askchapo

No thank you for writing it all out.

There's lots of info out there ofc, but the two places I get most of my info now are the stronger by science guys and Jeff Nippard. I really like their approaches. Strength training and technique mostly but general understanding of theory and approach. Big and strong. Mobility and calisthenics I like the saturno movement group. They have an impressive mix of strength, mobility and skill.

So when I say you should or it is, I'm not saying I'm correct or it's facts but it's what I've learned taking info from people who work really hard in understanding their craft and work hard on sharing it. Of course it's also what I've been able to "confirm" in my own experiences. Ymmv though.

Don't think of beginner, intermediate or advanced as how strong you are, or how much you've done it in the past. This is how I understand it.

Beginners: make quick and consistent progress

Intermediate: once you reach a plateau on your progress you're approaching intermediate. Here you have to readjust. Maybe you'll spend 2-4 weeks at a weight before you can progress.

Advanced: I've never reached this level so I'm not familiar with it from my own experience but my understanding its takes a lot of very targeted work and honing in on technique to raise their weight by even 5lbs/ 1 rep.

So unless you've ever been at the Advanced stage if you take too long off you're going to start back at Beginner. It's not a bad thing it just means you will be able to make progress quickly.

The stronger you already are, and the more experience you have, the higher your baseline, and the shorter your Beginner period usually is.

For me after an injury from doing something stupid outside the gym, lol, I start with a beginner routine. Each time I'm at the stage for less and less before I get back up to my working weight. Like last time it took me about 3 months, to get to a weight that took me 8 months before the injury.

Beginner routines to me are defined by their simplicity and their focus on progressive overload. If you're at a place where you can do daily or weekly increases to weight or volume than you're a beginner. It doesn't mean your weak, it means you can improve faster than someone who's been consistently at it for months/years.

So don't think of it as a bad thing, its not.

You also need to pick a routine and stick with it. You're motivated right now so its easy to do whatever, but having to think about what you're going to do each time will not only take more discipline and energy, but it'll be just way less effective because you're doing random stuff. Not to mention you give yourself space to make compromises and excuses in the moment.

It's just really chaotic. Good job in going, it's better than paralysis analysis, but if you want to succeed from a results standpoint, any sort of beginner routine will be better than what you're doing now. If you want to succeed from a still doing in a few months standpoint you need a build in a routine around the gym that removes as much ambiguity and choice as possible. One day, "maybe I'll just go tomorrow" will eventually turn into "eh I'm not really feeling it this week" and the next thing you know you haven't gone in weeks.

This is something ive experienced and had to work through, this is something most people go through. The people who don't, have very good routines and/or have been going consistently for so long they can't imagine actually not going to the gym.

Try to think about why you stopped going the last time. If it was an injury or something then think about why you didn't start again when healed.

I'd be happy to help you brainstorm and choose a routine for in the gym and around it if you'd like. We can address your goals and what it might/would take to reach them.

I of course encourage you to do your own research. I'd point you to the people I mentioned above, but there's lots of good stuff out there.

You're always welcome to come back and ask me whatever questions you have. You don't need to censure yourself with me, if I don't want to read something or answer something I won't.

Edit: the Jim thing was funny. If you do want to go more in depth I don't mind doing it here, but if you'd rather do it somewhere else just dm me.