Weight Training for Beginners

Overview

This is intended as a basic routine, suitable for beginners to weight training or for those simply looking to keep in condition. The routine itself is based around three 40 minute workouts performed on three non consecutive days of the week (typically Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Each workout contains exercises for each major body part therefore requiring a days rest between workouts.

Each exercise should be performed in a strict style such that you are in control of the weight when both raising and lowering the weight. Cheating by swinging the weight or throwing the weight up may result in injury, you will also make little if any progress. You can learn more in depth information about this by reading the sections on loading parameters and TUT. To put it simply, make sure that you controlling your weight as you move it from the start position to the end position. And return the weight back to the starting position under strict and steady control. There is no need to rush the movement. In fact the slower that you move, the better. You will have more control and safety and cause more stimulus to the muscle tissue by keeping it under greater tension for longer. Try and perform each rep over about 6 seconds. Maybe two to three seconds up and three to four seconds back down. If you can, try to emphasise the downward eccentric portion of the exercise as this has been shown to produce more stimulus for muscular growth.

During the first week you should perform each exercise with an empty bar to ensure you have the correct movement. Use the exercise guide section of the website to help you or inlist the help of a qualified professional to coach you through the correct execution of all movements. We cannot stress how important it is to spend time learning the techniques first and developing good habits from the start. Sloppy form or incorrectly performed when handling heavy weights and you are asking for danger. That is the fastest way to an injury. So spend time the first week learning the movements and the form and speed with no weight whatsoever. Don't think you are wasting time or not training. You are teaching your automatic nervous system, subconscious motor movements and muscle fibre recruitment patterns so that when you do add weight you will be able to do so properly and more efficiently.

For each exercise, a number of reps ( the number of times you repeat the movement) and the number of sets (the number of times you perform the exercise) are indicated, but in general they based around doing each exercise 3 times for 10 reps each time. Between each set you should take a 45-60 second rest to recover your strength for the next set.

Once you can perform the exercises with the correct form and feel the movement in the target muscle, you need to select an appropriate weight. The correct weight is one that allows you to perform 10 reps in good form. That is you should find it hard, but not impossible to do 10 reps, but feel that you could not perform an 11th rep without breaking good form. This is where it is critical to keep good form. If you cannot perform the ten reps with good, clean and strict safe form then you need to lower the weight. There is little or no use for you to perform a rep poorly. It will not help you with your muscle building progress. It is more likely to hinder your progress through injury.

The ideal rep range for each exercise is 8-12 reps, and therefore once you can do all three sets with 10 reps, you should add a small amount of extra weight for your next workout. By small, we mean no more than 5% of the weight you were just using. At first you may be able to handle 10% strength increases but this is unlikely to continue for long, and you will have to stick to 5% increases. Do not exceed 12 reps on any set. If the first set seems easy and you can do 12 reps, simply stop and rest 45-60 seconds. you may find you can do 10 reps on your third set, and therefore next workout you should add some weight to the bar.

Normally strength levels peak around late afternoon, early evening, and therefore working out after school/work is an ideal time. You will probably also have an empty stomach at this time, which is also ideal for a workout. Finally, after the workout you would be going home for your evening meal which is also good for post workout recovery.

Having said this, you can workout any time of day, but try to ensure you haven't eaten for 60 minutes beforehand and that you will eat within an hour or so of finishing. Eating before training can have a number of bad effects depending upon the person and the foods eaten. Your stomach may feel full and bloated and cause discomfort during training. If you chose poor food choices your blood sugar may drop. Blood will rush to your stomach to digest food instead of to the muscles that you are training. And if you train too intensely you may even feel sick and have to terminate your training session.

Muscles repair and build during rest, not during the workout, and therefore it's important to get adequate rest. In general you should aim for 8-9 hours sleep per day, longer if you have a physically demanding job. It takes 48 hours to recover from a workout like this so you should never workout on two consecutive days. That means a schedule like Mon, Wed, Fri or perhaps Tue, Thurs, Sat. Remember also that all forms of exercise drain energy levels, so don't expect to be able to do everything at once, if you are just starting a weights program ease back on other exercise a little bit if possible.

After 2-3 months of consistent training it is often advantageous to take a 1 week break to allow complete rest and recovery. This is often known as a growth week, where your body will overcompensate for the rest and resupply all of its reserves and probably build a little muscle, if not a lot of muscle, in response to the time off.

After following this routine for two to three months you should notice a steady buildup in your competency to use and handle weights and a dramatic increase in learning how your unique body is responding to the stimulus that you place upon it. So long as your exercise selection and execution is of good quality and you supply your body with all of the nutrients that it needs to repair itself and grow you should notice a steady increase in strength and muscle size. You will most likely notice an increase in muscle tone and definition with a sound nutrition plan. We would recommend that you follow something like the standard athletes diet.