Nick's Beginner Workout

Nick500 · 19-10-2006, 05:32 PM

Wrote this for a few people last week and hope it can help any beginners out.

Its a sustainable 3-day plan with a few rules to stick to, and I think it really guaruntees good growth if followed correctly and the intensity is applied right.

Here goes:

Rules:
-4 sets to FAILURE (proper failure, not ‘oh god this hurts I think I’ll stop’)
-No more than 12 sets per bodypart
-No more than 45 minutes in the gym!
-Stop chatting, you are there to lift
-No more than 2 minutes between sets
-No more than 12 reps per set, you should be at the point of giving up at rep 8, the rest should be you screaming and going totally nuts
-From the moment you wake up, eat every 3 hours including hour 0.
-After your workout, you MUST eat 40 grams of protein within 45 minutes of completing your last set. This is perhaps the most important rule. Ideally whey protein powder, or egg white, lean chicken. Bring it to the gym with you !!! Eat this with some white bread, or a sugary drink (Gatorade, not coca cola!)

Monday: Legs/Biceps: Squats, leg extensions, hamstring curls, bicep curls (only 4 sets ok !)

Wednesday: Chest/Triceps/Abs: Bench press, rope pulldowns, cable crossovers/flies, twisting situps (3 sets of 50)

Friday: Back/Calves/Shoulders: Deadlifts, Bent over rows (either dumbbell or barbell), lateral pulldowns, seated calf raise (4 drop-sets), Seated dumbell shoulder press

CARDIO: 10 medium intensity minutes after each workout. No more, because you will burn your muscle away. Optional 20 – 30 minutes workout on Sunday.

If you stick to these rules, and this workout regime, you will see results. If you continue what you have been doing in the past you will not. Don’t waste your time in the gym and all that money on food for nothing !

Squatty · 19-10-2006, 05:47 PM

Nick - I don't see any shoulder work in that programme. What's the reason behind that?

Nick500 · 19-10-2006, 06:03 PM

Hey

I have amended it to include 3 sets of shoulder press.

Nick

crazycal1 · 19-10-2006, 06:58 PM

fair play to ya for writing up a routine,
but sorry dude, imo that aint a beginners routine!
a beginner would be better of following a full body routine for 6 months maybe changing the exercise selection after 3 months.
after 6 months i think its a better idea to add the extra workload gradually-
going from 3 working sets to 12 is inviting overtraining.

exercise pairings are of course a personal choice, but think back and bi`s, chest and tri`s, legs and shoulders would be my choice.

150 twisting sit ups!
back wrecker.
side bends are much safer(tho forgotten)with some crunches.

Quote:

you should be at the point of giving up at rep 8, the rest should be you screaming and going totally nuts

is that really good advise for a newbie?
if they dont know any better they`ll get injured quickly with that attitude.

surely its far more important to emphasize the importance of using immaculate form with a smooth cadence, thereby lessenning the risk of injury, increasing the longevity of your training and in turn muscle growth.

just my opinion

Young Gun · 19-10-2006, 10:19 PM

I'd be tempted to **** leg extensions and do calve's on leg day and then reduce volume on Friday. Other than that I think its a good routine and far less volume than Garry's routine that people praised quite a bit.

Hate full body workouts personally no room to recover from squatting 3 times a week IMO. One everyone will disagree on I guess.

Any reasons particularly for advocating a full body routine Cal,

Or for the Squat and Leg extensions Nick?

Just my $0.2

crazycal1 · 19-10-2006, 10:27 PM

yes mate-
they work.
i`d always rotate deads and squats tho-
and by choice i`d say 2 x a week max,but i didnt want to go there so to speak

i`d even go as far as saying that i might do a full body routine again in the future-
i think theyre good fun for a change!

Shredded · 28-10-2006, 02:45 PM

Have just seen this posting and have to agree with crazycal1, this routine for a beginner is a bit excessive and extreme. There are no real rules that are set in stone, each and every bodybuilder I know trains and eats in a different fashion. Yes you need a structure to build on in the beggining but this routine and advice is, for a novice, too extreme. Without seeing a person and their abilities you can only make suggestions which may or may not be applicable, what suites one is not always good for some one else. It's all about time and patience, learn your craft and better understand your own body,that way we will all succeed.

www.paulgeorge.org

Nick500 · 28-10-2006, 07:56 PM

That's cool - thanks for everyone's comments.

A point to note here is that beginners WONT follow these instructions fully, so although to use all these sets to failure would be too extreme, they will only do a couple to failure probably. Its just a routine to shock them into training with high intensity.

Cheers

Nick

12-11-2006, 08:19 PM

Also got to agree, this routine is far too intense for a beginer. If I'd have tried this when I started I would have probably not enjoyed it and packed in. Full body routines work well for the beginer, 2 or 3 times (3 I would have thought) a week is fine and will acheive results for a beginer.
Maybe better to post something enjoyable and productive that they WILL stick to.
JMHO

andyboro · 12-11-2006, 08:40 PM

surely an intensive routine from which they are bound to deviate from at first and eventually stick to is better than starting off too easy and then complaining at not seeing results..

when i first started i used to train with a guy about 10 years older than me & far more experienced and it was a case of do what he does..

it was damn hard but it worked & taught me really quickly that none of this was going to be easy..

just my opinion but id rather start too hard & fail than pussy-foot around.

19-10-2006, 05:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
Nick500 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bristol Posts: 3,230 Rep Power:	Nick's Beginner Workout Wrote this for a few people last week and hope it can help any beginners out. Its a sustainable 3-day plan with a few rules to stick to, and I think it really guaruntees good growth if followed correctly and the intensity is applied right. Here goes: Rules: -4 sets to FAILURE (proper failure, not ‘oh god this hurts I think I’ll stop’) -No more than 12 sets per bodypart -No more than 45 minutes in the gym! -Stop chatting, you are there to lift -No more than 2 minutes between sets -No more than 12 reps per set, you should be at the point of giving up at rep 8, the rest should be you screaming and going totally nuts -From the moment you wake up, eat every 3 hours including hour 0. -After your workout, you MUST eat 40 grams of protein within 45 minutes of completing your last set. This is perhaps the most important rule. Ideally whey protein powder, or egg white, lean chicken. Bring it to the gym with you !!! Eat this with some white bread, or a sugary drink (Gatorade, not coca cola!) Monday: Legs/Biceps: Squats, leg extensions, hamstring curls, bicep curls (only 4 sets ok !) Wednesday: Chest/Triceps/Abs: Bench press, rope pulldowns, cable crossovers/flies, twisting situps (3 sets of 50) Friday: Back/Calves/Shoulders: Deadlifts, Bent over rows (either dumbbell or barbell), lateral pulldowns, seated calf raise (4 drop-sets), Seated dumbell shoulder press CARDIO: 10 medium intensity minutes after each workout. No more, because you will burn your muscle away. Optional 20 – 30 minutes workout on Sunday. If you stick to these rules, and this workout regime, you will see results. If you continue what you have been doing in the past you will not. Don’t waste your time in the gym and all that money on food for nothing ! ______________________ - Obsession is what lazy people call dedication -

19-10-2006, 06:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nick500 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bristol Posts: 3,230 Rep Power:	Hey I have amended it to include 3 sets of shoulder press. Nick ______________________ - Obsession is what lazy people call dedication -

28-10-2006, 02:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
Shredded Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Manchester Posts: 134 Rep Power:	Have just seen this posting and have to agree with crazycal1, this routine for a beginner is a bit excessive and extreme. There are no real rules that are set in stone, each and every bodybuilder I know trains and eats in a different fashion. Yes you need a structure to build on in the beggining but this routine and advice is, for a novice, too extreme. Without seeing a person and their abilities you can only make suggestions which may or may not be applicable, what suites one is not always good for some one else. It's all about time and patience, learn your craft and better understand your own body,that way we will all succeed. www.paulgeorge.org ______________________ It's not impossible........it just takes longer than you think!

28-10-2006, 07:56 PM	#8 (permalink)
Nick500 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bristol Posts: 3,230 Rep Power:	That's cool - thanks for everyone's comments. A point to note here is that beginners WONT follow these instructions fully, so although to use all these sets to failure would be too extreme, they will only do a couple to failure probably. Its just a routine to shock them into training with high intensity. Cheers Nick ______________________ - Obsession is what lazy people call dedication -

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19-10-2006, 05:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
Squatty Legend Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: www.counselling-for-men.co.uk Posts: 651 Rep Power:	Nick - I don't see any shoulder work in that programme. What's the reason behind that?

19-10-2006, 10:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
Young Gun Illuminati Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,539 Rep Power:	I'd be tempted to **** leg extensions and do calve's on leg day and then reduce volume on Friday. Other than that I think its a good routine and far less volume than Garry's routine that people praised quite a bit. Hate full body workouts personally no room to recover from squatting 3 times a week IMO. One everyone will disagree on I guess. Any reasons particularly for advocating a full body routine Cal, Or for the Squat and Leg extensions Nick? Just my $0.2

19-10-2006, 10:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
crazycal1 Illuminati Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Nowhere Posts: 2,868 Rep Power:	yes mate- they work. i`d always rotate deads and squats tho- and by choice i`d say 2 x a week max,but i didnt want to go there so to speak i`d even go as far as saying that i might do a full body routine again in the future- i think theyre good fun for a change!

12-11-2006, 08:19 PM	#9 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	Also got to agree, this routine is far too intense for a beginer. If I'd have tried this when I started I would have probably not enjoyed it and packed in. Full body routines work well for the beginer, 2 or 3 times (3 I would have thought) a week is fine and will acheive results for a beginer. Maybe better to post something enjoyable and productive that they WILL stick to. JMHO

12-11-2006, 08:40 PM	#10 (permalink)
andyboro Making Progress Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Middlesbrough Posts: 199 Rep Power:	surely an intensive routine from which they are bound to deviate from at first and eventually stick to is better than starting off too easy and then complaining at not seeing results.. when i first started i used to train with a guy about 10 years older than me & far more experienced and it was a case of do what he does.. it was damn hard but it worked & taught me really quickly that none of this was going to be easy.. just my opinion but id rather start too hard & fail than pussy-foot around.