shaunuk said:
I'd be interested to hear what your views are - in your opinion, what philosophy should newbies be following?
-shaun
The first and most important point is the newbies will put on a lot of muscle for pretty much any form of weight lifting. It doesn't really matter. Most people go there pushing the weight as hard as they can and they naturally assume that lifting heavier and heavier weights will yield more muscle.
People need to understand good body building techniques yield results over years. Most people have that initial burst of muscle growth than it's subpar for the rest of the time. Most people at the gym are small, and the ones that are actually big have put on subpar amount of muscles for a decade, and yeah, you'll eventually get big.
You should be doing full body workouts. There's absolutely no reason to break up your days into chest & trics, back & biceps, etc.
I also noticed you need a time where you're low volume, or off. I picked this up when I was on xmas break at school, I'd be off for a few weeks and when I came back, my arms were like an inch bigger. You just can't beat the sh*t out of your body, and not give it a good period of rest.
You should consume the same amount of protein every 2-3hrs. There's absolutely no need to eat more, or less.
You always need a good meal that is low in fat, high in carbs before a workout. This is what makes you more explosive.
Cycle volumes. You need times when you're regular, low and when you're beating the sh*t out of your body. This will do more to shock your muscles than anything. And that means changing your rep range.
Don't over do it. I see people at the gym that do flat bench press, than do incline, than do decline. Not only is your chest pretty much done after your flat bench press, you're just wasting your time after that.
Keep the workout short. 30-45mins. You have no reason to go by this. NO REASON! some people think if they're there longer, they feel like they're getting a better workout, Well, you're not.
The more compound the exercises, the better! Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press and bent over rows. If you're not doing ALL of these, you're wasting your time.
No cardio before or after your workout. This is just a no no.
Hope this helps.