my gf friend is a beginner - 3 day split or full body?

[82ndAirborne]

okay im looking for a little help for my girlfriend she is 5'6 130 and looks good she just wants to lose about 10 pounds or so and tone up as she says anyway i have develpoed a good diet for her and just wondering she is in shape as she is in the army with me but she is band new to weight training would she benefit more from hitting a full body workout 3 times a week or a 3 day split. I am leaning toward 3 full body workouts to kickstart her muscles what do you guys think

also is 12 4 sets of 12 reps good for her goal or should she bump that up to 15 thanks for your time

[Hard_Worker]

i would get her started on a full body routine. Also an important part of weight loss is cardio, i would suggest performing 20-40 mins of cardio after weight training, this is because the glycogen stores are depleted and it will speed up fat loss. HIIT is great for fat loss as it shocks ur body into losing weight.

I would aim for about 15-20reps

[Olifter]

I disagree with the high rep ranges, i say she'd get better tone using heavier weights with low reps, and unless she is a genetic freak she won't grow big muscular like many females think they will. When she lifts heavy and loses the fat you'll be a lucky dog cause you'll get to enjoy the results as much as she will

[brakeforlife]

yea as the previous poster stated she wont get big muscles, its impossible without the use of steriods of testostrone injections. the female body just doesnt have enough testostrone to produce big muscles, she'll just start to tone up, it would take quite a while for her to get any real muscles, and by then im sure she will be more than happy with how tone she has become..

[collegelifter85]

^^^ agreed.

If once she gets her muscled toned she wants to jump into full body that might not be a bad idea, but I personally don't think any beginner should jump into full body

[82ndAirborne]

i dont know what to tell her i am inexpereinced with full body workouts because i have never done them i have always done split training but ive read that for a beginner doing full body training 3 times a week can be more effective because they dont need the same amount of recovery time as those doing heavy training and can benefit from the multiple sessionsa week i agree on the sets and reps i am going to keep at about 3-4 sets fo 12 reps and HIIT cardio 3 times a week

[DavetheDog]

She doesn't have enough lifting experience to have her lifting heavy. It would be an excellent way to injure her. Full body, 3x week if she can. You might want to start her with 2x a week with a bit of cardio and add more days gradually.

And HIIT is a bit extreme for a beginner.

[82ndAirborne]

can someone critique this full body workout for my girlfirend then i think i will lower her to 3 sets of 12 isntead of 4 since she will be doing this three times a week

Leg Press- 3 X 12
Leg Extension- 3 X 12
Leg Curls - 3 X 12
Calve Raises - 3 X 12
Bench Press - 3 X 12
Shoulder Press - 3 X 12
Seated Row - 3X 12
Triceps Pushdowns - 3 X 12
Biceps Curls - 3 X 12

followed by thirty minutes of cardio twice a week or three if she desires it either on a treadmill or eliptical the previous poster was right i think this plus hiit would be a little intense right away ill wait about 4-5 weeks evaluate her progress and then see if she wants to step it tup to hiit

[82ndAirborne]

should i switch out squat and leg press for her, also how about flyes and dips? id like to add those in but dont want to overdo it

[Defiant1]

can someone critique this full body workout for my girlfirend then i think i will lower her to 3 sets of 12 isntead of 4 since she will be doing this three times a week

Leg Press- 3 X 12
Leg Extension- 3 X 12
Leg Curls - 3 X 12
Calve Raises - 3 X 12
Bench Press - 3 X 12
Shoulder Press - 3 X 12
Seated Row - 3X 12
Triceps Pushdowns - 3 X 12
Biceps Curls - 3 X 12

followed by thirty minutes of cardio twice a week or three if she desires it either on a treadmill or eliptical the previous poster was right i think this plus hiit would be a little intense right away ill wait about 4-5 weeks evaluate her progress and then see if she wants to step it tup to hiit

How about Squats and Leg Presses instead of Leg Press and Extension?

Higher NMA, more Booty work.

I would have her do inclines not flat bench.

Instead of seated row, how about wide grip pulldowns? This will give her a nice back. Most woman don't really need to work "thickness" in their backs.

Beginners should ALWAYS train at least 3x per week full body. It's one of the only things research has shown to be true about training.

Make sure to find out what SHE wants to accomplish. Many people use a "one size fits all" approach to training someone else. She has to like what she is doing and see the direction it is taking her.

As a side note, women are the best "trainees". They do what they are told, they put form over weight, and don't whine like men.

Looks good.

[82ndAirborne]

thanks for the responses and good advice she really appreciates it and so do i helping her get into training and start to see success i think i have finalized her training plan defiant tell me if this looks good replaced extensions with squats and rows with pulldown. The excercise listed below the workout are alternates that she can replace exercises with in this current workout to mix her training up so she doesnt get boring i am liking this and think it will be effective let me know how it looks thanks again



Leg Press- 3 X 12
BB Squats* – 3 x 12
Leg Curls - 3 X 12
Calf Raises - 3 X 12
Bench Press* - 3 X 12
Shoulder Press* - 3 X 12
Wide grip lat pull down - 3X 12
Triceps Pushdowns* - 3 X 12
Biceps Curls* - 3 X 12

BB Squats – alternate with hack squats at least once a week
Bench press – alternate with incline DB press (I would switch these out every other WO)
Shoulder press – alternate with side lateral raise
Triceps pushdowns – alternate with skull crushers or kickbacks
Bicep Curls – alternate with hammer curls (I would only do hammer curls once a week)

[Jneves]

Definatly some great advice so far and you have the right idea with the full body workouts. I have to just second the fact she should really be doing squats, when my ex wanted to lift with me and I had her doing alot of squats, she never really liked them but after awhile really wanted to do them because she noticed her ass was looking better.

I had her doing a 3-4 day a week full body routine that alternated an A & B day.

-A-
Squats
Flat bench
DB rows
Stiff leg dead
biceps
triceps

-B-
Dead Lifts
45* incline or standing shoulder press
Lat pull down
Leg curl
lateral raise
abs

[Non-racist]

but I personally don't think any beginner should jump into full body

I disagree. When someone is completley new to lifting the first couple of months should be all about adapting and re-designing your body and system, rather than trying to gain muscle or whatever. IMO.

I reckon a full body workout 3 times a week is going to be more beneficial than doing a split type thing, for first couple of months anyway.