Muscle Gains for Newbies

mastover · Thu, June 7th, 2012, 05:21 PM

I get many requests for a training routine that will yield muscle gains. First off, the nutrition should be supportive of this goal. Secondly, a progressive training system should be employed. Every 2-3 weeks you should be able to increase the load on exercises by the lowest possible increment until you hit the highest prescribed rep range specified. Many people do not record a training journal. This is a serious mistake. You should record poundages used, reps, sets, and even the time the entire workout took. Look at at John Stone's workout archives. This is crucial for success. Proper workout nutrition is also very important. Meal timing has no value unless around the training window.

Here is a great 8 week workout for the newbie or the individual who has not trained in quite some time. The fat loss will naturally occur with the new gains in lean mass and up-regulated metabolism. Warmup with 2-3 sets prior to the work sets listed.

DAY ONE:
Barbell Squats: 3x8
Bench Press: 3x8
Barbell Rows: 3x6-8
Romanian Dead Lifts: 2x12
Seated Calf Raise: 2x15

DAY TWO:
Hack Squats or Leg Press: 2x12-15
Seated Shoulder Press: 3x10-12
DB Rows: 2x12
BB Curl: 2x 8-12
Dips: 2x6-8 ( use a dipping chain with added weight if you can do more than 6-8 reps with body weight)
Standing Calf Raise: 2x8-10 (5 sec contraction)

DAY THREE:
Dead Lifts: 2x10
Leg Press: 2x12-15
Incline BB Press: 3x10-12
Close Grip Cable Rows: 2x10-12

Make sure you eat 300-600 calories above your baseline. Sleep and rest is crucial. Meal timing is unimportant. As long as you can hit your macro requirements by the end of the day, you can eat whenever you wish, and however many meals you like. Meal timing is only critically important around the training.

Commit for 8 weeks and I guarantee if you employ my three "P's" for success, you will get on a roll and notice some incredible changes.

Three P's for success - Patience, Persistence, Pain toleration.

Too many people come to me wishing to lose weight, but are "skinny fat". Cardio is not the answer. Nutrition combined with a weight training system is the key. For all you new people out there, let's rock & roll.

BigieSmallz · Sat, June 16th, 2012, 10:25 AM

Hey Aram,

This is a 3 day week lift schedual you reccomend doing cardio on off days?

mastover · Sat, June 16th, 2012, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigieSmallz

Hey Aram,

This is a 3 day week lift schedual you reccomend doing cardio on off days?

Depends on your normal activity levels. If you do cardio, cut down or out the low intensity cardio if possible. It impairs strength &
hypertrophy and lowers metabolic rate.

Do HIIT 1-3x per week. Again, it depends upon your personal metabolism, activity levels, diet. Most newbies and intermediates don't need any conventional cardio. Diet is going to be the key.

xyz33 · Mon, June 25th, 2012, 05:34 PM

If you don't have access to equipment to perform Close Grip Cable Rows, what do you recommend substituting it with?

mastover · Tue, June 26th, 2012, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyz33

If you don't have access to equipment to perform Close Grip Cable Rows, what do you recommend substituting it with?

I don't know what you have to work with, but any of the following would be perfectly fine:
Hammer Strength Machine Rows
Braced 2 Arm DB Rows
T Bar Rows
Chest Braced T Bar Rows
Any other type of machine row

Or you can do BB rows again using a grip opposite of the one you used on
Day One.

TheThirdMohican · Sun, July 1st, 2012, 11:03 AM

Looks solid. Will be trying once I plateau on my current training scheme (fittingly enough also devised by one Mastover)

mastover · Tue, July 3rd, 2012, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheThirdMohican

Looks solid. Will be trying once I plateau on my current training scheme (fittingly enough also devised by one Mastover)

Once you begin this routine, make sure you start out with weights where you can easily hit the highest rep ranges specified for your first two weeks. From then on, increase weight for each exercise by the smallest possible increment and try for the highest reps listed, again. If this progression works for you, this routine can be extended for 10-12 weeks. If you reach a plateau after 6-8 weeks with poundages used, do a de-load for one week working with 70% of your usual weights. After your de-load, pick up where you left off with the plateau.

Eat clean with good muscle building foods like chicken, steak, whole eggs, milk, olive oil, sweet potato, green/fibrous veggies, oatmeal, and I guarantee results in muscle and strength.

mcfc98 · Wed, August 1st, 2012, 08:58 PM

Azure · Thu, August 9th, 2012, 08:25 PM

Great post.

More complicated than what I went with. Went from 200# to 260# in a year and a half, and I did was squat and deadlift. Sure there were other exercises involved, including a lot of flexibility work, but for the most part I focused on those two lifts.

Certainly added muscle, along with a lot of fat, which for some reason made me think to myself that it wasn't effective at all. But when I cut back to 230# about, the added muscle was VERY muscle.

matalo · Thu, September 13th, 2012, 10:09 AM

Sorry to dredge up an old post, but it's been quite some time since I hit the gym. I am definitely skinny fat and I need to gain some muscle.

My dumb question of the day is this. Can you help clarify what you mean by warmup sets prior to the workout? Is it simply performing the exercise listed but with very light weights, stretching, or something else entirely?

Riser · Fri, November 2nd, 2012, 03:49 PM

Matalo,

(Mastover can correct me if I am mistaken) He probably means doing the same exact exercise with 50-70% of the weight you are going to use for your work sets.

I also normally do 15-minutes LISS cardio before lifting, though AFAIK most people don't go that far. That's like a general warm-up, while the warm-up sets are specific warm-ups.

Hope that help!

Riser

Quote:

Originally Posted by matalo

Sorry to dredge up an old post, but it's been quite some time since I hit the gym. I am definitely skinny fat and I need to gain some muscle.

My dumb question of the day is this. Can you help clarify what you mean by warmup sets prior to the workout? Is it simply performing the exercise listed but with very light weights, stretching, or something else entirely?