Newcomer to the gym... need advice

[PreeDem]

So I'm 24 years old, 135 lbs and I'm just starting to go to the gym. I'm really skinny but I have a nice shape, and my goal is to build muscle. I've looked at just about EVERY muscle-building site you can imagine and this is what I came away with:

I intend on working out every other day, 4 times a week, for no more than 45 minutes each. I plan on alternating between working my upper body one day and my lower body the next, and making sure to keep my rest time at 45 seconds between each set. I also plan on eating 500 more calories than I burn each day.

Does this sound like a solid workout in order to build muscle? Should I be working out more often? For a longer period of time? Should I shorten or increase my rest time? Any suggestions are welcome.

[ro98pt]

So I'm 24 years old, 135 lbs and I'm just starting to go to the gym. I'm really skinny but I have a nice shape, and my goal is to build muscle. I've looked at just about EVERY muscle-building site you can imagine and this is what I came away with:

I intend on working out every other day, 4 times a week, for no more than 45 minutes each. I plan on alternating between working my upper body one day and my lower body the next, and making sure to keep my rest time at 45 seconds between each set. I also plan on eating 500 more calories than I burn each day.

Does this sound like a solid workout in order to build muscle? Should I be working out more often? For a longer period of time? Should I shorten or increase my rest time? Any suggestions are welcome.

45 seconds rest for Compound movements (Squat bench deadlift etc...) is very little. I would rest at least 2 minutes for those. If you're doing isolations like Bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises etc... then on those 45 seconds is fine but even on isolations I like 60-90 seconds rest.

[PresDonaldTrump]

So I'm 24 years old, 135 lbs and I'm just starting to go to the gym. I'm really skinny but I have a nice shape, and my goal is to build muscle. I've looked at just about EVERY muscle-building site you can imagine and this is what I came away with:

I intend on working out every other day, 4 times a week, for no more than 45 minutes each. I plan on alternating between working my upper body one day and my lower body the next, and making sure to keep my rest time at 45 seconds between each set. I also plan on eating 500 more calories than I burn each day.

Does this sound like a solid workout in order to build muscle? Should I be working out more often? For a longer period of time? Should I shorten or increase my rest time? Any suggestions are welcome.

I never liked the upper body day lower body day. My lower body day involves squats, calf raises and not much else. Then upper body day is chest, back, shoulders and arms. My split is chest, legs, biceps and then back, shoulders, triceps which I find to be a better balance.

Every other day is OK for training but if you feel OK you might squeeze 5 days a week in there.

As PreeDem said for the big compound lifts you will need a lot more than 45 seconds. I don't even time my rest periods anymore I just go when I'm ready but sometimes I bet it's 3-4 minutes between sets of only 5-6 reps.

Warm up properly with mobility routines and lightweights but your working sets need to be heavy as you can handle. Depending on the exercise I usually hit 6 or 7 reps and then increase the weight so I'm back down at 5 reps. For sets I go til I feel like I'm done and I'm struggling to lift anything at all.

If you're skinny then your diet is the most important thing of all, plan your meals daily and develop a consistent routine that's simple to stick to. Avoid low quality foods because you'll just fill up on junk that you don't need.

[RmBoyos]

So I'm 24 years old, 135 lbs and I'm just starting to go to the gym. I'm really skinny but I have a nice shape, and my goal is to build muscle. I've looked at just about EVERY muscle-building site you can imagine and this is what I came away with:

I intend on working out every other day, 4 times a week, for no more than 45 minutes each. I plan on alternating between working my upper body one day and my lower body the next, and making sure to keep my rest time at 45 seconds between each set. I also plan on eating 500 more calories than I burn each day.

Does this sound like a solid workout in order to build muscle? Should I be working out more often? For a longer period of time? Should I shorten or increase my rest time? Any suggestions are welcome.

get a coach SRS

500 cals is excessive if you wanna stay lean

Upper/Lower split is good

45 seconds seems stupid to me

get a coach - not muscle & fitness magazine etc

[ro98pt]

I never liked the upper body day lower body day. My lower body day involves squats, calf raises and not much else. Then upper body day is chest, back, shoulders and arms. My split is chest, legs, biceps and then back, shoulders, triceps which I find to be a better balance.

Every other day is OK for training but if you feel OK you might squeeze 5 days a week in there.

As PreeDem said for the big compound lifts you will need a lot more than 45 seconds. I don't even time my rest periods anymore I just go when I'm ready but sometimes I bet it's 3-4 minutes between sets of only 5-6 reps.

Warm up properly with mobility routines and lightweights but your working sets need to be heavy as you can handle. Depending on the exercise I usually hit 6 or 7 reps and then increase the weight so I'm back down at 5 reps. For sets I go til I feel like I'm done and I'm struggling to lift anything at all.

If you're skinny then your diet is the most important thing of all, plan your meals daily and develop a consistent routine that's simple to stick to. Avoid low quality foods because you'll just fill up on junk that you don't need.

Are you a troll?

Your comment is very confusing.

OP follow RmBoyos advice.

[Lpenny]

I work out 4 days a week but my workouts last 4-7 hours. That's what I recommend for maximizing gains (bring snacks with you!). But your plan is alright I suppose for a beginner.

[PresDonaldTrump]

Are you a troll?

Your comment is very confusing.

OP follow RmBoyos advice.

What's confusing ?

[Vampirelol]

Sounds perfect, just rest longer between heavy compounds

[ro98pt]

What's confusing ?

You say you never liked upper/lower then proceed to explain you upper lower routine lol and then you tell you do a split bro ahah

[PresDonaldTrump]

You say you never liked upper/lower then proceed to explain you upper lower routine lol and then you tell you do a split bro ahah

I meant that upper body has a lot more muscles and requires lots of different movements while lower body pretty much only needs squats and calf raises (if you even bother with calves).

If I did a lower body day I'd only do squats and calf raises.

Then an upper body day would be deadlifts or rack pulls, bench, some kind of chest fly, front, side and rear delts, lats, traps and some arms meaning 3hours in the gym for upper body and only 1hour for lower body.

That's why I'll do squats followed by bench and then usually biceps. Day 2 I'll do deadlifts or rack pulls followed by 2 or 3 shoulder movements and then triceps. Day 3 I'm back to chest and legs but this time I'd do chest first and if last time was flat bench this time it would be with an incline.

I see I didn't write it very well, there's no need for the negative rep power though I wasn't trying to mess around I might've been tired when I wrote it... As I am now so I hope I don't get more negative rep!

[ro98pt]

I meant that upper body has a lot more muscles and requires lots of different movements while lower body pretty much only needs squats and calf raises (if you even bother with calves).

If I did a lower body day I'd only do squats and calf raises.

Then an upper body day would be deadlifts or rack pulls, bench, some kind of chest fly, front, side and rear delts, lats, traps and some arms meaning 3hours in the gym for upper body and only 1hour for lower body.

That's why I'll do squats followed by bench and then usually biceps. Day 2 I'll do deadlifts or rack pulls followed by 2 or 3 shoulder movements and then triceps. Day 3 I'm back to chest and legs but this time I'd do chest first and if last time was flat bench this time it would be with an incline.

I see I didn't write it very well, there's no need for the negative rep power though I wasn't trying to mess around I might've been tired when I wrote it... As I am now so I hope I don't get more negative rep!

Because you gave OP **** advice, OP being a begginer would probably take your advice if nobody else said nothing. I gave you a negative rep because I tought you were trolling.

[PresDonaldTrump]

Because you gave OP **** advice, OP being a begginer would probably take your advice if nobody else said nothing. I gave you a negative rep because I tought you were trolling.

I didn't write it as well as I should, I hope I just cleared it up though.

Lower body/Upper body splits results in a very long and tiring upper body day and an easy lower body day.

Unless 1 of the upper body days is bench and the other is deadlift... But then both lower body days are squats ? So it's squatting twice a week while deadlifting and benching once a week ?

I do all compound lifts twice a week in 4 gym visits, it's a more balanced approach than the overly simplistic upper/lower split, that's all I was trying to share.

[ro98pt]

I didn't write it as well as I should, I hope I just cleared it up though.

Lower body/Upper body splits results in a very long and tiring upper body day and an easy lower body day.

Unless 1 of the upper body days is bench and the other is deadlift... But then both lower body days are squats ? So it's squatting twice a week while deadlifting and benching once a week ?

I do all compound lifts twice a week in 4 gym visits, it's a more balanced approach than the overly simplistic upper/lower split, that's all I was trying to share.

Upper Lower splits are good routines, they're proven. What you said is just your personal preference. Sorry for the neg tough.