Beginners guide to weight training

Posted on August 8th, 2009, by Phil under Bodybuilding, Exercise, Men's Exercise.

So you’ve decided to join a gym to build some muscle, feel a bit fitter and maybe to lose a few pounds of fat in the process. Whatever that reason may be chances are if you don’t get it right in the first month you may end up like countless others who pay a whole year’s gym membership and only actually visit the gym a handful of times. I have found that this is usually down to a lack of enthusiasm brought on through a lack of knowledge in how to set goals and feel the benefits of achievement both physically and mentally. When I first decided to start weight training a few years back I joined up at a local gym where one of the instructors wrote me out the “one size fits all” program and that was it, I was given no explanation of progressive resistance or why I should be training the different muscle groups and had absolutely no advice on diet and how to eat to gain muscle mass. I very quickly found myself feeling lost in the weight room which sometimes even led to embarrassment and the feeling that I just wanted to get out of there ASAP which very nearly ended my relationship with the gym altogether. Luckily I turned to the internet and started reading articles and forums which gave me something that would change my workouts forever, an understanding of my body and the tools to structure my weight routine. There is a lot of free information out there and I suggest you take the time to learn a little and use what you learn to understand your body and how you can improve it. In fact, I’m going to give you what I know and hopefully this will be enough to save you from failure…

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
Option two

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

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.

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.

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