Bodybuilding for the Beginner!

I agree. The split looks good and as long as you are able to use free-weights you'll get a better workout. If your aims are not to gain too much size then cardio will be fine and as John said it helps recovery. The most important thing is to listen to your body though. If you find you are too tired then you may need to ease up. My guess is that with the sport you play then too much mass will be counterproductive to what you are doing. Just make sure you get plenty of good food and complex carb in to help maintain energy levels.

Cashman m8, im having trouble with finding some multidextrose powder man for this part of the diet you advised:

8:00 breakfast large bowl wholewheat breakfast cereal with 1/3 pint skimmed milk + sugar 15g
2 slices wholemeal bread toasted + olive oil spread 22g
½ portion weight gain drink with water and --->multidextrose powder<---
100ml orange juice + 1 tblsp olive oil

Is it also known as maltodextrin? cuz i have found that lol


thnx Gav.

i hav bin goin gym 4 1 month now and gettin into shape. But i seem 2 work my left side twice as hard as my right. like 2day i woke up wit a terrible pain in my left side but couldnt feel anythin in my right. whats goin on.

Also when i work my shoulders i feel pain in my lower back.

also can u giv me a shoulder trainin schedule 4 a day and also a seperate 1 4 bak.

Thaxs.

T.... have you followed my beginners routine on page 1 of this thread for the last month? Are you lifting the same weights with the same form on both sides of your body?

Gav, try The Ministry Of Fitness and email The Guvnor (MT member that owns The Ministry). He'll help you out with an order. Yes also known as Maltodextrin.

Cash: this is awesome. I am 6ft 2 and 240lbs with a 42" waist. I will try to do what you say in the hope I get down to a 34" waist some time by Christmas...

Anyone who helps is in line for some cash as a thank you by the way!

what is multidextrose and micellular? should i get any? where can i get it?

Britfun... good luck mate. Just remember to stay motivated as it all takes time. Make sure you have a good diet and cardio plan on top of the weights programme.

Musclebob... maltodextrose is a form of carbohydrate that gives a sustained release of energy and is perfect for post workout protein shakes. It's a supplement so if eating is difficult then it might be worth getting some. They'll sell it via the muscletalk shop or links to TMOF (The Ministry Of Fitness).

woah, great, maybe once i get my rack :)

Can you suggest an alternative to "overhead cable presses" as my gym doesen't have a cable machine . Couldn't find the exercise explained anywhere on the net also - what does it look like?.
thanks for the all the advice so far - am getting stronger by reading!

can i replace some exercises of routine 1 with routine 2? i only have power rack and bench...

Switching exercises around to suit the equipment is fine. Jot down what your final routine will be and I'll cast my eye over it for you.

woah, cool thanks, its great to have you as a ressource, already learnt so much :)

Just started following routine 1 - enjoyed the first few days! Question though about lateral dumbbell raises. Is this where you stand with arms down by your sides and you raise them up (keeping your arms straight) to your sides - as opposed to in front of you? Also, I assume the grip is 'regular' and not supinated (sp?).
Thanks
Adam

stupid Q's:
is my aromated basmati brown rice the right kind of rice?

my nat peanut butter has 2g of sat fat per 32g serving and 14g of other fats, is it good?

well i checked out the routine it seems all good except for an exercise and i need specifications on 2...
the ones i need specifications on are:

-hanging leg raises 4x sets 6-8 reps
it is to the front or the sides?
-Stiff Legged Dead Lifts 3 sets 6-8 reps
what is it?

i read in a book and try to find the same name and it does makes sense, only the 2 previous ones i could not find....

i also need to find a replacement for Incline Dumbell Fly... what is the best thing to switch it with?



i did replace the overhead cable presses with close grip bench presses and the Lat pulldowns for the chin-ups if they are the one that is hands facing you and shoulder width..

does it sound good?

also for CV it would be 2 HIIT per week and a 30 minute low intensity (all on non workout days) but if i HAVE to drop out it is the low-intensity i guess....

my food been drastically changing in the past 3 weeks which is good, been working real long hours to buy my home gym, could not be more enthusiastic about it, as soon as i start i will post a journal... which is in a month at max...

thanks great lot for your help so far cashman!!

musclebob... routine sounds good and the rice & peanut butter are fine. Leg raises are to the front and stiff leg deads are a standard deadlift but with lighter weight and an ALMOST straight leg position. You hold the same leg position throughout being bent over at the start then driving your hips forward to lift the weight which puts the strain of the lift through your hamstrings. Try it with very light weight until you can feel the hamstrings performing the lift more than your lower back. You can find pictures of this via the "need an exercise" link on my very first post on this topic.

Asiling, yep those are the ones.

Thanks

Next Q - the beginner programme has a 5 min warm up before training. What should this include? I do 5 mins on the bike is that sufficient or should it include more intensive some resistance based activity?

i might also switch Incline Dumbell Fly for a regular incline bench with a barbell

the warm-up should be muscle specific if possible so of chest or shoulders then a few press-ups then start with a couple of light sets before working up to your training weight to get the blood flowing though the muscles you are about to work. This prepares the muscle for work and helps minimise potential for injury.

woah great, what are DOMS also?
some of the stuff i hear on the board is not covered in any FAQ's
oh and what are hamstrings, i speak french as first language :S