Help me learn how to get buff

December 2, 2006 12:25 PM

Can anyone here recommend a good book(s) or websites about weight training. There's

I've recently hit a roadblock in my weight loss. I'm still eating healthy, but seem to have hit a plateau. So, I decided to do some weight training to break on through to the other side.

The problem is that I really have no clue as to how I should structure my workout, what exercises I can do for the various muscle groups, etc.

I'm not really in the financial position to hire a personal trainer or schedule one through my gym.

So, MeFites, can you help me get on the path to being buff?

Thanks to all who can help.

posted by reenum to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

This has been asked here a lot.

As a beginner who wanted an easy intro, I learned a lot from "Weight Training for Dummies," which I got for free at the local library. The book walks you through the muscle groups, the tools used to exercise them, and how to put together a weight-training schedule for yourself.

A lot of people also like the information on stumptuous.com.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 1:22 PM on December 2, 2006

I'm going to suggest my website and ebook Zero to Superhero.com, although self-linking aggrandizement of this sort will likely get me beat up in a back alley somewhere.
posted by dropkick at 1:42 PM on December 2, 2006

Stumptuous (whether you're a woman or not).
posted by jamesonandwater at 1:46 PM on December 2, 2006

Best answer: www.exrx.net

Sound, solid advice. Oh, and as others have mentioned Stumptuous.com
posted by fox_terrier_guy at 2:00 PM on December 2, 2006

Best answer: John Stone Fitness has some of the best fitness forums I've ever seen, great for newbies and experienced lifters alike. There are some incredibly helpful people there.
posted by synecdoche at 3:13 PM on December 2, 2006

Best answer: I swear by the Abs Diet - great nutritional info, plus the last 50 pages or so are a great whole-body workout you can do either at the gym or at home with dumbbells.

Seconding John Stone Fitness, although the color scheme puts me off greatly.
posted by jbickers at 3:54 PM on December 2, 2006

One of the best I've found is Tom Venuto's his e-book has lots of practical information that you can put to work on your own.

I also like Anthony Ellis' site and newsletter.
posted by GoshND at 4:16 PM on December 2, 2006

T-Nation.com will take you a long way.

_{Someone here's gonna suggest the damn "Hacker's diet", which is a great example of someone finding out something that's old news to a lot of people but new to them and thinking they're the first person to "discover" it. I'm just getting in my grumpiness preemptively, in case I don't check back.}
posted by Mr. Gunn at 6:25 PM on December 2, 2006