The cost of the gym equipment

OK so the initial outlay for the equipment was quite high, but after sitting down with Emma and going over what I spend on my gym membership over a year combined with the cost in petrol to get there it was obvious that after the initial year of paying just over a hundred pound more than my gym membership I would then be saving a lot of money, we’re talking £2500 every five years for a gym membership. To set myself up I bought a folding Bench that can be easily stored away, a set of olympic weights though you could buy standard ones if you wanted to budget even more, a set of dumbbell handles, an EZ-Curl bar, and the smallest squat stand I could find that I can also use for bench pressing. All of this combined came to around £650 and I have to say I was very impressed with the quality of the equipment when it arrived especially the bench which feels very sturdy and has both incline, flat and decline positions.

Storing the weight plates

I have to give credit to my girlfriend Emma for this one but “we” came up with the idea of putting the weights on some MDF I had lying around and then sliding them under the settee, genius! I was planning to stack them all up on the balcony outside but thinking about it this would have been a bit of a headache having to bring them in everyday and come the winter they would no doubt get quite rusty. All I did was cut the MDF into squares that would fit under the settee, screwed two small pieces of wood either side to pull them in and out by and then laid the weight plates on top. I will however add some felt to the bottom of the MDF at some point to save scratching the wood floor.

Storing the big stuff

The Powerline bench that folds up is really easy to move around as it has some nice wheels on the bottom so once folded you can pick up one end and wheel it off to where you are going to store it. I have mine tucked behind the freezer in the cupboard under the stairs which is nice and easy to access and is right out of the way. The squat stand on the other hand isn’t so easy to store, I have mine taking up quite a lot of space on the balcony and to be honest it is in the way a little bit but for me it was a small price to pay for having the gym at home. One thing I would say though is make sure your partner is happy to go along with your plans before buying any of the equipment and be sure to properly explain just how much space you will need to save any arguments once the stuff arrives.

Be sure to protect the house

One thing worth mentioning is that you really want to take steps to protect the house and furniture. This is simply done and will save you big bill if anything should happen while you are training. Buy some cheap old wood to put the weights on when doing stuff like deadlifts and be sure to clear the area where you plan to train and move around in, last thing you want is a dumbbell stuffed through the TV screen.

If you have a bigger space then I would recommend reading this article over on the MuscleTalk forums as it really inspired me to move my gym into the house and has some really cool additional tips like setting up some dip bars on a power rack, which I would have loved to do if I had more space.

This program is quite hard to get right but with some careful planning it can be an awesome program for those looking to push past plateaus and make some serious gains in strength. I have followed this program myself and can say that it is punishing but massively rewarding, give it a go if you are looking for that next level workout I highly recommend it.

Madcows variation of Bill Starr’s 5×5 routine

Mark Rippetoes Starting Strength routines

Aimed at the novice trainer these strength routines have all of the components to see you make the best possible progress from your training plan. Mark Rippetoe is renowned as being a guru in the strength training community and is the author of the outstanding book Starting Strength which is a must read for anyone who is serious about barbell training. There a few routines to chose from in this link and the rest of the wiki has some great information about strength training.

Mark Rippetoe’s starting strength beginner routine

StrongLifts 5×5

Heavily influenced by Mark Rippetoes starting strength routines Medhi has made some alterations for his own take on a strength oriented barbell routine. Again the simplicity of this routine is the key to it’s success and is proven to be an ideal program for those looking to train the whole body to increase both size and strength.

Stronglifts 5×5 beginners strength routine

Dave Drapers strength routine

This routine is well balanced with some cleverly thought out rep ranges and a simple structure of the big power movements. This kind of combination is perfect for those who wish to build size through a hiked increase in strength and with the incorporation of the conditioning exercises will yield some impressive gains, given that you have the diet down.

Dave Drapers full body strength program

Talk to someone

A problem shared is a problem halved, if you have someone close who you can confide in then take the opportunity to sit down with them discuss the problem to see if they have any advice to offer. Even if they don’t have a direct solution for you the fact that you have shared the problem will give you a feeling of release and help you focus more clearly. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have anyone you can turn to there are organisations out there set up specifically to offer support such as the Samaritans if you are a UK resident. If you think that your stress is affecting your health then it would be best to visit your GP and seek medical advice or referral for counseling.

Try to eat properly

Stress, depression, anxiety and worry may well cause you to feel nauseous but not eating will only add to your problems. Try to find something you can eat to keep your strength up such as a piece of toast for breakfast or maybe a sandwich from the shop for lunch. Not eating will make the feeling of nausea worse, you’ll feel like you don’t have the energy to get through the day and your health will suffer.

Keep a clear head

Turning to alcohol, drugs or medication isn’t going to make your problems go away. Perhaps in the short run you will have an escape from all of the stress in your life but that will all come crashing back down on you as soon as you return to the real world. Don’t let yourself spiral into a situation where you rely on an addiction to deal with your problems after all it’s not dealing with them, it’s hiding from them.

Find time for yourself

Working in a high powered job or dealing with 5 kids and a pile of house work is enough to stress anyone out. In this case it is most likely to be a whole host of little things causing you to feel stressed out and nothing that can be tacked alone. Asking for help is nothing to feel ashamed about so be sure to ask people around you for support. Get the grandparents to take the kids out for an evening so you can crash on the sofa or soak in the bath with a good book or delegate some tasks out so that you can leave work an hour or so early and spend some time on the golf course or playing with the kids.

Try to get some sleep

This is probably the worst part of feeling stressed out, not being able to sleep. Lying in bed staring at the alarm clock every ten minutes just makes you feel more stressed out and does nothing to help you prepare mentally for the day ahead. One of the best ways to help you sleep is to take part in some physical activity in the day. Weight training or cardiovascular exercise is proven to help you sleep as the body needs more time recover and will therefore help you to shut down and enjoy a long nights rest.

Face the problem

Sometimes the solution to your stress may be to deal with it face on. If work is causing you to lie awake at night worrying talk to your boss, superior or trusted colleague and share your concerns. You may well find it is something they can help you with and offer you advice or maybe even extra support and training. Again sharing a problem really is the best resolve.

The points above are a guide to help you deal with the problems in your life and encourage you to seek help but if you feel that your stress is causing your health to suffer then it is strongly recommended that you seek medical advice from you doctor.

Choosing a gym

One of the key factors in achieving your goal is to have the right equipment, atmosphere and support around you and this of course ties in with the place where you are going to be training. Choosing a gym may sound pretty straight forward and in many cases it will be but I’m going to give you a few tips to ensure that you choose the right environment with the correct equipment.

Free weights

I have found that a high percentage of gyms these days actually have very little free weight equipment. Free weights are an extremely important part of a proper weight routine and should not be substituted with machine equipment. Most of the major exercises for each muscle group make use of the barbell and weight plates and if you’re serious about doing this properly you need to make sure that your new gym has at least:

• A barbell and weight plates
• A bench ,ideally with upright supports for bench pressing
• A squat rack
• Some dumbbells

These are the key elements but a gym with more than this would be ideal.

Atmosphere

This may not seem that important but in my experience the atmosphere in a gym makes a huge difference to the quality of your workout. Some people like the fresh new gym atmosphere with shiny new equipment, mirrored walls and spotlessly clean changing rooms and then there’s me who likes the rusty old weight plates and bars with benches that have tatty old material on them. My point is, you need to think about these things when you visit a gym and make sure that the facilities and area are going to enhance your overall experience and not leave you with a sense of disappointment.

Support

Some gyms can offer personal trainers and tailored exercise plans at an additional cost which to me seems a little over the top if you are already paying around £500 a year just for your membership. A lot of gym staff have plenty of valuable experience and this is something that you should look for and ask about when visiting prospective establishments. Take a good look around at the staff when you visit, are they all looking like they just left school or do they seem to be of an age where they may have a few years of experience under their belt? Are they busy assisting people and talking with customers or are they sat amongst themselves chatting and laughing between poses in the mirror. First impressions can tell a lot in these situations and don’t be afraid to ask about the staff and how much assistance is included in the membership price as it often works out to a situation of don’t ask don’t get!

Planning your first twelve weeks

If you are totally new to weight training your development in strength in the first twelve weeks will grow at an exponential rate and this needs to be planned for with a simple starter routine. Week one will be purely for getting into the gym and doing some math to work out the starting points for each exercise and setting out a plan that will guarantee you don’t fall at the first hurdle.

Week one

First things first you need to find a gym, simple as. Next thing you need to do is get down the local town and buy yourself a small notepad which is going to be your training journal and the key to your success. Having the journal will not only give you a reference point in helping you to remember what weight you are at for which exercise each week but will also supply you with the chance to record your thoughts during each workout, why you only hit 6 out of your 8 reps or perhaps that you felt strong and should push a little more next week. Once you have all the necessities it’s time to hit the gym and figure out where exactly you should be starting with each weight. To do this write each of the exercises below into your diary and in the first two workouts you will need to work through each exercise starting with a weight that feels light and gradually building it up until you find a weight where eight repetitions is difficult but manageable. Write this weight next to that exercise and that will then be the weight you will use in week two.

So to clarify, on workout one of week one you will work through each upper body exercise to find out your starting weights and that’s it go home and rest. Workout two you will do the same but this time for the lower body. Miss out workout three to give yourself an extra days rest then start with your set weights on the first workout of week two.

The Routine

The first twelve weeks is going to be a basic routine where you will alternate between training your upper and lower body with three training sessions per week. Training days should be scheduled on alternate days such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday or perhaps Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with one days rest in between and an extra days rest between each week. The workouts should follow the pattern of:

Week A

1. Upper body
2. Rest
3. Lower body
4. Rest
5. Upper body
6. Rest
7. Rest

Week B

1. Lower body
2. Rest
3. Upper body
4. Rest
5. Lower body
6. Rest
7. Rest

And so on…

Upper body

The upper body routine is broken into the four major muscle groups; the chest, shoulders, back and arms with one exercise for each. Each exercise should be done for eight repetitions with a weight that makes you push but not over exert yourself to reach the desired reps.

Option one

• Barbell bench press
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOnP_oAXUMA
• Standing press/
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJFjYyA40ss
• Chin ups or lat pull down
  chins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57iLgrJdeU4
  lat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMC48BO-GQE
• Barbell bicep curls
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGxWfqd6CY

Option two

If you don’t have access to a barbell the following exercises can be substituted:

• Dumbbell bench press
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFcU-d5uDmM
• Seated dumbbell press
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpWrzp9Mnyg&feature=fvw
• Chin ups or lat pull down
  chins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57iLgrJdeU4
  lat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMC48BO-GQE
• Dumbbell bicep curls
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZawrdYA0WXU

Lower Body

The lower body routine, like the upper body, is broken down to cover the quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles and will also train the core and lower back. Again these should all be done with a weight that will allow you to reach eight repetitions without over exertion but with a high level of effort.

• Barbell squats
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huVujjfzphI
• Romanian deadlifts
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnBREGM7pE0
• Dumbbell lunges
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5I046eijv8&NR=1
• Standing or seated calf raises
  standing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hElGwCKikU
  seated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K9dGBoUNEQ

I do not recommend substituting any of the above exercises which is why I find it so important to pick a gym that has the correct equipment.

Progressive Resistance

Progressive resistance, in short, is the concept of lifting heavier weights each week so that as your body becomes stronger and more resistant to the stresses of each workout you push yourself to lift more to counter this and in turn become stronger. Of course there is a limit to this which is something that will be covered in the intermediate program but for the beginner this increase in strength within the first twelve weeks will be something very noticeable and something I am sure will encourage you to get back down the gym each week.

How to add the weight

Although this is not an exact science it is probably best to aim to add between approximately 2.5 to 5% to each lift each week. So for instance if in week two you were squatting 50kg in week three you would add 5% and squat 52.5kg, week four either 55 or 57.5kg depending on how hard the last week felt and so on until you reach week twelve where you will move onto the intermediate program.

Don’t forget to write down the weights each week in your journal with how many reps you managed and how hard or easy it felt so you can plan the next week efficiently.

Getting the diet right

Diet is probably the most important part to get right if you want to gain muscle and size. You must be eating a diet of excess calories if you want to increase muscle size which should be gained from complex carbohydrates like whole wheat pasta, rice, oats and vegetables with plenty of protein from meats like fish, chicken, turkey and beef as well as essential fats gained from oily fish like salmon and mackerel and other sources such as nuts, avocados and seeds. It is also important to eat a few pieces of fruit, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep at night so your body can recuperate and your muscles can repair and grow.

In conclusion

So to summarise you must first find the right gym with the right equipment, set up your journal, learn how to carry out each exercise, figure out your starting weights and plan your diet before hitting the gym and blasting those gains in size and strength.

Good luck and be sure to look out for the next article on stage two – the intermediate program.

Leave the car at home

If you live a mile or less from work or the school why drive? Leaving the car at home and not taking the bus will give you a perfect opportunity to get a half hour of exercise with a brisk walk twice a day. If you are walking the kids to school then this will also give the kids the opportunity to exercise and will make them feel so much more awake and alert ready for the school day. This will also save you money, help the environment and save wear and tear on your car with all those short journeys.

Get up a little earlier

Getting up earlier and doing 20 to 40 minutes exercise is a great way to find a little extra time to exercise. Exercising first thing in the morning before eating is proven to help raise your metabolic rate for the day and is a great way to burn fat. Going for a short jog or jumping on the exercise bike first thing will also raise your level of endorphins and help you feel bright and breezy for the rest of the day.

Utilise your lunch hour

This time is a great way to slot in a bit of exercise whether it involves taking a brisk walk away from the office or popping down to the gym for half an hour on the treadmill. Many people find themselves just killing time during their lunch hour and if you are one of those people, make use of it! It will also help the afternoon fly by as you won’t be feeling tired and sleepy after being sat at the desk all day.

Join a club

Taking time to enroll in a club or an exercise class is a great motivator and not only that but a great way to meet people. If there is a sport you enjoy or exercise classes you have always fancied take a few minutes out to find out where you can get involved and book yourself up for a trial. You may even be surprised at how good it makes you feel mentally putting yourself into a new situation, interacting with new people and changing you daily routine.

Plan your week

Keeping a schedule may not at first seem like an obvious way to find time but when you actually sit down and plan each day you may be surprised to find that you do have a few hours to spare. Having a plan will also help you to control your diet, plan your jobs at home and find time to sit down with the kids and spend some quality time. It’s the little things that make a difference and once you plan these it makes it all seem so much clearer where you need to be and when.