I want to start working out

As you pointed out, it's not very healthy to compare oneself to others. That said, saying that probably makes a hypocrite since I do that too.

If you're worried about being judged at the gym, you could start working out at home, I guess.

 

I'm 6'6, 168 pound, and I know what you mean, i dont think I fit in at a gym. To, get better quickly, start with one push up and sit up. Then every other day increase by 1. Soon you will get to 100 and more. These are the easiest ways of getting a six pack and big arms.
Do squats in the same way for your legs.
I did this for a year, and put on a lot of muscle, I just eventually didnt have the time. If you have the time to go to the gym, you have time to do this.
Trust me, it does work.

 

Nope, no one will laugh at you in a gym. Most people go to a gym with only one thing in mind - to do workout. There is a small percentage of male and female perverts though. They love to ogle and salivate around. But that's about it.

I forgot. Gym jerks who love to show off their strengths in a gym. They don't exist in every gym but they do exist. They would not bother you. They just like to lift heavy to show off and hope other gym members will look at them in awe. We don't.

You have to think this way, everyone has to start from somewhere. All the muscular gym guys that you see in a gym were either regular, scrawny or obese themselves. They took years to build their muscular bodies. Hence why we; gym rats don't speak bad or such to new gym members because we were once new ourselves. We encourage and support new gym members.

Don't be scared to ask a big muscular guy/girl in a gym for help. Don't let his/her size intimidate you. Again, most regular gym members are willing to help. Just don't ask help when he/she is doing her workout. Wait until he/she's taking a break.

You don't need to go to a gym to get a fit and healthy body. You can do it in your bedroom, house, park or playground.

You can buy few dumbbells to do lower and upper body workout. If you can't buy dumbbells, you can still do lower and upper body workout. Pull up is a great exercise. Add push ups, squats, lunges and running in your workout routine.

To get a swimmer physique, go to a local swimming club in your neighborhood. Join the club.

You can't do spot reduction. By all means, there is no way you can focus to lose fat in one body part only. Fat loss doesn't work that way. Fat loss covers your entire your body. To reduce body fat, you have to do exercise and eat healthily. Get rid of junk food, corn syrup based food, sodas and alike.

Abs comes from the kitchen. Basically from what you eat. You have to be discipline and need to learn to eat clean (Eat healthy stuff). Get rid of extra sugars, sodas, junk and fast food. If you are a skinny, learn to eat a lot of protein and balance it nicely with carbs and healthy fats. One of the best proteins comes from lean meat of a chicken (Breast ). Eat white eggs.

 

You first need to stop comparing yourself to others, everyone is different. I used to feel that way and it definitely gets you no where. Put it this way, you will never look like anyone else because everyone looks different.

When I used to go to the gym I felt very self conscious because I was skinny and like you I am an Ectomorph, but I didn't need to feel this way because no one cares or looks at you, everyone is there for their own purpose and will be too focused on what they are doing. After a few months I stopped caring and just focused on what I was doing. You're not going to the gym to impress anyone or live up to anyone's expectations, instead you're there to improve yourself.

There will always be someone who is more skinny or more fat then you, so there is really no point in feeling self conscious or comparing yourself to others. Iv scrapped the gym now and just focus on press ups, sit ups, pull ups, chins ups, jogging and swimming. I would rather have a better endurance then look muscular (which I used to want). You could buy a pull up bar which would be much cheaper than a gym membership. Aim to focus on your health and fitness rather then your body image, this was my mistake once and it only got me down.

If you want to gain weight, you need to out eat your calorie maintenance level. This site will help you find out this and how much calories a day you should be eating: Weight Maintenance Calculator - Men | The Calorie Control Council. Dont just eat junk food either, aim for a healthier diet.

All the best mate .

 

Hey

Like everyone has said and you have acknowledged, comparisons just leave you feeling like crap. There are so many people of different body types and shapes that go to a gym. The goal is fitness and that is what preoccupies everyone.

There isn't any kind of shame with starting with weights you feel comfortable with. Don't feel pressured into trying to lift more than you can for the sake of it. If you injure yourself, you won't be able to train at all.

I've been at the gym regularly for over a year now. I might only lift a quarter of what some guys do, but my technique is 100 times better and I still get a good workout and feel good about it afterwards.

As for your diet, all I can add to Jay's post is eat regularly and well. Three main meals with a small snack or two in between.

Whatever you do, from tomorrow I think it would be great for you to begin a habit of picking two things you did well that day. It can be really simple. For example, one of mine was resisting an extra coffee since I'm trying to lose weight and another one was that I finished my assignment on time.
When you start to work out, just acknowledge progress you made. If you managed to do one extra push up then that's definitely worth acknowledging

Good luck buddy!