Weight/Strength Training

I figured this was the best forum to ask to get a straight answer. I'm looking at starting some basic strength training to get into shape, however I haven't done any training since I played hockey in high school and my memory is a little foggy. Does anyone know of a good program to follow as far as exercises and percentage of weight to lift for each exercise? I'm just looking for a simple guide to get me started.

Thanks for all responses.

hmmm this can be a bit tricky as you start to head back to the gym...
I say take it easy and give yourself about a month or two before you actually start to lift heavy... give your body some time to adjust and regain that muscle memory... stretch and stretch often if your going for strength training there are plenty of programs you can follow online... low reps heavy weight... also check out bobybuilding dot com they have a forum and store...
but the forum is full of info and I am pretty sure you will you enjoy it...


my 3 cents due to inflation


for me it's been about 4 years... lately I run, dance salsa,swim and "wife"... not much into lifting these days... mainly because I am looking to slim down from 280 to about 220 - 230... so I am going to sacrifice plenty of muscle mass ...

Don't forget to stretch...

Start basic. If you haven't trained in a while, the first few months are largely going to work on conditioning and strengthening muscles, ligaments and tendons for later training. Train each body part or muscle group once a week. To that end, I would start with 2-3 compound exercises for each body part, with 3-4 sets per compound exercise. Sets can comprise a consistent number of reps from 6 (to build strength) to 12 (conditions the muscle). Or you can pyramid: set 1x12 reps, 2x10, 3x8, 4x6. Follow the 2-3 compound exercise with one or two isolation exercises per body part. If one isolation exercise, do 4 sets of 12. If two exercises, do 3 sets of twelve.

Whatever you settle on, don't spend more than 45 minutes weight training. More time than that can be counter-productive. Change up the exercises, # of sets and reps every 4 to 6 weeks. Perhaps most importantly, keep a journal to track your progress.

I think your best choice would be to try endurance weightlifting, or doing many reps with light weights, for about 6 or 8 weeks. That should give you a nice base fitness level that will get your upper body into shape enough to tackle on strength training. If you're not in the best of shape, jumping into strength training can put a lot of strain on your bones and joints. As far as telling the percentage of weights you should be lifting, that can only be determined by you; the amount of weight you lift should be enough so that the last few reps are somewhat difficult to do, but not so easy that you can do 3 more reps on your last set.

I just started up again about two months ago. I have the plan in my backpack. There is also a website that I got it from a few years ago. It is working very well for me and I am seeing huge gains.

Later when I go to the gym I will try to remember the web sight. If I forget, send me a PM. I have tried to gain weight/muscle for most of my life. I have also tried the "Body for Life" program, but that was not as effective as this plan. My workout only takes 20-30 minutes, three days a week.

OK, this is the plan I have been following, Bodybuilding for Real People
and Real Life Results By Dave Picard. He has several good articles posted at this website.

OldSaw said:

OK, this is the plan I have been following, Bodybuilding for Real People
and Real Life Results By Dave Picard. He has several good articles posted at this website.

Click to expand...

I do something similar. Around 8 - 10 exercises, one set each, covering the whole body. Tues & Thurs one week, Mon, Wed, Fri the next.

Most of the exercises are isolation type movements - I found that I respond better to them than compound types. I think it's because I've got long arms and legs - poor leverage - for me squats are a butt exercise and every angle of press ends up being a front deltoid workout. Wide grip dips with my elbows out in the same plane as my torso are the best way I've found to isolate my chest. Other than that, the exercises are pretty standard. I do ab (plank), neck (towel pulls or bridge) and forearm (Captains of Crush #1 gripper or wrist curls) once per week, each on a different day.

Thanks, I'll have to check it out.

Without a doubt, this book, SWAT Workout by Stewart Smith is all you need.
Swat Workout
Everyone I've recommended it to says it's the best they've used. Note there is a lot of pushups and situps.

It is also my B&B eponym.

You can always try the Ouch method.

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTczMKtmvdQ"]Training with Ouch[/YOUTUBE]

I highly, highly recommend Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. Essentially, the program will have you mastering the basic exercises: squat, deadlift, bench press, and press. Rippetoe is a huge advocate of the power clean, but it can be awkward and hard to perform in a conventional gym, in which case you should sub the chin-up. The book goes into INCREDIBLE detail about how to perform those exercises. As someone who can appreciate the intricacies and patience involved in wet shaving, you will surely appreciate the detail that Rippetoe goes into about how to properly perform the basic barbell lifts.

Starting Strength will give you a good beginners' program to get you through the first 6-12 months of training. He has a companion book called Practical Programming which provides very clear, easy-to-understand instructions about how to program for the intermediate and advanced stages of your training. I really can't overemphasize how good those two books are for a beginning trainee (or any trainee for that matter).

I agree with "start basic". Build core strength before worrying about other little factors such as appearance or tummy reduction. Start with weights that you can reasonably handle for at least 10 reps per set. Do reps smoothly instead of using efficient little jerks - make the muscles do their work. Learn the proper technique for each exercise.

No more than 5 days per week. Alternate workouts of pulling sessions and pushing sessions. IMHO, free weights are much better than machines.

Pulling sessions: dead lifts and bent over rowing. Dead lifts work almost everything in your body, especially the abs. Bent over rowing is mainly for the large "lats" of your upper back, but also your biceps. Both of these are also excellent for your forearms.

Pushing sessions: squats, bench presses, and military presses. Squats are mainly for your upper legs, but they work on a lot more than that. Bench presses are focused on the chest, but also work the triceps. Military presses are mainly for the upper shoulders (deltoids), but also work the triceps and the back of the neck.

Stick to this simple workout for as many months as you can. You will get stronger and stronger. Increase the weight for any exercise by about 10% (or, to a level where 10 reps is doable but an effort) when 10 reps becomes easy. When you are strong and need to try other things, add one specialty exercise to each routine, keeping the distinction of pushing and pulling.

I hope this helps.