Post: #1

Beginners workout

I'm a strength coach and I thought i'd post up the beginners workout i've just showed a client - maybe it can be of some help for any new trainees.

Its simple and effective foundation program for gaining muscle while promoting structural balance.

Use a stopwatch

Use a training journal to record reps, weights etc. Very important - if you cant be bothered to do this you're not serious about training.

A good place to start is to find your 15 rep maximum 15rm (meaning find the weight that you can only perform 15 reps with - not 17 or 20 reps but 15 reps

with good form) in the following exercises and that is the weight you will start with.

Exercises

Squats
deadlifts
overhead barbell press
bench press
bent over rows
barbell curls

Reps
10

Rest between sets
90 secs

TUT (time under tension) per rep
4 secs

Tempo 31X0
This is the tempo of the rep. The time under tension. Very important as it will dictate the training response. Heres the breakdown of the numbers:
3= 3 secs to lower the weight, 1= 1 sec pause at the mid point or halfway point in the rep, X= return to the start of the rep as fast as you can, 0= 0 secs

rest between reps.


Option A
full body workout performed in the following order

squats
barbell curls trained together like this: set of squats > 90secs rest >set of barbell curls > 90 secs rest > then squats > 90secs rest > you get the idea.
4 sets of each

Do the same with:
deadlifts with
overhead barbell press

then
flat bench with
dumbell bent over rows

Resting 90 secs between all exercises and sets

Total sets
24

workout time
just over 50 mins

Option B
This is an abbreviated german volume workout. Nice and simple, great for beginners excellent for packing muscle on.

workout 1
squats
barbell curls

workout 2
flat bench
bent over dumbell rows

workout 3
deadlift
overhead barbell press

10 sets of 10 reps.

90 secs rest.

Like this: set of squats > 90secs rest >set of barbell curls > 90 secs rest > then squats > 90secs rest > you get the idea.

TUT per rep
4 secs

tempo
31X0 same as workout A

total sets
20

workout time
about 45 mins

After 6 workout of option A or 2 workouts each of option B - have a down week:

Drop the volume by 40%

meaning instead of 4 sets do 2 sets

instead of 10 sets do 6 sets

Do not drop the weights though. Keep the intensity the same.

Then after 3 workouts of option A or 1 workout each of option B > go back to full volume for the remaining 2-3 weeks then you are ready for a change of program.

Rest between workouts
Listen to your body. Do not have set days. Go back when you feel ready ie when soreness has subsided to a point where its nearly gone. Some of you will be ok

with 2-3 days off. Older guys or guys who work hard for a living maybe 4 or even 5. I have experienced this.

P.S. If i'm around and anyone needs a little help with performing the exercises, give me a shout and i'll run them through them (muscleworks)

Dont think i left anything out did I?

M

Post: #2

Respectfully, this is crap.

Post: #3

(11-07-2010 04:08 AM)Fisto Wrote:  Respectfully, this is crap.

Repectfully you havent got a clue what you're talking about. Put your qualifications up.

Post: #4

Crossfit.com

Post: #5

Fisto, I would not call this crap. It all depends on your goals. Crossfit is ok, I won't knock it, but again it depends on what you are really looking for. If you want to be able to bench 400lbs, crossfit will never get you there. If you want to look like Stallone (even though he is 60+ and most of us are 20's or 30's) Crossfit will not get you there. Crossfit is good for overall conditioning and I would recomend it, but just depending on the personal goals of the person asking.

I do not profess to be a weight trainer or even that knowledgable in this area,but I know enought to realize that all weight training varies on your goals. For instance one of the guys I corner for trained in Russia with the National wrestling team. Their coach (world renowned) never let them lift at all, which was at that time new to my friend as many of the wrestlers here still weight trained in their down time. Now despite not having necks, they were functionally powerfull as hell from their grip to thier backs and legs, but from lifting other humans and training like savages, not from tons of crossfit reps or from body building routines like the one Merlin listed.

Post: #6

(11-07-2010 02:55 PM)Fisto Wrote:  Crossfit.com

Im with you that Crossfit is a great workout but alot of people either dont have the equipment or they are in an area that might not have a crossfit gym. Those that do might not be able to afford it since crossfit gyms are a bit more than regular gyms.

Post: #7

(11-10-2010 09:32 AM)Rocco81 Wrote:  Fisto, I would not call this crap. It all depends on your goals. Crossfit is ok, I won't knock it, but again it depends on what you are really looking for. If you want to be able to bench 400lbs, crossfit will never get you there. If you want to look like Stallone (even though he is 60+ and most of us are 20's or 30's) Crossfit will not get you there. Crossfit is good for overall conditioning and I would recomend it, but just depending on the personal goals of the person asking.

I do not profess to be a weight trainer or even that knowledgable in this area,but I know enought to realize that all weight training varies on your goals. For instance one of the guys I corner for trained in Russia with the National wrestling team. Their coach (world renowned) never let them lift at all, which was at that time new to my friend as many of the wrestlers here still weight trained in their down time. Now despite not having necks, they were functionally powerfull as hell from their grip to thier backs and legs, but from lifting other humans and training like savages, not from tons of crossfit reps or from body building routines like the one Merlin listed.

I used to wrestle on the National team here in the states, I was on the Army Greco team in WCAP and then at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, my coach in the Army was a 3 time world champ and an Olympic silver Medalist. We went to Russia every year to train with their guys and camps as well. Now I'm a fighter and in my personal experience, the crossfit regimen is the best regimen in the world for combat sports. Which means it's also the most functional. I agree that you might never bench 400 lbs, but you will feel a lot stronger than the guy who can bench 400lb when you literally clean and jerk his ass through the roof. I'm sensitive to these globo gym type trainers because I truly believe that that type of training in the traditional bodybuilding manner is akin to the karate Mcdojo saying they'll train you in MMA. I do want to step back and apologize for the "this is crap" statement but, I feel like it's almost fraudulent.

Post: #8

(11-12-2010 04:57 PM)Fisto Wrote:  I used to wrestle on the National team ...

Yikes: Fisto is a terrifying beast. :-)

Crossfit looks like a cross-training program for functional strength, with a strong aerobic component.

I would like to hear more about Fisto's use of the Tabata protocol. There are several references to the Tabata protocal here: http://www.cbass.com/
http://mikeroussell.com/tabata-protocol-...se-guide/.

For some of us, it's not how much weight we can lift, it is how much we look like we can lift. In other words, we want cosmetic results. But we don't all have Fisto's genetics and dedication.

Post: #9

Well Kimleebj I know where you are coming from. Most guys just want to look good. Again it depends on your station in life and your goals. If a guy just wants to look good that is his perogative and certainly nothing wrong with that. I mean when i'm 40 I will probably just lift and chill.

I also know where Fisto is coming from though, I too kind of have that idea about the guy with big bicep bar muscle in the bar that I know I could embarase if he stepped out of line. You have functional strength and you have body builder fluff. It's just competitive nature coming from older days.

Fisto where you from? What weight are you? I too train with a couple very good wrestlers in camp. 1 2x all American (Div 1) he fights at heavy but wrestled 185 I think. Other guy from Army National team. Beasts.

Post: #10

For maximum definintion, do you guys recommend blasting through sets, or taking your time and focusing on every millimeter of movement?

Post: #11

I always try to focus on each rep to make them as clean as possible, you dont want to "blast" through it with bad form. A big thing to watch is your rest between sets. Turn your lifting sessions into a cardio workout as well by taking minimal rest between sets. Take a day doing higher reps and sets than normal with a slightly lower weight still paying attention to form and only taking at most a minute between sets and see how much you sweat. Everyones body is different though so take some time to experiment and figure out what your body responds to best.

Hope that helps!

Post: #12

(11-23-2010 12:18 PM)Feo Wrote:  For maximum definintion, do you guys recommend blasting through sets, or taking your time and focusing on every millimeter of movement?

It's always better to go slow and focus on movement. If you want definition, the only way to do that is to either lose fat or get stronger- definition= relaxed muscle tension.

Also the workout that was posted is solid.

Post: #13

Slow working out is good, yeah but for body building types of workouts.

Some of the olympic lifts (in my opinion some of the best for power and functional muscle) that are explosive in nature, you cannot do them slow and concentrated. Of course more detail would be paid to the correct motion, so you dont get hurt, but slow and focused wouldnt work there.

Post: #14

Ooh a new section. Good call.