I want to restart training consistently at the gym. As we are still in the covid era (I don’t know if my government will decide to shutdown the gyms as it has done on & off for past two years) I have been training at home with 40 lbs dumbbells & resistance bands. I do goblet squats, dumbbell rows (one arm or bent-over db rows), push ups & shoulder presses. Basically, I do a whole body workout, training the “core” areas of the body. This is getting boring; the only upside is that at least I am doing some physical activity to keep myself fit even if I have seen real progress for the past two years.
Hopefully gyms will remain open & I want to restart my gym membership again. My question now is where should I start in terms of training? I have been thinking of doing a whole body workout 4x/week to strengthen the core areas. The routine is as follows:
warm up: 10 mins (elliptical machine)
60 sec rest between sets
Squats 3x10-12
bench press 3x10-12
standing db overhead press (single arm) or military press 3x10-12
lat pulldowns 3x10-12
seated cable rows 3x10-12
Anything you would add/remove in this routine and why? I plan to stick to this workout for at least 2 months while I strengthen the core areas of the body. Your help would be really appreciated. Thank you
I agree with Flappinit: if you are going to have gym access, might as well follow an actual program, not just something you put together yourself, especially something with as little thought as what went into your ‘program’. No offense, but you just picked 5 exercises for 3 sets of 10. That’s pretty silly.
But that being said, to really give you good advice, we would need 2 things: 1. What do you actually enjoy in the gym? Do you like heavy lifting, do you like cardio, do you like leg work, upper body, etc. and 2. What are your actual goals? ‘getting/staying fit’ is too vague. If all you’re trying to accomplish is showing up at the gym and moving around and stuff, then what you have here is actually fine, but since you went to the trouble of posting here, I assume you have at least SOME sort of goal here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be asking questions.
Yes, that one. 5/3/1 second edition is an ebook costing around 10 bucks and is well worth it.
But first, read @flipcollar’s post and answer the questions he asked. 5/3/1 is great - doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for you though. Lotta options here.
Thanks for the feedback & sorry for the tardiness of my reply To answer your questions…
I like lifting (heavy). Back squats are my weak point. I seem to have a leg imbalance problem as I feel that my left hip is doing more of the lifting that my right hip. I do not know an exercise that can correct such imbalance, but I can perform goblet squats perfectly well - At least I feel that both hips are doing the lifting.
Goal is building muscle. I especially want to develop my back & shoulders.
Besides the 5/3/1 program, do you also recommend following any of the programs in Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength book?
If you haven’t already, following a novice program like Starting Strength will get you stronger fast. If you are a complete novice then you can do a lot worse than Starting Strength. Buy the book, read the book, apply the basic program. There is also a 5/3/1 for Beginners you can look at which will also give you great results.
Once you’ve dramatically increased your base strength over the next 3-9months (depending on how much you stick to and follow the program), and you can no longer add 5lbs each workout, come back and ask again but with details about what you enjoyed and didn’t enjoy. We will help push you in the direction you need to go. Until then just enjoy the progress.
The best way to improve your squat right now is by practicing the movement regularly. It’s unlikely there’s a muscular imbalance you need to be concerned about at your level, you just need to focus on learning the movement. Watch some form videos on youtube. Starting Strength will have you squatting 3x5 three times a week, adding 5lbs each time. It can be quite common for people to add 60lbs to their squat in just their first month as a complete beginner if they are eating as they should.
I’d say 5/3/1 does a better job of getting one stronger faster compared to Starting Strength, but Starting Strength and similar programs do a better job of building proficiency in the barbell lifts due to frequency of practice.
Maybe it’s better to start with Starting Strength for a couple of months and then jump into 5/3/1 for Beginners. Getting good at the lifts is of substantial importance when starting out. I don’t think it’d be smart getting a complete newbie to train with the mentality of 5/3/1, especially on the 1s week… They also have no idea of what their max could possibly be. 8 weeks of Starting Strength gives them what they need to then make the move to it.
I must also add that I see so many people grind on Starting Strength for way longer than they need, doing everything they can to eke out any bit of extra linear progression they can possibly get. Switching to 5/3/1 Beginners eliminates that and gets them familiar with the 5/3/1 philosophy ready to jump on any number of different variations setting them up long term.
No issue at all with 8-12 weeks of something like Starting Strength to learn how to lift: just wanted to address the notion of “stronger faster” there. It’s BECAUSE of that people spend too much time on those programs.
thanks for your input. I think I am going to for Starting Strength for the next three months. I am not a newbie at the gym; I have been training, but not consistently, more like on & off. Lastly, is there a specific rep & set scheme you would recommend? Should I lift as heavy as possible? Also, what kind of tempo & rest time between sets would you recommend?
This is a bit confusing… you just said you’re going to do Starting Strength. Why are you asking about set and rep schemes if you’re committing to Starting Strength? Everything you’re asking about is outlined in the program.
Yes indeed, you are right, but just wondering if I should worry about periodization (I’ve read Tudor Bompa’s theories) with this program? Or should I just follow the recommended rep & sets scheme in Starting Strength. Also, & lastly, should I worry about diet & supplements? Thanks again
If you want to periodize, run a program that includes periodization. You’re all over the map, my man.
DO NOT pick a program, and then modify it to your liking. Run WHATEVER program you pick as it is written. You’re going to spin your wheels forever if you keep thinking like this. And quite frankly, people like me will have zero desire to help you in the future if you keep thinking you’re smarter than the people who have written these proven programs. It’s not a good look. As a coach, the worst client I can have is the one who goes off script and changes things because they read something somewhere else.
You said you want to start with starting strength. The only reason to do this is to focus on learning the mechanics of the basic lifts and ingraining movement patterns. So, do this. Periodization is irrelevant when you’re just learning movements.
Diet? Always. How is this even a question? Yes, you should pay attention to what you eat. Yes you should eat healthy. Period. Whether you work out or not. Eat good food in appropriate portions.
Supplements? None are necessary, but Biotest makes A LOT of good ones. I would recommend I-Well and Flameout to anyone, those have become staples for me, simply for health reasons. Surge Workout Fuel is EXCELLENT for workouts. And I have been using Brain Candy every single morning for yeaaaars. I’ve run that one longer than any other supplement.
