The Winter Bulk of a Newbie Lifter

Aspiring

Went to the doctor during the week about my back. Another week resting with no back/leg work and I should be able to start off with light weights and work up. So today's workout was all upper body.

Bench:
3x5x80kg
2x8x60kg close grip

Dips:
2x8x12.5kg

Pull ups:
1x5
1x5x17.5kg
1x5x20kg
1x5x22.5kg

DB Overhead press:
3x5x22kg

Plank:
1x75 secs
1x90 secs

Crunches:
3x15

Hanging leg raise:
2x10

Started doing some core work because the doctor said the injury may have happened because of core weakness. Also managed 80kg on the bench, crazy to think I thought I had plateaued at 70kg :pac:

Todd Toddington III

Never found crunches to be that beneficial tbh, id substitute something else if I was you. I'd recommend joining a pilates class if you want to improve core strength. Recently started going myself as my poor posture as caused by left hamstring to tighten right up, it hurts like f**k at times but im starting to feel an improvement with it

Aspiring

Todd Toddington III wrote: »

Never found crunches to be that beneficial tbh, id substitute something else if I was you. I'd recommend joining a pilates class if you want to improve core strength. Recently started going myself as my poor posture as caused by left hamstring to tighten right up, it hurts like f**k at times but im starting to feel an improvement with it

I only did them because I hadnt a clue what else to do tbh! I think I had an imbalance throughout my core/legs from playing sports with my right side which caused an imbalance. I think there's pilates for free up in college I'll look into it, cheers! Anything else gym wise which would be good for core you know of?

Todd Toddington III

check out seanviguefitness on YouTube. he's got a 20 min core workout that's fantastic and painful at the same time!! you won't be able to keep up at the start but give it time and you'll earn yourself serious core strength

Todd Toddington III

Athleanx, again on YouTube has shorter but equally painful workouts. Both are good

Aspiring

Had to stop early today because I did something to my shoulder. Think its because I rushed into the pull ups after benching. Doesn't feel serious but its only apparent when turning the neck left so it could be some sort of nerve impingement or spine issue (hopefully not). It feels similar to injuries I've gotten in GAA from falling heavily, which usually heal up within a few days.

Bench:
3x5x82.5kg
2x8x72.5kg

Pull ups:
1x5
1x5x22kg

Box jumps:
1x10

Depth jumps:
1x10

I think from now on I'll go lighter on the pull ups and go for higher reps instead. My form would be better at lighter weight, which would be beneficial in preventing injuries. I decided to give the plyometrics a go, they were surprisingly difficult even just for 1 set. Also, my back feels completely better, but I'm giving it a few more days before I ease back into the weights.

Aspiring

Forgot to mention, that was my last "full body" workout. From now on it'll be split up into different body parts each workout day. Legs will be done everyday still. It just makes more sense and means areas like my forearms and shoulders aren't overly fatigued and lead to injury.

This week I'm hoping to do:
Monday:
Cardio

Wednesday:
Legs/Chest/Triceps/Core

Friday:
Legs/Back/Shoulders/Biceps

Sunday:
Same as wednesday with plyos.

Aspiring

Today was a great day, I did squats and deadlifts for the first time since my minor injury. It was also my first time back in the college gym, so it was strange having more than one person in the gym with me :pac:

Squats:
3x15x70kg

Bench:
2x5x80kg
1x5x82.5kg
1x10x70kg
1x8x60kg (close grip)

Dips:
3x8x12.5kg

Deadlift:
1x10x60kg
1x8x70kg
1x5x80kg
(No back pain whatsoever )

Plank:
1x60secs
2x60secs with 10kg


Well, no pain anywhere after that workout. Brilliant altogether. Suppose I'll just keep adding the weight to the squat and deadlift again. Only small issue is I've noticed the barbells on the bench here are thicker up here (maybe heavier?) than the ones in my club gym. It just means my wrists are a bit sorer after each set, but its not much of an issue. I'm going for 85kg on the bench Sunday hopefully.

Aspiring

Pull ups:
2x8
3x8 with 12.5kg

Dumbbell rows:
3x5x32.5kg each side

Dumbbell overhead press:
3x5x25kg each side

Plank:
2 x 60 secs with 15kg

Cardio:
2km in 9 mins

New best for the overhead press. Think I'll keep at the planks they feel great in abs / low back. Not that happy with my fitness, think I'll run outdoors in future I seem to push myself further running outside. Going back tomorrow to do chest and legs.

Alf Veedersane

Aspiring wrote: »

Think I'll keep at the planks they feel great in abs / low back.

Try reverse planks if you want to really feel it in yizzer lower back

Aspiring

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Try reverse planks if you want to really feel it in yizzer lower back

Didn't realise this was a thing haha. In my mind doing these weighted would feel like getting castrated judging from the way it looks. Can't be very comfortable for that sensitive area :pac:

Alf Veedersane

Aspiring wrote: »

Didn't realise this was a thing haha. In my mind doing these weighted would feel like getting castrated judging from the way it looks. Can't be very comfortable for that sensitive area :pac:

Didn't either til the physio had me try them. You'd be a while at them before you'd be doing them weighted.

Aspiring

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Didn't either til the physio had me try them. You'd be a while at them before you'd be doing them weighted.

I'll give them a go so, cheers!

Aspiring

Squats:
3x10x80kg

Split squats (immediately after squats):
1x5x35kg each leg

Deadlifts:
2x5x90kg

Lying leg curl:
3x8x40kg

I'm assuming its kg on the leg curl. I have never used this machine before, but everything else in the gym is kg so why wouldn't this be. I'll ask next time actually. Decided to throw these in because I feel deadlifts alone probably aren't enough for hamstrings. Chest on Thursday.

Aspiring

Chest/Tris day today. Wasn't the best ever, only had a few hours sleep last night and it showed.

Bench:
3x5x80kg
1x8x75kg
1x5x75kg
1x10x70kg
Burnout set immediately after of 1x10x50kg

Skullcrushers:
3x10x15kg

Dips:
2x5
1x5x15kg
1x8

Explosive pushups:
3x15

Dumbbell fly's:
2x10x15kg

Dumbbell bench:
1x8x20kg
2x5x25kg

Well, my triceps feel like they're fit to burst haha. Never seem to get that feeling in chest for some reason, ah well. Was interesting to try a few new things out today.

Aspiring

Squat:
3x5x90kg

Deadlift:
1x10x70kg

Lying leg curls:
1x5x50kg
3x10x40kg

Aspiring

I've decided next week I'm going to give the barbell overhead press and rows a go. Using dumbbells is a lot of effort, especially getting them up for the overhead press. I'll give it a go for a week to see how it goes, I know dumbbell work is great for the stabalizer muscles and prevents imbalances, but it can't help to mix it up or do both.

Alf Veedersane

You doing OHPs standing or sitting?

No harm mixing it up alright but plenty of ways to do that with DBs as well, like mixing up tempo, rests etc

Aspiring

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

You doing OHPs standing or sitting?

No harm mixing it up alright but plenty of ways to do that with DBs as well, like mixing up tempo, rests etc

Sitting atm. If I was doing barbell it'd be standing. I like the fact that with barbells you can physically lift more weight, which helps develop overall strength.

Vaidookas_

To be short and precise:

*Your training split is for power not for bulk
*Your diet should be on spot which probably it isnt
*What about your recovery times? How often you work out and give rest for muscle group?
*You can gain 0.5kg of lean muscle mass per month naturally. if you plan to get 15kg by march you will be just fat.

If you need personal training advice give me a shout mate

Aspiring

WorthIt wrote: »

To be short and precise:

*Your training split is for power not for bulk
*Your diet should be on spot which probably it isnt
*What about your recovery times? How often you work out and give rest for muscle group?
*You can gain 0.5kg of lean muscle mass per month naturally. if you plan to get 15kg by march you will be just fat.

If you need personal training advice give me a shout mate

Hey mate.

My training split has only recently changed, and seems to have been working well up to now anyway. For a beginner lifter, surely you can agree it's more important anyway to build base strength before going straight into bodybuilding routines? Or would you have lads who can't even squat their bodyweight start a hypertrophy program straight off the bat? Hardly.

I don't like the fact you assume my diet is bad. You can't make that assumption over the internet for a start. Moreover, my diet is actually great. 180g protein every day at least. The only reason I eat so many calories is because it's the only way I'll grow. You seem to have a one size fits all mentality to your knowledge.

My recovery times are always on point. There has always been a three day gap between the same body parts. I am going to have even more recovery time for deadlifts now as they get heavier and it takes longer to recover.

That 0.5kg you described is for an experienced lifter. Its like saying I should be on a program for experienced lifters, which I shouldn't while I can still milk "newbie gains". I have gained 7kg so far. I know its impossible for all of that to be muscle. But it certainly all isn't fat, or even a majority of it being fat. I had areas which were severely underdeveloped, my legs mostly. This is no longer the case, and my legs have grown significantly. On top of this, I have seen gains across my entire body, nowhere has been unaffected.

I appreciate your input, but you don't seem to have any real world knowledge when it comes to this. As I said above, you seem to have a one size fits all criteria. You can't expect of me what you'd expect of somebody lifting years, and vice versa. It's just not the same.

Vaidookas_

Hey mate,

I've only have read your first post didn't see all the discussion below. Dont get offended that I say your died is not on spot or training not there, there was not assumptions but mainly a questions. About my 0.5kg lean mass - its not particular number is just saying that i am fan of lean mass building than on "bulking" and the "cutting" principle. I though you have problem gaining weight so I highlighted few things what could be wrong, sorry if i misunderstood

What regards newbies going in to hypertrophy training I don't see anything bad. To be honest me as a trainer would prefer newbies would lift 8 to 12 reps with weight they can manage to complete full range of motion with proper form than training for strength and going for 5 reps heavy weights where they can injure themselves.

Aspiring

WorthIt wrote: »

What regards newbies going in to hypertrophy training I don't see anything bad. To be honest me as a trainer would prefer newbies would lift 8 to 12 reps with weight they can manage to complete full range of motion with proper form than training for strength and going for 5 reps heavy weights where they can injure themselves.

You don't start at a heavy weight. You work up through the weights and it becomes increasingly difficult but your body recovers. There is a correlation between strength and size, you don't usually get one without the other. I haven't been training for size, no, but as a result of my strength increases I've got some. If I had started off on some hypertrophy program I doubt I'd be as strong as I am now. I'll take strength and size over just size any day .

Vaidookas_

Thats common sense mate, strength will come if you do hypertrophy of course I usually do pyramid principle and train both, size and strength. But due to enough size recently I started fully strength program which I LOVE. It makes your muscle more hard and dense. So basically my reps don't breach 5 reps. But here we all need not to forget to warm-up very well before going in to heavy sets so I use few sets of hypertrophy just to warm up

Aspiring

WorthIt wrote: »

Thats common sense mate, strength will come if you do hypertrophy of course I usually do pyramid principle and train both, size and strength. But due to enough size recently I started fully strength program which I LOVE. It makes your muscle more hard and dense. So basically my reps don't breach 5 reps. But here we all need not to forget to warm-up very well before going in to heavy sets so I use few sets of hypertrophy just to warm up

Yeah I see a lot of the lads in the gym don't warm up at all, can't be good. I like to start with the bar and work up. I dunno how you do hypertrophy stuff in your warm up, I'm always really fatigued if I do any more than 5 reps, so I leave it till after strength work.

Vaidookas_

I warm up on cardio machines to get my hear rate up, just like 5 min is enough. Then your blood starts to circulate and your joints warm up and release liquids inside them (works like oil for joints). After those 5 min your tendons would have some blood in them (not so dry as it would on cold start) - good time to give little stretch or light weight work on muscles to warm up particular group. Then I do hypertrophy lets say 10 reps with moderate weight before I go for 5 reps with super heavy weight. I found it works best for me as I recover faster between sets and I can push harder due to warm up.

Happy to hear that u got ur legs sorted, its so funny these days to see so many "chicken legs" out there, EVERY DAY IS A CHEST DAY guys

Aspiring

Did legs/back/shoulders today because I can't get to the gym tomorrow.

This isn't the order the exercises were done in I'm just grouping them by body part for handiness.

Squats:
3x5x95kg
1x10x70kg (feet close together)
1x10x80kg (same as above)

Deadlift:
1x5x100kg

Leg curl:
3x8x50kg

Barbell rows:
3x5x60kg

Pull ups:
3x8 with 8kg

Barbell overhead press:
2x5x40kg

Dumbbell overhead press:
3x5x25kg

I gave the barbell rows and press a go. It didn't help that my back was fatigued from squats but the movements felt good. I felt I lacked the core strength needed for the barbell overhead press. I'll work on that and I think I'll add both of them into my routine from now on. Also, first time pulling 100kg deadlift with a barbell, felt great 100kg squat on Friday I'd imagine. Last time I did 100kg I got injured in the last set, feeling much stronger now.

Haven't posted a weigh in for a while, so here it is: 72kg.

Aspiring

I've been doing some research about leg workouts, turns out hamstring curls aren't really useful for increasing sports performance. I'll keep doing them anyway, can't hurt to have strong hamstrings, but I'll have to try out some new hamstring exercises, good mornings, sldl maybe. Also just making a reminding note here to start weighted lunges next time I'm doing legs. 3 months into lifting now. Determined to hit 75kg by month 4, and also to double a few of my starting weights (squats hopefully).

Todd Toddington III

Are you doing weighted bridges??? Don't forget them glutes!!!!

Aspiring

Todd Toddington III wrote: »

Are you doing weighted bridges??? Don't forget them glutes!!!!

No not yet. I always feel my glutes are fatigued after I do squats. I'm not sure if it's because I squat wide and really low or what. Maybe I need more glute work. I was actually thinking of starting sldl's or good mornings anyway for the hammies so I suppose I'll hit two birds with one stone now. I'm almost 100% sure they work glutes aswell. I've always had pretty powerful glutes anyway for some reason, always been far more developed than my other leg muscles. Arse genetics I suppose :pac: