New to this... A few possibly stupid questions.

[anar]

So. I decided I was sick of being fat and wanted to do something about it. I got tired of hiding myself under clothes that concealed the spare tire I had, and decided that I wanted to put on some size as well as lose a little fat just so I won't feel so self conscious in public. Today, I went to the gym with my sort-of brother (long story, don't care to explain right now) for the first time in my life so he could help me figure this stuff out. Anyways, he had me do my arms today. Getting to the point, I was wondering how long did it take for you guys to get used to the jelly like feeling in your arms, or other muscles for that matter, after workouts, if you really get used to it at all. Also, how long does it take to work yourself up to where it starts feeling "good"? I know this is all relative to the person, so I am not expecting the same results you guys had, but I am just looking to get some ballpark to this. Also: sorry in advance for being such a noob.

[Gene]

Getting started is the hardest part.

Going the first time is hard but going the 2nd and 3rd time is harder each time.

If you're really out of tone (weak and flabby) you might seem to do OK the first day but if even if you didn't over do it you will hurt the day after and hurt worse the day after that.

That's the pattern, it always hurts worse the 2nd day after. The reason is that you've caused your body into a metabolic mode that it's not used to. You've broken down muscle cells and probably have not sweat enough doing it to get your blood flowing enough to flush out the lactic acid and cell debris. That stuff causes the pain. It takes a couple of days to get flushed out. Usually by the third day the worst of the pain is gone and you're not moaning anymore.

When first starting out I don't recommend working out hard more than twice a week for the first two weeks.

OK, so say three days after your first workout you get up enough courage to go back to the gym. You're not going to want to because you remember the pain it caused you the last time. See, I told you it would be harder. But do it! You've got to get over the initial break-in period. Go to the gym religiously at least twice a week (and no more than three times a week) for the first two or three weeks.

By the end of the first month going two or three times a week, you should have gotten over the crippling pain between sessions.

The point is, the first month is by far the hardest. If you quit even for a couple of weeks then you have to start all over again to get over startup pain.

After the first month you should stick to a three times a week schedule working the whole body each time you go.

If you keep a good workout schedule and work smartly and diligently you should be starting to feel tired after a workout but pleasantly aware of your muscles in the days between workouts. You'll be wanting to flex and stretch them in random moments sitting at your desk or in the shower. It feels good.

After 6 months you can probably start a four times a week schedule working only half the body each time you go. This allows you to work the entire body very hard twice a week. Point being that you need to let each body part rest for two or three days before working it hard again.

[anar]

I'm glad I read this before I decided to go back today. Quite honestly, even though I hurt, I'm so motivated to go that I wanted to go back today. I figured I shouldn't work the same parts I did yesterday (Chest and arms), but I was going to move on to my legs, which I hear is a bitch to recover from your first time. I want this so bad that I am willing to work through the pain. I don't know if this is a good or bad mentality, but i am to the point that I want change so bad that I am willing to go as far as I need to get there.

[Gene]

As long as you give your muscles time (2-3 days) to flush out the cell debris and lactic acid and to regrow new/bigger muscle cells you can structure your workout sessions relatively flexibly. You don't want to break down cells without giving time to rebuild them. It's counter productive!

Usually when you're starting out you only do 1 or 2 sets of each exercise to avoid over stressing. Later (after a month or so) you can advance to three or four sets (I don't recommend more).

There are big muscle groups (legs, chest back) and small muscle groups (arms, shoulders, neck, abs) Working the big groups takes a lot of energy and drains you quickly. At the beginning you can usually do one or two sets of all muscle groups during a single workout. However, as you get more intense (3 or 4 sets) you'll probably want to split your full body workout over two or more days so that you can give an intense workout to only one or two big muscle groups each day. Of course there are lots of variations but you need to think about this. After the break-in month, establish a thoughtful routine and stick with it for long enough to be effective (at least 6-8 weeks) before you shift your routine again.

When doing more than one set of an exercise you don't necessarily want to do the most weight on the first set. Either find a weight that you can keep control of for ALL the sets or make your 1st set about 80% of the weight you use on the 2nd set and really bust your balls on that 2nd set. Keeping in mind the phrase "STAY IN CONTROL OF THE WEIGHTS" Getting sloppy moving around a lot of weight is a forumula for injury. Go up slow. Go down slower. Controlling the weight in both directions develops your feel for your real strength. A lighter first set lets you really concentrate on form and it gets the blood moving in your muscle.

Rest and stretch your muscle between sets for one minute. This lets your blood flush some of the debris and lactic acid you just created. And it lets your muscle cool down a little. Overly hot muscles loose strength. Warm is good hot is bad.