The 12 Best Compound Exercises for Beginners (How to Train Efficiently)

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 89 comments

Two LEGOs doing bodyweight training on a book

It’s time to discover the best compound exercises for beginners!

Compound exercises are the most “bang for your buck” when it comes to working out, so I’m super excited you want to learn more about them!

In our 1-on-1 Online Coach Program, we prioritize compound exercises when building workout routines for our clients. We’ll explain why today.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Also, if you’re in a hurry, we’ve compiled all our strength and weight training content into one handy guide called (appropriately): Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. 

Grab it for free when you join the Rebellion (that’s us!) below:

Alright, cue the music. Let’s do this thang.

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The Beginner Bodyweight Workout: Try this 20 Minute Routine At Home or Anywhere!

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 1588 comments

A Lego Yoda

So you want to lose weight and get in shape, but you don’t want to leave your house?

Well, as your fitness Yoda, I will teach you this great bodyweight workout routine that you can do anywhere: 

An infographic of the Beginner Bodyweight Workout

In your living room, at a park, or in a galaxy far, far away….

These are the types of workouts we build for our busy Online Coaching Clients, and I’m pumped to share it with you today! 

Here’s how we’ll dig into the different parts of this workout and get to the action:

Make sure you also download the Beginner Bodyweight Workout PDF so you can track your progress and level up at home.

I’ll send it on over when you join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion in the box below:

Note: If you’re here because your gym is shut down due to the outbreak of Covid-19, check out our guide “How to Stay In Shape (While Staying Inside).”

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The Ultimate Guide for Restarting Your Fitness Journey (5 Steps to Respawn Today!)

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 66 comments

LEGO Star Wars characters, with one on the floor.

Today we’re going to tell you exactly how to restart your fitness journey.

Whether this is the first time you’ve had to “respawn” or the 50th, you’re in the right place.

We help folks restart their exercise or nutrition routines as part of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program…and we’re really freaking good at it! Today, we’ll share with you the same strategies we deploy with them.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Let’s do this.

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The 42 Best Bodyweight Exercises: The Ultimate Guide for Working Out Anywhere!

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 117 comments

Deadshot does his bodyweight training, in between "jobs."

Here are the 42 best bodyweight exercises you can do to build muscle and burn fat, no gym required! 

These are the exact exercises we start our coaching clients on, and many perform them from their house or apartment.

In a hurry? Sign-up for our free weekly newsletter and we’ll send you PDFs of our “Work Out at Home” guides!

We’ve organized the exercises in today’s guide by major muscle groups (click to jump to those movements):

Plus, we’ll pull it all together at the end so you can create a complete bodyweight workout routine!

Note: If you’re here because your gym is shut down due to the outbreak of Covid-19, check out our guide “How to Stay In Shape (While Staying Inside).”

Alright, let’s get to it.

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The Ultimate Protein Shake Guide: When to Drink, What to Buy, and Best Recipes

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 166 comments

How do you make tasty protein shakes like this?

So you wanna start drinking protein shakes, but don’t know where to begin?

You’re in luck, because I’ve been drinking protein shakes for years and today I’m sharing with you all my secrets (ah…most of them).

With Part 2 of our Ultimate Guide to Protein, I’ll teach you:

Make sure you also check out Part 1: “How Much Protein Do I Need to Eat Every Day?“

With this knowledge and an awesome blender (which we talk about right here), you can make protein shakes part of your everyday routine.

Let’s get ready to shake things up!

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Active Recovery Ultimate Guide: What Should I Do on Rest Days?

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 106 comments

Golden retriever puppy taking a nap

“Steve, what am I supposed to do on days when I’m not training?”

It’s a great question and one we receive quite frequently here at Nerd Fitness.

With our coaching clients, not only do we create workout schedules for them, we also help them utilize “off days” with active recovery. 

Today, we’ll share with you the exact same lessons (click to jump to that section): 

Let’s do this.

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The 5 Best Pull-up Alternatives (How to Do Pull-ups Without a Bar)

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 36 comments

A picture of Kermit hanging with Pink Panther, probably trying a pull-up alternative.

So you want to do a pull-up but don’t have a bar?

Or maybe you just don’t quite have the strength yet to hoist yourself up?

Either way, no problem!

We’ve been teaching people how to do pull-up alternatives in our Online Coaching Program, with “no-bar pull-ups”. Today, we’ll show you all these tried and trusted workarounds.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

By the way, all of these pull-up alternatives can be done in our sweet new app. Why not learn how to lift yourself up (even without any equipment) while you build your very own superhero?

You can test drive it for free (no credit card needed) right here:

Alright, let’s do this thang.

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The 20 Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workout: Try This Simple Workout at Home or Anywhere!

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 66 comments

Kettlebells can provide a great full body workout.

This simple beginner kettlebell workout will blow your mind.

How do I know? Because ours will teach you how to handle a kettlebell using Mega Man and Mario references.

In today’s guide, we’ll go over the following (click to go right to that section):

These are the types of programs that we create for our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Clients, and we’re getting amazing results for people. 

And make sure you download our Kettlebell Worksheet!

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Strength Training 101: How much weight should I be lifting?

Staci Ardison
By Staci Ardison • Last Updated: • 151 comments

Do you think he supplements with creatine?

“Do you even lift?”

After today’s guide, not only will you be able to say “YUP,” but you’ll also know exactly how MUCH you should be lifting!

We’ll help you get big and strong so you can fight back against your older brother when he tackles you in the hallway.

Get strong so you don't end up a victim.

As part of our Strength 101 series, we’re going to tell you exactly what you need to know about lifting weights and strength training:

If you find yourself with a billion other strength training questions as you build your own workout, or you’re overwhelmed at all of this and not sure how to get stronger…you’re in good company!

It can be scary enough to keep MOST people from starting, which is actually why we created our Coaching Program.

Your NF Coach will do an initial assessment to calculate exactly how much weight you should start lifting. They’ll then design a program that they’ll adjust regularly based on your progress and schedule.

Plus, with our app, your coach can do regular video form checks to make sure you safely make consistent progress. 

With that out of the way, let’s jump into the nitty-gritty of “How much weight should I lift?“

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Want to Get Bigger? Avoid These 9 Mistakes Skinny Guys Make Trying to Bulk Up!

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 174 comments

A man struggling against a jar.

If you’re here because you want to go from skinny to muscular, you’ve come to the right place!

I know exactly how you feel.

I was once a very thin guy struggling to put on muscle! Hell, my “before photo” below on the left below is after a decade of training and “eating a lot.”

Before and after photo of Steve.

It took me 10 years of struggle to crack the “bulk up” code, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re really struggling to put on mass.

We’ve helped people just like you get bigger in our Online Coaching Program: we use the same tactics and strategies I’ll discuss below!

Okay, let’s get into it! Click any of the links below to learn about the 9 key mistakes skinny guys make when trying to bulk up:

  1. Not eating enough (What to eat to grow big)
  2. Setting unrealistic expectations (How fast can I grow muscle?)
  3. Not having a solid plan (How to go from skinny to muscular)
  4. Not doing enough (How to grow muscle)
  5. Going too quickly and getting injured (Being safe)
  6. Not following a sustainable strategy (Consistency)
  7. Not making it a priority (Remember your training)
  8. Sweating the small stuff (Keep it simple)
  9. Not recovering enough (Get sleep)
  10. How I put on 25 Pounds of Mass

Let’s get right to it!

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How to Gain Weight Quickly: 12 Tips On What to Eat & How to Train

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 380 comments

SteveBeforeAfter

So you want to gain weight fast (and safely)? 

You’ve come to the right place, because this is what we do!

This guide covers the exact weight gain strategies I’ve used to go from my “before” (on the left above) to reach my “after” (on the right above). Believe it or not, that “before” photo is me after a DECADE of strength training and trying to get bigger.

It’s the stuff in this guide that finally allowed me to actually get results (the after).

It’s also exactly how we help our online coaching clients: nutritional guidance and workout plans that line up with their goals.

Oh, and if you sign up in any of the yellow email boxes throughout, you can download our “gain weight and build muscle” shopping list and cheat sheet to hang on your fridge!

Let’s start putting on weight right NOW.

These are the 12 lessons I wish I knew when I started trying to get bigger (click to jump right to that lesson):

NUTRITION

  1. How to eat to gain weight.
  2. What foods should I eat to gain weight?
  3. How much protein do I need to gain weight?
  4. How many carbs and fats should I eat to gain weight?
  5. How fast can I gain weight and get bigger?

STRENGTH TRAINING

  1. What exercises are best for weight gain?
  2. How to get stronger and build muscle.
  3. How many days should I exercise to gain weight?

RECOVERY

  1. How much sleep should I get to gain weight?
  2. Should I do cardio while trying to gain weight?
  3. Can you build muscle without gaining fat?
  4. Gain weight, get bigger, and supercharge your results.

Let’s get to it!

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3 HIIT Workouts for Beginners: Start Interval Training and Sprint Running!

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 269 comments

This biker loves interval training.

This High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) guide is probably the best interval training guide in the galaxy.

My justification for such a bold claim?

We’re really good at this stuff, AND we have dinosaurs and Muppets.

Plus, lots of great gifs:

This runner can't do interval training.

We build custom interval training programs just like the ones in this guide for our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Clients, including workouts for at home, the gym, or even while traveling.

In this Ultimate Guide to Interval Training, we’ll cover:

If you’re interested in starting a HIIT practice (which you are, ’cause you’re here), you may want to try our new app! It contains a fun adventure that will take you from sitting on your couch to a full HIIT workout – with plenty of benchmarks in between for you to find your groove. No guesswork needed, just jump into the app and follow it’s next steps.

You can sign-up for a free trial right here:

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40 Ways to Exercise Without Realizing It: Fun Exercise!

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 237 comments

Have fun while exercising!

I know plenty of people who hate exercise but WANT to find a way to like it.

And that’s what today’s post is all about:

Exercising in a way where life doesn’t suck AND helps you reach your goals.

Luckily, this is exactly what we do for a living!

I know what it’s like to hate exercise, and ALSO want to lose weight and see results. Ugh.

We’ve built an entire company and community around helping people overcome these obstacles – our Online Coaching Program helps people find exercises they love, and also how to make the right nutritional choices.

We are all on a unique journey and we’d love to help you with yours!

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Advanced Bodyweight Workout Circuit: A Full Body Routine You Can Do At Home

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 276 comments

Once you get good at advanced bodyweight exercises, you can bust out moves like this!

Want to get strong but hate the gym?

No problem!

With today’s Advanced Bodyweight Routine, you can burn fat, build muscle, and get a great workout in! All with no gym membership required!

It’s the kind of workout we build through our online coaching program. If you’re in a hurry, sign-up for our free weekly newsletter and we’ll send you PDFs of our “Work Out at Home” guides!

If you’re ready, click the sections below to get right into the action:

Alright, let’s do this thang.

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How Many Calories Should I Eat Every Day? A TDEE Calculator for Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Steve Kamb
By Steve Kamb • Last Updated: • 262 comments

These LEGOs are learning about their BMR and TDEE so they can calculate their calorie needs.

“Steve, how many calories should I eat every day? I have goals!”

Great question.

Knowledge is power, so today, we are going to make you more powerful by calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

A gif that says "I have the power"

Of course, “knowing is half the battle.” The other half is what you actually DO with your TDEE information! 

Fortunately for you, we’ve helped thousands of Online Coaching Clients lose weight and get healthy, and TDEE is just one of many factors we consider when building a specific strategy for somebody’s goals.

Okay FINE, I’ll share the other factors and strategies below too.

Simply click on the section below for quick reading, though I’d recommend you read the whole enchilada to properly apply your TDEE to your life:

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