Bodybuilding for the Beginner!

Rags, growth is all in the diet if you are a hardgainer. I'd save the money on creatine and buy more food. Seriously. If you find gaining hard then add another 500 calories a day to your diet in complex carb & protein. Personally the onmly gain with creatine is water rention making mucles look fuller (this disappears when you stop taking it) and replenishing ATP stores so that you can get an extra rep or two out and recover quicker. If you are training each muscle group once a week, eating big and resting well then you will grow.

Hey guys i am new to body buidling. I just want to know if anyone can email a routine to start out on. I just want to be lean and toned with defined muscle. I don't want to be huge. Right now I am at 6 foot 1, I weigh 170 pounds. Plus another question would be how much can i exspect to spend on food to gain the muscle per month. Right now i am spending about 200, but i was told I'd be spending about 500$ a month for the muscle i want to gain. Any advice would be great. I can't lift a heck of a whole lot with my arms. Right now i can bench 100 pounds. Body building is going to be my life long goal. Kind of sucks being weak LOL. Thx for your time.

Welcome Winterstorm to MT.

I have a full routine that's ideal for you at the very start of this topic on page 1. Diet wise... buy lots of complex carbs and protein - tuna & chicken for protein is probably your cheapest bet and lots of whiole grain and vegetable sources for complex carbs.

Hey guys/Girls,

Havn't been on for a while but thought I would catch up. After using Cashmans Beginner workout for a while I have now moved on to something a little more intense and I am really starting to pack it on and drop the fat. Cheer Cashman.

Here is my new diet on routine.

6:30am
3/4 cup of Oats with raisens and nuts
100ml Semi-skimmed milk
1 Multivit

9:30am
1 Banana
1.5 Scoops of Pro-Peptide

12pm
Handfull of Brown Rice
1 Portion of Chicken Breast (with cajun spice to flavour)
1 ltr of water
2 slices of Wholemeal Bread with Olive Spread

3pm
1 Tin Tuna with Sunflower Oil
Boiled Potatoes
1ltr of Water
1000mg Vit C

4:30pm Train

5:30pm
2 Scoops of Pro-Recover

6:30pm
1 Cup of Pasta
1 Portion Chicken Breast
Glass Of Semi-Skimmed (depending on size of Chicken)

9pm
2 Boiled Eggs (one wihtout Yolk)

10pm
1.5 Scoops Pro-Peptide

10:30pm
Bed

Training Split

Wednesday - Bi's, Tri's and Calves
Thursday - Quads and Hams
Saturday - Chest, Shoulders and Abs
Sunday - Back, Delts

Bi's Tri's and Calves
Seated Arm Curl
Standing Hammer Curl
Seated ricep Extensions
Close Grip Smith Press
Standing Leg Raises

Quads and Hams
Reverse Hack Squats
Leg Extensions
Lying Leg Curl
Stiff Legged Deadlift

Chest, Shoulders and Abs
Dumbell Flat Benchpress
Dumbell Incline Benchpress
Dumbell Shoulder Press
Standing Dumbell Laterals
Swissball crucnhes with weight
Leg Raises

Back, Delts
Wide Grip Pull Downs
Close Grip Pulldowns
Barbell Bentover Row
Seated Row
Seated Bentover Barbell Shrugs
Cable crossovers


Cheers Guys[:p]

Glad to hear I have got you on a good path so far

Personally I'd say have more protein when you wake up as that's when your body will need it most after 8 hours with no food.

Your training regime looks fine though back/delts has no deadlifts (one of THE best mass builders) too many rows. I'm also concerned that you are working delts after chest and again after back in the very next session. This will lead to overtraining IMHO. You have plenty of deltoid work after chest so really I'd recommend your back day should look something like this to get the most out of it -

Deadlifts
Wide grip chins
Bent over rows
Shrugs

Cheers Cashman.

Are you suggesting that I don't have my shake at 9:30am but whehn I get up, if so, what do you recommen replacing the shake with at 9:30????

As for my back day, I don't feel as though I am overworking my delts but I am open to trying anything that hits them..

You can have your 9.30am shake as well as one at 6.30 in the morning.

Personally I find delts a funny muscle group as they feel like they can take a pounding but if you want optimal growth you must be very mindful not to overtrain them as you will significantly limit their growth potential which I feel you will do if you hit two days running. In the longer term you may leave them more prone to injury when you start going very heavy as you get stronger as well.

Good point. Might have to jiggle things a little. Cheers

To be honest, I found the original routine to be a great strength builder. I think it is a good start for anybody new to lifting.

dg -

quote:

---

SATURDAY - Chest/Tri
5 Min warm-up
Dumbell Flat Bench - 4 sets 6-8 reps
Weighted Dips For Chest - 4 sets 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
Incline Dumbell Fly- 4 sets 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
Skull Crushers - 3 sets 6-8 reps (or close grip bench press)
overhead cable presses 3 sets 6-8 reps (last set to fail)

SUNDAY - Back/Bi
5 min warm-up
Deadlifts 4 sets 6-8 reps (last set to failure)
Bent Over One Arm Dumbell Rows 4 sets 6-8 reps
Lat pulldowns 3 sets 6-8 reps (last set to fail)
(I would prefer you to do chins instead though if you are strong enough to lift your bodyweight)
Barbell Bicep curl 3 sets 6-8 reps
One arm Dumbell Hammer curls 3 sets 6-8 reps

TUESDAY - Delts/traps
5 min warm-up
Seated Dumbell military press 3 sets 6-8 reps
Lateral dumbell raises (side) 3 sets 6-8 reps (last to fail)
Barbell Shrugs 5 sets 6-8 reps

THURSDAY - Legs & Abs
5 min warm-up
Barbell Squats 4 sets 6-8 reps
Stiff Legged Dead Lifts 3 sets 6-8 reps
Calf Raises 4 sets 8-10 reps (last set to fail)
Weighted Swiss Ball crunches 4x sets 6-8 reps
hanging leg raises 4x sets 6-8 reps
Dumbell side bends 3x sets 6-8 reps

---

Nowt wrong with saturday or sunday.
I personally would pair tues & thurs together and change a few things there...
*standing* military press instead of seated same reps and sets.
drop shrugs - traps will have took a pounding on the sunday.
Keep squats, drop the rest but add leg extentions and ham curls.
Then I would just do weighted sit-ups on a differant day.

All the big compound movments are already in this routine.

DG, My thinking with this original routine was to get the body used to the range of effective exrcises and build base strength and MOST IMPORTANTLY excellent form. 5x5 is awesome but beginners should get their form right and get a feel for their training weight for a few months before going on a HIT 5x5 style routine IMHO, which can be immensley punishing if you don't know your body very well. I have included the big compounds in there - dead/squat/bench/dips/chins so that they can get a feel for the strict form needed to do these lifts safely. But this routine has been very effective so far and has certainly helped many discover their limits and to know their body better.

I've done it as a 4 day split for the ever enthusiastic beginner but as said by john above it's easily converted to a 3 day split by putting shoulders with legs and dropping traps strictly to back day.

Once people have really started to plateau with this routine there is a listed 5x5 style HIT routine at the end of my guide for those who want to take the next step forward. Hope that helps.

Hello! First ever post and im strangly chuffed! lol

Been bodybuilding only for a short period of time about 4 months now but am definately going to change to crashmans routine after easter once ive had a weeks complete break and rest, being new to this my knowaledge is a little lacking and have to ask ( sorry if its obvious to every one else or has been stated before and ive overlooked it) do you lift the same wieght on all sets until you can do all sets to eight reps or start off at a lower wieght and pyrmid the wieght up so the first few sets are completed fully then the last set may fail before eight?
Hope that makes sense too!! Thanks for any posts

Lift as heavy as possible with strict form for 8 reps. You'll find that by set 3 you'll probably be down to 6 reps but that's fine. Basically when you feel that you could get to 8 reps comfortably (and probably squeeze another rep or two out if you pushed yourself) then it's time to add more on. Don't worry if you only make it to 6 reps. Just keep 8 as the target.

Good luck.

Thanks and thanks for the great post at the begining of this topic found it very helpful and easy too understand,Cheers!!

Cheers Vinze, always nice to hear positive feedback, and good luck.

working out from home i am unable to do 'overhead cable presses and 'weighted swiss ball crunches'what alternatives can i do please!
cheers pete

Pete - you can do a couple of extra sets of skull crushers or close grip bench to compensate for no cable press(watch the elbows though with Skulls as mine have always been hit very hard with this exercise).

For abs I'd say invest in a swiss ball if you've got the cash (usually only around £15, argos probably sell them). If not then standard crunches (you can hold on to plates to add more resistance) and leg raises should be fine. I personally feel that crunches on the swiss ball are better as they require more use of the stabilising muscles and obliques, and also allow you to supinate your back without puuting too much strain on the spine. It's also easier to crunch while holding a plate to your chest or behind your head.

Hope that helps.

thanks cashman, i am actualy in a fair bit of pain regarding my elbow area and am waiting to have some physio and it was the skull crushers that i felt the initial twinge, so i am keeping off them for the time being, i will look into a swiss ball.
Thanks much appreciated

No prob. Good to lay off skulls if elbow pain is there. Close grip bench and bench dips are fine, and I find these lest stressful on the elbow as well.

This is great stuff, just one thing I train my muscle groups more than once a week, am I overtrainning then ???...would I get more growth from exercising just one muscle group instead

cheers

Personally I go for one session per muscle group a week. You can hit twice a week but you have to be very careful with weight & volume. I prefer to keep it simple as I believe recovery time needs to be at least 6 days for each group if you are a natural trainer (i.e. not juicing). If you list the routine, sets & reps you currently do I'll be happy to give you my advice Daztec.

Cashman, what consideration is given as to rate of reps, i.e would you rep counting, 1-2 extension, and 1-3/4 contraction? as i believe quick extensions and contractions will prodominantly work 'fast twitch' muscle. type I as opposed to type IIA and IIB.

Thanks for the reply Cashman, my workout routine is something like this;

Mon - arms (biceps and triceps)
tues - chest
weds - back
thurs - arms
friday - chest

follwing monday would start with back and I would end up doing 2 sessions that week, I might train once at the weekend aswell if I am up for it but that is optional.

I like the idea of doing back with triceps and chest with biceps rather than busting my arms all in one go....so am I doing too much I think If I dont train I wont get bigger, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

personally I'd go wth back & Biceps, Chest & Triceps .

Looking at that I suspect you are doing too much and not allowing your body the rest it needs. You should definitely have a rest day in the middle of the week and you have no leg work listed. This type of routine is very common in the gym I go to and I can tell you that guys train like this for over a year and gain no mass or any significant strength gains. Try my suggested routine on the 1st page of this thread. It works and works well. Eat right with it and you will gain size & strength. You can always adapt it to suit you at a later date but it's worth checking here in this forum for any changes you are thinking about so that you get the best advice.

Good luck.

Cheers Cashman,

I will give your routine a try and exercise one muscle group a week intensely and hopefully see some improvements

Thanks for the advise

Good luck Daztec and don't be tempted to more more sets than I've listed otherwise you move into overtraining territory.

Great article!!

I wish i had read this before i started training i would have saved alot of wasted time.

I am printing this out for a new guy at my gym.

No worries Rhino. Glad you like it.

Is a full week really optimum for muscle repair? i was under then impression that when the DOMS had stopped, generally the muscle was near enough repaired, say 2/3 days. it seems to go against the grain a little to leave a muscle repairing when it feels ready to go again after 2/3/4 days. also, what is the best place to find out the technique of how to do all these free weight exercises? i have no idea what 'skull crushes', 'dumbell incline bench' etc etc are. i have been BB for about 18 months now, but ive prodominantly used the machines and after reading this thread i believe its best i get onto free weights asap. also where best to find out about correct form for each exercise?
Whats your thoughts on this split:
Biceps/triceps
Chest/shoulders
back/stomach
i know legs are ommited, but i tend to warm up with 5 mins run, that'll do for my legs i think.
also tho i know this is the wrong forum, i know i must eat every 3 hours, i want to lose fat whilst gaining muscle size, therefore must cut out simple carb, sticking to complex. hows this for a diet plan?
8:00am whey protein shake (after training days), 2 pieces wholemeal toast
11:00am whey protein (training days), (what else is recommended here)
1:00pm high protein meal, complex carbs only, chicken/turkey/tuna wholemeal sandwich
4:00pm whey protein (training/non training? will be in gym at 5) Also V12? (again, what other foods are recommended here)
6/7:00pm(after gym) whey protein (training & non training days) also V12. big meal, plenty protein, complex carbs, veg
10/11:00pm whey protein (training days), casein - cottage cheese (any others?)

I wanted to limit my whey protein intake to 3 times per day on training days, and twice on non-training so im not finishing it all off as quick, is this ok? im also on V12. when is the best times for these?

when should whey be taken with water/skimmed milk?
Also, tho i know chicken breasts are best, is whole roast chicken all that bad provided its de-skinned?

Many thanks to any1 helping out here, i know there are more than enough questions here, just need to clear everything up

See threads recently posted in beginners forum reagrding my thoughts on recovery and the role of the Central Nervous System on promoting growth.

You think wrong by omitting leg weight training. Train legs! 5 Mins run is NO replacement for training legs. They are your largest muscle grouping in the body and as such generate the greatest anabolic response from your body (i.e growth hormone release). It is much easier to gain muscle if you hit your legs with the likes of Squats & SLDLs. If you don't then expect to struggle with continuing to gain after a couple of months.

Whey in water when you wake up, immediately after training and before any cardio sessions. Whey in skimmed milk at any other time.

Exercises can be found in the link I included in my first post on this thread for the beginners guide.

cheers cashman, could you help me out on the diet? any suggestions as this is such an important thing, i reckon following your weight training regime will work wonders with the correct foods and the right times, but im still a little confused as to exactly what im to eat and when. im 210lbs so i know i have to sink 300g of protein per day. im wondering whether its best to bulk up regardless of increased body fat, or preferably if i can gain muscle mass whilst also losing fat. i wanna ideally be 16 stone well cut.

i am the stage were i cant even lift a weight because my arm is so painfull and am still waiting for physio, i am still eating clean etc, do i still stick with cardio etc and ab exercises the fact i am not lifting weights of any kind, i cant sit round and do nothin will drive me mad!
Cheers

Chris, i've got serious athsma too mate. dont let it be a disability. Many say that swimming's good for it because of the water pressure, you're lungs and chest strengthen to counteract the external forces. I think though that there are certain types of cardio which are worse on athsmatics like you and me, such as running. So maybe skipping? i think skipping's good for the heart as well as loosing weight and i've never had athsma prob while skipping. try it out bro.

Watching baywatch with a box of tissues is also a good cardio workout chris_2004 - but seriously though, there are many things you can do which have less impact on Asthsma. As i say, i did martial arts for years without asthsma problems, as i find cardio work where you stay pretty much within a small distance ok. What i mean is liek skipping, or sparing, where you dont travel any distance. Running on the other hand does affect my asthsma which leads me to think that you might also benefit from the same kind of things.

Hi am just new and found this post very helpful as it answers all questiosn i had.

so as a new start so i follow the 1st routine you listed and then once im finding this easy switch to the second routine?

on the routines you advised for exapmple do 6X8, is this of the maximum weight i can do for each type of weight?

im

Age: 20
Height: 5ft 8
Weight:9st 7lbs
Waist: 30"

i have great cardio and no fat to lose so just want to get building!

i was advised of creatine and protein, should these be taken?

thanks for this bud, you helped me understnad it alot better. just joined a great gym so heres hoping

Sorry for no response chaps but only just back from florida.

Chris, fat loss would be speeded up by a good healthy diet plan. You can do cardio for longer durations at lower intensities to help with speeding fat loss and run less risk of kicking off asthma attacks. When you feel that you have the asthma under control (make sure you still have your medication when you do this) you can then try with a short HIIT session (5 mins) once or twice a week and gradually push them longer and longer so that you get fitter and fitter. Worry about this later though if your priority is to lose bodyfat initially. Try power walking for an hour a day before breakfast and again try to gently push harder and harder each week to slowly build stamina in your lungs. I'd imagine you know where your asthma attack boundaries are so you can keep near the edge. The secret is gently does it but do it for duration and with frequency. Hope that helps.

Reddi, the guys have it spot on. The routine should not neccessarily become easire as you get stronger as you just keep increasing the weight so that it's a struggle to reach 6 perfect reps. When you can do 8 perfect reps add more weight. That keeps your training intensity high. I'd leave the second routine for at least 3 months until you are comfortable with your strength boundaries, know how your body reacts, and you start to plateau (i.e don't get any stronger or bigger).

Good luck mate.

cashman do you have any before and after pics of yourself?

Unfortunately not mate but to give you an idea I started training properly at around 15 stone (210Ib) and 22% Bodyfat and am presently 16 stone (224Ib) and 12% bodyfat nearly 3 years later. That's a muscle gain of around 30Ibs and a fat reduction of around 20Ibs (much of which has been over my last 3 months of cutting).