The beginner training program is designed to build and strengthen the functional base of the body. In bodybuilding it is very important to start training correctly, it is the wrong initial training program that can lead to failure, cause health problems and disappoint you in bodybuilding.
General recommendations for beginners
The initial training program is designed for about 1 year of training, during which time it is progressively modified. Do not get hung up on one scheme, because the body quickly gets used to monotonous classes and training efficiency decreases.
Do not try to load yourself with the maximum load from the first workout, increase the intensity gradually. This approach allows you to adapt your body to the loads, improves your health and allows you to work out the installation on training.
Control your body's recovery, don't overtrain, don't train every day. The optimal frequency is 3-4 times a week, depending on the individual characteristics of the body.
Read the main article: Optimal training frequency
The duration of the workout should not exceed 1.5 hours, and in some cases 1 hour.
Read the main article: Optimal workout duration
Do not resort to specialized exercises that target individual muscles in the initial stages of training, use mostly basic exercises.
Concentrate on the correct technique of exercises, use small weights. Later good results will come from the correct technique that is laid down at the beginning. If you do the exercises incorrectly from the beginning, later it will be much more difficult to realize your mistakes, because a certain stereotype develops. Paying no attention to technique, you will not be able to fully pump the target muscles, respectively the stimulus to growth will be much less. That is why before your first trip to the gym you should thoroughly study the technique of exercises.
In the first 2-3 months of training most of the beginners will do unpopular nowadays but very well recommended programs for the whole body per workout.
Train your core muscles: abs, back extensors, lumbar muscles, posterior surface of the thigh. These muscles take an active part in all basic exercises and it is their strength and endurance that determines the results in squats with barbell, deadlift and army bench press.
Eat right, but remember that the initial stage of bodybuilding does not involve overeating.
Read the main article: Diet for gaining muscle mass
Use split training to work your muscle groups to the best of your ability and get enough rest.
Use an electronic workout diary, this greatly facilitates the process of building and adjusting the training plan.
First stage (aerobic preparation)
Do not hurry to start strength exercises right away, but start your classes with aerobic training. This will prepare your cardiovascular system and increase your general endurance. Running is the most affordable and best option, but you can also do swimming, brisk walking, aerobics, etc. In this period you can exercise every other day or even every day, preferably in the morning hours. Before each workout do a thorough warm-up, try to stretch all the main muscles, make movements in the main joints with maximum amplitude. Do not make sudden movements. The purpose of the warm-up is to increase joint mobility, improve nutrition of muscles and ligaments.
Read the main article: Warm-up in bodybuilding
During the first stage, you need to develop your body's tolerance to loads in order to prepare it for high-intensity strength training. If you are fond of any sport (soccer, basketball, volleyball, etc.) and are systematically exposed to physical loads, you can skip this stage. The average duration of the first stage is 2-4 weeks. Before your first strength training session, take a break for 2-3 days to give your body time to recover.
Stage Two (full body)
Research has shown that beginning lifters (or those who have taken a long break) experience more muscle growth in full body programs. The use of full body training is also justified by the fact that basic exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups) in sufficient quantities release hormones that help recovery after training, which does not happen with rare loads of split-systems. One of such people is professor Selujanov, who checked in his laboratory the quantity of hormones before and after the exercises, and if after the lifting of weights on biceps the quantity of hormones in blood was 2-3 units, after squats or deadlift it was 5-7 units.
However, other, no less authoritative Russian experts in the field of powerlifting and bodybuilding (Faleev and others) believe that there are no hormonal emissions during basic exercises. And the various effects (e.g. attraction) after the same squat are considered not as a release of testosterone, but simply an increase in blood circulation in the pelvic area. In support of their hypothesis, they did a study on the hormonal background before and after exercise. In any case, to achieve the best results for a beginner athlete (or after a long break in training), it is recommended that at least 2-3 months of full body training be performed.
Before you start exercising, you should do a 10-minute warm-up. The purpose of the warm-up is to raise the heart rate, improve tissue circulation, develop tendons, and raise the tone of the sympathetic nervous system.
Use a working weight in the exercises.
Each exercise begins with a warm-up set: 10 repetitions at 50% of the working weight.
Each exercise includes about 3 sets and 10-15 reps. Do not be surprised by the high frequency of reps. The training program for the beginner is aimed not so much at stimulating muscles to grow, but at their preparation. With first power loadings it is necessary to achieve super compensation in glycogen metabolism, and that is why more reps are required. There are separate muscles (calves, abs) that require even more reps (about 20).
It should take 30-60 seconds for each approach. This is the optimal period for strength training.
Watch your heart rate during your workout. The optimal heart rate interval is 100-140 beats per minute. If the heart rate is less frequent, the training intensity is too low; if the heart rate is more frequent, the intensity should be reduced.
The third stage (two-day split)
Muscles gradually adapt to the load, and according to the principle of variability, to achieve a pronounced training effect it is necessary to gradually increase the load on individual muscle groups, as well as to increase the intensity and increase the working weight. In order to increase the load on individual muscles without increasing the total load volume (otherwise overtraining can occur), the split program can help.
Main article: Two-day split.
Stage 4 (three-day split)
Day 1 - back and biceps
Warm-up
Wider grip pull ups, 3x max.
Deadlift, 2x8
Weightlifting with barbell in bent position, 3x8
Lifting barbell at biceps, 2x12
Hyperextension
Any exercise on abs (twists) without extra weights, 3 sets
Warm-up
Read the main article: Back - Exercises and Workout Feature
Read the main article: Biceps - Exercises and workout highlights
Read the main article: Bench Press - Exercises and Training Features
Day 2 - Legs and Triceps
Warm up
Barbell squat 3x6
Kick press 2x18
Sitting up, 3x15
Bench press with narrow grip 2x12
French press 1x12
Any exercise (twists) without weights, 3 sets
Warm up
Read the main article: Leg exercises and workouts
Read the main article: Triceps exercises and workout highlights
Day 3 - Chest, shoulders
Warm up
Press up with wide grip, 5x5
Push up on bars, 3 refusal sets
Army bench press, 3x8
Arms extension with dumbbells, 2x12
Reset
Read the main article: Chest Muscles - Exercises and Training
Read the main article: Shoulders - Training / Exercises.
After the third day, you need to take a break for at least two days. Classes in this stage can be continued for several months, gradually mastering new principles of training.
"Attention" The muscle groups that are worked through in the workout first grow faster and become stronger than the other muscle groups. [1]
Stage Five (Wave Periodization)
This stage of the training program does not essentially differ from the previous one, except that the program begins to include more complex exercises, a larger proportion of isolation exercises, and the number of repetitions varies from 6 to 15 using periodization. Read more: Workout Planning.
In addition, proceed to study:
How to put together a workout program.
The best mass training programs.
Effective principles for gaining muscle mass.
Training program for professionals.
High-intensity training.
Effectiveness of the program for beginners
This training program for beginners is based on a literature review and is a typical basic scheme. The program is suitable for most beginners, but there are exceptions which cannot be predicted and only empirical experience will establish them. A much greater risk of low effectiveness occurs with specific programs that are now widely advertised and promoted. Don't fall for the marketing bait, as it has been scientifically established that basic programs like this one are most effective.
Do not wait for significant results, they will appear only on the third stage. Don't try to force your development and skip stages, it will worsen your progress afterwards.
