Questions from a gym noob, on routine.

[Iseewhatyoudidthar]

For your general knowledge, I'm a 20 year old perfectly healthy guy. I'm not overweight at all, and I'm not built totally scrawny, BUT I'm not very active at all. I just started going to the gym this week, and have been doing cardio on the elliptical machines, and messing around with the various machines.

Problem is, I'm completely clueless. For all you gym-goers out there, what kind of routine(s) would you suggest for a newcomer?

My goals are pretty simple. First is obviously to get in shape and stay healthy. Second is quite simply to look good with my shirt off. I want to work on things like my arms, chest, abs, back, etc. Overall body workouts are never a bad idea, but I don't want to overdue it (which is why I'm only going 3, maybe 4 days a week right now), and while starting, my intent was just to focus on the more basic and obvious muscle groups. My goal is not to get super buff and ripped and bulging with muscle. Simply lean and healthy. And of course, to look good without a shirt :P

Once again, I'm clueless, completely new to the whole gym thing, so to any of you that can provide some tips, routines, exercises, etc., thankyou in advance!

[Radux]

A couple of sites that could be of good reference:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://scoobysworkshop.com/

you could also youtube some Crossfit stuff.


Best advice is to make sure you're not hitting the same muscle groups every day. I usually recommend resting them ~48 hours (i.e. work them one day, do a different muscle group the next, then you're good for the day after that). On top of that, I recommend you do exercises that don't isolate muscles. I know people rat on me all that time for hating exercises like your basic curl, but I feel it's more important to make it into something better, like a condon curl or something.

But yeah. Check out those sites for a good reference on both exercise and some nutrition (even supplementation if you're into that).

If you have further questions after that, come back and ask for specifics.

[backseattaxi]

What you put into your body plays a big role in what you want to look like. 30% fitness, 60% nutrition and 10% dedication. The sites Radux recommended are pretty good. http://www.mensfitness.com/ is good too (but I hate the name of the site; pfft). If I have a say in your routine, I would recommend inverted rows for your upper body days (http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/11/...reat-exercise/) - perfect precursor for pull-ups which you should eventually add in as well when you get the strength. If you want a great upper body .. pull-up bar does wonders.

[conaan]

if you are not looking for maximum effectiveness, just do a rounded work out, creating your own routine and just pushing a bit more and more every week makes keeping it going a good bit easier

[Deleted]

It's also hard to go wrong with compound exercises.

Squats.
Deadlifts.
Bench Press.
Overhead Press.
Rows.
Power cleans.
Chins and Dips. (Weighted eventually)

They're all great.

[Deleted]

I was in a similar situation to you about 6 months ago, I'm 19, always been reasonably fit just never too active. Been going to the gym a lot (4-5 times a week) and what i tend to do is target 2 specific areas in weight training every day and finish every day with some cardio. The cardio is also mixed about. I used to swim competitively so luckily i have that as a pretty strong option and i can run, row, cycle etc. For example

Monday = Biceps + Back / Swim
Tues = Triceps + Chest / Cross Trainer
Weds = Rest
Thurs = Abs + Hamstring / Cycle
Friday = Shoulders + Calves / Treadmill
Sat = Rest
Sun = Free for all!

Generally what I do, doing different things and mixing it up keeps it interesting. The most important thing is dedication and maintaining your attendance. Not only has it improved my physcial appearance but my over mentality is much better. I am more chilled, less worried and generally seem more social. Definetly worth the effort!

[Jeffari]

Best to check out youtube. Some videos can be very informative and really help with my workouts. I'd consider getting your diet in check before you seriously consider working out. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with working out but you won't see the results if you don't feed your body properly.

I'd say 75% of working out is your diet. 20% weights and 5% mentality.

[Grizzlerr]

Like people above said its like 50% nutrition 50% actually working out. Since you just started you're going to want to learn the exercises first and then once your muscle memory learns them you can take on a real program.
Not all exercises are equal and some are better than others so you're going to want to learn which ones are best and avoid the rest. Also cardio is basically only for losing weight, if you're trying to bulk you're going to want to avoid it completely and focus on weight training.

A lot of the sites linked above are fine but I think that the best one by far is www musclehack dot com. This guy scientifically approaches everything and knows what he's talking about, most of the other people you'll find on the internet either just got lucky with good genetics and try to push their routines or are in it for the money. Spend a good day reading all his articles and you won't have any more questions.

[Shockzilla]

A couple of sites that could be of good reference:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://scoobysworkshop.com/

you could also youtube some Crossfit stuff.


Best advice is to make sure you're not hitting the same muscle groups every day. I usually recommend resting them ~48 hours (i.e. work them one day, do a different muscle group the next, then you're good for the day after that). On top of that, I recommend you do exercises that don't isolate muscles. I know people rat on me all that time for hating exercises like your basic curl, but I feel it's more important to make it into something better, like a condon curl or something.

But yeah. Check out those sites for a good reference on both exercise and some nutrition (even supplementation if you're into that).

If you have further questions after that, come back and ask for specifics.

Good advice. A lot of people over look a simple piece of equipment that will build endurance, agility and rhythm at the same time, the Jump Rope. Get a good one and start out trying to go for 30 sec without stopping for a total of 5 min. when you feel up to it lengthen the time you’re jumpping rope to 1 min and a break, 2 min and a break, until you get to 5 min without stopping.

Stress injuries are common to people beginning training programs and they end up stressing their joints ligaments and muscles when they begin a program, gradually increase resistance and durations, this will allow your body to adjust and toughen up over time.

Your body will need the correct diet to recover after work outs, feed it what it needs. Look in to nutrition.

[MailEnhancement]

You want to drink a gainer. Any thing with protein and over 900 calories. Start with one shake a day when you start lifting. As you are getting into your routine and tearing your muscles more you want to up to 2 shakes a day.. then to 3. The reason you want to build your way up is because your body does not store protein, you just crap out the excess. Cut what ever cardio you are doing in half. I just biked 5 miles a day while I was getting to the weight I wanted to. For your workout, you should only work a muscle out once a week(other then abs.). My routine is

Monday : Chest / Abs
Tue: Triceps / Legs
Wed: Shoulders / Abs
Thur: Back
Fri: Biceps / Abs.

Sat and Sunday are recoop days for my entire body.

In 3 months I gained 10 pounds of lean muscle, went from benching 135 (REP WEIGHT) to 205 (REP WEIGHT).

There is def a noticeable difference.

Since you are trying to gain weight you need to decide.. do you want to bulk and then shred down or do you want to gain lean muscle mass. 2 total different regiments for both.

[Phuongvi]

Once again, I'm clueless, completely new to the whole gym thing, so to any of you that can provide some tips, routines, exercises, etc., thankyou in advance!

Gym noob like you mention in the title , and with this quote.

You have good advice from people here , with alot of information.

But I would not go far has doing deadlift and squat for a person who is completly new to the gym thing.


I would recommend you to get a trainer for a couple of session (arount 6 for two weeks) , a guy who is train with the right diploma/paper.
And he will answer your question , he will give you a program design for you personally it will boost your motivation.

Just dont go with random stuff you'll find on the web

[Deleted]

I would recommend you to get a trainer for a couple of session (arount 6 for two weeks) , a guy who is train with the right diploma/paper.
And he will answer your question , he will give you a program design for you personally it will boost your motivation.

Agree. Also, correct form is important for any exercises, but especially so for big compound movements like Squats and Deadlifts... Correct form is an absolute must for these two, get the form right, and these 2 exercises are probably the best mass-building exercises you can do. Get them wrong and you're going to do a lot of harm.

[Iseewhatyoudidthar]

Thankyou to all you guys for your info! It's all been tremendously helpful.

[DarkraveR]

You want to drink a gainer. Any thing with protein and over 900 calories. Start with one shake a day when you start lifting. As you are getting into your routine and tearing your muscles more you want to up to 2 shakes a day.. then to 3. The reason you want to build your way up is because your body does not store protein, you just crap out the excess. Cut what ever cardio you are doing in half. I just biked 5 miles a day while I was getting to the weight I wanted to. For your workout, you should only work a muscle out once a week(other then abs.). My routine is

Monday : Chest / Abs
Tue: Triceps / Legs
Wed: Shoulders / Abs
Thur: Back
Fri: Biceps / Abs.

Sat and Sunday are recoop days for my entire body.

In 3 months I gained 10 pounds of lean muscle, went from benching 135 (REP WEIGHT) to 205 (REP WEIGHT).

There is def a noticeable difference.

Since you are trying to gain weight you need to decide.. do you want to bulk and then shred down or do you want to gain lean muscle mass. 2 total different regiments for both.

I don't get why you are telling him to drink shakes? He can get enough out of normal food for the beginning. Like other people said try talking with a trainer in the gym that can help you setting up a beginners program. Executing the exercises right is one of the most important things.

[Siul1313]

I would recommend a full body workout. As someone above me said compound movements are always a good idea, squats, deadlifts, overhead presses etc.
It might seem like a bit of a read but you should look into the book "Starting Strength" as it goes over the basics of everything outside nutrition. It will teach you the basics of linear progression, deloading, etc. The routine in itself is something a ton of people have had success with, personally the best part about the book is that it goes into what to do.. but more importantly why.

As far as looking good, I believe this to be a two part approach, first you want to have things to show off (developed muscles, mostly strong legs, a thick back, shoulders and chest.) and then you want to have nothing in the way of you showing it. (Body fat.) Contrary to popular belief abs are made in the kitchen not in the gym. Isolation exercises, while they have their place are often overvalued and used with the wrong goals. Watch what you eat + stay active.

You mention wanting to be in good shape, seeing as Starting Strength is scheduled for 3 times a week cardio is fine on off days if you don't overdo it, I find jogging/running to be rather boring so I would suggest finding some sort of team activity if thats the case. Another often overlooked possibility is barbell complexes (I would suggest those only further down the line for when you've got the form on compound lifts.)

I would suggest doing Starting Strength (or any other program) for a while, see how you adapt and find out how much cardio + gym time you can handle within your schedule.

I realize I'm just some random guy on the internet so I'll leave you this, its a video of Jim Wendler someone whos words have always just made a lot of sense to me.
... can't seem to link, go on youtube and google "Jim Wendler Boston Seminar" its a series of vids I think 5 or so parts long.

Best of luck man.

[whispere]

Swimming is very good for body shape, especially for shoulders, your back.

[Projali]

You want to drink a gainer. Any thing with protein and over 900 calories. Start with one shake a day when you start lifting. As you are getting into your routine and tearing your muscles more you want to up to 2 shakes a day.. then to 3. The reason you want to build your way up is because your body does not store protein, you just crap out the excess. Cut what ever cardio you are doing in half. I just biked 5 miles a day while I was getting to the weight I wanted to. For your workout, you should only work a muscle out once a week(other then abs.). My routine is

Monday : Chest / Abs
Tue: Triceps / Legs
Wed: Shoulders / Abs
Thur: Back
Fri: Biceps / Abs.

Sat and Sunday are recoop days for my entire body.

In 3 months I gained 10 pounds of lean muscle, went from benching 135 (REP WEIGHT) to 205 (REP WEIGHT).

There is def a noticeable difference.

Since you are trying to gain weight you need to decide.. do you want to bulk and then shred down or do you want to gain lean muscle mass. 2 total different regiments for both.

Why would you recommend weight gain shakes and isolation exercises to a total beginner?

I'm also skeptical of your "10lbs of muscle in 3 months." Did you body pod yourself at the beginning and end? Calipers? Just guessing on composition?

@OP: Like mentioned above, check out "Starting Strength." Compound movements are the way to go to get you into lifting. You can worry about bicep curls and tricep pushdowns later.

[whispere]

Swimming is very good for body shape, especially for shoulders, your back.

[Auloria]

Also, don't be afraid to ask some random gym-goer to look at your form when lifting weights. You don't want to hurt yourself.

[Epiphanes]

Why would you recommend weight gain shakes and isolation exercises to a total beginner?

I'm also skeptical of your "10lbs of muscle in 3 months." Did you body pod yourself at the beginning and end? Calipers? Just guessing on composition?

@OP: Like mentioned above, check out "Starting Strength." Compound movements are the way to go to get you into lifting. You can worry about bicep curls and tricep pushdowns later.

3 shakes a day would definitely put the weight on ya. lol. Figure (32x2)3 = about 192g of protein from your average whey powder. And assuming your body isn't passing it, your nutrition sucks something huge.