[nish81]

im a skinny kid looking to join a gym and build some muscle - just wondering whether either of these two workouts i found online were good?

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/wor...s-workout.html

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/wor...g-routine.html

none of them mention squats, which i thought was an important compound exercise, which is why i was wondering :s

thanks

[Smack]

Both of them fail: no squats or deadlifts.

[nish81]

Originally Posted by Smack

Both of them fail: no squats or deadlifts.

anything you have on hand to recommend?

[Smack]

Starting Strength.

[JemSevenV]

Or WS4SB

West Side for Skinny Bastards

Find the link yourself

[Smack]

Really, anything that focuses on getting the numbers used on the big compound lifts up is a good shot for beginners. I just recommend SS to newbs since it's incredibly simple and they have less chance of f***ing it up by reading and applying bodybuilding magazine propaganda. With WSFSB you have more room to adjust things yourself, and newbs have the tendency to do too much rather than not enough, focus on the wrong lifts and take the easy way out (no squatting and deadlifting).

And upper/lower split would be excellent as well. (In fact, WSFSB is an upper/lower!)

[mipegg]

Or 5x5s...

[nish81]

ws4sb looks 'better' than SS, but i dont want to !@Ł* things up, so i think ill just start with SS for a while and then maybe mix it up if im still doing it in a few months

btw, quite a few exercises in the SS programs are 3x5 - isnt something like 7-8 reps better for building strength as opposed to just muscle mass thats just for show? or have i got it wrong here

[Smack]

I think you've got it badly wrong. Why does WSFSB look better than Starting Strength? What is your criteria for deciding whether a routine is good or not?

[Powerlifter]

Originally Posted by nish81

btw, quite a few exercises in the SS programs are 3x5 - isnt something like 7-8 reps better for building strength as opposed to just muscle mass thats just for show? or have i got it wrong here

3-5 reps is optimal for strength

[FluxD]

First one isn't bad swap seated row for deadlift then it would be good.

I hardly even squat anymore. I wish my gym had a hack squat machine, they are better than actual barbell squats for building legs.

[Powerlifter]

Originally Posted by FluxD

First one isn't bad swap seated row for deadlift then it would be good.

I hardly even squat anymore. I wish my gym had a hack squat machine, they are better than actual barbell squats for building outer sweep of the quad.

fixed it for you

[nish81]

Originally Posted by Smack

I think you've got it badly wrong. Why does WSFSB look better than Starting Strength? What is your criteria for deciding whether a routine is good or not?

i thought that upper/lower split routines were better?

Originally Posted by Powerlifter

3-5 reps is optimal for strength

cheers

[ch0c0h01ic]

Originally Posted by nish81

btw, quite a few exercises in the SS programs are 3x5 - isnt something like 7-8 reps better for building strength as opposed to just muscle mass thats just for show? or have i got it wrong here

If you improve your strength by a decent amount (eg; adding 100kg on your deadlift, adding 50kg onto your dips, etc) you will get bigger irrespective of what rep range you used (eg; 1x5, 1x20, 5x5, etc).

[Smack]

Originally Posted by nish81

i thought that upper/lower split routines were better?

As a beginner, what's better is what makes you stronger, for reps, faster. It really doesn't matter what tried and tested routine you do, as long as it is a tried and tested routine.

This really doesn't need to be complicated. Pick one tried and tested routine, follow it until it stops working, and make sure you're eating a damned lot of food.

[hjames89]

WestSide and starting strength aren't bad options to take. It really depends on how much of a "beginner" you are...if you're a total beginner then you want to be wary of doing too much too soon.

Multi-joint, multi-muscle movements twice a week for 3 or 4 weeks is ideal, at which point you can mix things up and by then you may have an idea of what you want to acheive in the gym. So chuck in some deads, squats (possibly look at front squats, harder to cheat, more work on your core and sometimes having the bar on your back if you are a true beginner can be uncomfortable if you have smaller traps, added to the fact it will keep the flexibility in your triceps, they're a winner just ask the pt at your gym to show you how ) bent over rows, pulldowns (chin ups if you're strong enough) and bench...don't even go near isolation exercises if you are a true beginner, they're unfuctional and rarely done correctly at my gym. Throw in some plank variations, jacknives and that should be you done ( I wouldn't worry about including back extensions with all those squats and deads...)

Hope this helps.

[nish81]

Originally Posted by Smack

As a beginner, what's better is what makes you stronger, for reps, faster. It really doesn't matter what tried and tested routine you do, as long as it is a tried and tested routine.

This really doesn't need to be complicated. Pick one tried and tested routine, follow it until it stops working, and make sure you're eating a damned lot of food.

alright - its the food part i'll have to work on. quick question, is a break of 1 minute fine between sets?

[ch0c0h01ic]

Originally Posted by nish81

alright - its the food part i'll have to work on. quick question, is a break of 1 minute fine between sets?

If you're lifting heavy - probably not. Fatigue will accumulate and you will need to either reduce the weight you're lifting and/or increase your rest period.

[EskimoJo]

Originally Posted by Powerlifter

3-5 reps is optimal for strength

I am immensely jealous of the arse in your sig.

[Powerlifter]

Originally Posted by EskimoJo

I am immensely jealous of the arse in your sig.

Lol