I plan on going to the gym 4-5 times a week. I've done mentzer's method (push till failure) and also gradually lowering weight in between sets (1st set highest - weight, 3rd - the lowest weight).
What's the best method to do? How many sets, reps and how many exercises per muscle group.
I plan on doing push-pull-legs, but I wonder how many sets do I need to do and in which way. Should I lower weights and do 8-10 reps each or should I go for 2 sets max and both till failure?
I've heard some dudes go for 40-50 reps, but that's absurd. The normal workout varies between 4-6 reps for 2 sets for failure and for normal workout 10-12 reps for 3-4 sets.
Also, I plan on doing incline treadmill on about 12-15 incline and 3 speed and that for about 20-30 minutes after the normal workout of 30 minutes. Since the bike isn't as effective (apparently you burn less fat since you don't move the whole body so it's easier) or is it?
I know I need to lose fat and build muscle (for skinny fat type). For eating I'd be in maintenance or a slight surplus and drink 3-4 litres of water a day.
P.S. I'd like to hear some advice on building muscle on forearms since that's my biggest weakness and insecurity. I've found it hard to grow muscle here and to effectively hit all 3 types of muscles located in forearms.
With the straight bar it's not as effective, dumbbells seem to do fine, but it's not as effective as building chest and triceps imo.
First-light 4w ago
Diet and exercise not exercise and diet, Running a small calorie deficit is very hard. I am pretty good at doing a big one when needed but I would really like to be able to do a small one. I struggle there but whatever you do, you will not lose anything without a calorie deficit. Get that right and then exercise well, aiming to gradually get stronger. It takes time and some people are better responders than others.
Running and strength work -low reps, high weights, not to exhaustion)- will get you fittest. Lots of high rep high lactate stuff won't really get you fit, just ripped and buffered for lactate.
There are many possible combinations of sets and reps but don't stress it too much. Unless taken to extremes its all good. You will get better at knowing what is good for you if you keep records or what you did and what happened. If you treat yourself as someone you are coaching it helps. No coach knows exactly what a given athlete should do. A good coach does less dumb experimentation but all coaches experiment on their athletes and see what fits them and their aims.
Right now so long as you are making gradual positive progress, with only few and small set backs you are doing great and will get better and better if you don't get stuck in too many ruts on the way.
Durek_The_Bald 4w ago
Go to r/fitness, and pick a program from the wiki that fits your schedule. They're set up the way they are for good reasons. Stick to the tried and tested, and don't bother composing your own.
Beginner programs are generally set up around compound lifts, and not a lot of isolation. Because that's really all you need for beginner gains.
Once you move over to something more intermediate, you generally get a mix of compound and isolation/accessory exercises, and power lifts (high load/ low reps) and pump (low load, high reps).
Wendler's 5/3/1 works for both beginners and intermediates, and fits a 4x/week schedule. Just make sure you read the "5/3/1/ primer" wiki entry first, if you're going for that.
Don't stick to beginner programs for too long. 6 months or so should do it. I farted around with StrongLifts 5x5 for two years, which was a year and a half too long. Switched to Wendler's, and my compounds started increasing again. At some point, you need more accessories to support the compounds.
"Reddit PPL" is another option. It's set up for 6x/week, but you can definitely do it for 5x per week, and possibly even 4x per week. Gives you a good mix of power and pump, and gets you familiar with all the basic exercises + some more.
coolsocks00 1 4w ago
Dont worry so much about body type. Start lifting hard with a simple full body program. I wouldnt worry about integrating cardio at all the first few months.
Stay in a calorie surplus like 300 kcal per day, and aim for a gram of protein per pound of BW, per day. Anywhere north of 0,7g of protein p.d is fair, but below that you’re slacking and wasting your time in the gym.
Push each set very hard, 1-2 reps shy of failure. Your program should give you the amount of sets and reps.
Masun Can't think for myself 3w ago
For the first 6 months I went on a dirty bulk and didn't do cardio at all. All I thought I've gotten was water and fat, but not gains. When I stopped with the gym and bulk, all of that water and fat started to lose, that's when I realized I'd need a good cardio and a maintenance at least.
coolsocks00 1 3w ago
Your result stems from not controlling your calorie intake, possibly combined with shitty workouts. Cardio has little to nothing to do with it
Masun Can't think for myself 3w ago
All I know I did was reduced my calorie intake and I even stopped going to the gym for health reasons. All it did is shed the fat, but kept muscle more, I don't know why and how, but it helped me to not lose muscle as much.
SeasonedRP 1 1mo ago
Work up to a set of 5 on squats. It should be challenging but doable without grinding. Then back off and do 3 sets of 10, adding weight each set. Do that twice a week for 4 weeks. Then work up to a set of 3 and back off with 3 sets of 8, again twice a week. Do that for 2 weeks. For the next two weeks, work up to a double and do back off sets of 5. Then see where you are at.
There is no one best routine. You need to figure out what works best for you. For forearms, hammer curls, wrist.culs with an EZ bar, and reverse curls are good. But trying to isolate body parts as a newbie doesn't work well. Do a sensible routine and your whole body will grow.
Masun Can't think for myself 3w ago
Tnx, for the forearms they didn't grow as much as other oarts of the body so I thought I didn't train them properly and/or enough.
Lone_Ranger 2 1mo ago
You will get all sorts of answers to this question - and they will all miss this one thing:
You need to start running. Run 5k (that is 3.1 of your american miles) It will bring amazing benefits to your life in terms of motivation, mental health, focus, determination and "grit". You will have more energy, better recovery times, better circulation and sleep.
You can go to the gym every second day, but runnign 5k every day is the chef's kiss. There is a good reason why boxers all do what they call roadwork. without it, there is no strength.
try it for one month, and then have a good look at yourself in the mirror.
Typo-MAGAshiv 2 1mo ago
You can pick pretty much any program, as long as you stick with it.
Stronglifts 5x5 seems to be the most recommended for beginners. It's basic and easy to follow, covers all muscle groups, doesn't totally kick your ass to the point that you can't work out again 2 days later, and beginners are most likely to stick with something like this.
If you have time, add some cardio. But if you only have time for one thing, then lift.
Dumbell hammer curls. Dumbell forearm curls. Pullups. Turning wrenches and screwdrivers (you know, actual work).
Lone_Ranger 2 4w ago
I second the 5x5 workout routine. it focuses the mind, and makes sure that you end up lifiing heavy. it stops you from wasting time in the gym
Masun Can't think for myself 3w ago
Isn't a 5x5 too hard? I should do a 3 exercises a day, everyone of them for 5 sets without changing the weight? Last time I did this I barely did 2 sets without changing the weight.
Lone_Ranger 2 3w ago
Dude - just follow the program. It's very simple. Do exactly what it says...
https://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5/workout-program/
It's not every day - its every other day.
IMPORTANT: just do exactly what it says in the program. When you have finished a year of 5x5, you will have a totally different understanding of weight lifting. ONLY THEN can you really know enough to make subtle changes to suit yourself. But for now, just follow the program, exactly.
Common mistake - most beginers simply refuse to start with the empty bar. That is where they go all wrong - they feel that embarrased to be squatting an empty bar in a crowded gym. they let ego get in the way. The whole point of the empty bar start is to make you squat perfectly - right the way down. it should start 'too easy'.
believe me, it will get hard! because you are adding the smallest weight possible every single workout. which is usually 2.5 lbs each side.
do it for 3 months and then come back to us with a field report.
Masun Can't think for myself 3w ago
I've heard from some PT's that it's better to do isolation exercises as a beginner and to use machines more often.
The first time at a gym I did with a PRO trainer for 2 weeks where he would explain all of the basic compound exercises. After that I didn't train for 2-3 years, tbh didn't build that much muscle in 3 months. Got back into the gym. Got way more progress in the first 3 months. Went with my buddy who had only a 6 months of an experience in the gym in total and I did more isolation and exercises where machines are used.
I think the machines force you to use the right form and they're less time consuming than putting weight every time.
Typo-MAGAshiv 2 3w ago
That's terrible advice.
Like @Lone_Ranger said, compound lifts are more bang for your buck.
Additionally, isolating muscles, especially as a beginner, can lead to muscle imbalance (eg overtrained quads vs undertrained hamstrings) which can lead to injuries.
Lone_Ranger 2 3w ago
dude - isolation excercises are for people on 5 day splits, that want to spend 1.5 hours per day in the gym. Forget isolation excercises, they are for pros that know what they are doing and have the time to do it.
Your friend is 'compound exercises' .. that means
think about it - a classic isolation excercise allows you to only life about 20kg. so you are just lifting small weights, to hit a small part of your body.
A compound exercise like a squat, will let you lift 60 kg even if you are new to the gym.... far more bang for your buck.
go compound, use 5x5, stick to the program - pretty soon you will be lifting heavy
Lone_Ranger 2 3w ago
The great Ronny Coleman said "Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, nobody wants to life heavy"
Gym noobs always seem to think there is some sort of alchamey to it. Some secret sauce. some combination of isolation moves that is going to unlock their super man physique.
The truth is simple, but hard. You need to do compound excercises (the classics work best) and you need to be constantly adding weight, so that you eventually are pushing against your limits.
This is the great thing about 5x5. It cuts out all complexity, and gets you ready for the heavy weights. You basically start with the empty bar on all lifts.
This seems stupid, because it is so easy in the first month. Squatting an empty bar feels dumb. But there is a method to the madness - this is the time that you spend developing perfect form. You squat right down, ass to grass. You bench perfectly, with the bar over your nipples, not your throat.
And more importantly, you learn to yearn for the extra weight. Dont worry, the weight will come to you, when you are ready. If you ladding 1.25kg to each side every time you go to the gym, and you go 3x per week - the weight will come to you.
After a while, you will find that there is 60kg on the bar. And by this time, you will be ready ...you will be ready willing and able.
Do you understand now?
coolsocks00 1 4w ago
This. The first few years of dedicated lifting is well spent with a full body program 3 times a week.
The extra day 4,5,6 on a PPL split provide extremely low value relative to time and effort invested.
Instead OP can spend some of that extra time to focus on forearms, running or actual work.
Fewer days and excercises also makes it much easier to keep track of your progressive overloading and deloads, something even intermediate lifters struggle navigating.
Damn i remember doing this program for a couple years over a decade ago. During that time i was doing the GOMAD diet (gallon of milk a day), dirty bulked and slept 9 hours a night. Worked like a charm. But as soon as i started cutting down and got less sleep, that program got rough.
Point is, it’s a beginner program and you cant expect beginner gains and progression to go on forever without tweaking things. But that’s years down the line.
OP, keep it simple despite your drive to complicate things from the get go.
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