# 4 STEPS TO BEGINNING BODYBUILDING



## SALKev

*4 STEPS TO BEGINNING BODYBUILDING*

If you want to gain muscle or lose fat, this will help you.

I wrote something similar to this in the thread started by fartooskinny and thought it would be of better use to people who aren't trolls and are genuinely interested in improving their body. I haven't found any thread on here that gives ALL the info needed to get you started in the right direction so I've decided to make one.

Think of this more of a 'giving you the links in the right order without you having to search through all the bull' thread. Hopefully this will show you the information that is proven to be true rather than the crap that comes out of the guy down the pub.

It requires TIME to work through it all, so give yourself at least a few hours. No one said it was going to be quick. :wink:
​


*Step 1* - *READ AND CALCULATE*

Reading is critical in this sport, as you need to learn ALOT of new information to get where you want. The links I've provided are valuable in learning to construct a diet and a routine.

Anyone new to a subject will generally know nothing or very little about it. SO, the information in the following links is so that you can start eating right and working out in the same week, if not the next day. You can build a sound knowledge of nutrition and training based on the information you read below WHILE YOU MAKE PROGRESS, instead of sitting around wasting weeks or months trying to sort the good from the bad.

Read through these links and follow the instructions within:

Any unfamiliar terminology you come across can be looked up in either two of these links. If one doesn't have the word you're looking for, try the other one (Press CTRL+F to search the page):

http://www.trygve.com/weightsglossary.html

http://www.mymuscles.com/terminology.htm

*DIET:*

The first thing you need to do when formulating your diet is to find your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is essentially how many calories you burn at rest. To calculate this requires measurement of body fat so I recommend buying a pair of skinfold calipers (it also requires measurement of body weight, so grab a pair of scales while you're at it!) and do a search to find out how to measure your bodyfat with them. Either that or objectively judge roughly where you sit using the information in this link:

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/getting-started/14975-body-fat-terminology-pictures.html

Introducing...the Sterling-Pasmore Equation! Don't worry, it's not that difficult - just grab a calculator.

This equation is based on your body composition and will therefore be more accurate than using other equations.

You need 13.8 calories to support 1 pound of lean muscle mass.

BMR= Lean body mass (lbs) x 13.8 calories

Calculate lean muscle mass vs. fat mass:

Body fat% (i.e. if you were 20% body fat you would use 0.20) x scale weight= fat mass

Scale weight - fat mass= lean body mass

Now use the equation BMR= Lean body mass (lbs) x 13.8 calories aforementioned to calculate your BMR.

Once you calculate your BMR, factor in activity to account for calories burned during exercise:

BMR x 1.2 for low intensity activities and leisure activities (primarily sedentary)

BMR x 1.375 for light exercise (leisurely walking for 30-50 minutes 3-4 days/week, golfing, house chores)

BMR x 1.55 for moderate exercise 3-5 days per week (60-70% MHR for 30-60 minutes/session)

BMR x 1.725 for active individuals (exercising 6-7 days/week at moderate to high intensity (70-85% MHR) for 45-60 minutes/session)

BMR x 1.9 for the extremely active individuals (engaged in heavy/intense exercise like heavy manual labor, heavy lifting, endurance athletes, and competitive team sports athletes 6-7 days/week for 90 + minutes/session)

Now write down that figure somewhere - you'll be using it later.

Time for some more reading:

Although this following link is aimed at muscle building, a lot of the information inside is highly relevant to fat loss as well (e.g. food to eat), making it a crucial bit of reading. You'll notice there are formulas in the article to calculate your calories as well - these are John Beradi's 'Massive Eating' calculations designed for extreme muscle building gains. You probably will have trouble eating such quantities of food and won't be able to train intensely enough to capitalise on it so it's better we stick to traditional diets for now.

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/food-diet...-beginers.html

Muscle Building:

To build muscle you will need to be consuming excess calories (more than your BMR with activity factor). Simply add 250 calories onto the figure you got for your BMR and activity factor. When you put this into practice, stick at it for 3 weeks and then measure your body fat - if it has increased ever so slightly, that is good...it means that you're gaining muscle too (provided your training is on par). If not, then add another 50 calories and repeat the process until you have gained a slight amount fat. If you feel like you have gained too much fat, reduce the calories by 50 and see the results. It really is a trial and error activity but if you're serious about this, you will do it!

Fat Loss:

To lose that fat you will need to be consuming a deficit of calories i.e. less than your BMR with activity factor). The same process applies to losing fat as to gaining muscle, only in reverse. Subtract 250 calories from your BMR with activity factor and experiment in the same way described for muscle building (except you're looking for a decrease in fat of course!). Aiming to lose 1-2lbs a week is the general consensus - gradual changes are more friendly to your health!

Macronutrients Ratio:

A safe ratio (for either fat loss or gaining muscle) when constructing your diet is 20-30-50 in order of fat-protein-carbohydrates, as a percentage. This means you need to divide your total calories so that roughly 20% of them are fat, 30% are protein, and 50% are carbohydrates.

Make your diet:

Using the article I linked to on formulating your diet and the information I have just provided you should now be able to construct a diet to get you on the path you want! Good luck!

*TRAINING:*

You can use any of these methods, all will work provided you follow them correctly with a sound diet in place.

If you need guidance on performing any exercises, here are some useful links (the second link is easier to use):

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Basic Compound Routine For Beginners:

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/getting-started/28936-basic-compound-routine-beginners.html

Background reading on routines mentioned in the thread above:

Rippetoe's Starting Strength Routine:

http://forum.dutchbodybuilding.com/f...routine-63770/

Bill Starr's Beginner 5x5 Routine:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Starr_5x5#Bill_Starr.27s_Beginner_5x5

Reg Park's Beginner Routine:

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/reg-park-beginner-workout.html

Take note of these important quotes:



> Don't **** with this. Every bodybuilder seems to have Attention Deficit Disorder and an overwhelming desire to customize everything.





big said:


> Do NOT add in a bunch of isolation exercises. Isolation work is great for a 250lbs+ bodybuilder looking to bring up a weak body part, but for the average circa 200lbs lifter who wants to get huge, you don't need to "tone" your biceps with endless curls. You need serious exercises that pack on serious mass... that is compound work like deads and squats - so do NOT swap out squats for leg press or similar. And do NOT add extra volume, or do any "burn-out" sets to feel a pump. Feeling like you've worked a muscle is a false sense of progress. ALL that matters is that you're keeping form strict with full ROM and are adding weight to the bar each week.





big said:


> Progressive resistance. That is, continually adding small amounts of weight each week. To get bigger, you need to get stronger. Adding small weights each week add up. Adding 1-2kg/week to your squat won't seem to make much difference on a week-to-week basis, but over the course of a year, that's an extra 50-100kg (along with the extra mass to match). That's immense.
> 
> Start off with weights that are easy to hit the rep ranges, and load up from there. Be extremely conservative. Your first few weeks on this routine should be relatively easy. The slower you load, the longer you'll be able to load for.
> 
> Yes, you will plateau eventually. That is a given. It may be after 4 weeks, or it may be after 4 months+. As SOON as you plateau, you need to change things up. If something doesn't work from one session to the next, it will NOT suddenly start working in another week/month/year's time (with the exception of it just being a one-off bad workout). You can get past a plateau in many ways. Diet is the first thing that should be looked at (see below). Assuming this is good, a brief deload period, followed by a simple change to the program (such as changing the rep range and starting off light again before loading back up) is the next step. If this doesn't work, then an overhaul of the exercises is the next step.




*Step 2 - Go Over It Again*

Read it again or skim through it to let the info sink in and correct any mistakes you may have made through misreading/miscalculating.

*Step 3* - *Organise*

Organise the information you've extracted from the links above (what your diet is, your training is etc) AND a way to log your progress when you start - this is very important as without this you will most likely forget what you did in the previous workout. Your log book is one of the most important things in your inventory in this game.

*Step 4* - *Do It*

*PUT IT INTO ACTION - Get your ass in the kitchen/gym* :thumb:

_________________________________________________

*OTHER*

The following section contains information that you will need throughout your bodybuilding lifestyle.

*Warming Up*

Before EVERY session you will need to warm up. Warming up decreases the risk of injury and can help lessen the DOMS (Delayed Muscle Onset Soreness) you may experience in the days following your workout.

An *extremely thorough* warm up session will include:

*Aerobic Exercise* - This can be done a treadmill, stationary bike, rowing machine etc. You should start off slowly and work up until you can feel your body getting warmer and your heart rate start to increase.

*Dynamic Stretching* - This is explained in the following link. Remember to apply it to what you're doing:

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/dynamic.htm

*Warm up sets* - These are sets of the exercise performed at a much lower intensity than your working sets so as to prepare you both physically and mentally for them.

This link explains warm up sets in more detail and how you should go about executing them:

http://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/WarmUp.html

This is not to say you should use all the warm-ups lifted above: just do one or two until you feel 'loose' enough to do some serious work. Use your best judgement.

*Cardiovascular Fitness*

If you care about your future and your gains, keep and improve on your current fitness level. The cardiovascular system transports nutrients and oxygen around your body and so is vital to life and important in bodybuilding. You'll also feel a lot better when you're not wheezing after a flight of stairs or a small hill...it does wonders, look after it and it will look after you. Running, cycling and swimming are all ways you can improve but if you'd like a bit of fun as well martial arts is a popular choice albeit more expensive (remember to account for these needs when it comes to your diet - for more exercise you need more energy and energy comes from...food!).



Any feedback is welcome, so tell me what you think and what I can do to improve this post.

I will be adding to this in future.

All credit for information within the links goes to the website and/or author of the content.

Other credits:

Jimmy - Suggestion

Big - Quotes from his article How To Grow

hackskii - Stickying thread and article in post #13

derrick1551 - link to another glossary

Bodybuilding.com - Sterling-Pasmore Equation
​


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## Ryan16

mate that is an awesome post, gives all the benificial info begineers need all in one so they are not looking for weeks on end, although can you not sticky it yourself ? im sure if your gold you can create sticky threads?


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## winger

Pretty complete, it's like one stop shopping.

Even though it is geared for the beginner, many advanced people still train like that because it works.

Only mods can sticky stuff.


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## Jecko

Great big thanks man! Superb post.

The second quote on here really helped. I have been working out around a year now and yes i see gains. But i always wondered if i could get rid of the curls. Might give that program a go TBH!


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## SALKev

Thanks guys :beer:

Jecko, if you find not training arms via curls doesn't benefit you add in one or two sets of curls every week and go from there. Some people benefit from not training arms directly, others don't. Thanks for the comment, put a smile on my face.


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## vlb

thats an excellent post mate, i would definatly request it be stickied.

from now on i will refer any beginners questions (like fartoskinny) to this post.

awesome mate and reps awarded for helpfullness and respect towards people beginning the journey.


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## Tom90

What a thread, legend :thumb:

Repped

EDIT: Work PC's dont allow me to rep.. I'll do it when i get home


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## m14rky

great post mate


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## SALKev

Thanks guys, I could play the joker from batman with the smile I've got on my face from reading your comments!


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## Guest

great copy and paste well done


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## SALKev

Thanks bro


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## BrutalRaw

This is Pretty Much all the Links i have in a word Document on my desktop to refer back to , very very helpful for Newbies Like me .

Got my diet sorted from Jimmy's Post alone and then wanting to cut the fat i wondered over to the Losing Weight section's and did some modification's

cant stress enough how important it is to stick to what it says , i was even skepitcal at first with the Rippetoe workout as i thought it was just too short to be making a difference .

but ended up seeing better results from sticking to it , than i was when i was getting Extra Bicep/Tricep workouts squeezed in at the end .

Overtraining was deffinetly setting me back in the Long run .

Thanks for the Post SALKev . would deffinetly suggest to be a Sticky .

Credit to Jimmy&BIG for the input on the Linked Article's.

Reps 

BR


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## hackskii

Nice post bro..............*THREAD IS NOW STUCK.*

Might as well put this one up too, I wrote this a few years ago:



*Tips for teenagers wanting to start bodybuilding.*
​
First of all I wish I had some information when I started out.

I was 15 years old when I first started training, for the most part I just watched the football players in school.

Sure they had some direction from the coaches and this is why I tried to copy them.

But bodybuilding is a different training philosophy than football training (American Football).

Bodybuilding in itself is not just lifting weights but we will focus on that here. It is a balance of diet, exercise and rest.

To make it simple, you grow when you sleep and not in the gym.

The idea is very simple, you stimulate the muscle, and let the body adapt to the stimulation you have given the muscle.

If you are eating and sleeping in theory you should grow.

This all can be shortchanged by not getting enough food, or not getting enough rest, these two things will hinder the body's recovery and growth.

Overtraining is another obstacle that most people will do without even knowing it, in the normal thinking of things, more is not better here.

Ok, best advice I can give for anyone starting out would be to stick to basic compound movements. Compound movement's mean that the exercise has more than one joint.

For instance leg extensions have one joint movement (knee), whereas squats will have knee, hip, ankle, etc.

What are basic compound exercises?

Squat, dead lift, military press, pull up's, bench press, incline press, bar dips, rowing exercises, etc.

You can not go wrong by choosing all of the above in your workout routine.

Notice that curls and triceps are not included there?

That is because they are an isolation movement and not a compound movement.

Every one of those in some way or another hit arms, for instance. Bench will hit chest, front deltoids and also triceps. Military press will hit triceps, so will dips. Actually those three exercises will hit the whole tricep.

Now that we have the basic compound exercises identified, we will figure out what rep range we want to use. I have found that a rep range of between 8 to 12 reps to work very well for most people, some may like less reps, some may like more, but we will stick to those for now as 70% of your 1 rep max will work 90% of both slow and fast twitch muscles. Or in simple terms, it will work all your muscles, which is what we want.

Remember these rep ranges are on your own with no help from someone else, if you need help to get to your 8th rep, then you are going too heavy.

It is often said, control the weight or the weight will control you.

What does this mean?

This means that you choose a weight you can do comfortably without having to cheat or ask for help to execute the exercise. It is a good idea to use the full range of the movement and not do half reps, or cheat reps. This is not only good practice but also will help you to avoid injury.

I know it looks good using big weights in the gym and others are watching you, but if you use a weight you can handle, over time you will get stronger, and what you lift tomorrow will be more than you lift today.

It is a good idea to write your lifts down to compare from week to week or month to month. Once you have a weight you do more than 12 reps with, next week, you will add some weight to the bar and probably take you back down to the 8 rep mark.

Remember Rome was not built in a day and neither was Arnold.

Now that we have the exercises down, the rep range down, let's focus on how many exercises for each body part. I myself like to work with about 3 different exercises per body part, for instance, I like to do bench, inclines and dips for chest, pull downs, bent over rows, and dead lifts for back. I occasionally do add another rowing exercise to that due to most people do too much pushing and not enough pulling exercises.

Remember the bigger muscle groups will generally have more exercises than let's say the smaller muscle groups like let's say biceps. For some reason biceps tend to get more attention than most other muscle groups. Arms in particular seem to be everyone's favorite to work. It might sound strange that many don't even work arms directly as they get hit with all the compound lifts. So, not only should they not be the main focus, but they should be the least focus. Arms will grow if you do compound exercises period. Yes it is ok to do some arm work but it is not priority.

So, let's think of the bigger muscle groups as having between 3 to 4 different exercises per large group and 2 exercises for the smaller muscle groups.

Never neglect working your legs.

Most think that weight lifting is either pushing (concentric) the weight up, or pulling (concentric) the weight down. Yes, muscles do contract and this is called the concentric part of the movement. An example of this is the bench press where one was to push the weight off of the chest; this is called the concentric part of the exercise.

Many will let the weight just drop with little resistance. But doing any lift this way cheats you out of half of the benefits of the exercise.

The eccentric part of the bench press would be controlling the weight on the way down (giving resistance) to force the muscle into a stretched contraction, or lengthen under tension.

This eccentric part of the exercise actually causes the muscle to have greater soreness.

Using both the concentric and eccentric part of each lift will offer greater gains in strength and muscle size then not using both.

So, next time you are in the gym, use those basic compound movements, utilizing both concentric and eccentric parts of the exercise, shoot for 3 to 4 max exercises for the big muscle groups, and 2 exercises for the smaller muscles.

Try to keep the rep ranges between 8 to 12 reps, if you can't get 8 you went too heavy, if you can do more than 12 you are too light.

Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep and take rest days when you feel fatigue.

Muscle takes time to develop, it is not something that happens over night, it takes along time, be patient.


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## SALKev

Thanks for the comment Capper!

Thankyou Scott for the sticky - very much appreciated 

That's a nice article you've written!

Again...will be updating and expanding on this, watch this space!


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## [email protected]

quality mate exactly wat i need to get me started been so confused by all the conflicting info im constantly told its given me something to follow with confidence.

Thanks


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## jordan.

Thanks mate for this step by step guide, its exactly what i need as im a beginner and didnt have a clue haha

Ive took a note of the diet plan aswell and ill let u no how i get on.

Thanks jordan


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## SALKev

Will be nice to see the results you will make Jordan..


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## SALKev

07/08/10

Updated with 'OTHER' section with warming up explained.

Also changed formatting a little.


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## [email protected]

:thumb: Quality update :thumb:


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## ruffdry

very good info

i ve been training off on 2001 to date always looking for info to improv


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## cage

Dude, I'm just startin n goin thru loads of reading, but this has given me a steer in the right direction. Thanx


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## mechman637

Big thankyou mate for your article, nice and simple instruction and inspiration for me to get started ! :-D


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## SALKev

I'm very glad it's helping. Haven't been updating and won't be updating for a while as life is pretty hectic at the moment and I haven't even trained in at least 2 months mg: .


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## Jungle

Top quality reading, have come across most of this myself in the past looking through threads and reading online, by having it all in one place is going to help alot of people.

Good of you to take time out to do it


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## Noswal

Hey!, this a great post. Thanks, this gives me great information for me to make the transition from doing genral fitness workouts to putting more muscleon-now I've lost most of my 'padding'.


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## derrick1551

I am a newbie and i mean a newbie..i am 10 stone of bone and skin and have been putting off training for a long time as ive never understood how to start training the right way. This post has put everything i needed to know in one place and its so simple to follow, i now look forward to training and gaining muscle that ive always wanted.

Thanks :thumb:


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## derrick1551

I was stuck on what was meant in one of the quotes 'Yes, you will plateau eventually' and looked it up on your unfamiliar terminology link but had no joy, i was able to find it on this website thou http://www.mymuscles.com/terminology.htm so i thought i would share it.


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## SALKev

Thanks Derrick, that's great...I'll add it to the links


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## bart76

Thanks, a great article. This is my first time I have tried 'body building' I am working out 4-5 times per week and 3 of them with weights, using the compoind movements here along with some others. I have been training almost 3 monhs and see the difference in size and shape, but still have a really long way to go, and grow. Im 86kg but look like im 70kg with a top on as I have a bit of a gut, even though when tensed, my six pack is very clearly visable. Im am striving for that athletic look, but find myself getting frustrated with the time it takes to grow.

Reading these articles make me relax a little as clearly, bodies take a long time to build!

Thanks guys, Im going to keep at it!


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## AdamSmith

For the SS program, would it be okay to rotate between front squats and back squats?


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## switch

Great Post has helped me a lot


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## Redbeard85

Interesting read mate...gives me alot to think about...


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## austin84

Top man, great info


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## skelator52

this is all brilliant learning so much stuff i didnt even know


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## SALKev

Appreciate the feedback and glad it's helping... 

first time I've logged in in months so if any suggestions pop-up it may be a while before I take them into consideration.


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## Mafia

Thanks for this. It has given me a much better insight into Bodybuilding.


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## loganchristophe

Bookmarked and I'll also share it to my readers.

Quite complete explanation. Thanks OP


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## otmanik

thanks that's all people need for begin bodybuidling and dont forget "train hard or go Home"


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## pinkpen

Before attempting to change your lifestyle and eating habits on becoming a bodybuilder, make sure you are on the right frame of mind. if you have a clear sight about what you want in becoming a body builder, you will improve your chances of success.


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## kate27

Hey,

I have been training for 4 months i started at 8st 3lb now im 9st 3lb, i have good definition and have lost the chub.

I have a trainer but hes not as full on as i would like.

I'm finding putting more muscle on hard any tips??

kate


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## Tuscan74

Thanks for the help and advice, as a 39yr old who has bummed around gym's for years without any real direction this has given me clear a guide and some real structure to help my goals

I'm 5' 10", 14st 7lbs with a slight belly, reasonably fit n healthy, the goal is to clean bulk, 3 gym sessions (pull day, push day, legs, 5x5 routine) and 3 x 3 or 4 mile runs over an 8 day stretch, I work 4 on 4 off so scheduling over 8 days rather than 7 works much better for me, plus I get 2 full rest days for recovery

My diet is clean, aiming for a 40/40/20 split on carb protein & fats, maybe getting closer to 40 has helped my focus but for some reason I have real desire to make this work and really looking forward to sharing my progress

If anyone out there has any advice for this old codger please feel to share them :thumb:


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## jarvisn

Great post for beginners.

Nick J


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## Fletch68

I was going to ask on the 5x5 routine.....how many compound exercises per session? I normally train for about an hour or so. Three days plus another day for light stuff or abs etc etc


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## Jjjz

Im new and im doing the 5x5 and found that by 5th of 5th set im dying and feel the weight is still low but im not that heavy. When I see people saying 8-12 reps it certainly raises my eyebrows! On the 5x5 though im just doing 3 major exercises from the Stronglifts prog of Squats, Bench, Rows and then 2 days later Squats, Overhead, Deadlift. Definitely seeing improvements in weight gain and definition when get the diet and rest correct. Typical though that when getting momentum ive got man flu coming on  Anyone know if I should continue working out or ease a little while under the weather?


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## lambrettalad

Jjjz said:


> Im new and im doing the 5x5 and found that by 5th of 5th set im dying and feel the weight is still low but im not that heavy. When I see people saying 8-12 reps it certainly raises my eyebrows! On the 5x5 though im just doing 3 major exercises from the Stronglifts prog of Squats, Bench, Rows and then 2 days later Squats, Overhead, Deadlift. Definitely seeing improvements in weight gain and definition when get the diet and rest correct. Typical though that when getting momentum ive got man flu coming on  Anyone know if I should continue working out or ease a little while under the weather?


You could be run down, are you making sure you are getting plenty of sleep and good food.

Doing very heavy lifts takes a lot out of you and you need sleep to recover. I would take a day or two off and rest. When I hit the gym feeling slightly under the weather I ended up with tonsillitis, I haven't had that since I was in school!


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## SALKev

Had a look at this thread for my own benefit today and I realised there were some major flaws so I have just completed an overhaul to the diet section. I realised it was missing a lot on fat loss when I've blatantly put at the top the article is for fat loss as well! I've also improved the structure of it and hopefully a more effective way of going about your diet calculations and added extra information too.

If you have a disagreement with the changes (or see mistakes) or any of the material in the post let me know if you have a better alternative as this is for everyones benefit.

Hope it helps!


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## PumpedKrum1

Awesome thread mate, very detailed!!

this has helped me out allot over the last few weeks when starting out!

Thanks!


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## Redbeard85

Great thread mate! Will be coming back to this... :thumb: a nice refresher


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## PurpleOnes

Really awesome thread that I will use many times :thumb:


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## 94c73

Just read the post for the second time, really is a huge help with lots of important parts i will be taking away!


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