[quote]Professor X wrote:
I see nothing wrong with starting out with a basic routine. However, my idea of basic involves a beginner working 2-3 body parts a day no more than 5 days a week attempting to do 3 exercises per body part while pyramiding up in weight over 6-10 reps. I also like the basic concept of working the larger muscle group first.[/quote]
Damn, you’ve just outlined my routines for the most part. A beginner I still am.
[quote]morepain wrote:
I respectfully disagree, the first thing you want to do is get the guy doing bodyweight or broomstick squats to build his coordination. Why start building strength in any area if the guy is so uncoordianted taht he can’t balance a bar.
[/quote]
I don’t know. I remember a freshman at my highschool, probably 5-10, 140 ask me for training advice several times. Eventually I took him over to the squat rack, had him walk out with 45 pounds and he physically could not make his legs bend the right way to do a squat. Then I tried a broomstick. I never thought that people couldn’t physically move their bodyweight right. He had one knee moving out the the side and another going forward and his back rounding over. And he wrestled that year, so he wasn’t a physical wreck.
Yet, he was too weak in several areas to move his body properly. He had to build up strength with more isolated movements before he could start to squat.
[quote]justrob wrote:
Others are free to respond as well of course, but the reason I’m specifically asking X is because (a) his results show that he clearly knows what he’s talking about, (b) his training philosophy is somewhat different from most T-Nation writers, and (c) he isn’t afraid to admit that a big part of the reason he trains is to look good (as do I - with apologies if I have this wrong, X)
Cheers
Rob[/quote]
A lifted some in PE class, but my first routine was pretty good for learning different movements and looked like this:
Day 1
Bench press:4x8
Incline press 4x8
1-arm crossovers: 3 sets of 12
Lying EZ tricep extensions: 12,10,8
Standing dumbell extensions: 12,10,8
1-arm cable pressdowns: 12,10,8
Day 2
Pulldown to chin: 4x8
T-bar row: 10, 8, 6, 4-6
Dumbell row: 4x8
Seated at incline dumbell curl: 12,10,8
(I remember we would lower these real slow)
1-arm cable curl: 12,10,8
Concentration curl: 3x10
(Hold tight for 2 sec at the top)
Day 3
Squat off a bench, 15-20,12,3x8
Cable leg extension: I would rep out 10-15 reps, then drop the weight and repeat for 4-5 total sets.
Lying leg curl: Same as leg extensions.
Military press machine: 4x8
Shrugs: 12,10,8,5-6
Lateral raises: 4x8
On all of the 4x8 exercises I would add weight each set and the last set I would probably only get 6-7 and then some help from my spotter.
I would work out monday, tuesday and wednesday, and then I might come back thursday and repeat monday’s workout (about 3/4 of the time) and then about 1/2 of the time I would come back and repeat tuesday’s workout.
I did squats off a bench about 18" , and paused briefly at the bottom.
I would also stretch between sets-especially quads and pecs.
I added in 4 sets of calf raises and 4 sets of incline situps after a couple of months.
I’m not saying that I would do this routine today, but I really did learn how it felt to use different muscles in different ways.
[quote]JimmyOZ wrote:
im confused, how can someone read all the articles and have a basic understanding then be confused as hell…sure he’ll get overwhelmed, but if this kid had a brain, he would know how to start atleast, IF, as you say, they have read the articles. [/quote]
As FightingIrish said, there’s so much info on this site alone, to the point where many newbies (including myself) just say, “Yeah, that’s all good - but I could keep reading forever and not get anywhere. Just tell me what to do”
Information overload, paralysis by analysis - call it what you like …
Every writer has their own take on the best way to get started. Prof X is experienced, a guy I respect, and whose training goals are similar to mine - I simply wanted to get his views
Cheers 
Rob
i started working out 9 months ago and i just thrust myself into everything. and im doing fine right now. all depends on how serious you are about it. cuz im 100% positive that if i would have had a trainer from the start, it would have been totally different. helped that i had a roommate who browses this site all the time and knew what he was doing though.
And mertdawg, I really like the program - reckon I might steal a few things from there
[quote]justrob wrote:
And mertdawg, I really like the program - reckon I might steal a few things from there
[/quote]
I would not do leg extensions today. They might be OK if you find just the right machine. You can do lunges instead, or leg press with your feet back.
Also, whichever “area” needs more work, put it first in the week. You can double up on that one most weeks.
And keep in mind that that was 18 years ago, and I’m more into powerlifting now, but for just building muscle its not bad. (Kind of suprises me).
[quote]azul wrote:
Broomstick squats are reserved for overweight spandex-wearing women only! [/quote]
Hey, I resent that. I started with broom squats, and guess what. I am up to a Hoover now. by next month I will be ready to do an ass to the grass squat with a Dyson.
Then I move to the big leagues. That’s right… a WET VAC.
I’d put him on a basic program focusing of the 6 major movements (squat,bench, deadlift, row, OHP and chins) teach hm the form and start out light until his form is textbook, Once he gets the form down is the only time I’d make him go heavier
P.S. tell him that since he reads here, tell him to stop thinking too much and just get his ass to the gym and work hard. many people always overthink, trying to complicate things when it should be simplified
[quote]mertdawg wrote:
I would not do leg extensions today. They might be OK if you find just the right machine. You can do lunges instead, or leg press with your feet back.
Also, whichever “area” needs more work, put it first in the week. You can double up on that one most weeks.
And keep in mind that that was 18 years ago, and I’m more into powerlifting now, but for just building muscle its not bad. (Kind of suprises me).
[/quote]
Thanks for the advice - I realy like the bodypart split and set-rep schemes. I’m gonna use these as a template for my own program. I’m aiming for 4 workouts a week most weeks (ie, training each workout 4 times in a 3 week period)