New to this lifestyle.....looking for help
  • I am a 30yr old male 6'2 225 I am a beginner in the gym and recently lost 70 lbs so now I want to lose about 10 to 20 more and get cut up and add some size. I know almost nothing aside from what Ive read in the last 3 months I lift very light twice a week via machines because of lack of someone to lift with. If someone could point me in the right direction as to a workout plan and nutrition plain I have take myoplex and followed the body for life to get down to where I am now but I feel like that is outdated and there have been so many advancements and there is just so much I dont know which one to chose....any advice would be helpful I am completely dedicated and am ready to through myself into this

  • 4 Replies sorted by
  • I meant throw on the end obviously
  • I think one of the best places to get started would be with Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength Routine.

    Here is a good outline:

    In the Starting Strength routine, there are two workout schedules to
    follow.  You will pretty much alternate
    workouts every other day. Take a look at the schedule below to get an
    understanding of what to do when:


    • Monday: Workout A
    • Wednesday: Workout B
    • Friday: Workout A

    The following week, your schedule will look like this:


    • Monday: Workout B
    • Wednesday: Workout A
    • Friday: Workout B

    As you can see, we are alternating workouts every other training day.
    Now, you don’t have to train only on Monday/Wednesday/Friday; you can,
    for example, train Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday instead. The key thing to
    remember here is that you should train 3 times a week non-consecutively
    as to let your body recover for a full day after your training day.
    After one week of training is over, you take two days off and then start
    the next week of training.


    Since you seem like you are just getting back into things, stick to this workout routine and
    don’t change anything until you get comfortable with this set-up.


    The Exercises / Lifts


    Here’s a list of the exercises associated for every workout along
    with their appropriate Sets and Repetitions. These exercises are placed
    in order, so always follow them accordingly and never do one before the
    other just because you feel like it or else you will be ruining the
    whole point of this routine. The numbers next to the exercises are Sets X
    Reps. If you don’t know any of these exercises or how to execute them
    properly, look into buying the book or just look up some videos for proper execution.


    Workout A


    • Squats: 3 x 5
    • Bench Press: 3 x 5
    • Deadlift: 1 x 5
    • Dips (weighted): 2 x 5-8

    Workout B


    • Squats: 3 x 5
    • Press: 3 x 5
    • Power Clean: 3 x 5
    • Chin-ups: 3 x 8

    Every Workout / Assistance Work / OPTIONAL


    • Weighted Sit-ups at a 45 degree angle on decline bench: 3 x 5
    • Weighted Hyper-extensions: 3 x 8

    These are key exercises
    to increasing strength in any individual in the shortest amount of
    time. Adding more exercises to this list should not be done at this point. Removing any of these exercises just because you don’t
    like them means you have already handicapped yourself for gaining the
    most amount of strength. Please do not mess with this routine or else
    you are seriously wasting your time following this program. This program is tried and true and will lead to increased strength and muscular development if followed properly.


    As you can see, there is no “bicep curls” or any direct arm work
    involved because your arms will be indirectly trained over time. Why?
    Sometimes indirect work to a muscle is the best way to train it as
    opposed to targeting it directly. A lot of people don’t seem to
    understand that these days and they choose to ignore it. Just give this
    program a month of work and you will see your arms get sore without you
    doing a bicep curl.


    Lastly, the weighted sit-ups and hyper-extensions are optional. If it
    gets in the way of progressing on the five core lifts (squats, deads,
    power cleans, shoulder presses, bench presses) then stop doing them.


    What You Need to Know


    Proper warm-ups are always required for proper strength training. You should do a
    minimum of 3 warm-up sets before you start your heavy sets.


    Never increase (or “ramp”) your working/heavy sets. If you start
    doing 150 lbs of squats, then you do it 3 times for the remainder of
    your exercise workout (this is called “sets across”). Do not increase in
    weight once you have started your heavy set. Leave the increase for the
    next time you do squats. This goes for any exercise: proper technique
    is always more important than the amount of weight on the bar.


    Somewhat Acceptable Substitutions


    Ideally, you should stick to the above exercises, but you can
    substitute a few of the exercises with the following options. You should
    know that you’re much better off doing power cleans than barbell rows.
    As coach Rippetoe has said many times, “My opinion about barbell rows is
    as follows: f*** barbell rows. Really. F*** them. Stop wasting time
    worrying about barbell rows and get your deadlift up to 500. By then
    you’ll have your own opinion and you won’t have to worry about mine.”


    • Replacing Power Cleans: you can do Pendlay Rows (3 x 5) and Chin-ups ( 2 x 8 ) as a replacement.
    • Replacing Dips: Decline Dumbbell Bench press with your hands’ palms facing each other.

    Additions to the Workouts


    Should the need arise, you can add the following
    exercises to your weekly routine on Fridays only (or the last training
    day of the week). If you are just starting out new on this program, do
    not do these until 3 weeks into the routine.


    • Parallel Bar Dips or Inline Skullcrushers (2 x 8-12)
    • Barbell / Dumbell / EZ-Curls: (2 x 8-12)
    There you go!  That routine should give you a solid base to start with.  Keep in mind, just because you train alone does not mean you can't train hard and heavy!  I have not had a training partner for many many years and have done just fine.

  • MentalFlex showed great wisdom in directing you towards Starting Strength. I suggest you read it and dedicate yourself to the plan. You are going to be hit with a lot of different ideas and workout routines. You may be tempted to veer off course and try something new but, you referred to this as a lifestyle. As such, you obviously plan to be doing this for the rest of your days. There will be time to try various other methods down the road after you have built up a solid foundation. Starting Strength will provide that. Give it a few months to work before you jump around to something that may just be an exotic sounding well-packaged alternative.

    Also, don't be afraid to get away from the machines and use free weights. They will feel awkward at first since you need to learn form and how to control the arc of movement but it will come faster than you think (and you will make the fastest gains of your life in this awkward stage).

    Congrats on getting started and keep in mind that hardcore lifting is like joining a motorcycle gang. Now that you are a part of the brotherhood, you can't just quit without us throwing a vicious beatdown on you. Train hard!
  • I couldn't agree more!

    I got introduce to Mark Rippetoe through CrossFit, and when I got tired of doing endless sets of bodyweight squats and kipping pull-ups, I switched to his Starting Strength program to focus purely on getting strong. My squat, deadlift, overhead press (a neglected but amazing movement) and bench press all went up every week, and I gained more weight and size than I ever had following a basic bodybuilding split.

    It takes some time to get used to heavy squatting every training day (three times a week), but the program works. And if you have the cash, buy the book. It's one of the best reads in the history of strength training.

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In with OpenID Sign In with Google Login with Facebook Sign In with Twitter

Sign In Register Now!