As it has been mentioned, persistence is essential. You will definitely want to consider a diet plan - in building a healthy frame, one must use their caloric intake wisely (i.e. not wasting the appetite on calories yielding very little health returns). Cake, candies, soda, etc. are high in calories, but of no use in supplying the body the nutrients it needs to repair and grow muscle tissue.
Individuals starting out (or getting back into a regimen) will always notice strength gains before any sort of mass gain. This is for two reasons:
1) The neuroreceptors (basically, the means by which brain commands activate muscle tissue) will increase in their ability to contract the muscle fully and efficiently - much the same principle as muscle memory when playing a musical instrument.
2) Muscle tissues are very resilient, that is, their capacity to do work is not entirely mandated by obvious size. In other words, your muscles are strong tissues and can perform surprising amounts of work before they must adapt to a workload by growing larger. Higher endurance under stress comes before mass gain in this case.
In view of that, you will also be limited by something more critical than muscles: joints and ligaments/tendons. Remember growing pains as a sprouting teenager? Your muscles can grow stronger faster than your bones and tendons can adjust, so while you notice you can lift more weight, don't become over-ambitious and take advantage - you just might put yourself out of commission for a few weeks with tendinitis or joint pain. Listen to your body. One of the biggest mistakes people do in gyms is compare themselves to others. This is bad because, while the other fellow's physique might be amazing, think of how much time he's spent working out compared to yourself - it could be twice or three times as long (or the result of some substance). By keeping things reasonable, and gauging progress only against yourself, will you reduce the risk of overdoing things and hurting your body or motivation.
Once you are ready to commit to this, take a picture of yourself and use it as a guide to chart progress. For cardio, keep logs of distance and time or intensity and time, depending on the method, when you can. For weights, log weight and reps starting out (or use a workout plan in the link I'll post below), and compare your efforts a few months down the road. Above all: Be reasonable with yourself! Set
reasonable goals! The logic behind a goal is to meet it, and set another -
not to break yourself in the process! Formulate a workout plan and a diet plan, and keep at it for a few months - then take another picture and see where you have gained. You'll be surprised at the results, and eventually you will see when you need to step up the intensity in some areas, when to hold steady in others, and when to mix things up. It's a way of life, not a hobby. The personal satisfaction reaped from working out properly and for good health is truly the most rewarding aspect of it all.
The link below is an excellent resource for workout plans ranging from beginner to advanced, dietary plans, and most everything in between. The techniques and tips in this site have helped me considerably. Best of all, there are
no memberships and
no cost - no, really! It's all there to help you succeed in your fitness goals.
www.scoobysworkshop.com
