Thread: Natural Teen Journal From Start To Finish

First workout today started on friday so did triceps.

warmup 5 mins cardio

Close grip bench:
Warmup set: 1x8 40lb
Proper sets: 3x8 60lb

Skull curshers:
warmup set: 1x8 20lb
Proper Sets: 3x8 40lb

Bent Over Tri Exteisions:
3x8 20lb each hand

Dips:
No weight
1x8
2x5
Atempted 3x8 but couldnt get good form in all.

Changing it around a bit, looked at an example justhav2p likes to do and moved mine around abit so it is like his workout plan, rarther than 6 days a week it will be 5 days a week because of the tricep and bicep days being too short.

Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Tri's & Bi's
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Rest
Friday: chest/shoulder
Saturday: Back
Sunday: Abs

Just a bit confused if it will be ok doing deadlifts, rows, pull ups and shrugs on back day after working out shoulders and chest on the day before.
Would this plan work or do you think I should just add some more tricep and bicep exercises to my old plan?

Hmm, read a few articles saying at what I am lifting and being a beginner it is impossible to overtrain and I should take advantage of this by working out as much as I want

You're new at this. There's a lot of info out there that is clearly confusing the shit out of you, but the fact of the matter is that there are few hard and fast rules about what works the best. There ARE some though, and these go something like this:


1. Heavy compound exercises (especially squats) trump everything.

2. Rest and nutrition are just as important as training.

3. Consistency is key to any sort of success.


How this translates into actual practical advice is simple really. Focus all your attention on these exercises: Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Chinups, Military Press, Rows. Some Good Mornings and Front Squats are also great if you want extra leg work (you should). Focus on squats and deads more than anything else. The more effort you put into squats is directly proportional to your results OVERALL.

Second, you won't get anywhere without a lot of quality food and an adequate amount of recovery time - sure it's harder for you to overtrain when you're a newb because the weights are so light, but your body is also incredibly un-conditioned to exercise. Three workouts a week is a good place to start.

Lastly don't jump ship or switch horses just because so-and-so said such-and-such, or you read this, or this guy is now your hero so follow him etc. A lot of the time it doesn't matter what program you're doing, just that you buy into it, believe in it, and above all - stick to it. Not just for a week, or a month - 3 months. 3 years.

As a newbie you have a fantastic opportunity to drastically change your body within 12 months to two years at a rate you'll never see again in your life. Get into the gym and figure out what works. Cookie cutter programs are fine for a starting point but developing your own philosophy of training is like a well that never runs dry.

Get a program sorted and stick to it. Measure your progress in terms of bodyweight, the way you look, your reps and weight increases, and how you grade each session in terms of it being a bad/good/great workout. Track these things and so long as your consistent with your training you'll be able to match up your results and figure out whether something does or doesn't work.

Now go do it.

Thank you for the advice, you are right, I asked the question about what program would suit me on the training forum and all a sudden 4 people are arguing saying "THIS IS BETTER THAN THAT" then kind of went off topic and confused me more, I think I will try a decent program with compound lifts and a few isolations, I want to be training allot since I have the time but if that is going to hinder my muscle growth I will have to stop.
I was thinking of just doing a program with a few main compounds and few iso evenly spaced out throughout the week and ran into this:
Why the traditional Rippetoe/SS program sucks balls. - Bodybuilding.com Forums
He basicly says do ripetoes SS (Adjusted with added exercises) but you are not limited to doing the workout 3 days a week, you do 3 days minimum and more depending on how you feel, if you feel like you can do 6...do it because it will take allot to overtrain the cns while being a beginner. I will try it and see how I feel
Again, thanks for the help.

I'm no big fan of Rippetoe, but i'd say he knows a lot more than some guy on a forum. If you tweak the program, which was surely designed that way for a reason, it's not that program anymore. Exercise substitutions are fine.

The whole point of SS is to teach you proper lifting technique, provide an easy framework to progressively overload your body to get stronger, and to acclimatise you to lifting in general.

I know only a handful of lifters who can correctly deduce their optimal training frequency by feel, it takes a lot of experience to figure this out. I've been training for about 8 years now and 3 times a week does me just fine.

It's not that training more won't work, it's just that it doesn't necessarily mean it'll be worth the effort. If you get X gains training 3 days a week, training 6 days a week won't get you double the gains.

As a beginner your muscles aren't used to this sort of effort and they'll take time to repair aswell. And sure, relatively speaking your CNS can handle a lot more than you're currently capable of since what you're lifting is light, but it's still being taxed in a way it's not used to.

Ultimately you'll do what you want, but speaking from experience i don't think there's any massive need for you to train more than 3 days a week right now. If you absolutely have to do something 6 days a week then save your cardio for your off days and put that much more effort into your weights sessions.

Thank you so much gaz, I am learning so much, I had it all wrong, allways thought lift more gain more but that is cleared now, can you suggest a program or workout which would benefit me the most please? I am prepared to spend 7 days in the gym if I have to, I only have access to a barbell and dumbells and want to get big, if it makes more difference training 6 days a week rarthe than 3 I will do it if I have to, I just love going to the gym and want to bulk nicely.
I am also confused on my diet, been altering workouts for 3 weeks now and been eating at 2700 cals, my scales read in kg and stones so I cant see any lbs on it but my weight has just been going up/down by about 3kg daily should I up the cals? and what should my macros look like please?

In terms of bulking track what you eat on some sort of website. I see you're from the UK so i recommend Online Food Diary with Exercise Log and iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry Calorie Counter | MyNetDiary. It has a tonne of UK brand foods already in it. Track what you eat, get a lot of protein. Carbs and fat should both be moderate-high. Be consistent and keep weighing yourself. If you find you aren't gaining, increase your daily calories and again - be consistent. Eventually you'll start gaining.

As for the training, i wrote out possibly the simplest program a little while ago on my site. I'll copy/paste it here:

getlifting.info » Gaz’s Guide to a Program that WORKS

1. Squats. Put them on Monday so you’ll do them. Do at least 5 sets of however many reps you like. Next time you do them add some weight (and keep the reps the same) or some reps (keep the weight the same) or do an extra set (keep reps and weight the same). Or all three. Spend as much time resting between sets as it takes to achieve these increases. If you don’t increase any of those things with GOOD FORM you’re not allowed to train chest that week. Boo fucking hoo. Follow your squats up with some posterior chain (i recommend RDLs, Good Mornings, Standing Calve Raises, or Hyperextensions/reverse hypers. Pick 2). As many sets for each as you did for squats. Take your time on the accessory and get it right. 10 reps a set at the same weight until you don’t break a sweat doing it..


2. Bench is Wednesday. So long as you increased your squats in point one you’re allowed to train Bench. If you didn’t increase your squats…well. You need to be punished with some GPP work – 100 burpees or 20 hill sprints. Your choice. If you earned your bench workout then good on you. You’ll train Bench press with 5×5, start **light** and increase the weight each set. On your final heaviest set try to get 10 reps. If you don’t get ten keep all your weights the same each bench session untill you do. When you get there, increase the weight of all your sets so you end up on a heavier weight for your set of 5-10. Repeat. Finish up with Dips and Overhead Press. 3-4 sets of 8-12 but no more than 7 sets total between them. 45-60 seconds rest between these sets, its pretty low so adjust your weights accordingly at the start, but push them up every week without going outside the rep range. If you want to add more weight to the bar you’ll have to increase your reps at that weight first. If you ever go outside this rep range stop your workout and go home.


3. Back Day is on Friday and that means it’s time to Deadlift. Start off light and work up to a heavy set of 5 in as many light sets as it takes to get warmed up so the bar moves nice and fast and smooth but without fatiguing you. Start with the bar if you have to. The final set should be pretty damned tough and even though you’re doing low reps should leave you out of breath. Next session try and get ONE extra rep on that heavy set. When you get ten, increase the weight a little on the final set and start back at five reps. Unlike bench where you were going for as many as possible, increase the deadlift by one rep only. Finish the session with some type of row and some type of chin or pulldown, your choice but keep them the same for 3 weeks before changing them. Do 4 sets of each. 10-15 reps. Again, 45-60 seconds rest and push your weights up while staying in that rep range or go home.


4. Go back and read it properly, because you probably skipped through looking for arm day. There isn’t one. Do this for 6 months then we’ll talk about your arms. Which will be massive by then. Good luck!

Simply put, this program will work if you continually follow it and make increases. Its specific enough to get results, vague enough for you do have some control over what you do.

This is what i recommend. If you do that, and 2 days of LIGHT CV a week in between (30 mins max, easy easy CV) you'll be fine.

alot of guys out here smarter then me ben

justhav2p, I understand why you wanted me to make a log now, geting so much good advice and learning a great deal more about working out

Gaz, will it be ok if I do the workout 6 days a week and eat ALLOT? I just like to go to the gym and eat like an animal would you think it is a good idea?
like do the workout without rest days 2x a week and then 1 rest day and then do it again next week? I tried that with a push pull leg worokut and enjoyed it but didnt eat much back then so recovery was harder.

No.

Look, you're new and you're keen and that's great but the sooner you get this into your head the better:

Training + Diet + Rest + Time = Results.

That's all there is to it. Train hard, eat untill your stomach hurts, get a lot of sleep and rest days, and wait a year or two. Food doesn't add extra hours to the day, and trust me you're going to have a hard enough time getting enough food in as it is. If you're really busting your ass in the gym you won't physically or mentally be able to train productively 6 times a week.

Humor me. Train three times a week and really figure out what it is to work hard. Like REALLY hard until it's all you can do to drag yourself to the next exercise. Get 4000 calories a day and 250g protein consistently for 3 months and tell me you can eat ALOOOTTT of food like an animal instead of having some extra rest days.

The fact that you say you didn't eat much back then doesn't fill me with confidence.

Play it smart. That's all i have to say, the rest is on you now.

I think you are making a typical newbie mistake and are placing too much emphasis on the "guns." Your bi's and tri's are small muscle groups and don't need as much stimulus as you may think.

For bi's you are doing 24 sets, for legs you are doing 21 sets. That seems a bit lopsided to me. Maybe combine back/bi's, chest/ tri's. You would focus on back and just add in an extra couple of exercises for the bi's and tri's. Simple.