If anyone actually reads my log, you'd have seen that I showed my friend how to squat and deadlift on Thursday. He's a tall skinny guy, about 6'1 and like 140 lb. I wrote this up for him. I think it's a pretty good summary for people who are new to lifting. What do you think?
**'s Workout Program.
I have designed this program to focus on strength and things that come with it. It is a two day split, and each workout should be at least two or three days from the other. For example, do day 1 on Sunday and day 2 on Thursday. You can experiment with this.
Format: Exercise: #sets x #reps
Day 1:
Squats: 5x5
Military press: 3x5
Bent over rows: 3x5
Dips: Three sets of however many you can do. If you can do a lot easily, add weight.
Day 2:
Deadlifts: 5x5
Bench press: 3x5
Front squats: 3x5
Pullups: Three sets of however many you can do. If you can do a lot easily, add weight.
Stretch after each workout.
IF YOU CAN COMPLETE THE WORKOUT, IT IS TOO EASY. For instance, if you can do all five sets of five at a given weight, add 10 pounds the next time.
Some notes on each exercise:
Squats: Remember to go deep, until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Keep your head forward (don't look down) and your back straight. Start with around 145. The bar should rest on top of your trapezius muscle, not dig into your spine.
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Glut...s/BBSquat.html
Military press: Either start with the bar at your clavicles by taking off a rack (either a squat rack or the seat/rack combo in the dumbbells section), or by cleaning it off the ground (swinging it up towards your shoulders. For noobs, I'd suggest the first. Push up and do not bend your legs or your ankles. That makes it a different exercise, called the push press. Try and extend your arms all the way above your head. Avoid dropping the bar on your head (duh). Start with around 75 lb.
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Delt...taryPress.html
Bent over row: Try to move the bar slowly towards your chest without cheating by pulling up your back or pushing with your legs (I'm bad at this). Start with around 95 lb.
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Back...ntOverRow.html
Dips: You do these in the cardio room; the stands are on the Universal machines. Lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Don't cheat by swinging your legs. If you want to add weight, wear a backback and put some weight from the other room in it (or use textbooks or whatever).
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Pect...tChestDip.html (You don't need to go that deep)
Deadlifts: Remember to stare ahead and avoid rounding your back. If you're having trouble holding on to the bar, try using a mixed grip, where one hand faces away from you and the other faces towards you. Try to bring your shoulders back at the top of each lift. Don't worry about letting it down slowly; I just slam it down. Get used to callouses. Technique is more important than heavy weight so don't be afraid to lighten the load. Start at around 160 once you get the technique down.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459744
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Glut...BDeadlift.html
Bench press: Make sure you touch the bar to your chest, but don't use the momentum from the down phase to bounce the bar off your chest. The bar should be parallel to the ground the entire way up and down. Lock your elbows out at the top. Start with your eyes under the bar (I used to lie farther back but I had a problem crashing the bar into the supports on the way up), and try and arch your back without raising your ass off the bench. Keep your feet on the floor. Some say to push with them; I never really got that. If you don't think you can complete a set, get a spotter to help you (warning: the lift only counts if he doesn't touch the bar). If you don't have a spotter and suddenly fail mid lift, tip the bar to one side. If you have good technique you can do it without the safety collars and then you have a quick release mechanism in case of failure. Start around 125.
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Pect...enchPress.html
Front squat: I might have to show you this one. There are two ways to hold the bar, but I'll only explain the one I know. Lift if off the rack as you would a military press, but bring it back to your clavicles and rest the bar on either deltoid. Let your pinky and ring fingers hang freely and let the bar slide back so it's resting on your index and middle fingers. Kind of hard to explain, I'll probably have to show you, but give it a try. Remember to try to keep your elbows forward, and squat down, going at least as low if not lower than you would a regular squat. Also, I find I tend to point my feet more forward and use a narrower stance on the front squat. Start at 95.
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Glut...rontSquat.html (that's the other kind of grip, that I don't know how to do)
Pullups: Use the bar on the third squat rack from the left in the weight room. Make sure your head is above the bar at the top, and your arms are almost extended at the bottom. Don't cheat by swinging your legs. As with dips, you can add weight with a backpack. You can experiment with the grip (pronated, supinated, etc).
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Lati.../WtPullup.html
With all exercises, it is important to have good form before adding more weight. If you can complete all the sets and reps with good form, however, YOU NEED TO ADD MORE WEIGHT.
You might want to warmup before exercises, especially with the squat, deadlift, and bench press. Choose an amount that will get you ready but won't drain your energy. For instance, when if you're planning on doing 5 reps on the bench press at 135, warm up with a set of 5 at 95 lb.
Logs: Keeping a log is a good way to track your progress, and to remember what you did last week so you know how much weight to use. I like the format of listing each set individually with the number of reps, and a comment beside if necessary. For instance, this is my log from last tuesday.
MAR 7 2007. 9:50 AM. 191 Lb (I only had cereal for breakfast).
BENCH PRESS
45x10
135x6
135x6
205x5
205x5 (1 rep PR for set 2)
205x5 (1 rep PR for set 3)
205x4 Needed a bit of help on the way up near the lockout
205x3 Failed right off the chest.
Military press
115x4
105x5+1 push
105x4
Weighted dips:
25x5
25x5
25x5
It usually looks something like that.
Don't forget to eat a lot. If you want to do cardio or other conditioning exercises, do them after you lift weights. Your perfomance in weight training will be affected by the cardio fatigue more than your cardio will be affected by muscle fatigue.
