Routines and Advice *updated*

[N@tural1]

I hope this will help beginners and first time readers and also some intermediate lifters who are looking for a new routine.

First a few basic points to consider.


1/ Don't copy the workout routines of advanced guys that are already big, and strong.

The training style of someone who is already strong, and has experiance under his belt maybe very different to a newbie. Don't look at these guys training styles and think that you need to train their way straight off. These guys have built up their work capacity, and also through experiance, know how to fine tune a workout to address their own personal strengths and weaknesses.


2/ No one single training style is optimal for everyone.

There are many styles of training and while a training system maybe optimal for someone at a given time, no one training style will be optimal, for everyone, at all times. We must experiment and find what works for us as an individual, because thats what you are, unique, so while somebody else may gain well on program A, program B may be more suited to you. The best way to find out? Try!


3/ Keep your routine simple, basic and focus on getting stronger.

The best thing a new lifter can do is train to get stronger on the core lifts, compound (multi-joint) movements:

Squats
Deadlifts
Bench
Rows
Dips
Chins
Overhead pressing

These are the things to focus on, and get good at. Think how much bigger you'd be if you concentrated on the above lifts for a year or two and added significant amounts of weight to each! I'm not suggesting to leave out isolation (single-joint) exercises, these are certainly beneficial but the above movements and their variations are the money makers especially for beginners.


4/ Avoid extremes to begin with.

At either end of the spectrum we have lifters that perform high workloads of 20 (ish) sets per body part. At the other we have the single set to failure (SSTF) lifters who use just one work set per exercise but take that one set to it's absolute limit (failure) and possibly beyond using set extending techniques. I am of the opinion that for the majority of beginners to intermediate lifters that moderation is the key. Moderate workloads (volume) and muscular failure avoided for the most part. This results in a decent load on the muscular system while helping to avoid the systematic fatigue caused by too much use of taking sets to failure and possibly beyond.


Examples of full body routines.

Full body routines are very effective for beginners. Here are links to 3 very effective full body programs.

A Simple Beginner's Routine by All Pro

The Official Rippetoe -Starting Strength FAQ

Madcows 5x5


A simple 3 day routine. Each bodypart once per week. Each exercise 2-4 sets, reps 5-8.

Back/Bis

Deadlifts
A Row
Chins or Pulldows
Bicep Curl

Chest/Tris

Bench
DB or Inc Bench
Chest Dips
Triceps Isolation

Legs/Shoulders

Squat
GHR (Glute Ham Raise)
Military Press
Calf Work


A rotation that hits each bodypart once every 4-5 days.

1.
Squat 2-3 x 5, 1 x 10
Ham Work 3 x 8
BB Row 4 x 6
Bicep Iso 2 x 10

2.
Bench Press 3 x 5
Dips 3 x 8
Side Laterals 3 x 10
Tricep Iso 2 x 10

3.
Deadlift 3 x 5
Leg Press 2 x 10 or 1 x 20
Pullups 20-40 reps
Bicep Iso 2 x 10

4.
DB or Incline Bench 3 x 5
Flyes 3 x 8-12
OH Press 3 x 6-8
Tricep Iso 2 x 10

Workout on Mon/Wed/Fri/Mon and alternate workouts 1/2/3/4 etc...


Another rotation that hits each bodypart once every 4-5 days but using a little more volume.

1.
Squats 3 x 5, 1 x 10
Ham Work 3 x 8-10
Pullups 20-40 reps
BB Rows 4 x 6
Curls 2 x 10

2.
DB or Incline Bench 2 x 5, 2 x 8
Dips 2 x 8
DB OH Press 3 x 8
Side Laterals 2 x 10
Skulls 2 x 10

3.
Deadlifts 2-3 x 5
Leg Press 2 x 10 or 1 x 20
Chins 20-40 reps
DB Rows 3 x 8
Curls 2 x 10

4.
Bench Press 2 x 5, 2 x 8
DB Flyes 2 x 8-12
Military Press 3 x 8
Side Laterals 2 x 10
Skulls 2 x 10

Workout on Mon/Wed/Fri/Mon and alternate workouts 1/2/3/4 etc...


A favorite of mine that hits each bodypart twice per week.

Day 1

4x Squats: 5 reps
3x Ham Work: 8 reps
3x BB or DB Row: 8 reps
2x Bicep Curls: 10 reps

Day 2

4x Bench Press: 5 reps
3x Military Press: 8 reps
3x Tricep Isolation: 8 reps
2x Ab/Calf Work: 15 reps

Day 3

4x Deadlifts: 5 reps
3x Pullups: 8 reps
3x Leg Press: 8 reps
2x Biceps Curls: 10 reps

Day 4

4x DB or Incline Press: 5 reps
3x Chest Dips: 8 reps
3x Side Lateral Raise: 8 reps
2x Ab/Calf Work: 15 reps

Day 1: On
Day 2: On
Day 3: Off
Day 4: On
Day 5: Off
Day 6: On
Day 7: Off


A simple 4 day upper/lower.

Mon.

Squat 2-3 x 5
Ham Work 3 x 10
Calves 3 x 15
Abs 2 x 10

Wed.

Bench Press 3 x 5
BB or DB Row 3 x 6, 1 x 15
OH Press 3 x 8
Arms -Tri/Bi - each 3 x 8-10

Fri.

Deadlift Variant 2-3 x 5
Leg Press 2 x 10 or 1 x 20
Calves 3 x 15
Abs 2 x 10

Sun.

Incline bench 3 x 10-15
Pullups 20-40 reps
Dips 2 x 8-12
Lateral Raise 3 x 8-10


A couple of examples of 2 day per week training.

Each bodypart 1x a week.

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps.

Bench or Dips
Incline Bench (optional)
OH Press
Side Laterals
Tricep Isolation

Legs, Back, Biceps.

Squat or Deadlifts
Leg Press (optional)
Pullups
Rowing Lift
Bicep Curl

Hitting each major bodypart 2x per week.

Workout 1.

Squats
BB or DB Row
Bench
Incline Bench
Bicep Curl

Workout 2.

Deadlifts
Pullups
Dips
OH Press
Tricep Isolation


A 10 day strength/hypertrophy rotation.

Day 1: Heavy Upper
Day 2:
Day 3: Heavy Lower
Day 4:
Day 5: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Day 6: Back, Biceps
Day 7:
Day 8: Legs
Day 9:
Day 10:
Repeat, or Repeat on Day 10

Day 1 - Heavy Upper.

Bench 3 x 3 or 3 x 5 or work up to a 1RM
Row 3 x 5
OH Press 3 x 5

Day 3 - Heavy Lower.

Squats 3 x 3 or 3 x 5 or work up to a 1RM
GHR 3 x 5
Calves 3 x 6

Days 5-8 All exercises are 2-4 sets of 8-15 reps.

Day 5 - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps.

Bench or Dips
DB Flyes
Side Lateral Raises
Front Lateral Raises
Tricep Isolation

Day 6 - Back, Biceps.

Wide Grip Chins
Rows
Pulldowns
Shrugs
Curls

Day 8 - Legs.

Squat Variant
GHR
Leg Press
Ham Work
Calf Work

NOTE: The above routine can also be condensed into the 7 day week for those that can tolerate the workload. Monday and Tuesday would be heavy upper and heavy lower, Wednesday would be off followed by the higher rep work on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday off and repeat. This is based on the training style of Layne Norton. Before you try this however be sure that you can tolerate training 5 days per week, this would be suited to more advanced lifters.


Routine Summary.

The routines above are not set in stone, you may like to adjust sets and/or reps to suit you but they serve as a basic template.

A routine to get you big and strong doesn't need to be filled with loads of "stuff" just heavy work on the important lifts at a frequency that you personally can recover from. If you decide to put together your own program remember to keep it

Simple
Basic
Focus on big lifts
Strength Progression

Add to this a decent diet, and you'll make good progress.


How to deload.

A "deload" is a period of time typically a week where either less intensity, volume and/or frequency, or a combination of all three is used to allow accumulated fatigue to dissipitate. A deload is usually recommended every 4-6 weeks (approx). An example would be to train just once or twice during that week using less intensity and/or volume than usual. You're usually stronger coming back off a deload and often this is when PR's are set. It's an invaluable tool in our box of tricks.

All the best with your training and in reaching your goals.

[bango skank]

Sticky!

[Hut*Hut]

Good, sensible stuff.

[ironwill2008]

Sticky!

Yes, it should be; would make it easier to direct noobs to it, instead of having to suffer through all the "rate my routine" posts consisting of 7 days/week of arm/chest training.

[Hut*Hut]

Yes, it should be; would make it easier to direct noobs to it, instead of having to suffer through all the "rate my routine" posts consisting of 7 days/week of arm/chest training.

Yeah. This as a sticky and the SS sticky would pretty much sort 90% of the people who come to this board out.

[shaodw]

added to my bookmarks, you and all_pro deserve lots of love thanks mate

[GuyJin]

Remember the guy from "Robocop?"

I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good, sensible advice, and to echo (parrot?) Ironwill, it should save the newb from following routines which are too advanced for them, and which will net them greater gains in the long run. A definite "Sticky" and a must read for all.

[N@tural1]

Thanks for the suggestion guys and many thanks to Dominik for making it a sticky! I hope it helps many new lifters.

[Adam_IRL]

This post is exactly what iv been looking for thanks a lot!
Iv been working out for 4 months now should i stick with the full body workout every second day or work seperate muscle groups once a week?

[N@tural1]

This post is exactly what iv been looking for thanks a lot!
Iv been working out for 4 months now should i stick with the full body workout every second day or work seperate muscle groups once a week?

I would suggest either All Pro's beginners routine or the routine I've labelled:

"A rotation that hits each bodypart once every 4-5 days."

And see how it goes.

[A-Ram]

Thanks a lot for this. I have a couple of questions though:

"A favorite of mine that hits each bodypart twice per week."

For that workout should I do the sets to failure? Also, right now there is an imbalance between my upper and lower body; my lower body is stronger. I was going to follow your routine and do lighter weights for the lower body stuff so my upper body can catch up. I heard this helps in toning, but I also heard that once you tone a lot it's hard to build muscle on those areas again. Is that true?

[N@tural1]

Thanks a lot for this. I have a couple of questions though:

"A favorite of mine that hits each bodypart twice per week."

For that workout should I do the sets to failure?

I would suggest that you read the 4 points raised at the begining of the original thread namely point number 4. I'm happy answering questions but do encourage anyone asking for advice to read the OP properly first.

Train legs normaly, follow the routines as they've been written. However if you're experianced enough and know your own body then you'll know which rep range works best for you based on your goals but if in doubt just follow the routine.

Regarding your toning questions. Toning is primarily a function of lower body fat levels. If you wish to discuss this subject further I would suggest for you to do a search on "toning" or open a new thread dedicated to that subject, you'll get far greater input.

Thx.

[User4543432]

Nice work N@tural!!!!!!!

[A-Ram]

OK, sorry about that.

[dkfan9]

this is great stuff.

[Pixel3]

Thanks mate very informative post!

[manONfire]

hi im a rookie in lifting im going with this workout

From the start i have focusing on training correct and getting stronger than trying to lift a ton, mostly to prevent injurie anf instead getting stronger.


http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/mass...ym_workout.htm workoutprogram #3.
resting 45-60 sec between reps. and i changed the reps to 10-12 in all sets-

As warmup i'm jogging for 15-20 min do 3 sets of pushup's 10 reps-

I have a bench with incline but i doesnt allow me too squat and i know that's bad because the exercise i s that important so only going with dumbbells and barbell. Im looking for a new bench with that feature!!!!!

I know it says massprogram,but the main reason why i chose the program is that i can train at home......kinda tough finding the time and money for the gym with house wife and 4 kids.




Now the question is the program fit to also getting stronger or mostly gaining mass?

Q # 2 could anyone suggest another program loooking like this that u can do at home?

i have tried to browse the site but it truly is a jungle of programs all looking interesting and good............for a rookie

thx if anyone have some answers for me

and feel free to ask for info if u need any to give me some advice.

[kziwarrior]

I have a bench with incline but i doesnt allow me too squat and i know that's bad because the exercise i s that important so only going with dumbbells and barbell. Im looking for a new bench with that feature!!!!!

I know it says massprogram,but the main reason why i chose the program is that i can train at home......kinda tough finding the time and money for the gym with house wife and 4 kids.

Now the question is the program fit to also getting stronger or mostly gaining mass?

Q # 2 could anyone suggest another program loooking like this that u can do at home?

That program is a cross between strength and mass but more for mass. If you're just looking for strength/health with a little mass than look into Rippetoe's SS or Starr 5x5. But you're right, you need a squat rack. As for replacing your current bench find a unit were the rack and bench are separate. I found one at Dicks Sporting good for around $250 or so. The bench goes from decline to 90 degrees and has removable leg attachments. The rack (while not perfect) holds is rated at 500# and has adjustable starting and safety pegs (I'm 6'2" and at the top posts are perfect for my squat). It also has a pulley system (lat pulldown and a vertical rail pull) so it should be the last setup you'd need as it will adjust to any workout you like. But stay away from any sort of smith/assisted setup (where the bar is attached to rails). Hope this helps, post a reply or PM me if you have any other questions.

[manONfire]

@ kziwarrior

thx for the answer I WILL be looking into getting a new bench and I'll be looking into the rippetoe tread and see if i may switch to that program.

thx for reply

[DavisForman]

Great thread Natural!

[StevenNevets]

Great thread Natural!

Agreed, if I know someone looking to get into lifting I'll link them here.

[kziwarrior]

Awesome thread n@tural1, will be directing people to it. Saves me a lot of time always digging for the SS and other links.

[N@tural1]

Thanks for all the nice comments!

[The Big Sleep]

Favorited

Nice post N@tural, Im starting up a full-body routine today!

[wmgatorfan]

Quick question. On the 10 day strength/hit program how would you work up to your 1rm on the heavy days?

[N@tural1]

Quick question. On the 10 day strength/hit program how would you work up to your 1rm on the heavy days?

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=3404&

[wmgatorfan]

Ok my 1rm is 260 would something like this work
115x5
135x5
155x3
175x3
195x2
215x2
225x1
240x1
260x1

[Adam_IRL]

hey i dont mean to be rude infact i really like these routines so im gonna start one im just asking can i add ab work to this

Day 1

4x Squats: 5 reps
3x Ham Work: 8 reps
3x BB or DB Row: 8 reps
2x Bicep Curls: 10 reps

Day 2

4x Bench Press: 5 reps
3x Military Press: 8 reps
3x Tricep Isolation: 8 reps
2x Ab/Calf Work: 15 reps

Day 3

4x Deadlifts: 5 reps
3x Pullups: 8 reps
3x Leg Press: 8 reps
2x Biceps Curls: 10 reps

Day 4

4x DB or Incline Press: 5 reps
3x Chest Dips: 8 reps
3x Side Lateral Raise: 8 reps
2x Ab/Calf Work: 15 reps

Day 1: On
Day 2: On
Day 3: Off
Day 4: On
Day 5: Off
Day 6: On
Day 7: Off

and if i insisted even though its bad which day would you suggest please?

[N@tural1]

Adam_IRL

There is ab work on day 2 and 4 already.

[Adam_IRL]

Adam_IRL

There is ab work on day 2 and 4 already.

but could i add 4 different 3x15 ab excersises to both these days? instead of only 2x15 in one excersise type?