New to weightlifting

[bugzilla3]

So I just started to weight lift. I am 5'11", 180lb, 16.7% body fat, and 24 years old.

I was reading some guides for beginners and I came across this blog. Been following this workout guide for about 2 weeks and I'm really starting to like it.

What are your thoughts on it? I like the simplicity of it, which makes me want to go workout and lift heavy things.

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-b...rkout-routine/

Edit - Also an FYI, my main goal is fat loss and to slowly slowly slowly gain lean muscle. So I'm not really planning on bulking/cutting, but rather operate at a tiny caloric deficit.

[Dragoncurry]

It's a great place to start. Eventually, you will adapt the schedule to your body, and what you find out about it while you work out. For example, I would never do Squats and Bench on the same day, because I don't do full body workouts. I also don't like the regular Chest/Tris split a lot of people do. Why? Simple, because for me, I found over the years that Upper Chest/Shoulders gives me great results and Bis/Tris dedicated to one day gives me the best results for my arms as opposed to mixing in bis during back training, or whatnot. I can go on for back/legs etc, but you will find your own fit.

Great start though!

[bugzilla3]

Hey thanks for your advice. I agree, down the road I will split squats and bench, but for now I'm mostly working on form and getting the basic muscle strength.

[Adamas102]

Yeah, looks like a good start. Wouldn't even call it a "just for beginners" routine. I've lifted for a long time now, tried many different routines, and have since settled on one that is very similar to this one. The only major difference is that I switch rows with overhead press, making for a push/pull split.

The only other thing I would note is making sure you actually know what proper form entails, especially for squats and deadlifts. As someone who has sustained a couple (thankfully minor) lifting related injuries, I cannot stress this enough. The article does mention that the higher rep range for the deadlift should allow for a low enough weight to avoid injury, but that isn't necessarily the case. It really doesn't take that much weight to fuck up your back.

[bugzilla3]

Yeah form is everything I've learned. I have watched several videos for proper deadlift form and when my wrist fully heals I'm planning on getting a personal trainer to help me get stronger. Appreciate the feedback!

[Jaronicity]

If you're looking to lift heavy things, I'd look into Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program. It's basically for building pure strength. My boss recommended I give it a go and have been on it since July and have noticed big differences in the four lifts (back squat, bench, military press, deadlift). It's a long read, but very detailed and the programs helps with progressive overload so you don't plateau (either as quickly or at all). It gives a rundown of program set up and assistance exercises to aid in getting those lifts bigger (e.g. doing lunges and variations to help increase the squat).

Not saying the blog is wrong for a beginner, just trying to offer some other things if you're interested .

[bugzilla3]

Hey thanks! I'll look into it as I could definetly use a better warm up and I like those assistance exercises .

[anakin57]

I used to lift for years, and have since transitioned to more of a bodyweight-based workout. I have so little time anymore, so my focus is on high intensity, short duration workouts that include sprints, hill sprints, pull ups, push ups, squats, kettle bells, planks and the ocassional traditional weight lifting regimen.

What you linked looks like a great place to start - i was glad to see it wasn't all chest and biceps. Definitely don't forget about cardio, your legs or your core!

[Sicarius87]

I highly recommend stronglifts 5x5. It's great for beginners, intermediate, and even advanced weightlifters. Download the app on Google Play or the Apple app store and it will help you track your progress and a bunch more. Yeah there is some "micro transactions" but you dont have to buy them and the app itself is completely free.

www.stronglifts.com

[Velky]

I highly recommend stronglifts 5x5. It's great for beginners, intermediate, and even advanced weightlifters. Download the app on Google Play or the Apple app store and it will help you track your progress and a bunch more. Yeah there is some "micro transactions" but you dont have to buy them and the app itself is completely free.

www.stronglifts.com

This is what I was going to suggest. Your workout is very similar however so you'll be doing similar workouts anyways.

I started Stronglifts 5x5 about a month ago and I really like it. I'm a pretty active person, just never went to the gym for any serious length of time. I'm tall and skinny and am looking to put a little muscle on. Other times I've gone to the gym I've made the mistake of doing splits like back/chest, arms/legs or whatever and didn't enjoy it. Now I actually look forward to going to the gym.

[bugzilla3]

This is what I was going to suggest. Your workout is very similar however so you'll be doing similar workouts anyways.

I started Stronglifts 5x5 about a month ago and I really like it. I'm a pretty active person, just never went to the gym for any serious length of time. I'm tall and skinny and am looking to put a little muscle on. Other times I've gone to the gym I've made the mistake of doing splits like back/chest, arms/legs or whatever and didn't enjoy it. Now I actually look forward to going to the gym.

I use to hate the gym as well, but with this simple Workout I actually enjoy going and getting pumped up for the day. Plus I'm increasing weights very gradually and only lifting 3 times a week so I'm not getting burnt out.

[Deleted]

It's a great place to start. Eventually, you will adapt the schedule to your body, and what you find out about it while you work out. For example, I would never do Squats and Bench on the same day, because I don't do full body workouts. I also don't like the regular Chest/Tris split a lot of people do. Why? Simple, because for me, I found over the years that Upper Chest/Shoulders gives me great results and Bis/Tris dedicated to one day gives me the best results for my arms as opposed to mixing in bis during back training, or whatnot. I can go on for back/legs etc, but you will find your own fit.

Great start though!

Do you even lift?

[Sicarius87]

I use to hate the gym as well, but with this simple Workout I actually enjoy going and getting pumped up for the day. Plus I'm increasing weights very gradually and only lifting 3 times a week so I'm not getting burnt out.

Thats what stronglifts does. You lift the same amount of weights (depending on what exercise youre doing) for the entire week. Then the next week you increase it by 5 pounds. You keep doing that until you cant crank out a full 5 sets for 5 reps using higher weight in which case you dial it back for a week to a previous weight.

Do you even lift?

Tired ol meme. Get new material please and dont bother to post.

[anakin57]

Do you even lift, bro?

(Fixed)

- - - Updated - - -

I highly recommend stronglifts 5x5. It's great for beginners, intermediate, and even advanced weightlifters. Download the app on Google Play or the Apple app store and it will help you track your progress and a bunch more. Yeah there is some "micro transactions" but you dont have to buy them and the app itself is completely free.

www.stronglifts.com

Have not heard of this, but looks like a good starting point for someone new, or someone who just goes to the gym and does bench press for ten minutes, some crunches and jogs on the treadmill for twenty minutes. Power lifting definitely has its advantages - throw in some body weight stuff (pull ups) and some hard runs and you're set with this schedule.

[Sicarius87]

Have not heard of this, but looks like a good starting point for someone new, or someone who just goes to the gym and does bench press for ten minutes, some crunches and jogs on the treadmill for twenty minutes. Power lifting definitely has its advantages - throw in some body weight stuff (pull ups) and some hard runs and you're set with this schedule.

They actually just added an additonal arm workout on the android and iphone app. It's $1.99 though. Sets you up with pullups and dips.

[bugzilla3]

Has anyone here done yoga? My coworker got me into it so now I try and do yoga on Tuesday's and Thursday's and lift MWF. I think it helps me stretch out and builds a strong core, but in a relaxing way.

[Tronski]

I've got the same body as you and I'm working out in periods, meaning I almost always have to start anew. But to be fair I've also done my share of exercising as I was an athlete in my younger days and thus have some of it in me still, maybe making it a bit easier.

The Program of this blog is a bit "meh". It's almost all arms - it's not good in any way to focus on arms and barely touching upon the legs, abs and back muscles.
Like others have said, it's a good place to start, but you shouldn't be sticking with it for more than 4-6 weeks tops.
At this point your body and you should be able to handle more during a workout and be ready to introduce more exercises too.

You should obviously experiment a little with what you find works for you, but personally I prefer to go with full body workouts 2-3 times a week with mixed focus on isolation - For me this is the way to go because it feels like I'm getting more out of less.

Core musculature is king, Deadlift is a winner combined with pullups and chinups - Chinup is a devil, but easy to progress in and more rewarding than deadlifting 300lbs when you get somewhere, trust me. Reverse lifting is the key here. Do as many ups as you can and then hold for 30 seconds. If you can't do any, jump up and try to hold for 30 seconds. Try to fight back as you descend and lift back up, and make sure you let go before your elbow "snaps" straight.
Chances are you'll never actually be able to hold for 30 seconds, but it's something to aim for, and should you make it, then you're ready for another rep before holding. This obviosuly also applies to pullups.

Another thing you should experiment with to build your core musculature is TRX exersises. http://greatist.com/fitness/effective-TRX-exercises
you'll basically have access to almost everything that's on your program, except that you're working out a larger part of your body with each exercise.
And the load is adjustable - Too easy to chest press at 60 degrees? Go for 40. Too hard? Adjust back up to 50 in a jiffy. And again, let's face it, the workload isn't gonna be negligible for us heavy blokes anytime soon - this also holds true as you gain more muscles and close in on 170 and 160lbs too.

As with the chinup, these TRX exercises feels more rewarding than lifting weights. First off it's that you get more for less. Second is that you're fucking lifting yourself each and every time you do something. It's simply excilerating! And I find them to also be more fun. All of this in combination make it great for beginners.

TRX ropes can be a bit expensive though, some gyms have these hanging around, but it's not worse than buying a regular rope and some reserve bicycle handles and tie the rope to a tree. Bonus points for working out outside, right?

Oh, and don't forget the plank. Them abs also want to play and you'll find no better exersise for them.
I also strongly suggest split squats in a walking motion - as in moving forwards and alternating between legs. Variations of this can also be done with weights. I love the deadlift, but split squats are more effective on the legs in my opinion - and you don't really need extra weight added at 180lbs - 40 (20 each leg) x3 - I'm usually sore for 2-3 days after doing this.

As a last point, don't start with 5x5 - yes, you'll progress fast, but you also risk hurting yourself as you're lifting heavy with techniques you're not familiar with. Go with 8-15 x3, higher is better as you'll lift lighter and really get to know the techniques and your muscles.

I hope some of my wisdom rubbed off on you and that you'll be tempted to try some of it out.

[Marthenil]

Actually TRX has me intrigued. My gym is offering TRX classes for just a minor extra fee per month.
I'm kinda getting bored of old plain lifting and thinking about spicing things up a bit.

On the downside, I won't have the freedom of going whenever I want to go (as it's classes with predetermined schedule).

[bugzilla3]

snip

So I used to do mostly body weight exercises, push ups/burpees/pull-ups/etc, I'm switching to weight lifting to try something new. I like the full body workout this provides in a simple but seemingly effective routine. I plan on doing this for around 2 months then going to the intermediate workout, which seems a lot harder. I just am getting over a wrist injury from hockey so I like the non impact of lifting weights.

As far as TRX goes, my buddy played college soccer and he loved those exercises. I'll probably check them out one day.

Thanks for the advice!

Ps. Planks are huge in yoga it seems like. I timed my self not too long ago and held one for almost 3 min (elbows). They are a hell of a ab workout.

[anakin57]

+5 all around for all the comments on planks