Routines and Tip

I hope this will help beginners and first time readers and also some intermediate lifters who are looking for a new routine.



First a few basic points to consider.

1) Don't copy the workout routines of advanced guys that are already big, and strong.

The training style of someone who is already strong, and has experience under his belt maybe very different to a newbie. Don't look at these guys training styles and think that you need to train their way straight off. These guys have built up their work capacity, and also through experience, know how to fine tune a workout to address their own personal strengths and weaknesses.


2) No one single training style is optimal for everyone.

There are many styles of training and while a training system maybe optimal for someone at a given time, no one training style will be optimal, for everyone, at all times. We must experiment and find what works for us as an individual, because that's what you are, unique, so while somebody else may gain well on program A, program B may be more suited to you. The best way to find out? Try!


3) Keep your routine simple, basic and focus on getting stronger.

The best thing a new lifter can do is train to get stronger on the core lifts, compound (multi-joint) movements:

Squats
Dead lifts
Bench
Rows
Dips
Chins
Overhead pressing

These are the things to focus on, and get good at. Think how much bigger you'd be if you concentrated on the above lifts for a year or two and added significant amounts of weight to each! I'm not suggesting to leave out isolation (single-joint) exercises, these are certainly beneficial but the above movements and their variations are the money makers especially for beginners.


4) Avoid extremes to begin with.

At either end of the spectrum we have lifters that perform high workloads of 20 (ish) sets per body part. At the other we have the single set to failure (SSTF) lifters who use just one work set per exercise but take that one set to it's absolute limit (failure) and possibly beyond using set extending techniques. I am of the opinion that for the majority of beginners to intermediate lifters that moderation is the key. Moderate workloads (volume) and muscular failure avoided for the most part. This results in a decent load on the muscular system while helping to avoid the systematic fatigue caused by too much use of taking sets to failure and possibly beyond.

A simple 3 day routine. Each body part once per week. Each exercise 2-4 sets, reps 5-8.

Back/Bis

Dead lifts
A Row
Chins or Pulldown
Bicep Curl

Chest/Tris

Bench
DB or Inc Bench
Chest Dips
Triceps Isolation

Legs/Shoulders

Squat
GHR (Glute Ham Raise)
Military Press
Calf Work

To be continued ...............