MAB E-Book: Novice Workout First 2 Months

[BendtheBar]

I've never been in the gym. What workout should I use for the first couple of months, and how strong should I try to get?

Notes to participants:

1) Participants should ignoring how others respond and not just chime in with "what he said", if this makes sense. This doesn't mean answers have to be long. I would just prefer them to be independent of what others are saying.

2) Answers can be as long or short as you desire. I want this e-book to be organic and not something that becomes a burden for those responding.

[bamazav]

Never having been to the gym before can be intimidating. That said, there is nothing to be afraid of in the gym if you approach it with the right attitude.

1. You will not become Mr. Olympia overnight, don't even try. I recommend that people just starting out start out with some body weight exercise. After a few sessions under your belt, move to some weighted exercises.

2. Read, watch videos or find a good coach to help you learn the proper way to perform each exercise.

3. Start light, be patient, work hard. Form should come before weight.

4. As you start adding weight, remember your goal is to build muscle not just move weight. Don't add weight just to add weight, it should have a purpose.

5. Each session you should either add reps or add a pound. Progression. If your goal is three sets of 10 and you only did three sets of 8 last time, your goal this session is to add reps. If you hit all 10 in all three sets then your goal is to add weight.

6. Leave the ego at the door. The ONLY one you are competing with is yourself. You are trying to improve yourself every day. What others do is irrelevant to your mission.

[SeventySeven]

A full body routine focusing on basic compound movements as well as the big 3. Master the movement then start pushing for progression.

[Fazc]

Exercise Selection:

The bulk of a trainee's life is going to come from a relatively short list of effective exercises and their variations.

Squatting exercises: Back Squats, Front Squats, Overhead Squats, Pause Squats, Partial Squats

Deadlift exercises: Conventional, Sumo, Stiff Leg, Romanian, Snatch Grip, Power Cleans

Benching exercises: Bench Press, Incline Press, Close Grip

Upper back exercises: Chins, Pull-Ups, Bent Rows, DB Rows, Shrugs, Rearward Shrugs

Overhead exercises: Standing, Seated Presses, BB or DB Presses

There will of course, be more variations of the above, however this relatively narrow selection will form the bulk of anyone's routine. A beginner would need to pick one exercise from each group to consistently get better at and work on for the better part of a year. If the beginner is stuck on which to pick, then by all means pick the one italicised. If they have a good reason to pick another from the list, then go right ahead. Beginners with specific goals in mind i.e powerlifting, may also have their choices influenced by that.

[Off Road]

Start slow (already mentioned)
Build slowly with an eye on form (already mentioned)
Use a sensible abbreviated routine focusing on the Big Boy lifts (already mentioned)

Build a strength foundation before moving forward...

1. Start with push-ups, reach a goal of doing 3 sets of 20 reps.
2. Move to Bar Dips, reach a goal of doing 3 sets of 12 reps.
3. You now have the strength foundation to tackle the barbell with exercises like the Bench Press.
4. Similar progression for other lifts should be done too; Like Body Squats to Goblet Squats to Barbell Squats.
5. Don't rush the process, earn your progression, you aren't going to turn into Mr. O. overnight (already mentioned).

[dmaipa]

body weight exercises. build relative strength and body awareness. what's the use of making them squat with a bar on their back if they've never done a correct body weight squat Or bench press when they can't even do regular push-up correctly. the list can go on. Build relative strength.