Gym routine for a newbie...

[Old Man Fred]

I am after a bit of advice for someone that has just started going to the gym in terms of the exercises I should be doing and this seemed like a good place to ask. I appreciate it is difficult to suggest things for a stranger on the internet but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

About me, I am 41, 5’8” and about 11 stone 9 so a bit overweight, with almost all the excess on my torso. I have been going for a month already and lost 2 inches off my chest, an inch off my waist and added half an inch to my quads (well, top of my legs), all other muscles are pretty much the same. My main goal is to increase my strength and size, not necessarily weight loss, but I am expecting my body to re-shape itself a little in the process

I did the 5 x 5 stronglifts program about 5 years ago when I went to the gym which I was enjoying until I injured my knee (all sorted now) and so this is kind of what I have started again but also added some additional exercises as just 3 doesn’t seem enough.

I currently go 3 times a week (Tues, Thurs and Sunday), for about 1hr to 1hr 15 mins each time, I am considering upping it to 4 times a week tues and thurs after work and early sat and Sunday afternoon. Not that its relevant but I currently do 60kg squat, 70kg deadlift, 25kg overhead press, 30kg bench press (I feel this is very low) and 40kg (I think) bent over row. I eat fairly well now, lots of chicken, eggs, pasta and rice for carbs as well as some veg and baked potatoes and salad etc as well as a protein shake each day to help boost protein intake

Is the 5 x 5 still a decent program and should I be including other exercises or just stick with these 3 each day? I have watched a fair few videos and I am fairly confident my form is decent on my exercises (less soreness after making a few adjustments

My gym is fairly small but has a decent selection of equipment, 2 squat racks which are nearly always free, free weights and a selection of machines, although I am not too keen on these as quite a few vids seem to suggest they limit range of motion and are not necessarily good. I know some exercise by name, but I may need more explanation of some others, just to warn you!

Please lend me your expertise…

[gregs656]

I would do 5x5 for 12 weeks and then see where you're at.

Do you use the app? You can add in assistance exercises on the app if you want to.

If you do add in a 4th day, you could use this session to do a general upper body workout and play around on the machines etc to see if you get on with any of them. Cable machines for example are hugely versatile and can save you a lot of time racking weights.

[LordGrover]

I still rate SL5x5 as a good beginners program, but as you're finding volume isn't enough when it's still light.

I'd do SL A & B as written but add some supplementary exercises on top.


A plus triceps, Hams, lat pulldowns/cable rows; 2 x 10 reps each
B plus calves, Abs, some chest variation; 2 x 10 reps each

These should be just enough to be difficult the last few reps, not straining - they are accessory/supplementary exercises, not part of the main workout. You should be tired already.

Not sure yet how effective this is as I've only recently started again myself, but seems good so far.

Edited by LordGrover on Tuesday 8th October 15:00

[IanJ9375]

https://www.julian.com/guide/muscle/intro

Cuts through the bull and doesn't try to sell you anything

[stargazer30]

I started lifting at age 40 and I did strong lifts 5x5 for nearly 6 months. Its a good program for newbies as long as you are super super careful with your squat and deadlift form and don't ego lift.

You may think 3 exercises is not enough but trust me once its starts to get heavy its really is. I can remember the routine taking an hour and coming out properly knackered. 5x5 100kg squats followed by deadlifts is a killer.

Some other interesting points based on my own lifting experience, some folks wont agree but hey ho;
Newbies get stronger fast but its mostly neuro vs muscle size. Your body gets better at using what its got.
Enjoy the newbie gains now, 3 years down the line you'll wish you could still add weight each week :-)
You can't spot reduce fat, the tummy has the most so you will see it go last!
Eventually you will stall unless you start to eat a slight surplus and then fat loss won't happen at all.
Your body doesn't want to put on muscle as its a survival engine and muscle is metabotically expensive, if you want it to grow you need to convince it it has to or else!
Creatine is your friend
There's something really cool about the first time you deadlift 100kg for 5 reps.
At some point you will puke in your own mouth on that last deadlift rep and that'll be fun too.
Some folks on PH are genetic mutants don't take there lifting stats to heart, you're only human.

[LordGrover]

Another beginners' program I like the look of but have not tried is Fierce 5: click.

[Old Man Fred]

Thanks for all the advice so far, looks like 5 x 5 is a good starting point still. I hadn't realised there was an app, i have now downloaded this and it seems good with indicated rest periods etc.

I am looking forward to the newbie gains, but i don't expect to see too much in the first month or two in terms of muscle as it is still underneath fat, which is slowly going as per my OP. I might try 5x5 with a few extra exercises while it seems 'light' and just concentrate on 5x5 a bit further down the road in a few months.

I forgot to mention i have bought creatine as well, although i stopped taking this last week due to stomach pain but i am not actually sure what was causing it so i am gradually re-introducing things like that (will be taking 3g a day)

diet breakdown is currently around 150g protein, 150g carbs and 30g fats, figures suggested from this calculator https://gravitytransformation.com/macro-calculator...

Thank you for all the info so far, any more advice is welcome

[gregs656]

I have found that I am not reactive to creatine, not everyone is.

I have, more recently, been taking a collagen supplement and have had a few positive comments.

[stargazer30]

Old Man Fred said:

I forgot to mention i have bought creatine as well, although i stopped taking this last week due to stomach pain but i am not actually sure what was causing it so i am gradually re-introducing things like that (will be taking 3g a day)

diet breakdown is currently around 150g protein, 150g carbs and 30g fats, figures suggested from this calculator https://gravitytransformation.com/macro-calculator...

Surprising to see stomach pain, especially from 3g per day. You need to stay hydrated when using it but otherwise I've never had any problems. Still its a supplement, its not necessary, just helps.

Diet is as important (if not more so) than what you do in the gym, so good to see you're tracking that.
The other one is sleep. If you get those 3 in balance > sleep, lift, eat then you are onto a winner.

The stronglift app is awesome. Once you graduate from stronglifts, another app I really like is Strong. You can use that with any routine, create your own and its tracks your progress, measurements etc..

[gregs656]

I use strong too. Really good.

I see they have monetised the StrongLifts app a bit now. You never used to have to pay to add in the accessory exercises. It’s a good app so good for them.

[Old Man Fred]

stargazer30 said:

Old Man Fred said:

I forgot to mention i have bought creatine as well, although i stopped taking this last week due to stomach pain but i am not actually sure what was causing it so i am gradually re-introducing things like that (will be taking 3g a day)

diet breakdown is currently around 150g protein, 150g carbs and 30g fats, figures suggested from this calculator https://gravitytransformation.com/macro-calculator...

Surprising to see stomach pain, especially from 3g per day. You need to stay hydrated when using it but otherwise I've never had any problems. Still its a supplement, its not necessary, just helps.

Diet is as important (if not more so) than what you do in the gym, so good to see you're tracking that.
The other one is sleep. If you get those 3 in balance > sleep, lift, eat then you are onto a winner.

The stronglift app is awesome. Once you graduate from stronglifts, another app I really like is Strong. You can use that with any routine, create your own and its tracks your progress, measurements etc..

I didn't explain very well, i now dont think the stomach pain and creatine were actually linked, i just had pain so stopped eating anything i had introduced in the week or two before, think it may have just been the big change in diet. i will stick with SL for 3 months i think and see what results that has, then decide whether to keep going for another 3 or to change slightly.

The SL app is good, i have just got the basic one for now, i will also check out strong when i move off SL program, thanks again for the advice. i will post updates here at least monthly when i measure myself for anyone interested in the progress

[LordGrover]

gregs656 said:

I use strong too. Really good.

I see they have monetised the StrongLifts app a bit now. You never used to have to pay to add in the accessory exercises. It’s a good app so good for them.

Pretty sure you did, but it was an add-on called powerpack.
I bought it back then, it was only thirty bob or something and it's been honoured with the new/current app. It provides the same features as SL Pro, but is platform dependent. I paid for it on iphone so won't work on android - where the new Pro version would.