Hey everyone I've decided that I'm going to get on a weightlifting routine. I'm just not sure how exactly to do it. I've got a weight bench & a pull up bar. With the bench how many reps & sets should I be doing? Also should I lift wieghts every single day or should I do it like every other day. I'll appreciate anyone's info. Thanks in advance.
Starting to Lift Weights
- Thread starter Dustin323
- Start date
start on a standard split.....
do 8 to 12 reps, 3 sets for each exercise. Pick a weight that you can use good form with , but is heavy enough that you begin to struggle around rep 10-12
monday... Chest .................... Flat bench press/decline bench press/incline BP
tuesday....cardio or rest
wednesday....biceps/back............... standing bicep curl,lat pull downs, deadlifts ,hammer curls, bent over rows.
thursday.....cardio or rest
friday.....shoulders/triceps .................... over head dumbell press,side lateral raises, front raises, upright rows, tricep extensions, tricep kickbacks, dips,
saturday...legs ......................... squats, leg curls, calves raises
sunday.....rest
not sure if you know all the exercises i named, and im not sure if you have the equipment for some of those exercises...... any questions lemme know!
do 8 to 12 reps, 3 sets for each exercise. Pick a weight that you can use good form with , but is heavy enough that you begin to struggle around rep 10-12
monday... Chest .................... Flat bench press/decline bench press/incline BP
tuesday....cardio or rest
wednesday....biceps/back............... standing bicep curl,lat pull downs, deadlifts ,hammer curls, bent over rows.
thursday.....cardio or rest
friday.....shoulders/triceps .................... over head dumbell press,side lateral raises, front raises, upright rows, tricep extensions, tricep kickbacks, dips,
saturday...legs ......................... squats, leg curls, calves raises
sunday.....rest
not sure if you know all the exercises i named, and im not sure if you have the equipment for some of those exercises...... any questions lemme know!
Cynic said:
Proven scientifically for who though? Im sorry i really don't mean to be difficult, but not all body types react to the same volume and frequency. I just pose the question because we dont really know anything about the original poster other than the fact that they are new. Im not saying that 3 full body workouts wont work wonders, but how are we so sure that he wouldnt benefit from different training? Thats all.
niceone said:
True, everybody is different, but on the average, frequency yields better results.
The only way to know without spending $1000s on research for this individual, is trail and error.
First up, a correct diet.
Then I'd say he starts with a 3x/wk full-body, do that for three months and check his results.
However, the one argument I will always fall back on, because it is logically sound, is the body evolved whereby the smaller muscles assisted the larger muscles, and were not meant to work in isolation. Such a practice [in body-part splits] is breaking down the synergy between large and small muscles and CNS.
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True.. what about 3 day splits that involve almost entirely compound lifts? (like my routine). Lifting higher weight recruits more muscle fibers. Not only that, but it recruits the larger type IIb muscle fibers. There may be proof that people can heal within 48 hours from their workout, but that is a fairly ambiguous statement/fact considering how many variables can come into play. For example. 2 people can do the exact same workout in terms of exercises performed and numbers of repetitions. But if one person does it at a 1/0/1 tempo and the other does it at a 3/0/1 tempo, who do you think will have recruited more muscle fibers (which equals more muscle tears, which in turn equals more rest time)
Anyways, this is a very good debate. The major factors here I believe are different soma types reacting better to different stimulation. I do know for a fact that ectomorphs (skinny, small frames, not predisposed to packing on muscle) DO respond much better to 3 day splits(-- when utilizing high volume and controlled tempo) as opposed to 3 full-body workouts. I suppose that does not hold true for all body types. Mesomorphs and endomorphs seem to repair quicker and respond more to higher frequency training.
I would suggest that people (especially new to lifting) learn more about their body type before choosing a workout regime, because as we have established here, it's different strokes for different folks.
Anyways, this is a very good debate. The major factors here I believe are different soma types reacting better to different stimulation. I do know for a fact that ectomorphs (skinny, small frames, not predisposed to packing on muscle) DO respond much better to 3 day splits(-- when utilizing high volume and controlled tempo) as opposed to 3 full-body workouts. I suppose that does not hold true for all body types. Mesomorphs and endomorphs seem to repair quicker and respond more to higher frequency training.
I would suggest that people (especially new to lifting) learn more about their body type before choosing a workout regime, because as we have established here, it's different strokes for different folks.
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niceone i think the guys have answered for me really but here is something from the HST site. read it all but the last two paragraphs especially Also read the Planning Your Training Frequency article.
The reason HST calls for more frequent training is because the acute anabolic effects of training, such as increased protein synthesis, muscle-specific IGF-1 expression, and other factors involved in modulation of short term protein synthesis, only last for 36-48 hours. There is also mounting evidence of a "summation" effect by exercising while levels of these signals and responses are elevated, as should be expected.
This does not mean that the structural repairs to the tissue have been completed. Research has demonstrated that you can train a muscle before it is fully recovered structurally and not inhibit its ability to continue to recover. So, HST uses this evidence and calls for repeated loading (training) every 48 hours or so to keep the anabolic activity of the muscle high, while trying to stay slightly ahead of the structural recovery curve by constantly increasing the load each workout. Staying ahead of the structural recovery curve is really key to elicit real growth in a person who has lifted for quite a while. Of course, injuries can develop over time if care isn't taken to take time to heal, and prepare the tendons for repeated heavy bouts of lifting (SD and 15s serve this purpose in HST).
"Recovery" can refer to several different things.
1) "Recovery" can refer to the structural repair process of fixing the microtrauma. The damaged proteins can takes several days to be repaired and all evidence of damage removed. Even at the end of seven days after significant muscle damage from eccentric muscle actions, you may still see some small fibers regenerating.
2) Strength - this can be acute recovery as in the necessary time to rest between sets. Or it can mean the days that it usually takes to regain baseline strength after muscle damaging exercise.
So the trick is to have the CNS "recover" just in time to hit the muscle again as the acute anabolic effects are wearing off. That way you can stay anabolic more of the time. Training once every 7 days will still allow you to grow, it just takes longer for the gains to accumulate. Training more frequently is more efficient if your goal is just to get bigger
To understand, you have to consider the total volume over time. A week is easiest to consider, so, over the course of a week, it is the total volume that is important. So 9 total sets for chest can be done in one workout or in several workouts. Both will stimulate growth. However, you will be anabolic more of the time if you can actually create that stimulus more often. In the case of HST, 3 times as often. There is a physiological benefit (acute anabolic effects of training) in doing 9 sets as 3 sets X 3 workouts, as opposed to 9 sets all at once - and then nothing for the next 7 days
Also read the Planning Your Training Frequency article.The reason HST calls for more frequent training is because the acute anabolic effects of training, such as increased protein synthesis, muscle-specific IGF-1 expression, and other factors involved in modulation of short term protein synthesis, only last for 36-48 hours. There is also mounting evidence of a "summation" effect by exercising while levels of these signals and responses are elevated, as should be expected.
This does not mean that the structural repairs to the tissue have been completed. Research has demonstrated that you can train a muscle before it is fully recovered structurally and not inhibit its ability to continue to recover. So, HST uses this evidence and calls for repeated loading (training) every 48 hours or so to keep the anabolic activity of the muscle high, while trying to stay slightly ahead of the structural recovery curve by constantly increasing the load each workout. Staying ahead of the structural recovery curve is really key to elicit real growth in a person who has lifted for quite a while. Of course, injuries can develop over time if care isn't taken to take time to heal, and prepare the tendons for repeated heavy bouts of lifting (SD and 15s serve this purpose in HST).
"Recovery" can refer to several different things.
1) "Recovery" can refer to the structural repair process of fixing the microtrauma. The damaged proteins can takes several days to be repaired and all evidence of damage removed. Even at the end of seven days after significant muscle damage from eccentric muscle actions, you may still see some small fibers regenerating.
2) Strength - this can be acute recovery as in the necessary time to rest between sets. Or it can mean the days that it usually takes to regain baseline strength after muscle damaging exercise.
So the trick is to have the CNS "recover" just in time to hit the muscle again as the acute anabolic effects are wearing off. That way you can stay anabolic more of the time. Training once every 7 days will still allow you to grow, it just takes longer for the gains to accumulate. Training more frequently is more efficient if your goal is just to get bigger
To understand, you have to consider the total volume over time. A week is easiest to consider, so, over the course of a week, it is the total volume that is important. So 9 total sets for chest can be done in one workout or in several workouts. Both will stimulate growth. However, you will be anabolic more of the time if you can actually create that stimulus more often. In the case of HST, 3 times as often. There is a physiological benefit (acute anabolic effects of training) in doing 9 sets as 3 sets X 3 workouts, as opposed to 9 sets all at once - and then nothing for the next 7 days