So I'm shopping for a gym membership - help, what am I looking for?
In my totally biased opinion: a good free weights area. Bonus points for interesting weights like kettlebells, and some machines (like assisted pull-up machines) can be nice, but a decent free weights area is the key thing.
so even though I intellectually know I need a sort of limited program to stick with, my instinct is DO ALL THE EXERCISES and I don't think that's right.
You are wise to think that's not right!
On the whole, if you want functional strength, it helps to pick a few compound exercises (that work large muscle groups at once) rather than lots and lots of isolation exercises that try to work each muscle individually.
Stumptuous has some good simple programs, and I know some people here have been enjoying the New Rules of Lifting/New Rules of Lifting for Women/New Rules of Lifting for Abs.
Or you could build it round your interests: if you want to work on push-ups and pull-ups, then throwing in a row movement of some kind and an overhead push (like a shoulder press) would take care of your upper body very nicely. Then maybe something like squats and/or deadlifts for legs and back, and add something like planks for core strength.
Something like that would get you off to a very decent start, and then you can vary it up as and when you get bored (or find other exercises that sound like fun).
(If you do want to work on pull-ups, btw, I have useful links and recs on that! Pull-ups are a great goal if the idea inspires you.)
I'm accepting diet-to-go-along-with-sudden-interest-in-gaining-strength suggestions, cos I think y'all probably get where I'm coming from.
This is pretty simple. Aim to eat a) enough calories, b) enough protein in particular, especially if you're looking to gain muscle mass, and c) if possible, make sure you get a decent dose of protein and carbohydrates in the one-to-two-hour window after strength training.
Btw, running will not make you stronger, unless you have very very little leg strength to begin with. If you don't like running and don't want to run, you don't have to (um, unless you are actually fleeing danger).
Opinion, I haz them
So I'm shopping for a gym membership - help, what am I looking for?
In my totally biased opinion: a good free weights area. Bonus points for interesting weights like kettlebells, and some machines (like assisted pull-up machines) can be nice, but a decent free weights area is the key thing.
so even though I intellectually know I need a sort of limited program to stick with, my instinct is DO ALL THE EXERCISES and I don't think that's right.
You are wise to think that's not right!
On the whole, if you want functional strength, it helps to pick a few compound exercises (that work large muscle groups at once) rather than lots and lots of isolation exercises that try to work each muscle individually.
Stumptuous has some good simple programs, and I know some people here have been enjoying the New Rules of Lifting/New Rules of Lifting for Women/New Rules of Lifting for Abs.
Or you could build it round your interests: if you want to work on push-ups and pull-ups, then throwing in a row movement of some kind and an overhead push (like a shoulder press) would take care of your upper body very nicely. Then maybe something like squats and/or deadlifts for legs and back, and add something like planks for core strength.
Something like that would get you off to a very decent start, and then you can vary it up as and when you get bored (or find other exercises that sound like fun).
(If you do want to work on pull-ups, btw, I have useful links and recs on that! Pull-ups are a great goal if the idea inspires you.)
I'm accepting diet-to-go-along-with-sudden-interest-in-gaining-strength suggestions, cos I think y'all probably get where I'm coming from.
This is pretty simple. Aim to eat a) enough calories, b) enough protein in particular, especially if you're looking to gain muscle mass, and c) if possible, make sure you get a decent dose of protein and carbohydrates in the one-to-two-hour window after strength training.
Btw, running will not make you stronger, unless you have very very little leg strength to begin with. If you don't like running and don't want to run, you don't have to (um, unless you are actually fleeing danger).