Elitelifts' year long training guide (beginners look here)

[EliteLifts]

I have decided to set up a year long training guide for my newbie bro's that visit this section (but are applicable no matter what your experience level). This will give you all a background on many different training routines. These programs can be used for either bulking or cutting. You will start the first routine next monday. Each routine will last 13 weeks before progressing to the next level. Good luck to all of you.

Routine #1 Week 1-13
You will workout on monday, wednesday, and friday alternating between the two full body routines listed below. So week one you will do workout A on monday and friday and workout B on wednesday. The next week you would do workout B on monday and friday and workout A on wednesday.

Workout A
Squat 2 x 8-10
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 2 x 8-10
Dips 2 x 8-10
Bent Row 2 x 8-10
DB Overhead Press 1 x 8-10
Pull Ups 2 x 8-10
Weighted Crunch 2 x 12-15

Workout B
Front Squat 2 x 8-10
Deadlift 2 x 8-10
Flat Bench Press 2 x 8-10
One Arm Row 2 x 8-10
Military Press 1 x 8-10
Chin Ups 2 x 8-10
Weighted Reverse Crunch 2 x 12-15

Routine #2 Week 14-26
This time you will be doing an upper/lower body split. You will do Upper A on monday, Lower A on tuesday, Upper B on thursday, and Lower B on friday.

Upper A
Pull Ups 2 x 8-10
Incline Bench Press 2 x 8-10
One Arm Row 2 x 8-10
Dips 2 x 8-10
Straight Bar Curl 1 x 8-10
DB Overhead Press 1 x 8-10

Upper B
Chin Ups 2 x 8-10
Flat Bench Press 2 x 8-10
Bent Row 2 x 8-10
Decline Bench Press 2 x 8-10
Hammer Curl 1 x 8-10
Military Press 1 x 8-10

Lower A
Squat 2 x 8-10
Stiff Leg Deadlift 2 x 8-10
Lunge 1 x 8-10
Standing Calf Raise 2 x 8-10
Weighted Crunch 2 x 12-15
Twisting Crunch 1 x 12-15

Lower B
Front Squat 2 x 8-10
Deadlift 2 x 8-10
Lunge 1 x 8-10
Seated Calf Raise 2 x 8-10
Weighted Reverse Crunch 2 x 12-15
Twisting Crunch 1 x 12-15

Routine #3 Week 27-39
Now you will be doing an alternating push/pull split. Your workout days will be monday/wednesday/friday. Week 1 you will do push A on monday, pull A on wednesday, and push B on friday. Week two you will be doing pull B on monday, push A on weednesday, and Pull A on friday. Week three will be push B on monday, pull B on wednesday, and push A on friday. Etc, etc. Just keep alternating.

Push A
Squat 2 x 8-10
Flat Bench Press 2 x 8-10
Lunge 2 x 8-10
Decline Bench Press 2 x 8-10
Standing Calf Raise 1 x 8-10
DB Overhead Press 1 x 8-10

Push B
Front Squat 2 x 8-10
Incline Bench Press 2 x 8-10
Lunge 2 x 8-10
Dips 2 x 8-10
Seated Calf Raise 1 x 8-10
Military Press 1 x 8-10

Pull A
Deadlift 2 x 8-10
Pull Ups 2 x 8-10
Glute Ham Raise 2 x 8-10
One Arm Row 2 x 8-10
Weighted Crunch 2 x 8-10
Alt. Hammer Curl 1 x 8-10

Pull B
Stiff Leg Deadlift 2 x 8-10
Chin Ups 2 x 8-10
Glute Ham Raise 2 x 8-10
Bent Row 2 x 8-10
Weighted Reverse Crunch 2 x 8-10
Alt. DB Curl

Routine #4 Week 40-52
By this time you should have built one heck of a body. Feels good doesn't it. We're not done however. For this final routine you will be doing a Legs/Abs, Chest/Shoulders/Triceps, Back/Biceps split.

Monday
Squat 3 x 8-10
Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 x 8-10
Front Squat 2 x 8-10
Glute Ham Raise 2 x 8-10
Standing Calf Raise 3 x 8-10
Weighted Crunch 3 x 12-15
Twisting Crunch 2 x 12-15

Wednesday
Incline Bench Press 3 x 8-10
Flat Bench Press 3 x 8-10
Dips 2 x 8-10
Military Press 3 x 8-10
Side Lateral Raise 2 x 8-10
Shrug 3 x 8-10
Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 8-10
Skullcrusher 2 x 8-10

Friday
Deadlift 3 x 8-10
Pull Ups 2 x 8-10
Bent Row 3 x 8-10
Chin Ups 2 x 8-10
Straight Bar Curl 3 x 8-10
Hammer Curl 2 x 8-10

There it is. Good luck to all.

[SDFlip]

nice.

i'd adjust the rep scheme a bit.


this should be something every newb here has to read.

that way we stop getting "I need a routine" threads 20 times a day

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by SDFlipStyle
nice.

i'd adjust the rep scheme a bit.


this should be something every newb here has to read.

that way we stop getting "I need a routine" threads 20 times a day

SD,

The rep scheme could really be what they want. Well no reps of 45 heh. But yeah you get what I mean. I put the reps as a general guideline. I know some like to go lower like 4-6 and even as high as 12. Keeping the reps in that area would be fine. But again any newbie reading this NO REPS OF 45! 4-12 (though I prefer 8-10 myself) is a good guideline.

[habbis]

what do you recomend for rest interval between sets??
My goal is to gain lean muscle and lose fat, would this routine be ok for that as well. I know nutrients is very important for that goal, ive heard many different opinions of what my diet should consist of to gain muscle/lose fat. What percentages do you recommend?

Would it be better to do 10 minutes HIT or 30 min light jogging on my off days??

Thnx for your help, much appreciated.

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by habbis
what do you recomend for rest interval between sets??
My goal is to gain lean muscle and lose fat, would this routine be ok for that as well. I know nutrients is very important for that goal, ive heard many different opinions of what my diet should consist of to gain muscle/lose fat. What percentages do you recommend?

Would it be better to do 10 minutes HIT or 30 min light jogging on my off days??

Thnx for your help, much appreciated.

It's really impossible to gain maximum amounts of muscle while simultaneosly losing fat at the same time. The reason being that one requires a caloric surplus while the other requires a caloric defecit. I'm going to assume that right now you are a bit overweight and want to drop some pounds. Make that your top priority right now. I would suggest eating 12 x your body weight in cals with a macronutrient breakdown of 40% protein and carbs and 20% fat. Eat six meals a day to keep your matabolism up. As far as the rest and cardio go, I usually rest anywhere from 1 minute to 1:30 between sets but sometimes I go as high as 2 minutes. It just depends on if I am rested enough. For cardio do what you like. Either 20 minutes of hiit cardio three days a week on non consecutive days or 30-45 minutes of cardio at a medium intensity three days a week again on non consecutive days.

Good luck.

[habbis]

Hey, Thanks. I am 19yrs old, 160 pnds, 5 10. I can bech my weight around 8 times. I am probly 18 % body fat(i can barely see my 6 pack)

Can I lose fat while KEEPING my muscle?? Or is that too unrealistic?

Do you recomend creatine, amino acids, glutamine...???
I currently only take whey protein. Im not familiar with the downsides of creatine and stuff.

I appreciate the help, this is probly my last question . Thanks again.

[SDFlip]

how do we get this to be a sticky?

[narak]

Originally posted by SDFlipStyle
how do we get this to be a sticky?

^

and font 72 for the word "beginners" please

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by habbis
Hey, Thanks. I am 19yrs old, 160 pnds, 5 10. I can bech my weight around 8 times. I am probly 18 % body fat(i can barely see my 6 pack)

Can I lose fat while KEEPING my muscle?? Or is that too unrealistic?

Do you recomend creatine, amino acids, glutamine...???
I currently only take whey protein. Im not familiar with the downsides of creatine and stuff.

I appreciate the help, this is probly my last question . Thanks again.

At 18% body fat I would say you would definately want to cut right now.

When you cut you are going to lose a little muscle, no real way to get around it. But you can keep it to a minimum by eating enough calories each day.

Perhaps the biggest mistake I see people making in the weight loss game is they are not eating enough. To me a good point to go by is 12 x your bodyweight in cals.

As far as the sups go there has been no evidence to this day that creatine is dangerous. As far as the rest of the stuff goes I think the only things you really need are whey, dextrose, and a multivitamin. I admit though that I am not Mr. Supplement around here so any questions pertaining to those things you'd want to visit the sups section if you have any questions.

But don't get too caught up in supplements besides the three I mentioned right now. I didn't start adding things like creatine until about a year ago myself and I'd had many years of training already under my belt.

Hope this helps.

[KhorneDeth]

Bump this. Make sticky.

[pr0digy]

great since i know i cant loose fat and same time gain muscle i guess right now i am 220 i will be running and doing lots of cardio till i get to 180-190 then i will start this routine .. But seeing how i am new to all this.. and people who do plan to follow what you have there.. i think its best you explain each excerise and how to do them.. thats part of being new is not knowing how to do each excerise right..

[hepennypacker52]

Originally posted by SDFlipStyle
how do we get this to be a sticky?

It'll most likely go into Bignbuffs "best of the workout section" thread at the top.

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by pr0digy
great since i know i cant loose fat and same time gain muscle i guess right now i am 220 i will be running and doing lots of cardio till i get to 180-190 then i will start this routine .. But seeing how i am new to all this.. and people who do plan to follow what you have there.. i think its best you explain each excerise and how to do them.. thats part of being new is not knowing how to do each excerise right..

Woah...don't do too much cardio buddy. Cardio is VERY overratted when it comes to fat loss. To me a good rule of thumb is three times a week either at a moderate intensity for 30-45 minutes or use H.I.I.T. for 20 minutes.

As for the exercises go to www.exrx.net

Hope this helps and good luck.

Also don't wait to start this or any weight lifting routine until you get to 180-190. Start immediately.

[P.O.S.]

Do you really think a beginner could handle this much work?

Especially three full-body workouts per week?

[SkinnyTallGuy]

Hi is this ok for a newb whos wants to gain alot of weight.

[SDFlip]

Originally posted by P.O.S.
Do you really think a beginner could handle this much work?

Especially three full-body workouts per week?

YES


what do you recommend? 30 sets of biceps twice a week?

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by SkinnyTallGuy
Hi is this ok for a newb whos wants to gain alot of weight.

Yes, yes, and yes provided you are eating enough. You're not going to be a monster if you are only eating 600 cals a day. You need to eat my boy, eat. 18-20 x your body weight in cals.

Also these routines are great for ANYONE, no matter the experience level. Start with routine #1 next monday.

Sometime tommorrow I'll try to expand on bulking diets for those who are trying to gain weight, and cutting diets for those who are trying to lose weight. I'll aslo get into cardio a bit as well.

My hope is that every one will have a good grasp of what they need to do before they hit the gym on monday for routine 1.

[narak]

Originally posted by EliteLifts
Sometime tommorrow I'll try to expand on bulking diets for those who are trying to gain weight, and cutting diets for those who are trying to lose weight. I'll aslo get into cardio a bit as well.

I'm waiting.....

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by narak
I'm waiting.....

LOL...I meant WAAAY later.

I have no class or work tommorrow so most of the day will be a day for myself.

[Gjobsin]

cant wait

[P.O.S.]

Originally posted by SDFlipStyle
YES


what do you recommend? 30 sets of biceps twice a week?

Hey, I'm just being cautious here.

That much work just sounded like a little much.

You say it's not, and I'll have to take your word for it.

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by P.O.S.
Hey, I'm just being cautious here.

That much work just sounded like a little much.

You say it's not, and I'll have to take your word for it.

No, it woudl be a little much if you were doing 57788 sets of sqaust 3949484 sets of bench press, and 1092398932 sets of chin ups.

Sure you are working your full body three times a week in routine 1 but the sets are low and the isolation work is kept to a minimum.

[SkinnyTallGuy]

I just bought some protein and creatine along with some other foods and im making a thing on fitday.com. The problem i have though is i don't know what some of those exercises are. Im looking them up though.

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by SkinnyTallGuy
I just bought some protein and creatine along with some other foods and im making a thing on fitday.com. The problem i have though is i don't know what some of those exercises are. Im looking them up though.

www.exrx.net

[themessiah]

so what kind of diet should you have with this routen

[SkinnyTallGuy]

Heres my nutrition plan. It looks like a bit much so ill have to tamper with it after i go to the gym tonight to find out how much i weigh.

Meal 1

-2/3 Cup of Quaker 1 minute Oats
-2 Scoops of Muscle Juice 2544
-Egg, white only, raw
- 500ml of Soy Vanillia Milk
-(a few blueberrys and strawberrys and maybe a kiwi)

=1226 Cals, 23 Fat, 177 Carb, 75 Prot

Meal 2

-1 Cup of Chopped Chicken Breast
-1 Pita Bread

= 401 Cals, 11 Fat, 29 Carb, 43 Prot

Meal 3

-2 Slices of Dempsters Whole Grains
-1/2 Cup of Clover Leaf Chunk Light Tuna

= 357 Cals, 6 Fat, 41 Carb, 35 Prot

Meal 4
-Multi Creatine Matrix 1 scoop is 5.5 grams of Creapure
-1 Banana

=538 Cals, 1 Fat, 135 Carb, 2 Prot

Meal 5

-Gold Seal Pink Salmon 100 grams
-150 ml Kraft Minute Rice

= 253 Cals, 7 Fat, 28 Carb, 19 Prot

Meal 6

- 250ml Chunkys Soup Beef
- 2 Scoops of Muscle Juice 2544
- 500ml So Good Vanillia

= 364 cals, 19 Fat, 134 Carbs, 42 Prot

The Final Total is: 3810 Cals, 68 Fat, 566 Carbs, 277 Prot

[EliteLifts]

Bumping this up one last time. I know I am a little late with this but I'm going to touch on diet and cardio just a tad.

In the world of bodybuilding you are doing one of two things; either bulking (trying to gain weight) or cutting (trying to lose weight). It is important to note however that it is pretty damn hard to be able to do both at the same time.

Why?

Because one requires a caloric surplus while the other requires a caloric defecit.

Now with that out of the way, how much should you be eating a day to meet your goals of either bulking or cutting and what kind of a macronutrient breakdown should you use?

Well lets start first with the calories.

To you boys cutting, I recommend twelve times your body weight in calories when cutting. To you boys looking to bulk up, I recommend atleast eightteen-twenty times your body weight in cals when bulking.

For the macronutrient breakdown I like to old 40/40/20 ratios of protein, carbs, and fats myself. This means that 40% of your daily cals should come from protein and carbohydrates, with the other 20% comming from fats.

So what kinds of foods should you be eating?

Twinkies, oreos, and lard are great supplements to any diet.

Ok, not really, infact **** like that should be avoided no matter what your goals.

I believe in eating clean no matter if you are bulking or cutting. I know some like to eat ice cream and ho ho's when looking to pack on weight, but to me these things just have no place in a bodybuilder's diet.

Now sure, you will and should splurge every now and again, and infact every sunday I have a cheat meal myself. Keeps me sane.

But the rest of the time I and you are going to be eating clean from good sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

What are some good sources of these?

Well for protein you have tuna, egg whites, skinless chicken breasts and skinless turkey breasts, top sirloin steak, extra lean hamburger (96-97% lean), all white ground turkey breast, most sources of fish (and yes I know tuna is a fish smartasses ) and 1% cottage cheese just to name a few.

Next we have carbohydrates. Good sources of these are sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice, apples, berries of all types, oatmeal, and whole wheat pastas and breads (including tortillas and pita's) in limited quantities. Don't forget too that vegetables carry carbs as well as fiber so make sure you are including them in your diet as well. I prefer carrots and anything green myself.

Lastly we have fats. I like all natural peanut butter and olive oil myself. There are others that are good fats but these are my favs.

Finally remember to be eating five or six meals a day as oppossed to the traditional three course meal. Each meal should be spread out every two-three hours so if you ate at seven AM for instance you should be eating again at 10AM by the latest.

Now with that out of the way I am going to briefly touch on cardio.

I believe that the best times for cardio are as follows.

1. On a non lifting day
2. eight-twelve hours apart from a weight training session
3. After you've lifted

As you can see option one is definately the best, with option three being the last one. Most people on here will agree with me on this, but where a lot of debate comes up is if you should exercise on an empty stomach or not.

Now I feel that both sides give very strong points and cardio on an empty stomach or not is a decision that YOU have to make yourself.

For me though I fall in the middle, and do cardio in the morning on a carb depleted state. That means that for breakfast I will eat a tuna and egg white scramble as oppossed to oatmeal for instance.

Like I said thought this is something that YOU have to decide for yourself. One thing that is for sure though is that you definately should never lift weights on an empty stomach.

Of course the next thing is how much cardio should you do. For those cutting I recommend either three days a week of HIIT cardio for 20 minutes or three-four days a week of cardio at a medium intensity for 30-45 minutes.

For those bulking, some may choose not to do any cardio but those that do I would say 15-20 minutes of cardio at a LITE intensity will do.

Anyhow, sorry for getting all this up so late and I hope I didn't make it too long or confussing. Any questions just ask me.

Oh, and before this gets started because I have a feeling it will, this thread isn't for debating empty stomach cardio. There have already been enough threads on that, and if you want to start yet another debate, make a new one.

This thread is about giving my newbie bro's some advice on lifting, diet, and the things that have worked for me.

Again, good luck to all of you.

[shooter]

i've been doing a 4 day split for about 4 months and have seen alright gains, but my muscles always feel like they could be worked more than they are. if i started this program from week 1 would it still be good for gaining mass after ive been doing a 4 day split for a while. im 16 and 160 trying to bulk.

[narak]

Originally posted by EliteLifts
Bumping this up one last time. I know I am a little late with this but I'm going to touch on diet and cardio just a tad.

Good post and I like the simple way you address/explain the issues.

[EliteLifts]

Originally posted by shooter
i've been doing a 4 day split for about 4 months and have seen alright gains, but my muscles always feel like they could be worked more than they are. if i started this program from week 1 would it still be good for gaining mass after ive been doing a 4 day split for a while. im 16 and 160 trying to bulk.

Yes, so long as you are getting the recommend amount of daily calories that you need.

Can't expect to be a 250 pound freak when all you eat is cheerios for breakfast, yogurt for lunch, and a handful of cashews for supper.