Newbie General weight lifting advice?

Arrghmatey

All,
Can you share just some general weight training advice for a relative newbie? My budget is really tight for the next two months, so I can't  afford a personal trainer session, and everything I find online is so specific (and a lot contradictory). Even looking through the threads here, most of it seems to be pretty advanced stuff. I'll get to that point, but for now I just want to start, and start properly!

any advice on:
timing? I know you don't want to just hammer on biceps or whatever every day. For a say, 5 day a week workout, what's the general groupings?
reps? I've seen a lot of complicated stuff about how many, how long to take, the timing of the lift, etc. what's just a good, simple starting point?
before/after workout? Again, everything online is like "18 minutes before eat 0.13 grams protein times your weight divided by the phase of the moon, then 4.5 minutes later take a dump and wipe 3.5 times, then snort some whey powder, and make sure to finish with slow burn, but not low burn carbs and stretch your right ankle". 

I know  all the advice is based on science and good things, but I just want to start with some general best practices! Once I get that down I can move on to more focused refinement.

Thanks!

Harry123

I would just start with a simple program like Stronglifts 5x5. Download the app and just follow it 3 times a week as directed, it even works out the weights for you. In 12/16 weeks time you will have a great base and much more understanding of what you are doing / what works for you.

Before working out I just have a banana, drink water during it then have a protein shake after with some milk. Seems to work for me but as you say there are lots of points of view on the subject!

Tennee

So, 2 questions:

1)  What do you want to accomplish?  Power Lifting?  Bodybuilding contest winner?  Look good naked? 

2)  What do you have access to right now?  Gym with proper racks/weights?  DBs at home?  What is at your disposal?

Arrghmatey

Thanks @Harry123 , I'll check out that app! Sounds like a good guide! Also, great, simple beginner advice. Exactly what I was looking for.

@Tennee , at this point I'm basically looking to "lift heavy stuff, as it's good for the soul" But, I figured along the way if I can start doing it right and look better in the mirror, that's a bonus!

I'm also overweight and working on that through cardio and a healthy daily diet with calorie deficit, so I know that's not the right time to really bulk up. Once I take care of that I'll shift focus to more advanced getting awesome lifting.

In regards to equipment, I can generally get to the gym twice a week. Otherwise, I have a home gym (Tuffstuff Odyssey) I got from a friend who didn't want it anymore some years ago which has been collecting dust in my basement. Today I got it all tuned up and ready to go!

nubby

@Arrghmatey I managed to build muscle while also losing weight. 
I lift 2-3x/week. I always start my lifting sessions by doing the heaviest lifts first. 
For example, on days I deadlift, I do the deadlifting first and depending on the number of people using equipment I'll do  seated cable rows, Dumbbells and preacher curls or overhead presses. 

When I first started lifting my bench routine was 2 sets @ 95lbs X 8 reps
1set @135 X 8 reps and finally 155 X whatever I could get. 

Once i could easily do 155 for 8-10 reps, I increased it by 10lbs. I have found that if I lift after work I had better have eaten quite a bit during the day. If not, the energy and drive just wasn't there. 

Lifting WILL help with weight loss.  

Rico

I'll cosign on the Stronglifts 5x5 plan: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/ .

It's easy to learn and remember - even without the app, which makes it practically foolproof.  It's great for gradually building a strength "base" if you're starting from zero. Once you've done it for a while you can focus in on what your specific goals are.

Personally, I had been doing strength training off and on for 15 years before discovering this plan, and I saw more gains in the first six months of Stronglifts 5x5 than in all those years prior.

That's what has worked for me.  But find a plan that works for you - the best workout is the one you will stick with.

Diet: At this point, don't worry about all the high level nutrition stuff, timing your macronutrients and all that.  Just eat clean - lots of water, lean proteins, leafy vegetables, eggs, nuts, etc.  Cut out sugar, flour, soda, pasta, anything processed. 

Tennee

Nubby is absolutely right - lifting will 100% burn fat.  Muscle will burn calories just by being muscle - it improves your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR).  Fat does very little work in RMR.  There's varying studies on its effectiveness, so research for yourself. 

@SignorePillolaRossa has had great success with running SL5X5 and weight loss. SL5X5 would be a fine starting point, although I think starting any split or other program is fine too - so long as you adhere to proper form and start very slow and low with weight. 

There are several big, compound movements that are the base foundation for programs, like SL.  Bench Press, Deadlift, Squat - these are the Biggies that form the foundation for strength and growth. 

Rorschach taught me that you 'can't outrun the fork' - and in my mid-40's now, he's right.  So do what Rico said above - eat clean.  Get at least 80% of your BW in protein grams if you're lifting.  I do a whey shake (and hydrochloride creatine) post lift - every time. 

Like the rest of the MAP, its a marathon, not a sprint.  So, get started.  SL is a fine base program to start with - so give it a spin.  After the first run, you might switch to a 4 or 5 day split - I very much enjoy my 4 day split and have seen much better results since switching. 

Lothbrok

I also recommend focusing on 5 x 5.  You want to add about 5lb to 10lb per set.  So the first two or three are warms ups.   Keep in mind you want to go to failure on the last two sets.  If you don't need a spot for bench or squat your not pushing hard enough.

If your new I would go a little easy on the dead lifts until you know you have your form down.  I would recommend having a gym staff member watch you to make sure your form is good.

I had the most gains when I did 4 times a week.  Work 1 twice and work 2 twice.   DON'T SKIMP ON SQUATS.  I found if I killed leg day I would be some much stronger on my other workouts.

You want the min of rest in between sets.  30 sec to a min max

Workout 1
Bench 
Dead lift
Chin up -3 sets max reps
Close grip bench
Diamond pushups-3 sets max reps

Workout 2
Squats
Military press
Scott press-3 set of 8 to 13
Barbell curl

Paladin

I am a fan of the Wendler 5/3/1 program. Start with the basics and build from there. Easy to do in under an hour or sometimes even 30-40 min or less. 

There is also a great app that is Wendler 5/3/1 on itunes App store that works great for tracking. I increased all my lifts every time I do that program for a few month cycle. 

nubby

One thing I would recommend if you are going to get a gym membership. Check out a few gyms and see what they have for weight training equipment. Some gyms have a lot whereas other are quite minimal. Also, if you can check them out at the time you figure you would be going so you can see how busy the lifting are is. It may be better to drive a little extra to have less of a crowd. 

UnBetaMe

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe or the Stronglifts 5x5 variation. They are basically the same compound movements with a linear progression. Don't make it more complicated than this.
Follow the program. Trust me. Don't over complicate it or add in your own 'twist' .
Run one of these linear progression programs for at least 4-6 months and eat appropriately. You will add muscle.
After you exhaust a true linear progression, then you can decide what your next goal is. Linear progression in the compound lifts is THE best way for a newbie to gain muscle and strength. Period.

Arrghmatey

Thanks all, this is perfect info! I'm going to go with a linear progression (still haven't decided between SL5x5 or Starting Strength) until that "plateaus " and then dive in deeper with other options.

ive put into our family budget a gym membership, and now I see I need to work in a one time personal trainer session. Common workout foundation here is squats, deadlifts, bench, and press, and I want to have a 1:1 with someone to get the form right while I'm still at the light lifting stage. I want to make sure I'm doing those right!

as far as diet, I love the uncomplicated initial approach (which I've been doing so far with cardio as part of the "shed the jiggly parts" routine). Protein, greens, fruit, the less sugar the better, less processed the better. That's nice and simple at this stage!

Cheers all!

UnBetaMe

You may want to start with the 5x5. More sets is more practice on the form when it is light.
Once you can't progress doing 5x5, you could move to the 3x5.  The lower volume will allow you to squeak more progression out of the program as the weights get heavier. 

Just my two cents... the most important thing is that you follow the program consistently.

Having a trainer coach you on the form is great. I'd budget for another session a couple months in. As the weights get heavy, form may creep on you a bit.

Looking forward to following your progress!

Lothbrok

Also keep in mind most gyms have staff that will watch your form and spot you when you life heavy.  Training is still a good idea, but don't be afraid to ask staff for help.   I made it a point to work with different ones and ask them to let me know if I am doing anything wrong.  Each one typically had something to add.

Lenny

5x5 is simple and effective
also check out t-nation & Dan John's 
They have a lot of info on starting out.

I personally use kettle bells, & body weight exercises. Best bang for your $.  I can now punch out over 150 push up in 45 min, in between 600 kettle bell swings & 45 pull ups. Just doing push ups it hard on the body.

I personally spent the first 4 weeks or so start focusing on range of movement, joint mobility, light weights, lots of reps.  Get the basics sorted out first.

Then I would focus on whole body exercise patterns.
Vertical Push
Vertical Pull
Horizontal Push
Horizontal Pull
Quad dominate - think squats
Hip dominate - think dead lifts.
Load carries - pick  up something heavy and go for a walk and come back.

You will get huge gains to start with focusing on
Loaded Carries & Squats 
Look up - goblet squat to start with, it teaches you very good form & is easy to do.

Diet
1) you cant out train a crap diet
2) if you need to choose between the gym and shopping for the right food go shopping
3) more protein the better, I aim for around 1g of protein per pound of weight.
4) add lots of veggies more the better
5) add in good fats
6) don't make to many big changes to quickly. I've found that doing to much to quickly I do not stick to it.  I aim to do something better every month, target 10-20% improvement in diet per month or 10-20% reduction in 'x' per month. 

Adam_S

Another vote for starting off with something like Stronglifts. Don't start with huge weights and make sure you get your form right. Get the main compound lifts sorted and get your basic strength up to scratch. There are many, many videos on youtube that will show you the basics of how to deadlift, bench press etc.

When you find that you've maxed out on that then you need to decide whether you're going down the powerlifter route (focussing on maximum weight on a few big lifts) or bodybuilding (more reps, bigger range of exercise, having specific days to train specific muscle groups).

Get on a reasonable high protein diet and try to cut out crap food as much as possible.

Lenny

Have a look at the quadrant at Dan johns website. He goes through the milestones before starting. Basically don't do a push up until you can hold a plank for 30 sec. It will give you a good base to start

zook

5x5 takes quite a while to outgrow. When you think progress has stalled, take a week off to do body weight stuff in the park and revisit it.

I'm a big fan of Wendler 5/3/1. But because I've take a sizeable break from lifting my first 8 weeks back will be 5x5.

It cannot be emphasised enough how important it is to get the form of your lifts spot on... Film yourself if you must, visit ripple toes website. And read! Lots of little cues to learn.

Lastly, ego. Don't be scared to lift light if that's what your body is telling you, or until your confident in your form. Quick way to an injury.

htx2008

Props to all of those mentioning the importance of diet. You can train long and hard, but if your body isn't getting the right nutrients you won't go anywhere.

I haven't tried the 5x5 workout, but have had a lot of success using MuscleEvo. It's a guide you purchase for roughly $30, and provides 4 scripted workouts per week based on the big 4 lifts.

If you're new to lifting, I also highly recommend hiring a trainer for a few sessions to make sure your form is correct for exercises like the bench, squat, deadlift, etc. You can really hurt yourself if you're not doing them correctly.

318JimmyNow

Arrghmatey said:

Thanks all, this is perfect info! I'm going to go with a linear progression (still haven't decided between SL5x5 or Starting Strength) until that "plateaus " and then dive in deeper with other options.

I will give you the only advice I give to people with little or no experience.

The dirty secret of the fitness industry is that nearly everything will work.  All the programs mentioned above will work.  The problem arises when someone with little experience decides to change things up because "the program" stopped working.  They never learn to "Grind" and eventually give up because nothing works despite constantly changing.

Pick one of the programs mentioned above and commit to using it for a full 12 months.  If you have any questions only listen to what the original author wrote.  Follow that one program, and one person only for that entire time.  If you "plateau" ask the question why.  Don't look for the quick fix of a new program because it won't work in the long term.  Get every bit you can out of the program doing a deep dive into what you are doing.  Dissect your diet, recovery, lifestyle, everything.  Eventually you will find the same thing that everyone else has.  The programs all work, if you work them hard enough.

Once you get enough time under the bar and you want to specialize then you can start to look at the program.  A bodybuilder doesn't train like a power lifter and doesn't train line a fitness enthusiast.  But at the start the program itself is not as important as your ability to grind thru and work.

Arrghmatey

Thanks all for the great advice. Here's an update, as well as a quandary:

I've been continuing to follow the SL5x5 program. It was a bit intimidating at first, as it starts from basically nothing. So I've just concentrated on my form, and tried to ignore the gym rats putting up massive weights while I practice bench form at 75 lbs or whatever. 

Ive actually taken it as an opportunity to work on social skills, giving an appreciative nod to some of the brick shithouses in my gym, or just giving a "damn man... That's impressive. What program did you start with?" Many have been very nice, offering to help fine tune my form etc. 

So.. That leads me to my quandary. I was getting good weight loss doing cardio and better diet before I starting lifting. But now it's sort of stalled out. Same reading on the scale after the last 3 weeks, even though I've continued the cardio and diet. 
However, I had to punch a new hole in my belt yesterday. So what I'm thinking is its still losing "jiggly", but putting on some muscle that off sets it on the scale. Is that a realistic assumption? Has anyone else experienced that?