lawl. That hadn't been invented yet in the 4th century B.C. Brotha's all natural... and not imaginary; A dude modeled for that sculpture. Wrestling all day, picking up heavy things, and sacrificing a fatted calf here and there will get you far, apparently.Originally Posted by Kolton Lock
I still rate myself a beginner (<=3 years training this way), and the way I work out kind of changes slightly every couple months depending on what's working for me, what's injured, etc. Here's what I found does well: I generally do high volume low rep sets of 60-90% 1-rep-max, 4-5 days a week for 90 minutes. My focus is on five lifts: squat, front squat, deadlift, overhead press, and bench press. When I get the opportunity to use bumper plates, I like to go heavy on snatch and clean as well. I squat or deadlift every workout. I press every workout. And then I do whatever I feel like. Each workout starts with what I need to do; my top priority, then I do what I want to do, and maybe something for fun. The word "routine" might not be correct here. [If you want something dead-specific, almost every great lifter ever has written theirs down for you, and maybe written a book about it.] I do very little assistance work, which is lifts that aid in the main lift, such as rows to improve deadlifts. There's a whole lot of good science out there on how to pick out your reps, sets, and %max when you lift, but I ignore it and do what feels good. For me, that tends to be heavy, which beginners can get away with much easier, since it's still pretty light compared to a more advanced lifter.
Typical workout structure:
Warmup, if necessary. I like the rowing machine for 2-5 minutes because it's a useful movement. Also good: 3-5 rounds of 5 pushups, situps, air squats.
Squat
2 sets of 10 @ 40%
2 sets of 10 @ 55%
2 sets of 8 @ 70%
4 sets of 5 @ 85%
6 sets of 3 @ 90%
Strict Overhead Press
2 sets of 10 @ 25%
2 sets of 10 @ 35%
2 Sets of 8 @ 45%
2 sets of 8 @ 50%
2 sets of 8 @ 60%
4 sets of 5 @ 70%
6 sets of 3 @ 80%
...you can hopefully see where I'm going there. Go lighter for the first couple weeks... like 20% lighter.
Oh, I do deadlifts different, since I don't enjoy high rep sets of deads. And if you're not doing what you enjoy, what keeps you coming back every day?
2 sets of 10 @ 40%
2 sets of 5 @ 60%
4 sets of 3 @ 75%
4 sets of 1 @ 85%
4 sets of 3 @ 75%
For assistance lifts, I tend to stay in the 5-10 rep range, usually working down to a 5-rep max and wailing on that until I'm sick and tired of it.
EDIT: Since ITHURTZ mentioned it, I tend to bang one out before the gym just because it's a convenient time and maybe the female's around. My reading indicates that the general consensus is a slight serum testosterone increase during and after, which is cool, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on my workout one way or another. It's rare that I miss a lift. I don't take any "pre-workout" drinks or anything, either.
