The Beginner Workout Guide: Answers to Commonly Asked Weightlifting Questions

[Sniperwolf990]

Hey iv been working out for about a month or 2 now, but i honestly don't really know what im doing for the most part im currently doing starting strength and its working for me a bit but i don't know how to deadlift with stationary barbels im wondering if theres any other workout thats as effective that i can do instead, I also need help for bench press how do you know if ur lifting too much or too little so far my max is 105lb but barely 5 reps, ill be grateful for any advice.

[AlphaJerry]

Thank you, this has been very helpful.

[Sincerity05]

Than you very helpful threat, i would like to ask you what you think about my workout routine, and what do i need to change? Im 194 cm and 80kg
Routine:
Monday/Tuesday: Biceps 2 exercises (Barbell Curls, Dumbbell Curls),4 reps for each and 10 sets. Triceps 2 exercises (Skullcrushers,Pushdowns),4 reps for each and 10 sets. Forearm 2 exercises,4 reps for each and 20 sets. Lats 3 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. Abs 1 exercise 3 reps with 30 sets,1 set push ups 3 reps 10 sets,1 set pull ups 3 rep 5 sets.. Later i make a last biceps exercise (Dumbbell Curl,) with only 1 rep with lower weight (10kg/22ibs) with 100 sets.
Thursday/Friday: Chest 3 exercises 4 reps for each and 10 sets. Shoulders 3 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. Quads 1 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. Abs 1 exercise 3 reps with 30 sets,1 set push ups 3 reps 10 sets,1 set pull ups 3 rep 5 sets.
Wednesday/Saturday/Sunday: Abs 3 exercises 4 reps for each 30 sets. Push ups 1 exercise 12 reps with 10 sets (after every abs set i make 10 push ups/1 set push ups). Pull ups 1 exercise 12 reps 5 sets (after every push up set i make 5 pull ups/one set pull ups). Quads 1 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. 15-20 min Jumping Rope.

Diet:
Everyday i eat muesli in the morning,later i eat around 4 boiled potatoes and drink 3 eggs with the yolk (1-2h before workout for energy), after the workout i drink 2 eggs with yolk and eat beans,spinach or meat (whatever we have, but mostly one of these 3), i try to avoid eating sugar and eat as few as possible,my last meal is at 18:00-19:00 (cuz i want to lose my belly fat), daily i drink +2l water.I eat around 2k calories daily because i want to lose my belly fat.


if you have the time,tell me what i am doing wrong and what do i need to change? where are my mistakes?

I know my routine is bad so can you tell me for what should i workout first?
my routine is :
-Biceps
-Triceps
-Forearm
-Lats
-Chest
-Shoulders
-Legs
-Abs
i guess this is not a good routine huh?
i think im gonna change it the next week with something like this:
Monday:
-Biceps (Barbell Curls, Dumbbell Curls, Concentration Curls)
-Forearm ( BB Wrist Curl, DB Wrist Curl,Reverse BB curl)
-Legs (BB Squad)
-Abs
Thursday:
-Chest (BB Flat, Incline, and Decline Press , Flyes , barbell bench press)
-Shoulders (Lateral Raise,Military press,Arnold press)
-Legs (BB Squad)
-Abs
Wednesday:
-Triceps (Close Grip Bench Press, Skullcrushers,Pushdowns)
-Lats (Bent over BB row,Deadlifts,Elevated Cable Rows,Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown)
-Legs (BB Squad)
-Abs
Thursday:
-Same as Monday
Friday:
-Same as Thursday
Saturday:
-Same as Wednesday
Sunday:
-Abs
-Push Ups
-Pull Ups
-Legs (BB Squad)

so it goes:
-Biceps
-Forearm
-Chest
-Shoulders
-Triceps
-Lats

is this routine fine or do i need to change something?

[maryqjohnson]

all of the arrangement of the question is really helpful and we have learn many new things.

[new2forum]

New here, wanted to say hi to all you fine folks...

[Kurto95]

Hi, I am 16 and have finally sucked it up and wanted to defeat my skinniness. I am a hard gainer, ectomorph whatever you want to call it. I have set up a training program diet and everything and am raring to go, I am unsure though on whether I have done it right because of all the different types of training. I am aiming for progressive overload training, or muscle hypertrophy you mat call it. To build muscle do I :
- need to increase the weight slightly each set ( say I do 3sets 8 reps bench... Set1 28kg set2 30kg set3 32kg ) is that correct? Furthermore do I then need to increase it the week after? ( so week 2 set1 29kg set2 31kg set3 33kg) is that the correct way? And do I do that for all of my exercises? I intend to do that for all my exercises ?.. Here is my weekly program... Mon: Chest .. Tue: Arms .. Wed: Legs+Forearms .. Thur: Shoulders .. Fri: Back
Sat and sun : rest/cardio ........ If this is the right way, could someone please help me whether it is important to finish all the reps.. What if by the 3rd rep I can't do I increase the week after or stay the same? And if this is right/wrong will it make my form worse or better because I am starting off lighter and going heavier et any help would be very much appreciated!!!

[Jusu]

Hi, I am 16 and have finally sucked it up and wanted to defeat my skinniness. I am a hard gainer, ectomorph whatever you want to call it. I have set up a training program diet and everything and am raring to go, I am unsure though on whether I have done it right because of all the different types of training. I am aiming for progressive overload training, or muscle hypertrophy you mat call it. To build muscle do I :
- need to increase the weight slightly each set ( say I do 3sets 8 reps bench... Set1 28kg set2 30kg set3 32kg ) is that correct? Furthermore do I then need to increase it the week after? ( so week 2 set1 29kg set2 31kg set3 33kg) is that the correct way? And do I do that for all of my exercises? I intend to do that for all my exercises ?.. Here is my weekly program... Mon: Chest .. Tue: Arms .. Wed: Legs+Forearms .. Thur: Shoulders .. Fri: Back
Sat and sun : rest/cardio ........ If this is the right way, could someone please help me whether it is important to finish all the reps.. What if by the 3rd rep I can't do I increase the week after or stay the same? And if this is right/wrong will it make my form worse or better because I am starting off lighter and going heavier et any help would be very much appreciated!!!

Okay bro, let's start with basics. There aren't things such as hard gainers or ectomorphs. There are just people who need to eat more and people with different physiques. You can't categorize yourself in that way. Or if you do, you could start explaining things like not gaining with that. "I'm hard gainer I can't gain so much etc." Got this?

You're beginner so I'd say you should hit your muscles more than once a week because that way you give them more growth stimulation. Beginners recover faster. And you don't need to increase weights in every set. Just try to increase them in every workout and if you aren't able then you aren't. **** happens. For example bench 3 sets of 8-10 reps with weight 32kg. When you get 10 reps (or 10,10,9) in every set add weight as much you're able to do 8 reps. And then again. The thing is, you need to increase number of reps, weight or intensity in every workout.

But your program, change it to for instance Arnold's Golden Six. Do it like 3 months and then come back and search another workout - maybe 2-split.

[marlove1]

Really good stuff, learnt a lot of information on form and information on muscles. Thank you!

[y0lked]

Than you very helpful threat, i would like to ask you what you think about my workout routine, and what do i need to change? Im 194 cm and 80kg
Routine:
Monday/Tuesday: Biceps 2 exercises (Barbell Curls, Dumbbell Curls),4 reps for each and 10 sets. Triceps 2 exercises (Skullcrushers,Pushdowns),4 reps for each and 10 sets. Forearm 2 exercises,4 reps for each and 20 sets. Lats 3 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. Abs 1 exercise 3 reps with 30 sets,1 set push ups 3 reps 10 sets,1 set pull ups 3 rep 5 sets.. Later i make a last biceps exercise (Dumbbell Curl,) with only 1 rep with lower weight (10kg/22ibs) with 100 sets.
Thursday/Friday: Chest 3 exercises 4 reps for each and 10 sets. Shoulders 3 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. Quads 1 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. Abs 1 exercise 3 reps with 30 sets,1 set push ups 3 reps 10 sets,1 set pull ups 3 rep 5 sets.
Wednesday/Saturday/Sunday: Abs 3 exercises 4 reps for each 30 sets. Push ups 1 exercise 12 reps with 10 sets (after every abs set i make 10 push ups/1 set push ups). Pull ups 1 exercise 12 reps 5 sets (after every push up set i make 5 pull ups/one set pull ups). Quads 1 exercises,4 reps for each and 10 sets. 15-20 min Jumping Rope.

Diet:
Everyday i eat muesli in the morning,later i eat around 4 boiled potatoes and drink 3 eggs with the yolk (1-2h before workout for energy), after the workout i drink 2 eggs with yolk and eat beans,spinach or meat (whatever we have, but mostly one of these 3), i try to avoid eating sugar and eat as few as possible,my last meal is at 18:00-19:00 (cuz i want to lose my belly fat), daily i drink +2l water.I eat around 2k calories daily because i want to lose my belly fat.


if you have the time,tell me what i am doing wrong and what do i need to change? where are my mistakes?

I know my routine is bad so can you tell me for what should i workout first?
my routine is :
-Biceps
-Triceps
-Forearm
-Lats
-Chest
-Shoulders
-Legs
-Abs
i guess this is not a good routine huh?
i think im gonna change it the next week with something like this:
Monday:
-Biceps (Barbell Curls, Dumbbell Curls, Concentration Curls)
-Forearm ( BB Wrist Curl, DB Wrist Curl,Reverse BB curl)
-Legs (BB Squad)
-Abs
Thursday:
-Chest (BB Flat, Incline, and Decline Press , Flyes , barbell bench press)
-Shoulders (Lateral Raise,Military press,Arnold press)
-Legs (BB Squad)
-Abs
Wednesday:
-Triceps (Close Grip Bench Press, Skullcrushers,Pushdowns)
-Lats (Bent over BB row,Deadlifts,Elevated Cable Rows,Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown)
-Legs (BB Squad)
-Abs
Thursday:
-Same as Monday
Friday:
-Same as Thursday
Saturday:
-Same as Wednesday
Sunday:
-Abs
-Push Ups
-Pull Ups
-Legs (BB Squad)

so it goes:
-Biceps
-Forearm
-Chest
-Shoulders
-Triceps
-Lats

is this routine fine or do i need to change something?

there is nothing good about what u posted here. please read the stickies on diet and routines

[mason5743]

Hey im mason im 15 and i what to build muscle but idk what all to do i have a bench at my house and dumb bells but i do not have alot of money for a gym i live next to life time i have creatine and protine but i cant drink it i get tired realy fast soo idk what i need to get

[LiftRightMeow]

Hey im mason im 15 and i what to build muscle but idk what all to do i have a bench at my house and dumb bells but i do not have alot of money for a gym i live next to life time i have creatine and protine but i cant drink it i get tired realy fast soo idk what i need to get

join a gym. it's worth it

[christiancub]

great post it really answered a looot of my questions thanks bro

[MrSergeant]

thanks im a noob at bodybuilding

[MrSergeant]

Hey im mason im 15 and i what to build muscle but idk what all to do i have a bench at my house and dumb bells but i do not have alot of money for a gym i live next to life time i have creatine and protine but i cant drink it i get tired realy fast soo idk what i need to get

Just worry about your diet and eat a lot while you work out to gain muscle. Eat lots of meats and nuts. Work out 3 days a week for about 30 mins to build muscles. I am 15 too btw.

[ronaldruslan]

so then is 40 egg whites a day sufficient enough for building muscles? what happens if you gain fat < checked with a tanita body analyzer (76 - 78 kg, from 17.2 - 20.1 percent, muscle stayed the same). this happened when i workout 4x a week, 40 egg whites and whey protein for post and pre workout. 2000 calories at the most. or is it my genes thats just super bad? any help to enlighten my mind is greatly appreciated.

[LiftRightMeow]

so then is 40 egg whites a day sufficient enough for building muscles? what happens if you gain fat < checked with a tanita body analyzer (76 - 78 kg, from 17.2 - 20.1 percent, muscle stayed the same). this happened when i workout 4x a week, 40 egg whites and whey protein for post and pre workout. 2000 calories at the most. or is it my genes thats just super bad? any help to enlighten my mind is greatly appreciated.

Eating 40 egg whites would be annoying to do every day. Just eat about 3000 calories (maybe 3,500) every day if you're bulking. Chicken, sandwiches, tuna, fish, milk, nuts, peanut butter, eggs, etc are all good foods high in protein to eat.

[Aaallanz]

awsome thread!

[vineethv]

HG you know I love you, but people would listen to you and take you much more seriously if you didn't type like a ****ing retard.

[Cryojet]

nice post op

[lowey20]

You shouldn't have egg whites, rather you should have the whole egg (yolk is the healthiest part of the egg) as it is required for the proper digestion of the protein content within the egg. Don't get caught up in the high cholesterol fear from yolks. It has been shown that consumption of whole eggs decreases cholesterol levels as the yolk contain's healthy fat's that assist essential metabolic processes within the body

[bvff]

In that sense- all macronutrients should be limited.

It's not necessarily good advice to demonize certain foods/food groups- it can lead to many negative things (eating disorders being the worst) especially when provided to beginners who don't know any better.

I'd suggest spending some time reading all of the stickies and maybe even some threads in the nutrition section (& including the links in this thread). You'll learn a lot, as would anyone else. Probably the smartest board as a whole on this website.

ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

[Nator12]

Hey guys, currently when I do bicep curls I can do 10 reps of 10 kg, and alternatively can do 6 reps of 12 kg, my question is which is better and hence which should I do?

Cheers

[kyoz91]

You will find this guide interesting for quick muscles building. It covers the following 5 areas:
1)Arms
2)Back
3)Chest
4)Shoulder
5)Legs
Check it out on this link jvzoo.com/c/30924/665

[floralacy]

Sleep
Try to get at least 8 hrs of sleep every single night. Getting enough sleep is essential to building muscle. While you sleep, your body repairs itself. Without enough sleep, your progress will most likely come to a halt. Sleeping will provide you with the energy to workout at your best.

Well, if sleeping is the topic, I would sleep more than 8 hours.

[turcott123]

I was reading this before I sent this to my friend who is just starting out. Pretty good article man.

As for the stretching before/after issue... static stretching before resistance training is not recommended. Self myofascial release (foam rolling) and dynamic stretching would be the proper things to do before a resistance training program that is geared towards strength gain and/or hypertrophy. Static stretching is appropriate for after workouts along with SMR again.

With the whole simple/complex carbohydrate issue...
They are different and of course you don't want to down sugary drinks all day unless diabetes is your goal haha. Simple sugars around your workouts could benefit you from the spike in insulin that they trigger, and they are a fast energy source as well. A complex carb source around your workouts probably wouldn't trigger the same insulin response and energy rush that say a Gatorade would (when I say energy rush don't expect something like a preworkout would give you lol). Wisely chosen carb sources could definitely benefit your training. I think every carbohydrate source whether simple, complex, low GI, or high GI could play a role in your diet.

I would change what you said about training frequency. Training muscle groups twice a week has shown to be effective for MANY people including myself. Of course a split that involved this would involve less volume for each muscle group than an "every muscle group once a week" program would. Not doing so would definitely put you at a higher risk of injury/overtraining. You're not gonna be in the gym for 2 hours twice a week just doing chest exercises.

[NamelessMuffin]

And it's all useful information. That's the problem with people on this forum. You guys will spend hours upon hours not learning anything on a bodybuilding website and make terrible progress. If you just take some time out of your day to read something for once, then you might actually make some good progress. I wish when I started out that I had read something like this. It would've saved me months of wasted effort

Repped. It might take 10 minutes to read, but it's solid advice.

[JayAye]

Sorry I'm new to this forum, and don't really know what I'm doing. What are some good exercises I can do to work on shoulder and back?

[Kytrail]

Good stuff

[SD021]

Awesome thread, answered a load of questions I had!

[Dango1]

Hey iv been working out for about a month or 2 now, but i honestly don't really know what im doing for the most part im currently doing starting strength and its working for me a bit but i don't know how to deadlift with stationary barbels im wondering if theres any other workout thats as effective that i can do instead, I also need help for bench press how do you know if ur lifting too much or too little so far my max is 105lb but barely 5 reps, ill be grateful for any advice.

Learn how to do Barbell deadlifts there's a sticky by Kiknskreem (It's in the exercise category of the forum) on dead lifts everything you need to know, post a video of your deadlifts and everyone can help you out on form. You probably are lifting too much if you cant get the designated reps which is 5 reps, but if you hit 5 reps on your own stick to it and try to build it up. If no matter what you can't get past the weight or consistently fail to get desired reps just reset the weight down and build up again (usually that fixes the problem). You will most likely experience gains that people call, "noob' gains, when your body is adapting to the sudden training.