Post: #1

My last thread regarding weight lifting was about building muscle with no weights , since then I've been sticking true to my goals and i've noticed some gains . People around me have started to notice that I got slightly more defined . No where near where I want to be yet though.

Pay day is approaching and I'm going to take it one step further and purchase my first barbell complete with around 50 Kgs worth of weight.
However the squat rack and bench will have to wait until next month. (Lack of funds)

I've watched Roosh's collaboration with Brandon Carter on beginner weight training and I've incorporated his 15 mins ab workout into my current workout regime .

Could anyone provide me with a weekly full body workout that has given them positive results ?

Bearing in mind my only equipment will be a barbell at this point in time . And my goal is to an increase in muscle mass .


I'm thinking :

Weight Training Three times a Week :

- zercher squats

- Floor Press

- Bent over rows

- Overhead press

- Bicep Curls ( With a straight bar )

- Closed Grip Floor Press

4 Sets of 10 Reps for each exercise .

Complete with Jogging And Ab Training Three times a Week (on off days)

Post: #2

Do a search for Stronglifts or Starting Strength and get your beginners gains got.

Overthinking things when you start will not help you in the slightest.


FWIW, I got decent gains with Stronglifts.

Post: #3

I second Stronglifts and/or Starting Strength. Get yourself on a 5x5 where they goal is to increase your strength. If you are setting up a home gym, all you will need is a squat rack & bench, and some floor pads (deadlifts and pendlay rows). Both of these programs emphasize compound lifts which will work out nearly every muscle group in your body. You will see strength gains and muscle gains (especially as a newbie). I have been doing Body of a Spartan by Victor Pride mixed with some SL/SS elements.

You will need more than 50kg of weights though.

Post: #4

You can do bench press on a bed. You don't need a squat rack to squat, especially if you're in the 8-10 rep range.

Post: #5

(12-29-2014 01:39 PM)roberto Wrote:  Do a search for Stronglifts or Starting Strength and get your beginners gains got.

That happens in the first 90 days or so, correct?

Post: #6

(12-29-2014 06:34 PM)BallsDeep Wrote:  

(12-29-2014 01:39 PM)roberto Wrote:  Do a search for Stronglifts or Starting Strength and get your beginners gains got.

That happens in the first 90 days or so, correct?

If you have not lifted before or have been away from lifting a long time. You should be making strong newbie gains for 6-12 months.

Obviously in the first 3 months, the gains will be tremendous, but you should always be progressing somewhat in that first year with ease if you are pushing yourself each workout.

Post: #7

(12-29-2014 06:17 PM)britchard Wrote:  You can do bench press on a bed. You don't need a squat rack to squat, especially if you're in the 8-10 rep range.

First things first, OP, get an olympic barbell. I can't stress that enough.

Do you mean standard bed with mattress? That will greatly reduce his range of motion and significantly restrict scapular movement. That, and the instability, awkwardness of body positioning, and the overall danger makes me strongly recommend against using a bed.

You don't need a rack but I'd at least use an olympic bench that accommodates high bar positioning -- like the one in the link.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/produc...6.19496896

Post: #8

I would be careful on following something like starting strength. A lot of newbies to training simply cant handle squatting 3 times a week - it is fucking taxing on the body. I know people who snap their shit up squatting at full weight 3 times a week as they cannot recover, their bodies simply were not used to lifting enough to do it. I personally think the 5 x 5 and SS stuff is better for people who have been down the gym for a few months and have some base level of fitness.

When I was skint and had to train at home I used the following:

A:

-Front Squats off the floor - 3 sets x 5-12 reps
-Floor press/Pushups - 3 sets x 5-12 reps
-Bent over rows - 3 sets x 5-12 reps
-Barbell Shrugs 3 sets x 5-12 reps
-Sit ups/Crunches - 3 sets x 20reps

B:
-Bodyweight Squats - 3 sets x 20 reps
-Military Press (standing) - 3 sets x 5-12 reps
-Straight leg deadlifts - 2 warmup sets (25% of working weight, 50% of working weight 10 reps each), 1 working set 5-10 reps
-Barbell Bicep curls - 3 sets x 8-12reps
-Dips of any kind - 3 sets x 5-12reps

Week 1 : A-B-A
Week 2: B-A-B

The weight you use should be at a point where you can at least do 3 sets of the minimum stated reps. Once you can do 3 sets for the maximum stated reps for a given exercise it is time to up your weight. This should give your body more time to adapt to training. The amount of times that I have got an injury overloading to quickly at 5 x 5 or 3 x 5 is unreal. By keeping the weight the same for longer but increasing reps will allow your joints and muscles more time to adapt and strengthen before adding more weight. It also lets you get more out of your weights before having to purchase more, if money is tight we need to get as much value as we can.

We will do weighted squats 2 times 1 week and 1 time the week after. We are still squatting 3 times a week but this way you will give your body a lot more time to recover.

When you can afford it you need to get something that allows you to do proper front squats of back squats. Squatting is essential for growing your body but is something I feel you need to build up to. You will adapt quickly though.. Within a couple of months you will be strong enough to graduate onto something like SS or Strong lifts or to simply do this but start doing weighted squats 3 times a week.

Post: #9

(12-29-2014 10:09 PM)nah444 Wrote:  I would be careful on following something like starting strength. A lot of newbies to training simply cant handle squatting 3 times a week - it is fucking taxing on the body. I know people who snap their shit up squatting at full weight 3 times a week as they cannot recover, their bodies simply were not used to lifting enough to do it.

That's why you start with f- all weight on the bar.

Then again, maybe I had a base level of fitness through work. Was my first time in a gym though.

Dammit, this thread is making me want to lift, but it's -5 here and I'm not a morning person. OP, just start, and whatever you do, keep at it for a good few months and log your progress. Don't be like my idiot mate who spends every session in front of the mirror and the rest of his time watching already built guys on YouTube, before changing his 'routine' next week.

Consistency is key, and I found 5x5 to be a simple way to start. Time efficient also.

Post: #10

Squatting 3 times a weak isn't really taxing on beginners, it is a horrible idea if you are more advanced. Beginners can only tap into 30-40% of their CNS so they can recover easier than a more experienced trainer

Post: #11

(12-29-2014 06:36 PM)The Reactionary Tree Wrote:  

(12-29-2014 06:34 PM)BallsDeep Wrote:  

(12-29-2014 01:39 PM)roberto Wrote:  Do a search for Stronglifts or Starting Strength and get your beginners gains got.

That happens in the first 90 days or so, correct?

If you have not lifted before or have been away from lifting a long time. You should be making strong newbie gains for 6-12 months.

Obviously in the first 3 months, the gains will be tremendous, but you should always be progressing somewhat in that first year with ease if you are pushing yourself each workout.

I second what The Reactionary Tree said about doing 5X5 for 6 - 12 months. That is all you need for quite a while.

Post: #12

Thanks for the advice . Will be starting with Stronglist . Again , not too sure if I can absorb the hit of buying both barbell + decent amount of weight + Olympic Bench . ( Student , working part time ) But i'll guess I see , maybe parents will throw me a bone .

This is something that I should have started ever since I reached my peak height 3 years ago and I'm finally getting around to it. I'm looking forward to making gains .

Post: #13

Post: #14

As a proof of concept I did a back squat routine every day for a month. I'd usually do sets of triples with heavier weight and sets of five to twenty reps with lighter weight and pyramid back and forth until forty-fifty total reps were done. The first week was hell but by the third week the soreness wasn't bad anymore. Made some awesome gains too.

You guys are very quick to talk science to justify lifting less but no beginner should hear that. If your goal when you start lifting is to get big and muscular, then you should lift until you force the gains, not lift until Mark Rippetoe gives you the OK. If you're a noob you should lift more rather than less since you're not strong enough to risk serious injury weightlifting anyway.

Post: #15

The injury thing is debatable, but this fades in comparison to the difficulty of making a beginner be consistent.

80% of people quit exercise.

If he perceives it as very hard work (if 10x10 or whatever would be superior) from the beginning, he will quit.
It's better to always be on the safe side and by working like this see SMALL improvements ALL the time. If you want to be 10-20 years in the game.

And the mistake most beginners do is they do to much : intensity AND volume.
How many 140 kids do you see working 10 different exercise , and even worse on machines ?!

Kid:
1. Eat big.
2. Strive for progress ALL the time (as Hades pointed out), but in small increments .
3. (But) "Stimulate, don't annihilate".
4.1. Be consistent!!!!!!!!! NEVER miss a workout, unless you are bleeding of something*.
4.2. Use high frequency (HFT) 3-6 time per week
5. Train the main COMPOUND exercises.
6. Sleep + Rest + Relaxation = Recovery.
And did I mention eating BIG?

* "Never trust anything that bleeds 5 days and lives"

Post: #16

Do the basic exercises to start, don't get fancy.

Pull-ups, Push-ups and sit ups to start.

I have been trained for over a decade and now I am back to training this way.

Post: #17

(01-04-2015 05:51 PM)Michael P Wrote:  

Quote:You guys are very quick to talk science to justify lifting less but no beginner should hear that....If you're a noob you should lift more rather than less since you're not strong enough to risk serious injury weightlifting anyway.

The injury thing is debatable, but this fades in comparison to the difficulty of making a beginner be consistent.

80% of people quit exercise.

If he perceives it as very hard work (if 10x10 or whatever would be superior) from the beginning, he will quit.
It's better to always be on the safe side and by working like this see SMALL improvements ALL the time. If you want to be 10-20 years in the game.

And the mistake most beginners do is they do to much : intensity AND volume.

Yeah but using bad science to justify poor performance is an insult to science and anybody who really achieved anything. It's just fancier ways of making excuses.

If a beginner is really motivated to lift all the weights in the gym for hours then the decision to do that should be left to his own discretion rather than assumed by whoever is giving advice. I don't know why everybody wants to cater to the lowest common denominator.

If anything, since 80% of guys quit exercising at some point, why not seriously bust ass while you're motivated to do it? If going for the long term is unlikely, why bother making a sustainable routine?

Case in point, I work with a guy who was collecting unemployment and dealing drugs for about six months some time in the 90s. He didn't have a TV or anything, so what he'd do to pass the time while he lived in his brother's garage was to buy a case of beer, and do hundreds of sets of curls, military press, front raises, chainsaw pulls, squats, mostly with big dumbbells, for like eight or nine hours a day until he got too drunk to lift. The guy hasn't lifted for years but he's still big as hell, way bigger than most guys who still lift.

Post: #18

Do back squats, bench press, and bent-over rows on Monday and Friday. This is mandatory.

Do deadlifts, overhead press, and any kind of squat (back/paused/front, etc.), and any isolation work you feel like doing, on Wednesday. Unlike the above, this day and these exercises are optional.

Do no more than 3 work sets on each exercise in whatever rep range you are comfortable with. Eat in a controlled calorie surplus. Over time try to increase the weight on the bar and break records.

Post: #19

So after receiving valuable advice from you all, I figured it’s only right that I come back and tell you the regime that I have decided upon.

Before I do so I wanted to give some advice to anyone who may be starting the Stronglift/Starting Strength program:

1. Don’t be afraid to increase your baseline. When I first started, I was using the recommended weights for the first sessions. (20kg for squats etc ).

Now I’m not a strong person by any means, the workout seemed more like a warm up than an actual workout. So in my next session I doubled the weight to 40Kg. It was harder and I had to rest 60 seconds rather than 30 however it was more satisfying. It felt more like a workout.

During that same session, I thought I could increase my overhead press weight to 40kg as well. However I was sadly mistaken, so I dropped it to 30kg. Which is still 10kgs more than the recommend 20kgs.

Test yourself, see what your limits are, and set your benchmarks from there.

Had I followed the recommended weights to the letter, my “work outs” would have been warm ups for at least 2 weeks.

2. Don’t be afraid to add more to the program if you feel you can handle it. After every Stronglift session, I do a 5x5 of barbell curls and a 3x12 of triceps dips.


3. Don’t even bother investing in a home gym if you can’t buy at least 100kgs worth of weight. I made that mistake and here’s why : I spent a lot of money ( for me) investing in 50kgs worth of weights and a barbell . I still don’t have a squat rack or bench which means I need to be extra careful during my exercises.

Also, I underestimated how quickly my strength will increase. By this time next month, those 50kgs will be obsolete and I will be forced to go ahead and sign a gym membership. Or spend money on a bench, squat rack, Olympic barbell and MORE weights.

The only advantage of investing in a home gym if you have limited funds is: Should you be financially stretched and unable to pay for you gym membership, you can at least train with obsolete weights at home.

Okay with that been said here is my current workout program that I’ve devised based on your help :

Sunday

Squat 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
Barbell Row 5x5
Barbell Curls 5x5
Tricep Dips 5x5

Tuesday

Squat 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5
Deadlift 5x5
Barbell Row 5x5
Barbell Curls 5x5
Tricep Dips

Wednesday

- 20-30 Jog minute
- Brandon Carter’s 15 minute ab workout (youtube)

Friday

Squat 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
Barbell Row 5x5
Barbell Curls 5x5
Tricep Dips

Saturday

-20-30 Jog
- Brandon Carter’s 15 minute ab workout (youtube)


As for my diet , I pretty much eat whatever I want . It’s not the healthiest, but I’m not eating KFC every other day neither.

Post: #20

Cut it down to 3x5 honestly. You're gonna be exerting like crazy to get those 4th and 5th sets done on each exercise just for like a 2-3% difference in gains. It's just pointless as a natty, and most 5x5 programs recommend eventually gearing down to 3x5 when the weight gets tough anyway. Remember that you get greatly diminishing returns with each work set. Up to 80% of the gains you'll make on an exercise you will make on the FIRST work set.

Post: #21

Civpro is right. Doing four to five 5x5 in one day will leave you exhausted and will take too much time. Honestly I am pretty tired after doing two 5x5 in my workouts.I do the two 5x5 and then two to three bodybuilding exercises, at two to three sets each, which are higher reps. 5x5 is meant as strength building. You will be pushing to do more weight every workout and you will typically need more rest in between sets.

Post: #22

I think absolute beginners should always start with 3x all over body routines for a few months before attempting programmes like strong lifts etc.

This allows one to learn how to train, rest, fuel oneself correctly etc before attempting something that can easily go wrong.

This is especially true if working out alone.

Post: #23

If all you've got is a barbell, then do clean and press and front squat.

Here's a copy of Dan John's From the Ground Up, a beginner's guide to olympic lifting. Yeah I know I'm not goosestepping to the Starting Strength crowd here, but all you've got is 50 kg of weight and a barbell.

The program looks like this



I know this is an old thread, but this is just to give you some ideas in case you never got the bench and squat rack. Dan John is part of the "lifting clergy" after all. Outside of some of the more dubious Dragondoor endorsements he's still a good resource.

Post: #24

Why don't you get a gym membership instead? Then you can do everything from day one. Then piece together your home gym as funds permit.

Post: #25

I had a lot of success doing a 5x5 with this program. Scroll down till you see the program that got 1st place. It's about halfway down.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw46.htm

I simplified leg day to just deadlifts and rear squats. I also used dumb bells for the bent over rows and stand up rows. No sense ruining your shoulders using a bar bell. I was able to pack on some decent newbie gains for about a year. After that I needed to change up my routine.