Beginner to weightlifting
Discussion
Hi there!
I'm looking to pack on a bit of muscle and generally get a bit fitter as I'm starting to put the beef on lol! I'm trying to get started but, there is so many different exercises and routines it's hard to pick what's best. 1RM is 90kg on bench and130kg deadlift (could be more as I'm scared I'll do my back in). I'm trying to keep up with my mates who are all starting to take steroids and it really knocks my motivation seeing them fly up the weights so quickly!
I'm on my second week just now and my routine I've made up is
Monday Chest & tri's
Barbel bench press 1 x 8, 1x6 1x5 1x5 1x4
Dumbbell incline bench 1x8, 1x6, 1x5
Decline fly 1x8, 1x8, 1x5
Tri pull down 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x5
Wedensday - Back & bi's
Barbell deadlift 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Dumbell bent over row 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Lat pull down 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x5
Seated bicep curls, 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x5
Thursday - Shoulders & abs
Military press 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Front dumbbell raise 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Sit ups with 15kg 1x10, 1x10 1x10
Friday
Leg press 1x 10 1x 10 1x 10 1x8
Calf raises 1x10 1x10 1x 10 1x8
I know it's not the best but, it's got me started. Does anyone manage squats with a rack without hurting themselves as I would love to do them on legs day!
Can anyone help with my routine to improve it as I've just slapped it together myself with little experience. The only problem is I train Alone and have no spotter which can make it difficult to squeeze the last couple of reps especially when benching as I managed to drop 90kg on me - oops! Any help and advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Max
I'm looking to pack on a bit of muscle and generally get a bit fitter as I'm starting to put the beef on lol! I'm trying to get started but, there is so many different exercises and routines it's hard to pick what's best. 1RM is 90kg on bench and130kg deadlift (could be more as I'm scared I'll do my back in). I'm trying to keep up with my mates who are all starting to take steroids and it really knocks my motivation seeing them fly up the weights so quickly!
I'm on my second week just now and my routine I've made up is
Monday Chest & tri's
Barbel bench press 1 x 8, 1x6 1x5 1x5 1x4
Dumbbell incline bench 1x8, 1x6, 1x5
Decline fly 1x8, 1x8, 1x5
Tri pull down 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x5
Wedensday - Back & bi's
Barbell deadlift 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Dumbell bent over row 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Lat pull down 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x5
Seated bicep curls, 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x5
Thursday - Shoulders & abs
Military press 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Front dumbbell raise 1x8, 1x6, 1x6, 1x6
Sit ups with 15kg 1x10, 1x10 1x10
Friday
Leg press 1x 10 1x 10 1x 10 1x8
Calf raises 1x10 1x10 1x 10 1x8
I know it's not the best but, it's got me started. Does anyone manage squats with a rack without hurting themselves as I would love to do them on legs day!
Can anyone help with my routine to improve it as I've just slapped it together myself with little experience. The only problem is I train Alone and have no spotter which can make it difficult to squeeze the last couple of reps especially when benching as I managed to drop 90kg on me - oops! Any help and advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Max
I am no expert but have read around the subject. Remember that rest is important so get lots of sleep; also, drink lots of water. Diet is important, too. I would have thought doing 3x8 with the final couple of reps being tough is better than the number you're doing.
http://www.teamskip.net/longevitydvd/
Turn your speakers down as the menu music is too loud.
IIRC this guy does 2 days of training and 4-5 days of rest (as that is how long it takes to recover between sessions).
http://www.teamskip.net/longevitydvd/
Turn your speakers down as the menu music is too loud.
IIRC this guy does 2 days of training and 4-5 days of rest (as that is how long it takes to recover between sessions).
Since I have been doing Stronglifts.com program I have been telling everyone about it
Go and download the very long ebook which explains things but to summarise you do 3 workouts week consistig of 3 compund exercises - its very straight forward
Weights increase every week - dont worry about your mates - just do what you ant.
I am week 4 of 12 now and I have seen fat going and strength going up
When bench pressing take the collars off, may help to dump weight if you get stuck.
Go and download the very long ebook which explains things but to summarise you do 3 workouts week consistig of 3 compund exercises - its very straight forward
Weights increase every week - dont worry about your mates - just do what you ant.
I am week 4 of 12 now and I have seen fat going and strength going up
When bench pressing take the collars off, may help to dump weight if you get stuck.
Mojooo said:
Since I have been doing Stronglifts.com program I have been telling everyone about it
Go and download the very long ebook which explains things but to summarise you do 3 workouts week consistig of 3 compund exercises - its very straight forward
Weights increase every week - dont worry about your mates - just do what you ant.
I am week 4 of 12 now and I have seen fat going and strength going up
When bench pressing take the collars off, may help to dump weight if you get stuck.
I'm a real big fan of this too although I'm not doing it, my coach has me doing some quite different. Go and download the very long ebook which explains things but to summarise you do 3 workouts week consistig of 3 compund exercises - its very straight forward
Weights increase every week - dont worry about your mates - just do what you ant.
I am week 4 of 12 now and I have seen fat going and strength going up
When bench pressing take the collars off, may help to dump weight if you get stuck.
The bench, squat and deadlift are my favourite exercises and I truly believe the ones that really add the mass although I'm not doing the deadlift at the moment on the advice of my doc.
LordGrover said:
Also, see this thread and other similar: click. Loads of helpful stuff already here.
Hey thanks for linking to my thread! I do try to be helpful although I always try to make sure folk don't think I'm a expert on the subject because I'm not. My coach is a real expert and I'm learning from him! I consider myself to be a newbie in the grand scheme of things, after all it take a decent amount of time to become truly good at this! OP,
Can I make a couple of suggestions?
1) Use dumbbells for your bench pressing if you're training alone.
2) Start squatting. You don't have to go to failure to start with, but get used to the movement. However, I'd never squat to failure without a spotter. Yes, theoretically I could just drop the bar backwards off my shoulders - but I still wouldn't want to have to try it! Has your squat rack got adjustable pins for the bottom position? If so, you can add another level of safety by setting them at the right height for the bottom of your squats.
3) Try dropping either the incline bench press or decline flye and the tricep pushdowns and add 4-5 sets of dips instead (assuming your gym has dipping bars).
4) If possible, swap the lat pulldowns for pullups.
You don't necessarily need a training partner to train to failure, why not ask someone in the gym to spot you for that specific set? Make sure they can spot you properly though!
Can I make a couple of suggestions?
1) Use dumbbells for your bench pressing if you're training alone.
2) Start squatting. You don't have to go to failure to start with, but get used to the movement. However, I'd never squat to failure without a spotter. Yes, theoretically I could just drop the bar backwards off my shoulders - but I still wouldn't want to have to try it! Has your squat rack got adjustable pins for the bottom position? If so, you can add another level of safety by setting them at the right height for the bottom of your squats.
3) Try dropping either the incline bench press or decline flye and the tricep pushdowns and add 4-5 sets of dips instead (assuming your gym has dipping bars).
4) If possible, swap the lat pulldowns for pullups.
You don't necessarily need a training partner to train to failure, why not ask someone in the gym to spot you for that specific set? Make sure they can spot you properly though!
Looks like a pretty good routine to me though I'd agree with the ideas about dropping some of the things for chest for dips and maybe drop a set or two off every now and then, esp. if you feel particularly tired/over trained. Do this for a few months and then maybe move to a new routine to keep body and mind fresh.
Wouldn't worry about the steroid users - if you can bench 90kg after a couple of weeks you must have some good potential and their gains will be stop start/ back unless they re-use regularly.
Wouldn't worry about the steroid users - if you can bench 90kg after a couple of weeks you must have some good potential and their gains will be stop start/ back unless they re-use regularly.
What you are doing at the moment looks fine. Pairing the correct body parts.
You should have a few more exercises for each body part so you cand mix it up a bit every few weeks.
Whatever you do, don't do steroids. You shouldn't be frustrated because your mates are improving so quickly. It won't last. Eat correctly (I never do though) and you can be as strong as them.
And it's good idea not to go crazy on dead lifts too early. You've got years ahead of you, so concentrate on form and try not to use straps. And make sure you use opposite grips on your hands or the barbell will roll out of your hands/and put more stress on your back; as I found out when I knackered my back nearly 2 years ago doing deads!
Don't be tempted, as your mates probably will, to go heavy and forget about form. You'll end up using way too many muscles, which is basically cheating.
You should have a few more exercises for each body part so you cand mix it up a bit every few weeks.
Whatever you do, don't do steroids. You shouldn't be frustrated because your mates are improving so quickly. It won't last. Eat correctly (I never do though) and you can be as strong as them.
And it's good idea not to go crazy on dead lifts too early. You've got years ahead of you, so concentrate on form and try not to use straps. And make sure you use opposite grips on your hands or the barbell will roll out of your hands/and put more stress on your back; as I found out when I knackered my back nearly 2 years ago doing deads!
Don't be tempted, as your mates probably will, to go heavy and forget about form. You'll end up using way too many muscles, which is basically cheating.
OP if this is only your second week of training, IMO that routine is a little OTT for your current training level. You dont need to do so many exercise variations. Stick with 2 compound exercises per body part and do min of 3 sets at a weight where you can handle 10 reps, up the weight to 3 x 8, up once more to 3 x 6 reps. As you progress up that to 4sets, per weight, per exercise.
8 reps are the optimum balance between strength and muscle building, the whole process of building muscle depends on the amount of micro tears in the muscle fibres brought about by training. Strength and muscle size are not necessarily the same thing. So try not to get hung up on the strength thing, your mates WILL be stronger than you on steroids...fact...but you can also gain strength as the other posters say by training with better technique and just by pushing yourself hard. At the end of a cycle your mates wont be able to lift the same amount of weight as they did on them either, due to the huge testosterone drop off after a cycle, so they will come back down towards your level as you gain strength upto theirs. Many studies have shown that "natural" training athletes perform just as well as those on steroids over a 6 month period, so just save yourself the money!
Compound exercises use a variety of primary and secondary muscles to complete the exercise, ie barbell bench press uses chest, shoulders, triceps. Shoulder press uses deltoids, trapezius, triceps and lower back for stabilisation. Also as Animal says incorporate squats in to your routine if you can and as soon as you can. They are also the single best exercises not only for legs, but for whole body hormonal (testosterone) release and optimisation, which means there's more testosterone in your body to help you build other body parts quicker too. In effect squats act as a mini steroid!!
Also look to vary your routine every 2 months of so, your body will adapt to the loading you place on it and surprisingly quickly, training the same muscle in the same way day after day eventually wont stimulate the muscle in the same way it did, so changing the routine hits the muscle in a different way/different angle and develops the muscle better and to its fuller potential and will lead to a better looking physique.
Diet and rest are also very important aspects of training. Your body doesn't grow whilst you train, it grows in the muscle repair/recovery stage following a workout, so rest and allow your body to re-build....2-3 days is generally considered the minimum rest period and at your current training level I would stick with 3.
On diet, the ideal carb/protein ratio for lean muscle building is appx 3g carbs per lb body weight and 2g protein per lb of bodyweight....so for a 200lb man 600g carbs and 400g protein a day and ideally split into smaller meals of 5-6 a day at regular intervals ie every 2-3 hours or so.
Fat is also an essential part of the diet, its vital in kidney/liver function, blood transportation and many other bodily functions, so dont get into the thinking that fat is bad and cut fat out.....The general consensus seems to be in the ratio of 40:40:20. This ratio means that if your calorie requirement per day is 2000 calories, then you should be getting 800 calories from protein, 800 calories from carbohydrates & 200 calories from fats. Your calorie intake should be upwards of 3,000 if your looking to gain size/strength so adjust the ratios accordingly.
All three aspects of training...diet...rest are interlinked and vital for effective muscle growth.
Steroids are also a very personal and emotive choice.
I do and don't agree with taking steroids.
A lot of steroids produce massive short term muscle gains, at the expense of the ligaments and tendons which dont grow as fast and will lead to strength imbalances and lots more injuries ni that area, pulls, tears etc. Some steroids cause huge amounts of water retention, so you get "big" quick, but its all water which when you come off them takes an age to recovery from. Theres also the drop off your bodies own testosterone production ie ur balls shrink and recovery from the depleted state of your body's natural testosterone production takes months. Longer term you can get hair loss, gynocomastia (fatty deposits around the nipple caused by too much testosterone in your body turning into oestrogen and basically breast formation occurs).
However there are other steroids which can be managed better, dont cause as much water retention (if any), dont cause "gyno" etc...but all will can have same affect to ligaments. Those steroids dont "bulk" you up as quick but you look better whilst training on them.
To me a blanket "dont do steroids" is too simplistic and is the choice of the person saying it, to me its the same as "dont smoke its bad for you" but people still do, knowledge of them is the key to deciding if you want to use them and risk the side effects for their gains.
I hope that helps and gives you some good info, keep focused and train to your max every time you hit the gym and you will see changes before you realise it!
8 reps are the optimum balance between strength and muscle building, the whole process of building muscle depends on the amount of micro tears in the muscle fibres brought about by training. Strength and muscle size are not necessarily the same thing. So try not to get hung up on the strength thing, your mates WILL be stronger than you on steroids...fact...but you can also gain strength as the other posters say by training with better technique and just by pushing yourself hard. At the end of a cycle your mates wont be able to lift the same amount of weight as they did on them either, due to the huge testosterone drop off after a cycle, so they will come back down towards your level as you gain strength upto theirs. Many studies have shown that "natural" training athletes perform just as well as those on steroids over a 6 month period, so just save yourself the money!
Compound exercises use a variety of primary and secondary muscles to complete the exercise, ie barbell bench press uses chest, shoulders, triceps. Shoulder press uses deltoids, trapezius, triceps and lower back for stabilisation. Also as Animal says incorporate squats in to your routine if you can and as soon as you can. They are also the single best exercises not only for legs, but for whole body hormonal (testosterone) release and optimisation, which means there's more testosterone in your body to help you build other body parts quicker too. In effect squats act as a mini steroid!!
Also look to vary your routine every 2 months of so, your body will adapt to the loading you place on it and surprisingly quickly, training the same muscle in the same way day after day eventually wont stimulate the muscle in the same way it did, so changing the routine hits the muscle in a different way/different angle and develops the muscle better and to its fuller potential and will lead to a better looking physique.
Diet and rest are also very important aspects of training. Your body doesn't grow whilst you train, it grows in the muscle repair/recovery stage following a workout, so rest and allow your body to re-build....2-3 days is generally considered the minimum rest period and at your current training level I would stick with 3.
On diet, the ideal carb/protein ratio for lean muscle building is appx 3g carbs per lb body weight and 2g protein per lb of bodyweight....so for a 200lb man 600g carbs and 400g protein a day and ideally split into smaller meals of 5-6 a day at regular intervals ie every 2-3 hours or so.
Fat is also an essential part of the diet, its vital in kidney/liver function, blood transportation and many other bodily functions, so dont get into the thinking that fat is bad and cut fat out.....The general consensus seems to be in the ratio of 40:40:20. This ratio means that if your calorie requirement per day is 2000 calories, then you should be getting 800 calories from protein, 800 calories from carbohydrates & 200 calories from fats. Your calorie intake should be upwards of 3,000 if your looking to gain size/strength so adjust the ratios accordingly.
All three aspects of training...diet...rest are interlinked and vital for effective muscle growth.
Steroids are also a very personal and emotive choice.
I do and don't agree with taking steroids.
A lot of steroids produce massive short term muscle gains, at the expense of the ligaments and tendons which dont grow as fast and will lead to strength imbalances and lots more injuries ni that area, pulls, tears etc. Some steroids cause huge amounts of water retention, so you get "big" quick, but its all water which when you come off them takes an age to recovery from. Theres also the drop off your bodies own testosterone production ie ur balls shrink and recovery from the depleted state of your body's natural testosterone production takes months. Longer term you can get hair loss, gynocomastia (fatty deposits around the nipple caused by too much testosterone in your body turning into oestrogen and basically breast formation occurs).
However there are other steroids which can be managed better, dont cause as much water retention (if any), dont cause "gyno" etc...but all will can have same affect to ligaments. Those steroids dont "bulk" you up as quick but you look better whilst training on them.
To me a blanket "dont do steroids" is too simplistic and is the choice of the person saying it, to me its the same as "dont smoke its bad for you" but people still do, knowledge of them is the key to deciding if you want to use them and risk the side effects for their gains.
I hope that helps and gives you some good info, keep focused and train to your max every time you hit the gym and you will see changes before you realise it!
Edited by djstevec on Thursday 26th May 09:30
Wow! Thanks for all the help guys, really aprreciate it!
I've now adjusted my routine to include Dips and removed The decline flys. I've also added pull ups and removed the lat pull downs as well.
With regards to the steriods I would never do them myself. I'm weightlifting to get fit and healthy and would feel like I've cheated!
Is anyone got any recommendations for a good supplement?I'm either going to get MP Hurricane XS or Sci-mx Lean grow MRF but, not sure what one to go for! The MP looks like a good value version of Maximuscle cyclone which i've heard good things about.
My diet is not the best at the moment - I'm eating healthy but, think it needs tweaking. On a normal day I have
Breakfast - Porridge (Will add protein shake once I have more)
Mid morning - Sandwich with slice of beef, cottage cheese and cucumber on wholemeal bread
post workout - Protein shake
Lunch - Same as mid morning
Dinner - Meal with either Chicken beef or fish, potatoes etc.
Before bed- small portion of cottage cheese.
Again thanks for all the help!
I've now adjusted my routine to include Dips and removed The decline flys. I've also added pull ups and removed the lat pull downs as well.
With regards to the steriods I would never do them myself. I'm weightlifting to get fit and healthy and would feel like I've cheated!
Is anyone got any recommendations for a good supplement?I'm either going to get MP Hurricane XS or Sci-mx Lean grow MRF but, not sure what one to go for! The MP looks like a good value version of Maximuscle cyclone which i've heard good things about.
My diet is not the best at the moment - I'm eating healthy but, think it needs tweaking. On a normal day I have
Breakfast - Porridge (Will add protein shake once I have more)
Mid morning - Sandwich with slice of beef, cottage cheese and cucumber on wholemeal bread
post workout - Protein shake
Lunch - Same as mid morning
Dinner - Meal with either Chicken beef or fish, potatoes etc.
Before bed- small portion of cottage cheese.
Again thanks for all the help!
Scottishlad said:
My diet is not the best at the moment - I'm eating healthy but, think it needs tweaking. On a normal day I have
Breakfast - Porridge (Will add protein shake once I have more)
Mid morning - Sandwich with slice of beef, cottage cheese and cucumber on wholemeal bread
post workout - Protein shake
Lunch - Same as mid morning
Dinner - Meal with either Chicken beef or fish, potatoes etc.
Before bed- small portion of cottage cheese.
Again thanks for all the help!
Always happy to help and let you know what I know....Breakfast - Porridge (Will add protein shake once I have more)
Mid morning - Sandwich with slice of beef, cottage cheese and cucumber on wholemeal bread
post workout - Protein shake
Lunch - Same as mid morning
Dinner - Meal with either Chicken beef or fish, potatoes etc.
Before bed- small portion of cottage cheese.
Again thanks for all the help!
Looking at your diet, your going to struggle to eat enough protein to allow for full muscle recovery in the shortest time, I don't know your finances, but deff add that protein shake with ur breakfast and one at lunch would help.
Varying the protein a source is a very good idea, so a combination of fast digesting whey protein shakes with longer digesting fish/nuts/meats for a continual protein release is a good way to go.
Your final "before bed" meal ideally would be composed of all slower digestion protein sources such as nuts or fish (tuna is ideal), as the dairy based protein sources (cottage cheese/protein shakes) are digested in appx (30-60mins), its bland as f
k but a can or two of tuna before bed is about as good as you could do. Nuts (NOT peanuts) at any point in the day will provide you with some of the right fats for your body and also provide a good source of longer digestion protein. Also try and look at your meals from a quantities point of view and not an ingredients point of view, so in meal one for example, aim for 40g protein, 60g carbs, 10g fat.....and then work out the foods that will provide that. I would try and add a meal between lunch and dinner, as Im assuming there will be a significant gap, unless you take a very late lunch/early dinner, just a protein shake/apple will be enough.
You really cannot eat enough protein and it wont make you fat as what the body does not need/digest it will just pooh out. Think of a lion/tiger etc...all they eat is other animals...protein, protein, protein...ever seen a fat tiger?? ;-) So don't worry about getting it spot on.
Edited by djstevec on Thursday 26th May 16:20
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