Good Gym workout guide for starters?

[The Day Dreamer]

I joined gym a while ago. Beside trainer's guidance, I would like to have second opinion for workouts.

Can any please suggest a working, tested workout guide for gym beginners?

TIA ()

 

[z1ggy]

What is your goal? That answer will be the basis of the type of work out you will want to do.

 

[blackdogdeek]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started#wiki_adding_exercise

 

[The Day Dreamer]

What is your goal? That answer will be the basis of the type of work out you will want to do.

I am beginner. Want to build formidable body, not like professionals but flat stomach(abs later on) and growing strength is my goal. Triceps and Chest, you know.

 

[z1ggy]

I am beginner. Want to build formidable body, not like professionals but flat stomach(abs later on) and growing strength is my goal. Triceps and Chest, you know.

Read this.

It is long, yes, but I think it's going to be the most valuable thing you can do for yourself right now.

http://www.weightrainer.net/training/rules.html

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Stronglifts.com or starting strength

/thread

 

[NAC]

I putzed through different workout routines for practically two decades. Usually not seriously or very strenuously, but anyway - they were attempts. Then I read starting strength and did squats and a few other exercises and put on more muscle mass in a few months than the previous decades. And that was when I was 35.

So: buy starting strength, and if you need to drink the milk, and I am positive you will get good results. An online site stronglifts has basically the same information. But the book is a good read for learning about proper form and to get motivated.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

The stronglifts book is great for learning proper form.

Either of the two programs will suffice.

 

[TallBill]

Starting strength. End of debate.

 

[Subyman]

Buddies and trainers are the best way to learn form and routines. You can easily read yourself into confusion starting out.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Buddies and trainers are the best way to learn form and routines. You can easily read yourself into confusion starting out.

Except both of them are often clueless. . Do both.

 

[Subyman]

Except both of them are often clueless. . Do both.

Look for the guy with the biggest muscles and ask him

 

[fkjmf451]

cardio : weights should sync!!!

 

[highland145]

cardio : weights should sync!!!

splain yourself, Willis.

 

[KIAman]

Stronglifts.com or starting strength

/thread

Another vote for either of these not because they are the end-all-be-all guide to starting workout guide but because they are so easy, even an idiot like me could easily understand them.

 

[Red Squirrel]

From what I've been told the 5x5 program is a good starting point. I recently started it and I like it because it's simple and it does target the major muscle groups. It's also relatively easy since you don't need much equipment. A decent bench with good barbel is mostly what you need. But I'm far from an expert I'm a beginner myself.

http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

Diet is important too.... that's my biggest issue right now. I'm just not a good cook, cookbooks may as well be ritual books to summon spiritual beings because it's latin to me. But I'm working on it. Biggest thing you want for gains is protein. There's a whole science on pre/post workout meals, I honestly have not gotten that deep into it yet and that's probably a whole discussion on it's own that is sure to stirr debating.

 

[nixium]

I started doing this because I have a bad lower back and I've been asked to avoid going heavy on squats or deadlifts, and to avoid things that put pressure on the back (such as overhead presses)

http://www.thinkeatlift.com/best-training-split/

I plan to do this for a month or two, and then maybe slowly start adding other exercises.

 

[Vdubchaos]

No gym needed.

Start with Push Ups, Sit Ups, Crouches and other self exercises.

Do these every day (start slow and increase as you go) every month or so.

Don't over do it.

 

[repoman0]

No gym needed.

Start with Push Ups, Sit Ups, Crouches and other self exercises.

Do these every day (start slow and increase as you go) every month or so.

Don't over do it.

Great advice if you never want to make any progress, OP.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Great advice if you never want to make any progress, OP.

OP said nothing about his goal. Define progress please.

And you couldn't be more wrong. If you want to see progress come take a look at my body. Plenty of progress and some.

You don't need a gym to lose weight or build muscle.

Also SPEED at which you build muscle is usually of no concern. It's going to take time REGARDLESS how you do it.

Unless of course you want to pump chemicals into your body.....

 

[repoman0]

OP said nothing about his goal. Define progress please.

Sure thing:

I am beginner. Want to build formidable body, not like professionals but flat stomach(abs later on) and growing strength is my goal. Triceps and Chest, you know.

And you couldn't be more wrong. If you want to see progress come take a look at my body. Plenty of progress and some.

You don't need a gym to lose weight or build muscle.

Also SPEED at which you build muscle is usually of no concern. It's going to take time REGARDLESS how you do it.

Unless of course you want to pump chemicals into your body.....

Nobody is talking about pumping chemicals.

If the OP follows any of the beginner weight training programs posted in this thread already, he'll be squatting a couple hundred pounds in a few months. He'll have built a strong back and legs, in addition to upper body as he specified in his own goal statement above.

I don't need to see your body to know that it's not as strong as someone reasonably dedicated to weight training and also took much longer to develop, if you follow your program that you posted in this thread.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Sure thing:





Nobody is talking about pumping chemicals.

If the OP follows any of the beginner weight training programs posted in this thread already, he'll be squatting a couple hundred pounds in a few months. He'll have built a strong back and legs, in addition to upper body as he specified in his own goal statement above.

I don't need to see your body to know that it's not as strong as someone reasonably dedicated to weight training and also took much longer to develop, if you follow your program that you posted in this thread.

So please do explain how I have a 6 pack, nice chest and well rounded muscles doing self exercises only?

Goal can be accomplished in variety of ways, not just one way.

YOUR way is not better or right way.

I'm just trying to save the guy some money. Gym is not needed to accomplish this goal.

 

[repoman0]

So please do explain how I have a 6 pack, nice chest and well rounded muscles doing self exercises only?

Because you eat well and do anything at all.

The amount of middle-aged skinny-fat men doing body weight exercises and spinning their wheels at my work gym and looking no different month after month and year after year is staggering.

Goal can be accomplished in variety of ways, not just one way.

YOUR way is not better or right way.

Actually, it is objectively better. Muscles grow by consistently working against resistance, and weight training can provide much more resistance in a much shorter time than body weight alone.

I'm just trying to save the guy some money. Gym is not needed to accomplish this goal.

Money savings was not being discussed, effective gym routines were

 

[Vdubchaos]

I'm not really disagreeing with you.....you do understand that right?

Look, whenever it comes to ANYTHING. Before you make a purchase and dive in head first, try it out.

It's probably best for OP to do it himself for few weeks or months and see if he will even continue......before signing up for Gym and lifting weight.

It's all about getting yourself into it and doing it on regular basis. Once you establish routine, you can pick different avenues to take.

Your avenue sounds good.

How many people get membership and never even go to the gym?

 

[z1ggy]

OP could get decent upper body gains at home with just a pull up bar and a few decent resistance bands/weights However, for the same investment as it would take to get a good full body program going at home where you'll actually build a solid body lower body too, you might as well just join a gym.

I personally like being in a gym because it puts me in that mindset that this place is exclusive for lifting weight. I have no attachment to home or any of the things there like TV, kids, any stress, etc. Before I actually committed myself to joining a gym and going full time I did the p90x thing and the Insanity videos. I got little to no gains doing them aside from a marginal increase in strength. Maybe back then my diet wasn't on point so I'm sure that was a factor, but I've seen significant gains now that I stick to free weight in the gym.

I think calisthenics are great, I always do dips and pull ups, but you just can't replicate certain things at home that I think are essential to building up a nice body. At a certain point, to gain more muscle you need to gain more strength (and lift in that 3-6 rep range) and you simply can't do that doing just body weight after enough time.