Please help - need advice to get ready for starting gym soon

[priyank28]

Hi, I will be joining a gym soon and my goal is to build muscle

I am 23 years old, around 5ft 5.5 and weight about 58kg. Im pretty skinny/slim and so want to gain some muscle.

I have spent several hours on research and will do some more but i have a few things i am unsure about.

I went to a gym for about 1 month in 2013 but then quit as i had no idea what to do

if someone can please answer these questions below i would really appreciate it:

1) my plan is to go gym 5 days a week but as a beginner is it ok to start on 5 days a week or should i do maybe 3 days and then increase that once ive been going for a while? my plan is to do legs, abs, chest, shoulders, arms and back, im not sure on which day to do what

2) should i do light weights and high reps or heavy weights and low reps? and how many sets and reps should i be doing? also how do i know what weight to start on?

3) how would i know i have worked my muscles enough and done enough sets/reps? for example if i go to the gym and work out biceps, i do 3 sets of 10 reps. how am i supposed to know if i need to do more or not. im scared of doing too much which could maybe affect my muscles or doing too little meaning i build muscle very slowly

4) how many calories do i need to eat a day? i have seen a few different formulas which take age/height etc into consideration. One gave me around 2500 but another gave 3100 calories. I have read that i need to have a calorie surplus to build muscle.


Any help is highly appreciated

Thank you very much

[Kwaltz11]

good luck!

[CommitmentRulz]

OP, look at the top of this forum. Select either Fierce Five or AllPro. Follow EXACTLY as written for at least 6 months.

Good luck. Eat enough to gain 2 pounds a MONTH every month.

[rajendra82]

Hi, I will be joining a gym soon and my goal is to build muscle

I am 23 years old, around 5ft 5.5 and weight about 58kg. Im pretty skinny/slim and so want to gain some muscle.

I have spent several hours on research and will do some more but i have a few things i am unsure about.

I went to a gym for about 1 month in 2013 but then quit as i had no idea what to do

if someone can please answer these questions below i would really appreciate it:

1) my plan is to go gym 5 days a week but as a beginner is it ok to start on 5 days a week or should i do maybe 3 days and then increase that once ive been going for a while? my plan is to do legs, abs, chest, shoulders, arms and back, im not sure on which day to do what

2) should i do light weights and high reps or heavy weights and low reps? and how many sets and reps should i be doing? also how do i know what weight to start on?

3) how would i know i have worked my muscles enough and done enough sets/reps? for example if i go to the gym and work out biceps, i do 3 sets of 10 reps. how am i supposed to know if i need to do more or not. im scared of doing too much which could maybe affect my muscles or doing too little meaning i build muscle very slowly

4) how many calories do i need to eat a day? i have seen a few different formulas which take age/height etc into consideration. One gave me around 2500 but another gave 3100 calories. I have read that i need to have a calorie surplus to build muscle.


Any help is highly appreciated

Thank you very much

1. Typical novice programs are full body three days a week. You are too weak to need a 5 day split. Stick to compound lifts with big range of motion, and attempt to add weight on the bar each session. See Starting Strength, Stronglifts, Greyskull LP, etc. for program,ideas. The program itself is far less relevant than sticking to it. Go to gym each day with a simple plan, and execute it, and go home.

2. Most novice programs recommend 5 reps, which will allow you lift close to your maximum, but not so close to lack volume. Three to five sets is typical.

3. You don't want to be working to a failure and fatigued state. You need a plan each day for how many sets of what weight you plant to lift. Get you your work in, and then add more wight next time. Leave some in the tank so than you are recovered to do a fll work out two days later.

4. Caloric surplus is needed, but watching your marcros will help you make progress without having to go nuts, and add a bunch of fat gain too.

[priyank28]

good luck!

OP, look at the top of this forum. Select either Fierce Five or AllPro. Follow EXACTLY as written for at least 6 months.

Good luck. Eat enough to gain 2 pounds a MONTH every month.

1. Typical novice programs are full body three days a week. You are too weak to need a 5 day split. Stick to compound lifts with big range of motion, and attempt to add weight on the bar each session. See Starting Strength, Stronglifts, Greyskull LP, etc. for program,ideas. The program itself is far less relevant than sticking to it. Go to gym each day with a simple plan, and execute it, and go home.

2. Most novice programs recommend 5 reps, which will allow you lift close to your maximum, but not so close to lack volume. Three to five sets is typical.

3. You don't want to be working to a failure and fatigued state. You need a plan each day for how many sets of what weight you plant to lift. Get you your work in, and then add more wight next time. Leave some in the tank so than you are recovered to do a fll work out two days later.

4. Caloric surplus is needed, but watching your marcros will help you make progress without having to go nuts, and add a bunch of fat gain too.

thanks very much for the replies so far, this information will definitely help!. i am overanalysing too much and need to keep it simple. i just read one of the sticky posts about 20/80 rule! lol

[priyank28]

anyone else got any advice ?

[Farley1324]

anyone else got any advice ?

Here is a list of proven novice routines (the names are links) plus a brief note. However, before you read through this, know that any of these programs would be an excellent start for any novice trainee.

Novice does not mean newb/noob, novice simply refers to the rate at which you are able to progress. You want to follow novice programming as long as possible, because it has the fastest rate of progress with the least training complexity. Novice applies to those coming back after a layoff just as much as it does to first time lifters. Don’t let the simplicity and relatively low volume fool you, linear progression full body three times per week routines can be grueling when the weight gets heavy. Following any of these as written with proper nutrition will get you places as quickly as any program can.

Fierce 5
Well rounded routine for novices seeking strength or muscular size written by one of our resident posters/mods. Lots of knowledge about the program within this forum.
See also https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=162916931

5/3/1 For Beginners
Well rounded program with a lot of options once you have experience under the bar and learn a thing or two.
Jim Wendler is a very smart guy with lots of experience as an elite lifter and a coach. Don’t let his hardcore four-letter-word persona fool you, he knows things. 5/3/1 has many templates and many variations to suit virtually any trainee at any stage and with any goal, and is currently one of the most popular and common programs, no matter what forum or federation or group you check with. If you are up for learning more and think you might be in this game for the long haul, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of 5/3/1 Forever https://jimwendler.com/products/5-3-1-forever-book . If you search for info on 5/3/1 you will find it everywhere...but there’s no better source than the book (Wendler’s own forum might come close)

Starting Strength
Starting Strength
As the name implies, if you are after strength, this might be the best place to start. Author Mark Rippetoe has decades of coaching experience (and was strong himself with competition bench of 396 lbs and squats and deadlfits exceeding 600 lbs). I wrote the FAQ linked above, and answer questions as they arise. There are a couple variations included in that FAQ, including the Advance Novice routine, which saves you from having to do power cleans while still following the program to a T

All Pros
If you are an aspiring bodybuilder after looks much more than after strength, you may want to start here. all pro is (or was) a forum regular, and he left us this simple routine to help guide novices. There is a lot of knowledge about this routine in this forum as well.

Greyskulls LP
If you are after strength or are an aspiring powerlifter, this might be the program to start with. More explanation at the provided link.

Training for Strength vs Training for Size
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=175493881

Nutrition is at least as important as your routine. Check Nutrition Forum stickies. Track calories and carbs/fat/protein daily, as well as bodyweight. (www.myfitnesspal.com or www.fitday.com is popular for this) Eat in a daily calorie surplus to build muscle, eat in a daily calorie deficit to lose fat.

Form is critical. The lifts must be performed correctly. The reference book for this is Starting Strength

The best starting point (IMO) to learn about the nuts and bolts of programming…the why…is Practical Programming for Strength Training

Free videos that are excellent can be seen here, use the suggested and related videos suggestion to find more

[priyank28]

any other tips would be highly appreciated as i prepare to begin my journey to building muscle

[DCSpartan]

any other tips would be highly appreciated as i prepare to begin my journey to building muscle

Pick a proven beginner program and go lift. That is a million times more important than anything else. Turn off the internet and report back in 3 months on your progress.

[OldFartTom]

any other tips would be highly appreciated as i prepare to begin my journey to building muscle

What??? Look at the volume of information just in Farley's post (for example), you fully understood and digested that... do you really need more advice tips? There's more wisdom in Farley's post than some people learn in 2 years in the gym. Think about quality not quantity, go back and look carefully at all the great advice you've already been given in the posts above.

[LactoseTolerant]

prepare to begin my journey to building muscle

You started this thread last week. Stop preparing to begin. Just begin.