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Old 12-07-2011, 01:04 PM
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iron_worker iron_worker is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Saskatoon, Sk, Canada
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Way too much/too complicated for a beginner.

If you're looking to go 3x a week (which is a good place to start) I would recommend something like this:

Workout A
Bench - 3x5
Squats - 3x5
BB or DB rows - 5x10
Hanging Leg Raises - 5xAMAP (as many as possible)

Workout B
Military Press - 3x5
Deadlift - 3x5
Pull ups - 5xAMAP
Lunges - 5x10

Week 1:
Monday: A
Wednesday B
Friday A

Week 2:
Monday B
Wednesday A
Friday B

etc etc

Your 3x5 sets are your core lifts. These are the focus of your program. For these, pick a weight that you know you can do with proper form and complete all sets and reps. Add 5lb (or even 2.5lb would be better if you can find that small of plates) to that lift each time you do it. You should start light enough that you can progress and not stall out after only a couple sessions.

The higher rep sets are accessory lifts. These should be fairly light. You aren't out to destroy yourself here but just looking to compliment your main lifts. Progressing these lifts is still good but not necessary to progress them each session.

Once you find that you are stalling out (hopefully after several sessions) and cannot progress on a certain lift then back it off by 10-20% and start over.

If you find that all your lifts are piling up and everything is starting to feel too heavy/you are really struggling to progress then I would suggest a de-load week. On a de-load week you keep the number of total reps down and you also keep the load light (<60%). This will allow your body to heal up more completely and you also maintain your "groove" because you are still going through the motions of lifting. De-loading every 4-8 weeks is a good idea for pretty much everyone. You will have to read your body to judge how often you need to deload.

ALWAYS USE GOOD FORM. If you don't know what that is then find someone who does that is willing to spend some time teaching you! This is probably the most important bit of advice here. Using bad form to get a few extra pounds out of the lift will only damage your body in the long run.

If you find you cannot recover from the Monday workout before Friday (or whatever days you choose ... doesn't really matter) then it may be time to switch programs. However, if you are a true beginner I think you should get a solid 6 months to a year of progress out of this program if combined with proper nutrition/sleep/etc. At that point feel free to come back, ask more questions, tell us about your huge progress, and we will gladly help again.

My final piece of advice .... it's not "ruteine" ... it's "routine."

IW
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