation is optimal before the lifts.
Programming your Aura - There are many ways to do this, and if you are more experienced I don't see why you wouldn't use Runes if you have that knowledge and practice. But I choose something simpler instead, since I'd rather put my energy into more pressing matters. Before going into the gym, I breathe in energy, breathe it out into my aura, and affirm:
"I am performing today's exercises in the most efficient way for my body, improving my strength and coordination in a way that benefits me, permanently.", 5 times. Then, focusing on your aura in your mind before a set can be useful.
If you have any additional questions about lifting that I didn't get to in this massive post, I'll be answering any questions.
