Program for My Little Brother

Training
1

Okay guys so my little brother who is 18 years wants to start going to a gym and build himself a decent body for the beach. He is roughly 178-180cm tall and weigh roughly 65-70kg`s and has just dieted down from a chubby and un-athletic version of himself. Now he is no longer chubby, but just skinny and un-athletic and wants do add some muscle to his frame, but he is not looking for a bodybuilder look at all. When I say he is un-athletic I mean he has now body awarness and have never been into sports etc. So I suggested he started on this easy routine, that looks like this:

Day1: back and biceps.
rows: 3 x 8-12.
pulldowns: 3 x 8-12. ( he is not strong enough to do chins )
bicep db curls: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day2: chest, shoulders, triceps.
Db bench: 3 x 8-12.
Db militarypress: 3 x 8-12.
tate press: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day3: Legs.
Legpress: 3 x 8-12.
leg curls: 3 x 8-12.
back raises: 3setts.
abs: 3setts.

Is this a good starting point for a guy like him?

ps. I avoided all the big compounds becuase he`s lack of body awarness and because I cant be there to teach him form( because I live on the other side of the country ).

Also for diet I suggested he get hes hands on some protein powders and that he should get in 1-3 shakes on top of hes regular eating, wich I guess is 3-4 regular meals a day aka 2-3 meals of slices of bread and a real dinner.

2

[quote]florelius wrote:
Okay guys so my little brother who is 18 years wants to start going to a gym and build himself a decent body for the beach. He is roughly 178-180cm tall and weigh roughly 65-70kg`s and has just dieted down from a chubby and un-athletic version of himself. Now he is no longer chubby, but just skinny and un-athletic and wants do add some muscle to his frame, but he is not looking for a bodybuilder look at all. When I say he is un-athletic I mean he has now body awarness and have never been into sports etc. So I suggested he started on this easy routine, that looks like this:

Day1: back and biceps.
rows: 3 x 8-12.
pulldowns: 3 x 8-12. ( he is not strong enough to do chins )
bicep db curls: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day2: chest, shoulders, triceps.
Db bench: 3 x 8-12.
Db militarypress: 3 x 8-12.
tate press: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day3: Legs.
Legpress: 3 x 8-12.
leg curls: 3 x 8-12.
back raises: 3setts.
abs: 3setts.

Is this a good starting point for a guy like him?

ps. I avoided all the big compounds becuase he`s lack of body awarness and because I cant be there to teach him form( because I live on the other side of the country ).

Also for diet I suggested he get hes hands on some protein powders and that he should get in 1-3 shakes on top of hes regular eating, wich I guess is 3-4 regular meals a day aka 2-3 meals of slices of bread and a real dinner.

[/quote]

It really isnt that hard to learn the compound lifts. I taught myself through the internet. Tell your brother that if he really wants this, he needs to spend some time learning the lifts.

If you put in the big lifts, the routine isn’t bad.

3

[quote]florelius wrote:
Now he is no longer chubby, but just skinny and un-athletic and wants do add some muscle to his frame, but he is not looking for a bodybuilder look at all.[/quote]
I am glad you specified that he doesn’t want to become a bodybuilder, that kind of thing happens overnight so you need to design a program to avoid it.

[quote]florelius wrote:
ps. I avoided all the big compounds becuase he`s lack of body awarness and because I cant be there to teach him form( because I live on the other side of the country ).[/quote]
Good call, kids tend to know how to control two objects at once(dumbbells) instead of one(barbell) when proprioception is lacking.

4

Okay guys point taken, I am perhaps a bit over protective of him since he is my little brother.

When it comes to why I specified hes goals, it is show where hes mind is regarding this.

But, since I have you here what would you suggests?

5

Just get him started on Starting strength, 5X5 or 5/3/1, anything that focuses more on the compound lifts, and less on bicep curls. Han kommer til å takke deg senere :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

6

[quote]florelius wrote:
He is roughly 178-180cm tall and weigh roughly 65-70kg`s and has just dieted down from a chubby and un-athletic version of himself.[/quote]
How much weight did he lose and how did he do it, just through changing his eating? Did he do any exercise?

[quote]Day1: back and biceps.
rows: 3 x 8-12.
pulldowns: 3 x 8-12. ( he is not strong enough to do chins )
bicep db curls: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day2: chest, shoulders, triceps.
Db bench: 3 x 8-12.
Db militarypress: 3 x 8-12.
tate press: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day3: Legs.
Legpress: 3 x 8-12.
leg curls: 3 x 8-12.
back raises: 3setts.
abs: 3setts.[/quote]
Not a bad general template, for sure, but the volume is super low and the particular exercise choices are poor. Like JLone said, you don’t give somebody with no body awareness a pair of dumbbells and say, “Go play with these for a bit.” And I don’t care for Tate presses for beginners. Hell, I have a hard enough time getting the technique right when I do them.

I’d actually suggest my general bodyweight plan, to at least build that base level of strength and coordination. I usually recommend it for younger kids anyhow (even though he’s 18), but it’s solid for anyone new to resistance training.

Mon, Wed, Fri
A) Squat 2x12-15
B) Push-up 2x12-15
C) Alternating lunge 2x10-15 per leg
D) Neutral-grip pull-up (assisted) or inverted row 2x12-15
E) Plank 2x15-count
F) Burpee 2x12-15

Once that’s easy from start to finish, then I’d jump him onto any free weight-based program.

Make sure he knows how to hard-boil and scramble eggs, and give him basic ideas/concepts to follow. “A fistful of vegetables with each meal”, “Protein everytime you eat”, “Not too much crap.” He shouldn’t be eating like a dieting bodybuilder, but he shouldn’t be knocking back Red Bulls at midnight either.

7

[quote]florelius wrote:
But, since I have you here what would you suggests? [/quote]
I don’t know what would be wrong with a simple Starting Strength template. It is high frequency which is great for beginners because you learn movement patterns quicker.

I think people get turned off for two reasons:

  1. It has deadlifts and squats in it which can be scarey to noobs.
  2. It recommends you eat like a horse and do GOMAD

So my recommendation would be to keep what works for you(the template) and pitch the rest.
Recommend he eat “normally” for lack of a better word.

Workout 1:

A) Dumbbell Lunges 3 x 5
B) Bench Press 3 x 5
C) Dumbbell Deadlifts 1 x 5

Workout 2:

A) Walking Lunges w/ Wt. 3 x 5
B) Press (Overhead press) 3 x 5
C) Back extensions and chins ups 5 x 3

Workouts 1 and 2 are alternated, and performed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Week 1:

A) Monday- Workout 1
B) Wednesday- Workout 2
C) Friday- Workout 1

Week 2:

A) Monday- Workout 2
B) Wednesday- Workout 1
C) Friday- Workout 2

Week 3: Cycle Repeats

Video: (to illustrate that less form is involved in the Dumbbell variety)

8

plenty of good advice in this thread. I’d also push him to try some new sports, ideally something testosterone fuelled like rugby or boxing but anything will do as long as he sticks to it for a while

9

[quote]Wesmar wrote:
Just get him started on Starting strength, 5X5 or 5/3/1, anything that focuses more on the compound lifts, and less on bicep curls. Han kommer til Ã?Â¥ takke deg senere ;P[/quote]

I keep those in mind, but are going to talk to him later today about what he can and cannot do. If he cant keep he`s back straight I am reluctant to let him deadlift and squat. Last time I checked he could not do this.

Takk for tipset Wesmar :slight_smile:

10

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:
He is roughly 178-180cm tall and weigh roughly 65-70kg`s and has just dieted down from a chubby and un-athletic version of himself.[/quote]
How much weight did he lose and how did he do it, just through changing his eating? Did he do any exercise?

[quote]Day1: back and biceps.
rows: 3 x 8-12.
pulldowns: 3 x 8-12. ( he is not strong enough to do chins )
bicep db curls: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day2: chest, shoulders, triceps.
Db bench: 3 x 8-12.
Db militarypress: 3 x 8-12.
tate press: 3 x 8-12.
abs: 3setts.

Day3: Legs.
Legpress: 3 x 8-12.
leg curls: 3 x 8-12.
back raises: 3setts.
abs: 3setts.[/quote]
Not a bad general template, for sure, but the volume is super low and the particular exercise choices are poor. Like JLone said, you don’t give somebody with no body awareness a pair of dumbbells and say, “Go play with these for a bit.” And I don’t care for Tate presses for beginners. Hell, I have a hard enough time getting the technique right when I do them.[/quote]

Okay I understand. I chosed tate presses because I like them myselft.

I’d actually suggest my general bodyweight plan, to at least build that base level of strength and coordination. I usually recommend it for younger kids anyhow (even though he’s 18), but it’s solid for anyone new to resistance training.

Mon, Wed, Fri
A) Squat 2x12-15
B) Push-up 2x12-15
C) Alternating lunge 2x10-15 per leg
D) Neutral-grip pull-up (assisted) or inverted row 2x12-15
E) Plank 2x15-count
F) Burpee 2x12-15

Once that’s easy from start to finish, then I’d jump him onto any free weight-based program.[/quote]

Okay I will suggest this to him, sounds like a good newb routine.

Make sure he knows how to hard-boil and scramble eggs, and give him basic ideas/concepts to follow. “A fistful of vegetables with each meal”, “Protein everytime you eat”, “Not too much crap.” He shouldn’t be eating like a dieting bodybuilder, but he shouldn’t be knocking back Red Bulls at midnight either.[/quote]

Okay I talk to him about nutritioning, and for shure should he now how to make some eggs :wink:

Thanks chris for your input.

11

[quote]JLone wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:
But, since I have you here what would you suggests? [/quote]
I don’t know what would be wrong with a simple Starting Strength template. It is high frequency which is great for beginners because you learn movement patterns quicker.

I think people get turned off for two reasons:

  1. It has deadlifts and squats in it which can be scarey to noobs.
  2. It recommends you eat like a horse and do GOMAD

So my recommendation would be to keep what works for you(the template) and pitch the rest.
Recommend he eat “normally” for lack of a better word.

Workout 1:

A) Dumbbell Lunges 3 x 5
B) Bench Press 3 x 5
C) Dumbbell Deadlifts 1 x 5

Workout 2:

A) Walking Lunges w/ Wt. 3 x 5
B) Press (Overhead press) 3 x 5
C) Back extensions and chins ups 5 x 3

Workouts 1 and 2 are alternated, and performed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Week 1:

A) Monday- Workout 1
B) Wednesday- Workout 2
C) Friday- Workout 1

Week 2:

A) Monday- Workout 2
B) Wednesday- Workout 1
C) Friday- Workout 2

Week 3: Cycle Repeats

Video: (to illustrate that less form is involved in the Dumbbell variety)

Okay thanks for that man, that looks like a good alteration of SS.

Okay after seeing all your posts, I understand that he should be using a simple fullbody template and be eating better.

Thanks to all for their input and I am sorry for the late answers.

12

@ chris:

He lost roughly 7-8kg just trough eating less. He weighs roughly 69-70kg.

I have talked to him and he will start Stronglifts after a week of some bw excercises just to get into
the habit of using he`s body.

I have sent him vids of all the lifts for him to study.