Bodybuilding for the Beginner!

if that is ALL you eat i recommend reading a bit more in diet & training forum, if not post your whole diet and a question and im sure cashman will give a very good answer haha

Das monstrum in mir wird explodieren!

So many questions...
Cashman i currently work a 3 shift pattern (early 700-1535, lates 1530-2320, nights 2315-705).
The plan is to train at about 1630 on earlies but im not sure when to train on other shifts. Lates i get up around 8am goto work at 3pm. nights get up at 5pm work at 10 45 pm.
Also when is the best time of day to train in general when im off all day.for example weekends and holidays.

In my experience there is no set best time of day to lift other than when you are at your most alive. If you can get some sort of pattern going then that's the best way but if you can train 3-4 times a week when you are feeling bright and sharp then that's fine. Needs must and all that. Don't dwell on it if one week you are training at 1pm then the next at 10 am depending on your shifts. The most important thing is frequency, regularity and getting a good amount of sleep when you need it.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

is there considered to be a cut off point that you shouldnt eat before training like half an hour or an hour before you train ?

i stop eating after half an hour before because otherwise i have risks too high of puking, other than that wouldnt think so, only make sure it doesnt come back!

Das monstrum in mir wird explodieren!

I'd go with an hour myself.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

the protein shake im taking keeps repeating regardless of what time i take it, time to change brands me thinks!

well i do food one hour and i have a scoop of whey half an hour before...

Das monstrum in mir wird explodieren!

Nearly re-decorated the gym with partly digested chicken breast and protein drink today so from now on im going follow the hour rule.
On a slightly different note how do you guys (and girls) measure your progress, do you do it by the weights increased or by dimensions id be interested to know

Have a good evening folks

LOL. Nice!

I track progress by a number of methods depending on what my main targets are at any iven period...

Strength increases
Weight Increases
Body Composition changes (calipers for bodyfat % readings and work out lean mass from there)
Visual changes (tape measure or mirror)

The easiest measure is to take a photo when you start out and take one every 4 weeks (same light and time of day preferably) if you want to track visual changes. Personally I'd say stick with the scales, the weights you lift and the mirror for a good guide to work in when you start out.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

well in my first 8 weeks i had differences so huge i just felt it, i will have to find different methods in a couple of months as it will be less obvious

for exemple: i used to have flat quads with a minor bump near the knee, 2 week later i could feel the quad along my leg, and after 8 weeks it had some sort of peak in the middle and the interior thingy was mucho bigger

Das monstrum in mir wird explodieren!

So far ive noticed that my weights have gone up but im not sure if this is just because i was over cautious to start with, saying that i do make sure that i push my self as hard as i can on any given set & rep and i always feel like ive had a really hard workout every time i leave the gym.
A few friends have been complementory saying that ive bulked up and look healthier so i guess something must be working.
I think next year i'll get a set of calipers and do some goal setting, which brings to my next question who goal sets?

i dont, i just do my best... i never have a goal really!!

if the weights are going up and the size also, i would continue in that past, if you find new info that might help you further more just add it to what you do... if it start not working then I would start getting worried and change routine/diet, after a while you should have found what works for you!

Das monstrum in mir wird explodieren!

I goal set fairly frequently so that I have a defined path and plan to follow. Each to their own but have found it does help focus the mind.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

When you say steroids are a waste of time for beginners, does that include the newly banned in the US precursors? like 1andro and such, or just the harder core injectable ones? when they got banned i figured i'd buy a good amount, but now wandering if i should take them from the start, or wait. I have been lifting for bout 2 months straight now, and before that had a 2 month break due to my broken hand, but had another 5-6 months before that. i'm only 6 foot 170lbs, but want to get big as quick as possible SAFELY above all else.

Cashman,

Reading this site for the first time tonight, instilled me to get back into shape!! Used to do the "FieldGun" in the Navy but now left (the thing you see in the Edinburgh tattoo). I am currently 15 stone, relatively fit but with the old "handles" etc. I have decide to start your "Beginner" after Christmas as I dont want to give up to the temptation of the mean Christmas meal with bread sauce the wife does!!

Just want a bit of advice for a few alternatives of the workout due to limited apperatus as I only have a bench, free-weights etc (Money tight at moment!)

Alternatives for:-

1. Weighted Dips
2. Overhead cables
3. Lat pulldowns

Do you recommend any certain brand of Whey or will the standard Holland and Barrett do?

Looking forward to a serious disaplined routine.

I would leave well alone any Prohormones so early in your training. In a general sense they are still inviolving the manipulation of your natural hormone production. I would wait at least 12 months of natural training and strong diet as you will accomplish much that way and you will hold it much longer than with a get big quick solution if you have a strong base to work from.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

swap dips for incline or flat dumbell bench, close grip bench press for replacing cable overheads, chins or lat straight arm dumbell pullovers for lat pull downs. Hope that helps.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

thanks,,, very helpful m8

Hi Cashman,
totally new to this site + am really impressed by ur depth of knowledge. Bin trawlin the net lookin 4 decent advice 4 a while now + aint bin able 2 find ne1 who isnt just tryin 2 make a quick quid outta every1 so these postings r like a breath of fresh air.
What I wanna kno m8 is that does this type of training apply just 2 those who wanna sculpt their bodies or r the techniques explained here have value 4 those who like me just wanna improve strength + power 4 sporting purposes (e.g. american football). I freely admit that I have absolutely zilch (+ i mean that literally) knowledge about weight training so big apologies if i'm askin questions u've bin asked a trillion times b4 but I have been put off startin out on my long road 2 full fitness simply by lack of knowledge (I know, I know....a journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step...Mau Tse Tung) so any advice @ all u could offer me would be brilliant...big respect 2 ya...

Is it only me that feels normal after this workout? I mean, since I've started this routine, after each workout I feel like I haven't even trained at all, even the next day, I feel no strain, or any feeling that I worked out the day before (or even hours after the workout )

My previous routine which I did for like 4-5 months was workingout all my body parts everyother day (mon, wed, fri) and I did the exercise's (for each body part) to failure - and for me, this workout was doing wonders, I started to see gains and I wasn't too pounded the next day.

I understand this routine is for the *complete* biginner, but what would i have to change to increase the 'difficulty' (I dont know the right word) to the biginner/intermediate (I've been at it for at lfor 6 months now)

regards,

-barton

hi killemall and thanks for the compliment. This routine is a great way of training to build a strong foundation of strength and mass. If you want more power and strength then you should look after a couple of months to move to the high intensity 5x5 type routine I have listed at the end of the guide. You may also want to look into plyometric training for explosive speed as well.

hope that helps.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

ORIGINAL: barton

Is it only me that feels normal after this workout? I mean, since I've started this routine, after each workout I feel like I haven't even trained at all, even the next day, I feel no strain, or any feeling that I worked out the day before (or even hours after the workout )

My previous routine which I did for like 4-5 months was workingout all my body parts everyother day (mon, wed, fri) and I did the exercise's (for each body part) to failure - and for me, this workout was doing wonders, I started to see gains and I wasn't too pounded the next day.

I understand this routine is for the *complete* biginner, but what would i have to change to increase the 'difficulty' (I dont know the right word) to the biginner/intermediate (I've been at it for at lfor 6 months now)

regards,

-barton

If you feel you are not working hard enough then you probably are not. Try cutting rest times between sets and exercises and increase your intensity. Sounds like your old way will yield results as you had just started out but this style of training with a weeks recovery between working the muscle groups will yield gains in the much longer term.

don't forget to sort yor diet as well and the gains will come. Alternatively try the 5x5 routine. This is shorter but involves very high intensity training. You DO NOT have to be aching for days afterwards just to feel like you have worked hard. DOMS are no measure of gains and soon fade after a few weeks. You also DO NOT have to train to exhaustion or the pump to gain... in fact in a mid-long term situation you will bring your gains to an abrupt halt due to overtraining.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

ORIGINAL: Cashman


You DO NOT have to be aching for days afterwards just to feel like you have worked hard. DOMS are no measure of gains and soon fade after a few weeks. You also DO NOT have to train to exhaustion or the pump to gain... in fact in a mid-long term situation you will bring your gains to an abrupt halt due to overtraining.

ah it all makes sense now :) Thanks for that!

You what sucks so bad? My trendmill is broken

-barton

cashman, what sort of grip on lat pull down?

Cashmen/ Musclebob

Could you inform me what the best type of whey protein is to start using for the beginners program and a recommended website or store to purchase from?

I have heared that there are many different types such a slow release etc, I have also heard that Holland and Barretts whey protein gives you bad wind or is that just a natural reaction from your body?!

Can you also take too much protein and what does your body do with the excess? I plan on having 3 shakes a day morning, noon, evening on top of standard meals.

Thanks for your previous reply, most appreciated and informative.

well for morning and Pre-WO you need regular whey (fast absorbing), i wouldnt buy soy proteins because its more expensive...
Before bed casein is better (slow absorbing)

But i wouldnt rely on powders so much except for morning and PWO... whole food is so much better!
Eating every 2-3 hours, and total 1.5g protein / lbs is they key (chicken, steak, tuna, whey, cottage cheese(before bed)) , putting in some good carbs (brown rice, wholewheat bread and pasta, oats, porridge, rice cakes...) and some good fats (natural peanut butter, fish oil, flaxseed oil, avocados, black olives...)
Post your diet in diet & nutrition forum

With the excess your body will do nothing useful, but its hard to pinpoint too much... but you still count the calories!

If you are in the UK, I would try:
http://www.theministryoffitness.com/
http://www.wheyconsortium.co.uk/

in the US:
http://www.trueprotein.com/
and there is another one with good reputation for US i forgot...

Das monstrum in mir wird explodieren!

Musclebob,

Thanks for the reply, supplying very useful info again.

Just had a look at the web pages recomended, I wasn't actually planning on spend that amonut of money on protein product, (wife, kid, house etc!!!) are there any other cheaper web sites? Would the stuff from Holland and Barrett do for now (Only just got back into weights after a year break!)

Many thanks

are there any other cheaper web sites?

In the US or UK?

I bought my proteins on ebay and am fairly happy... only prob is dilution is hard!

Das monstrum in mir wird explodieren!

Whey consortiums unflavoured whey is the cheapest ive ever seen anywhere and at 5kgs a tub(29.99) will last you at least 3 months, far far cheaper than holland and barrett(last i seen it was about 24.99 for 908g).
If you dont like the tste just add nesquick or crusha in milk and dilutable pop in water.
PS Theres plenty of feedback on it in supplement section.

Hi Cashaman.

Can you help me out? I decided to try out your routine but there are a few exercises I cant do because I don’t have the right equipment.

Can you tell me what alternatives there are to these exercises?

Skull Crushers - Is there an alternative to this?
Overhead cable presses - I don’t have the equipment, alternative?
Bent Over One Arm Dumbell Rows - can I do bent over barbell rows instead?
Lat pulldowns - I don’t have the equipment. I would rather do chin-ups.
Barbell Squats – Is there an alternative to this? I don’t have a power rack.
Weighted Swiss Ball crunches – Is there an alternative to this?
Dumbell side bends – is this with two dumbells?

Great thread mate, keep up the good work.

Appreciate it thanks.

here are some alternatives...

Skull Crushers - replace with Close Grip Bench
Overhead cable presses - Bench Dips
Bent Over One Arm Dumbell Rows - bent over barbell rows
Lat pulldowns - Wide grip chin ups ideally
Barbell Squats – Barbell Hack Squats (can be awkward though)
Weighted Swiss Ball crunches – Can go for standard crunches and hanging leg raises
Dumbell side bends – with one dumbell at a time

Hope that helps.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

Great! Thanks Cashman

My routine is all set. Now for diet and nutrition

Btw Hack squats do seem awkward, i just tryed afew reps. I'm sure i will get used to it though.

dazzadwm,

bought my whey off whey consortium, they have an extremely competitive price list for protein but unflavoured seemed to be cheapest.

Thanks for the advise.

ORIGINAL: saffasurfer7

Hey Cashman,

Just a few questions for you. I'm female, 5'5"ish I think, 65kg. I'm relatively strong, for a chick anyway, my aim is to lose a bit of body fat but mainly to tone up and gain a bit of muscle. I'll probably be fine if I lost a bit of fat all round because I have a decent bit of muscle but will look more toned if I lose that little bit of fat. Don't want to be very muscly though, just toned. I do a fair bit of cardio-related sports. In the summer I do a lot of surfing which can be anything from 2-4hr sessions. Also do some swimming and climbing when I'm not surfing. I am hoping I'll be able to follow your routine in the gym. I am guessing it is suitable for girls as well as guys.
Could you tell me if I'll need to adjust anything on it or whether it may be suitable for me. I am just starting out at a gym again as I have previously had quite an active job and am going back to working in an office soon. Is it as important as everyone says to do cardio separately to weights? For example, if I land up surfing 5 days out of 7 would it be a problem to try and do some weights after a surf on some of those days. Would it still be beneficial etc? Because otherwise I may not be able to follow the programme as effectively if I can't weight train 4 days out of seven. Also, I'm guessing on rest days a surf would be sufficient as a cardio workout.
Sorry bout all the questions, hope you can help me out.

I'd change the rep range to 10 rep sets if you are not too keen to add more muscle. Personally I'd try and keep weights for before cardio. If you surf then give it a meal and a few hours before hitting the weights IMO. A surf should suffice as cardio though better if you have a couple of sharks nearby so that you can hit the cardio hard

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

ORIGINAL: saffasurfer7

Thanks Cashman, I'll take your advice. Today is my first day of weight training so should be fun. I'll see how I go. One question: anyone can answer this if they like...what is the difference between stiff legged deadlifts and just regular deadlifts?

LOL, funny one....luckily there are no sharks in Newcastle so I don't have the option but battling the waves are enough to work up anyone's heart rate. And if I were to see a shark... I'd prob have a heart attack.

LOL. Stiff legged deads are done with your legs locked almost straight (slight bend in knees) these focus on your hamstrings so go on leg day. Normal deadlifts involve bending the legs and focus on your whole back fascia (though mostly lower back).

Gotta be cold sufing in the north sea eh? Definitely make my nips cut glass.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

Could anyone tell me what or how Weighted Swiss Ball crunches are done?


-barton

ORIGINAL: saffasurfer7

Yeah, you telling me. You can almost see mine through the suit and I'm not talking bout a thin suit here either...It's pretty darn freezin at the mo.

NICE.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"... Friedrich Nietzche

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding_for_the_Beginner%21/m_2245/tm.htm

I am new to this and need to know what the exercise in the first post are and how to do them correcly. I have clicked on Cashmans link:

'To see how any exercises are done correctly click here ?
http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=33049'

but this is no longer active.

Are there any links to describe each exercise, with pictures of how they are done.

Cheers
Kaine.

ORIGINAL: saffasurfer7

Hey Kaine,

Here's a few sites that helped me out when I was wandering the same question...
http://www.bsu.edu/webapps/strengthlab/index.asp - click on ok button next to exercises and choose which one you're looking for. Majority of them have vid links
http://www.betterbodz.com/abs/flatbench.html - most of these don't have vid examples but give pretty good explanations.
http://www.totalfitnesssolutions.com/chest.html - another good one with pics
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article/0,2823,s1-1-0-0-366-2-5X11X16X21X27X32-7,00.html - few vid and pic links

Right, with a combination of all of those you should have all the exercises in the workout explained. If there are any you can't find just do a google search and something generally comes up...

Good luck...

Thanks very much saffasurfer7 those sites were helpful.